My Genealogy Hound

Oliver W. Klinger, printer and publisher of Aurora Springs Democrat, was born January 10, 1856, at La Porte, Ind., and is the second of six children born to Alexander and Almira (Clark) Klinger, both of whom are natives of Michigan. Alexander Klinger learned the jewelry trade about 1849, and later conducted business at Elkhart, White Pigeon and Niles. He then moved to California, Moniteau Co., Mo., in 1871, and three years later discovered beds of tiff and iron. The California Mining Company, consisting of fourteen members, was organized, and their shipment of this product soon reached twenty carloads monthly. Later Mr. Klinger opened a bed on his own account, and managed this for some time. In 1883 he came to Aurora Springs, opened a jewelry store which he conducted, and in addition engaged occasionally in mining and shipping tiff. He was mayor of Aurora in 1885 and during that year, in connection with the city council, many improvements were instituted and perfected in and about Aurora. He is a member of the K. of L., also the Odd Fellows, and is a member of the Wheelers. He has been master of the K. of L., N. G. of the Odd Fellows lodge, and president of the Wheel. Oliver W. Klinger spent most of his early life at California, attending the graded schools of that place. In 1876 he entered the printing office of W. W. Haywood and remained engaged in this trade for one year. He then went from there to Sedalia, worked on the Eagle of that place for nearly four years, and then, after working in various printing offices, he went to the State of California. He spent about a year in traveling over this and other Western states, and then returned to Aurora Springs, Mo., where he started the Aurora Springs Democrat, which is steadily increasing in circulation, and is destined to become the leading Democratic paper of the county.