Biography of Joab Woodruff

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 … 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

Biography of John H. Townsend

John H. Townsend was born at Smyrna, Costa (now Kent) county, Delaware, March 16, 1843. When seven years of age his parents removed to Madison county, Indiana, and settled at Collinsville, where he lived with them until he reached the age of eighteen years, and was there educated. On leaving home in 1861 he went to Placerville, California. On his arrival there he had but six dollars. On the first day after his arrival he was employed as a clerk by B. Meacham, a dry goods merchant, at a salary of six hundred dollars per year and board, and remained … Read more

Biography of John Cravens

John Cravens, son of Dr. Joseph and Mary Cravens, was born in Harrisonburg, Rockingham county, Virginia, October 28, 1797, where he was reared and educated. He began the study of medicine under his father,, when in his nineteenth year, and began practice some six years later. After practicing with his father two years, he removed to Hardy county, Virginia now West Virginia, and began practice at Petersburg, but only remained one year, when he removed to Pendleton county, opened an office in Franklin, the county seat, and was an active practitioner in that county for ten years. In 1837 he … Read more

Biography of Pines R. Dunn

Pines R. Dunn was born in Huntsville, Alabama, October 20, 1836. His. parents left that State in 1838, and went to Indiana, where they lived until December, 1841. In this latter year they came to Missouri and settled at Versailles, in Morgan county, where he lived with them until he reached his sixteenth year. He received his education by attending the common schools at Versailles, and at Osceola, one year after he left home. When seventeen years of age, in 1853, he began to clerk in the store of Aaron Trippet, of Osceola, and was in his employ until 1860, … 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 David F. Hanna, M. D.

The subject of this sketch was born in Greenbrier county, West Virginia, August 18, 1851. His father, John W. Hanna, is also a native of Virginia. His mother, whose maiden name was Rebecca Deitz, died at the birth of our subject, and he was reared by his grandmother, a most estimable and cultured lady who carefully trained the mind of her young, charge in those channels calculated to make him a pure minded, honest and honorable man and a respected and useful citizen. He was educated at Louisburg Academy and grew to manhood in his native county. After leaving school … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Thomas B. Yates

Thomas B. Yates was born near Culpepper, Rappahannock county, Virginia, February 3, 1836. He lived with his parents until he was twenty and received a common school education. On leaving home, in 1856, he came to Gallatin and engaged in school teaching until 1860 when he was elected superintendent of schools for Daviess county. On account of the troubled condition of the schools in 1861, they being suspended, he resigned and engaged in farming. In 1865 he removed to Chillicothe and engaged in the drug business, in which he continued until 1874. In that year he returned to Gallatin and … 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

Biographical Sketch of Miles Bristow

Miles Bristow was born in Jackson County, Indiana, June 2, 1836. His father was a native of Kentucky. His parents moved to Gallatin, Daviess County, Missouri, when he was about three years of age, where he remained until the death of his father in 1851. During the next three years he spent the greater part of his time with his brother on a farm, and in a tannery at Gallatin; then purchased land in Sheridan township, and for over four years was engaged in farming and teaching. In 1862 he was enrolled in Company E, Fifty-first Regiment Missouri Infantry, and … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Elwood M. Mann

Elwood M. Mann is a native of Hancock, Washington county, Maryland, born December 14, 1836. His parents, Jonathan and Mary A. Mann, removed to Missouri in 1844, and after stopping at Wellington one winter, came to Daviess county and settled in what is now Sheridan township. They lived there until 1846, then removed to Gallatin, where his mother died in 1848, and his father in 1859, he having lived with his parents and clerked in his father’s store until that time. In 1860 he engaged in the mercantile business with Jonathan Brosins and his brother William Mann,, under the firm … 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 Marcus A. Low

No intelligent resident of Kansas would dispute the assertion that in Marcus A. Low, of Topeka, is found one of the really big men of the state. He is a man of many achievements. His ability in the law had led to distinguished position with great corporations; his ranching and developing of oil and gas properties have been conducted on so large a scale as seemingly might have been weighty enough interests to engage the ordinary man; his political foresight and intnition have caused his selection for public office as high as he would accept, but not upon these evidences … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Albert F. McFarland

Albert F. McFarland was born in Platte county, Missouri, near Weston, August 5, 1838, and resided there until he was twenty-three years old, receiving his education in the common schools and at Pleasant Ridge College, of that county. He pursued a course of medical studies at St. Louis, Missouri, during the years 1860, ’61, ’62 and ’63, and began practice in the general army hospital in 1863, where he continued to practice until the close of the war, in 1865. In 1866 he made a trip across the plains to Salt Lake City, Utah, and to Virginia City, Montana, returning … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Thomas R. Shaw

Was born near Decatur, Macon county, Illinois, June 19, 1845. In 1846. his parents removed to Iowa and settled near Mount Pleasant. He completed his education in the Mount Pleasant high school under Prof. John. A. Smith, in 1861. From that time until 1864, he was employed as a clerk, excepting one year spent in visiting relatives at Lexington, Kentucky. In 1864 he enlisted in Company A, Forty-fifth Iowa Volunteer Infantry for a term of 100 days. At the expiration of his enlistment he returned home and soon after made a prospecting tour to the Missouri River, visiting Omaha, Plattsmouth, … Read more

Biography of Colonel James H. B. McFerran

James H. B. McFerran was born in Washington county, Maryland, September 17, 1819. At the age of six years his father died, and he remained with his mother until his seventeenth year, attending school part of the time. On reaching the above age he engaged in the stone cutting business under a contractor by the name of Andrew Small, receiving seventy-five cents, per day for the first year. Owing to an aptitude for the work, the second year he was given the position of superintendent, at a salary of one dollar and eighty-seven and one-half cents per day, and continued … Read more

Biography of Hon. Samuel A. Richardson

Samuel A. Richardson was born in Anderson county, Kentucky, July 26, 1826. He was the second son of Colonel John C. Richardson, who was a native of Virginia, but in early life moved from that State to Anderson county, Kentucky, and in the spring of 1831, with his family, moved to Missouri and settled in the Missouri River bottom, above Camden, in Ray county, and afterwards removed to near Lexington. The family are descendants of the numerous family of Richardsons, from Virginia and Kentucky. Judge Nathaniel Richardson, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, moved from Kentucky and settled in … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Moses Brown, Jr.

Moses Brown, Jr., was born near New Castle, Henry County, Indiana, June 22, 1831, where he lived eight years, when his parents, Joshua and Sarah S. Brown, removed to Missouri and settled on a farm about six miles northeast of Gallatin. Upon this farm both his parents died, his mother in 1856, and his father in 1871. When sixteen years of age, in 1847, he purchased a tract of land and began farming for himself; improving the wild land and erecting a house in which he lived until 1852. In that year he removed to Harrison County, where he entered … Read more

Biography of John J. Enyaet

John J., son of Abram and Jane Enyart, was born near Plattsburg, Clinton county, Missouri, May 15, 1838, and lived there until 1848, when his parents moved to Gentry county, and settled upon a farm in Boyle township. Four years after taking up their residence in Gentry county his father died, and one year later, in 1853, his mother also journeyed to ” that bourne from whence no traveler ere returns.” Thus left alone, he made his home with his half-brother, William Mulligan, until 1857, when he came to Daviess County and lived with his uncle, H. W. Enyart, near … Read more

Biography of Major Joseph H. McGee

Joseph H. McGee was born in Clermont county, Ohio, July 6, 1821. His grandfather, Peter McGee, in company with seven brothers, emigrated from Ireland to the United States prior to the Revolutionary War, and settled in New Jersey. Peter McGee was a major under Washington and participated in the celebrated battle of Monmouth, New Jersey, at which place he now lies buried. Charles McGee, the father of our subject, was born near Monmouth, where he lived until 1815, when he removed to Ohio and settled in, Clermont county. The family lived in the Buckeye State until 1837, Joseph then being … Read more