McGaugh was married to Miss Nancy C. Coffer, daughter of William and Miranda Coffer, natives of North Carolina. Mrs. McGaugh was born in the year 1849, in North Carolina. Three children, now living, have been the result of this union: Ida M., born October 26, 1867; Lottie Lee, born April, 1873; Homer H., born April, 1877. Mr. McGaugh is now engaged very successfully in business, at the town of Orrick.

LEWIS H. WOOD.

Lewis H. Wood is a native of Albemarle county, Virginia, and was born December 25, 1832. He is the son of Henry and Rutha Wood, also natives of the state of Virginia. At the age of eighteen years, our subject went to California, and remained there during five years, engaged in mining. He then returned to his home in Virginia, but remaining there only a short time, emigrated to Missouri. He first stopped for about a year in Jackson county, and then came to Ray county, in 1857, and has ever since made his home here, though he has often been in Kansas and other states while working at his tråde, which is that of a plasterer. Mr. Wood was married May 10, 1859, to Miss E. L. Rothrick, daughter of Alexander and Ellen Rothrick, natives of the state of New York. and Mrs. Wood have six children: Mamie, born March 7, 1860; William L., born April 9, 1862; Lilly P., born June 2, 1871; Andrew B., born April 15, 18-, Effie born May 14, 1876, Emmett, born January 16, 1881; Mr. Wood is an excellent plasterer and his services are much in demand.

RIAL CREASON.

Mr.

Rial Creason was born in Ray county, Missouri, on the 3d day of March, 1835. His parents were Willaim and Mary Creason. His father was a native of Kentucky, and his mother of the state of Tennessee. The family emigrated to this county at an early day, and were compelled, by fear of Indians, to live in a block house on first coming. Our subject was married on the 31st day of August, 1854, to Miss Mary D. Hall, by Reverend T. N. O'Brien, of the Baptist Church. Mrs. Creason was born in Ray county, March 29, 1839. Her parents were T. and Zilpha Hall, natives of North Carolina, who came to this county about the year 1833. Mr. and Mrs. Creason became the parents of thirteen children, all but four of whom are now living: Martha E., born February 28, 1827; Cyrus W., born May 15, 1858; Thomas W., born February 3, 1863; Sarah F., born January 3, 1865; Meda, born February 10, 1866; Wiley B., born September 15, 1869; Robert E., born June 11, 1871; Daisy, born June 15, 1875; Lena, born December 27, 1877; Emma, born April 3, 1860, and died in the fall of 1862; Susie, born April 5, 1865, and died in 1866; Furney, born in 1867, and died in 1868; Rosa, born May 16, 1872, and died in October, 1874. Mr. Creason has served seven years as justice of the peace, and is

at present occupying that office. He owns about six hundred acres of Ray county's best bottom land, and is a successful and prosperous farmer and a good citizen. He is treasurer of Albany Grange, No. 520, P. of H., and a leading member of Ada Lodge, No. 444, A. F. & A. M., at Albany.

OSCAR MASON.

Oscar Mason was born in Ray county, Missouri, October 13, 1852. He is the son of John and Mary H. Mason. His father was born in Kentucky, and his mother in Mississippi. His opportunities for education were very limited, on account of the war, but he made the best use he could of such time as he spent at school, and has a fair common school education. He began farming for himself at the age of seventeen years and continued in that business in this county for about three years, and then went to Texas, where he engaged in herding cattle for two years and then returned to this county. He then engaged as clerk for one year in the dry goods store of Dorton & Pigg, since which time he has been engaged at Orrick, in business for himself.

DANIEL H. TUCKER, SEN.

Daniel H. Tucker, Sen., was born in Marion county, Kentucky, October 21, 1816. His parents removed to Ray county, Missouri, in the spring of 1835, and our subject has ever since lived here. He was married, November 10, 1836, to Miss Milly Ellioth, daughter of John and Susanna Ellioth, natives of North Carolina. She was born November 21, 1820, in Ray county. They have eleven children living: Mary E., James L., Martha, Sarena, Benjamin F., Milly, Andrew E., Daniel H., Eliza, Sallie, William. Susannah, Kitty A. and John E. are dead. Ten of these are now married, and nine of them living near their father. (Mary E. lives in Cedar county, Missouri). Mr. Tucker owns two hundred acres of excellent land in Fishing River bottom and is a well-to-do farmer, and a respected member of the community. He belongs to Ada Lodge, No. 444, A. F. & A. M., at Albany.

JOHN BOGART.

John Bogart is a native of Ray county, Missouri, and was born on the 24th day of April, 1825. His father, Alexander Bogart, was a native of Tennessee, and his mother, Mary, was born in Indiana. They emigrated to this county in the year 1819, and settled near where our subject now resides. John Bogart was married September 7, 1845, to Miss Elizabeth A. Hogue, daughter of James and Elizabeth Hogue, natives of South Carolina, who came to this county about the year 1838. Mrs. Bogart was born in South Carolina, November 10, 1827. The issue of this

marriage was ten children, six of whom are yet living: Alexander, born October 6, 1846; Elizabeth, born August 20, 1849; Janette, born June 6, 1853; James W., born November 21, 1855; Sarah C., born March 15, 1858; John R., born January 15, 1868; Mary Jane, born September 2, 1848, died October 4, 1848; Nancy, born November 7, 1851, died July 27, 1852; Mary E., born April 12, 1863, died May 8, 1864. Mr. Bogart served as justice of the peace for ten years. He is a prosperous farmer and a good citizen.

JAMES L. TUCKER.

James L. Tucker was born in Ray county, Missouri, April 17, 1843. His parents were Daniel H. and Milly Tucker, natives of the state of North Carolina. At the commencement of the civil war, Mr. Tucker enlisted in the home guard militia, and served for about six months, when he joined company B, 3d Missouri cavalry, under Captain A. Allen, and served for three years. He participated in the battles of Springfield, Monia, Cane Hill, and Neosho. At the close of the war he returned to Ray county, and went from here to Dakota territory as a teamster; was gone about a year. Soon after his return here from Dakota he was married May 29, 1866, to Miss Sarah S. Wholf, daughter of John Wholf, a native of Ohio. She was born in Ray county, Missouri, September 22, 1843. In the year 1870, Mr. Tucker located on the southeast quarter of section six, town fifty-one, range twenty-nine, where he has since resided. He owns eighty acres of excellent, well-improved land, and is prospering well. Mr. and Mrs. Tucker have four children living, and three dead: Hannah, born August 7, 1868; Milly, born October 30, 1869; Michael W., born September 7, 1874; Fannie L., born October 28, 1880; Kitty A., born April 30, 1871; died Sepember 15, 1872; Daniel H., born December 14, 1872; died October 10, 1873; Mary E., born October 2, 1876; died October 29, 1879. Mr. Tucker is a good citizen, and highly esteemed by his neighbors.

JAMES BUIST.

James Buist was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, April 21, 1835. His parents, David and Robino Buist, were also natives of Scotland. His parents both died when James was quite young, and he lived in the family of his uncle until he was eighteen years of age, when he began to earn his own livelihood. When nineteen years old our subject emigrated to America, landing at New York on the 15th day of May, 1857. He went to Philadelphia and remained there until 1860, and then came to Missouri, locating first in Clay county, for a short time, and then coming to Ray where he has since had his home. Frem 1862, to 1863, Mr. Buist was a teamster in government employ, connected with a supply train. He was married May 16,

1865, to Miss Margaret E. Smith, daughter of Philip and Jane Smith. Her father was born in the north of Ireland, and her mother in Missouri. She was born in Platte county Missouri, June 26, 1849. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Buist: David, born in December, 1867; William, born December 13, 1869; Mary, born November 4, 1873. Mrs. Buist died February 16, 1877, and Mr. Buist was married again, June 7, 1878, to Mrs. Mary E. Harris. They became the parents of one child, Annie, born in May, 1879. Mr. Buist lived unhappily with his second wife, and they are now separated by divorce. He is a well-to-do farmer, and a valuable citizen.

S. A. PAXTON, M. D.

Dr. S. A. Paxton was born April 24, 1847, in Lincoln county, Kentucky. His parents were William and Matilda J. Paxton. His father was born in 1808, and his mother in 1818. When our subject was quite young, his parents removed to Missouri, stopping, for a time, in Pike county, and then went to Montgomery county, and, in the year 1868, came to Ray county. Remaining here but a short time, they went to Colorado, thence to Texas, and various other localities, finally returning here to settle permanently. Dr. Paxton graduated from the McDowell Medical College, at St. Louis, in February, 1877, and has since been engaged, very successfully, in the practice of his profession. He is now located at the town of Orrick, and is a popular rising young physician, and a leading citizen of the town.

SAMUEL TARWATER.

Samuel Tarwater was born in Tennessee in the year 1806. His parents removed to Ray county, Missouri, in the autumn of 1816, and settled among the Pottawattamie Indians, who then dwelt in this county. They endured all the privations and hardships incident to pioneer life. Our subject remained at home with his parents until he was eighteen years of age and then began working for himself. He was married in the year 1824, to Miss Polly Broadhurst, by Rev. W. Turnadge. They lived happily together for a quarter of a century, and then Mrs. Tarwater died, and in 1852, Mr. Tarwater was again married to Mrs. Elizabeth Orphet. After seventeen years of wedded life, she, too, died. Mr. Tarwater was married the third time in 1869, to Miss Sarah E. Mills. She lived only about two years after her marriage, and Mr. Tarwater was left alone by death the third time. His fourth marriage was with Mrs. Malinda E. Brown. She died two years after her marriage and our subject was for the fifth time married May 15, 1881, to Mrs. Mary A. Scott, the daughter of Thomas and Psyche Keeny. Her father was a native of North Carolina and her mother of Tennessee. Mrs. Tarwater was born March 20, 1831, in this county. Mr. Tarwater is the father of nine children by his

first marriage, seven by the second and one by the third marriage. Of these, only three of his first wife's and three of his second wife's children and the one of the third wife are now living. Mr. Tarwater is one of the oldest and best citizens of Ray county. As early as the age of eighteen years he engaged in numerous skirmishes with roving bands of hostile Indians, who, not infrequently raided the settlements for purposes of theft or murder. He was also engaged in the Heatherly and the Mormon wars. In a fight with Mormons on Crooked river, two of them attacked him at once with corn knives and nearly cut him to pieces. He received a terrible gash in the skull, through which the brain was plainly visible, was cut about the throat and one terrible blow across the face severed the jaw bone and destroyed all the upper teeth. From the effects of these wounds, Mr. Tarwater was compelled to keep his bed nearly six months and has never, entirely recovered, for the wound on his head affected his memory and the injury to his mouth caused an impediment in his speech. Samuel Tarwater, now venerable with nearly four score years, has been closely identified with and assisted in the progress of Ray county from an almost primeval wilderness to her present proud position of wealth and population in the front ranks of the sisterhood of counties that go to make up the grand old commonwealth of Missouri.

CYRUS D. GANT.

Cyrus D. Gant was born in Ray county, Missouri, September 10, 1839. He is the son of Joshua A. Gant, a native of North Carolina. At the age of twenty years, he began to work for himself, and was, September 17, 1866, married to Miss Ella M. Hughes, daughter of John and Deborah Hughes, natives of Kentucky. They have six children: William, born September 2, 1867; James N., born November 17, 1868; Leila, born March 1, 1874; Ora L., born January 10, 1876; Maud, born September 3, 1878; Ella, born March 13, 1881. When the civil war commenced, Mr. Gaut enlisted in company C, Third Missouri Confederate cavalry and served with that regiment for six months, and was then transferred to the Third Missouri infantry, in which he served throughout the remainder of the war. He participated in the battles of Lexington, Pea Ridge, first and second Iuka, Corinth, Vicksburg, Grand Gulf, Black River, Atlanta, Kenesaw and Franklin or Stone River. At the last named battle he was wounded five times, and being left on the field, fell into the hands of the Union troops. He was kept at Franklin two months and was then sent to the hospital at Nashville, where he remained about the same length of time. He was released at Camp Chase in Ohio the same day that President Lincoln was assassinated. He walked to St. Louis, and there meeting a friend who kindly furnished him with the necessary means he was enabled to take passage on the steamboat up the river and