The Chinn Families of Lafayette County, Missouri

JOSEPH G. CHINN.

One of the honored and venerable citizens of Lafayette county, who has stamped the impress of his strong individuality upon the minds of all classes in a manner as to render him one of the conspicuous characters of this locality, is Joseph G. Chinn, a man who has played well his part in the progress of this locality, having come to this state some sixty-five years ago. It is indeed interesting to listen to his reminiscences of the early days, when much of the country was wild and the red man made his home in the dense forests. From such conditions to the opulent present he has been a close observer, and aided in the general development whenever possible. A man of patriotic impulses, he was quick to respond to his country's call during the "war with Mexico — in fact, he has ever proven himself a true and worthy American in the broadest sense of the term.

Mr. Chinn, who has long lived in retirement in his cozy Lexington home, is a native of the Blue Grass state, having been born in Lexington, Kentucky, May 4, 1823, and there he grew to maturity. He accompanied his parents, Joseph G. and Barbara (Graves) Chinn, to Missouri in 1845, and here the mother died, the father returning to Kentucky ten or twelve years later. He was a physician and practiced in Lexington, Missouri, also in Lexington, Kentucky, remaining in the latter city until his death, at the advanced age of ninety-two years. He was a grand old man, who did a great deal of good and whom everybody respected.

Twelve children were born to Doctor Chinn and wife, and were reared in Lafayette county. They are now all deceased with the exception of Joseph G., of this review. The brothers were WilHam, a merchant; Benjamin, a farmer; David, a printer; Claude, a clerk.

When a lad Joseph G. Chinn went into the drug business, and upon coming to Lexington he and Dave Silver opened a drug store, which Mr. Chinn left in 1846 to enlist for service in the Mexican war, under Colonel Doniphan, who took his regiment overland to Mexico. He was under Captain Walton and he performed his services faithfully and returned with his company and regiment from Mexico in August, 1847, receiving an honorable discharge. Although a large number of volunteers went from this locality, Mr. Chinn is the only one now living in Lexington, and there are only twenty others living now in Lafayette county.

Soon after his return from the army Mr. Chinn married Nancy Shelby, daughter of Joseph Shelby, he a cousin of the father of Gen. Joe Shelby of

Civil war fame. Mr. Chinn devoted his attention to farming until the commencement of the war between the states, having developed a good farm in Dover township, also sold goods at Dover. He and his father-in-law joined Joe Shelby on one of his raids and remained with that intrepid leader until he went to Texas, he being in charge of some negroes, who returned to Missouri with him. At the close of the war he acted as keeper of the jail at Lexington for Sheriff George Mountjoy, his sister's son-in-law, remaining as jailer for three years, and he continued for four years under Sheriffs Ben Elliott and Joseph Bowman four years, making twelve years as jailer, and he never lost a prisoner during that time. He also served two years as city marshal and two years as city collector. In the meantime he had purchased his present home on Main street, which is one of the picturesque old homes of Lexington. Mr. Chinn served very acceptably and with much credit to himself as police judge of this city. He has been a member of the Christian church for a period of forty years.

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph G. Chinn became the parents of the following children: Buford, a commercial salesman, who, since losing his wife, has made his home with his father; he married Willie Donaldson, daughter of Colonel Donaldson, and they became the parents of three daughters, all reared by his father, one of whom is still living with him; Pinkie McGrew Chinn; William Chinn died on the farm in early life; John died in boyhood; Orra married Griffin Buford, who died in 1910; she died at the age of thirty-five, leaving two children, both reared by Joseph G Chinn, of this review; one of these, Coleman Buford, is a physician in Chicago; the other, a daughter, Florence, is the wife of Doctor Eckle, a dentist of Lexington.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

THOMAS M. CHINN.

The biographies of the representative men of a county bring to light many hidden treasures of mind, character and courage, well calculated to arouse the pride of their family and of the community, and it is a source of regret that the people are not more familiar with the personal history of such men, in the ranks of whom may be found tillers of the soil, mechanics, teachers, as well as lawyers, physicians, bankers and members of other vocations and professions. Thomas M. Chinn, who is distinctively one of the leading citizens of Washington township, Lafayette county, and an owner of nearly three hundred acres of fine land, has made his influence felt among his fellow men in many capacities, earning a name for enterprise, integrity and honor that entitles him to worthy notice in a work of the province of the volume at hand, for he is widely known as vice-president and director of the American Bank at Higginsville, Missouri, and an advisory director of the Kansas City & St. Louis Electric railroad, also as an extensive fruit grower.

Mr. Chinn was born in Shelbyville, Kentucky, March 8, 1849, he is the son of Hector A. and Harriet E. (Wells) Chinn. The subject's paternal grandfather. Col. Achilles Chinn, was born November 20, 1786, and died January 22, 1854. Thomas M. Chinn's great-uncle, ''Dick" Chinn, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was one of the most eminent lawyers of his day and generation. Col. Achilles Chinn served with distinction in the war of 1812. A relative, Raleigh Chinn, married Esther Ball, the aunt of George Washington. The Chinns are descendants of the Duke of Gloucester, with dual coronet of a greyhound, arms of Great Britain and France, through a long line of distinguished nobility. This family of Chinns is directly descended from the fourth son of Henry IV, who was the Duke of Gloucester and whose arms were France and England.

In 1859, Hector A. Chinn brought his family to Missouri, coming by rail from Shelbyville, Kentucky, to Jefferson City, Missouri, making the rest of the trip by water to Berlin, buying land in that vicinity after the war and became almost as well known here as he was in Kentucky. His death occurred in Higginsville in 1886, his wife having died near Dover in 1860. Hector A. Chinn was twice married, eight children having been born by the first union and five by the second. He served very acceptably as circuit clerk in Shelbyville, Kentucky, for a period of sixteen years. He was a man of many sterling attributes and was respected and admired by all who knew him.

Thomas M. Chinn, of this review, was reared on the home farm and early in life became familiar with all phases of agriculture and stock raising, and later in life he made a specialty of the latter, becoming, in fact, the leading livestock dealer of this county. For some time he was general livestock agent for the Chicago & Alton railroad in Missouri and part of Illinois. But he has not dealt in the livestock business for the past four years. For several years he has been extensively engaged in apple raising and is one of the best known and most successful fruit growers in this section of Missouri and he has twenty thousand trees of an excellent variety. He has one hundred and fifty acres of apple trees, which constitutes the largest orchard in the county. He had a picture of his orchard taken in 1903, which was said to be the best of its kind at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis in 1904. This picture is to be found in Dodge's geography, published by the Rand-McNally Company. Mr. Chinn raised, shipped and sold about fifty thousand bushels of apples in 1909. He makes a specialty of the Ben Davis and the Gano varieties. For the past four years he has dealt extensively in real estate, buying and selling a number of farms. He has been very successful in whatever he has undertaken, and is one of the substantial and influential men in financial circles of Lafayette county. He is the efficient and popular vice-president of the American Bank at Higginsville, as already stated, having been a director of this sound and well-patronized institution for the past twenty years.

Mr. Chinn was married on September 30, 1879, to Ottie V. Benning, the representative of one of the best old families of the state, she being the daughter of Major A. D. Benning and wife. This union resulted in the birth of two children, Bessie B., born April 15, 1884, married Dr. Joel B. Mc- Daniel, of Kansas City, Missouri, and she died six weeks after her marriage, closing a young life of much promise on October 2, 1908. The other daughter, Naomi, a young lady of culture and rare musical talent, was born July i6, 1893, and is living at home.

Relative to the death of the subject's eldest daughter, Bessie, the following appeared in a local paper:

"Died, Friday, October 2, at her home in Kansas City, of typhoid fever, Mrs. Bessie McDaniel, daughter of T. M. Chinn and wife of this place. 'Bessie,' as she was known here, was reared to womanhood in this community and no girl held a higher esteem of a host of friends than she, and no one will be greater missed. In praise of her none other than her mother could speak the words most befitting, for, indeed, Bessie was her companion, lovable and dutiful. To show her nobleness of mind above earthly things, on the first day of her illness, September 16, she wrote a message in which were placed careful instructions of her own funeral, selecting the twenty-third Psalm to be read and the songs to be sung. She was married Friday, August 14, 1908, to Doctor McDaniel, formerly of Lexington, but late of Kansas City. Only six short weeks to the very day, and thus ended those few happy days. How keenly will the husband miss her from the home into which she took sunshine and happiness for him. Over her young sister. Miss Naomi, she wielded an influence that will be felt for years to come and the memory of her beautiful life will ever be a precious heritage. The parents are bowed with grief, and it is hard to part with one so fair and full of promise, but we bow to the Divine will. Her many gentle and kindly ministrations and her unvarying cheerfulness have endeared her to a multitude. The bereaved may console themselves in that she has only preceded them a few days on the journey and will be among the innumerable throng to welcome them home. After a beautiful service conducted by Rev. Harry Haldermann of the Baptist church in Kansas City and a sympathetic and consoling prayer by Reverend Talbot, the body was taken to Higginsville for interment."

Mrs. Chinn is a member of the Christian church. Fraternally Mr. Chinn is a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Orientals and the Buffaloes.

The life of Mr. Chinn has been filled with activity and usefulness, while his untiring energy and eminent ability have gained for him a conspicuous and honorable place among the leading business men of Lafayette county. In every sphere of endeavor his unpretending bearing and strict integrity have elevated him in the confidence of his fellow citizens and his influence, always powerful and salutary, is destined to continue a potential factor for substantial good to this locality, continuing a man of influence amid the busy scenes in which he has so long been a prominent and effective actor.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

RICHARD M. CHINN, farmer and stock-raiser, P. O. Napoleon. Born in Bourbon county, Kentucky, March 28, 1825. His parents were natives of Kentucky also. His early life was passed in his native State, where he received a liberal education. On the 7th of January, 1858; he was.Tfiarried to Miss Sallie B. Barton. By this union they have had eight children, six of whom are living. Moved to Lafayette county, Missouri, in 1866, and purchased the farm upon which he now resides, consisting of 228 acres of excellent land. He occupies a substantial two-story house, containing five rooms, finely located on the watershed between the Sniabar creek and the Missouri river and two miles south of Napoleon. In October, 1873, Mr. Chinn was married for the second time to Mrs. Magdalen Johnson, nee Regan, his first wife* died during the previous year. He is a man of strict integrity and high principle, admired by all who know him.

As printed in the source². Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.