Biography of Joel T. Hembree of Greenfield
Joel T. Hembree, born in 1824 in Roane County, Tennessee, was the ex-county judge and proprietor of Challenge Mills in Greenfield, Missouri. He purchased a half-interest in the mill in 1881 and became the sole owner in 1883. The mill, initially built in 1880, was upgraded in 1887 to a capacity of forty barrels per day. Hembree moved to Missouri in 1852 and was a successful farmer with 1,200 acres. A Civil War veteran, he served in the Missouri Cavalry and rose to second lieutenant. He was a Democrat before the war but became a Republican during and after. Hembree married three times and had numerous children. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity and the G.A.R., and he and several family members were part of the Christian Church.