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� 2008, Mount Mora Burial Records |
| Record Last Updated On:
3/16/2016 |
| Name: JOHN T TOWNSEND |
| Death Date: APR/23/1919 |
Interment Date:
APR/25/1919 |
Birth Date: FEB/19/1837 |
| Age at Death: 82y2m4d |
Cause of Death:
CEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE |
| Location at Death:
St. Joseph, Missouri |
| Physical Location at Death:
1301 Ashland avenue |
| Sex: M |
Nativity: AMERICAN |
Ethnicity: CAUCASIAN |
| Occupation:MERCHANT RETAIL DRY GOODS |
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| Child of: John Townsend & Rebecca McElwain |
| Spouse of: Annie R.Banes Baker |
| Mother of: |
| Father of: Milton Banes Townsend, John Rogers Townsend, Sarah Davis Townsend |
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| Brief Biography: Son of John Townsend and Rebecca (McElwain) Townsend.
John Townsend. A man of sound judgment and excellent business qualifications, John Townsend, head of the Townsend & Wyatt Dry Goods Company at St. Joseph, is one of the leading merchants of that part of Buchanan county, and has contributed his full share in advancing the mercantile prosperity of the city in which he lives. He was born on a farm in McLean County, Illinois, a son of John Townsend, Sr., and grandson of Thomas Townsend. His great-grandfather, Peter Townsend, was, as far as known, a native of Maryland. After his marriage he lived for a few years in Virginia, from there moving with his family to Kentucky, thence to Ohio, where he settled in pioneer times.
Born in Maryland, Thomas Townsend accompanied his parents to Kentucky, and later to Ohio, where he began life for himself as a tiller of the soil, becoming owner of a farm lying two miles northwest of New Vienna, in Clinton County. His wife, whose maiden name was Sophia Truitt, survived him, and died in Greenfield, Indiana, at the venerable age of ninety-five years.
John Townsend, Sr., was born about 1806 in New Vienna, Clinton County, Ohio, and was there reared to agricultural pursuits. In 1838, thinking to improve his chances for acquiring wealth, he migrated to Illinois, making the journey with ox teams, and for five years was a resident of McLean Comity. In 1843 he again started westward, and with ox teams journeyed to Buchanan County, Missouri, where he became a pioneer settler. At that early day all of the land in this section of the country was owned by the Government, and for sale at $1.25 an acre. Securing a tract lying four miles east of St. Joseph, he erected a humble log cabin, which was the first home of the Townsend family in Missouri. After improving a portion of the land, he sold out, and bought land situated two miles south of St. Joseph. A few years later he sold that property, moved to Andrew County, where he purchased a farm and was there engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, in 1853, at a comparatively early age. He married Rebecca McElwain, who was born in Ohio, of Scotch ancestry. She survived him. and kept her family together until all were grown up and had homes of their own, her death occurring on the home farm, in Andrew County, at the age of sixty-six years, in 1876. She reared six sons, as follows: Moses, who died in Kansas; Thomas died on the home farm, which had come into his possession; George died in Kansas; John, the second son in succession of birth, is the subject of this brief sketch; Robert Edwin is a resident of St. Joseph; and Milton died at the age of sixteen years.
But an infant when brought by his parents to Missouri, John Townsend was reared among pioneer scenes, the log house which his father built on coming to Missouri having had a puncheon floor, and a chimney made of earth and sticks. There hjeing no stoves in those days his mother used to do all of her cooking by the open fireplace, and in addition to her other domestic duties used to card, spin and weave the homespun from which she fashioned clothes for her family and acquiring his early education in the old log sehoolhouse, with its slab benches, which had wooden pins for legs, with neither backs nor desks. In 1864, impelled by the restive American spirit that has led so many enterprising young men to seek new locations in the undeveloped lands of our great country, John Townsend gave up his position as clerk in the store of John and Isaac Card, where he bed obtained an insight into mercantile business, and started for Montana, making the trip with a mule team, and being 21/0 months en route. Taking up his residence in Virginia City, he opened a store, putting in groceries of all kinds, many of which sold at an exorbitant price, flour selling at times for $2.00 a pound. At the end of two years Mr. Townsend returned to St. Joseph with a team, arriving in November of that year, 1866. Immediately forming a partnership with Preston Lowell, he embarked in the dry goods business under the firm name of Townsend & Lowell. Mr. Townsend has ever since been continuously and successfully engaged in the same line of business, but under different firm names. The first change he made placed him at the head of the firm of Townsend & Wood; the name was later changed to the Bailey-Townsend Dry Goods Company, after being Townsend & Wyatt; then Townsend, Wyatt & Emery; and is now the Townsend & Wyatt Dry Goods Company.
In 1863 Mr. Townsend was united in marriage with Annie R. Banes, who was born in Ohio, a step-daughter of Col. John A. Dolman. Three children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Towusend, namely: Milton B. married Nadine West, and they have one child, Nadine; John R. married Mrs. Georgia (Scott) Carter, and they have one son, Scott; and Sarah D., wife of Lewis M. Smith, has four children, Brickley, Sarah, Lewis M., and John T. Religiously Mr. Townsend is a Presbyterian, and Mrs. Townsend is an Episcopalian.
A history of northwest Missouri, Volume 2 edited by Walter Williams |
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| Tombstone Material: N/A |
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Burial Number: 8689 |
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| Other Relatives in Plot: Annie R. Banes Baker Townsend, John Rogers Townsend |
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| Lot Location: NW1/2 1 |
| Block Location: 30 |
| Section/Range Location: A |
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| Cost of Interment: $7.00 |
Date Paid: 08/31/19 |
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