Joab Woodruff was born in Johnson county, Indiana, near Nineveh, October 25, 1825. His parents Joab and Sophia Woodruff lived upon a farm, and there the subject of our sketch grew to manhood, giving most of his time and attention to work upon the farm, and having little opportunity to enjoy the advantages of education, receiving only three months schooling, during the winters, from the time he was of school age until he was sixteen years old. The school houses were of the most primitive pattern of the old log variety, sad the three months sessions during the winters were not calculated to instruct the youth of the day in anything but the simplest branches. Having reached the age of eighteen our subject started out for himself, doing farm work during the season and working at wagon-making and carpentering the balance of the year.
November 29, 1846, Mr. Woodruff was joined in marriage to Miss Paulina, daughter of John and Ann Fisher, who lived near Middletown, Shelby county, Indiana. He and his young wife began life together by settling upon a farm given him by his father, near the old homestead, and there they lived happily for ten years. In 1856 they left their Hoosier home and removed to Missouri and settled in Gallatin, where they resided but one year, and then moved to their present home just outside the corporate limits. Here he is engaged in farming, fruit-growing and stock-raising; and owns a splendid farm of five hundred acres, under a high state of cultivation. He devotes sixteen acres to an orchard, which contains 1,400 trees. and besides this has a nursery covering ten acres. He gives attention to the raising of Short-Horn cattle, Norman horses, Cotswold sheep and Poland China hogs.
In 1862 Mr. Woodruff was commissioned by Governor Henry R. Gamble, captain of Woodruff’s company, which afterwards became Company I and was assigned to the Thirty-third Regiment of Missouri State Militia. In 1863 he was detailed captain of Company A of the Fourth Provisional Regiment of the enrolled militia, stationed at Rochester, and afterwards at Savannah and St. Joseph, remaining in that service until the close of the war. Returning home he was commissioned in 1866, by Governer Thomas C Fletcher, first lieutenant and enrolling officer for Daviess county, and held the commission one year.
Mr. and Mrs. Woodruff are the parents of six children; named, respectively, Tamsey A., relict of George I. Everinden, born Octobor 14, 1847;. Mary J., wife of J. C. Roberts, of Bethany, Missouri, born December 26, 1848; Abigail J., born August 4, 1850; John W., born August 17, 1852;. Absalom Halleck; born August 3, 1861; and Frank Osborne, born December 3, 1865; all natives of Nineveh, except the last two whose birthplace was Indianapolis. Mr. and Mrs. Woodruff and three daughters are members. of the Christian Church.