Biographical Sketch of John B. Dinsmore

Is a native of Daviess county and was born in Jackson township on the 10th of April, 1850. He was reared and received his education wholly in this county. In August, 1870, he went to Kansas and there engaged in railroading. Part of his time in that State was spent in Emporia, where he remained till September, 1872. He then came to Daviess county, and locating in Jackson township, was soon called on to serve his fellow-citizens in a public office. He was elected township constable and collector, and served two years, refusing reelection. From that time he turned his … Read more

Biographical Sketch of James C. Harrah

James C. Harrah was born in Daviess county, Missouri, November 29, 1844. He is the son of Robert H. Harrah a native of Greenbrier county, West Virginia. His father came to Missouri in 1840, and died in Holt county in February, 1865. His mother’s maiden name was Elizabeth Nation, and she was a native of East Tennessee. Our subject was reared and educated in his native county and has spent his life thus far here. He began farming on his own account at an early age and continued (except during the war) in that avocation until the winter of 1872 … Read more

Biography of Seth H. Powers

Seth H. Powers was born at Long Point, Canada, June 26, 1843. He is the son of Richard Powers, a farmer and stock-dealer of Vermont. His mother’s maiden name was Phoebe Howard, a native of Canada. His parents died when he was very young, and he then came to the United States and was educated in Ohio and New York. He served a long apprenticeship at the blacksmithing and machinist trade in Buffalo, New York, and has since followed that business in various States of the Union without interruption, except during the time he was in military service during the … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Robert Y. Miller

Robert Y. Miller, senior member of the above firm, was born in Greenbrier county, Virginia, June 27, 1838. He is the son of Robert and Rachel Miller, natives of the State of Virginia. He came, with his parents, at the age of two years, to Daviess county, and was reared and educated here. He began life on his own account as a farmer and subsequently kept hotel in Jamesport for a period of three years. Mr. Miller was married in this county, December 31, 1863, to Miss Elizabeth E., daughter of Richard and Ann Hill, natives of Pocahontas county, Virginia. … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Charles M. Hutchison

Charles M. Hutchison was born in Casey county, Kentucky, October 15, 1837, and is a son of Thomas Hutchison. He was reared and educated in Livingston county, Missouri, and began life as a school-teacher at the age of twenty-three, and followed that business with some interruption for a period of thirteen years. He came to Jamesport in 1870 and began merchandising, which is his present avocation. Mr. Hutchison was married in Daviess county, Missouri, January 1, 1870, to Miss Annie, daughter of James and Rebecca Lindsay, natives of Virginia. Mrs. Hutchison was born in Iowa. They are the parents of … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Samuel W. Buzzard

Samuel W. Buzzard was born in Harrison county, Missouri, September 10, 1859. He is the son of Andrew L. Buzzard, whose biography appears in this work. Our subject removed with his parents to Daviess county at the age of four years and has resided here ever since. He completed his education at the State University, at Columbia, and in 1877 entered the bank as clerk. Two years later he was promoted to the position of cashier and has since discharged the duties of that responsible office with entire satisfaction to all the patrons of the bank. Mr. Buzzard was married … Read more

Biographical Sketch of James T. Allen, M. D.

James T. Allen was born in Botetourt, Botetourt county, Virginia, July 16, 1833. He lived with his parents until he was sixteen years old, then attended the Presbyterian High School for one year, and was a student one year at Princeton College, New Jersey. In 1851 he began reading medicine under Dr. Matthew Wallace, of Pocahontas County, Virginia, and continued under his preceptorship until 1853. During the winter of 1854 and 1855 he attended medical lectures at the Virginia Medical College, at Richmond. He came to Missouri in the spring of 1855 and settled at Auberry Grove, now Jamesport, and … Read more

Biography of John F. Jordin

John F. Jordin was born in Daviess county, September 8, 1851, and is a son of Franklin and Nancy J. Jordin. His father migrated to Daviess county from Virginia in the early days, and was among the first settlers of this county; his mother came from Kentucky with her father, Jennings Ballinger, to this county in 1848 and was married to Franklin Jordin in 1850. The subject of this sketch was one of three children, having two sisters, one of whom died in infancy, and the other, Angeline, married John W. Pinkerton, and is living at present in Ray county, … Read more

Biography of Independence Mann

Independence Mann, The subject of this sketch was born near Hancock, in the State of Maryland, on the 4th day of July, 1843, and is the son of Jonathan E. and Mary A. (Brosins) Mann, natives of Marlyand. At an early age, in company with his parents, he removed to this county and received the greater part of his education in the excellent schools of Gallatin. He began his business career as a clerk in the dry goods store of T. J. Casey, at Richmond, Missouri. At the commencement of the Civil War, prompted by a spirit of patriotic devotion … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Charles A. Corman

Charles A. Corman was born in Manitowoc county, Wisconsin, March 20, 1849. He is the son of Dennis V. and Louisa Reynolds Corman, natives of New York. He was educated at Manitowoc and grew to manhood in his native State. He began life on his own account as a lumberman, and pursued that business during four years. In January, 1874, he came to Missouri and located at Jamesport, where he entered the dry goods and grocery business, which he continued for five years. He then established his present drug and book store, and has ever since done a thriving trade. … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Joshua H. Higdon

Joshua H. Higdon was born in Franklin County, Indiana, June 25, 1845. He is the son of Peter W. Higdon, a native of Ohio, and was reared and educated in his native State. He learned the blacksmithing business in Decatur county, Illinois, and worked at that trade in connection with farming until the outbreak of the ” War between the States.” He enlisted in October, 1863, in Company H, One Hundred and Twenty-third Regiment Indiana Volunteers and served bravely in the cause of the Union throughout the war. He was engaged in the battles of Chattahoochie, Kenesaw Mountain, Columbia and … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Francis M. Parker

Francis M. Parker was born in Howard county, Indiana, May 23, 1852, and there received his early education. In the fall of 1866 he came with his parents to this State and county, and settled in Washington township. Here he completed his education, farming in summer and attending school in winter. On attaining his majority he began farming for a livelihood, and continued until the fall of 1873, when he went to Kansas. He made the trip to the “grasshopper kingdom,” overland, and was fifteen days on the road. Arriving at his destination, he again resumed farming, but only stood … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Allen Thomas Brown

Allen Thomas Brown was born in Greenbrier county, Virginia, May 22, 1850. When eight years old he came with his parents to Cass county this state, where the family settled and lived till 1863, when they again moved and settled in Daviess county. He therefore received his education partly in Cass and partly in this county. Arriving at an age to ” shift for himself” he began farming for a livelihood and continued the same till 1880, when he moved to Jamesport, where he has since been engaged in the restaurant and confectionery business. In April, 1881, he was elected … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Franklin Callison

Son of James Callison, a native of Tennessee, was born in Pocahontas, county, Virginia, January 27, 1819. He was reared and educated in his native State and remained with his father on the farm until twenty-four years of age. Mr. Callison moved to Daviess county, in the spring of 1845, and has lived here ever since, engaged, in merchandising and farming. He is one of the most extensive real estate owners in the county. He also deals largely in live-stock. Mr. Callison was married in Huntersville, Virginia, September 6, 1843, to Miss Caroline, daughter of William and Isabella Gibson, natives … Read more

Biography of Andrew L. Buzzard

Andrew L. Buzzard was born in Greenbrier county, West Virginia, December 10, 1836. His parents were also natives of that State. His mother’s maiden name was Elizabeth Kincaid and her ancestry were of Irish extraction. In 1852, at the age of fourteen, our subject immigrated, with his parents, to Daviess county, Missouri, and in 1857 began business on his own account as a farmer and stock-dealer which business he still conducts on an extended scale, in addition to his banking operations. Mr. Buzzard entered the Farmer’s Bank January 1, 1877, as cashier in which capacity he continued until 1880 when … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Charles E. Orcutt

Charles E. Orcutt was born in Middletown, Rutland county, Vermont, February 15, 1845. His parents were Erasmus and Philena (Edgerton) Orcutt, natives of Vermont. While our subject was yet an infant his parents removed to Allegany county, New York, and after living there two years the family removed to Massachusetts, and there, in the Deerfield Academy, our subject received his education. After leaving school be worked on a farm until twenty years of age, when he immigrated to Missouri and located at the city of Chillicothe, where he clerked for a number of years in a drug and book store. … Read more

Biography of Robert C. Williams

The subject of this sketch was born in Surry (now Yadkin) county, North Carolina, December 21, 1817. He lived with his father, who was a farmer in moderate circumstances, until nineteen years of age, and than left the farm to engage at school-teaching, and thereby secured the means to complete his education. In June, 1839, Mr. Williams immigrated to Missouri and located in Ray county, where he taught school until 1842 and then removed to what is now Harrison county. After living there one year our subject came to Daviess county, and has resided here ever since. On the 31st … Read more

Biographical Sketch of James Thomas Jones

James Thomas Jones was born in Wisconsin, August 23, 1848. His parents moved to Lee county, Iowa, when James was about a year old. They again moved to Knox county, Missouri, in 1859, and there James completed his schooling. Early in life be began farming and continued till the spring of 1875, when he came to this county and began merchandising at Bancroft. In September, 1877, he came to Jamesport and went into the hotel business. This he continued till the fall of 1879, when he went into the saloon business and has been thus engaged ever since. He was … Read more

Biographical Sketch of William J. Gillilan

William J. Gillilan was born in Daviess county on the 6th day of May, 1849, and is a son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Jordin) Gillilan, natives of Pocahontas county, Virginia. They came to this State in 1839, and to Daviess county the year following. Our subject received his education and grew to manhood in his native county, and began business for himself at the age of eighteen years as a blacksmith at Jamesport and continued that business about eight years, then entered mercantile business in company with George W. Miller, in 1877, under the firm name of Miller & Gillilan, which … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Joseph S. Chenoweth

Joseph S. Chenoweth, the subject of this sketch, was born in Ross county,. Ohio, on the 18th of February, 1833. His father, Richard Chenoweth, was a native of Kentucky,. and a farmer; his mother’s maiden name was Elizabeth Smith, and she was a native of Maryland. They became the parents of eight children, of whom Joseph is the sixth, and when he attained the age of three years, they removed to Tippecanoe county, Indiana, and three years later to Missouri,. settling in Grundy county. There Joseph was reared and educated’, and there his father died in 1861, and his mother … Read more