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James Sandison, a pioneer
of Moberly who for many years was en-
gaged in contracting, is
now living retired at his comfortable and pleasant
home at 902 West Gilman
street, Moberly, Mo. Mr. Sandison was born at
New Mills of Keith,
Scotland, Dec. 29, 1843. He is a son of William and
Jean (Dasson) Sandison,
both natives of Scotland, the former being born
near the New Mills of
Keith and the latter on the River Donn. The father
was a stone mason. The
mother came to America when she was 52 years
of age and settled near
Huntsville, Mo. She spent the remainder of her
life in Randolph County
and died at the age of 92 years and her remains
are buried at Huntsville.
The following children
were born to William and Jean (Dasson)
Sandison: William, died
at Huntsville, Mo.; Mrs. Annie Simpson. Hunts
ville, Mo.; James, the
subject of this sketch; Arthur, deceased; Charles,
deceased; Mrs. Mary
Murray, Paducah, Ky.; Christena Bohn, Huntsville;
Jean, deceased; and two
of the family, Jack and Helen, remained in Scot-
land.
Since coming to Randolph
County, James Sandison has seen this sec-
tion of the country
developed almost from the beginning. When he came
to Randolph County there
were only three houses on the present site of
the city of Moberly. Since
early manhood, Mr. Sandison has been engaged
in construction work and
similar industrial enterprises and was a success-
ful contractor during his
active career. He began constructing railroad
bridges for the Hannibal,
Moberly and Central Railroad Company which
is now the Missouri,
Kansas and Texas Railroad. His last contract work
was for the Wabash
Railroad Company at St. Louis where he did some
bridge work, built a
roundhouse and constructed additional trackage to
accommodate the World's
Fair traffic. For several years Mr. Sandison
was also engaged in the
manufacture of brick at Moberly and did an ex-
tensive business in this
]ine and at the same time carried on his general
contracting business. He
frequently employed as many as 80 or 90 men
and kept his plant in
operation continually. He was an extensive employer
of labor and never had any
trouble with his employees. He sold his brick
plant in 1906 to the
Metropolitan Paving and Brick Company of Canton,
Ohio, and that company
still operates it. Mr. Sandison then retired.
In 1872, Mr. Sandison
returned to Scotland and was married to Miss
Mary Morrison and
brought his bride to Moberly. Mrs. Sandison's mother,
Margaret Morrison, now
resides with Mr. and Mrs. Sandison She came
to Moberly in 1881. She
was born in Scotland Dec. 24,1827 and although
now in her 93rd year she is
as keen and active as the average person many
years younger. She gets
up every morning at six o'clock and during the
World War she did a great
deal of knitting for the Red Cross. She has
the distinction of having
had three grandsons in the World War. They
were John, Herbert and
George Morrison, all of whom entered the army
from Arizona.
To Mr. and Mrs. Sandison
have been born the following children:
James George, William,
Jack, George and Arthur.
Mr. Sandison has been an
extensive traveler during the course of his
career and has made 13
trips across the Atlantic Ocean. He was in Scot-
land when the World War
broke out. He crossed the ocean four times on
the ill fated Lusitania and
made his last return trip on the Aquitania.
For the last few years he
and Mrs. Sandison made a trip north each sum
mer,including Canada and
Alaska. He is a Randolph County citizen of
worth and is held in the
highest esteem. |