Biography of M. M. Pease

M. M. PEASE. This resident and prominent citizen of West Plains, Missouri, came originally from the Granite State, his birth occurring January 15, 1855. At an early date he came with his father to Missouri, and in this State he has since made his home. In the year 1877 he started out in business for himself and engaged in saw milling in Douglas County. This business he has followed for the most part ever since. He is also doing business at Dora, Ozark County, where he is a member of the Pease Milling Company. The members of this firm are: … Read more

Biography of Andrew J. Coffey

ANDREW J. COFFEY. Ozark County, Missouri, is well known for the richness of its soil, and among those industrious farmers who have assisted in making this section the rich agricultural district that it is may be mentioned Andrew J. Coffey, who was born in Ashe County, N. C., in 1833, of which State his parents, Cleveland and Susan (Hayes) Coffey, were also natives. During the early boyhood of Andrew J. Coffey, he was taken by his parents to Hawkins County, Tennessee, and soon after to Granger County, where the mother died some fifty years ago. Mr. Coffey remarried afterward and … Read more

Biography of Lewis R. Pumphrey

LEWIS R. PUMPHREY, of the well-known firm of Pumphrey & Cantrell, general merchants and cotton dealers, of Lead Hill, Arkansas, was born in Cannon County, Tennessee, in 1839, to the marriage of Thomas and Margaret (Holt) Pumphrey, also natives of Tennessee. The parents were reared and married in their native State, and about 1839 moved by wagon to Ozark County, Missouri, where they were among the first settlers. There they resided for six or seven years and then moved to Fulton County, Arkansas, where Mr. Pumphrey died soon after. Mrs. Pumphrey then moved to what is now Boone County, Arkansas, … Read more

Biography of Judge Matthew K. Arnyx

JUDGE MATTHEW K. ARNYX. This gentleman is descended from good old Irish stock, for on the green Isle of Erin his paternal great-grandparents were born, but they afterward became residents of this country prior to the Revolutionary War, in which struggle the great-grandfather participated as a member of the Colonial Army. For many generations back the family have devoted their attention to tilling the soil, and this occupation was successfully carried on by Matthew Arnyx, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, who was a Virginian by birth. Preston Arnyx, father of Judge Matthew K. Arnyx, was born in … Read more

Loftis, Hermal Donna Bushong Mrs. – Obituary

Hermal Donna Loftis, 81, of Pendleton, died Friday, Jan. 10, 2003, at Elizabethan Manor, in Pendleton. A private family memorial will be held at a later date. Hermal Donna Loftis was born May 24, 1921, in Brixey, Mo., the youngest of 10 children born to Marion and Nancy Bushong. She married Earl Loftis of Brixey, Missouri. The had two sons, Lester and Eldon. They were later divorced. Moving from Missouri in 1952 to Pendleton. She moved to Baker City in 1956 to attend Business College. She worked for Doctor Pollock for 22 years. in 1988 she moved back to Pendleton … Read more

Biography of Judge W. W. Luna

JUDGE W. W. LUNA. Ozark County, Missouri, is an Eden of fine farms and agricultural tracts. There are comparatively few very small tracts, and each farmer tries to outdo his neighbor in the cultivation and improvement of his land. Of the many fine, attractive places none are more conspicuous than that belonging to Judge W. W. Luna, comprising 280 acres of fine bottom land, of which he has been the owner since 1883. The place is well improved, is principally river bottom land, and everything about his estate indicates to the beholder that a thorough and experienced hand is at … Read more

Biography of William A. Conklin

WILLIAM A. CONKLIN. The gentleman whose name heads this sketch is the efficient county clerk of Ozark County, Missouri, and his career thus far in life presents an example of industry, perseverance and good management, rewarded by substantial results well worthy the imitation of all who start out in life as he did, with no capital except a good constitution and a liberal supply of pluck and energy. In addition to discharging the duties of his official position with marked ability, he is also the proprietor and editor of the Ozark County News, a newsy and instructive weekly, published in … Read more

Biography of George Washington Webster

GEORGE WASHINGTON WEBSTER. As a progressive tiller of the soil the subject of this sketch has no superior throughout Ozark County, Missouri, for he is industrious, decidedly progressive in his views, and has always taken advantage of all new methods for the improvement of his land. His fine and valuable estate is located ten miles west of Gainesville on Bratton Spring Creek, and comprises 480 acres, in two different tracts, all of which has been acquired through his own efforts. He is also quite extensively engaged in the raising of stock; in fact, is well up in all branches of … Read more

Biography of Milton G. Pattillo

MILTON G. PATTILLO. He whose name heads this sketch is a fair representative of the better class of men who began life’s battle at the lower rounds of the ladder, and through his own efforts he has gained a substantial place near the top. Practically speaking, he is today in comfortable financial circumstances, and the position he now occupies is direct evidence that he possesses the confidence and esteem of his fellow-mortals. He was born in Gallatin County, Illinois, February 11, 1826, a son of John S. and Mary (Trawsdale) Pattillo, the former of whom was born on Blue Grass … Read more

Biography of Robert Q. Gilliland

ROBERT Q. GILLILAND. This prominent citizen of Ozark County, Missouri, was born here on the 22d of October, 1845, a son of Robert and Eliza (Kane) Gilliland, who came from Tennessee to this county in 1842, and settled in the northwestern part of this county, near Thornfield, on a farm. Both parents were born in Tennessee, and to that State the paternal grandfather, Robert Gilliland, removed in the early history of the State. Robert Gilliland, the father of the subject of this sketch, settled on a tract of Government land and made his home in the neighborhood where he first … 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 Hon. Stephen C. Herndon

HON. STEPHEN C. HERNDON. During the seventy-two years that have passed over the head of the gentleman whose name stands at the head of this sketch he has been an active observer of the trend of events, but has been not merely a “looker on in Venice” but a citizen who has, through his enterprise, his integrity and his public spirit, contributed his full share to the magnificent development of the section in which he resides. He comes of an honored ancestry, for the well-known old pioneer, George Herndon, was his father, from whom he inherited many of his most … Read more

Biography of George W. Pearcy

GEORGE W. PEARCY. Ability, when backed by enterprising business measures and progressive ideas, will accomplish more than any other professional or commercial requirement. An illustration of this is found in the mercantile establishment owned and conducted by George W. Pearcy at Thornfield, MO. This gentleman was born in Platte County, Missouri, in 1848, but his parents, William H. and Jane (Henry) Pearcy, were born in Kentucky in 1813 and Indiana in 1818, respectively. After their marriage, which occurred in Indiana, they came to Platte County, Missouri, later removed to Dallas County, and when the subject of this sketch was four … Read more

Biography of Capt. James H. Sallee

CAPT. JAMES H. SALLEE. This gentleman is a Protestant Methodist minister and a farmer of Ozark County, Missouri, and as a citizen, neighbor and friend is highly spoken of by all who know him. He owes his nativity to Madison County, Arkansas, where he was born April 10, 1833, a son of Arany Shasteen and Martha (Greene) Sallce, who were born in Indiana in 1811 and in Illinois in 1821, respectively. Their marriage was celebrated in Schuyler County, Illinois, soon after which they removed to Marion County, Arkansas, where they lived a few years, then returned to the Sucker State. … Read more

Biography of George W. Osburn, M. D.

GEORGE W. OSBURN, M. D. The life of the popular, successful physician is one of incessant toil, self-denial and care, yet all true followers of the “healing art” strive to attain prominence in their profession, regardless of added burdens which will rest upon their shoulders. Such a man is George W. Osburn, who was born in Gwinnett County, Ga., November 15, 1841, a son of Ectyl and Cynthia (Nelson) Osburn (see sketch of Dr. M. H. Osburn). George W. attended the common schools of Georgia, was brought up to the healthy and useful life of the farmer, and when the … Read more

Biography of John W. Souder

JOHN W. SOUDER. Prominent among the farmers and representative men of Douglas County, Missouri, we are gratified to present the name of Mr. John W. Souder, whose success here has certainly entitled him to consideration. His parents, John and Polly (Carter) Souder, were natives of Pennsylvania and Virginia respectively. The Souder family moved to the Hoosier State at an early day, and later came to Gasconade County, Missouri, where they remained for a short time and then moved back to Indiana. In 1852 they returned to Gasconade County, made their home there until 1868, and then came to Ozark County, … Read more

Biography of Richard S. Holt

RICHARD S. HOLT. It is a pleasure to write the biography of a man of unusual personal merit-the possessor of a combination of gifts so comprehensive that happiness and success in any enterprise is bound to follow the application of his qualities to the solution of almost any reasonable problem in life. It is an unwritten law that the secret of success in life in all individual cases is the common property or heritage of all unfortunates of the human race. It is therefore eminently proper for the historian or delineator of character to review the lives of those individuals … Read more

Biography of Daniel W. Feemster

DANIEL W. FEEMSTER. An active and progressive system in any profession or line of business, when based upon principles of honor, is sure to bring success, and an illustration of prominence gained through these means is seen in the record of Daniel W. Feemster, who is the proprietor of an excellent mercantile establishment and a dealer in produce at Noble, Missouri. He was born in Lowndes County, Miss., in 1853. His parents, Rev. Zenus E. and Margaret (Maloy) Feemster, were born in South Carolina in 1813 and Alabama in 1817, respectively. The former was taken to Mississippi by his parents … Read more

Biography of Elias Keesee

ELIAS KEESEE. This gentleman is one of the leading agriculturists of Franklin Township, Marion County, Arkansas, and has followed this calling from his earliest boyhood, being initiated into its mysteries by his worthy sire. He was born about fifteen miles from his present place of abode in 1824. His parents, Payton and Nancy (Graham) Keesee, were born in Virginia in 1800, and in Kentucky in 1797, respectively. While in their youth they became residents of the Territory of Arkansas, and in 1818 were married in what is now Marion County, but very shortly afterward removed to what is now Ozark … Read more

Biography of J. E. Wood

J. E. WOOD. This gentleman is a member of the well-known mercantile firm of Wood & Reed, of Gainesville, Ozark County, Missouri He was born in Washington County, Tennessee, July 18, 1846, but came to this county in 1871 from Bradley County, Tennessee. His parents, Jesse and Margaret (McCracken ) Wood, were honest, industrious and law-abiding tillers of the soil, and the father was born in the Old North State about 1820, where he was a member of one of the early and prominent families. When a young man he removed to Tennessee, was married there, and there made his … Read more