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Below is a sample of a family biography
included in the Portrait and Biographical Record of Northern Missouri and published by
C. O. Owen & Co., in 1895.
These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing
ancestors or filling in the details in a family tree. Family biographies often
include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.
Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place
of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including
maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if
married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service,
church and social organization affiliations, and more. There are often
ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical
record.
THEOPHILUS BAXTER is a native of Ralls County, Mo., born September 3, 1854,
and of German ancestry, though a long resident of this country. His
grandfather, Baxter, was a farmer in Kentucky and in 1829 moved to Missouri,
locating in Warwick Township about one mile west of Palmyra, Mo. Here he
entered land and made a home, rearing a family of four children: John R.,
father of our subject; William, who was born in Ralls County, and is now
living on the old homestead; Mary, who married L. H. Gardner of Ralls County,
and is now deceased; Susan, married William Brown and now resides in Marion
County. Of the children three are living.
John R. Baxter, the father of our subject, was born February 29, 1829, in
Marion County, Mo., soon after his parents came to the State. His boyhood was
spent on the home farm and his education received in the common schools. At
the age of twenty-three or twenty-four he married Margaret Wilson, a native of
Missouri. Soon after his marriage he located in Ralls County, and bought the
farm known as the Kinney farm, on which he moved and remained a few years. He
then removed to another place in this county, within three miles of Perry,
where he purchased the farm and remained eight years. During his residence on
the Kinney farm he lost his first wife, and in 1857 was married to Minerva
Richards, a native of Ralls County, and daughter of Alonzo Richards. Selling
the farm near Perry he moved to Saverton Township and purchased the farm on
the banks of the Mississippi River. Here he remained one year and again sold
out and purchased a farm one mile north of New London. On this farm he
remained three years, and in the fall of 1866 moved to Marion County and
purchased a farm, eight miles west of Hannibal. In 1874 he again sold and
removed to Ralls County and bought the old Ely farm, which he made his
residence until 1881. Before this, however, he had purchased four hundred
acres of land adjoining the Ely farm, making it five hundred and sixty acres.
He subsequently purchased other tracts until he owned over a thousand acres.
This was his home until 1881, when he disposed of a portion of his land and
moved to the village of Huntington where he now resides. He is a man of good
judgment and business tact and made a success in life. After moving to
Huntington he erected a store building and engaged in general merchandise
about one year when his store and contents, together with his dwelling, were
all destroyed by fire. It is supposed that the fire was of incendiary origin.
Since then he has practically lived a retired life. He has for a greater part
of his life been a member of the Christian Church, and is active and prominent
in church work and has served the greater part of the time as Deacon.
By the union of John R. Baxter and Margaret Wilson there was born one child,
the subject of our sketch. By his union with Minerva Richards there were five
children, as follows: Mary C., who married John Watts, resides in Ralls
County; William A., who now resides in the Indian Territory; Dora, who died at
the age of sixteen years; Annie, who married Wallace Bond and resides in
Monroe County; Effie, at home with her parents.
The early life of our subject was spent with his parents and his education was
received in the common schools of Marion County, principally at Providence
schoolhouse. He was married October 21, 1874, to Belle Mason of Marion County,
and daughter of Harvey and Julia (Rogers) Mason. After their marriage the
young couple located on the home place eight miles west of Hannibal which he
purchased from his father. Here he remained three years engaged in general
farming, when he sold out and purchased the farm near Emerson, Marion County,
consisting of three hundred and twenty acres. Selling this farm at the
expiration of one year, he then moved to the town of Emerson and engaged in
general merchandising in company with James Bouldridge, under the firm name of
Bouldridge & Baxter. This partnership continued but a short time when Mr.
Baxter sold his interest and moved to Hannibal where he engaged in the grocery
business, in which he continued one year. Then with his father continued the
business under the firm name of Baxter & Son for one year, when John Penn
bought the interest of the elder Baxter and the business was continued under
the name of Baxter & Penn, when our subject sold out, and moved with his
family to Dickey County, Dak. This was in 1882. He made claim to one-half
section of land under the pre-emption and tree claim act, and remained about
one and a half years and returned to Missouri, intending to get more teams and
supplies for conducting his farming operations. While here he traded his land
for property in Center and concluded to remain in old Missouri. The first year
of his return he rented the Lisle farm in Ralls County and then engaged in
general merchandise in Huntington. This time alone, having satisfied himself
that a partnership was not the thing. He remained in this business about eight
years, during which time he also had charge of the Post Office, and for five
years of the time was also agent for the M., K. & T. R. R. at that place.
In May, 1888, Mrs. Baxter died and he was re-married June 12, 1889, to Julia
Razor, a native of Ralls County, born in 1870. By his second union there was
one child, Therus, born June 17, 1893.
During his residence in Huntington he purchased and shipped stock and sold all
kinds of agricultural implements. In 1892 he traded his stock for property in
Excelsior Springs, but moved to Center, where he engaged in his present
business, that of handling grain and general produce. He buys and ships all
kinds of grain and does both a wholesale and retail business in flour,
furnishing his town merchants with flour and selling and exchanging with the
farmers. In addition to what is already stated he buys and ships eggs for New
York City. He also built a grist mill now in operation in his town, but
finding his time too much occupied, disposed of it. In 1892 he bought the
Central Hotel of this place and operated it a while, then sold out, but was
compelled to take it back and he again took charge of it and finally in 1895
traded it for land in Pike County. Mr. Baxter has been a member of the
Christian Church for twenty years, and is a member of Center Lodge No. 209, K.
of P.; he is also a member of Friendship Lodge No. 79, K. of M., and also of
Triple Alliance. In politics he is a Democrat.
This family biography is of a Ralls County
family and is one of 553
biographies included in the Portrait and Biographical Record of Northern
Missouri published
in 1895. For the complete description, click here:
Ralls County, Missouri History, Genealogy,
and Maps
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