S.G. Tetwiler, the editor and
     publisher of the The  Democrat,  Charleston,  Mo.,  was  born
     April 29, 1861, in Ironton, Iorn Co., Mo., in  the  beautiful  Arcadia
     Valley. He is a descendant from an old and honorable  Germany  family,
     his forefathers, three generations  ago,  having  settled  in  Bedford
     county, Penn., from which his  parents  immigrated  to  Missouri  some
     forty years ago. The subject of this sketch received  a  very  limited
     education in the public schools of Ironton. His inclinations were  all
     toward the printing business, but another brother of the same bent  of
     mind preceding him in Ironton's  one  printing  office,  that  if  the
     Iron County Register, owned by an uncle,  Eli  B.  Ake.  S.G.
     Tetwiler accepted a situation as drug clerk, and for the greater  part
     of six years, or until  he  was  of  age,  followed  that  profession,
     holding as a result a certificate of  registration,  under  the  State
     laws, entitling him to follow pharmacy as a profession. In 1881 he was
     married to Miss Lutie C. Mills, a young lady whose parents died in her
     infancy. Following this event Mr.  Tetwiler  left  his  old  home  for
     Colorado, but the climate not proving agreeable to the health  of  his
     wife, within a short period he found himself in the "Future Great"  of
     "Poor  Old  Missouri",  where  for  several  months  he  improved  his
     opportunities for becoming initiated in  the  mysteries  of  the  "art
     preservative".  His  first   newspaper   venture   the   Bonne   Terre
     Reporter, and its success was  of  such  questionable  nature
     that the outfit was disposed of as soon as a purchaser for it could be
     found. Three years later he assumed duty as local editor of the Poplar
     Bluff Enquirer, but after this venture had succumbed  to  the
     inevitable, he transferred himself to his present location,  where  he
     first assumed duty as editor  and  manager,  and  afterward  purchased
     The Democrat, a newspaper which has  been  accorded  probably
     more praise for ability and neatness than any other journal of its age
     in the State.

William K. Thompson was  born
     in Salem County, N.J., in 1846, and is one of three children  born  to
     William and Lydia Thompson, also natives of New Jersey. The father was
     a plasterer by trade and he and wife resided  in  their  native  State
     until their deaths, both of which occurred during the civil War. Their
     other children are George and Amy, both of  whom  now  reside  in  New
     Jersey. William K. was reared at his father's home, which he  left  in
     the fall of 1864 to enlist in the United State  army.  He  joined  the
     Thirty-eighth New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered  out  of
     service in July 1865. He soon after went to Philadelphia, and  engaged
     in boating and  trading.  He  coasted  on  a  steamer  to  Boston  and
     Providence, after which he made a trip from Baltimore to New  Orleans.
     At the latter city he obtained work on the levee. He went from  thence
     to Mount Pleasant, Tex., and was for a while engaged in  carpentering.
     After visiting other towns in Texas, he returned to New  Orleans,  and
     resumed work on the government levee. In 1872  he  came  to  Southeast
     Missouri, and located in Wolf  Island  Township,  Mississippi  County,
     where he has since been engaged in farming. In November, 1874, he  was
     united in marriage with Mrs.  Catherine  Bratcher,  who  was  born  in
     Mississippi County, Mo., in 1850. She is one of two daughters born  to
     Amos M. and Eveline Bratcher, natives of Kentucky, who, when they were
     young, came to Southeast Missouri with their parents, soon  after  the
     Beckwith family located there. Their other daughter is Mary  A.  (Mrs.
     John Gossett), of Scott County, Mo. Mr. Bratcher died on  December  4,
     1867, aged about sixty-eight years. Mrs. Bratcher died in  her  fifty-
     first year (in 1870). Mrs. Thompson first married a  cousin,  Mark  L.
     Bratcher, who died on March 27, 1872, leaving three children: Amos M.,
     Margaret E. and Sarah M. Mr. and Mrs.  Thompson's  marriage  has  been
     blessed     by     the     birth     of     one     child,      Minnie
     E.

Elbert   W.   Thompson,   an
     intelligent and enterprising farmer of Mississippi  County,  Mo.,  was
     born in that county in what is known as Texas Bend, October  2,  1849.
     He is a son of Harrison S. and Hannah A. (Sheppard) Thompson,  natives
     of Cape Girardeau County, where he died. Harrison S. Thompson was born
     November 13, 1813. In 1837 he immigrated  to  Mississippi  County  and
     located where Elbert W. now resides. He entered a large tract of land,
     which he added to from time to time, and at  the  time  of  his  death
     owned over 5,000 acres. He was one of the first settlers  of  what  is
     known as Thompson's Bend, which at that time was heavily timbered.  He
     lived a bachelor about two years. On  February  28,  1840  he  married
     Elizabeth S. Goode, who resided near Charleston, Mo. To them were born
     two children, John W. and Elizabeth S. His wife died August  8,  1843.
     Elizabeth S. (an infant) died August 17, 1843. John W.  died  February
     9, 1861. On July 16, 1846, H.S. Thompson  was  married  to  Hannah  a.
     Sheppard, who resided at Charleston, Mo., and was born at  that  place
     March 12, 1827. To them were born nine children,  three  of  whom  are
     living: Elbert W., Martha A. (Mrs. Alex B. Rouse) and Laura W.D. Those
     deceased are Mary J.,  who  was  born  February  11,  1848,  and  died
     September 4, 1851; Cyrus N., born March 25, 1851, and died October 12,
     1868; James H. born November 17,1853, died September 6, 1856:  Amricus
     J., born January  21,  1856,  and  died  October  15,  1861;  Mary  J.
     (second), born August 1, 1858 and died December 1, 1860; Elizabeth H.,
     born October 4, 1862 and  died  December  27,  1864;  Martha  A.  born
     February 19, 1864; Laura W.D., born September 16,  1866.  Harrison  S.
     Thompson at the beginning of the war, had about 600 acres of  land  in
     cultivation, with good improvements, and forty-five slaves. He lost  a
     considerable amount of property by both armies. He  died  November  4,
     1867. On November 5, 1869, his wife, Hannah A. married  John  Harness.
     She died March 10, 1886. Elbert  W.  was  reared  to  farm  life,  and
     remained with his father until the latter's death. On April 16,  1874,
     he married Mary J., daughter of Dr. Hartwell and Mary A. Stratton,  of
     Jackson County, Tenn. Mrs. Stratton died  in  January,  1862.  Mr.  H.
     Stratton afterward moved to Charleston, Mo., where he  now  lives.  To
     Elbert W. and Mary J. Thompson were born eight children: Bertie E. was
     born July 13, 1875; Lena P. was born September 16, 1877 died  December
     30, 1877; Hartwell S. was born January  19,  1879,  died  February  5,
     1884; William C. was born September 22 1880,  died  October  3,  1880;
     Frank M. was born August 30, 1882, Claude E. was born August 27, 1884;
     Hannah M. was born September 23, 1886; infant, unnamed, born April 25,
     1888. Elbert W. has always made Thompson's Bend his home, and now  has
     about 2,000 acres of land, with about 800  in  cultivation,  and  good
     improvements.

John B. Thurman, a farmer  of
     St. James Township, Mississippi County, was born  in  that  county  in
     1861. His parents, Hiram and Elizabeth (Reed) Thurman, were natives of
     Kentucky, the former born on March 29, 1832, and the latter  on  April
     4, 1837. They were married April 13, 1853, after which they removed to
     Southeast Missouri, where they were engaged  in  farming  until  their
     deaths. The wife died December 26, 1880, having borne  four  children:
     Dennie (who died in childhood),  Catherine  (Mrs.  Anthony  Geltz,  of
     Tywappita Township, Mississippi County), John B.  and  Georgia  Alice.
     Mr. Thurman was married again, choosing  for  his  second  wife  Nancy
     Rhodes, by whom he had one child,  Elmore,  who  now  lives  with  his
     sister, Mrs. Geltz. His mother died in December 1885. Mr. Thurman died
     on September 8, 1885. John B. remained with his parents until  he  was
     twenty-two years of age, after which he was engaged  in  farming  with
     his sister. In 1884 he was untied in marriage with Sarah  Hargan,  who
     was born in Hardin County, Ky., and is  a  daughter  of  Franklin  and
     Easter (Childers) Hargan, both also natives of Hardin County, Ky. They
     removed to Southeast Missouri in 1882,  and  located  in  Texas  Bend,
     where they still reside. Their children are Ida  R.,  Joseph  ,  Mary,
     Sarah, William, Stephen, Rosa B. (deceased),  Benjamin  J.,  Laura  F.
     (deceased) and Thomas M. In the  year  of  his  marriage  Mr.  Thurman
     located upon his present farm, consisting of eighty  acres,  which  he
     has since improved very much. To him  and  wife  have  been  born  two
     daughters: Lottie and Lillie. Mr. and Mrs. Thurman are members of  the
     Methodist Episcopal Church South. His parents were also members of the
     same church.

Dr.   Jackson   L.   Travis
     (deceased) was born in North Carolina, November 6, 1824,  and  at  the
     age of five years removed with his parents to Tennessee, where he grew
     to manhood, and studied medicine under the direction of an  uncle.  In
     1853 he came to Southeast Missouri, and located  in  Lucas  Bend.  Dr.
     Travis, with a  single  exception,  was  the  oldest  practitioner  in
     Mississippi County. He was a good and  useful  neighbor,  and  a  kind
     friend. He died at his home, near Bratcher's Lake, on Tuesday, January
     18, 1881. He was first married on  October  19,  1858,  to  Martha  J.
     Hicks, who was born on June 9, 1835. By  this  union  were  born  four
     children: Jackson (who died on January 4, 1879, aged twenty-two years,
     two months and four days); Leulla  (born  December  11,  1858,died  on
     February 9, 1875); the other two, Mary  J.  and  Martha  I.,  died  in
     infancy. Their mother died  on  February  19,  1866.  Dr.  Travis  was
     married, on November 19, 1866, to Lucy H. Beckwith, born on April  17,
     1843. She is the daughter of Marmaduke and Susan (Griffitt)  Beckwith,
     both now deceased. Mr. Beckwith came to Southeast  Missouri  in  1812,
     and was one of the prominent men of his day. He had  two  children  by
     his marriage with Susan Griffitt: Underwood and Lucy H. Mrs.  Beckwith
     died when the latter was  three  weeks  old.  Mr.  Beckwith  afterward
     married Mrs. Catherine Price, a daughter of Abram Hunter, one  of  the
     pioneer settlers of Southeast Missouri. By  this  marriage  were  born
     Amanda (Medley) of Arcadia,  Mo.,  Anna  (Mrs.  Henry  Pease,  of  St.
     Francois County, Mo., and four who are dead: Richard,  Newman,  Thomas
     and Yancy. Mr. Beckwith died  in  March,  1881.  Dr.  Travis  had  six
     children by his marriage with Lucy H. Beckwith: Lucien (born September
     10, 1867); Lucy (born on June 23, 1869); Lulella  (born  on  September
     13, 1871); Ada (born on January 1, 1875); Anna (died in  infancy)  and
     Jackson L. (born on September 5,  1878).  Mrs.  Travis  and  her  five
     children live on the home place, near Bratcher's Lake, in  Mississippi
     County.

Robert W. Turley, a farmer of
     James Bayou Township, Mississippi Co., Mo., was born in Ste. Genevieve
     County, Mo., and is a son of William  H.  Turley,  who  was  born  and
     reared in Washington County, Mo. The latter married Martha  Miller,  a
     native of Indiana, whose parents came  to  Missouri  when  she  was  a
     child. They located in  St.  Francois  County.  Mrs.  Turley  has  one
     brother, W.S. Miller, now living in Farmington, St.  Francois  County,
     engaged in carpentering. Mr. Turley was a farmer. He died in  Missouri
     in 1879, his wife having died two years previously, in 1877. They were
     the parents of thirteen children: Oliver C. (of Ste Genevieve  County,
     Mo.) Elbridge C. (of Tate County, Miss.), Robert W., James R. (of Tate
     County, Miss.), Nathan (of Ste. Genevieve County, Mo.), Mary A.  (Mrs.
     John Ellett, (of Tate  County,  Miss.),  Louis  G.  (of  Tate  County,
     Miss.), George S. (also of  the  at  county),  Luther  M.  (deceased),
     Margaret A. (deceased),  Didamia  (deceased)  and  two  that  died  in
     infancy. Robert W. remained on the home farm assisting with the  work,
     until he  was  twenty-eight  years  of  age.  He  received  a  liberal
     education in the common schools. He  came  to  Mississippi  County  in
     October, 1882, and located near where he now  reside,  purchasing  his
     present farm of 130 acres, in 1886. In 1881 he was united in  marriage
     with Eliza Burgess, a native of Saline County, Ohio. She died in 1884,
     leaving one child, Carroll B.  Mr.  Turley  afterward  married  Mahala
     Cunningham, a native of St. Francois County, Mo. She is a daughter  of
     Burl and Mary Cunnignham. By this union he has one child, Alma  Alice.
     Mr. and Mrs. Turley belong to the Missionary Baptist Church. He  is  a
     member of the K. of H.