Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/704

 622 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI two brothei-s and one sister, residents of St. Louis. Dr. Wolff is also a native of Westmore- land county, Pennsylvania, where he was born June 14, 1878. He first received a com- mon school education, but pursued his pro- fessional courses at Washington University, St. Louis, from which he graduated, in 1905, with the degree of D. D. S. For the succeed- ing two years he engaged in practice in that city, and then moved to Festus, his present residence and his lucrative and progressive field of professional labor. That Dr. Wolff's honors do not end there, has already been intimated. To particular- ize — he was first elected mayor of Festus in 1909, and re-elected in 1911, and his adminis- trations have been so conducted as to earn him the respect of all parties, albeit his per- sonal support has always been given to the Democracy. He is one of the leading frater- nalists of this section of the state. The Red Men, Odd Fellows, Modern Woodmen and Select Knights have all afforded him evi- dences of their esteem, and at the present time he is presiding officer (Great Sachem) of the Improved Order of Red Men, State of Missouri. And his advancement has never been of the drifting nature, but rather of the propelling and pushing kind, often against strong contrary currents. Owing to a seri- ous decline in his father's health, he was com- pelled to work his way through college. Both fig-uratively and literally, he had to fight hard to get his education, for, soon after the completion of his freshman year at Wash- ington University, he enlisted for service in the Philippines, and served as regimental commissary sergeant for two years and seven months. This delayed his graduation until 1905, but showed his stamina and added to his deserved popularity as a man. In the year of his graduation Dr. Wolff was married to Miss Antoinette Nengle, of Festus, jMissouri, and their three children are Scott Emmerson, ilarguerite Antoinette and Marie AVolff. Oliver B. Gwyn is at the head of the Con- ran Cooperage Company, one of the indus- trial enterprises which play an important part in the prosperity of the county, his re- lation to this thriving concern being that of president and general manager. Although a Kentuckian by birth, he has resided in this state for a number of vears and here lias en- joyed excellent fortunes. Mr. Gwyn, who is a son of E. B. and Margaret J. (Lynch) Gwyn, natives of Kentuckj', was h)orn in Hickman county of the Blue Grass state Jan- uary 27, 1874. His father was a painter by occupation and the subject resided beneath the home roof until the age of fifteen j'ears. He is one of a family of five children. At the age mentioned Mr. Gwyn went to Clay county, Arkansas, and located in Rector, where the young fellow, who had started out quite alone in the world, secured a position in a saw-mill, and remained thus engaged for four years. The kind of work he secui'ed when a boy had no inconsiderable influence uj^on his subsequent career, for he has been for a number of years in the milling business. After that he found farm work to do and while thus employed he was married in 1891, to Miss Ada Deniston, daughter of James and Mary E. (Welch) Deniston, their mar- riage occurring in the vicinity of Rector. Mrs. Gwyn was born there November 18, 1873. For a time after his marriage Mr. Gwyn continued to farm, but he finally con- eluded that he could not make enough money as a farmer and so took up another line of enterprise — milling, with which he was al- ready familiar. He came to Missouri in 1899, locating in Dunklin county, in the town of Paulding, and there took a contract to stack lumber for three years. He then engaged with the Paulding Stave Company and con- tinued in this line until 1906. During this time he carried on business in both Paulding and Geneva, at the latter place with the Buf- falo Stave Company. In 1906 he went into business in Boynton, Arkansas, just across the line from his former Missouri residence, again operating a mill for one year. During the same j'ear he moved to Kennett. He sold the Boynton mill in 1908. In January, 1909, he put in a new plant at Gideon, New Mad- rid county, biit in the following October he sold the same, and in the following January put in a new mill at Conran, which he still operates. This has a capacity of forty-five thousand slack barrel staves a day and is an up-to-date and paying concern. iIr. Gwyn also built a mill in Mai-ston, Missouri, — the Marston Cooperage Company, which he operated for nine months and then resigned from its management to more fully devote his energies to the constantly growing busi- ness of the Conran concern. This is an in- corporated business, and Mr. Gwyn is presi-