My Genealogy Hound

John M. Earp, agent for the Adams Express Company at Lamar, was born in Bowling Green, Ky., March 13, 1856, and is a son of Rev. J. D. and Dorcas C. (Cox) Earp, who were born in one of the New England States and Kentucky, respectively. The former removed to the mother’s native State when young, and there he engaged in school teaching, afterwards becoming a Methodist minister. In 1857 they located in Montgomery County, Mo., and in 1869 in Barton County, where their home now is, he being sixty-five years of age, and she sixty-one. During the war he was falsely reported to be harboring Confederate soldiers, and some Federal soldiers were detailed to investigate the matter. Thinking they saw some soldiers in his house, they opened fire, and he started to run from the house, but was fired upon, and Mr. Earp dropped, it was supposed, dead, and it was thus reported by the men. When it was found that he had not given aid to the Confederates, he was allowed to return home, and was offered any protection. John M. Earp is the sixth of his ten children, and was educated in Lamar. December 23, 1877, he was married to Miss Ida E. Maxwell, a native of Johnson, Iowa, and by her he has two sons and two daughters. After his marriage, Mr. Earp farmed two years, and then came to Lamar, and was engaged in the transfer business, obtaining in 1880 the contract for hauling all the express matter for the Adams Express Company. In 1885 he was appointed agent for the company at Lamar, and still holds the position, and also does all the transferring. He is local agent for the Consolidated Tank Line Company, and is quite an extensive dealer in salt. He is a Democrat, and a member of the A. O. U. W. and the K. of P.