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Below is a family biography included in The History of Cole County, Missouri published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1889.  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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Peter Alexander is a native of Brown County, Ohio, and came to Cole County, Mo., with his mother when three years of age, and here has since made his home, with the exception of few months spent in Lynn County, Kas., whither he went in 1857. After taking a claim he found that it did not rightly belong to him, and immediately relinquished it and returned to Missouri, living for a while in Bates County. At the breaking out of the war he returned home and enlisted in the Missouri State Guard under Gen. Raines, and took part in the battles of Carthage, Springfield, and Morristown, his company being disbanded at the latter place. Mr. Alexander returned to Cole County, and afterward joined the Union Militia of this county, and was stationed at Jefferson City, when Price made his raid through this section. In 1867 he purchased a farm of 100 acres, to which he has since added 100 acres more, and has his farm well improved with good buildings, his residence being very nicely situated. In 1862 he was married to Miss Prudence V. Dunica, by whom he has six children: Minnie, wife of Robert Hutson; Leroy, who is twenty-one years of age, and in connection with his father runs a threshing machine and saw-mill; Mary M., Eliza J., Fred and Hittie Ann. Mr. Alexander is a Democrat, and his wife is a member of the Baptist Church. Her father, Pendleton Dunica, resided in Cole County until his death. His father, James Dunica, was judge of the court of Cole County for a number of years, and died in St. Louis in 1867. He was an early settler of Cole County, and built the fine brick house in which the widow of Dr. McWorkman is living.

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This family biography is one of 127 biographies included in The History of Cole County, Missouri published in 1889.  For the complete description, click here: Cole County, Missouri History, Genealogy, and Maps

View additional Cole County, Missouri family biographies here: Cole County, Missouri Biographies

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