Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/702

 620 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI next youngest of those who sun-ive. Else- where in this volume appeai-s a sketch of the life and career of Charles E. Kiefuer, younger brother of Samuel B. Kiefner. Samuel B. Kiefner, of this notice, was a child of but two years of age at the time of his parents' removal to Perry ville, to whose public schools he is indebted for his prelim- inary educational training. At the age of eighteen years he undertook to learn the ins and outs of the carpenter's trade and two years later, in 1883, he accompanied his par- ents to Kansas, where the family home was maintained for the ensuing four years. Dur- ing three years of that time Mr. Kiefner was foreman of a street-car barn at Wichita, Kan- sas, and in 1889 he removed to Des IMoines, Iowa, where he resided for one year, at the expiration of which he went to Keokuk. Iowa, where he was employed as clerk for the street-ear company from 1890 to September, 1891. On the date last mentioned he re- turned to Perryville and here was engaged in the work of his trade until the fall of 1903. He then organized the Union Store Company, which was incorporated under the laws of the state with a capital stock of twenty-five thou- sand dollars and which is ofifice'red as fol- lows.— Samuel B. Kiefner, president; H. M. Geile. vice president; and Charles J. Litseh, secretary and treasurer. For a time he had charge of the furniture and undertaking de- partment of this concern but on the 22nd of May, 1906. when he was appointed post- master of Perryville, he was obliged to re- linquish that work. In his political convic- tions Mr. Kiefner is a stanch supporter of the principles and policies promulgated by the Republican party and while he has never shown any great ambition for political prefer- ment he was a member of the Perryville board of aldermen from 1896 to 1898. In 1906. as previously noted, he was appointed postmaster of Perryville, by President Roose- velt, and he was re-appointed to that office by President Taft in 1909. In fraternal cir- cles he is affiliated with the United Brother- hood of America, the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Jlodern Woodmen of America. For a period of three years he was a member of the Perryville school board and his religious support is given to the Presbv- terian church, in whose faith he was reared. In the year 1889, at Wichita, Kansas, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Kiefner to Miss Clara B. Armstrong, who was reared and educated at Wichita. Mr. and Mrs. Kief- ner became the parents of six children, all of whom are living except Clarence, who was summoned to the life eternal in 1901. The names of the other children are as follows. — Maud, Leroy, Carl, Burton, and Nellie, ilaud is assistant postmistress at Perryville and Leroy is a popular and successful teacher in the public schools of this place. Jlrs. Kief- ner is a woman of charming personality and she and her husband are everywhere ac- corded the highest regard of their fellow citi- zens on account of their exemplary lives and sterling qualities. Dr. Robert P. Dalton, one of the most promising young doctors at Cape Girardeau, is a life long resident of southeastern ]lis- souri. His family on both sides were amongst the oldest settlers in ^Missouri. The time has passed when youth is any handicap to a man, — even a physician — nor is age any detriment. The world demands that a man shall deliver the goods, having no fault to find with him as long as he does that. It is onl.y when he fails that attention is called to his years. Dr. Dalton has shown the people in Cape Girardeau that he has ability of an unusual order, combined with integrity of a still rarer kind. He, like a number of other young men, was not decided what road he would travel to siiccess, but when he did decide he quickly got on to it and is making up for lost time l)y his rapid progress along it. He was born at Frederickstown. [Missouri, on the last day of the j'ear 1876. His grand- father, John P. Dalton, was born in Ripley county, Missouri, his father having been one of the pioneers of southeastern Missouri. John P. Dalton was a farmer and also a blacksmith, a common enough combination years ago. His son, also named John was a native of Frederickstown. ilissouri, where he received his education. He studiecl medicine and became a practicing physician, as also a preacher of the Gospel. A physician has many opportunities to speak a word in sea- son regarding the spiritual life as well as the corporeal, but Dr. Dalton was not satis- fied with that, he felt the necessity of pro- claiming in a public way the teachings of the Bible. He married Fannie Best, a young woman born in Perry count.v, ilissouri. She was the daughter of Jonathan Best, one of the first settlers of southeastern Mi.ssouri, whither he came from North Carolina. He