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I B Forney, proprietor of
the I. B. Forney Ladies Ready to Wear
Clothing Store is one of
the successful merchants of Moberly and con-
ducts one of the leading
establishments of this section, dealing exclu-
siviley in ladies' ready to
wear garments. Mr. Forney has been engaged
in the mercantile business
in Moberly for over 40 years, and during that
time has built tip a
reputation which extends over a large scope of terri
tory and the name,
Forney, means the last word in style and quality.
I. B. Forney was born at
West Liberty, Ohio County, Va., March 14,
1861. He is a son of D. S.
Forney and Henrietta (Beatty) Forney. -The~.
mother was born in
Cambridge, Ohio, in 1836 and died in Moberly Mo.,
in 1872. D. S. Forney was
a native of Virginia, born in 1834. lIe came
to Moberly in 1867; prior
to that time he was a wool buyer in this section.
Here he engaged in the dry
goods business which he conducted for a
number of years. He was
one of the successful pioneer merchants of
Moberly and at the time of
his death in 1912, he was the oldest merchant
in this city. He lived to the
age of 78 years and his remains rest by the
side of his wife in Oakland
Cemetery.
D S. Dorney was a son of
Dr. D. S. Forney Sr., who was born in
Reistertown, Maryland,
and died in Burlington, Ia. lie was a highly
educated man and a
graduate of Yale, having received his (legree when
he was 21 years of age. He
practice(l medicine for 70 years. his first
wife bore the maiden name
of Buchanan an(l she was a niece ol President
James Buchanan. Their
marriage ceremony was perfoimed by Rev.
Alexander Campbell,
founder of the Christian church.
D S. Forney, father of I B.
Forney, was not only a successful
merchant, but took an
active part in the civic affairs of Moberly He
served three terms as
mayor of this city and during that period much
public improvement was
made, including a sewer system and water
works, as well as other
improvements.
I. B. Forney is one of the
following children born to his parents:
May Miller, deceased ; I.
B., the subject of this sketch.; Mrs. Etta Ditty,
deceased; and Frank B. a
merchant of Moberly.
I. B. Forney was
educated in the public schools of Moberly and was
brought up in the
mercantile business. He engaged in the dry goods
business for himself at
Moberly in 1894, at his present location. Here
he continued in the general
drygoods business until about 1918, when
he began to specialize in
ladies' ready to wear clothing and abandoned the
general drygoods business
and has buit up an extensive business in this
particular line. He is a
discriminating buyer and makes regular trips
to the eastern markets and
manufacturers to purchase his stock and study
the styles and the I. B.
Forney store can always be depended upon to
stand in the forefront in
style as well as quality.
The store is located at 400
Reed Street and is equipped with the most
modern fixtures. Mr.
Forney is the owner of the building, the first floor
which is occupied by his
business and the upper floors is rented for
office purposes.
Mr. Forney was united in
marriage Jan. 1, 1895 with Miss Ida Tredeman
of St. Louis, Mo., and two
daughters have been born to this union:
Henrietta and Irene, both
graduates of the Moberly High School.
Mr. Forney is a
progressive business man and stands high in the community |