Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/701

 HISTORY OP SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 619 Julitin. The head of the house is Democratic in politics ; his fraternal relations extend to the Masons, the Redmen, the American Or- der of United Workmen and the Knights of Pythias ; and liis church is tlie Baptist. In evidence of Mr. Akers' successful eleva- tion of the standard of the county schools is the fact that there are three fully accredited ones among them and ten are doing high sehoo] work. ) jMann Ringo. Mr. Ringo's entire attention is given to the banking business, specifically to the Iron County Bank, of whieli he has been a director since its organization in 1896 and cashier since 1897. Other officers of the organization are William R. Edgar, presi- dent, whose biography appears elsewhere in this volume, Eli D. Ake, viee-pi'esident, and Arthur Huff, assistant cashier. These gen- tlemen and William H. and I. G. Whitworth constitute the board of directors. The bank was organized by the present stockholders with a capital of ten thousand dollars and has now a surplus of fifteen thousand dollars and has been incorporated as a state bank. Mr. Ringo was born September 25, 1864, in Mississippi county, southeastern IMissouri. His parents, J. M. and Predonia (McGregor) Ringo, had come to ilissouri nine years be- fore from western Kentucty. The father was a native of Kentucky, but the mother was born in Tennessee. After settling in Mis- souri, J. M. Ringo became a merchant farmer and was prominent in the political atifairs of the county. He served as district judge of the county court and also as county treas- urer of Mississippi county. He died in 1893, at the age of sixty-five years, after the death of his wife. Both were members of the Bap- tist church. Mr. Mann Ringo has two brothers and three sisters. Mr. D. M. Ringo is a merchant farmer and a stock and grain dealer. He re- sides in his father's adopted home, Mississippi county. Jlr. S. P. Ringo is a merchant in Ironton. The sisters are Mrs. W. A. Fletcher, of Arcadia, Miss Nannie Ringo, primary teacher in the same place, and Mrs. Louis Miller, also of Arcadia. ilr. Ringo has spent his active life in the Arcadia valley. He was educated at the Normal in Cape Girardeau, graduating in the class of 1886. The two years following he taught school. In 1888 he was elected to the legislature and served two terms. Dur- ing Cleveland's second administration he was appointed receiver of public moneys for the U. S. land office. Since 1897 he has been cashier of the bank and an executive officer. He married iliss Annie Newman, a native of Ironton. She is the daughter of the late Thomas Newman, whose widow and family still reside in Ironton. Mr. Newman was a house and sign painter, a native of England, but a resident of Ironton fi-om 1864 until his death, in 1907. ilr. and Mrs. Ringo have two daughters. Miss Lucille, aged sixteen, and ]Iiss Predonia J., aged eighteen. Both are attending their father's old school, the Normal at Cape Girardeau. Mr. Ringo's retirement from the field of active politics has in no way weakened his adherence to the Democratic party, whose policies have always embodied his political convictions. Though banking is his exclusive business, he finds opportunity to maintain his affiliation with the Masonic order. Samuel B. Kiepner. Civilization will hail riches, prowess, honors, popularity, but it will bow humbly to sincerity in its fellows. The exponent of known sincerity, singleness of honest purpose, has its exemplification in all bodies of men ; he is found in every asso- ciation and to him defer its highest offices. Such an exemplar whose daily life and whose life work have been dominated as their most conspicuous characteristic by sincerity is Samuel B. Kiefner, who is a business man of prominence and influence at Perryville, ilis- souri, and who is the present able and popu- lar incumbent of the office of postmaster of this city. Samuel B. Kiefner was born on a farm near Kaiser's Ridge, in Allegany county, Maryland, on the 20th of October, 1863, and he is a son of John and Catherine (Lakel) Kiefner, both of whom are now living in re- tirement at Perryville, where the former was long engaged in the furniture and undertak- ing business. John Kiefner was born in Ger- many in the .year 1834 and he accompanied his grandfather to America when he was a lad of sixteen years of age. Settlement was made at Baltimore, Maryland, where John entered upon an apprenticeship at the cabinet maker's trade and where, on the 25th of De- cember, 1854, was recorded his marriage to Miss Catherine Lakel. This union was pro- lific of eleven children, five of whom are liv- ing, in 1911, the subject of this article being