ODLE, John
Fields Creek Township, Henry County
born: Mar 6 1835, Franklin Co, IN
Source:1883 History of Henry County Missouri, National Historical Co pg Pg:686
John Odle, farmer and stock raiser, was born in Franklin County, Indiana, March 6, 1835, being the son of John and Dorothy (Pertra) Odle. He was the youngest of a family of nine children. When about three years old his parents removed to Ray County, where he was reared to manhood on a farm, receiving his education in the common schools. He followed farming in that county until 1860, when he came to Henry County, and here he has since resided, giving his attention to agricultural pursuits. His farm contains 120 acres of well improved land. He has held the offices of school director and road overseer. September 3, 1857, Mr. Odle married Miss Jeanette M. Wiggins, who died June 5, 1869, leaving four children: Calvin, Annie, James W. and John H. January 16, 1870, he married Mary J. Martin. They have six children: Emilo, Frank, Ralph, Lee, Grove and Kilby. Mr. Odle is a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

OGG, Thomas W.
Bethlehem Township, Henry County
born: Nov 24 1857, Madison Co, KY
Source:1919 History of Henry Co MO, Uel W. Lamkin, Historical Publishing Co pg Pg:497
Judge Thomas W. Ogg. Popular with all classes of the people of Henry County, well read and progressive in his ideas and actions, having a splendid record as a public official who has truly and faithfully served his county to the best of his ability, Judge Thomas W. Ogg of Clinton and Bethlehem townships is a leading and foremost citizen of Henry County. Thomas W. Ogg was born in Madison County, Kentucky, November 24, 1859, and is the son of St. Clair and Sallie Ann (Todd) Ogg, the former of whom was born in Virginia and the latter was a native of Kentucky. Sallie Ann Todd was a cousin of Mrs. Abraham Lincoln and a member of the famous Todd family of Kentucky and Illinois. St. Clair Ogg was killed during the Civil War, being shot from ambush in 1864. Being a southerner by birth and instinct his sympathies were naturally with the Southland in the great conflict. Having lost an arm which had been torn off by a threshing machine he was unable to enter military service, but being somewhat outspoken in his sympathies despite the fact that he was a non-combatant, he met death at the hands of a skulker. He was father of the following children, besides Thomas W., namely: Kansas Belle, died in 1878; Mrs. Martha Gaines, makes her home with Judge Ogg; and three died in infancy. In the fall of 1865 the family settled in Howard County, Missouri, near the town of Glasgow. Twelve years later, in 1878, they came to Henry County and spent the first two years of their residence here in Brownington. In 1880 Mr. Ogg settled on his present farm in Bethlehem township, upon which he has placed all of the improvements. The Ogg farm consists of 157 acres, 120 acres of which is in the home tract and thirty-seven acres are in pasture land. During his residence in Clinton while attending to his official duties Judge Ogg rented his farm with the inevitable result of the land and buildings being neglected and allowed to get into a state of disrepair. In the spring of 1918, believing it to be every citizen's paramount duty to assist the country in producing more and more crops, especially if a land owner, he left his beautiful and comfortable home in the city of Clinton and returned to the farm, where he has been busily engaged in cultivating this year's crops and placing the farm buildings in good repair. October 11, 1891, Judge Thomas W. Ogg and Miss Josie F. Massey were united in marriage. Mrs. Josie F. Ogg was born in North Carolina July 2, 1869, and is the daughter of Rufus H. and Christina (Dalton) Massey, natives of North Carolina. Mrs. Christina Massey was a niece of General Poindexter, her mother having been a sister of the general. Rufus H. Massey was born in Rockingham County, Virginia, and Christina Massey was born in Stokes County, Virginia. The Masseys came to Henry County in the spring of 1880 and settled in Bethlehem township, east of Clinton, where Rufus H. died in 1895. Christina Massey departed this life in 1893. They were parents of ten children, four of whom are living, besides Mrs. Massey: Dudley, residing in Arkansas; Robert, a farmer in Bethlehem township; Mrs. Amy Cummings, Adair, Oklahoma; Mrs. Ida Cummings, Adair, Oklahoma. The mother of Judge Thomas W. Ogg resides with her son. She was born July 17, 1831, and is one of the oldest pioneer women of Henry County. Judge Ogg has been a life long Democrat and is prominent in the councils of his party in Missouri. His official career is one of which any citizen can well be proud. He was elected district judge of the County Court in 1902 and served four years in this capacity, following which he filled the office of presiding judge of the court for four years. During his tenure of office the indebtedness, bonded and otherwise, of Henry County was paid and the foundation of the whole financial structure of the government of Henry County was laid on modern and substantial lines, taking the place of former easy going and indifferent methods pursued by the county. The county business was placed upon a substantial plane and since that time affairs in Henry County have proceeded smoothly and well as regards the county government. The first thing which the court did under Judge Ogg's leadership was to refund the five per cent. bonds with four per cents, a proceeding which saved the county in interest alone over $2,000 per year. Many good bridges and highways were built and the present system of county roads was undertaken, a movement which is still continuing and which makes a vast difference in the overland travel as compared to former years. The time is fast coming when Henry County, if the plan of road grading and dragging is consistently and continually carried on and more extensively, the county will have all the year around roads. The brick paving around the court house square was built and many other notable improvements were accomplished. The Public Buildings Improvement Company was organized and began its efficient work. The county records had been kept in poor shape for many years, but during this notable era they were assembled in proper shape and rebound in substantial bindings and systematically arranged for ready reference. The cost of this binding did not exceed $2,000. Considerable time was spent in readjusting and equalizing the county taxing system, and a thorough business administration was given Henry County, setting an example for all future administrations. Judge Ogg was elected county treasurer in 1912 and served in this important position for four years. He has made four campaigns for office in the county and has never suffered defeat. He is easily one of the most popular and best respected citizens of the county. Educated in the district schools, he has been a constant student and reader, owning one of the finest libraries in the county. He and Mrs. Ogg are members of the Christian Church, Judge Ogg having been an elder of the Clinton Christian Church for some years. He is affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Modern Woodmen of America.

OLSON, Fredrick W.
Windsor, Windsor Township, Henry County
born: Oct 14 1873, Manistee, MI
Source:1919 History of Henry Co MO, Uel W. Lamkin, Historical Publishing Co pg Pg:527
Fred W. Olson, cashier of the First National Bank of Windsor, Missouri, was born at Manistee, Michigan, October 14, 1873. He is the son of Andrew and Carolina (Benson) Olson, both natives of Sweden, having been born near Stockholm. When a young man, Andrew Olson immigrated to America and settled at Manistee, Michigan, where he was engaged in the mercantile business for a number of years. He later went to South Dakota and became a tiller of the soil in that State when it was still in the infancy of its development. He died in South Dakota in 1879. Four years later his wife followed him in death. Two children were born of this union: Fred W., subject of this review; and Mrs. Anna O. Aaker of Ruthton, Minnesota. After the death of Andrew Olson, his widow married Ole Amdahl, and to this marriage were born two children. Fred W. Olson was reared to young manhood in South Dakota and attended the Moody School; completing his high school course at Flandereau. Left an orphan at the death of his mother, he was compelled to make his own way in the world and hired out as farm hand until he was eighteen years old. He then became a clerk in a dry goods store at Flandereau for three years. After managing a clothing store in that city for a period he became owner of a store. Mr. Olson remained in South Dakota until 1900 and then came to Clinton, Missouri, to undertake the management of the stores of the Coon Creek Coal Company, a position which he held for five and a half years. Following this employment he became assistant cashier of the Bank of Deepwater, for two years, following which he held a similar position with the Clinton National Bank until 1913, when he came to Windsor as cashier of the First National Bank. Mr. Olson ranks high among the banking fraternity of Henry County. October 26, 1904, Mr. Olson was married to Miss Mabel Spangler, the daughter of Levi A. and Frances (Houston) Spangler, of Fields Creek township, the former a native of Cass County, Missouri, and the latter of Henry County. Two children have been born to Fred W. and Mabel Olson, as follows: Frederick A., born July 23, 1908; Frances G., born July 12, 1910. Mr. Olson is a Democrat. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and is affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the Eastern Star, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, and the Modern Woodmen of America lodges. Personally, Mr. Olson is one of the most popular citizens of Windsor, agreeable, obliging and progressive, he has won a distinct and honorable place in the business and social life of the community. He is ever found in the forefront of progressive movements which are intended to advance the best interests of his home city and county.

OREM, Samuel B.
Clinton Township, Henry County
born: Jul 16 1837, Bucks Co, PA
Source:1883 History of Henry County Missouri, National Historical Co pg Pg:352
Samuel B. Orem is a native of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and he was born July 16, 1837. His father, Jonathan Orem, a native of Pennsylvania, married Elizabeth Buchanan, a native of New Jersey. When S. B. was eighteen years of age he removed to Jersey County, Illinois, and until 1862 taught school. He then enlisted in Company K, Ninety-seventh Illinois Infantry, and was commissioned first lieutenant. In the winter of 1863 and the spring of 1864 he served as assistant quartermaster at New Orleans. At the battle of Fort Blakely he was wounded in the leg and was in the hospital until mustered out of service in July, 1865. Until 1866 he was employed in the plantation department of the Freedmen's Bureau. He then returned to Jersey County, Illinois, and in 1868 came to Clinton and soon after he was appointed deputy county clerk. He also filled the position of deputy sheriff and deputy circuit clerk. In 1875, in connection with I. N. Jones, he published the Advocate, and after two years journalistic experience, he engaged in the practice of law. In 1880 he was elected city attorney. He was married June 11, 1871, to Miss Eliza E. Darby a native of New York. They have two children, Herbert H. and Arthur D.

ORTH, Clarence L.
Clinton Township, Henry County
born: Oct 1 1847, Van Buren Co, IA
Source:1883 History of Henry County Missouri, National Historical Co pg Pg:534
Clarence L. Orth, produce commission merchant, an enterprising citizen of Clinton, owes his nativity to Van Buren County, Iowa, where he was born October 1, 1847. He there passed his younger days on a farm, and obtained a good education from the schools of that county. In 1869 he went to Bloomfield, Iowa, where for three years he followed the produce commission business. Then for six months he did business at Chariton, Iowa, and upon going to Leon, of that state, was in the produce business for two and a half years. Subsequently he became located in Chillicothe, Missouri, where he did a large and successful business till 1880. Then he came to Clinton, Missouri, and in September of that year established himself as a commission merchant, on the east side of the square. In May, 1881, he occupied his present building, near the depot, where he now does business. Besides handling produce he is interested in various other enterprises, among which may be mentioned the cooper and ice trades, manager of the broom factory, and city agent for a cracker manufactory. Mr. O. was united in marriage August 24, 1878, to Miss Lucy Harper, a Missourian by birth. They have two children: Estella and Fannie.

OSWALD, Fridolin "Fritz"
White Oak Township, Henry County
born: Jun 10 1862, Switzerland
Source:1919 History of Henry Co MO, Uel W. Lamkin, Historical Publishing Co pg Pg:691
Fridolin, or Fritz, Oswald, a prosperous and progressive farmer of White Oak township, is a native of Switzerland. He was born July 9, 1862, and is a son of Caspar (born December 14, 1823; died 1894) and Barbara Oswald (born 1836, died 1893), both natives of Switzerland. Fridolin Oswald was reared in his native land to the age of eighteen, immigrated to America in March, 1881, with his parents who, after spending a few weeks in Illinois, their father came to Henry County, arriving in April, 1881. The father bought the farm where Fridolin now lives, and after living on it about two years he removed to Montrose, where he died in 1894. His wife departed this life in 1893, and their remains rest side by side in the Catholic Cemetery at Montrose. They were the parents of the following children: C. J., Kit Carson, Colorado; Fridolin, the subject of this sketch; Barbara, married Joseph Wagner, Montrose, Missouri; Elizabeth and Carl, died in infancy, and Caroline died in 1895, aged eighteen years. Fridolin Oswald was educated in his native land and after coming to this country he remained with his parents until he was twenty-one years of age. Since then he has been engaged in farming and stock raising on his own accord and now owns a valuable and productive farm of two hundred acres situate three miles southeast of Urich. The place is well improved, with a very good farm residence and two barns. He raises cattle and hogs on an extensive scale and is one of the successful stock men of Henry County. Mr. Oswald was united in marriage July 28, 1884, with Miss Elizabeth Stapf, a daughter of Severin and Barbara Stapf. The father is a native of Bavaria, Germany, and the mother of Alsace-Lorraine. They came to America in the early fifties. Mrs. Oswald was born in Ohio. Severin Stapf was born in August, 1826, and died June 3, 1911. The mother was born August 13, 1838, and died April 13, 1893. Their remains were buried in the cemetery at Germantown, Missouri. They were the parents of the following children: Mary, married Henry Plume, Plainville, Kansas; Frank, died at the age of twenty-six years; Elizabeth, the wife of Fridolin Oswald, the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Barney Blomert, Walker township; Thomas, Germantown, Henry County; Minnie, married A. Vogle, Montrose, Missouri. To Fridolin Oswald and wife have been born the following children: Barbara, married Joe Munsterman, Urich, Missouri; Mary Elizabeth, born September 26, 1886, died November 28, 1886; Frances Elizabeth, born March 7, 1888, a nurse in St. John's Hospital at Sauna, Kansas; Charles F., born December 8, 1889, now a soldier in the National Army at Camp Funston; John Joseph, born September 18, 1891, enlisted in the United States Army February 26, 1918, and is now a member of the 354th Infantry, 89th Division, in France; William, born August 6, 1893, who resides at home; Benjamin, born September 12, 1896, at home; Julia Minnie, born June 4, 1898, at home; Edmond Thomas, born January 12, 1901, at home. The Oswald family are prominent in the community and Mr. Oswald is one of the substantial citizens of Henry County. Mr. Oswald and family are members of the Urich Mission of the Catholic Church.

OVERBEY, John A.
Urich, Bogard Township, Henry County
born: Oct 12 1853, Trigg Co, KY
Source:1919 History of Henry Co MO, Uel W. Lamkin, Historical Publishing Co pg Pg:639
John A. Overbey, a prominent newspaper man of western Missouri who is now editor and proprietor of the Urich "Herald," is a native Kentuckian. He was born in Trigg County in 1853, a son of Stephen N. and Margaret C. (Reed) Overbey. The father was a veteran of the Civil War, having enlisted in Company D, 8th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry, and later served as captain of Company C, 17th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry. He came to Henry County in October, 1867, and located three miles east of Urich in Henry County. He spent the remainder of his life in this vicinity and died April 10, 1913; his wife departed this life January 15, 1905. They were the parents of the following children: John A., the subject of this sketch; William W., Mineral Wells, Texas; Eugene R., died August 3, 1914; Mrs. Alvin C. Giltner, Creighton, Missouri; Robert A., Creighton, Missouri; and Mrs. Maggie Starkey, Sedalia, Missouri. John A. Overbey was reared amidst pioneer surroundings and received his education in the public schools. From boyhood days he was in a position to get a practical view of real life and by his natural inclination for close observation he laid the foundation for his future newspaper career. In 1889 he purchased the Urich "Chronicle" and published this paper for three years. Later he was interested in the banking business in Urich, and has also been interested in the insurance business. In 1913 he bought the Urich "Herald," which is one of the live newspapers of Henry County. A newspaper merely reflects the individuality and ability of the editor, and those who read the Urich "Herald" cannot help but be impressed by the ability of the man who published it. Mr. Overbey is thoroughly alive to every movement for the best interest of his town and county and for seventeen years he served as mayor of Urich. Mr. Overbey was united in marriage August 23, 1874, with Miss Serapta A. Redford of Henry County, a daughter of A. B. and Hannah Redford. To Mr. and Mrs. Overbey have been born the following children: Mrs. Van W. Hall, Urich, Missouri; William N., foreman of the "Herald" office; John A., Jr., Wooster, Massachusetts, in the employ of the United States Government as an inspector of army equipment; Dick R., born May 15, 1886, a sergeant in the United States Army with the 110th Ordinance Automobile Repair Company; Clinton S., born December 14, 1887, a second lieutenant in the United States Army, trained at Camp Doniphan, Oklahoma. Both Dick R. and Clinton S. are now in France with the Thirty-fifth Division. Dick R. first enlisted in July, 1916, with the Missouri National Guard and first trained at Nevada, Missouri as a member of the Sedalia Machine Gun Company. Clinton S. enlisted in May, 1917, and was called to service August 5, 1917. Mr. Overbey is one of the progressive citizens of Henry County and may justly be proud of his family.

OVERBEY, Stephen M.
Bogard Township, Henry County
born: Mar 30 1831, Halifax Co, VA
Source:1883 History of Henry County Missouri, National Historical Co pg Pg:694
S. M. Overbey, farmer and stock raiser, section 15, has in his possession a farm containing 200 acres of well improved land, upon which is a good house and orchard. He was born in Halifax County, Virginia, March 30, 1831. His father, Zachariah Overbey, a farmer by occupation, was a native of Virginia, as was also his mother, Elizabeth. S. M. was the second in a family of ten children. When he was about three years old his parents removed to Kentucky, where he grew up on a farm, obtaining a common school education. When twenty-one years of age he engaged in farming, and in 1862 he enlisted in Company D, Eighth Kentucky Cavalry, being discharged in 1863. In the fall of the same year he was commissioned captain of Company C, Seventeenth Kentucky Cavalry. He was mustered out in 1865, after having participated in several most important battles. After the war Mr. Overbey returned to Kentucky, where he followed farming until 1867, when he came to Henry County, Missouri. He has held the office of township trustee. September 30, 1852, he married Miss Margaret C. Reed, a Kentuckian by birth, born April 28, 1829. They have six children living: John A., William W., Eugene R., Robert A., Fannie E. and Maggie. They have lost five children. Mr. O. is a member of the M. E. Church.

OVERTON, Riley
Collins Township, St. Clair County
born: 1837, Vego Co, IN
Source:1883 History of St. Clair County MO, National Historical Co. Pg:1175
RILEY OVERTON, farmer and stock raiser, was born in Vego County, Indiana, in 1837. His father, Matthias Overton, was a native of Scotland, but left that country when he was ten years of age, coming to the United States and locating in Switzerland County, North Carolina. After residing there a few years he moved to Indiana. In 1822 he married Miss Nancy Whaley, of North Carolina, and to them were born eight children. When Riley was but four years old his lather died, and he continued to live with his mother until he was thirteen, then binding himself out to work until his seventeenth year. This contract expiring, he worked at different places for a time, and was then married to Miss Leona Wright Gunn, a daughter of John Gunn, of Vego County, Indiana. They have had three sons and three daughters: Mary E., Ella F., Edgar R., William R., Harriet C., and Arthur H., politically Mr. Overton is a Republican. He is one of the prominent farmers of this township; and now owns 319 acres of valuable land, under fence and well improved, upon which is a good vineyard, residence and outbuildings.

OWEN, James B.
Collins Township, St. Clair County
born: 1833, Gasconade Co, MO
Source:1883 History of St. Clair County MO, National Historical Co. Pg:1175
JAMES B. OWEN, section 29, a representative citizen of this township, is the son of Josiah and Sarah Owen, nee Butcher, and was born in Gasconade County, Missouri, in 1833. His father was born in South Carolina in 1801, and in 1824 was married, his wife having come originally from Calhoun, Tennessee. They had twelve children, James being the fifth child. Previous to his birth the senior Owen had moved to Gasconade County, Missouri, but when nine years old the subject of this sketch, leaving that vicinity, went to Camden County in 1842, to Dade County in 1843, Hickory in 1848, Cooper in 1860, and finally settled in St. Clair County in 1869. In 1855 Mr. Owen was married in Hickory County to Lucy A. Dickinson, and they are the parents of eleven children: Marion J., William, Medford, Louisa C., James M., Mary S., Sarah M., Nancy R., Mattie D., Charlie J. and John F. Mr. O. is a leading member of the Democratic party, and has been a delegate to conventions at Osceola every year since in the county. He took an active part in the rebellion, and was engaged in forty-two battles, first serving as lieutenant and then as quartermaster general. He received three severe wounds, and had three horses shot from under him. His landed estate embraces 240 acres.

OWEN, John George
Honey Creek Township, Henry County
born: 1844, KY
Source:1919 History of Henry Co MO, Uel W. Lamkin, Historical Publishing Co pg Pg:634
John Owen, of Honey Creek township, is a Henry County pioneer and perhaps the oldest settler in Honey Creek township, where he has lived for sixty-five years. He was born in Kentucky in 1844, and is a son of David Owen, who was born near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and spent a large portion of his early life in Louisiana and Kentucky, leaving home when a boy, and for forty years his people heard nothing from him. He came to Lexington, Missouri, in 1848, and to Henry County in 1853. He located in Fields Creek township, where he entered six hundred twenty acres of Government land and bought three hundred eighty acres, and at one time owned one thousand acres. Before his death he deeded all his land to his children. He died in 1893 at the age of eighty-three years, and his remains were buried in Fields Creek Cemetery. His wife, Sarah Ann Campbell, was born in Russell County, Kentucky, in 1826, and died in Honey Creek township in 1865. The Owen family is of old American stock. David Owen's father, grandfather of John Owen, was with General Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans. He enlisted in Tennessee. David Owen was a nephew of David Crockett's wife, and he was named for David Crockett. Sarah Ann Campbell, was also a descendant of old American stock, of Scotch and Irish descent who served in the Revolutionary War. To David and Sarah Ann (Campbell) Owen were born the following children: John, the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Augusta Chrisman, Clinton, Missouri; Mrs. Alice Blackwell; Mrs. Edna Bush, deceased; Quitman resides in Montana; Mrs. Josie McBride, Mountain View, Oklahoma; and Charles, Sherman, Texas. John Owen was reared amid the scenes of pioneer life, receiving a limited education. He bought his first piece of land in Honey Creek township, where he has spent sixty-five years of his life and where he has built up a reputation for honesty and integrity that might well be the envy of any man. In 1875, Mr. Owen was united in marriage with Miss Louisa Waddell, daughter of James and Louisa Waddell, both now deceased. To this union were born twelve children, as follows: Nancy, Oles P., Jurina, William, Louisa, Emma, Nichols, Belle, Ada, Ella, Lizzie, and George. During his sixty-five years of residence in Henry County, John Owen has seen this section develop from an unsettled waste to a populous community. When he came here in 1853, a boy of nine years, Indians were plentiful here, and he remembers of having seen them camped in the vicinity of Cook's old mill, where they were engaged in fishing and hunting. The Indians offered for sale venison at ridiculously low prices, compared with the high cost of living of today. Mr. Owen is one of the honored pioneers of Henry County, who is entitled to much credit for the part that he has taken in the development of the banner county of Missouri.

OWENS, Benjamin L.
Clinton Township, Henry County
born: Mar 8 1824, Lafayette Co, MO
Source:1883 History of Henry County Missouri, National Historical Co pg Pg:535
Benjamin L. Owens, section 12. Among the prominent and successful men of this county may be mentioned the subject of this sketch. He is a native of Lafayette County, Missouri, and was born March 8, 1824. His father, Abel Owens, was born in North Carolina, and settled near the present site of Lexington, Lafayette County, in 1818. His mother, formerly Elizabeth Gooch, also came originally from the same state. They reared a family of eight children, of whom Benjamin was the youngest. His father died in 1834, and his mother's death occurred April 9, 1873. Benjamin L. was a resident of Lafayette County till thirteen years of age, when he removed to Platte County, Missouri, there being brought up among the pioneers. In the spring of 1846 he enlisted for the Mexican war with Captain Owens' company, of Colonel Price's regiment, with which he served fourteen months. He was then paroled and returned to Platte County, and after a short residence there came to Henry County, Missouri, in the fall of 1847, settling after a time on Honey Creek. Here he farmed till 1853, and in that year moved on his present place. His estate consists of 700 acres of well improved land, and he is one of the largest and most successful stock dealers and feeders in the county. Mr. Owens was married April 24, 1849, to Miss Francis J. Sweeney, a daughter of Jonathan Sweeney, who came from Kentucky to Henry County in 1840, and died where he had settled, May 28, 1852. They have six children living, Ermine, Walter E., Nora L, George H., and Maude and Fred, twins. Mr. O. is a member of the Masonic order, and also belongs to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. In 1873 he was elected a member of the county court, serving in that position for four years.

OWSLEY, Rolla Neigh
Windsor Township, Henry County
born: Mar 23 1858, Johnson Co, MO
Source:1883 History of Henry County Missouri, National Historical Co pg Pg:590
Rolla Neigh Owsley of the firm of Shelton & Owsley, grocers and produce dealers, is a native of Johnson County, Missouri, and was born in 1858. His father, John N. Owsley, was born in Boone County, November 20, 1819, and removed to this county in 1832, with his father, Anthony Owsley, a Virginian by birth. John N. Owsley was for forty years an extensive and profitable dealer in horses and mules, purchasing them in this market and selling in the south. During the war he lost heavily on security debts, through the south, yet after the war he was enabled to start anew and thus regained much of his lost fortune. At his death, in December, 1877, he left a large estate to his family of nine children. Mrs. Owsley is still living on the old homestead with her two unmarried daughters, Bettie and Pearl. The subject of this sketch is the fifth child of the family. He attended the normal school at Warrensburg, and fitted himself for a business man, and subsequently bought an interest in H. C. Churchill's drug store. After a year or more he sold out and built the large livery barn east of the Bass House, and started the livery business. This he conducted for eighteen months, disposed of the stock, etc., to Burton & Collins, the present proprietors, but retained the barn. Then he purchased an interest in his present business with George J. Shelton. They erected their store in 1882 and commenced the grocery business in July. They are doing a very large grocery trade, and pack and ship produce of all kinds. During the fall of 1882 they bought, packed and sold 12,000 bushels of apples. Mr. O. married Miss Nettie Pierce, of Windsor, June 27, 1880. She was the daughter of Matthew Pierce, a former sheriff of Benton County, he having moved from Illinois. Her mother was formerly Mary Thompson, also of Illinois. Mr. Pierce died in 1876, and Mrs. Pierce in 1879. Mr. and Mrs. Owsley have one child, Mary, born April 8, 1882. Mr. Pierce at his death left 1,000 acres of land and valuable property in Warsaw, Benton County, besides a large personal estate to Mrs. Owsley. Politically Mr. O. is a Democrat, and he belongs to the A. L. of H. of which he is an active member. He is peculiarly well fitted for the business in which he is now engaged, and is generous, kind and affable to all with whom he comes in contact.