CHAPTER XXVII - BIOGRAPHICAL (Part 88)
BIOGRAPHICAL
Robert Henry Holland, owner of the "Pecan Stock Farm," is one of the progressive farmers and stockmen of Honey Creek township. Mrs. Holland is a native of Kentucky. He was born in Logan County in 1865 and is a son of W. A., and Sarah M. (Browning) Holland, both natives of Logan County, Kentucky. They came to Henry County in 1876 and settled in Deepwater township, where they resided until 1896. W. A. Holland moved to Appleton City, and a few years later, settled on a farm near Ohio Post Office in St. Clair County, where he died.
To W. A. and Sarah M. (Browning) Holland were born the following children: Charles J., Deepwater township; Robert H., the subject of this sketch; G. E., Kansas City, Missouri; W. S., died in Los Angeles, California; Mrs. Laura J. Park, Greenville, Kentucky; Mrs. Virginia Bryson, Stewardsville, Missouri; S. T., Bellingham, Washington; J. T., lives in California; Homer D., Chinook, Montana. The mother of these children died in 1894 and the father was married again and two children were born to that marriage, Wilbur and Mabel, both living at Appleton City. W. A. Holland died May, 1913.
Robert H. Holland was about eleven years of age when he came to Henry County with his parents, and here he received the principal part of his education in the public schools, and spent his early life on the home farm. He has made farming and stock raising his life's occupation and has met with success. He has a good farm of two hundred forty acres and in recent years, has given much attention to stock improvement, and now has a small herd of registered white-face cattle, which are among the best strain of pure bloods to be found in the county. The "Pecan Stock Farm" is located three and one-half miles south of Hartwell in Honey Creek township. The place is well improved with good residence and other substantial farm buildings.
Mr. Holland was united in marriage in December, 1894, to Miss Gertrude Brown, a daughter of John D. and Louisa (Cecil) Brown, a sketch of whom appears in this volume. Mrs. Holland was born in Deepwater township. Her mother is deceased and her father now resides at Montrose, Missouri.
Mr. Holland is a Democrat and takes an active interest in local politics, being the present Democratic committeeman from Honey Creek township. He is a member of the township board and holds the office of treasurer. His fraternal affiliations are with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the time-honored Masonic Lodge. He holds membership in both these lodges at Clinton, Missouri. Mr. Holland is a progressive and energetic man who by his own unaided efforts has won a place in the community of which any man may be justly proud.
William Richard Dunn, a progressive farmer and stock man and a descendant of a pioneer fertility of White Oak township, was born in this township October 13, 1878. He is a son of Jasper and Anna (Taylor) Dunn, pioneers of Henry County. They were the parents of the following children: James Earl, lives in Kansas City, Missouri; William R., the subject of this sketch; Charles Clyde, Urich, Missouri; Florence Bell, now the wife of Samuel Mendenhall, Urich, Missouri.
William Richard Dunn is the owner of one of the ideal stock farms of Henry County, known as the "Sunny Slope Stock Farm," which is located in White Oak township about five miles southeast of Urich. This is not only a valuable farm from the standpoint of the value of the surface, but is richly underlaid with a vein of coal of workable commercial value. Although the coal under the Dunn farm has never been worked to any great extent, handsome offers in the way of royalties have been made by various operators. Mr. Dunn is extensively engaged in stock raising and makes a specialty of pure-bred Hereford white-face cattle. He is one of the successful cattle men of White Oak township, and is known far and wide for the high class stock raised on his place. He is the owner of a farm of five hundred twenty acres, which is well watered and possessed of all the natural advantages of an ideal stock farm. The home farm consists of three hundred sixty acres, most of which is valuable and productive farm land and ranks as one of the leading farms of Henry County.
Mr. Dunn was united in marriage March 4, 1903, to Miss Ora T. Gates, a daughter of William A. and Virginia Gates of Walker township. They were pioneer settlers of Henry County and now reside in Walker township. The father is seventy-seven years old, and the mother seventy-five. To Mr. and Mrs. Dunn have been born two sons, Charles Victor and William Richard, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Dunn are members of the Presbyterian Church and rank high among the leading people of their community. Mr. Dunn is strictly a twentieth century farmer and stockman and his place bespeaks his thrift and industry.
Fridolin, or Fritz, Oswald, a prosperous and progressive farmer of White Oak township, is a native of Switzerland. He was born July 9, 1862, and is a son of Caspar (born December 14, 1823; died 1894) and Barbara Oswald (born 1836, died 1893), both natives of Switzerland.
Fridolin Oswald was reared in his native land to the age of eighteen, immigrated to America in March, 1881, with his parents who, after spending a few weeks in Illinois, their father came to Henry County, arriving in April, 1881. The father bought the farm where Fridolin now lives, and after living on it about two years he removed to Montrose, where he died in 1894. His wife departed this life in 1893, and their remains rest side by side in the Catholic Cemetery at Montrose. They were the parents of the following children: C. J., Kit Carson, Colorado; Fridolin, the subject of this sketch; Barbara, married Joseph Wagner, Montrose, Missouri; Elizabeth and Carl, died in infancy, and Caroline died in 1895, aged eighteen years.
Fridolin Oswald was educated in his native land and after coming to this country he remained with his parents until he was twenty-one years of age. Since then, he has been engaged in fanning and stock raising on his own accord and now owns a valuable and productive farm of two hundred acres situate three miles southeast of Urich. The place is well improved, with a very good farm residence and two barns. He raises cattle and hogs on an extensive scale and is one of the successful stock men of Henry County.
Mr. Oswald was united in marriage July 28, 1884, with Miss Elizabeth Stapf, a daughter of Severin and Barbara Stapf. The father is a native of Bavaria, Germany, and the mother of Alsace-Lorraine. They came to America in the early fifties. Mrs. Oswald was born in Ohio. Severin Stapf was born in August, 1826, and died June 3, 1911. The mother was born August 13, 1838, and died April 13, 1893. Their remains were buried in the cemetery at Germantown, Missouri. They were the parents of the following children: Mary, married Henry Plume, Plainville, Kansas; Frank, died at the age of twenty-six years; Elizabeth, the wife of Fridolin Oswald, the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Barney Blomert, Walker township; Thomas, Germantown, Henry County; Minnie, married A. Vogle, Montrose, Missouri. To Fridolin Oswald and wife have been born the following children: Barbara, married Joe Mensterman, Urich, Missouri; Mary Elizabeth, born September 26, 1886, died November 28, 1886; Frances Elizabeth, born March 7, 1888, a nurse in St. John's Hospital at Salina, Kansas; Charles F., born December 8, 1889, now a soldier in the National Army at Camp Funston; John Joseph, born September 18, 1891, enlisted in the United States Army February 26, 1918, and is now a member of the 354th Infantry, 89th Division, in France; William, born August 6, 1893, who resides at home; Benjamin, born September 12, 1896, at home; Julia Minnie, born June 4, 1898, at home; Edmond Thomas, born January 12, 1901, at home.
The Oswald family are prominent in the community and Mr. Oswald is one of the substantial citizens of Henry County. Mr. Oswald and family are members of the Urich Mission of the Catholic Church. Robert Barth, a successful young farmer and stockman of White Oak township, and a member of one of the pioneer families of Henry County, is a native of this county. He was born in White Oak township November 28, 1892, and is a son of John and Saphrona (Rombold) Barth. A sketch of John Barth and further mention of the history of the Barth family appears in this volume.
Robert Barth was reared on the farm in White Oak township, and received his education in the district schools of Henry County. Farming and stock raising has been his occupation since boyhood, and he has a valuable farm of one hundred sixty acres, which is located about two and one-half miles southeast of Urich in White Oak township. This place was formerly known as the Henney place and is a well-improved farm and under a high state of cultivation. In addition to general farming, Mr. Barth is making a success of raising cattle and hogs.
On March 3, 1915, Mr. Barth was united in marriage with Miss Mabel Goodman, a daughter of Benjamin and Bessie (Harris) Goodman. The Goodman family came from Ohio in 1888, and settled in Henry County.
Mabel Barth is a native of Henry County, Missouri. Mr. and Mrs. Goodman now reside in White Oak township and the following children have been born to them: Mabel, wife of Robert Barth, the subject of this sketch; Myrtle, died at the age of two years; Georgia, Roy and Floyd reside at home with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Barth are well known in the community and popular with the young people of Henry County.
Edward W. Barth, a progressive young farmer and stockman of White Oak township, was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1892. He is the eldest son of John W. and Lena (Gretzinger) Barth, and a grandson of John Barth, a pioneer of White Oak township. A sketch of John Barth with more extended mention of the Barth family history appears in this volume.
Edward Barth attended school in the district school and later the Urich High School and then took a course in Central College at Fayette, Missouri. He then taught school for two years, when he engaged in farming, which he has since followed. He has a farm of eighty acres of valuable land, which is located three and one-half miles south of Urich in White Oak township. Since owning this place, Mr. Barth has made many improvements and now has one of the fine farms of western Henry County.
Mr. Barth was married September 11, 1916, to Miss Alma Bradley, a daughter of J. L. and Anna (Eaton) Bradley of Walker township, Henry County. Mrs. Barth was one of four children born to her parents as follows: William, resides at Towanda, Kansas; Mrs. Effie Mehlhop, Dexter, New Mexico; Alma, the wife of Edward Barth, the subject of this sketch, and Earl, who resides at home with his parents. To Mr. and Mrs. Barth has been born one child, Dorothy Mae, born December 21, 1917.
Mr. Barth is an industrious and hardworking young man and realizes that success is not an accident, and comes through diligence and honest toil. He is one of the young farmers and stockmen of Henry County who is making good.
John W. Barth, successful farmer and stockman of Walker township, and a leader in his section of the county in both civic and political movements, is a native son of Henry County. Mr. Barth was born near Zoar Station, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, in 1866, and is the eldest son of John and Mary Lebold Barth, earlier pioneer settlers of Henry County. A complete biography of John Barth appears elsewhere in this volume.
John Barth became one of Henry County's most successful and influential citizens, owner of a large tract of land, and was widely and favorably known throughout the county.
John W. Barth accompanied his parents to Henry County in childhood and was here reared to manhood and educated in the district school of his home neighborhood in White Oak township. He began during his boyhood days to "follow the plow" and learned the vocation of agriculturist and stockman from his capable father. He received as his share of the Lebold estate, a tract of ninety-six acres, which was one-fifth of 487 acres which had been given to John and Mary Lebold Barth by the father of Mrs. Barth, who had invested in this land prior to the advent of the Barths in western Missouri. Mr. Barth improved this tract, which is located in Walker township and has added to his holdings until he now owns a total of two hundred and forty acres. He is extensively engaged in stock raising and is recognized as one of the successful citizens of Henry County.
In 1891, John W. Barth and Miss Lena Gretzinger were united in marriage. This marriage has been blessed with the following children: Edward W., born December 5, 1892, residing on a farm in White Oak township; Amelia H., born April 7, 1894, and died in 1905; Mary M., born March 9, 1897; Clarence C, born June 11, 1899. Mrs. Lena (Gretzinger) Barth was born near Zoar Station, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, in 1866, and is the daughter of Jacob and Magdalena Gretzinger, who spent all of their days in Ohio.
In addition to his farming interests, Mr. Barth is president of the Farmers' Bank of Urich, Missouri, and is active in public affairs. He is a Democrat and is leader in his township of all movements furthering America's cause in the World War. He is serving as bond sales director in Walker township. He and Mrs. Barth and the members of his family are affiliated with the White Oak Methodist Episcopal Church.
