Biography of Jasper N. Ray

JASPER N. RAY. Jasper N. Ray belongs to that class of American citizens who are enterprising, thoroughgoing and industrious, and who rise in a few years from a condition of dependence to one of prominence and the possession of considerable wealth. In fact, he is a self-made man in all which that much-abused term implies, and the property he has accumulated is the result of his own honest industry. He first saw the light of day in what is now Maries County, Missouri, his birth occurring in 1846, to the union of Hubbard and Vashti (Moon) Ray, the father, a … Read more

Biography of Hon. John G. Slate

Hon. John G. Slate, of Jefferson City, who since 1912 has served on the bench of the circuit court of Missouri, his record reflecting credit and honor upon the judicial history of the state, was born January 26, 1860, in Cole county, about eight miles west of Jefferson City, his parents being Robert T. and Isabella D. (Jones) Slate, the former a native of Tennessee, while the latter was born in Kentucky. The father was a farmer, who in antebellum days owned a large number of slaves, having a plantation on the river. He also conducted a wood yard and … Read more

Biography of Preston T. Moody

PRESTON T. MOODY. Among the thoroughgoing, wide-awake farmers and stockraisers of Christian County, Missouri, stands Preston T. Moody, whose intelligence, perseverance and industry have brought him good returns. Like so many of the representative citizens of the county, he came originally from Tennessee, having been born in the eastern part of that State in 1822. His parents, Thomas and Elizabeth (Belyew) Moody, were natives of Kentucky, and there they were married. Until 1852 Mr. and Mrs. Moody resided in different counties of east Tennessee, and then came by wagon to Maries County, Missouri, where both died within four years afterward. … Read more

Missouri Atlases and Plat Books

Sample Missouri Plat Book closeup

198 online plat books and atlases organized by county and ordered by date for the State of Missouri. At the bottom of the page are two items that can help you use these documents in your genealogy research. The first is a blog post Plat Books Revealed: Mapping Generations of History and the second a video where Ben Clark explains what plat maps are used for, how to navigate them, and pulls out a few interesting stories from them.

Biography of John Appley Ferrell

John Appley Ferrell, lawyer of Sedan, was representative of the Forty-ninth District in the Legislature in 1915-16 and in the general election of 1916 was elected to the State Senate. While in the Legislature he was chairman of the oil and gas committee, chairman of the library committee, and a member of the judiciary and school lands committees. He was also a member on the conference committee on appropriations and exerted a creditable influence in keeping down extravagant appriations during that session. Mr. Ferrell had had a long and active career, divided about evenly between his work as an educator … Read more

Biography of Dr. David Perry Martin

DR. DAVID PERRY MARTIN. The most important science bearing upon man’s happiness, comfort and welfare is that of medicine, and as Dr. Martin has ever been a close student, he has attained a wide reputation as a successful practitioner of the “healing art.” He owes his nativity to Maries County, Missouri, where he first saw the light in 1846, his parents being Madison and Anastasia (Perry) Martin, the former of whom was born in St. Louis County, Missouri, in 1812. He is still living and is a citizen of Maries County. His wife was also born in St. Louis County, … Read more