Charles E. Yates, or Colonel Yates, as he is popularly known throughout Joplin and Jasper county, is proprietor of the Yates Hotel, at Joplin, one of the most convenient and strictly up-to-date hostelries in the southwest. A native son of Missouri, Colonel Yates was born in Callaway county, this state, on the 11th of December, 1850, and he is a scion of an old Blue Grass family of long standing. His parents, John T. and Elizabeth (Wiggs) Yates, were both born and reared in Kentucky, whence they removed to Callaway county, Missouri, in the year 1937. The father was a farmer and mule-trader by occupation, and he was engaged in that line of work in the south until 1860. He died in April, 1865. The mother passed into the “great beyond” in 1888. They were the parents of five children, of whom the subject of this review was the youngest in order of birth and of whom he alone is living.
To the public schools of Fulton and Richland, in Callaway county, Missouri, Colonel Yates is indebted for his preliminary educational training. As a young man he turned his attention to farming and stock-raising in Carroll county and for a time he gained distinction as a particularly successful auctioneer. About the year 1900 he became deeply interested in a number of mining projects in Jasper county, whither he had come at that home and subsequently, in 1902, he became owner of the Yates Hotel, which was established also in 1902. This hotel is strictly modern in every respect and its airy, clean rooms, combined with its excellent table board, make it unusually popular with the traveling public. During the strenuous period of the Civil war a great deal of guerrilla warfare was carried on in the vicinity of Colonel Yates’ home in Callaway county, Missouri, and at that time he became personally acquainted with Quantrell, the James Boys and the Younger Brothers. In his political convictions he accords an unswerving allegiance to the principles and policies for which the Democratic party stands sponsor, and he is a very active supporter of Jeffersonian principles. In 1891 he was honored by his fellow citizens with election to the office of constable of Carrolton township, in Carroll county, and he served with all of efficiency in that connection for a period of six years.
At Carrollton, Missouri, on the 1st of January, 1884, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Yates to Miss Emma Averill, a daughter of George P. and Maria Averill, and a native of Nebraska. This union was prolific of five children, whose names are here entered in respective order of birth, - Mary Averill, Caroline Ellen, Josephine, Yola and Jack T., the latter two of whom are deceased. Mary A. Yates became the wife of Edwin Neeley Cunningham and they reside at 606 North Moffit, Joplin, Missouri, and Caroline E. married Russell Wood James and they maintain their home at Green Bay, Wisconsin. Colonel and Mrs. Yates have two grandchildren, George E. and Emilie Cunningham. In their religious faith the Yates family are consistent members of the Baptist church, in the different departments of whose work they are most active factors.
Colonel Yates is very popular with the towns people and traveling public. He is a fluent conversationalist, versatile and witty, and has no end of short stories and anecdotes, which he relates in a most interesting manner. He maintains a very fine farm in McDonald county, upon which is a fine stream, the Big Sugar Creek, well stocked with game fish of all sorts, where the Colonel and his intimate friends spend a good bit of their time in the pursuit of his favorite sport. A man of sterling integrity and worth, Colonel Yates is well thought of by all with whom he has had dealings and as a citizen his entire career has been characterized by loyalty and public spirit of the most insistent order.
Source: A History of Jasper County Missouri; By Joel T. Livingston; Pg 767 – 768
Reuben Rusk, farmer, post-office Joplin. He was born near Crawfordsville, Ind., Dec. 21, 1828. His parents, Jonathan and Nancy (Moore) Rusk, were natives of Ohio and Indiana, respectively. Subject remained in his native state until about twelve years of age; he then came with his parents to Jasper county, Mo., locating near where he now lives. In 1862 he enlisted in Company K, Sixth Kansas Infantry Volunteers, and served until the close of the war. During the war his residence had been burned, leaving his family homeless. The burning was in the night time and the mother and children gathered around the dying embers to keep warm until morning. The were taken to Ft. Scott, where they remained until hostilities ceased. After returning he engaged in farming. Mr. Rusk was married Sept. 20, 1849, to Miss Alsie E., daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth (Griffith) Jackson, natives respectively of Virginia and North Carolina. From this union there have been twelve children: Martha W., born July 31, 1853; Jackson B., born June 21, 1852, died Aug. 2, 1854; Jas. Oliver, born April 5, 1854; Jonathan C., born Feb. 17, 1856, died Aug. 10, 1875; Laura R., born Sept. 18, 1858; Gilbert G., born Jan. 6, 1861; Wm. Isaac, born April 8, 1863; Lilly Belle, born June 2, 1866; Mary F., born March 28, 1868, died Jan. 11, 1869; Wilson, born Nov. 19, 1869, died July 18, 1873; Maggie A., born April 24, 1873, and one died in infancy. Mr. Rusk has a fine farm situated three miles north of Joplin; 240 acres well fenced, etc. Mr. and Mrs. R. are members of the Baptist Church.
Eugene A. Davis. – Among the prominent and promising citizens of the younger generation at Sarcoxie, Missouri, Eugene A. Davis, whose name forms the caption for this article, is rapidly gaining prestige as a business man of splendid executive ability and tremendous energy. A native of Sarcoxie, he was born on the 23d of August, 1890, and he is a son of George F. and Melissa (Dunfee) Davis. The father, better known as Judge Davis, was a successful practicing attorney who came to Sarcoxie from Livingston county, Missouri, in 1899. He was widely renowned as a brilliant and versatile lawyer. Judge Davis married Miss Melissa Dunfee, who was a native of the state of Iowa and they became the parents of six children, of whom but two are living at the present time, namely, - Eugene A., the immediate subject of this review; and Maude L., who is now Mrs. W.T. Sabert and who maintains her home at Sarcoxie. Judge Davis was a man of marked business ability and in addition to controlling an extensive and lucrative law clientage he was the owner of a number of fine farms in the vicinity of Sarcoxie and of a great deal of real estate in the city. He was summoned to the life eternal on the 18th of August, 1904, and his cherished and devoted wife, who survived him for a number of years, passed away on January 19, 1909. Judge and Mrs. Davis ranked among the foremost citizens of Jasper county during the period of their residence here and their respective deaths were mourned by a wide circle of admiring and loving friends.
Eugene A. Davis, of this notice, received his elementary educational discipline in the public schools of Sarcoxie and he was graduated in the local high school as a member of the class of 1906. Subsequently he was matriculated as a student in Morrisville College and in 1908 he entered the University of Missouri, at Columbia, continuing to attend the latter institution for a period of two years, from 1908 to 1910. In the latter year he returned to Sarcoxie, where he was proffered a position as assistant cashier in the State Bank of Sarcoxie. He accepted and has since been incumbent of the above position. With his sister, Mrs. Sabert, Mr. Davis is heir to the extensive estate left by his father, at the time of the latter’s death. The same consists of some eight farms, aggregating four hundred acres of most arable land, and of fifteen residence properties in Sarcoxie, besides fifteen or more lots.
In his political convictions Mr. Davis accords an unswerving allegiance to the cause of the Democratic party and he is affiliated with a number of fraternal and social organizations of representative character, especially the Masons. He is decidedly popular in the best social activities of Sarcoxie and as a business man is decisive and energetic. October 11, 1911, he married Miss Charla Lane, of Morrisville, Missouri, having met her while attending school.
Source: A History of Jasper County Missouri; By Joel T. Livingston; Pg. 1025 – 1026
Robert A. Pearson. – One of the most distinguished of the members of the Jasper county bar who is widely gaining prestige in the state is Robert A. Pearson, of the law firm of Pearson & Butts and former city attorney of Joplin. In the prime of life and the fullness of his powers, it is probable that he has yet to reach the zenith of his career, which has already been rich in achievement. Like numerous of the citizens of Joplin, Mr. Pearson is a native of the state of Illinois, his birth having occurred in Colchester, that state, September 7, 1868. He is English in descent, both of his parents, the Rev. Thomas J. Pearson, a clergyman of the Congregational church, and his mother, Marion (Whitworth Pearson, being residents of the mother country. They came to America about the years 1847 and 1853, respectively.
In the early boyhood Robert A. Pearson, who was one of a family of seven children, his parents removed to Kansas, where the father assumed charge of a Congregational church, being located for the last ten years at Topeka. In Kansas Mr. Pearson received his education, attending the common and higher departments of the public schools and also Washburn College of Topeka. In the meantime a long gathering ambition to become a lawyer had reached crystallization and the young man matriculated in the Kansas University at Lawrence, Kansas, being graduated with the class of 1896, with the well earned degree of LL. B. and being admitted to the bar. When looking about him for a location Joplin appealed to Mr. Pearson as a city with a future and accordingly he came here in 1897, a year after his graduation, and with the usual hopes and fears which are a part of the stock in trade of the young lawyer he hung up his shingle. In the fall of that same year he formed a partnership with a young colleague, W.L. Butts, has continued as such until the present day. It has indeed proved a combination eminently satisfactory and one whose strength is recognize over a wide territory. Their practice is of general character and is large and constantly growing. In 1903 Mr. Pearson received signal mark of the high standing he enjoys in the community by his election to the office of city attorney, and his tenure of office included the years 1903 to 1905. The subject is eminently well qualified for his profession, and, careful in arranging and preparing his cases, he is never at a loss for forcible and appropriate argument to sustain his position. He has also a power of marshalling and presenting significant facts so as to bring conviction. On March 7, 1911, Mr. Pearson was appointed as city counselor for an unexpired term ending April 15, 1911, and at that time was reappointed to that office for the following year.
In the matter of politics Mr. Pearson is a tried and true Democrat, and has subscribed to the articles of faith of the party since his earliest voting days. He has ever shown himself ready and willing to be at any personal inconvenience to advance the interests of the party, and his word is of great weight in party conclave. He is one of the prominent members of the ancient and august Masonic order, belonging to Joplin lodge, No. 335. His papers before the well known Niangua Literary Club, of which he is a member, have ever been greatly admired and enjoyed. In religious conviction he is a member of the Presbyterian church.
Mr. Pearson established a home of his own by his happy marriage to Miss Eva Barr, daughter of E.P. Barr, a merchant of Joplin, which was celebrated November 8, 1904. Mrs. Pearson is a native of Joplin, in which city the Barr family were old settlers and where the name is held in high esteem. Their union has been blessed by the birth of a son, Robert Barr Pearson, born August 21, 1906. Their home is one of the cultured abodes of Joplin and the center of an attractive hospitality, they being identified with the best social and other activities of the city in which their interests are centered.
Source: A History of Jasper County Missouri; By Joel T. Livingston; Pg 816 – 817
Dr. M. E. Johnson was born in the town of Fayette, Boone county, Ind., Dec. 9, 1853. He was the eldest of three children of Isaac N. Johnson. His mother's maiden name was Smith. When the son was three years old the father moved with the family to Jasper county,Mo., in 1856, where he remained until the commencement of the rebellion in 1861, when he moved to Indiana and remained there until 1865, when he returned to his Missouri farm, where he now lives, engaged in farming and stock-raising. Notwithstanding the disadvantages in consequence of the war and the destruction of property, law, and school, the Doctor received a good common school and college education, and at the age of twenty-one commenced the study of medicine under the instructions of Dr. E. Pinney. He afterward attended medical lectures at the Miami Medical College of Cincinnati, Ohio, where he graduated in February, 1880. Immediately after receiving his degree he established himself in the practice of his profession in the town of Preston, Jasper county, Mo., and has succeeded in building up a fine medical practice, which it is his constant pleasure to serve. Nov. 10, 1880, he was united in marriage with Lucy A. Unroe. Mrs. Johnson was born in Macon county, Illinois. The father was John T. Unroe, a well known citizen of Jasper county, who immigrated from Virginia to Illinois in 1854 and from there to Missouri in 1869. Dr. and Mrs. Johnson have one child, Isaac Carlyle. The Doctor was born and bred a Democrat, and is a firm believer in the principles of Democracy
Source: The History of Jasper County, Missouri; Mills & Company; 1883; Pg. 1003
M.O. Regan, dairyman, Joplin, was born in County Cork, Ireland, Sept. 27, 1816. He grew to manhood in the Emerald Isle. Immigrated to America in 1839, came west to Wisconsin, then to Missouri in 1867, locating in Barton county, and one year later to Joplin, when he established his present business known as the West Joplin Dairy. Mr. Regan was married in Boston, Mass., Jan., 1843 to Miss Margaret Murphy. From this union there are four children: William, Morris, Michael, and Mary, and Edward, now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Regan are members of the Catholic Church. Mr. Regan keeps seventy cows and thoroughly understands the business in which he is engaged.
Source: The History of Jasper County, Missouri; Mills & Company; 1883; Pg. 1061
John S. Neighbours was born in Washington county, Ill., June 7, 1839, and also raised in that county. In 1863 he went to California, remaining there until 1875, when he came to Jasper county, Mo. He was married the first time, to Elizabeth Maxwell, of his native county. There was one son, whose name is Thomas. In 1876 he was again marriet to Mary Rice, of Perry county, Ill., who died in May, 1878. Mr. Neighbours has 223 acres of land, about 100 of it being under cultivation. Seventy acres sown to winter wheat in 1882, averaged 20 bushels; five acres of oats averaged 50; and thirty acres of corn averaged 30 bushels per acre. There is a fine orchard of about three acres producing some very fine fruit. Mr. Neighbours sold his interest in a store at Waco, and is now living upon his farm about three miles south of the thriving new town of Waco, which is one of the best shipping points on the Joplin & Girard Railroad.
Source: The History of Jasper County, Missouri; Mills & Company; 1883; Pg. 819
William Maxwell (deceased), was a native of Washington county, Va., born March 23, 1819. At the age of twenty-one he came to Washington county, Mo., and the following year married Miss Mary A. Carson, also a native of Virginia. They lived in Washington county until 1855 when they moved to Jasper county. He was a blacksmith by trade, and engaged at that business for many years. He purchased a farm of 120 acres in 1857, upon which he built a substantial brick residence, where his widow now lives; also owned forty acres of timber. During the war he was a Union man. The outrages committed here during the war caused him to move his family to Nebraska, and afterward to Kansas, where they staid until the close of the war, when they returned to Jasper county, and he resumed his ordinary avocation up to his death, which occurred Sept. 30, 1879, leaving a family of nine children: Jane, wife of James Flood; Eliza A. (deceased), wife of A. Smith; Mary K., wife of Riley Petty; Thos R., James F., Rose C. (deceased), wife of Jonas Myers, Louisa A., wife of William Moore; Laura A., and Inga B., second wife of Jonas Myers. Mrs. Maxwell and daughter, Miss Laura, now occupy the old homestead. She is a lady of more than ordinary attainments, having received in her youth a good education in the English branches. Her ancestors, the Carsons, of Virginia are a very old family. Her maternal ancestors, the Rutledges, were among the original settlers of Jamestown, Va.
Source: The History of Jasper County, Missouri; Mills & Company; 1883; Pgs. 882-883
James L. Mathews, farmer, post-office Carthage, was a native of the Hoosier State, born in Bartholomew county April 20, 1840. He was there raised to man's estate and acquired a common school education. At the age of fifteen he became an apprentice to the blacksmith and wagonmaker's trade, serving four years. Was married in Johnson county, Ind., May 5, 1861 to Mrs. Matilda (Harper) Simpson, also a native of Indiana. Of this union there is one daughter, Nannie E., wife of William Loveall, now a resident of Jasper county, Mo. After his marriage Mr. Mathews engaged at farming in Johnson county, Ind., where he remained until 1881, and then became a resident of Jasper county, Mo. Subject has ever taken an active interest in public affairs, is a Democrat in conviction and principle. He manifests a lively interest in the welfare of his party, and takes a conscious pride in its traditions and former glory, and has confidence in the integrity of its principles.
Charles Merlin Kerr, son of John Kerr and Elizabeth Crawford, was born October 18, 1863 in Piatt County, Illinois. He believed he was born in DeWitt County, but the census indicates that the family lived in Piatt County in the 1860 census, and his sister, Mary Jane, said the family lived on a farm east of DeWitt before they left for Missouri. The 1865 Illinois state census also showed them living in Piatt County.
He said the family left Illinois October 16, 1865 and traveled by covered wagon pulled by an ox team. They went to Kansas west of Asbury, Missouri, where they planned to take some of the Joy land, an area granted to a Mr. Joy by the government for building a railroad, which he did not build. The family moved to Missouri in 1867 and settled near Medoc. Medoc was so new there were green stumps all over town when they arrived. Sedalia was the nearest source of supply. The town was built with a square and hoped to be the county seat. When the Joy railroad was not built, Carthage was made the county seat. He said he remembered seeing the soldiers on the military road on the way to Fort Scott, Kansas to be mustered out of the army. Following the death of his father, John Kerr (6_3_1_J), Charles lived with the George Bell family.
In 1886, Charles Kerr was helping build the railroad in Chautauqua County, Kansas, where he met : Elzina H. (Ella) Heape, a daughter of James and Derrinda Teafertiller Heap. Ella Heape was born in Cherokee County, Kansas March 18, 1869. The Heaps were cooking meals for a group of railroad construction workers. James Heap was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Heap of Perry County, Illinois and Cherokee County, Kansas. Derrinda Teafertiller Heap was the daughter of George and Emily Teafertiller of Perry County, Illinois. Charles and Ella Heape were married at Peru, Kansas June 21, 1886. They went to the Medoc, Missouri area, where they lived until about 1890, when they moved to Las Vegas, New Mexico. Charles worked as brakeman on the Santa Fe Railroad. Ella Heape Kerr died on February 17, 1895 following child birth at 6:30 p. m. The funeral took place at 2:00 p. m. at the home at 915 Gallinas Street. She died of child bed fever. Charles Kerr was a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. The newspaper, The Optic, (February 18, 1895), asked the members to attend the funeral. Ella Kerr was buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery at Las Vegas, New Mexico. A sister of Charles, Alice Kerr Scott (15_6_3_1_J), went to New Mexico to get the baby, Ella, and took her home to care for her, but the baby later died. Unable to get someone to properly care for the children in New Mexico, Charles Kerr was forced to return to Missouri, where the children were placed in the care of a foster family, John Smith. Charles worked on the farm of John Bell in his coal bank. On July 30, 1896, Charles Kerr married : Millie Bain, a daughter of Henry and Elvira Bain. She had one son from a previous marriage, Ray Connor Richardson. They built a house on her father's farm near Medoc and farmed there a while. On October 3, 1903, he bought a general store from John H. Barrett and he also bought a hotel so they would have a place to live. When Medoc failed to obtain the right of way for a railroad, they moved the contents of the store to Asbury, Missouri on March 8, 1907. They operated this store most of the time for the next 35 years. They quit the business in 1943. They had tried to sell the store several times but always had to take it back. At one time, Charles Kerr operated the grain elevator, served as president of the Bank of Asbury, and owned several farms in the area. Much of the land was used for making hay. Charles Kerr was one of the leading citizens of the community from 1907 until two years before his death in 1962, when he moved to Carl Junction, Missouri.
Charles Kerr was married to Millie Bain Kerr for 62 years until her death in March, 1959. They celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary in July, 1946 with an open house. All the relatives were present for the occasion, as well as many friends and neighbors. Among the many events of his long life about which he liked to talk was his purchase of the first car in the community, a 1906 Maxwell. He continued to drive his own car until he was past 90 years old. He liked to tell stories about the early days in Missouri and New Mexico and remembered seeing Jesse James when he was a boy. He was an active member of the Odd Fellow Lodge at Asbury and later of the lodge at Carl Junction. He was a staunch Republican, and he was always interested in newspaper and radio accounts of everything from politics to agriculture to baseball. On June 14, 1961, he was awarded a bronze plaque by the Young Democrats of Jasper County, Missouri because, at the age of 97, he was the oldest voter in the county to participate in the election of 1960. He remained active and alert until shortly before his death at St. John's Hospital in Joplin, Missouri on April 8, 1962 at the age of 98. He was buried in Crocker Cemetery near Opolis, Kansas. His children were: Hattie Lee, married to Edward Alonzo Welty, and Ora Alfred, married to Olive Mae Birdsall.
Source: From James Kerr Family by Mildred Welty Slavens
Jonathan Eppright, son of Jacob Eppright and Catherine Wolf, was born October 12, 1812 in Washington County, Maryland. He was baptized November 3, 1812 at Zion Reformed Church, Hagerstown, Maryland, and his sponsors were Samuel Herr and Susanna. He married Edy Meadows on May 24, 1838 in Montgomery County, Indiana. Permission for her to marry Jonathan Eppright was given by her brother, John Meadows and her sister-in-law, Mary Meadows. She was born in Indiana in 1823. Her father was born in North Carolina, and her mother was born in Virginia. Following their marriage, they moved to Jasper County, (then part of Crawford County) Missouri. Their first child, Marion, was born in Crawford County, Missouri in 1840.
Jonathan Eppright was the earliest male settler in Duval Township, Jasper County, Missouri. He arrived in March, 1840 and settled on section 1, lot 10, township 29, range 33. This land was entered from the government. Jonathan Eppright--W1/2 lot 6 NW1/2 and lot 5 NW1/2 Section 2 township 29, range 33 120 acres $1.25 an acre $150. paid Date July 20, 1853 Rec # 13493. Jonathan Eppright appears in the United States Census Report for Missouri in 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880. He served as a Justice of the Peace in 1866 and was a patron of the Atlas in 1876. Jonathan Eppright died in May 1883 in Jasper County, Missouri. Edy Eppright married William Burns in 1885. She died around 1890.
His children were: Marion, married to Nancy Vivion; George W., Martha J., married to a Casey and then to George Crosson; Catharine Mary, married to Henry Welty; John H., married to Emma J. and Mary; Clarinda Ellen, married to John C. Scott; and Marinda A., married to Thomas Benton Redfern.
Jonathan Eppright and his wife, Edy, were among the first settlers in that part of Jasper County, Missouri. Their son, George, was the first white child born in Duval Township, Jasper County, Missouri. He was born March 29, 1842. The first school was opened there in 1848. Catherine Eppright was born December 31, 1848.
Source: Jacob Eppright Family by Mildred Welty Slavens
Henry Welty, son of John Welty and Mary Magdalene (Polly) Miller, was born April 4, 1837 in Rush Creek Township, Fairfield County, Ohio. He was a farmer on his father's farm until 1866. He served in the Civil War as a private in Company F, Regiment 159 of Ohio. He enlisted May 2, 1864 and was mustered out with his regiment on August 22, 1864.
He taught for a year in Illinois near the home of his brother, Solomon. In 1868, he went to Jasper County, Missouri, where he was a teacher. He married one of his students, Catharine Mary Eppright, daughter of Jonathan and Edy Meadows Eppright, on March 10, 1870 at the home of her parents.
Henry Welty bought his first land April 4, 1870 from Leonidas Cunningham. He bought 40 acres in section 2, township 29, range 33. They sold this land in 1884 to the Dick family and bought 80 acres in another location in section 16, township 30, range 32. This purchase was signed by the governor of Missouri, Alexander M. Docker.
Henry Welty died June 14, 1911 at the Soldiers' Home at Leavenworth, Kansas. At the time he made his will, Henry's brother, John, in May of 1910, said Henry lived in Leavenworth. Following his death, his wife, Catherine, received a pension from the United States government because she was the widow of a veteran of the Civil War. She died at her home in Jasper County near Nashville, Missouri on November 22, 1928. Henry and Catherine Welty were buried in the cemetery at Nashville, Missouri. Their children were: Mary E.; Charles Elmer, married to Mamie Patterson; Walter William, married to Hattie; John Henry, marr4ied to Minnie Mashburn; Frank Louis, married to Belle Thomas; Edward Alonzo, married to Hattie Lee Kerr; George Albert, married to Josie Martin; and Nettie Mae, married to Arthur Derr.
Source: Peter Welty Family History by Mildred Welty Slavens
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