CHAPTER XXVII (Part 91)
BIOGRAPHICAL
Ellet Huey - From unbroken prairie land, which was first turned by the plow drawn by oxen, Ellet Huey has created one of the most beautiful and fertile farms in Henry County, a place of 130 acres in the southwestern part of Bethlehem township. Mr. Huey has lived upon his farm since 1866 and has witnessed the development and growth of Henry County. He has reared a splendid family of children, has seen his grandchildren grow to maturity and now has great-grandchildren.
Ellet Huey was born October 3, 1842, in Montgomery County, Ohio, the son of James and Ann Elizabeth (Schwartz) Huey, natives of Ohio. The parents of Ellet Huey accompanied him to Missouri and his father died at his home. The mother also died in this county. His brother, Albert, also came west, but returned to Ohio and spent his life in that State.
In the spring of 1865, Ellet Huey enlisted in Company D, 132nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry and served until the close of the war under Captain Beard. In 1866, he came to Missouri in search of a home and found his location in Bethlehem township, Henry County. This was prairie and timber land.
Mr. Huey paid thirteen dollars an acre for his land, which is now worth at least seventy-five dollars an acre. He erected a log house of three rooms and one and a half stories, since adding a frame addition to the original house, which is a picturesque and comfortable affair, attractively shaded by great trees and reached by a driveway from the highway.
Mr. Huey was married in 1863 to Miss Margaret Palmer, who was born in Ohio in 1844. Twelve children were born of this marriage: Lucy, Henry Harris, Robert Wilson, Ida, George, John, Wilber, Ella, May, Florence and Herman. Mrs. Lucy Snyder, the eldest child, lives at Clinton, Missouri. She is mother of four children: Mrs. Pearl Stuessi, Great Falls, Montana, mother of Beverly, Keith, Wilma and Justine; Mrs. May Roberts, Kansas City, mother of Virginia Roberts; Harry, Kansas City; and Wilma, Clinton Missouri. Henry Harris Huey lives in Milton, Oregon, married Ollie Butt and has four children, Marion, Harold, Elba May, Oletha Rose.
Robert Wilson Huey is deceased. Mrs. Ida Dooley lives in Clinton, and has three children, Ray, now a soldier in the National Army; Irene, and Howard. George Huey is a resident of Portland, Oregon, where he is a ship builder. John is a farmer in Bethlehem township, married Myrtle Herst, and has four children, Maude, Mabel, Tracy and Bessie. Wilber Huey is a farmer living near La Due, married Myrtle Cook. Mrs. Ella Oskins lives at Calhoun, Henry County, has two children, Claude and Cleo. May is at home with her parents. Florence Huey is the wife of Thomas F. Bronaugh. Herman Huey is a farmer in Bethlehem township, married Alice Bailey and has seven children: Mildren, Muriel Ira, Eugene, Robert, Elmer, Buford and Bernice, twins.
James Huey was the son of Albert R. and Margaret Huey and was born October 7, 1814. Ann Elizabeth Huey was the daughter of George and Sarah Schwartz, and was born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, October 4, 1838.
Mr. Huey is a Republican and he and Mrs. Huey worship at the Bethlehem Baptist Church.
John H. Titus, a well known merchant at Norris, Missouri, is a native of this State. He was born in St. Clair County, near Lowry City, November 19, 1877, and is a son of James W. and Caroline (Roberts) Titus, the former a native of Virginia and the latter of Ohio. James W. Titus was born February 22, 1839, and when a young man, moved to Illinois, where he was living when the Civil War broke out. He enlisted in Company H, 79th Illinois Infantry, and served for three years. He took part in a number of important battles. He was wounded severely at the battle of Stone River, and after being wounded was taken prisoner and for a time was confined in Libby Prison and later transferred to other Confederate prisons. He came to Missouri in 1865 and settled near Osceola. He made the trip through from Illinois with a team and wagon, driving a wagon which he had made by his own hands. In 1868, he moved to the present site of Lowry City. At that time, that section was unsettled and his was the first house built near where the town now stands. This house is still standing and at the present time, is occupied by his daughter. Mr. Titus was a carpenter and built the first store building in Lowry City, as well as several other buildings there. For a time, he was engaged in the lumber business there. To James W. and Caroline (Roberts) Titus were born the following children: William D., deceased; Mrs. Louster E. Brown, Lowry City; Mrs. Martha A. Houk, Chico, California; Mrs. Lydia A. Page, Sacramento, California; Thomas J., deceased; Sarah, J., deceased; Francis, deceased; John H., the subject of this sketch; Ira N., deceased, and Myrtle E., deceased.
John H. Titus was reared at Lowry City and educated in the public schools. He began life as a farmer near Lowry City, where he remained seven years. He then sold out and went to Florida. He returned, however, in a short time and bought a farm near Chloe, Missouri, where he was engaged in farming and stock raising until 1914. He then came to Norris and engaged in general mercantile business, to which he has since devoted his attention. He carries a very complete line of merchandise and deals extensively in farm produce. His trade extends over a large section of the country surrounding Norris, and by his integrity and honesty as a merchant he has won the confidence of the public. Mr. Titus was married December 25, 1898, to Miss Rosa Huebner, a daughter of C. F. and Jennie (Crissman) Huebner, the former a native of Somerset, Ohio, and the latter of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The father has been, in the mercantile business at Lowry City for the past forty years. His wife died in 1907. They were the parents of the following children: Mrs. Minnie Foster, Lowry City; Rosa, wife of John H. Titus, the subject of this sketch; Daisy, died at the age of thirteen; Mrs. Carrie Patterson, Lowry City, Missouri, and Mrs. Lula Weir, Bolivar, Missouri. To Mr. and Mrs. Titus have been born six children as follows: John Charles, Mary B., Ruth C, Jewell H., Myrtle 0. and J. Harold.
Mr. Titus is one of the progressive business men of Henry County and a valued and substantial citizen.
Prof. Ralph Lionberger, principal of the public schools of Blairstown, Missouri, is prominent in the teachers' profession of Henry County and, for the past seven years, has been principal of the Norris High School. Mr. Lionberger was born in Buffalo County, Nebraska, October 30, 1885. He is a son of T. R. and Etta (Thornton) Lionberger. The father is a native of Illinois and the mother of Iowa. They now reside in Leesville township, Henry County. T.R. Lionberger went to Nebraska when he was a young man and remained in that State until 1895, when he came to Henry County, which has been his home since that time.
To T.R. Lionberger and wife have been born the following children: Ralph T., the subject of this sketch; Carrie, married Thomas McCown, Leesville township; Nellie, married Hugh Randel, Calhoun, Missouri; Calvin, died May 14, 1908; Gaylord, Etoile, Edwin, Otis and Harry, all residing at home. Ralph T. Lionberger was educated in the public schools and was graduated from the Appleton City High School in the class of 1908. He has studied in the State University at Columbia, Missouri. He taught his first term of school in the Turner district, Leesville township. He afterwards taught one year at the Appleton City Academy and one year in St. Louis County, Missouri. In 1910, he became principal of the Norris High School, and held that position for seven consecutive years.
He then taught one year in high school in Benton County, and in 1918, was elected principal of the Blairstown school, which position he now holds.
Professor Lionberger was united in marriage August 28, 1910, with Miss Audrey E. Smith, a daughter of J. H. and Ellen (Nichols) Smith, of Leesville township. The Smith family are pioneers of that section of Henry County. Mrs. Lionberger was born in Leesville township and educated in the public schools of that township, Windsor High School and Appleton City Academy. Joseph H. Smith is a Virginian and served in the Confederate army with the Virginia troops. Shortly after the Civil War, he came to Henry County. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Ellen Nichols, was born in Leesville township. Her mother, Catherine Parks, came to Henry County with her parents in 1835, when she was ten years of age, and they were among the very first settlers of Henry County.
To J.H. and Ellen (Nichols) Smith were born the following children: Ida, Fort Collins, Colorado; Hugh, Madison, Wisconsin; J. M., Brownington, Missouri; Elmer, lives in Iowa; Pickney, Nevada, Missouri; Audrey E., the wife of Prof. Ralph Lionberger, the subject of this sketch; Jewette, Lincoln, Missouri; Norma, a teacher. Fort Collins, Colorado; Winifred, a teacher in Henry County, and Helen, also a Henry County teacher. To Professor and Mrs. Lionberger have been born two children, Herbert and Lowell.
Professor Lionberger is interested in farming as well as his educational work and owns a valuable farm of fifty-one acres adjoining the townsite of Norris. He has an extensive acquaintance in Henry County and he and Mrs. Lionberger have many friends.
Albert W. McFarland, a prominent farmer and stockman of Big Creek township, is a member of one of the pioneer families of Henry County, whose residence in Missouri dates back to territorial date. Albert W. McFarland was born in Henry County, six miles southeast of where Blairstown now stands February 4, 1878. He is a son of William J. and Mary E. (Mitchell) McFarland. William J. McFarland was born in Moniteau County, Missouri, September 26, 1834, and died December 21, 1893. His wife, Mary E. (Mitchell) McFarland, was born in Cooper County, Missouri, December 25, 1843, and died May 12, 1913. William J. McFarland was a soldier in the Confederate army, serving under Gen. Sterling Price.
He came to Henry County in the fall of 1867 and settled in Big Creek township, where he first purchased 160 acres of land and became one of the successful farmers of Henry County. At the time of his death, he was the owner of about 600 acres. William J. McFarland was a son of Jesse McFarland, who came to Missouri in 1809, and was here during the time of the disastrous earthquake in 1811. Jesse McFarland was a son of Jacob McFarland, who was a member of the first territorial legislature of Missouri. He died in Moniteau County. Jesse McFarland was the first sheriff of Cooper County, Missouri. He also was the first Government surveyor of what later became Rives County, receiving his appointment in 1821, when he was twenty-one years of age. He died at Pleasant Hill, Missouri.
Albert W. McFarland received his education in the public schools of Henry County and the State Normal School at Warrensburg, Missouri. Later, he attended the Gem City Business College at Quincy, Illinois, where he was graduated in the class of 1906. He then returned to Henry County, where he has since been successfully engaged in general farming and stock raising, and is recognized as one of the leading agriculturists of Henry County. His farm consists of 300 acres of valuable farm land, which is well improved. Mr. McFarland was united in marriage July 24, 1901, with Miss Hattie Woodruff, a daughter of R.B. and Rosa (Young) Woodruff, pioneers of Johnson County, Missouri. The Woodruff family came to Henry County forty-five years ago and now reside in Big Creek township. Mrs. McFarland has two brothers: John D. and Edgar, both residing at home with their parents. To Mr. and Mrs. McFarland have been born eight children, as follows: Augusta L., Inga, Courtney L., Ruth V., Mattie M., William J., Olive M. and Douglass W.
Mr. McFarland takes an active interest in public affairs and is one of the progressive and capable citizens of Big Creek township. He has held local office at various times and was president of the first high school board of the consolidated district, and is a member of that board now. He is also president of the township board.
