My Genealogy Hound

JOHN VANATTA was for ten years an honored resident of Pettis County, within whose limits he was the owner of a section of land. His homestead, on which he was living at the time of his demise, in January, 1894, is located on section 23, township 44, range 23.

Mr. Vanatta was a native of Pennsylvania and was born in 1 840, in Beaver County, being the third member in order of birth in the parental family. James and Katie (Brobeck) Vanatta, his parents, were also natives of the Keystone State, where they made their home until 1846, when they moved to Iowa. In that state they continued to reside until the decease of the father, which occurred about 18S5. His good wife is still living, being now in the seventy-eighth year of her age. Our subject’s education was very limited, owing to the fact that his parents left Pennsylvania when he was a lad of six years and moved to Iowa, where the schools were very inferior. Of course he attended the little log schoolhouse for a number of years and learned well all the branches taught, but his work would have been much easier and more thorough had the teacher been competent. He was reared on a farm, and when ready to choose a vocation in life felt that he could make more of a success in agriculture than in any other department of work, hence spent his entire life in cultivating the soil.

John Vanatta lived in Iowa until 1873, when he removed to Jefferson Count y, Kan. There he remained until 1880, when he went to Montgomery County, Mo., and engaged in farming for a time, later going to Audrain County. The year 1884 witnessed his removal into Pettis County, where he was a very energetic and industrious farmer, at the time of his death owning one of the largest and finest estates in the county. Though only a resident here for ten years, his memory is still cherished by the many friends whom he won by his honorable and upright actions in all the relations of his life.

The lady to whom our subject was married in 1866 was Miss Abbie Kiser, daughter of Jacob and Nancy (Wright) Kiser, natives, respectively, of Pennsylvania and Ohio. By her union with Mr. Vanatta there were born two sons and one daughter: Charles and George, both married and residing on the home farm; and Minnie, who is also at home with her mother. Mrs. Vanatta and her children are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, while her husband worshiped with the Presbyterian Church. In politics he used the right of franchise in behalf of the Republican party, in whose success he was greatly interested. He was not an office-seeker, finding his time fully occupied in attending to his large possessions and in discharging his duties as husband, father and neighbor.