The Watson Families of Greene County, Missouri

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

Mr. AA-ation was born in Monn:.e county, Tennessee, September 1842 He IS a son of Thomas and Bersheba (McCray) Watson, and was one o'f ten children, eight of whom survive.

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

_ James Watson grew to manhood on the home farm in Greene county having been but two years old when his parents brought him here from a Ining. He received his education in the district schools. In the early

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

Mr. Watson's second union has been without issue, but he is the father of twelve children by his first wife, five of whom are now living, namely: William, of Goodland, Kansas; Robert, of southern Missouri; John, of Republic township; Mary, now Mrs. C. O'Neil, of Oklahoma: Malinda, now Mrs. William Garroutte, lives in Missouri.

Politically, Mr. Watson is a Republican. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Post 219, at Republic, in which he has carried the flag for the past thirty years, and has been active in the work of the same. He belongs to the Christian church. Air. 'ation was justice of the peace for twelve consecutive years and served on the school board for thirty years.

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

DR. LORENZO T. WATSON.

Dr. Watson is the son of Barnett and Jane (Holloway) Watson, and was born September 17th, 1833, in Monroe county, Tennessee. He is the second child of a family of twelve children. He was educated in his native county at Hiwasse College, attending five years. In 1851-52 and '53, he taught school in Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina. He left Tennessee upon the loth day of October, 1853, and reached Greene county, Missouri, Nov 20th, on foot, having walked the entire distance. He taught school in Cass and Robberson townships for two years. He then studied medicine in the office of Dr. Clinton, of Ash Grove, for one year. In the fall of 1856 he went to McDowell's College, St. Louis, and took one course of lectures. He then went to Hartsville, Wright county, Mo., and practiced medicine until the fall of 1858, when he returned to the same medical college and graduated in March, 1859 He then returned to Hartsville and practiced his profession until the war broke out, when he was appointed assistant surgeon of the 24th Missouri volunteers, Union army. He was afterward surgeon of the M. S. M. He was in the service about three years, and then came to Springfield and engaged in the mercantile business. He remained in business in the city about three years, and then moved out to his farm in Cass township, where he lived until 1881, when he came back and moved into the house where he now lives, on South street, said to be one of the first brick houses built in the city. Dr. Watson was married in August, 1865, to Miss Josephine Massey. They were best with one child, Eddie. The doctor's parent's came to Missouri in 1851, and settled in Cass township. His other died in 1861, and his mother in 1882, at the age of sixty-nine.

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

GILBERT RUSSELL WATSON.

A fine type of the sturdy, conscientious American of today is Gilbert Russell WTtson, farmer of Murray township, Greene county. He is a man who united a high order of ability with courage, patriotism, clean morality and sound common sense, doing thoroughly and well the work he finds to do and asking praise of no man for the performance of what he conceives to be his simple duty.

Mr. Watson was born March 13, 1850 in Monroe county, Tennessee. He is a son of Spencer and Margaret (Holloway) Watson. The father was born in December, 1823, in Monroe county, Tennessee and there grew to manhood, was educated in the common schools and worked on the farm when a boy, and there he married in 1845 purchased a farm of his own of two hundred and eighty acres, which he operated until in the spring of 1832 when he came to Lawrence county, (Missouri, and made a crop on Turnback creek, then came to near Ebenezer, Robberson township, Greene county where he spent the winter in a camp, cutting logs and building a cabin there. This was in the winter of 1852-3. Later he purchased two hundred acres on Robberson prairie, and moved thereto in the spring of 1853 later entered eighty acres adjoining and there resided until 1866 when he sold out and moved to Cass township, locating on the edge of Grand prairie, owning three hundred acres there on which he spent the rest of his life, dying June 20, 1887. He was one of the leading general farmers and stock raisers in this locality, handling many horses and mules annually. Lie was sixty-four years old at the time of his death. His wife, Margaret Holloway, was. born in Monroe county, Tennessee in the year 1820, and there she grew to womanhood and was educated in the early-day schools. She was a daug'hter of Mintor Holloway, also a native of Tennessee, who became an extensive tobacco raiser in that state. He married Marjorie Edmonds, a native of Tennessee, whose death occurred April 8, 1883. To Spencer Watson and wife nine children were born, namely: John T. lives at Willard; Mrs. Sarah Elizabeth Tatum is deceased; Gilbert Russell of this review; Polly Ann lives in Spring-held; W'william R. lives in Springheld wdiere he trades in mules, and also owns about seven hundred acres of land in the vicinity of Cave Spring, Cass township; Ruth Jane is deceased; Mrs. Susan C. Young lives in Springheld; George W. is deceased; Francis M. is farming near Willard.

Politically, Spencer Watson was a Democrat, and he and his wife belonged to the Methodist church.

Gilbert R. Watson was two years old when his parents brought him from Tennessee to Greene county, Missouri and here he grew to manhood on the home farm where he worked hard when a boy, and he received such educational advantages as the schools of that period furnished in the rural districts, and, remaining a wide reader all his life he has become a well informed man. He has always followed general farming and stock raising, and besides operating his own valuable and well improved farm of one hundred and twenty acres he has charge of forty acres belonging to his sister, Polly Ann.

Mr. Watson was married October 22, 1884, to Mary L. Bond, daughter of Holbert and Corenna (Lemon) Bond. Mr. Bond was born in Tennessee, J'une 14, 1837, from which.state he immigrated to Polk county Missouri, when yTiung and there engaged in farming near Morrisville until the lireaking out of the Civil war when he enlisted in the Confederate army and served for some time. He was ivounded in the foot in a battle at Corinth, Mississippi, which made him slightly crippled for life. In a later day he spent maiiy years about the lumber camps in California, but finally returned to Polk county and spent the rest of his life engaged in farming, and there his. death occurred June 15, 1910. Corenna Lemon was born in Polk county, Missouri, September 13, 1834, and her death occurred June 8, 1878. In Polk county also occurred the birth of Mrs. Watson and there she grew to womanhood and attended school. Holbert Bond was the father of six children, named as follows: John Henry is deceased; Mrs. Charlotte Pipkin lives at Adllard: Mrs. Martha Sims lives in Texarkana, Arkansas; Mary L., wife of Mr. Watson of this sketch; Benjamin who lives on a farm just south of Morrisville, Polk county: Holbert, Jr., is deceased.

The union of Gilbert R. Watson and wife has been without issue.

Politically, Mr. Watson is a Democrat, and while he is always ready to do his full share in promoting any cause for the general good of his township and county he has never been a seeker of public honors. Fraternally, he is a member of the Masonic order and the Court of Honor. He was reared in the Methodist faith, and his wife belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church, South, at Willard and takes an active part in all church work, and is president of the United IMissionary Societies.

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

WILLIAM R. WATSON.

One of the most enterprising of Greene county agriculturists is William R. Watson, now living practically retired in Springfield. He believed from the outset of his career that the "wisdom of yesterday is sometimes the folly of today," and that while the methods of our ancestors in tilling the soil were all right in their day, yet in the twentieth century we have been compelled to adopt new methods and farm along different lines, in view of the fact that conditions of climate, soil, grains, etc., have changed since the days of the pioneers. Mr. Watson has been a close observer of modern methods and is a student at all times of whatever pertains to his chosen life work and he has therefore met with encouraging success all along the line. and while comparatively young took his place among the leading farmers and stock raisers of a locality noted for its fine farms and adroit husbandmen.

.Mr. Watson was born in Robberson township, Greene county, Missouri, July 11, [854. lie is a son of Spencer and Margaret (Holloway) Watson, both natives of Tennessee. The mother was a daughter of Minter Hoiloway, an old settler in Tennessee. The parents of our subject grew to maturity in their native state and there received the usual limited education in the country schools of those earl)- days and they were married in their home locality, continuing to reside there until the spring of 1852, when they made the overland journey to Greene county. Missouri, arriving here on May loth. They bought and entered land in Robberson township, which they developed into a good farm by hard persistent work and there they resided until December 5, 1866, when they removed to Cass township, this county, and there the death of the father occurred on June 20, 1887, being born on December 9, 1823. He was a Southern sympathizer during the war between the states but he was not in the service. Politically he was a Democrat, and he held membership in Wesley Chapel Methodist Episcopal church, South.

William R. Watson, of this sketch, grew to manhood on the home farm where he worked hard when a boy, and during the winter months he attended the district schools, entered Drury College in 1877 and in 1878 took up his studies at Morrisville College in Polk county. After leaving school he began his life work as a teacher and for ten consecutive years followed this profession with much success in the schools of Greene county, then began his career as farmer on his own land in Cass township. Working hard, looking well to details and being on the alert for new and better methods of doing things he prospered with advancing years and he is now owner of a well-improved and productive farm of six hundred and ninety acres in Cass township, on which is to be seen a large residence and a group of substantial outbuildings. Here he has long carried on general farming and stock raising on an extensive scale, making a specialty of the mule business. He is at present making his home on Benton avenue. Springfield, owning a cozy residence there. He left the farm on August 26, 191 1, his object being that his children might have better school facilities.

Mr. Watson was married on October 12, 1884, to Laura Boston, a daughter of Thomas Y. Boston, an old settler of Cass township, and a prosperous farmer and well-known citizen in the northern part of the county. Our subject began housekeeping on a sixty-two-acre farm near Harold, November 6, 1884. Our subject's first wife died on March 3, 1889; she was the mother of two children, the second of whom died in infancy; it was named Olga; the other. Nannie, was born December 26. 1885, who married Ray Chumm, lives in Carthage. On September 25, 1890, Mr. Watson took for his second wife Clara Boston, a sister of his first wife. To this second union six children have been born, namely: Agatha, born on August 9, 1891, who lives at home, was graduated from Drury College in June, 1915, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts; Minnie, born on February 10, 1893. (i 13 1

Willie, born on December 16, 1895; Pauline, born October 7, 1897, enki Florence, born on February 19. 1899. are all attending the Springfield high school; [name withheld], born on July 12, 1906, died when four years old.

Politically, Mr. Watson is a Democrat but has never been especially active in public affairs. He is a Royal Arch Mason, a member of Ash Grove Chapter, Blue Lodge membership, O' Sullivan Lodge No. 7, Free and Accepted Masons, at Walnut Grove; he also belongs to the Modern Woodmen lodge at Cave Spring. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. South, at Pearl. Cass township. Personally, he is a well-educated, well-read gentleman, with correct views in all the relations of life.

Mr. Watson is especially proud of the time spent in the interest of the public schools of Greene county. He enjoys the distinction of being the oldest member, in point of service, of any school board in Greene count) He has always been a man to whom any deserving teacher could come for advice and sympathy, for, being an old teacher he has always known the needs and ambitions of those in this profession. As chairman of the school hoard he put his energy and zeal into the work and placed the Pearl district school at the head of the list of schools of Greene county, which position it held until he left the district and ceased giving his attention to the rural schools.

Although Mr. Watson paid more taxes than any other citizen of his school district he always advocated and voted for the constitutional limit for school purposes.

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