F. M. Ferree

As printed in 1881

F. M. FERREE.

F. M. Ferree was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, in the year 1821, and lived in that vicinity until he was nineteen years old. His parents died when he was very young, and he was thrown upon his own resources, in the world alone. At the age of thirteen years he began to learn the carpenter's and joiner's trade, and, after finishing his apprenticeship, followed that avocation for about twenty-one years, and during the last fifteen years of that time, carried on the business quite extensively. In 1843 he went to Wayne county, Ohio, and spent about a year; then to Tippecanoe county Indiana, where he lived about the same length of time. From Indiana he removed to Monroe county, Michigan, and lived there for the space of twenty years. In the spring of 1865, he moved from Michigan to Seneca county, Ohio, and lived there until 1867, when he came to Ray county, Missouri, and located at Morton. After remaining at Morton for four years, he removed to Russellville, and lived there during the same period of time as at Morton. In the month of December, 1874, he moved to his present location, section 16, township 53, range 26, where he has about eighty acres of fine farming land, nearly all in cultivation and unusually well fenced. This farm is abundantly watered, having seven good wells, besides running streams all the year. Mr. Ferree has a comfortable house, a very convenient and large barn, an orchard of choice fruit trees, and a vineyard. He owns, beside this home place, 190 acres of land, of which 160 acres are in cultivation. Mr. Ferree takes great interest in bees, and has a large, handsome apiary, well filled with hives. He is thoroughly acquainted with the business of handling bees, having been engaged at it for thirty years. Some of his hives yield more than one hundred pounds of honey in one season. He learned the wagon making and blacksmithing trade, in 1859, and conducted a business of that kind until two years ago. Mr. Ferree was married in the year 1848, to Miss Deborah A. Watkins, a native of the state of New York. They became the parents of nine children, seven of whom are now living: Boyd W., Mary A., James E., Hall, Milton T., Guy and Anna; one son, and an infant daughter are dead. Mr. Ferree is a worthy member of Myrtle Lodge, of A. F. & A. M., at Millville. He is a successful, prosperous farmer, and a good citizen.

As printed in History of Ray County, Mo. (1881). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.