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Below is a family biography included in The History of Jefferson County, Missouri published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1888.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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Clarence C. O’Fallon, a stock-dealer of Joachim Township, is a native of St. Louis, Mo., his birth occurring March 27, 1857. He is the eldest son of Benjamin and Sally C. (Carter) O’Fallon, of Irish and English parentage, respectively. He was the recipient of a good literary education, his school days having been spent mainly in New York City and St.-Leonard’s-on-the-Sea, England. December 28, 1880, his marriage to Miss Hattie Bates Johnson occurred, the result of which was the birth of one child, Nancy Lucas, born February 27, 1884. Mrs. O’Fallon is the daughter of Dr. J. B. Johnson, of St. Louis, and was born September 2, 1856; her education was acquired at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, St. Louis. Mr. O’Fallon is a member of the Order of Elks, and his name is enrolled on the books of the St. Louis lodge. In political matters he is a Democrat. He has been a resident of Jefferson County since 1881, and now resides near the site of what was once a formidable rival to St. Louis, Herculaneum. He owns 325 acres of land situated on Sections 20 and 31, and is principally engaged in raising thoroughbred horses. His residence is situated on a high bluff overlooking the Mississippi, which commands a delightful view. Mr. and Mrs. O’Fallon are church members, the former of the Episcopal and the latter of the Roman Catholic Church. Michael Ostertag is a native of Grosselfingen, Prussia, and was born in 1831. He is a son of Conrad and Ann Mary (Ostertag) Ostertag, the former of whom, a farmer by occupation, was born in 1776 and died in 1834; the latter was born in 1777 and died in 1832. Of the seventeen children born to them Michael is the youngest and the only survivor. His parents both dying when he was very young, he lived with an uncle a few years, and then was taken to Hechingen, where he resided until his fifteenth year with his aunt, Judith Slehle; he afterward clerked in a store in Stuttgart, and in 1852 left his native country and immigrated to America, first locating in St. Louis, where he engaged in merchandising. In 1871 he moved to Frumet Mines, Jefferson County, where he kept a boarding house until 1872, when he came to De Soto and acted as proprietor of the Jefferson House until 1881; he then sold out and his wife established the present business here, dealing in dry goods, notions and jewelry. In November, 1853, he married Miss Chresentia Meyer, who was born in Prussia in 1835. They became the parents of fourteen children, eight of whom died in infancy, and but five of whom are still living: Magdelena (wife of Philip Schaub), Henry (a twin to Magdelena died October 4, 1878, and was buried on his twenty-third birthday), Louisa, Katie, Christian Michael (died June 23, 1871, aged six years), Emily and Clara. Mr. Ostertag is one of the highly-esteemed citizens of De Soto. He is a Republican in politics and a member of the D. O. H. The family are members of the Roman Catholic Church.

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This family biography is one of 224 biographies included in The History of Jefferson County, Missouri published in 1888.  For the complete description, click here: Jefferson County, Missouri History, Genealogy, and Maps

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