CHAPTER XXVII (Part 85)
BIOGRAPHICAL
Robert H. Piper, proprietor of the Piper Brothers Department Store of Clinton, is one of the pioneer merchants of Henry County. Mr. Piper was born in Saline County, Missouri, in 1855, and is a son of Garrett W. and Sophia J. (Farrar) Piper, both natives of Virginia, now deceased.
They were the parents of the following children: John W., deceased; F. R., now deceased; Sarah, deceased, and Robert H., the subject of this sketch. The eldest son, John W., served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He married Lutie Lindsey, who now lives in New York City. F. R. Piper married Sallie McMann, and they are both now deceased and their remains are buried in Englewood Cemetery. F. R. Piper, the second oldest brother, came to Clinton in 1870 and engaged in the mercantile business in partnership with E. Allison. This was the beginning of the present Piper Brothers mercantile business. Mr. Allison retired from the firm in 1886 and was afterwards killed while serving as a guard at the penitentiary at Jefferson City. In 1878, Robert H. Piper became a member of the firm which consisted of the two brothers, F. R. and Robert H., and they continued the business in partnership until the death of F. R. Piper, May 2, 1917, and since that time Robert H. has continued the business under the old firm name of Piper Brothers, which is perhaps the best known business house in Henry County, having been in existence continually for over forty years, and during all this time has ranked as the leading business enterprise in Henry County.
Robert H. Piper received his education in the public schools of Saline County, Missouri, and the Jones Commercial College of St. Louis, Missouri. Mr. Piper became a member of the firm when he was twenty-two years of age, and has devoted his life to the mercantile business.
In 1884, Mr. Piper was united in marriage with Miss Bertie Lee Monafee of Miami, Missouri. She is a daughter of Robert and Jennie Monafee, natives of Missouri. Of their children now living are Prof. Flournory Monafee of Washington University, Washington, D.C.; Amelia, married Floumory Snelling; Richard, an employe of the Government, Washington, D.C.; Walter, a prominent farmer and stockman of Henry County. To Robert H. Piper and wife have been born the following children: Juanita, died in infancy; Helen, died at the age of twelve; John William, now serving in the United States Army, having enlisted January 26, 1917.
Mr. Piper takes an interest in local political affairs and served as collector of Henry County for one term, and has served for several years at different times as a member of the city council at Clinton. He has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Clinton for forty-two years and is one of Henry County's substantial and highly respected citizens.
Jesse D. Cook, of the firm of Cook & Kincaid, well-known grocers of Clinton, was born in Gower, Missouri, December 22, 1880. He is a son of J. H. Cook and Lydia B. (Johnson) Cook. J. H. Cook was a native of Kentucky and came to Missouri when he was nineteen years of age, and bought a farm near Gower, where he spent his life engaged in farming and stock raising. He died at the age of seventy-four years. Lydia B. Johnson came to Missouri with her parents when she was eleven years of age and died at the age of fifty-five years, and her remains rest by the side of those of her husband, in New Harmony Cemetery at Gower, Missouri. They were the parents of the following children: Dr. Emmet F. Cook, a prominent physician and surgeon of St. Joseph, Missouri, who is now serving in the Medical Corps of the United States Army with the rank of Captain and was the first surgeon called to the service from St. Joseph; Ambie, now the wife of S. P. Herring, an electrician of Ft. Smith, Arkansas; Jesse D., the subject of this sketch, and James K., an employee of the Burlington railway at St. Joseph, Missouri.
Jesse D. Cook was educated in the public schools of Missouri and the St. Joseph High School. After leaving school, he engaged in farming, which he continued until 1914, when he engaged in the grocery business at Clinton in partnership with Mr. Kincaid. They succeeded to the business of O. A. Peckstein. The Cook & Kincaid firm is recognized as one of the live, up-to-date and substantial retail grocery houses of Clinton. Their store is located at 908 North Second street.
Jesse D. Cook was married in 1902 to Miss Nellie Jones of Gower, Missouri. She is a daughter of W. H. and Lucy Jones of that place. Mrs. Jesse D. Cook is one of the following children born to her parents: Walter L., a traveling salesman, Kansas City, Missouri; Ed, farmer, Gower, Missouri; L.R., an electrician, Kansas City, Missouri; Lela, married Claud Kincaid of Clinton, Missouri; Mrs. Jesse D. Cook, wife of the subject of this sketch; Lotta, married Wyatt Kincaid of Gower, Missouri.
Mr. Cook is one of the progressive business men of Clinton, and is rapidly making a business reputation that might well be envied by men who have been in business here for years.
Royal W. Booth - The Booth Hatchery, located at 807 North Fourth street, Clinton, Missouri, is a very interesting and instructive business, showing what one can do with the initiative and ability of a business man in the poultry business. Mr. Booth opened his chicken hatchery in 1914 and he has an ever increasing demand for his small hatched chickens of various breeds, among which are the well-known White Leghorns, Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red and Buff Orpingtons.
Mr. Booth has an incubator hatching capacity of 15,000 chickens. One building holds 10,000 and the other 5,000 in various small buildings, which has lately been replaced by a new building with better facilities for handling and caring for the young chicks. In the four years of his work, Mr. Booth has shipped chickens all over the United States, his chickens being on sale from January to November. He specializes in the White Leghorn hens for their laying qualities and meat.
In connection with his work of raising small chicks, Mr. Booth has also the agency for the Buckeye and Cyphers incubators. He deals extensively in eggs also.
R. W. Booth was born at Cedar Springs, Michigan, in 1895 and is the son of F. D. and Ida J. (Gates) Booth, now residing at Clinton, Missouri. In 1906, Mr. and Mrs. Booth with their family moved to a farm near Clinton, where they remained until 1911, when they located in Clinton and where they are now making their home. They are the parents of four children: Rex, Clinton; Royal W., with whom this sketch deals; Eden and Mary E., at home with their parents.
Royal W. Booth received his education in the public schools of Clinton and took a course of agriculture in his high school work, thus interesting him in his present work. He read every available bulletin on the subject and soon after leaving school he had his chicken hatchery going. The business is likely to be a very large one in extent as the years roll by as it has increased in leaps and bounds the past year. On July 15, 1918, Mr. Booth became a private soldier in the National Army and is now in training at Camp McArthur, Texas. His brother, Eden, immediately took charge of the business in his stead and is conducting it successfully.
John Doll, a prominent farmer and stock man of White Oak township, is a native of Ohio, born in Tuscarawas County, September 9, 1862; he is a son of John and Mary (Wesner) Doll, natives of Germany, who settled in Ohio upon immigrating to this country. Later they moved to Illinois, where they remained until 1867. They then came to Missouri and settled in White Oak township, Henry County, where the father first bought eighty acres of land. He prospered in his undertaking and bought more land from time to time, and when he died, September 1, 1907, he was the owner of over four hundred acres. He was an industrious man and a good citizen, and is one of the pioneers who is entitled to a share of credit for making Henry County what it is today. His widow resides on the old home place in White Oak township. They were the parents of the following children: John, who lives in Walker township; Jacob, the subject of this sketch; William, lives in Walker township; Effie, resides on the home place with her mother, and Lizzie, a stenographer in Kansas City, Missouri.
Jacob Doll was reared on a farm and attended school at Maple Grove and Lucas districts. He has made farming and stock raising the principal occupation of his life, and is the owner of a valuable farm, well improved and well stocked, located in White Oak township. His farm consists of two hundred forty-two acres of productive land located about a half mile west of Lucas.
Mr. Doll was united in marriage January 3, 1889, to Miss Alpha M. Webb, a daughter of Isaac and Hettie Webb. Mrs. Doll was born in Illinois December 4, 1868, and her father died in that State when she was a child. After the death of the father, the mother came to Missouri with her family in 1880 and died here the following year. Mrs. Doll has one brother, Orville, who now resides in California.
To Mr. and Mrs. Doll have been born the following children: Lula Mabel, at home; Arthur C, Quay, Oklahoma; Mary, married M. Q. Herrell, Ulrich, Missouri; Alpha H., married C. R. Henny; Albert H., at home; Elmer T. J., at home; Frances Lillian, died at the age of eight years; and Alice Lucile; and Etta Lois, born June 7, 1918.
Mr. Doll is comparatively a young man as ages are reckoned nowadays, but he is also what might be considered an early settler of Henry County, when the development, which has taken place, since he came here, is taken into consideration. He recalls the time when a great deal of their supplies, such as lumber and other building material, were hauled from Holden, and it has not been very long ago that his nearest post office was at Clinton, a distance of twenty miles, and his mail waited for him to go after it. He says that his first spring buggy was a Ford - that up to the time of the introduction of automobiles he used a lumber wagon for all the joy riding in which he indulged. Mr. Doll relates many incidents of early life in Henry County. They had their grinding done at Cook's Mill and the early settlers, many of them, had to come a long distance to mill, and there were no roads nor bridges. He relates an instance in which he and his brother went to mill with twenty bushels of com, and while there a sudden rainstorm raised White Oak Creek to the flood stage and when they crossed it on their return home, they put poles across the wagon-bed and placed their meal sacks over the poles and thus succeeded in fording the creek without getting their meal wet. This is one of the hundreds of his early-day experiences. Mr. and Mrs. Doll are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
