The Rountree Family of Greene County, Missouri

Joseph Rountree was the son of Thomas and Eva (Sturgess) Rountree, and was born in Orange county, North Carolina, in April 1782. He was the youngest of a large family, and received a good education for that early day, being very proficient in mathematics, and a good scribe. He taught school for many years in North Carolina, Tennessee and Missouri. He moved to Maur\- county, Tenn., in 1819, where he lived for about ten years, and then with several friends came to Missouri, and traveled about for nearly a year, looking for suitable lands upon which to locate. They finally selected Greene county as their future homes, and in 1830 Mr. Rountree brought his family and located three miles south of Springfield, upon the afterward famous Wilson's creek. He owned several hundred acres of choice lands in different parts of the county. He and another gentleman went to Boonville, Cooper county, and got a lot of fruit trees and set them out, and grew the first orchards in the Southwest. He next built a large store-house and stocked it with general merchandise in 1833, and sold goods for three years. He then sold the building to some parties at Springfield who moved it to where the court-house now stands. It was used for many years as a land office. Mr. Rountree taught school in the old log school house, three miles southwest of Springfield for two sessions, and it was probably the first school house built in this part of the State. Mr. Rountree was married in Caswell county, North Carolina, in 1806, to Miss Nancy Nichols, by whom he had ten children, six boys and four girls, two of whom died in infancy. Those who lived to be grown or nearly so, were Junius M., living in Greene county, aged seventy-three; Zenas M., Lucius A., Louisa A., wife of Dr. Slavens, of Dallas county, Mo.; Caroline, who died when quite young; Judge M. J., Almus L., of California, who has been sheriff of Santa Cruz county for many years; Allen J., who died in his twenty-second year, and Almarinda C, the late wife of Wm. Massey, of Springfield. Mr. Rountree died upon the 26th of December, 1874, at his home on Wilson's creek, near Springfield.

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

ZENAS MARION ROUNTREE.

'Squire Rountree is the son of Joseph and Nancy (Nichols) Rountree, and was born June ' 8, 1812, in Orange county. North Carolina. He remained with his parents until April, 1832, when he came to Greene county, Missouri, and settled 9n a farm three miles southwest of Springfield, on Wilson's creek, and there followed shoe-making, which trade he had learned in North Carolina. He moved into Springfield in 18-34, and started the first shoe shop in the town. He followed his trade until 1835, and then entered the store of Fulbright & Carter, as clerk, and next sold goods for D. D. Berry. On the 24th of August, 1837, he married Elizabeth Massey, who was but fifteen years of age at the time. After his marriage he entered lands in different parts of the country, and made his home and reared his family upon Grand prairie. They were best with eleven children, five boys and six girls, two of the girls are dead. In 1861 Mr. Rountree, commonly and familiarly called " Uncle Buck," moved to St. Louis, and was there appointed by Sample Orr, as first clerk of the register of land's office, at Jefi"person City\ He retained that position until 1862, when he returned to Greene county. Mr. Rountree was elected justice of the peace in 1857, and served until 1861. He was again elected in 1878. In 1880, he was elected city recorder, and served for one year. He is at present a justice of the peace in this township. His father died in 1874, and in 1876 " Uncle Buck " moved upon the old homestead where he now lives. No man in the county is more respected than he, and he has promise of many years yet to live.

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

JUDGE M. J. ROUNTREE.

Judge Rountree is the son of Joseph and Nancy (Nichols) Rountree, and was born March 24th, 1820, in Maury county, Tennessee. He received his early education from his mother, an intelligent, cultivated lady, and from the common schools of his section. At the age of twenty he went to work upon a farm by the month, working in the summer and going to school in the winter. In December, 1829, the parents of our subject moved to Missouri and settled upon Wilson's creek, within two miles of Springfield. Judge Rountree was married upon the 7th of March, 184-, to Miss Mary Winton, of Polk county, Missouri. They have had eight children, four of whom are now living. Their first born died in infancy. Sarah F. died in her nineteenth year, Bentley J. is a traveling salesman, Joseph W. is in the nursery business with his father, Mary E. at home with her parents, Thomas J., a tobacconist at Carthage. In 1845 he bought a small farm three and one-half miles southwest of Springfield, where he lived about six years, when he sold out and bought a place of two hundred acres southeast of Springfield, where he lived until the war closed. He then sold his farm, and went to Springfield temporarily, but soon purchased an eighty acre tract of land east of the city, and started a nursery in 1867. In 1870 he traded for the house where he now lives on East Elm street, which is upon a four-acre lot. He was a justice of the peace for four years. In 1872 he was elected judge of the county court, and held that position six years. In 1880 he was elected upon the Democratic ticket to the mayoralty of the city of Springfield. Judge Rountree is a self-made man, and no man in this county stands better in the estimation of his fellow-citizens than he.

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

NEWTON M. ROUNTREE.

Mr. Rountree is the son of Z. M. and Elizabeth (Massey) Rountree, and was born Nov. 5th, 1838, on his father's farm three miles northeast of Springfield, Missouri. He was educated in the county, and in 1860 entered the store of Massey & McAdams, as clerk, and in 1864 became a partner in the house and so remained until 1869. From 1869 to 1871 he was of the firm of Keet, Massey & Co., and when the firm reorganized in 1871, it became Keet, Rountree & Co., and so continues. Mr. Rountree was married in 1867 to Miss Grabella, daughter of Hon. Charles Haden, of this county. Their marriage is best with three sons and two daughters. Mrs. Rountree is a member of the Christian church. They are both of the pioneer families of the county, and none are more honorable or more highly respected in Greene county.

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

BENTLEY J. ROUNTREE.

Mr. Rountree is the son of M. J. and Mary L. (Winton) Rountree, and was born in Greene county. Mo., January 2, 1849. He was educated here in this county and remained at home upon the farm until the civil war. In 1864-5, was in the quartermaster's department at Springfield, under Capt. C. B. Owen, as post messenger. When the war closed he went to school for two years, and then acted as salesman for his father in the nursery business. He was married September 30, 1868, to Miss Eva Hovey, daughter of E. Hovey, of Springfield. They were married at Buffalo, Mo. They have three children, Hattie, Minnie, and Herman. From 1872 to 1874 Mr. Rountree was in the drug and grocery business.

and was also a teacher of music for some time. From 1875 to 1879 he was traveling salesman for H. D. Brown, dealer in musical instruments, etc. Upon the first of January, 1880, commenced traveling for Jacob Strauss & Co., wholesale saddlery, etc., St. Louis, and so far has done well. Mr. Rountree belongs to one of the most respected of the pioneer families, and deserves the success with which he has met.

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