The Keith Family of Lafayette County, Missouri

WILLIAM P. KEITH.

From the far-away land of heath and Jieather, thistle and blue bell, the picturesque country of Bruce and Burns, Wallace and Scott, came William P. Keith, farmer and orchardist near Mayview, a man of excellent characteristics whose life has been led along conservative lines and who is justly entitled to the honor and respect which have always been accorded him. He was born March 28, 1838, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and was the son of Charles and Elizabeth (Wallace) Keith. The paternal grandfather, John Keith, was a ship captain and died of yellow fever in Jamaica. Charles Keith's only brother, John, was killed at the battle of Salamanca in the Spanish war with Napoleon I. Charles Keith was in the British army at the time of the battle of Waterloo, but his regiment took no part in the fight, being stationed elsewhere. He came to Canada in 1853 and farmer in Huron county, Ontario, until his death, in 1872. His family consisted of two sons and three daughters, two of whom are deceased.

William P. Keith spent his early life in his native country and was educated there. He emigrated to the United States in 1868 and lived in Leavenworth, Kansas, until 1870, when he came to Lexington, Missouri, and ran a flouring mill for Marshall & Easter until 1871, in which year he came to Mayview and started a mill with Ben Marshall. Buying Marshall out a few years later, he operated the mill successfully until 1882, then rented an interest in the plant which was subsequently burned. He was very successful in his milling operations, having thoroughly mastered every detail of this line of work. But after the destruction of the mill he turned his attention to farming and fruit growing and his efforts have been rewarded by a large measure of success. He is the owner of one of the choice farms of the community, consisting of seventy acres, mostly in orchard of a fine variety of trees. He is regarded as an authority on horticultural subjects and keeps well posted on everything that pertains to this interesting science. His well kept orchard is a source of much pleasure to the observer.

Mr. Keith was married on October 7, 1865, to Anna Gumming, a native of Murryshire, Scotland, and, like Mr. Keith, of an excellent old family. She was the daughter of William Gumming, a farmer near Elgin, Scotland. He came to Ganada in 1854 and launched in the lumber business. His death occurred in London, Ganada. To Mr. and Mrs. Keith four children have been born, three sons and one daughter, namely: William C, who is farming in Washington township, this county, married Jennie Golvert; John, who is also farming in Washington township, married Jennie White, and they have two daughters; Isabella married John Staley, a conductor on the Golorado Southern railroad, and resides at Trinidad, Golorado; they have two sons and one daughter living and two children dead; Gharles, who married Rosa Smith, lives at Lexington and has a family of two daughters.

Mr. Keith and family are members of the Gumberland Presbyterian church, and politically Mr. Keith is a Democrat and has always taken much interest in local affairs. He is the oldest school director in point of service in Lafayette county, having been secretary of the school board since 1872, and during the long years of faithful service he has done an incalculable amount of good for the cause of education in this part of the county. For his interest in the prosperity of this county and for his life of honesty and industry, he has won the respect of all who know him and he numbers his friends by the scores.

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

Specific mention is made of many of the worthy citizens of Lafayette county within the pages of this book, citizens who have figured in the growth and development of this favored locality and whose interests are identified with its every phase of progress, each contributing in his sphere of action to the well being of the community in which he resides and to the advancement of its normal and legitimate growth. Among the number is he whose name appears above, peculiar interest attaching to his career from the fact that he is the representative of an excellent old family whose honored name he has ever sought to keep untarnished.

John Keith, the gentleman referred to in the preceding paragraph, is a Canadian, his birth having occurred in Ontario, Canada, of Scotch descent, December 9, 1866. He is the son of William P. Keith, of Mayview, this county, who was born in Scotland and who came to Canada where he lived some time, then moved to this county. For full history of the subject's parents the reader is directed to the sketch of William P. Keith appearing on another page of this work.

John Keith moved to Mayview, Missouri, with his parents when a child and he received a good common school education at Mayview. Early in life he went to work in the fields and has made farming his vocation, being rewarded by a fair measure of success, and he has spent his mature years all in Washington township, where he has become well established and is regarded as one of the most progressive of the younger agriculturists. He lived nine years, from 1899 to 1908, in Odessa, and he purchased his present farm in 1908. He has the old Sam Bell place, which consists of three hundred and two acres, which is well improved in every respect and is one of the most desirable farms in the township. Mr. and Mrs. Keith together have four hundred and two acres. They have a beautifully located home and such substantial outbuildings and modern farming machinery as their needs require. Mr. Keith carries on general farming and buys and sells stock. He is a good manager and a persistent worker and therefore has succeeded.

Mr. Keith was married on October 12, 1898, to Jennie O. White, daughter of Col. J. S. and Mary F. White, an old and prominent family of this county. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Keith, two of whom died in infancy; the two living are, Anna White, age four, and Mary Ester, age one.

Mr. and Mrs. Keith are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, and in politics he is a Democrat and a member of the Knights of Pythias.

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

CHARLES ALEXANDER KEITH.

While yet young in years, Charles Alexander Keith has won an envied place among the legal fraternity of Lexington and Lafayette county, and during the years of practice here he has acquired a compensating and permanent clientage, which is steadily increasing, widening with his experience and fuller, more intimate acquaintance with the public. In his profession he is characterized by signal industry, plodding investigation, scrutinizing research, a determination to familiarize himself with the legal principles in trial causes, and as an attorney and citizen he is deserving of the high esteem in which he is held by all classes.

Mr. Keith is a native of this county, having been born at Mayview, November 2, 1871, and is the son of William P. and Annie (Cumming) Keith, one of the sterling and highly honored old families of Washington township. The father is a native of the famous land of heath and weather, thistle and bluebell, his birth having occurred in Scotland, March 25, 1838. When fourteen years of age he accompanied his parents to Quebec, Canada, there grew to maturity and finished his education, starting in life by serving as an apprentice to a miller, serving seven years. Upon leaving Canada he came to Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1868, then came to Lexington, Missouri, in 1870 as miller for Marshall & Easter, which firm built another mill at Mayview, of which Mr. Keith was placed in charge. He finally purchased this mill and operated it successfully until 1881, when he leased it for one year, during which time it was destroyed by fire. He then turned his attention to farming and is now engaged in fruit growing. He has been rewarded with a fair measure of success in whatever he has undertaken and is a man who commands the confidence and respect of all who know him as a result of his life of industry and honesty. He is a Presbyterian and a Democrat.

William P. Keith married, in Canada, November 7, 1865, Annie Cumming, a native of Murrayshire, Scotland, where her birth occurred in 1839. To this union four children were born, named as follows: William is farming near Mayview, this county; John is a farmer near Odessa, Missouri; Isabell married J. W. Staley and they live at Trinidad, Colorado; Charles A., of this review, is the youngest child.

Charles A. Keith's youth was devoid of especial incident and was spent at his parental home at Mayview, where he attended the common schools. Later he entered the State University at Columbia, where he made a very commendable record, graduating from the law department in 1891, but on account of his minority his diploma was held up for a period of two years.

He decided to devote his life to the legal profession when a mere lad and accordingly began preparation for the same and he made rapid progress. The two years following his graduation he spent as commandant of cadets at Salisbury Academy, Salisbury, Missouri, and studied law the meanwhile with W. S. Stockwell. He then went to the Southwest and opened a law office at Roswell, New Mexico, where he remained five years and enjoyed a very satisfactory practice. Returning to his native county, he began practice at Higginsville, Missouri, where he remained nine years, during which time he gained a wide reputation as an able and painstaking attorney and rose to the front ranks of the Lafayette County Bar. Owing to his worth and his loyalty to the principles of Democracy, party leaders saw his availability for responsible public office and he was selected for the candidate for prosecuting attorney of Lafayette county, and duly elected in 1908, having made a most excellent showing from the first as a faithful, conscientious public servant and a champion of the right at all times, giving the utmost satisfaction to his constituents and to all concerned, irrespective of party alignment. He takes much more than a passing interest in fraternal affairs and is a member of the Masonic order, having attained the Royal Arch degree; he is also a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

The domestic life of Mr. Keith began on June 20, 1894, when he led to the altar Rosa H. Smith, a lady of talent and refined tastes, who was born near May view, August 20, 1869, the daughter of Wesley L. and Rosa (Hutchens) Smith, a highly respected family of Lafayette county. This union has been graced by the birth of two children, Naidine F., who is in school and will graduate with the class of 1912, and Aileen, who is also attending school.

Mr. Keith is a close student of the books, familiar with the elements and fundamentals of the science of the law, and is so adjusted in his mental composition as to be able to comprehend, discriminate, analyze, digest, practicalize, and professionalize, if you will, the difficult propositions and principles of the acknowledged and authoritative legal expounders. His careful and discriminating preparation for the contest on hand forestalls surprises by opposing counsel, assures him of the highest probabilities of success, and affords him a solid vantage ground against the ingenuities and assaults of adroit and tactful adversaries. He is a forceful, convincing and often an eloquent leader, and his past excellent record would indicate that future years have much in store for him in the way of success and higher service for his fellow men.

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