Douglas County MO

Biography of William A. Merritt

WILLIAM A. MERRITT. One of the honorable old pioneers of southwest Missouri is William A. Merritt, who was born January 24, 1837, a son of Audrey and Jane (Porter) Merritt, who were among the first white people to marry in Christian County, Missouri The paternal grandfather died in Kentucky, after which his son, Audrey Merritt, went to Christian County, Missouri, which section he helped to survey. He was a hunter and farmer and died in 1839. The mother died about 1845, after having borne her husband three children: Joseph P., who is living in Marionville, Lawrence County, Missouri, was a … Read more

Gorrell, Uva L. Dodson Mrs. – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Uva L. Gorrell, 89, a longtime Baker City resident, died March 29, 2003, at her home. Her funeral will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Dean Baxter will officiate. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitations will be from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday at the funeral home. Mrs. Gorrell was born at Sneedville, Tenn., on Sept. 4, 1913, to Aberham John and Bertha Hewitt Dodson. She was raised and educated at Ava, Mo. She came to Baker City in 1939. Mrs. Gorrell was an accomplished gardener, an avid … Read more

Biography of M. H. Osburn, M. D.

M. H. OSBURN, M. D. There are always in the medical profession some individuals who become eminent and command a large patronage, and among those who deserve special recognition is Dr. M. H. Osburn, whose face is a familiar one in the home of the sick and afflicted. He has practiced his profession in his section of Missouri for twenty years and his name has become almost a household word. He is a Georgian by birth, born March 27, 1838 a son of Ectyl and Cynthia (Nelson) Osburn, who were born in the Palmetto State and Georgia, respectively. The paternal … Read more

Biography of Clinton M. Pease

C. M. PEASE and GEORGE A. PEASE, owners of the Enterprise Roller Mills, of West Plains, Howell County, Missouri, are conducting one of the largest concerns of the kind in south Missouri. The mill was built in 1889, at a cost of $10,000, by Dr. Pitts and George H. Carter (who is now of the Howell County Bank), and was operated by the above-mentioned gentlemen from July until October, 1889. G. A. and C. M. Pease then bought the mill and since that time have successfully operated it. In 1893 the present owners increased the capacity from 75 to 125 … Read more

Biography of Hon. William H. Thomas

HON. WILLIAM H. THOMAS. Few families of Douglas County, Missouri, have a higher reputation in all matters of character, intelligence and liberality than the one represented by the name we have just given. For ten years Mr. Thomas has made his home in this county and he now has a fine tract of 160 acres located about eight miles from Willow Springs, and it is highly productive and valuable. He was born in Fayette County, Indiana, June 15, 1840, to the union of Howell and Mary A. (Adams) Thomas, natives of Kentucky and Pennsylvania, respectively. The father left his native … Read more

Biography of William G. Barnes

WILLIAM G. BARNES. This gentleman is one of the pioneers of Douglas County, and is a native of Greene County, Tennessee, where he was born September 16, 1831. A son of Joshua and Susanna (Wilson) Barnes, the former of whom was born in Kentucky, a son of David Barnes, who was a soldier in some of the early Indian wars of this country. He was of Scotch-Irish descent, and after residing in Kentucky for some years removed to Indiana, in which State Joshua Barnes attained manhood. In 1822, at the age of twenty-one years, he left the Hoosier State, and … Read more

Biography of Andrew R. Turner

ANDREW R. TURNER, who for twenty-three years has lived near Rome, Missouri, is a native of Polk County, Tennessee, but was reared in Georgia on the Chickamauga battle-ground. His father, Joseph Turner, was born in the Old North State in 1812, and after marrying Nancy Fouts, in Tennessee, and living there until the subject of this sketch was ten years old, he removed to Georgia. His father was William Turner. Andrew R. Turner attended the common schools of Walker County, Ga., and was twenty years of age at the time of the opening of the Civil War, but he continued … Read more

Biography of Thomas Livingston

THOMAS LIVINGSTON, one of the prominent pioneers of southwest Missouri, is now a resident of Falling Spring, Douglas County, Missouri, where he has won the respect and esteem of all by his upright, honorable career. He is a son of the Hoosier State, but his parents, Peter and Martha (Cravens) Livingston, are natives of Virginia and North Carolina, respectively. His paternal grand-parents, Henry and Susan (Carmack) Livingston, were natives of Virginia, and she was taken prisoner by the Indians, although soon afterward recaptured. Henry Livingston was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. The Livingston family moved to Overton County, Tennessee, … Read more

Biography of James Hailey

JAMES HAILEY. This gentleman is the oldest resident of Ava, and during the long term of years that he has spent in this section, his good name has remained untarnished and he has won for himself many friends. He was born in Bedford County, Tennessee, February 7, 1824, a son of Tavner and Joyce (Tomison) Hailey, the former of whom was born in Henry County, Virginia, was an early pioneer of Tennessee, and in 1839 settled in Webster County, Missouri, where he followed the occupation of farming until his death in 1867. He was a Whig in politics. His wife … Read more

Biography of John H. Martin

JOHN H. MARTIN. Douglas County, Missouri, is well known for its successful, thrifty and enterprising farmers, and for its well-tilled and fertile farms, and among those successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits is John H. Martin, who was born in Blount County, Tennessee, July 27, 1842, a son of Adrian and Sallie (Kerr) Martin, natives of Tennessee, and grandson of John Martin, a native of Massachusetts, who was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and who removed to Tennessee at an early day. The maternal grandfather, David Kerr, was a Tennessean and was a son of one of the early pioneers … Read more

Biography of D. R. Riggs

D. R. RIGGS. This prominent and law-abiding citizen has been a resident of Douglas County, Missouri, for many years, and his career here has been an exceptionally honorable and useful one. He was born in Maury County, Tennessee, May 20, 1832, a son of Alvis and Petronila (Ray) Riggs, natives of the Old North State, where the grandparents were also born. Samuel Riggs, the paternal grandfather, was a soldier of the Revolution, and died in the State of his birth. The maternal grandfather, David Ray, was a merchant by occupation, and was an honorable, upright man. Alvis Riggs became a … Read more

Biography of Judge W. G. Mathes

JUDGE W. G. MATHES. Reynolds County, Missouri, has the distinction of being the place where, on September 4, 1839, Judge W. G. Mathes came into this world to make a record for integrity and uprightness which will be remembered as long as Stone County lasts. For over fifty years he has resided in this county, is a representative citizen of the same, and perhaps has done as much for its advancement as any other man. His parents, David and Elizabeth (Allen) Mathes, were natives of Warren County, Tennessee The father was reared in that State, and in 1843 came to … Read more

Biography of L. O. Hailey

L. O. HAILEY, attorney at law. This wide-awake man of affairs, in addition to practicing his profession, is also the able editor of the Farm Record of Douglas County, Missouri, and is a prosperous real estate and exchange broker of Ava. He has a large list of improved lands for sale, and makes a specialty of the purchase and sale of timber tracts. He has under his control thousands of acres of fine farming land in Douglas County alone, the most of which is well improved with good farm buildings and has more or less land under cultivation. For those … Read more

Biography of James E. Bunyard

JAMES E. BUNYARD. This gentleman has long been connected with the farming interests of Douglas County, Missouri, and has shown himself to be a thrifty, progressive and energetic agriculturist. He was born in Tennessee March 14, 1845, and in that State both his parents, James and Nancy (Poiner) Bunyard, were also born and reared. The father was a soldier of the Mexican War and died in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1851, having followed the occupation of farming. His wife was born December 8, 1815, a daughter of John Poiner, who died in Missouri. Mrs. Bunyard removed to Arkansas in 1851, and, … Read more