John C. Farris, a  farmer  of
     Wolf Island Township, Mississippi  Co.,  was  born  in  Obion  County,
     Tenn., in 1830, and is a son of  Benjamin  S.  and  Bettie  (Crockett)
     Farris, natives of South Carolina, who  removed  to  Middle  Tennessee
     about 1820. They removed later to Obion County,  Tenn.,  and  remained
     there ten years, when they came to Mississippi County, Mo., where they
     resided until their deaths. Mr. Farris was a farmer by  vocation,  and
     died in the fall of 1860. His  wife  died  in  1863.  They  were  both
     consistent members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. To them were
     born six children: Agnes S., Isaiah A., Adaline, John C., James W. and
     Margaret C. Isaiah and James reside in Pemiscot County,  Mo.  John  C.
     remained with his parents until he was  twenty-three  years  old,  and
     commenced farming in James  Bayou  Township,  Mississippi  County.  He
     removed to Wolf Island Township in 1863, and to his  present  location
     in 1880. He was married in 1853 to Miss Martha E. Kerr,  a  native  of
     Hickman County, Ky.,  and  a  daughter  of  Nicholas  M.  and  Ann  E.
     (Ednington) Kerr, natives of Virginia and Kentucky  respectively.  Mr.
     Kerr died in 1876, and his wife died in1862. To them  were  born  nine
     children: Lucy C. (deceased), Martha E., Cecelia N., Elizabeth,  Price
     (deceased), Emma J., Nicholas (deceased), Mariah B. and Nannie.  After
     Mr. Kerr's first wife died he married Adaline Burgess, by whom he  had
     one daughter, Edna V., who is living with her mother near the  subject
     of this sketch. Mr. and Mrs. Farris have eight children: Benjamin  P.,
     Bettie A. (Mrs. James B.  Ringoe,  of  Kentucky),  Katie  (Mrs.  Oscar
     Tinsley, of Pemiscot County, Mo.), James N., John C., Jr.,  David  W.,
     Isaiah A. and Hnery H. They are also rearing a  niece,  whose  parents
     are dead, Emma P. Mr. Farris is a member of the  Presbyterian  Church,
     and his wife is a member of the Baptist Church. Mr. Farris has a  good
     farm, of which he and boys cultivate  about  250  acres  of  land.  He
     served as deputy sheriff under Jackson, and as deputy collector  under
     Louis Danforth.

Thomas B. Forbs was  born  in
     Rutherford County, Middle Tenn., on June 23, 1836, and  is  a  son  of
     Robert C. and Frances E. (Spinks) Forbs, the former a native of  North
     Carolina and the latter of Middle Tennessee. The grandfather, Benjamin
     Forbs, was a native of North Carolina, who  immigrated  to  Tennessee.
     The other grandfather, John B. Spinks, was a resident of Tennessee. He
     served during the War of 1812, and participated in the last battle, in
     which he was wounded by a gun-shot which disabled  him  for  life.  He
     died in Tennessee. Robert C. Forbs was born in 1808, and  was  brought
     to Tennessee when but seven years of age,  and  has  since  made  that
     State his home. He is a farmer by vocation. During  the  late  war  he
     served under Gen. Sherman as a  member  of  the  Eighty-ninth  Indiana
     Artillery. He was in the service three years, and was wounded while at
     home by a shot from a gun in the hands of a Federal, who had taken him
     for a Confederate soldier. The ball passed into the shoulder blade and
     lodged, remaining there still. He is the father of eight children, two
     of whom are living, Thomas B. and Francis M. Those dead are George W.,
     Seneca C., John B., William H., Mary V. and an infant. The mother died
     on October 5, 1881. Thomas B. was taken to Fayette County, Tenn., when
     an infant by his parents, and remained with them until he was  sixteen
     years of age, when he went to Crittenden County, Ark., where he  lived
     for eleven years engaged in  farming.  He  then  removed  to  Memphis,
     Tenn., and remained till the  fall  of  1863,  when  he  came  up  the
     Mississippi River to Wolf Island. Ten years  later  he  purchased  the
     farm on which he now resides. At the time of the purchase the land was
     covered with timber, but he located on it the next year (in 1874), and
     by untiring energy and industry has it now all under cultivation, with
     fair improvements. He has been four times married; first, to Eliza  J.
     Butler, by whom he had two children, both deceased. She died in  1862,
     and he was married in 1864 to Virginia Robinson, who died in 1881.  On
     January 5, 1882, he was united in marriage  with  Rebecca  Broomfield,
     who died on July 2, 1887. On December 25,  1887,  he  wedded  Mary  J.
     Choate.    Mr.    Forbs    is    a    member    of     the     Wheeler
     society.

James   G.    Forgey,    an
     industrious farmer and enterprising  citizen  of  Mississippi  County,
     Mo., was born in that county, August 9, 1858. His parents,  Robert  B.
     and Comfort (Eleazer) Forgey, were natives of  Middle  Tennessee.  His
     paternal  grandparents  immigrated  from  Ireland,  and   settled   in
     Tennessee, where they spent the rest of their lives. Robert B.  Forgey
     was a farmer. In 1846 he, with his family, came down the Ohio River to
     Norfolk, Mo., on a flatboat. He purchased a  farm  and  located  below
     Norfolk, and also started a wood-yard, which he  managed  for  several
     years, when he sold out and bought a farm near Bird's Point, to  which
     he removed, and upon which he resided for several years.  In  1859  he
     sold out and went to Randolph County, Ark. Purchasing a farm there  he
     cultivated it until 1861, when he sold it and returned to  Mississippi
     County, Mo., purchasing 160 acres of land, upon which  his  widow  now
     lives. He died in 1883. They had three children: James G.,  George  W.
     and Robert L. James G. was reared to  farm  life,  remaining  at  home
     until he was eighteen years of age, when he began working for himself.
     He has been a resident of Mississippi County all his  life,  with  the
     exception of a few years spent in Arkansas. He now owns 110  acres  of
     land, with good improvements, and a  substantial  residence  which  he
     built himself. On March 17, 1881, he wedded Susie Bougard, a native of
     Kentucky. Two  children  have  blessed  their  marriage,  Comfort  and
     Lizzie. Mrs. Forgey is a member of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.
     Politically           Mr.            Forgey            is            a
     Democrat.

Andrew J. French, a farmer of
     Mississippi County, was born in Floyd County, Ind., February 15, 1830.
     He is a son of Henry and Eleanor (Smith) French, of German and  French
     descent, respectively, the former a native of Tennessee and the latter
     of Pennsylvania. Henry French immigrated to Indiana at an  early  day,
     and remained until his death, about 1834. His wife lived  until  1878.
     They were the parents of five children, two of whom are living Eleanor
     J. and Andrew J. The last named received his education in  the  common
     schools of his native county, and when about eighteen years of age, he
     went to Louisville, Ky., to learn the shipwright's trade, at which  he
     worked three years, when he went to Arkansas, and located at Sterling.
     He remained there twelve years, engaged in the wood yard business  and
     farming. In 1863 he immigrated  to  Mississippi  County,  and  located
     where he now lives. He had previously purchased 380 acres of land, the
     most of which was in the woods. He is energetic, and has been  a  very
     successful farmer owning at present about 1,000 acres of  land,  which
     is well improved. In  1864  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Katie
     Campbell, a native of Maryland. They have two children in  life,  Ella
     and Charles, and two dead, Andrew J. and Thomas M. Mrs.  French  is  a
     member of the Catholic Church.

James Fugate,  a  substantial
     farmer of Mississippi County, was born on New River, W. Va., in  1831.
     His parents, Randolph and Elizabeth (Odle) Fugate, were natives of the
     same State, where they lived until 1844 or 1845, when they removed  to
     Kentucky. Remaining there until 1855, they came to Southeast  Missouri
     and located on Sandy Ridge. Mr. Fugate was a  farmer,  and  cultivated
     between eighty and 100 acres of land. He died  in  his  seventy-eighth
     year, and his wife in her seventy-sixth year. To them were born twelve
     children: Crockett (deceased), Harmon  (deceased),  Emily  (deceased),
     Bird (deceased), John (a resident  of  Dallas  county,  Tex.),  James,
     Reuben (a resident of St. Francois County, Mo.), William  (a  resident
     of Van Zandt County, Tex.), Mary (deceased), Rachel (Mrs. W.T. Morgan,
     living on the  old  home  place  at  Sandy  Ridge)  and  Harrison  (of
     Colorado). James remained with his parents until he was eighteen years
     of age, after which he served an apprenticeship  at  buggy  and  wagon
     manufacturing in Calloway County, Ky. On  July  7,  1853,  he  married
     Susan Washam, of Graves County,  Ky.  After  his  marriage  he  ran  a
     factory for twelve years. At the commencement  of  the  Civil  War  he
     enlisted and served four years, after which he  bought  machinery  and
     was engaged in sawing lumber, until July 1887. His first wife died  in
     1861, having borne  four  children:  Elizabeth,  Nancy,  Randolph  and
     Rachel, all of whom are deceased. On  January  22,  1865,  Mr.  Fugate
     married Virginia Conyers. To this union have been born nine  children:
     John C., Eudora,  Minnie,  James,  Theodore,  Elbert,  two  not  named
     (deceased) and Narcissus (deceased). Mr. Fugate  owns  1,000  or  more
     acres of land. He has a policy of $5,000 on his life in  the  Hartford
     Insurance Company.