ALBERT HODGES. Albert Hodges is an attorney at law of wide reputation, a man of unquestioned integrity, a close reasoner and a profound thinker. He is a Missourian by birth, and has inculcated in him the sterling principles of the better class of citizens of the State. He was born in Taney County (afterward Douglas County), November 2, 1848, and is a son of Edmond and Sarah (Garrison) Hodges, the former a native of Kentucky, and the latter of Warren County, Indiana, born in 1827.
The grandfather, John Hodges, was a native of Kentucky, and the family moved from that State to Indiana at an early date, and thence to Missouri in 1835- After reaching the latter State, the grandfather settled at the mouth of Beaver Spring Creek, in Taney County, afterward Douglas and Taney Counties, and followed farming the rest of his life. He was one of the earliest pioneers of that section. His son, the father of our subject, followed in his footsteps and became an agriculturist. He is still living on the tract of land where he settled many years ago, in Douglas County. In 1846 he married Miss Sarah Garrison and immediately afterward began his career as an agriculturist. He has met with unusual success and has a fine farm of 360 acres, the same being an ornament to the county. During the Civil War he enlisted in the Union Army, Twenty-fifth Regiment, and served for six months. Mr. Hodges is one of the influential men of his section, is public-spirited and enterprising, and gives his hearty support to all worthy movements. Mrs. Hodges died in May. 1862. She was the daughter of Abner Garrison, who was one of the early pioneers of Stone County, coming from Indiana and settling in this county in 1832. Originally he was from Virginia, where his birth occurred in 1808. Mr. Garrison was one of the prominent men of Taney County and held the office of assessor and deputy sheriff as well as many other prominent positions. He is now a resident of Douglas County, and in 1876 he was elected to represent that county in the Legislature. He reared a large family. Mrs. Hodges was but five years of age when her parents came to this county. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hodges: Albert (subject); Susan, wife of John Carr; Masshach, a resident of Douglas County; John. also of Douglas County; Edmond, the same county; Abner, Rachel and Sarah. The three last named are deceased. Mr. Hodges selected his second wife in the person of Mrs. Stone, daughter of Bill Prier, an early settler of Greene County. Three children were the fruits of this union: Rose, Flemming and Lois.
The boyhood days of our subject were passed in Taney County on his father’s farm, and he secured a fair education in the common schools. When the Civil War broke out he was only about sixteen years of age, but he was filled with a patriotic desire to fight for the Stars and Stripes, and enlisted in Company B, Sixteenth Missouri Volunteer Cavalry, under Col. John McMahan and Captain James H. Sallee. He was in some of the prominent engagements of Gen. Price’s raid, but most of the time he was fighting bushwhackers and guerrillas in southwest Missouri and Arkansas. In a skirmish on White River he was injured by a falling horse and crippled for life. He was a good soldier and served eighteen months, being among the first soldiers to enlist from his section. After being discharged Mr. Hodges came back to Douglas County and worked on the farm, and finished his common-school education. In 1872 he went to Oregon and resided three years in Union County, where in connection with farming he also taught school. Later he entered Christian College, at Monmouth, Ore., remained in the same a year, and then again taught school. In 1878 he returned to Douglas County, and after teaching a year went to Texas, where he remained another year. He then went to Arkansas, taught school for some time, and subsequently returned to Taney County, Missouri, where he began the study of law, under J. J. Brown, being admitted to the bar in 1881. He immediately began practicing at Forsyth and remained there until 1882, when he decided to locate at Galena. Since then he has made his home here, has met with more than the average success, and practices over a wide scope of country.
In 1882 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Stone County, and held the office again in 1890. In politics he is a Republican and a man of influence. He is a member of the G. A. R. Mr. Hodges has made a success of life in a financial way, and aside from a large farm he also owns consider-able town property. He was married, in this county, to Miss Hattie Moore, a native of Kentucky, and the daughter of M. P. Moore, who was one of the early settlers of Platte County, Missouri To Mr. and Mrs. Hodges have been born three children: Mattie, Edmond M. and Albert T. Our subject is of French descent on the father’s side of the house and of English on the mother’s side. Mr. Hodges is well posted in the organic and pioneer history of his county. He tells that Crawford County embraced nearly all southwest Missouri as known January 23, 1829. Taney County was organized January 6, 1837, and Douglas County, October 19, 1857; so that his father’s farm was in three counties, being in Douglas now. He believes Solomon Yocum to have been the first white settler in what is now Stone County, for he settled at the mouth of James River in the fall of 1816. Joe Philibert settled at old Delaware Town, Greene County, in 1822, ten years before a store was opened at Springfield. In conversing with Philibert before his death, in 1882, Mr. Hodges obtained a succinct history of pioneer days from the pioneer.