Below is a family biography included in The History of Newton 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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William T. Matters, manufacturer and dealer in harness, saddles, etc., at Neosho, Mo., was born in Springfield, Mo., July 22, 1864, and is a son of John and Cyrena (Phelan) Matters, natives of Switzerland and Fayetteville, Ark., respectively. The father came to the United States in 1842, and settled in Pennsylvania, where he lived five years; thence moved to Virginia, remaining three years; thence to Arkansas, in 1855, and lastly to Missouri, in 1862. He and his wife became the parents of four children: William T., Edwin, Lizzie and Dora. William T. was reared principally in Newton County, learned the harness and saddle maker’s trade, and has worked at the same for the last seven and a half years. He purchased the business of his former employer, J. M. Z. Withrow and is doing a paying business. He has a large and complete stock of goods, and makes a specialty of manufacturing “cow-boy saddles.” He is a young man who attends strictly to his business, and his success in life is assured if perseverance and economy can accomplish it.
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This family biography is one of 220 biographies included in The History of Newton County, Missouri published in 1888.
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Newton County, Missouri Family Maps
Neosho West Missouri TOPO Map 24 x 29
Newtonia Missouri TOPO Map 24" x 29
The Two Civil War Battles of Newtonia: Fierce and Furious
Camp Crowder (Images of America)
Abandoned Ozarks: Southwest Missouri
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