My Genealogy Hound

H. T. Howerton, one of the leading stock farmers of Knox County, was born April 1, 1843, in Knox County, Mo., and is the third of seven children born to Henry T. and Sarah (Brooking) Howerton, natives of Bourbon County, Ky., and Gloucester County, Va., respectively. They were married in Lewis County, Mo., and after a few years’ residence there came to the present site of Edina which the father helped to survey and lay out, and built the first grist mill erected in the county, near that place They remained on their farm near Edina until 1864, when they sold out and moved to a farm previously purchased, and situated on Salt River in the western part of Shelton Township. After a long life of hard labor, the father died at this place in June, 1876; the mother still lives with her son, Thomas. Our subject was educated at the common schools near Edina, and the Catholic school of that place, and at the age of sixteen enlisted in Company F, Second Missouri Regiment, Confederate Army at Forest Springs, and remained in service until he received his discharge in February, 1862. In the spring of the following year he crossed the western plains to Idaho City, where he joined a pack train and engaged in mining. He returned to Missouri in November, 1865. January 9, 1868, he was united in marriage to Mary daughter of David and Elizabeth (Somerville) Long, natives of Mason County, W. Va., in which county Mrs. Howerton was born February 5, 1848, and from where, when but six years old, she came with her parents to Knox County. To this union five children were born, four of whom are living: David L (a school teacher, of Macon County), Tage Augustus, Wade H. and Mary Ethel. To the original 160 acres upon which our subject first moved, by persistent effort and careful management he has continually added until now he owns a fine farm of 580 acres, 560 acres being meadow land. The farm is under a fine state of cultivation, and well stocked Mr. Howerton having proved himself a successful stock dealer, making most of his money in this business. He probably deals as extensively as any other man in Knox County in livestock, and at present has about 200 head of cattle on his farm. He is one of Knox County’s prosperous farmers and enterprising citizens. He is a Democrat, and cast his first presidential vote for Horace Greeley.