CHAPTER XXVII (Part 70)
BIOGRAPHICAL
L. E. Keyes, a progressive business man of Clinton, who is president of the L. E. Keyes Mill & Elevator Company, is a native of New York. He was born in Tioga County, November 15, 1849, a son of Orlando and Lucinda Keyes. The father was a minister and served as chaplain in the Union Army for eighteen months during the Civil War, and while in the service, lost his health and died at Climax, Michigan, in 1865 at the age of forty-three years. His widow now lives at Scotts, Michigan, aged ninety years.
Orlando and Lucinda Keyes were the parents of the following children: Irene, now the wife of James Powers, Scotts, Michigan; L. E., the subject of this sketch; Wilbur W., died at Scotts, Michigan, in 1907, at the age of fifty-five years; Sarah M., married H. O. Cline, who served as sheriff of Ingham County, Michigan, and she is now deceased; Etta M., married Doctor .Jackson of Scotts, Michigan, and they are both deceased; Charles H., died in 1878 at the age of twenty-one years.
Mr. Keyes removed to Michigan with his parents when he was a boy and was reared in that State, receiving his education in the public schools at Climax, Michigan. When fifteen years of age, he began working at the cooper's trade which he followed for three years. He then worked at the carpenter's trade, which he followed for two years. He then followed farming for a time and in 1879 came to Missouri, locating at Rolla, where he engaged in the milling business again and was foreman in a mill at Rolla for twelve years. In 1891, the concern with which he was associated moved their plant to Clinton and Mr. Keys continued with them until 1917, when he engaged in the milling business at Clinton, for himself as president of the Keyes Mill & Elevator Company, successors to the J. H. Krocke Milling Company, which was organized in April, 1907, to succeed the J. H. Krocke Grain Company which at that time failed. The Keys Mill & Elevator Company succeeded to this business February 6, 1917. Its officers are: L. E. Keyes, president; Charles Wonderlick, vice-president; and L. W. Keys, secretary and manager. The business is capitalized at $10,000. During the year 1917, this company did over $255,000 worth of business.
The Keys Mill & Elevator are well equipped to handle a large volume of business. The capacity of their elevator is eighteen thousand bushels of grain and besides this they are able to handle a large quantity of grain in their warehouses and cribs. They manufacture meal and feed on a large scale, and are jobbers in flour. The elevator is constructed of concrete and both the mill and elevator are equipped with all modern machinery and appliances.
L. E. Keyes was married in 1875 to Clara J. Dean of Scotts, Michigan, and the following children were born to this union: Dean W., engaged in the train service of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas railroad; Paul C, a conductor on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas railway and resides at Sedalia, Missouri; L. W., secretary of the Keyes Mill & Elevator Company; and Clayton, who was accidentally killed while in the employ of the Kansas City, Clinton and Springfield Railway Company, at the age of twenty-two years. All of Mr. Keyes' sons are interested in the business.
Mr. Keyes is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, the Methodist Episcopal Church, and is one of the substantial business men of Clinton.
L. W. Keyes, secretary and manager of the Keyes Mill & Elevator Company at Clinton, is a native of Missouri. He was born at Rolla in 1885 and is a son of L. E. and Clara J. (Dean) Keyes, a sketch of whom precedes this article. L. W. Keyes was educated in the public schools at Rolla and learned the cooper's trade with his father, and continued in the employ of the same company with which his father was employed until he became associated with the Keyes Mill & Elevator Company in the capacity of secretary and manager.
Mr. Keyes was married March 4, 1909, to Miss Nellie Raney, a daughter of Joe and Annilda K. (Pigg) Raney of Clinton, Missouri. To this union has been born one daughter, Clayta.
Mr. Keyes is one of the progressive young business men of Clinton, and has a wide business acquaintance.
J. C. Scott, head miller for the Keyes Mill & Elevator Company of Clinton, Missouri, has been a prominent factor in the milling business of Henry County, for a number of years. Mr. Scott was born in east Tennessee, January 21, 1868. He came to Henry County in 1888 and was employed as miller at Jackson's Old Water Mill, one of the historic old landmarks of Henry County, a cut of which appears in this volume. Mr. Scott was employed there for three years. He was later employed by the Krocke Milling Company for a time, and in 1912, entered the employ of the Keyes Mill & Elevator Company as miller, where he has since been employed.
Mr. Scott was united in marriage in 1891 to Miss Anna Ambrose, a daughter of J. C. Ambrose, now deceased. Mrs. Scott was born in Virginia. To Mr. and Mrs. Scott have been born seven children, as follows: William F., Denver, Colorado; Wilbur, with the Clinton Democrat, Clinton, Missouri; Oran, in the employ of Montgomery Ward & Company, Kansas City; Emmet, Helen, Mary Virginia and Howard. The four last mentioned reside in Clinton, with their parents.
Mr. Scott has followed the milling business for over thirty years and is one of the most competent men in that line of work to be found in this section of the State. He knows milling and mills from beginning to end. He is a capable mechanic, a conscientious man and a valuable citizen. The Scott home is located at 723 Franklin street, Clinton, Missouri, and Mr. and Mrs. Scott and their family stand high in the community.
Joseph L. Duckworth, of Clinton, is a native of Missouri, and belongs to a pioneer Henry County family. Mr. Duckworth was born in Warren County in 1854, and is a son of Lewis and Sarah (Baxter) Duckworth, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Virginia. They located in Warren County, Missouri, prior to the Civil War, and after the close of that conflict, they came to Henry County in 1865 and settled in Bethlehem township, where the father died in 1869. The mother survived him a number of years and departed this life in 1915 at Clinton. Their remains rest side by side in the Bethlehem Cemetery.
To Lewis and Sarah (Baxter) Duckworth were born the following children: James Lewis, who was a Civil War veteran, having served four years, and for some time after the war was in the United States secret service, died in Colorado; John, died in Warren County, Missouri; Joseph L., the subject of this sketch; Edward, present whereabouts unknown, and Mrs. Dora Butler, deceased.
Joseph L. Duckworth was reared and educated in Henry County. He was only fifteen years of age when his father died, and after that time, he was unable to attend school to any extent, as his widowed mother required his assistance on the home farm in Bethlehem township. Here he was engaged in farming and stock raising until 1910, when he removed to Clinton, which has since been his home. He was engaged in the feed business for a time, and in 1915, he entered the employment of the Keyes Mill & Elevator Company, where he is at present employed.
Mr. Duckworth was married in 1886 to Miss Lula Counselman, a daughter of J. N. Counselman of Bethlehem township, Henry County. J. N. Counselman was a Henry County pioneer, he and his wife settling here in the sixties; they are both now deceased, and their remains are interred in the Bethlehem Cemetery.
To Joseph L. Duckworth and wife have been born four children, as follows: Gladys, a milliner at Holden, Missouri; Orva, manager for the Armour & Company poultry house at Duluth, Minnesota; Florence, a teacher, and Odessa, who resides at home with her parents. They are all graduates of the Clinton High School, and all have had the advantage of good educations.
Mr. Duckworth is interested in the welfare of his town and county and has always taken a commendable interest in public affairs. While a resident of Bethlehem township, he held the office of Justice of the Peace for a number of years, and is now a member of the Clinton city council, serving his second term in the second ward. He is a substantial citizen and stands high in the estimation of his friends and neighbors who know him best.
Paul Tyler, the well-known cashier of the Citizens Bank of Clinton, has been prominently identified with the banking interests of Henry County for a number of years, as well as his father before him. Mr. Tyler was born at Bloomington, Illinois, March 15, 1862, a son of W. D. and Adelaide (Warriner) Tyler, the former a native of Genesee, New York, and the latter of Illinois. The mother died in 1880. W. D. Tyler came to Clinton in 1866. He was then thirty-six years of age. He came to this country from New York State, and took a prominent part in the early affairs of Clinton and Henry County. He served two terms as mayor of Clinton and was elected county recorder in 1872, serving four years. He took an active part in educational matters and was a member of the Clinton school board for twenty-six years, twenty-two years of which he was president of that body. When the Missouri, Kansas & Texas railroad was constructed, he was paymaster for that company for a time.
W. D. Tyler was one of the organizers of the Citizens Bank of Clinton and was it's first cashier, serving in that capacity for twenty years. He died in 1913 at the age of eighty-three years and his remains are interred in Engelwood Cemetery.
The Citizens Bank of Clinton is the successor of the First National Bank of Clinton, which was organized in 1872 with a capital stock of $50,000. The first officers were: J. G. Dorman, president; M. B. Merritt, vice-president, and W. D. Tyler, cashier, all of these gentlemen are now deceased. The First National Bank was succeeded by the Citizens Bank of Clinton in 1894, and the officers of the new organization were: J. M. Every, president; W. A. Hastain, vice-president; and Paul Tyler, cashier. The capital stock was then the same as now, $25,000. The present officers of the bank are George S. Holiday, president; W. F. Smith, vice-president, and Paul Tyler, cashier.
Paul Tyler was the only child born to his parents. He received a good high school education and his life has practically been spent in the banking business. He began as bookkeeper in the Clinton National Bank and when the Citizens Bank was organized, he became its cashier and has held that position to the present time. Mr. Tyler has had a long experience in the field of bankers and is one of the best posted men in Henry County in the intricate problems of finance and the system of modern banking.
Mr. Tyler was united in marriage in 1900 with Miss Louise Neil of Columbus, Ohio, daughter of Robert and Sarah Neil.
Mr. and Mrs. Tyler reside on the corner of Clinton and Second streets, and have a broad acquaintance and many friends in Clinton and Henry County, and the Tyler home is well known for its gracious hospitality.
