History of Daviess County Missouri Collections

Biography of Wright Taylor

Wright Taylor was born in Simpson county, Kentucky, August 15, 1823, and his parents were natives of the same State, When only four years old his home was changed to Missouri, and for six years he lived near Liberty, in Clay county. From thence he removed to what was then known as the Grand River country, Plattsburg then being the chief town in the district, now comprising the counties of Daviess, DeKalb, Harrison, Grundy and Gentry. He went to DeKalb county from Clay, and remained there until he was twenty-one years old. On the 20th of March, 1844, Mr. Taylor … Read more

Biography of William S. McNeill

William S. McNeill was born in Hardy county, Virginia, November 1, 1837. His parents moved to this county in 1855, and his father, John H. McNeill, was president of the first fair held in this county in 1856, and had at that time the only herd of Short-Horn Durham cattle in northwest Missouri. When the war began his father raised a company of cavalry for the Confederate army, and died November 11, 1864, from a wound received in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, while at the head of his company, known as the Partisan Rangers. The command then fell to his … Read more

Biography of William Middleton Givens

William Middleton Givens, son of John S. and Margaret S. Givens, was born near Booneville, Cooper county, Missouri, December 23, 1827. He was reared upon a farm amid the wholesome influences of country life and industry, and educated in the early private schools of his native county, supplemented by an attendance at F. T. Kemper’s High School, of Booneville. At the the age of seventeen he began teaching school, and continued to follow this profession at intervals until he graduated as a physician. In January, 1854, he entered upon the study of medicine under Dr. H. C. Gibson, of Booneville, … Read more

Biography of William Mann

William Mann was born in Hancock, Washington county, Maryland, April 1, 1839. He is the son of Jonathan E. and Mary A. Mann, who came to Missouri in 1841 and settled at Gallatin, where the subject of this sketch was reared. His educational advantages were limited, only having the opportunity of attending school two or three months each year from the time he was eight until fifteen years of age. His mother died when he was nine, and his father just before he became of age. His father being a merchant, young Mann started for himself in the same calling, … Read more

Biography of William M. Witten

William M. Witten is a Virginian, and was born in Tazewell county, that State, on the 9th of September, 1837. He was partly educated in the county of his birth, but left there before completing it. In 1851 he came to Grundy county, Missouri, locating in Edinburg, and soon afterwards entered Grand River College, where he completed his education. After leaving school be began life as a farmer, working with his father. He came to Daviess county in 1856 and settled in Lincoln township on a fine tract of land containing about one thousand acres, which his father had given … Read more

Biography of William M. Williams

William M. Williams was born in Greenup county, Kentucky, February 9, 1834. His parents, John D. and Eleanor Williams, nee McCosky, were among the first settlers of Kentucky. They came to Missouri in 1841, and, on April 20th, of that year, camped on Grand River in this county near where William M. Williams now lives. His father was a member of the legislature for two terms from this county. He sold goods in Old Pattonsburg for quite a number of years and had an extensive acquaintance over northwest Missouri. He died January 31, 1872; his wife, the mother of the … Read more

Biography of William J. Pugh

William J. Pugh was born in Preble County, Ohio, in 1836, and is a son of Willianson and Sarah Thigh with whom he moved, at the age of three years, to Rush county, Indiana, where he resided until 1872, when he removed to Harrison county, Missouri, and five years later to his present residence in Salem. Mr. Pugh was educated in the common schools of Rush county, Indiana, and at the Fairview Academy in the same county, which institution he attended ten months. Mr. Pugh commenced teaching at the age of eighteen years, and’ taught for thirteen winters, working a … Read more

Biography of William Henry McClung

William Henry McClung, son of Charles and Mary McClung, was born in what is now Jamesport township, this county, February 20, 1842. When he was five years old his parents removed to Greenbrier county, Virginia, where young McClung was reared a farmer, and attended the schools held an the log school houses prevalent in that portion of the country. The learning he thus acquired was meager, attending only one year, but he has by observation and study, since obtained a good business education. When he left home it was to become a soldier in the Confederate army, enlisting in the … Read more

Biography of William Henry Folmsbee

William Henry Folmsbee was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, June 22, 1831. His parents were Isaac and Deborah Folmsbee; his father, who was major in the United States regular army, died when the subject of this sketch had reached the age of seven years, and his mother followed him to the grave “some two years later. Thus thrown upon the world at this early age to provide for himself, he found a kind friend in the person of Dr. William Ensign, who gave him a home, reared and educated him. He attended the common and higher schools of Cincinnati, and while … Read more

Biography of William F. Flint

William F. Flint was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, April 4, 1828. His father, George Flint, was a native of Maryland, and William Flint, his grandfather, was a-soldier in the Revolutionary War. William F. Flint moved to Franklin county, Indiana, with his parents, when he was six years old, and then accompanied them to this county in 1841, where he has lived since, excepting-four years that he resided in Harrison county, returning to this county in March, 1881. He received most of his education by home study, and began teaching school when he had reached the age of eighteen years, … Read more

Biography of William Earl

William Earl was born in Monroe county, New York, April 13, 1816. His parents, John and Frances Earl, were natives of New Jersey. They located near Rochester, New York, and Mr. Earl engaged in the mercantile business. When young Earl was five years of age his father died and four years later his mother also died. At this early age he started to earn his own living. He first worked near Buffalo, New York, next in different parts of Ohio; and after making a little money attended school at Carthage and by hard study acquired a fair education in the … Read more

Biography of William C. Martin

William C. Martin was born in Licking County, Ohio, September 26, 1843, and is a son of Serrephus and Elizabeth Martin, nee Rose. His father was a native of New York State and his mother of Pennsylvania; she died in the State of Ohio when lie was about twelve years of age, but his father is still a resident of Fredonia, Licking County, Ohio. William was educated in Licking County, Ohio, and at the age of seventeen his youthful patriotism induced him to enlist as a member of Company H, Twenty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, but being so young his father … Read more

Biography of William C. Gillihan

William C. Gillihan was born near McComb, McDonough county, Illinois, April 1, 1841. When he had reached the age of four years his parents removed to Arkansas, and settled near Crawfordsville, Crawford county, and there his father died after a two years residence. In 1847 his mother removed to Iowa, and after several changes, finally settled in Warren county, near Indianola, where they lived until 1855, when (his mother having become Mrs. M. R. Richardson) they removed to Daviess county, seven miles south of Gallatin, and here he lived until 1858. He then left home and began the struggle of … Read more

Biography of William C. Atkinson

William C. Atkinson is a native of Rockingham county North Carolina, born April 25, 1809. His parents, William and Mary Atkinson, nee Clark, were both born in Maryland; his father forty miles east of Baltimore and his mother in Annapolis. His grandfather, Royal Clark, was the founder of Clarksville, Maryland. The parents of our subject moved to North Carolina and both died in Rockingham county, his mother in 1835 and his father in 1843. His half brother, Thomas Atkinson, was one of the first settlers in Daviess county and died near Gallatin in 1837. At the age of twenty-two years … Read more

Biography of Wesley Lee

Wesley Lee, son of James and Margaret Lee, was born in Holmes county, Ohio, January 1, 1843. His father was of French descent and a native of Virginia; while his mother’s ancestors hailed from Wales, and her birthplace was in Maryland. They came to Ohio in 1815, and settled in Holmes county, where they lived, reared a family of fourteen children, and died. James Lee served as a soldier in the War of 1812. Wesley Lee traveled westward and settled in Daviess county in 1865. Shortly afterward he returned to his native State, and. was there united in marriage to … Read more

Biography of W. T. Stovall

Is a native of Green county, Kentucky, and was born October 2, 1843. His father was a native of Virginia and his mother of Kentucky; they both died when W. T. was but a small child and he has no remembrance of either of them. He was reared by his grandfather, John Scott, near Greensborough, Kentucky, and was educated in the common schools of that State. When but fourteen years old he was employed as clerk in the drug house of J. G. Brown, of Nashville, Tennessee, where he remained until the beginning of the late war. In 1861 he … Read more

Biography of W. G. Weldon

W. G. Weldon was born in Hart county, Kentucky, November 29, 1835; son of Jonathan and Sarah Weldon, nee Burch. They were both natives of Pittsylvania county, Virginia, and were reared there, but moved to Hart county, Kentucky, and were there married and lived from 1830 till 1856, then moved to Missouri and located in Harrison county. His father died on April 20th, 1880, but his mother is still a resident of Daviess county. Young Weldon was an apt and industrious student and after graduating at Camden Seminary, Kentucky, he began school teaching and after coming to Missouri was engaged … Read more

Biography of W. D. McDonald

W. D. McDonald was born in Ross county, Ohio, August 6, 1826. His parents, William and Mary McDonald, were both natives of Virginia. His mother was a daughter of Nathaniel Wilson who was the first State printer of Ohio, and a sister of the late Nathaniel Wilson, who with his father started the Scioto Gazette in 1800, in Scioto county, one of the first papers of Ohio. Mr. Wilson died a few years ago at the age of ninety-two years-the oldest editor then in America. Our subject was five years old when his father died and he was reared by … Read more

Biography of Thomas J. Flint

Thomas J. Flint was born on a farm near Brookville, Franklin county, Indiana, on the 4th day of August, 1835. His parents removed to Daviess county when he was six years of age, and settled upon a farm in what is now Washington township, where he lived and grew up, receiving a good common school education, attending the common schools of the, township and the select school at Miami, in Saline county. When eighteen years of age he began teaching school in Butler township, Harrison county, and continued in that occupation in Harrison and Daviess counties, up to 1868, excepting … Read more

Biography of Thomas J. Crain

Thomas J. Crain was born near the Ohio river, in Fleming county, Kentucky, September 4, 1830. He was reared and educated in his native place, and continued to reside there until 1855, when he migrated to Missouri and entered land in Holt county, improving the same and living upon it until 1864, in February of which year he rented his farm and went to Nebraska City, Nebraska. Here he was engaged in freighting to Denver, Colorado, for one year, when he opened a feeding stable, and carried on that business until the spring of 1866, then went to Hamburg, Iowa, … Read more