ard, Charles French, Robert W. Wells, Amos Rees, Thomas C. Burch, Peter H. Burnett, George W. Dunn, and others, but by none of them more zealously and efficiently than by the subject of this sketch. He was a brilliant and successful advocate, a fine judge of law, and never descended to even the slightest artifice to gain the advantage of an opposing brother lawyer. He was above all littleness, open, candid, ingenuous. He was the preceptor of three young men who afterward became able and prominent lawyers; one of them is now a circuit judge, and the biography of another, who lives in Richmond, appears in this volume. Aaron H. Conrow was ever the fast friend of education, and no man contributed more liberally than he, in proportion to his means, to the support of institutions of learning. He was ever a safe counselor in matters of moment relative to the town and community in which he lived. In 1860 he was elected to the state general assembly-a democrat worthy to be trusted. He was in the general assembly at the beginning of the war, and sided with the south. He was instrumental in recruiting and equipping the first company organized in Ray for the defense of what he believed to be right. He ranked as colonel in the Missouri state guards, a military organization he had helped to create by his vote in the general assembly. He was by a majority of his comrades elected to represent his district in the confederate congress, and in that capacity, as in all others, served with singular zeal and promptness. He was present at the first meeting and at the final adjournment of that body. At the close of the war the amnesty agreed upon did not extend to members of the confederate congress, and fearing that if he fell into the hands of the successful party his life would be taken, he went to Mexico, and soon after arriving in that country, he was brutally murdered by a band of Mexican soldiers, on or about the 25th of August, A. D. 1865.

JOHN R. HAMILTON.

John R. Hamilton was born September 2, 1856, in Ray county, Missouri. Received his education at the State University, Columbia, Missouri, graduating in the law department of that institution, in the class of 1879. Prior to attending the university he had read law three years with Hon. C. T. Garner, of Richmond. He was admitted to the practice of his profession in March, 1880. He is the son of Thomas Hamilton, a native of Kentucky, who moved to Ray county, in 1841. His mother, whose maiden name was Rebecca Shackelford, was a native of Clay county, Missouri. Mr. Hamilton is an exemplary young man, of exceptionally good character, and his close application and untiring energy will, it is believed, be duly rewarded.

JOHN W. SHOTWELL.

In

The subject of this sketch was born July 4, 1828, in Mason county, Kentucky. His father was Judge Jabez Shotwell, who was born in Kentucky, in 1791, and died in Ray county, Missouri, in 1871. He was for many years judge of the Ray county court; a highly honorable and useful citizen, who will long be kindly remembered by all who knew him, living. His mother was likewise a native of Kentucky, born in 1797, and died in 1852. In the fall of 1833 Mr. Shotwell moved with his parents to Lexington, Missouri, and in the fall of 1835, to Richmond, Ray county, where he now resides. Early in 1855 he began reading law, with Messrs. Oliver & Conrow, of Richmond, as his preceptors. He was admitted to the bar June 1, 1856. He is a successful lawyer, familiar with the different departments of his profession, and has been a close student. He enjoys an excellent reputation both as a lawyer and as a gentleman. In 1877 he associated with him in the practice, J. E. Ball, Esq.; the partners have a lucrative practice, as well as the confidence of the public. Mr. Shotwell was elected one of the directors of the Ray County Savings Bank, at its organization, and has been connected with it ever since. February, 1880, he was elected its vice president, a position he still retains. In the year last mentioned he, in connection with W. P. Hubbell and L. D. Priest, sunk a coal shaft near the railroad depot in the western part of the city, to the depth of one hundred feet. They employ, in operating this mine, about twenty men. The coal is of superior quality, the vein exhaustless, and the business exceedingly profitable. Mr. Shotwell accompanied General Price, as a soldier in the state guards, in Col. Reaves' regiment, to Camp Cowskin Prairie, and took part in the battles of Carthage and Wilson's Creek. February 14, 1861, he was married to Miss Julia E. Devlin, a native of Michigan. They have seven children living, five boys and two girls: Anna, John W., Joseph, Lizzie D., William M., Benjamin E. and Horace. Mr. Shotwell is a member of the Baptist Church, while his wife is a member of the M. E. Church South. They are exemplary Christians, and respected by the entire community in which they live. Mr. Shotwell is also a member of the Masonic fraternity and of the Knights of Honor.

THOMAS L. SHAW.

He was

Thomas L. Shaw is a native of Bedford county, Tennessee. born September 13, 1820. In May, 1836, he moved with his parents to Richmond, Ray county, Missouri, where he has ever since resided. Most of his life has been spent as a farmer. In 1850, he crossed the plains with ox teams, to California, returning in the winter of 1852 and '53. In 1868, he sold his farm and opened the stone quarry known as Carroll county

sand stone quarry, with which he is still connected as part owner. In 1879, he entered into the grain trade in Richmond, and to this business he has given most of his personal attention since that time. From 1870 to 1879 he was proprietor of the livery stable known as McCuistion's stable at present. He still owns the barn. Mr. Shaw was married March 9, 1842, to Jane H. Ewing, a native of Ray county. They had four children, two of whom, Alice B. and Florence M., are living. Joseph F. and an infant are deceased. His wife died April 7, 1849. He was again married in the winter of 1854, to Ann Summerville, a Virginian by birth. She died May 22, 1856; and he was a third time married October 9, 1859, to Martha W. Bowen, of Bedford county, Tennessee. The offspring of this union are two children, Ida J. and Charles C. His third wife died September 2, 1875; and December 23, 1878, Mary H. Morrow, of Richmond, became his fourth wife. Mr. Shaw was one of the pioneers of Ray county, having come to Richmond when there were but five or six log cabins in the town, and the country was sparsely settled. He is a reliable, upright and honorable citizen, and takes a lively interest in the growth and prosperity of his town and county. He is a member of the M. E. Church South.

ALEXANDER A. McCUISTION.

Captain Alexander A. McCuistion was born February 24, 1827, in Bedford county, Tennessee. When he was but three years of age his parents moved with him to Missouri, and settled in Ray county. His father, Thomas McCuistion, was born December 12, 1792; was a native of North Carolina, and died in Ray county, Missouri, March 7, 1880. His mother's maiden name was Nancy Jordan. She is a native of Tennessee, born December 12, 1802, and is living with her son, the subject of this sketch, in Richmond. In his early manhood, Captain McCuistion was in both farming and mercantile pursuits. In 1861, he enlisted as a soldier in the Confederate army, Captain J. K. McDowell's company, of Colonel B. A. Reaves' regiment. He participated in the battles of Pea Ridge and Corinth, after which he was transferred to the commissary department, as clerk therein, and remained in that service till the close of the war. When peace was restored he retured home to Ray county, and resumed farming, which he continued till 1874, when he was, on the democractic ticket, elected by the people clerk of the Ray county court. He took charge of the office January 1, 1875, and served four years. At the expiration of his term as county clerk, Captain McCuistion abandoned politics, and engaged in business in Richmond, as proprietor of a livery and feed stable, his present occupation. He is a member of the Christian Church, and also the Masonic fraternity. He was married September 16, 1852, to Miss Susanna S. Berry, of Kentucky. They have three children, all sons,

as follows: Augustus L., salesman in the store of J. C. Brown & Co., Richmond; Edward P., with his father in the livery business, and George H., deputy sheriff of Ray county. His wife, who was an estimable lady, died September 28, 1870. He was a second time married, August 28, 1875, to Mary E. Smith, a native of Ray county. She is a member of the. M. E. Church South, and an exemplary christian. They had one child, but it died in infancy. Captain McCuistion was Captain McCuistion was an honest and capable officer, and retired from his office universally esteemed. He is, likewise, an honorable and useful citizen.

NATHANIEL DAVIS, M. D.

Nathaniel Davis was born July 31, 1807, in Washington county, East Tennessee. When he was about five years old, his parents moved with him to Knox county, Tennessee, where he spent his youth and passed the threshold of manhood. At the age of twenty-two, he was entered a student in the University of East Tennessee, and graduated with honor, from that institution in 1832. After which he attended the famous Jefferson Medical College, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and in the spring of 1834, received his diploma of graduation therefrom. He then selected Ray county, Missouri, as the field of his future labors, and started for the "far west" to carve out his destiny. How well he has succeeded, let the affection of his neighbors, and the respect and the esteem in which he is held by the people of the entire county, together with his comfortable home and surroundings, bear testimony. His character is untainted, and his very name is the synonym of integrity, hospitality and charity. He has grown old; the frosts of many winters have settled on his head, and "full of years and of honor," he has retired from the practice of his profession to pass the remainder of his declining years in the quietude of his home, near the eastern limits of Richmond. He was an eminently successful practitioner, because he was skillful, prompt, and always reliable. In 1837, he was thrown from a horse, and by this accident his ankle was dislocated and broken, thereby permanently laming him. Dr. Davis was here through the exciting period of the "Mormon war," and was compelled to seek safety by leaving his home for a time. During the great civil war, however, he remained at home, and was not seriously molested. In the fall of the year 1837, Dr. Nathaniel Davis was united in marriage with Miss Mariah A. Allen, of Ray county. She was, however, a native of Virginia. They have had six children, two of whom are deceased. The living are as follows: James A., collector of Ray county; Margaret Ann, wife of Murray F. McDonald, a merchant of Richmond; Alice, widow of George Mason, deceased, late of Richmond, and Samuel B., deputy county collector. His wife died August 23, 1878. She was a

lady of cheerful disposition, and added to an exemplary Christian character, gentle manners and the graces of womanhood.

JAMES A. DAVIS.

James A. Davis, son of Nathaniel Davis, M. D., is a native of Ray county, Missouri, and was born November 27, 1837. He was educated at the Richmond College, Richmond, Missouri. In 1862 he engaged in the mercantile business in Richmond, in company with James F. Hudgins and Thomas H. Bayliss, and continued in that pursuit till November, 1864; at which time he withdrew from the firm, and went to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he remained one year, and then returned to Richmond, and resumed business, continuing about five years. He then engaged in farming, and after about three years became deputy county collector for Thos. B. Fowler, Esq., and subsequently for Mr. Fowler's successor, A. M. Fowler, Esq., acting as deputy altogether, five years. At the general election in November, 1878, he was elected, as a democrat, to the office of collector of Ray county, which office he now holds, having been re-elected in November, 1880. He is an excellent officer, serving the people with efficiency and fidelity; he enjoys their entire confidence, of which he has proven himself eminently worthy. He was married May 15, 1861, to Miss Mary Triplett, of Rappahannock county, Virginia. She was an intelligent, amiable lady, but died November 26, 1864. To this union one child, Carrie, now the wife of Frank Clark, Esq., of Ray county, was born. May 15, 1866, Mr. Davis was again married to Miss Alice M. Hughes, of Howard county, Missouri. She is an accomplished lady, of refined and captivating manners, and ingenuous disposition. They have five children, to-wit: Harry, Frank, Katy, Lucy, and Alice. Mr. Davis is a member of the Masonic fraternity, in good standing.

JAMES L. FARRIS.

James L. Farris was born in Williamsburg, Kentucky, May 7, 1833. At the age of three years his parents moved with him to near Dandridge, Jefferson county, Tennessee. He was entered a student at Burnsville (Anson county, North Carolina,) High School, at which institution he received his literary training. In 1855 he began the study of law with Colonel David Coleman as his preceptor. In 1856 he removed to Ray county, and engaged in teaching school, at the same time pursuing his law studies. He continued teaching till 1860, in which year he was admitted to the bar. In the spring of 1861 he joined the Confederate army, entering the service in the Missouri state guard, under General Sterling Price. He subsequently enlisted in the regular Confederate army, and for his devotion, gallantry and soldierly bearing was promoted to a captaincy of artillery, and commanded the second battery organized