Biography of Judge Daniel K. Ponder

JUDGE DANIEL K. PONDER. In recounting the forces that have combined to make Ripley County, Missouri, what it is, more than a passing reference must be paid to the life and labors of Judge Daniel K. Ponder, of whom it may be truthfully said that no one has done more to lay the foundations of the country’s prosperity deep, and to build upon them surely and well. His ability has been backed by enterprising business measures and progressive ideas, and since 1890 he has ably filled the responsible position of county judge, and has discharged his duties with impartial fairness. … Read more

Biography of Hon. William A. Pearce

HON. WILLIAM A. PEARCE. The practical value of shrewdness and discrimination combined with strict probity is exemplified in the prosperous condition of those who transact business on these principles. Mr. Pearce is a man who has kept fully abreast of the times in the matter of enterprise, and is considered one of the most substantial and useful citizens of the town of Doniphan, Missouri He is a native of the Prairie State, born in Vienna in 1861, and is the son of I. N. Pearce, formerly a prominent merchant of Vienna. The father came to Missouri in 1878, settled in … Read more

Biography of John H. Nunnelee

JOHN H. NUNNELEE. The sons of Tennessee are well represented in Ripley County, Missouri, and they hold conspicuous places in many pursuits which make that county a substantial star in the galaxy of Missouri’s many interesting counties. John H. Nunnelee is one of the prominent residents of the same and was recently solicited by the Democratic party to accept the nomination for collector. He was born in Columbia, Tennessee, July 22, 1858, to the marriage of James M. D. L. and Lucy Jane (Fowlkes) Nunnelee. The father was a native of Hickman County, Tennessee, and the son of Edward Nunnelee, … Read more

Biography of Hon. Thomas Mabrey

HON. THOMAS MABREY. The parents of this influential citizen, Frederick and Nancy (Mabrey) Mabrey, were natives of North Carolina and Tennessee, respectively. The father went to Williamson County, Tennessee, when a young man, married there, and in 1838 came to Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, where he was among the early settlers. All his life he had followed agricultural pursuits and was reasonably successful for that day and time. He died near Jackson, Cape Girardeau County, in 1848, when about seventy years of age. The mother died in 1837, when a comparatively young woman. Born to their marriage were nine children, … Read more

Biography of Judge Morgan White Cotton

JUDGE MORGAN WHITE COTTON. Judge Morgan White Cotton, probate judge of Ripley County, Missouri, and a man well and favorably known in this part of the State, was born in Reynolds County, Missouri, May 10, 1847, to the marriage of Isaac White Cotton and Christine (Jeffrey) Cotton. Like many of the prominent citizens of this county, Isaac White Cotton was a native of Tennessee, and there made his home until about 1840 when he came to Missouri. Here he settled in the woods of Reynolds County, on Webb’s Creek, and began improving and clearing. Few settled here before he did, … Read more

Biography of Dr. John H. Moore

DR. JOHN H. MOORE, who has made his home in this county for a number of years, came originally from St. Francois County, Missouri, where his birth occurred on the 27th of January, 1838. His father, Dr. Robert Moore, who was a practicing physician in Iron and St. Francois Counties, Missouri, for years, died in the former county in 1854. He was born in Smith County, Tennessee, in 1807, and was a son of Armstead Moore, who was of Irish parentage. The father of our subject began the practice of medicine when twenty-one years of age, and about the year … Read more

Jones, Roy Vernon

Roy Vernon Jones, 79, of Haines, died Feb. 21, 2005, at St. Elizabeth Health Services. At his request there will be no service. Disposition was by cremation. Mr. Jones was born on March 5, 1925, at Doniphan, Mo., to Eddy and Lina Eagan Jones. He was the youngest of 11 children. He started his education in Missouri and completed it at Rockbridge, Ill. At age 18 he was inducted into the U.S. Army at Peoria, Ill. He suffered injuries in a training plane crash and was given a medical discharge after three months. He had a beautiful voice and played … Read more

Biography of Abner Jefferson Ponder

ABNER JEFFERSON PONDER. It is an indisputable fact that the United States stands alone in the preeminence of having an array of citizens, who, without adventitious aid or accident of birth, have attained to wealth and distinction in public affairs. This is the glory of the country, and every man who has it in him can prove himself a man. This thought naturally suggests itself in looking over the career of A. J. Ponder, for he began the hard battle of life in early boyhood, and has climbed step by step the ladder of success until he now not only … Read more

Biography of William Proctor, M. D.

WILLIAM PROCTOR, M. D. (deceased), was a physician who always loved knowledge and as a physician was devoted to his profession, careful in his investigations and gave all the time he could find in his busy life to books and periodicals devoted to medicine and surgery. His range of information was broad, and during the many years he pursued the calling of AEsculapius he won a wide reputation and a large practice. He was born in Petersburg, Virginia, in 1826, and died January 10, 1890, when sixty-four years of age. He was a graduate of William and Mary College, of … Read more