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CHAPTER SIXTEEN

 

ANDERSON FELKER RUSSELL

 

FAMILIES

Thomas Anderson, the leading figure of that family in this county, was born in Tennessee January 5, 1813, but seems to have been mostly raised in DeSoto County, Mississippi, to which state his father, William Anderson, had moved. He was the only son of his father's first mar­riage, his sisters being Nancy Ann and Elizabeth. The latter married a Tipton in Mississippi and never came to this state, but her son, Samuel, came and stayed some years with his Uncle Tom. (It is related of Samuel that he was very bashful, and the outspoken ways of the new country frequently had him embarrassed. Like most of the other well-to-do settlers, Thomas Anderson, ran a commissary for his own use that amounted to a fair-sized stock of goods. One of the neighbor women came there one day and demanded of Sam: 'You-uns got any as afoetida?'

 

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Sam blushed and stammered and finally said, 'No ma'am, we have no--ah--rumpsafoetida.'

Nancy Ann was at that time married to John Washam and had one daughter, Julia Ann. The only members of the first party to come here who are certainly known are Thomas, his nephew Samuel Tipton, and Mrs. Washam and her infant daughter. It is not certainly known whether or not the Anderson children by William Anderson's second marriage came at that time, but it is thought William Anderson himself was in the party. He, however, returned to Mississippi and died there.

William Anderson married the second time in Mis­sissippi, his last wife being a widow Russell, nee Lacy, and was by her the father of five other children: Isaac, William, Emeline, Rebecca Ann, and Mahala Anderson. James Russell, son of the second Mrs. Anderson by her first marriage, also came here, but it is not now certainly known whether this party came with Thomas Anderson, or whether they came later after the death of William Anderson. Anyway, they all came and not far from the same time. The first party must have reached this county not later than 1834 and likely in 1833, for Nancy Ann Washam was married here to Hood Vaughan on March 12, 1835. Her descendants will be found under that name.

Thomas Anderson and Mrs. Washam were the 'moneyed men' of the party. The former was a man of considerable means and brought several slaves who cleared out the large body of land he entered and bought around the mouth of Fly Creek and along the Big Maries. In a few years the Anderson Place was known far and wide, for he kept open house in true southern style. He was a business assoc­iate and close friend of Monroe Parsons of Cole County, later a general in the Confederate Army and killed in Mexico after the close of the Civil War. The county organization of Maries County was perfected at his home

 

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and our first courts were held there. Together with Da­vid and John Hoops he sent to Kentucky for wagonloads of bluegrass seed to replace the native grass for his stock. The bluegrass now growing here is descended from the seed grow by them.

 

An earlier activity, however, was the fact that his home was a 'dinner stop' on the Potosi and Boones Lick mail route. At the first this was a trip each way twice a month, and was afterward speeded up to a round trip weekly. Leaving Kinderhook at Lanes Ford on the Gasconade, the carrier crossed the river and once on the high ground on this side blew his horn as loud as he could. When he arrived at the Anderson place his horse's feed was in the manger and a plentifully supplied table was ready for the rider.

The Anderson home was not only a local center, but was frequently visited by the Parsons and Standish fam­ilies of Cole County, and a number of the Osage County gentry. These visits, as was usual where a number of southerners were gathered together, more often than not ended in a horse race, maybe several races, depending on the size of the crowd.

Thomas Anderson became engaged shortly after com­ing here to Eliza, daughter of Thomas D. (Porty) Wiseman, the gunmaker, but this engagement was broken by her death shortly before her eighteenth birthday. He was married to her younger sister, Myra, November 12, 1837, by the Reverend John Avery. They made their home at the mouth of Fly Creek until his death on August 29, 1860. They were the parents of seven children living to maturity Richard, John, Mary, James Monroe, Roberta, and Thomas Bickerton Anderson. In addition, two died in in­fancy and two, Emily J., and Amanda, were born of his prior marriage before leaving Mississippi. These latter two came to their father after he was settled in his new

 

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home, and spent the balance of their lives here.

In the course of the administration of his large estate his home place at the mouth of Fly Creek passed into the ownership of his widow and his son, James Monroe (Mon) Anderson. During their ownership the famous Clover Field Track was laid out and built on it, which was for many years the scene of races for large stakes. The Bakers from Phelps County, the Alsups from Douglas County, and Henderson Boone from Hickory County all had race horses there at one time or another, besides much local talent. Every racing man from the Missouri River to the Arkansas line attended at some time. Mrs. Anderson survived her husband more than sixty years (she was married before she was fourteen), passing away at the home of her son, William, at Crocker, September 8, 1910, aged eighty-eight years.

Emily J. Anderson, oldest daughter of Thomas, mar­ried Dr. Irvin J. Jones in the middle fifties shortly be­fore the marriage of her full sister, Amanda, to John Felker. The descendants of the former will be found un­der that name in the chapter on First Settlers.

John Felker, the third of six children of his family, was born in Hanover, Germany, April 8, 1830. The fam­ily immigrated to this country in 1844 to get away from the unsettled state of affairs in Europe, the father dying on the ocean voyage. They had intended coming to St.Lou­is, and after landing at New Orleans the widow and her children made their way to that place, where she estab­lished a new home for them. Henry, the eldest son, mar­ried Annette Berg in St. Louis, went to California in the gold rush, and stayed there; George, the second son, sin­gle, was robbed and killed about four miles north of Vi­enna just about the close of the Civil War; Herman, the fourth son, made his home here with his brother, John, in his early manhood, and was here married to Susan E. Hickam; two sons, Milton and Willard, were born to them

 

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prior to Mrs. Felker's death on November 18, 1869, and her widower was sometime afterwards married to Lottie daughter of William Shockley. Some time after the second marriage the Herman Felker family moved to Clarence, Shelby County, where both parents died and are buried. Of the five children born of the last marriage Arthur still lives at Clarence; Charles, Thomas, Adolph, and Izora live at Kansas City. Willard, if still living, is in Chicago. Milton died in Shelby County some years ago, survived by one daughter, Jennie, who married a man there named Elrod.

Like the other children John Felker did anything he could get to do to add to the family income. Acquiring such education as his limited facilities would allow, he worked as a laborer, tried steamboating, and various other jobs, and, developing some ability as a trader, he joined the gold rush to California in 1850. It was on this trip that he conceived the idea of driving cattle across the plains to the ready market on the coast. He was al­ready acquainted in the Westphalia community, where his German birth and his knowledge of that language were a great help in dealing with the thrifty farmers of that neighborhood. He soon interested Charles Holtschneider and others in his plan to drive several hundred head of cattle overland. He made his headquarters at Westphalia, from which point his operations extended up the Maries into present Maries County, where he had large dealings with the Andersons, Hoops, and Crismon families, all of whom owned much stock.

His marriage to Amanda M., daughter of Thomas An­derson, who was born July 19, 1832, took place on Sep­tember 20, 1853. The young couple immediately began their preparations to join the party being organized at Westphalia to drive the herd of cattle to California. The  party consisted of Henry Felker and his wife, John Felker and his wife, Charles W. Holtschneider and his wife, the

 

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Fennewalds, Borgmeyers, and many others, totaling about sixty persons. The drive got under way in April 1854 and they reached the west coast in November of the same year.

The entire party spent the winter on the coast and when spring came John Felker and Holtschneider families started home on the steamer Yankee Blade by way of the Isthmus of Panama. They were shipwrecked off the west coast of Mexico and 'roosted' on an almost desert island for some weeks before being rescued, finally arriving home in the early winter of 1855. Louella J., their oldest living child, was born here December 4, 1855, and is the oldest person now living who was born in Vienna. She now lives in South Gate, California, and has been the widow of L. C. Rowden, who died while Circuit Clerk, more than fifty years ago. A child of J. Felker died and was buried in California and one other died after their return to Mis­souri. Henry Schmidt, John's uncle, joined the family soon after their return from California and made his home with them the remainder of his life.

John Felker embarked in the mercantile business in Vienna soon after his return, at first in partnership with his brother-in-law, Richard Anderson. They continued in business until 1860 when they sold out to Dr. V. G. Lath­am. He followed farming and stock dealing until about 1878, when he re-entered business alone, and remained active until several months before his death on February 6, 1889. His wife had preceded him in death March 30, 1878. In addition to his other business experience, John Felker was three times County Treasurer of this county.

Four other children were born to the Felkers: Thomas A., the next oldest to Mrs. Rowden, had a business ca­reer almost as varied as his father. He served as Circuit Clerk and Recorder, and also two terms as Collector of the county. He was one of the founders and for thirty years was president of the Maries County Bank. His wife was Millie M. Tyree, and with the exception of a short time

 

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in Jasper County they lived their entire lives in Vienna, where he died in the summer of 1937, and where his widow still lives. The three children born of this marriage, Floyd, Lillian, and Thomas, all died before their father, leaving no issue.

Anettie, the third child, married Dr. Solomon A. Gremp and Hattie (Harriet Mar), the fourth child, married his brother, Christian C. Gremp, sons of Ludwig von Freudenstein, and their descendants will be found under that name in the Copeland chapter.

Clay Felker, the fifth and youngest child of John Felker, married Jessie Tyree. They lived at Joplin for many years where he actively engaged in the title business and in law practice until a short time before his death in December 1935. His widow still lives in Joplin. Their one son, Carl, lives in St. Louis.

Richard W. Anderson, oldest son of Thomas, married Harriet E., daughter of David Hoops. She was born in 1843 and died September 4, 1910. Starting his public career as a storekeeper in partnership with his brother-in-law, John Felker, he operated a store in Vienna some five years, from about 1855 to 1860. Following this he was County and Circuit Clerk and Recorder at least two terms. After that he was connected with laying out the townsite of Vichy, and made his home there some years. He accepted an appointment in the Federal Forestry Ser­vice about 1885 and removed with his family to California, where they lived a number of years. Returning east they lived at Fayetteville, Arkansas, for a time before return­ing to Missouri, settling at Crocker where they spent the remainder of their lives and where both died and are buried.

One child, Julia, was born to them January 1, 1862. She married Thomas M. Watkins, a newspaperman from, it is thought, Alabama, on March 17, 1880. He established

 

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a new paper in competition with The Courier, then owned and edited by John H. Diggs. The usual newspaper war of that day resulted and terminated only when Diggs shot and killed Watkins on the street at Vienna. He was tried for murder and acquitted, after the case had dragged through the courts for several years. After spending some years in California Mrs. Watkins removed to Fayetteville, Ar­kansas, where she was connected with the state university there. Later she was associated with our own state uni­versity at Columbia. She died at Fayetteville February 9, 1930. Her two children are: Guy, a civil engineer, and Florence, who married a Dickinson, also an engineer. Both families live at or near Little Rock.

 

John C. Anderson, son of Thomas, was born December 16, 1844. He married Susan, daughter of Henderson Cansler Senior and died childless July 20, 1866. Mary, the next child of Thomas, died single, before her father.

 

James Monroe Anderson lived at the Anderson home place for many years before moving to Vienna, and later to St. Louis, at which latter place he died May 5, 1898. He served two terms as Sheriff and Collector of the county, and, after the offices were separated, served two additional terms as Collector. He was married shortly before his majority to Nancy A., oldest daughter of Da­vid Hoops by his second marriage, and half sister to the wife of his brother, Richard. She was born March 19, 1850, and died in St. Louis, February 3, 1923. Seven children living to maturity were born of this marriage, of whom Octavia married W. McM., son of Dr. E. B. Bowles, and later a man named Bateman, and now lives in southeast Missouri with her daughter, Gwendolyn, wife of Reverend O'Rear, a noted Methodist minister; Thomas E., the oldest son, died single in St. Louis, after serving a number of years on the police force of that city; Ro­berta, single, lives in St. Louis, as do Don and Mamie, the latter now the wife of Walter Smith; Allie married

 

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Fred Davis and is now dead, leaving two sons both of whom live in St. Louis; Jessie, the remaining child, died single in 1936.

 

Roberta Anderson, born December 29, 1852, died childless February 15, 1873, a short time after her mar­riage to William P. Casebelt. He was probably Vienna's first druggist, coming here from Saline County in an early day and operating a drugstore on the ground now occupied by the Redel Store; he returned to Saline County after the death of his wife.

 

Thomas Bickerton Anderson's public life is represented by his two terms as County Treasurer and one--in the first Cleveland administration--as postmaster at Vienna. His widow, formerly Cynthia A. Tyler, and five children survive him. Mrs. Anderson lives in Jefferson City, as does their daughter Lois, wife of George Malone; Addie married Newton Hughes and lives in New Mexico; Paul, the only son, lives at Pryor, Oklahoma; Mildred, wife of Ernie Rogers, lives in St. Louis; and Grace, whose mar­ried name is not at hand, in Arkansas.

 

William Davenport, youngest son of Thomas Anderson, married in California where he went in early manhood and where he spent many years. Returning to Missouri he settled at Crocker where he lived the remainder of his life and where his widow still resides. He died in the summer of 1935, childless.

 

Joseph Russell, step-brother of Thomas Anderson, was married when he came here. He lived on the north line of the county, now known as the Kampeter place, and died there September 14, 1867. He was survived by his widow, Louisa, who was born in North Carolina January 5, 1811, and who survived her husband until April 9, 1892. They were married in Tennessee December 18, 1831. Levi M. Russell, the only son of Joseph, married Martha, daughter

 

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of Solomon Copeland, and died May 3, 1873. If there were children of this marriage, their names are not known. His widow later married John G. Martin. Of the five daughters born of this marriage, Rachel married August Cross and died childless; Nancy married Joseph Shockley, and Malinda married William D. Finn, and their descendants will be found elsewhere under their married names; Emeline married William Boone; Esther married George Franklin and spent most of her married life about Dixon; the descendants of the last two have not been obtained.

Isaac Anderson, oldest son of William Anderson by his second marriage, married Kitty Ann Crawford, and for many years owned and made his home at the mouth of Long Branch, the present Fitzpatrick place, where he died in the seventies. His widow and several of his chil­dren died a few years later of typhoid fever which was epidemic at that time. Of their children Amanda married William R. Menteer and Sarah married Jeff Menteer, both of Jefferson City. Both are long since dead. Amanda left two children, Neoma, single, and Marguerite, wife of Gibson Smith. Sarah left one son, Tom Menteer. All the children live in Jefferson City. James and Thomas Ander­son died single, probably in the typhoid epidemic; Richard went to live in Miller County with a man named Meredith after his mother's death, and later moved to the western part of the state. One daughter of Isaac Anderson mar­ried James Emory and died, together with her two chil­dren. No record has been found of John and Isaac Ander­son Junior, and they may have died at the same time as their mother.

William Anderson, son of William, was twice married, and was the father of two children, Elizabeth (Bunch) and James by his first wife whose maiden name is not known. His second wife was a Breeden, and no children were born of this marriage. Elizabeth married Thomas J. Rowden

 

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and spent most of her married life at Dixon and Monett, at which latter place both she and her husband died. Of their four children, Davenport died in infancy; Frank and Gus are both on the west coast; Joe, long since dead, married a daughter of J. O. Martin, but if there were children born to them their names are not known to relatives here.

 

James Anderson married Harriet Hedrick, and was the father of two children, one dying in infancy. The other, now Mrs. Julia Speaker, is a teacher in Oklahoma.

 

Emeline Anderson removed to Miller County after her marriage to James Belk, and a list of her descendants is not at hand.

 

The descendants of Rebecca Ann Anderson, wife of Stephen Bilyeu, and of Mahala Anderson, wife of John Taff, will be found under their married names.

 

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