In the books' own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. The later printing (1902) is folded below the first. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
Born 1855
From A memorial and biographical record of Kansas City and Jackson County Mo. .. (1896), Political history of Jackson County: Biographical sketches of men who have helped to make it (1902)
AMES L. PHELPS, deputy county clerk, Independence, Missouri, dates his birth in the neighboring state of Illinois. He was born in Ottawa, LaSalle county, January i, 1855, ninth in the family of eleven children, — five sons and six daughters, — of B. T. and Margaret (Reynolds) Phelps. B. T. Phelps was of Virginia birth, born in Bedford county in 1810, while his wife was born in Kentucky. In 1882 he came with his family to Independence, Missouri, and here passed the closing years of his life and died, his death occurring June 1, 1895. Mrs. Phelps sur gives him and still makes her home in this city.
James L. Phelps was reared and educated in Ottawa and is a graduate of the high school of that place with the class of 1874. After completing his high-school course he took up the study of law, and in 1878 was admitted to the bar. From that time until 1885 he made his home in Arkansas and Kansas, practicing law in Newport, Arkansas, and Atchison, Kansas, and in the last named year removed to Independence, Missouri. Here he was for a time employed by different abstract and loan firms, gained a wide acquaintance and soon be came a favorite among the people with whom he had dealings. In January, 1889, he was appointed marshal of the court of appeals in Kansas City, which position he ably filled until January, 1895, and since then has been chief deputy in the office of the county clerk at Independence.
Mr. Phelps was married in Independence, August 7, 1883, to Miss Nellie Gregg, a native of Jackson county, Missouri, and a daughter of Samuel and Maria (Bryant) Gregg, now residents of Independence.
All his life Mr. Phelps has taken a deep and enthusiastic interest in political affairs, always affiliating with the democratic party. While a resident of Atchison he was elected to the office of justice of the peace, which he filled most acceptably; and indeed all his services in the various positions which he has occupied have ever been characterized by fidelity and efficiency. He has been a member of the Christian church since 1889, and since 1892 has been a deacon in the church.
As printed in A memorial and biographical record of Kansas City and Jackson County Mo. .. (1896). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
JAMES L. PHELPS,
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In 1893 Mr. Phelps married, at Independence, Miss Nellie Gregg, the daughter of Samuel and Maria Bryant Gregg. The Gregg and Bryant families moved to Jackson County from Kentucky fifty-five years ago.
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tarred and feathered and ordered to leave the country at once. On July 23, several hundred citizens assembled for the purpose of expelling the Mormons by force. The Mormons were pretty thoroughly cowed and they agreed to leave by the following April.
In the meantime they appealed for protection to Governor Dunklin, who, upon the advice of Attorney- General R. W. Wells, advised them to stay and appeal to the courts for redress. Legal action was commenced against the ring-leaders of the anti-Mormon mob and eminent lawyers were employed to pi'osecute them.
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Vithin the next twelve months their leaders appealed to the Governor-, State Legislature, and the courts of Missouri, as well as to the President of the United States, to reinstate them in their homes, but their efforts proved fruitless. The seized Mormon lands were paid for, but no Mormon was allowed to set foot in Jackson County.
The Mormon settlements in Kay, Carroll, Caldwell and Daviess counties led to the "Mormon war" a few years later, which resulted in the Mormons being driven from the State.
There is now in Jackson County a body of Mormons calling themselves, "Latter Day Saints." They are a branch of the lieorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, of which Joseph Smith, Jr., eldest son of Joseph Smith, was the president. The headquarters of this Church is at Piano, Kendall County, Illinois. This Church has over 400 congregations in the principal cities of the country. They are opposed to polygamy and keep missionaries actively at work in Utah, seeking to convert the Brigham Young Mormons from that doctrine.
As printed in Political history of Jackson County: Biographical sketches of men who have helped to make it (1902). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
The printed record stops around 1896. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.