Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/754

 658 HISTORY OP SOUTHEAST MISSOURI Ira, wlio removed the stock to Clarkton. There they are successfully following in the footsteps of their father. Mr. Tatum was married in 1877, to Miss Lillie Bragg, daiighter of the late Captain W. G. Bragg and a sister of Mrs. Sturgis and Mrs. Towson and of that wonderful family of nine splendid "Bragg girls," as they were known. W. G. Bragg of this city is a brother of Mrs. Tatum. Luther P. Tatum, the mer- chant and capitalist at Kennett, is a half brother of James F. Tatum, and Mrs. Nannie Newby is his cousin. Of the six children born to IIr. and Mrs. Tatum live survive him, as does their mother. John the fourth son, died about eleven years ago. Frank and Ira are in business at Clarkton, while Richard M. is in business here. Susie, the only daughter, is just blossoming into womanhood and is a student of William Woods College, Fulton. Bernie is at Central College at Fayette, Howard county, Missouri. Mr. Tatum "died December 13, 1909, not having quite attained his three score years. He had been in failing health for two years, though he was up and able to attend to bus- iness. He was a member of the Masonic order, being a member of the Kennett lodge, No. 68, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. The funeral service was conducted by the Masons. Dr. Paul Baldwin being the presid- ing master. Mr. Tatum had for years been a member of the Christian church and relig- ious services at the home were conducted by Elder Rolley Ney, pastor of the Christian church, assisted by the ministers of the Presbyterian, the Baptist and the Methodist Episcopal churches. The fact that these min- isters of different denominations came to pay him their last tribute is significant of the liberal attitude Mr. Tatum liore towards all religious bodies. He believed in any organ- ization which had for its aim the betterment of mankind and inasmuch as there are all kinds of men, it takes all kinds of religious creeds to reach them. At the time of his death IMr. Tatum was a member of the Ken- nett school board, having always taken the deepest interest in all educational matters. He was vice president of the Bank of Kennett and was interested in much Kennett property, for he was well off in this world's goods. He was thoughtful for others, as is evidenced by his having a fifteen thousand dollar life in- surance policy. He was a man of deliberation and good judgment, was reliable and houor- able and inasmuch as his past has been full of thoughts for others, full of kindly deeds, we can feel that the future which he is already experiencing must be in keeping ^^ith his past, therefore we' rejoice. Since he left us, time has to a certain extent mercifully softened the keenest first feelings of loss which his widow and children felt, yet they feel, as does the whole of Kennett and Dunklin county, that it is impossible to exactly fill his place, be his successor in the business and church spheres ever so good. He was a man who had the loft- iest ideals and he came as near to attainiug them as it is possible for any one to do. Sam J. McMiNN. A man firmly established in the business and social life of the county and intimately connected with the historj' of its development in Sam J. IMcMinn, now the a.ssistant cashier in the Consolidated Bank, formerly the People's and the Bollinger County Banks. He was born in Buchanan, ilissouri, in the southwestern part of Bol- linger countv. the date of his nativitv being August 11. 1869. He is the .son of W." A. and Elizabeth C. (Burk) :Ic:Iinn. His father was a native of the county, and well known for his wise administration of the office of county judge. His grandfather. Samuel JIc- Minn, was a native of North Carolina, who left the old North state in 1819 to try his fortunes in the then far western territory of ^lissouri. After the death of W. A. McMinn his wife, the mother of the subject of this lu'icf personal review, continued to make her home on the old home farm, where she still lives. During his early life Sam J. McMinn attended the public schools of the county, and also did his share of the work on the parental farm. Following that took a course at the Kentucky Universit.v in Lexington, Ken- tuckv, and was gi-aduated from that institu- tion. In 1893 he began the business career that has made his name a guarantee of stabilit.y in an,v undertaking, and entered the merchan- dise and milling business at Zalma with his brother, Andrew J. McMinn. The two brothers operated the mill for their father, and mauaged the store as their own venture until 1897. In that year their father passed to the "Great Beyond," and left his affairs entirely in the hands of his sons. From 1897 until 1899 ]Ir. McMinn took charge of the farm, an occupation which he gave up at his election on the Democratic ticket to the office of circuit clerk, an office in which he gave honorable and highh' effi-