HOWARD COUNTY MISSOURI
Boone's Lick Township

REV. WILLIAM H. ROBERTSON pg. 538 Rev. ROBERTSON was
 ordained a minister August 24, 1879, at Rose Hill, in Howard 
county, since which he has led an active and useful life in his 
sacred calling. Not only to the pulpit but to Sabbath schools, to 
temperance work, and to every duty that an earnest and faithful 
minister should perform, he devotes himself with great zeal and 
energy. He was one of a family of nine children, seven of whom 
are still living, born to Solomon and Eliza (NELSON) ROBERTSON, 
the father a native of Indiana, and the mother of Kentucky. Both 
parents reside in this county, with whom Rev. William ROBERTSON 
now lives. He was born in Paris, Kentucky, February 19, 1838, and 
there learned the blacksmith trade, which he made his permanent 
occupation. But like Bunyan, feeling that he was called upon to 
devote himself to the ministry, he studied the Scriptures with great 
earnestness, and qualified himself for the work he had to do. 
Besides his church work he also has a neat farm, substantially 
improved, which he manages with success, and on which his 
parents now live. He has been twice married. His first wife, 
formerly Miss Nannie E. ALLEN, of Clark county, Kentucky, died 
March 18, 1860. August 27, 1863, he was married to Miss Sarah H., 
sister to his former wife. Of this union there are two children: 
Willie A. and Charlie L. His last wife died February 26, 1874. 

DAVID T. ROBERTSON pg. 538Farmer. Mr. Robertson is a native of 
Bourbon county, Kentucky, born December 16, 1844, whence he 
removed to this state. He started out in life without a dollar, 
and, by industry and economy, he has saved up enough from his 
hard earnings, besides making a good comfortable living for 
himself and family, to buy an excellent tract of land, which he is 
now improving in a substantial manner. He was married to Miss 
Anna QUICK, of Cooper county, Missouri, April 2,1876, but she 
died October 13, 1879, leaving one child, Ula B. About two years
afterwards, August 25, 1881, he was married a second time, Miss 
Ruhanah SHIPP, of this county, then becoming his wife. They have 
one daughter, Iola. Mr. R. is a democrat, and his wife is a member
of the Christian church.

Burton Township

. JEFFERSON C. ROBERTSON,originally from Randolph county, 
Missouri, was born March 5, 1849. His father, Hiram ROBERTSON
 (who died in December, 1880), was a Virginian by birth, and took 
for his wife Miss Sidney WAYLAND, a daughter of Henry and Ara 
WAYLAND. By this marriage there were nine children, of whom 
five are living. Jefferson C., the third in the family, was married 
in February 1876, to Miss May E. RUCKER, a daughter of Joseph 
and Eliza RUCKER. They have had four children, of whom Sidney I., 
Francis E., and Charles J. are living, and an infant is deceased. Mr. 
RANDOLPH is the possessor of 279 acres of fine land, improved and
 watered, and within two and a half miles of Yatesville. Politically he 
is independent.
(note from transcriber: this is exactly as written in the book 
although I believe they meant Mr. ROBERTSON and not Mr. RANDOLPH 
as above..Linda)

Chariton Township
. ROBERTSON MOORE.Mr. Moore is a venerable and honorable 
landmark of the pioneer days of this section of the country, one 
that the present nor succeeding generation cannot afford to forget. 
His name figures prominently in the history of the "Boone's Lick" 
country, both in business and public affairs. Away back in the thirties 
he was connected with the mercantile interests of Old Chariton, and 
afterwards ran on the river for a number of years; was subsequently 
sheriff of Chariton county and then representative of the county in 
the legislature. In fact, the history of these early times could not be 
written without prominent mention of his name. He was born in 
Christian county, Kentucky, January 23d, 1812, and was one of 
three children born in that state to John and Rebecca Moore, his 
father coming originally from North Carolina, and his mother, whose 
maiden name was Robertson, having been born in Tennessee, but 
with parents came to Kentucky early in life, and after spending several 
years of their married life in that state, came to Missouri in 1817, and 
settled in Old Chariton. John Moore owned a number of slaves, and 
by their labor carried on the blacksmithing business; he also did farming. 
Subsequently he became sheriff of Chariton county, a position his son 
held a number of years afterwards, and was one of the prominent men 
of the county. Robertson, his son, and the subject of this sketch, was 
but five years old when his parents came to Old Chariton, and hence 
he was brought up in that place. In early life he obtained the best 
education he could iii the local schools and by study at home. Afterwards, 
and several years before reaching manhood, he became clerk for James 
Glasgow, in Old Chariton, a position he filled for a number of years. 
At the age of twenty- five, in 1837, he began clerking On a steamboat 
on the river, and ran the Mississippi and Missouri for eight years, 
becoming widely known as the best and most popular clerk in the 
steamboat service. Then quitting the river on account of his father's 
sickness he engaged in farming and now owns two farms iii Chariton 
county, containing 400 acres, well improved. After the close of the war 
he engaged in merchandising in Glasgow. His terms of sheriff extended 
from 1846 to 1850, and from 1854 to 1858, after which he was elected
to the legislature and served two years in that body. Twice he has taken 
the census for the government in Chariton county, and has held other
positions of trust. He was married on the 30th day of June, 1844, to Miss 
Clarinda G. Maddox, a native of Kentucky. She died June 30th, 1865, 
leaving him one child, John S., with whom he now lives and who is 
engaged in the livery business in Glasgow. 

. RICHARD M. ROBERTSON,farmer. Mr. Robertson's father, James 
Robertson, was a native of Ireland, but came to this country early in 
life, and for a time lived in Kentucky. From there he came to Howard 
county, and here, in March, 1828, married Miss Hannah Wilson, 
Richard M. being one of a family of seven children flow living of this 
union, viz., William H., John F., Jasper, Richard M., Mary and Robert. 
The father was a farmer by occupation, which he followed from his 
first settlement in this county until his death, in 1851. His wife still 
survives him, and now makes her home with her son, Richard M., 
the subject of this sketch. Richard M. was born in this county February 
11, 1842, and was reared here on his father's farm, which occupation 
he adopted and has continued in thus far through life. He obtained a 
good ordinary education in the common schools, which has served 
him for all practical purposes in farm life. When nineteen years of age, 
in 1861, he enlisted in the Missouri state guards, raised under Governor 
Jackson's call for the defence of the state against threatened invasion, 
in which he served six months, and then enlisted in the regular Confederate 
service and followed the ill-starred banner of the south through four years 
of hardships and dangers until it was furled to be unfurled no more. In 
1871, on the 13th of December, he was married to Miss Georgia Gibbs,
daughter of Stephen Gibbs, formerly of Virginia, now deceased. They 
have two children, Bernice and Alice. Both parents are members of the 
Christian church. Mrs. Robertson's mother, formerly Miss Martha Milton, 
was originally from Kentucky, but Mrs. R. herself was born in this county; 
and Mrs. James Robertson, the mother of Richard M., was also a native 
of that state, having been born in Bath county, Kentucky, October 28, 1811. 
She came to Howard county with her parents when about nine years of 
age. Mr. R. has a neat farm of 140 acres.

Moniteau Township

. HUMPRHEY ROBINSON WALKER,farmer, section 10. Mr. WALKER, 
son of Hon. John WALKER, now stateauditor of Missouri, and grandson 
of Federal WALKER, deceased, for overhalf a century one of the first 
farmers and most prominent citizens of Howard county, is a young 
man whose career, thus far, and whosecharacter give every promise 
that his future, both as a farmer andcitizen, will fulfill the expectations 
his antecedents and opportunitiesjustly inspire. He was born on the 
19th of September 1853, on a part ofthe old ROBINSON homestead, 
upon which he now lives. His mother,previous to her marriage a Miss 
Eliza ROBINSON, was a daughter of JaredROBINSON, now deceased, 
for many years a leading farmer and an influential citizen of the county. 
Of this family there are two besidesMrs. WALKER; a sister, Nannie May, 
and a brother, Jared, Jr. The sisteris now the wife of Wm. PAYNE; the 
brother, a graduate from theAgricultural college of Columbia, Missouri, 
is now a successful farmerof the county. Humphrey R. WALKER was
 reared on the farm, and in earlyyouth attended the ordinary schools 
of the neighborhood. Subsequently,after a through preparatory course, 
he entered the State University ofColumbia, in which he continued as a 
student for two years, but wascalled away before graduating, to enter 
upon the duties of the farm.Since then he has been interested in the 
management of the place, whichcontains nearly 400 acres of land, and 
in the discharge of these dutieshe has shown, by the success he has 
had, that he possesses all thequalities, to a marked degree, necessary 
to a progressive, enterprisingand thrifty farmer. Since 1874 he and his 
brother have been farmingtogether. Mr. WALKER is destined to become 
a useful and prominent citizen.

Richmond Township

pg. 387 & 388 ISAAC N. HOUCK. Mr. HOUCK is the proprietor and 
editor of the Missouri Independent, one of the most substantial and 
best edited county papers in central Missouri. Like most successful 
newspaper men, he is what may not improperly be called a self-made 
man. He commenced in the newspaper business at the bottom of the 
ladder, first learning to set type when a mere boy. From there he has 
come steadily up, notwithstanding the set-backs experienced during 
the war and other misfortunes, until now he occupies a practically 
independent position in his business. Isaac Newton HOUCK was 
born in Palmyra, Missouri, October 2, 1834. His father, Devault 
HOUCK, was a native of Ohio, and his mother, whose maiden name 
was Mary HAWKINS, was born in West Virginia. His parents came to 
Missouri in an early day and settled in Palmyra, where Isaac N., as 
stated above, was born. From Palmyra they went to Van Buren, Arkansas, 
and there the subject of the sketch was principally reared and educated. 
When quite a youth he commenced to learn the printer's trade, which 
became his regular occupation, and with this and his books in school 
and at home, his boyhood days were closely and profitably occupied. 
In 1856, then in his twenty-second year, he came to Missouri and 
worked in his brother's office until his death, in June of 1857. He then 
foremanized the Statesman for Colonel Switzler, in Boone county, for
nearly one year. He afterwards returned to Van Buren. However, he 
remained in Arkansas but one year after his return and then again 
came to Missouri, this time to Fayette. He followed his occupation 
here until 1860, when he purchased the Howard county Banner and 
became the publisher and editor of that paper. In this he continued 
through the three most exciting and perilous years of the war, and 
until 1864, when his office was destroyed by Federal soldiery. After 
the close of the war, in 1865, he reorganized the Banner office and 
General John B. CLARK became his partner, but one year later he 
sold out to General CLARK and went to Rocheport, Missouri, where 
he became identified with the Times of that place. Subsequently he 
went to Cooper county and started the Booneville Democrat, and 
afterwards, in 1879, returned to Howard county and established the
Missouri Independent, which he has since published. In 1857, Mr. 
HOUCK was united in marriage to Miss Susan McClanahan, daughter
of Wm. ROBINSON and niece of the late Gerard ROBINSON, of Howard 
county Missouri. They have three children, Minnie A., Jennie S., wife 
of Joseph FORBIS, and William R. Mr. HOUCK is a strong independent 
thinker and writer, and as an editor he strives faithfully to keep the people
informed in all matters of public concern, regardless of fear or favor from
any quarter.

SOURCE: History of Howard and Cooper Counties, St. Louis: 
National Historical Company, 1883, (Franklin township, pp. 486-529.)