Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/725

 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST JIISSOURI 637 "William F. Bergmann. The name Berg- uiami suggests commercialism to the people of Cape Girardeau. Not oul.y is William F. Bergmaun a go-ahead business man, but his father before him was a merchant. William imbibed business principles in his babyhood ; he observed them in his boj^hood and he has practiced them in his maturity. The people of Cape Girardeau feel that the.y have a pro- prietary interest in him, he having spent the best part of his life in their midst. They have watched his development and that of his business. They have seen him grow from being simply the son of his father to a man who has made his own career, not being will- ing to live on the reputation of his father, however good that might be. William F. Bergmann was born at Cawe Girardeau, Missouri, August 6, 1876. His father, of whom mention is made on other pages of this work, is William C. Bergmann. William Bei'gmann is the eldest sou of his parents and to him Cape Girardeau means home, — the place where he was born, went to school, attended the state normal school and where his parents still live and he has made his own home. He began his business life as a traveling salesman in the millinery busi- ness, being employed by a St. Louis house. In 1902 he went into business for himself and has continued in the same place and along the same line ever since. He carries a large and complete stock of groceries, dry goods and furnishings, employing fifteen clerks to carry on his growing trade. In June, 1902, he married Fannie Harker, a native of Winfield, Kansas. One daugh- ter, Madeline, was born to this union. Sir. Bergmann is a member of the Com- mercial Club of Cape Girardeau and is a very active member. He l)elongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, standing high with the members of that or- ganization. He is one of the most prominent men of the city, not only in the business world, but also in his social life. Those same characteristics which have made him so suc- cessful in a commercial way have also won him friends. J. Feank Me.dor. There is no lawyer in Wayne county who has a higher standing than Mr. Meador, its prosecuting attorney, and throughout his interesting career his ac- tions have lieen beyond criticism — no one has been able to cast any aspersions on his char- acter either in his private or public capacity. Since his first entry into the field of law he has set himself to run the course with single- ness of purpose. His goal has not been a crown of glory for himself, but the perform- ance each day of such duties as he saw. This course he has kept without deviating to the right or to the left. To men of such cali- bre honors will come w'ithout being sought^ as indeed they have to Mr. Meador — but in his mind the satisfaction which results from the knowledge of time well spent means much more than the positions of honor which have been awarded him. Mr. Aleador was l)orn in Wayne county, near Patterson, on the 1st day of December, 1880. James F. ileador, the father of J. Frank, is a native of Macon county, Tennes- see, where his birth occurred in 1842. Grandfather Joseph Meador was a native of Virginia, where he married Miss Luiza Rhodes, and the young couple migrated to Tennessee, where they reared their family. In 1859 they moved to Wayne county, ]Iis- souri, settled on some wild land which they improved and brought into a high state of cultivation. Their son, James F. Meador, was about seventeen years of age when he accompanied his parents from Tennessee to Wayne county, Missouri; he had acquired all the education he ever received in the dis- trict school in Tennessee, and on his arrival in Wayne county he commenced farming on the place which he now operates. He has de- voted most of his time to agricultural pur- suits, to the support of the Baptist church, of which' he and his wife are both members, and to the rearing and educating of his chil- dren. Mrs. James F. Meador 's maiden name was Anna Kinder, and she was born in AVayue county, Missouri, in 1849 ; her par- ents hailed from Pennsylvania and were of German descent. Of the ten children who were born to Mr and Mrs. James ]Ieador eight are living, as follows: Adolph, a physi- cian located in Iron county, Missouri ; J. Frank ]Ieador, the subject of this biog- raphy ; Mannie, wife of William Atnip, of Wayne county, Missouri; Ninnie, married to C. C. Ward, of Wayne county, Missouri; Callie, whose husband is George Bell, of Hi- ram, Missouri ; Luna, wife of William Chil- ton, Bismarck, ilissouri ; Pearl, residing in Wayne county, Missouri, with her husband, James Biggerstoiif ; and Walter, at home with his father, who is living on his farm on