James P. Bates of Texas County, Missouri

James P. Bates is a son of P. Quinton and Mary (Waymon) Bates, natives, respectively, of Kentucky and Pennsylvania. Both parents removed to Phelps County, Mo., with their parents when young, and were there reared to maturity and married, coming shortly after to Texas County, but only resided here a short time, when they returned to Phelps County, where the mother died in the full bloom of womanhood. In 1849 Mr. Bates went to the Black Hills to dig gold, and there died. He was a Democrat, and a successful and enterprising business man. James P. Bates is the oldest of three surviving members of a family of five children, and was born in Texas County, Mo., February 28, 1837, and was reared to the saw-mill business, receiving his education in the old subscription schools of early days. When about fifteen years of age he began the battle of life for himself, and was first engaged in driving oxen for $10 per month, and was then occupied in rafting, making twenty-five trips down the rivers to St. Louis. Since 1863 he has been engaged in operating a saw-mill, and in connection with this manages his large farm of 640 acres, the most of which is exceptionally good land. He has always been a Democrat in politics, and is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and is considered one of the successful business men of the county, having made all his property by his own exertions. In 1860 he was married to Elizabeth Harper, nee Reardon, a native of Ireland, born June 28, 1839. She was reared in London, England, but came to America when about sixteen years of age, and is now the mother of one child, Mary F.