CHAPTER XXVII (Part 9)
BIOGRAPHICAL
Edward Austin Gracey of Clinton, Missouri, is a leading member of the bar of Henry County, and has practiced his profession here for thirty-six years. Judge Gracey was born at Sparta, Tennessee, May 22, 1861. His parents were Wayman L. and Martha (Hudgins) Gracey, both natives of White County, Tennessee. The Graceys are of Irish descent, the great-grandfather of Judge Gracey coming from Bainbridge, Ireland, to America. On the maternal side. Judge Gracey's ancestors came from Scotland.
Wayman L. and Martha (Hudgins) Gracey spent their lives in Tennessee. The mother died in 1885 and the father departed this life in 1887, and their remains rest in the cemetery at Sparta, Tennessee. They were the parents of fifteen children, ten of whom are living, as follows: Edward Austin, the subject of this sketch; Alice, Sparta, Tennessee; Josie, the widow of W. C. Rogers, Sparta, Tennessee; Mary, wife of James Meyer, Sparta, Tennessee; Charles, Louisville, Kentucky; Crockett, Chillicothe, Texas; Augusta, unmarried and resides in Clinton, Missouri, and Mack and Wayman, twins, reside at Sparta, Tennessee; and Ethel, unmarried, Sparta, Tennessee.
Judge Gracey was reared in Sparta, and received his early education in private schools, and after preparing for college entered Cumberland University at Lebanon, Tennessee, where he was graduated in the class of 1880. He then read law in the office of Judge D. L. Snodgrass for a time at Sparta and in 1881, came to Clinton, Missouri, where he continued the study of law under the preceptorship of Gen. B. G. Boone, and in 1882, he was admitted to the bar of Missouri. He has been successfully engaged in the practice of law at Clinton since that time and is well known throughout this section of the state as an able and conscientious lawyer.
September 6, 1882, Edward Austin Gracey was united in marriage with Miss Olive Blakemore, a native of Henry County, and two children were born to this union: Francis and George Wayman, both residing in Clinton. George Wayman is employed as teller in the Brinkerhoff-Faris Trust & Savings Company. Judge Gracey's first wife died February 10, 1899. On January 29, 1916, he was united in marriage with Caroline Coats of Kansas City, Missouri.
Judge Gracey is a Democrat and has taken an active part in politics for a number of years. He has served two terms as prosecuting attorney of Henry County, from 1887 to 1891. For the past nine years, he has served as a justice of the peace. He is a member of the Baptist Church and is one of the widely and favorably known citizens of Henry County.
Perce Bolinger, senior member of the B. & S. Plumbing Company of Clinton, Missouri, is a native son of Henry County. He was born in Clinton, in the house where he now lives, at 301 North Washington street, June 3, 1872, and is a son of W. W. and Eulalia (Lowden) Bolinger, natives of Pennsylvania, the former born near Beech Creek, Clinton County, and the latter was born at Jersey Shore, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. W. W. Bolinger, the father of Perce Bolinger, was a jeweler by trade, and when the Civil War broke out he enlisted in a Pennsylvania regiment, and served in the Union Army until the close of the war.
In 1867, he came to Missouri, his destination being Osceola. He came as far as Sedalia by rail, and at that time there was no railroad from that point to the Southwest, but transportation facilities from Sedalia to Osceola, consisted of a stage coach which carried the mail, making the round trip from Sedalia to Osceola twice a week.
Mr. Bolinger reached Sedalia just as the stage had left on one of its weekly trips, and rather than wait until the following week, he proceeded to make the journey on foot. However, after reaching Clinton, he was so favorably impressed with the town that he decided to engage in business there and for thirty-five years he was actively engaged in the jewelry business. He spent his latter life in retirement, and died October 25, 1912. His wife preceded him in death a little over two years, having departed this life in January, 1910. They were the parents of three children, T. S., who died at Moberly, Missouri, in 1902, Perce, the subject of this sketch, and Blossom, now the wife of R. C. Woods, Sedalia, Missouri.
Perce Bolinger was reared and educated in Clinton, attending the public schools and Lamkin's Academy. After leaving school, he learned the printer's trade, which he followed about sixteen years, after which he served as chief of the Clinton Fire Department for six years. He then engaged in the bottling business in Clinton in partnership with R. C. Woods, which they conducted for nine years, when Mr. Bolinger disposed of his interest in that enterprise and engaged in the plumbing business.
Mr. Bolinger was united in marriage July 2, 1893, with Miss Etta Onwiler, and one child has been born to this union. John W., a member of 128th Machine Gun Company, 35th Division, National Army. He volunteered in the service early in the summer of 1917. Mr. Bolinger's first wife died in 1894. On June 20, 1896, he was married to Miss Alice Simmons of Clinton, Missouri, a native of Illinois.
Mr. Bolinger is one of the progressive and enterprising business men of Clinton, and takes a just pride in his native city and county. He has been a life-long Republican and has been active in politics since he was eighteen years old. He has served as city and county committeeman, and has been chairman of the Republican County Central Committee. Although he has taken a deep interest in politics and been identified with the local Republican organization, he has never been a candidate for office but once and was then elected councilman of the Second Ward of Clinton, and is now serving in that capacity with the same progressive spirit which characterizes his private business methods. He is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Knights of the Maccabees, and the Woodmen of the World. He is one of the widely-known and substantial citizens of Henry County.
George W. Schweer, secretary and general manager of the Missouri Union Telephone Company, is at the head of one of the most important institutions of Henry County. Mr. Schweer was born at Shotwell, now Gerald, Franklin County, Missouri, February 16, 1860, and is a son of John H., and Catherine (Harshman) Schweer, pioneers of Franklin County, Missouri. They were both natives of Germany and came to this country with their respective parents when young, the father being twelve years of age when he came and the mother ten.
John H. Schweer was a foreman in a lumber yard for a few years in St. Louis, and was later engaged in the general mercantile business at Shotwell for a number of years. He also served as postmaster and held the office of justice of the peace. He was prominent in local affairs and in early life was a Democrat. Later he became what was known as a Douglass Democrat, and when the clouds of Civil War appeared on the horizon and the issue between Union and secession became well defined, he became a Republican and supported Lincoln at his second election.
He was a strong Union man and served as captain of the Home Guards during the Civil War, and at one time was captured by General Price's army, but was released a short time after his capture. Both he and his wife are buried at Windsor, Missouri. They were the parents of nine children, eight of whom are living: Mrs. Lizzie Henicke, Gerald, Missouri; Mrs. Emma Stineker, who lives on the old homestead at Gerald, Missouri; Mrs. Carrie Martin, Denton, Johnson County, Missouri; George W., the subject of this sketch; Julius H., assistant cashier of the Bank of Blairstown, Missouri; John W., deceased, and his widow resides at Greeley, Nebraska; Mrs. Kate Farrar, Windsor, Missouri, and H. A., who is engaged in the mercantile business in Jamesport, in the northern part of Missouri, and G. H., agent for the Iron Mountain Railroad Company at Hot Springs, Arkansas.
George W. Schweer was reared in Franklin County, and attended school in the old log school house at Shotwell, and later attended the University of Missouri at Columbia. When he was sixteen years of age, he taught a term of school near Shotwell. He then entered the employ of a wholesale grocery house in St. Louis, and was traveling salesman for that concern a part of the time for two years. He then engaged in the retail grocery and commission business for a period of two years.
In 1884, he embarked in the general mercantile business at New Haven, Missouri, and in 1889, moved with his family to Windsor, Henry County, where he was also engaged in the general mercantile business.
In 1897, he was appointed postmaster of Windsor by President McKinley, and at the expiration of his term was reappointed in 1902, and reappointed again 1906 by President Roosevelt, thus holding that office for nearly thirteen years. While a resident of New Haven, Missouri, he was elected mayor of that town serving two years.
Mr. Schweer has been interested in the telephone business for a number of years. April 10, 1899, he organized the Missouri Union Telephone Company, which owns and operates the Windsor, Clinton, La Due, Deepwater, Montrose and Urich exchanges, with toll lines connecting the surrounding independent exchanges. He was elected secretary and general manager of this company one year after it was organized, and held that position to the present time. Clinton, having been made the central point of the operation of this company, Mr. Schweer moved his family here September 1, 1916.
Mr. Schweer's iirst wife, whom he married in 1882, bore the maiden name of Miss Meekie Farrar, and to them were born six children, as follows: Eugene, cashier of the Citizens Bank, Monroe, Missouri; Julius, a traveling salesman; Claud, was commissioned first lieutenant in United States Signal Corps, but resigned on account of defective hearing; later enlisted as an electrician in the United States Navy; Guy W., wire chief of the Windsor Telephone exchange; Cora, a teacher; Lillie, now the wife of Elmo Witcher. Mr. Schweer's first wife died in March, 1898, and he married Miss Lizzie Holloway, April 10, 1899, and three children have been born to this union, Anna, Christena and Theodore Roosevelt, all attending school at Clinton.
Mr. Schweer is essentially a business man, and has been successful.
Politically, he is a Republican and has held many positions in that party organization. Being a great admirer of Colonel Roosevelt, he went with the Progressive wing of the party during the campaign of 1912, and was chairman of the Progressive State Committee in 1914-16, when he again went back to his first love, the old Republican party. He is a member of the Masonic Lodge, the Knights of Pythias and the Modern Woodmen of America, and is a member of the Christian Church.
Dr. C. L. Cheatham, a prominent veterinary surgeon of Clinton, is a member of a well-known pioneer family of this section. He was born in Henry County in 1870 and is a son of Claude E. and Jemima Jane (Hurst) Cheatham. The father was born in Calloway County, Missouri, in 1844, and the mother was a native of Kentucky, born in 1846. Claude E. Cheatham was reared in Calloway County, and about 1866, came to Henry County, and settled in Bethlehem Township, and is still the owner of the farm which he bought in that township at the time, although he resides in Clinton. Claude E. and Jemima Jane (Hurst) Cheatham are the parents of the following children: Etta, married Joseph Black, and they reside in Henry County; Pearl, married Benjamin Campbell, Chicago, Illinois; Dr. C. L., the subject of this sketch.
Dr. C. L. Cheatham was educated in the public schools of Clinton and entered the Kansas City Veterinary College, where he was graduated in 1900. He immediately engaged in the practice of his profession and for the past eighteen years, with the exception of about one year, he has been successfully engaged in the practice of veterinary surgery in Henry County, although his practice has frequently extended to other sections of the State. He has been deputy State veterinarian for a number of years and is now serving his fourth term in that office. He is frequently called to different parts of the State in the capacity of deputy State veterinarian.
Doctor Cheatham was united in marriage September 30, 1914, with Miss Lilla Broaddus, a daughter of Rev. M. E., and Lilla (Caldwell) Broaddus, the former, a native of Virginia, and the latter of South Carolina.
Rev. M. E. Broaddus is a well-known Baptist minister and came to Clinton in charge of the local Baptist Church in 1911, and is now located in Kansas City, Missouri. To Doctor and Mrs. Cheatham, have been born one son, Claude Edwin, born October 15, 1916, and a daughter, Lilla Jane, born August 9, 1918.
Doctor and Mrs. Cheatham have an extensive acquaintance in Clinton and are universally esteemed. Doctor Cheatham was a schoolmate of Uel W. Lamkin, the editor of this work, when they both attended Lamkin's Academy, at Clinton.
