CHAPTER XXVII (Part 105)
BIOGRAPHICAL
Robert W. Wehmeyer, a well-known and progressive farmer and stockman of Bogard township, is a native of Henry County. He was born on his father's place in Bogard township in 1874, a son of J. B. and Mary Wehmeyer, a sketch of whom appears in this volume.
Robert W. Wehmeyer was reared on the home place and attended the district school at Bee Branch and Brushy district in Bogard township. He remained at home with his parents until he was twenty-five years of age, when he engaged in the livery business at Blairstown. He conducted this business for three years, when he engaged in farming on his present place in Bogard township. He made all the improvements on his place. The first year that he moved here he built a residence and later erected a barn and in 1905 built a second barn. His place is well improved with all necessary buildings including a garage. Mr. Wehmeyer is one of the successful stock breeders of the county, making a specialty of Duroc Jersey hogs and Shorthorn cattle. He also raises quite a number of horses and mules. His place is not only well adapted for general farming, but is an ideal stock farm.
Mr. Wehmeyer was married June 28, 1903, to Miss Jessie B. Schnorf, a daughter of J. H. and Isabelle (Schellers) Schnorf of Bogard township. Mrs. Wehmeyer's parents are both now deceased. The mother died in 1902 and the father in 1916 and their remains are interred in the Grant Cemetery. He was a Civil War veteran, having served in Company H, 93rd Ohio Infantry for three years during the Civil War. He was born in Warren County, Ohio, November 20, 1831. Mrs. Wehmeyer is one of the following children born to her parents: Ilda, who died at the age of sixteen; Maggie, deceased; James, lives in Kansas City, Missouri; John, lives in Cass County, Missouri; Alonzo, resides on the home place in Bogard township; Mrs. Etta Wehmeyer, and Jessie, the wife or Robert W. Wehmeyer, the subject of this sketch. To Robert W. Wehmeyer and wife have been born three children: Lottie Belle, died in infancy; Clarence S. and Chester Everet.
Robert W. Wehmeyer and his family are well known and prominent in the community and he is one of Bogard township's most progressive citizens.
Allen L. Depew, pioneer settler of Bogard township and a well informed and interesting citizen of Henry County, is a native of Indiana. He was born in Allen County May 16, 1851, and is the son of Hezekiah and Margaret Elizabeth (Essig) Depew, both natives of Ohio. They were married on January 25, 1844. Hezekiah Depew was the son of Isaac Depew, who was born in 1792, and his mother, Margaret Depew, was born in 1793.
Hezekiah Depew came to Henry County for the purpose of making a home for his family in the latter fifties and located in Bogard township. He prospered in the county of his adoption and at the time of his death in 1859 he owned four hundred forty acres of land. The children born to Hezekiah and Margaret Depew were as follows: Mrs. Lovina Brooks, living in Canada; Allen L., of this review; Mrs. Elvira Jones, deceased; Mrs. Angeline Beach, deceased; Joseph, Bogard township; Andrew, deceased.
A. L. Depew attended the subscription schools of the home neighborhood during his boyhood days and when times were hard during the Civil War he worked at any honest labor in order to assist the family. The nearest trading point was Sedalia. The Depew home was built of lumber hauled from Lexington. He lived at home with his mother until he was thirty years old and then began for himself, although he became a land owner when twenty-two years of age. Mr. Depew now owns four hundred twenty-three acres of excellent farm land in Bogard township. His home is located four and a half miles northeast of Urich and the improvements on the land consist of two sets of farm buildings. Mr. Depew is engaged in general farming and stock raising.
February 14, 1882, A. L. Depew and Nancy Ely were united in marriage. Nancy (Ely) Depew is the daughter of William and Bettie (Morgan) Ely, both natives of Kentucky who came to Henry County and settled on Honey Creek in the fifties. Mr. Ely owned about eight hundred acres of land in this county. William and Bettie Ely were parents of the following children: Mrs. Addie M. Young, Honey Creek township; Aaron B., address unknown; Mrs. Nancy Depew; Mrs. Mary L., Shideler, California; Mrs. Sarah C. Trent, Moberly, Missouri; William E., living in California; Reuben, Dalton, Missouri.
To Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Depew have been born children as follows: Lillian Viola, deceased; Mary Belle, wife of Henry Woirhaye, Urich, Missouri; Jennie M., wife of Roy Kaiser, Grand Junction, Colorado; George Allen, on the home place; John Henry, Havre, Montana, now a private in the National Army; Emma Maud, deceased; Zonie Elizabeth, wife of Clarence Lear; Annie Louisa, wife of R. A. Hull, Grand Junction, Colorado; Aline Gustava, at home.
Mr. Depew is an excellent citizen who is highly respected in his locality and he and the members of his family are considered to be among the best citizens of Henry County.
C. N. Bleil, a prominent citizen of Shawnee township and one of the progressive farmers and stockmen of this county, is a native of Henry County and a descendant of one of the honored pioneer families of this section. Mr. Bleil was born February 1, 1872, a son of Frederick W. and Charity A. (Drake) Bleil, natives of Ohio, who settled in Henry County in 1866. When Frederick Bleil settled in Shawnee township, he bought two hundred sixty acres of land and C. N., the subject of this sketch, still owns a part of the old place. Frederick Bleil was a successful farmer and stockman and a good citizen. He died March 19, 1896, and his wife departed this life May 1, 1910, and their remains rest side by side in the Shawnee Mound Cemetery. To Frederick W. and Charity A. (Drake) Bleil were born the following children: Edgar, resides in Kansas City, Missouri; Dr. A. W., Kansas City, Missouri; Nettie C., Clinton, Missouri; John L., died at the age of one year; C. N., the subject of this sketch, and G. D., who lives on the old home place in Shawnee township.
C. N. Bleil was reared in Shawnee township and educated in the district schools. He engaged in farming in early life and has successfully devoted himself to agricultural pursuits to the present time. He owns one of the valuable farms of Shawnee township, which consists of two hundred forty acres, eighty acres of which is a part of the old Bleil homestead. Mr. Bleil raises Duroc Jersey hogs and keeps quite a herd of Jersey cows. He is also interested in raising sheep and has a valuable flock of purebred Shropshires. Mr. Bleil's place is well-equipped for the stock business with large silo and other conveniences.
December 9, 1894, C. N. Bleil was united in marriage with Miss Lillie Tillman, a daughter of A. M. Tillman of Clinton, Missouri. Mrs. Bleil's mother died a number of years ago and her father now resides in Clinton. Mrs. Bleil was one of a family of four children born to her parents as follows: James L., who resides in Colorado; Mrs. Bleil; Lloyd, Clinton, Missouri, and Mrs. Bessie Wade, who resides at Leeton, Missouri. To Mr. and Mrs. Bleil have been born the following children: Mrs. Edith Bozarth, now deceased; Howard, George, Louis, Arthur, Clarence, Paul, Mabel and Mildred, all of whom reside at home with their parents, except Edith and Arthur, who are deceased.
Mr. Bleil is one of the directors of the Farmers Mutual Insurance Company of Henry County, which is one of the prosperous and well conducted insurance companies of the State. Mr. Bleil is a member of the time-honored Masonic Lodge and is one of Henry County's most highly valued citizens. He is active in all patriotic work and has given his best endeavor to the furtherance of Red Cross and Liberty Loan work.
Joseph R. Hampton, M.D - The little village of Shawnee Mound have in their midst a physician and surgeon who is a native of Henry County and a descendant of the earliest settlers of Shawnee township. Dr. Joseph R. Hampton was born in Shawnee township in 1867, the son of David T. and Sophia (Beatty) Hampton. David T. Hampton was born September 9, 1835, in Clark County, Kentucky, and came with his parents George W. and Nancy Hampton in 1839 to a homestead in Shawnee township. As a little lad David T. Hampton roamed the natural forest and often went with his father to hunt the wild deer, turkey and various other wild game for the table. They lived in the log cabin with its dirt floor and its chinkings in the wall. They drew their water from a natural spring near by and the big logs were brought home by the slow, cumbersome ox to be placed on the big fireplace in the winter.
David Hampton, who was southern born and educated, felt that the cause of the Confederate States was right and when his comrades were bearing arms in defense of their rights he too shouldered the musket and joined in the war. He was wounded in the battle of Lone Jack and taken prisoner by the Union forces, remaining in the St. Louis Federal prison until the cessation of hostilities. After the war he returned and was married to Sophia Beatty, a daughter of Joseph and Polly Beatty, early settlers in Henry County. Mr. and Mrs. Hampton settled on a farm three miles north of Huntingdale and here they labored together to make a home for the sons and daughters. The following children were born to them: Dr. Joseph R., of this sketch; Lucy Paul, deceased; George W., resides in Kansas City, Missouri; Mrs. Olga Ross, deceased, and James Harvey, a farmer of Shawnee township. Mrs. Hampton, the mother of this family, was laid to rest in 1881 and David Hampton remained on the farm until his death in 1913. He had a brother, L. H. Hampton, of Bogard township and a sister, Mrs. Mary Dunham, of Benton County, Missouri, who are still living, at an advanced age.
Joseph R. Hampton, the eldest of the children born to this venerable couple, received his education in the public schools of Henry County and attended the Missouri Medical College at St. Louis, Missouri, where he completed his course with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1893. He came fresh from college to his present location and has since seen successfully engaged in the practice of his profession.
September 6, 1899, Doctor Hampton was married to Rosa Lampkin, a daughter of Ethelbert and Emma Lampkin, the former now deceased and the latter resides near Montrose, Missouri. Two children, Mary Ruth and Louise M., have come to the home of Doctor and Mrs. Hampton. They are attending the schools of Shawnee Mound, fitting themselves for their future life work.
Doctor Hampton lives on a small farm near Shawnee Mound, which contains four acres, and has one hundred sixty acres one and one-half miles north of the city limits. He is a member of the Ancient P'ree and Accepted Masons No. 343, Agricola, Missouri, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Huntingdale, Missouri.
Doctor Hampton is well known in Henry County and is not only a leading physician but is a prominent and substantial citizen. J. S. Kinyon, a well-known and successful farmer and stockman of Shawnee township, is a native of Illinois. He was born in Washington County September 26, 1863, a son of Daniel C. and Anna (Strawback) Kinyon. The Kinyon family came to Henry County and settled in Shawnee township in 1881, when J. S. was about eighteen years of age. The father died in 1901 and the mother departed this life in 1883. They were the parents of the following children: Henry, resides in Clinton, Missouri; J. S., the subject of this sketch; Lafayette, Clinton, Missouri; Lee, Clinton, Missouri; Joann, married Charles How and resides at Clinton, Missouri, and Pluma, deceased.
J. S. Kinyon attended school in Illinois and came to Henry County with his parents when he was about eighteen years of age. He soon afterwards bought a farm, which was known as the Bence place. In 1905, he purchased his present place from James Longford. This is one of the valuable farms of Shawnee township and consists of two hundred forty acres. Mr. Kinyon carries on general farming and stock raising and is one of the progressive farmers of the community.
Mr. Kinyon was united in marriage with Miss Margaret Bence in 1889. She is a daughter of Adam Bence, an early settler of Shawnee township, who is now deceased. Mrs. Kenyon's mother is also dead. Mrs. Kenyon has one brother, David, now living in Kansas City, Missouri. Mr. and Mrs. Kinyon have one adopted son, H. H., who is a graduate of the University of Missouri at' Columbia. The Kinyon family are members of the Baptist Church and rank among the leading people of Henry County.
Judge Mark Fisher Finks - For the past eighty years, Judge Mark F. Finks has lived in Henry County and has contributed his share to the advancement of the county. He is now retired, after many years of active farming in Tebo township. Mr. Finks was born September 10, 1834, in Madison County, Virginia, the son of Mark and Eliza (Eddings) Finks, Mr. Mark Finks, Sr. was born in 1803, in Virginia and with his family came to Henry County in 1838, locating in Tebo township. He died in Henry County. His wife also died here.
Mark F. Finks was four years of age when his parents located in Henry County, and he has spent all of his life in the environs of the county, taking an active interest in her affairs.
October 20, 1864, Mr. Mark Finks and Nancy Elizabeth Avery were united in marriage. Mrs. Nancy (Avery) Finks was born May 10, 1845, in Henry County, the daughter of Judge William L. and Sophronia C. (Williams) Avery. William Avery was born November 14, 1822 in White County, Tennessee and came to Henry County in 1830 with his parents, Henry and Elizabeth (Greene) Avery, who were amongst the earliest settlers of the county. William L. Avery was elected county judge of the court in 1852, and held this position until 1867. In 1870, he was elected judge of common pleas court and in 1874, judge of probate court. He died March 2, 1875. His wife, Sophronia Williams Avery was born December 8, 1826, in Simpson County, Kentucky and came to Henry County with her parents in 1835 or 1836. She was one of the daughters of the Revolution, inasmuch as her grandfather, John Williams, had participated in the Revolutionary War.
Mr. and Mrs. Finks are the parents of the following children: Arthur W., born August 14, 1865, and died February 17, 1890. He was a Baptist minister educated in the William Jewell College, Liberty, Missouri. Walter Lee was born January 2, 1868, married Zella L. Taylor, and is a banker at Calhoun. William Avery was born September 28, 1870, is a banker at Mena, Arkansas. Howard Preston was born June 4, 1873, died July 5, 1911. He was a teacher at Fort Smith, Arkansas, also a chemist and metallurgist of ability. Edna Emma was born October 4, 1875, and is the wife of James E. Slack, living in Springfield township. Norman Mark was born December 3, 1877, and died August J4, 1909. Harry Freeling was born November 3, 1882, and is cashier of Faris-Brinkerhoff Trust and Savings Bank, Clinton, Missouri.
Judge Fink owns 280 acres of land in Tebo and Deer Creek townships and in the days when he was farming, he exhibited many of his products at the county fairs. At one time, he exhibited a pumpkin as large as a wash tub. His stock exhibits have taken many prizes. Judge Finks retired from active farming six years ago and he, with his good wife, are now enjoying the fruits of their many years of labor. They are members of the Baptist Church. Mr. Finks is a Democrat and he has served as county judge two terms. He is a stockholder of the Farmers Elevator at Calhoun and the two banks of Calhoun. Judge and Mrs. Finks have fourteen grandchildren. They have one grandson in the National Army, Raymond Taylor Fink.
