Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/769

 HISTORY OP SOUTHEAST MISSOUEI 609 living near Grinnell, Iowa, at the age of ninety-one. The father of this family was a cabinet maker by trade. He had been ap- prenticed to a worker in this oraft when a boy, being bound out for a number of years, as was the custom of the time. When he came to Marble Hill he settled near an uncle, Casper Shell, who gave him five acres of land, planted in corn. Peter was very poor at the time of his arrival in the county, but before he died he accumulated a fair compe- tence and a comfortable home. He died in August. 1842, at the age of sixty-two. David R.. son of Peter and father of Peter R., was born January 5, 1811. He married in 1833 Miss Mary Bollinger and lived and died on the farm now occupied by Daniel E. Conrad. This was a pai-t of the old Spanish grant purchased by David R. from Fred- erick Slinknrd. David Conrad had thirteen children, including Peter R., of this review; Jacob, who died on December 7, 1905, at the age of seventy : IMoses, who passed away at sixteen years of age ; Elizabeth, still living ; John ; Sarah and Priseilla, both deceased ; Clarissa, wife of William ITeitman ; George E., born in 1852 ; Benton, who died at the age of nineteen ; and Frances Jane, wife of Tnistin Gideon. Peter R. Conrad was educated in the county schools and at home. He had the ad- vantage of the insti'uction of his parents, both of whom were well educated and cul- tured. Peter spent nearly two years at Pleasant Hill Academy, north of Jackson. He lived with his father until lie was twenty- six years old, this being in the year 1860. At that date he began to farm for himself, but interrupted this peaceful pursuit a year later to enter the Union array. The First ^Missouri Engineers was Peter Conrad's regiment and he gave three years of service to the country which his great- grandfather had helped to make an inde- pendent nation. He served as a sapper and a miner and in the signal corps, in the rail- road repair work, in railroad building and in road making. In the course of perform- ing this important work Mr. Conrad saw much hard service and was present at the bombardment of Fort Henry. After the war agriculture again claimed Mr. Conrad's attention. He noAV owns two hundred and forty acres of land, one hundred of which is fine cleared land on Whitewater creek. He owns considerable live stock, including a small herd of sheep. A large fruit orchard is one of the most val- uable sections of his farm. Jlr. Conrad does not permit his work to absorb all his attention. He is a man of broad culture and wide reading. Geology is one of his favorite studies and he has studied the geological formation of the region with which he is thoroughly familiar. He is famed as a collector of minerals and Indian implements, as well as other curios. His col- lection of stone implements iised by the In- dians is one of the finest private collections in the state. ilr. Conrad has been twice married. His first wife was Anna Nugent, daughter of John II. Nugent, of West Virginia. Their marriage took place in May, 1860, and the union lasted until Mrs. Conrad's death, twenty-one years afterward. They had nine children, seven of whom are living. The names and dates of birth of the children are as follows : Rudolph, June 3, 1861 ; William, September 15, 1865, and died at the age of nine ; John I., May 20, 1867 ; George, May 28, 1870; Mary, July 10, 1872; Albert, February 28, 1875; Arthur 0., February 25, 1877; Augusta, February 22, 1878 ; and David, born June 2, 1869, who died in infancy. In 1886 Mr. Conrad was married to Emma Griffith, the adopted daughter of Dr. C. N. Griffith. Mrs. Conrad is a native of Den- mark. Her mother died on the ocean coming to America and her father in St. Louis in 1852. The infant daughter Emma was adopted by Dr. and ]Mrs. Griffith, of Iron county. Mr. and Mrs. Conrad have two chil- dren living, Frances Eleanor and Julius C. Two others, a son and a daughter, died in infancy. Mr. Conrad is a member of the fast dimin- ishing Grand Army of the Republic. He is of the political party of Lincoln, Grant and McKinley. In religious doctrines, he sub- scribes to those of the Presbyterian church, of which he is an honored and valued mem- ber. Michael De Guiee. Great men are great in their methods. As contrasted to ordinary men. they draw their plans on a larger scale — think in bigger units — trudge to further horizons — climb longer hills — contest in greater arenas, and accept no compromise from opportunity. It is the size of the game as well as the size of the man that spells sue-