Dade County Archives - Page 5 of 7

History of Hickory, Polk, Cedar, Dade and Barton Counties, Missouri

Biography of Amos Helphenstine of Greenfield

Amos Helphenstine, born in 1837 in Greene County, Pennsylvania, was a prominent hardware merchant in Greenfield, Missouri. He was the eldest son of William Alexander Helphenstine, a coppersmith and tinner, and Elizabeth Piatt. Amos was educated at Waynesburgh College and trained in the coppersmith and tinner trade. During the Civil War, he served in Company F, Eighth Pennsylvania Reserve Corps from 1861 to 1864. After the war, he moved west, eventually settling in Greenfield in 1867, where he established his hardware business. In 1868, he married Sarah Jane Newton, and they had two daughters, Mary E. and Annie E. Helphenstine was also a skilled musician, a member of the G.A.R., and a staunch Republican and supporter of public education.

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Biography of William T. Hastings of Rock Prairie Township

Dade County

William T. Hastings, born in 1826 in Jackson County, Alabama, was a farmer and notary public in Rock Prairie Township, Missouri. He was the son of John H. Hastings, born in North Carolina in 1793, and Margaret Gentry. Raised by an aunt in Tennessee, Hastings moved to Missouri in 1851 and settled in Dade County in 1853, where he acquired 240 acres of land near Everton. He served in the Missouri Militia and U.S. Missouri Cavalry during the Civil War. Married twice, he fathered twelve children. A lifelong Democrat, he served as justice of the peace and had been a notary public since 1886. Hastings was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and Washington Lodge No. 87, A. F. & A. M.

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Biography of John Harrison of Greenfield

Dade County

John Harrison, born on May 22, 1825, in Boone County, Missouri, was the postmaster of Greenfield, Missouri. He was the son of George Harrison, born in Virginia in 1800, and Malinda Lynes, born in Kentucky in 1803. John Harrison grew up in Boone County and initially worked as a harness maker before turning to merchandising in Greene County. He married Mary E. Foushee in 1853, and they had nine children. Harrison moved to Greenfield in 1866, establishing a harness shop. Appointed postmaster in 1885, he served effectively. A Democrat, he was also active in the local school board and city council.

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Biography of Charles W. Griffith

Dade County

Charles W. Griffith, born in 1837 near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, was the editor of the Greenfield Vedette. He lived in Ohio from 1842 to 1870, receiving his education at Ohio Wesleyan University. Griffith taught in Ohio public schools for seven years and served in the Union army from August 1863 to November 1866. In September 1870, he moved to Dade County, Missouri, where he lived since.

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Biography of Frederick Grether of Greenfield

Dade County

Frederick Grether, born in 1850 in Baden, Germany, was a prominent hardware merchant in Greenfield, Missouri. He immigrated to the United States at age nine, initially settling in Philadelphia before moving to Bond County, Illinois, and later St. Louis. Grether began working in the tinner’s trade in 1866, eventually opening a successful hardware store in Greenfield in 1883. In 1881, he married Augusta Dienst from Gasconade County, Missouri, and they had three children: Walter, Frederick, and Ralph. A Republican, Grether cast his first presidential vote for Horace Greeley in 1872. He was also a member of the I.O.O.F. and A.O.U.W.

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Biography of Charles W. Gray of Lockwood

Dade County

Charles W. Gray, born in 1834 in Chester County, Pennsylvania, was a prominent hardware and farm machinery dealer in Lockwood, Missouri. He co-founded C. W. Gray & Co. in 1888, succeeding H. C. Watterman & Sons. Gray moved to Stark County, Ohio, as an infant, where his parents, William and Catherine Gray, later passed away. After marrying Barbara E. Newman in 1856, Gray served in the Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. In 1867, he settled in Dade County, Missouri, becoming a successful farmer. A Republican and United Brethren Church member, he was a respected community leader and class leader.

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Biography of Henry Gillman of Marion Township

Dade County

Henry Gillman, born in 1831 in Brunswick, Germany, was a prominent sheep-raiser, farmer, and president of the Bank of Lockwood in Marion Township, Dade County, Missouri. His parents, Andrew and Mary (Lohman) Gillman, emigrated to the United States in 1849, settling in Macoupin County, Illinois. Henry married Kate Sinholz in 1857 and moved to Dade County in 1868, where he developed 1,040 acres of land. He began sheep raising in 1864 and maintained 1,000 merino sheep. Initially a Democrat, Gillman later became a Republican and was an active member of the Lutheran Church.

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Biography of E. C. Gillett of Lockwood

Dade County

E. C. Gillett, born in 1836 in Stephenson County, Illinois, was the presiding judge of the Dade County court and resided in Lockwood, Missouri. Son of Ezra B. Gillett, a Black Hawk War veteran, E. C. Gillett received his education at the State University in Madison, Wisconsin. He married Eliza C. Miller in 1860 and transitioned from farming to the grain and stock business in Wisconsin before moving to Missouri in 1880. Elected as presiding judge in 1886, he owned substantial property across several counties. A Republican and former Odd Fellow, he was also a Methodist, previously associated with the United Brethren Church.

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Biography of Cicero T. Gass of Center Township

Dade County

Cicero T. Gass, born in 1827 in Richland County, Ohio, was a notable farmer in Center Township, Dade County, Missouri. He was the son of Benjamin Gass, a War of 1812 veteran, and Elizabeth McClure. Cicero married Margaret Castor in 1863, and they had three children: James, Mary, and Charles. After moving to Missouri in 1866 and later to Kansas, Cicero settled in Dade County in 1873, where he acquired and farmed 280 acres. His grandfather, William Gass, served in the Ohio State Senate, and his great-uncle, Patrick Gass, was part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

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Biography of Dr. Ferdinand Fischer of Lockwood

Dade County

Dr. Ferdinand Fischer, a physician and surgeon in Lockwood, Missouri, was born on January 1, 1851, in Württemberg, Germany. He was the son of Andrew and Clara (Magold) Fischer. Dr. Fischer received a high-quality education in Germany, culminating in studies at the University of Munich. In 1866, he emigrated to America, initially teaching German in Canada for five years before studying medicine in Illinois. He graduated from the Eclectic Medical College of Cincinnati in 1879. Dr. Fischer moved to Lockwood in 1882, where he established a successful medical practice. He married Maggie F. Bess in 1879, and they had four children. He was a Democrat and a member of the I.O.O.F. and Sons of Rebecca, while Mrs. Fischer was affiliated with the United Brethren Church.

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