My Genealogy Hound

JOHN C. GUINN, the king of wheat-growers in southwest Missouri. His home is situated at Georgia City, eighteen miles northwest of Carthage, near the Kansas line and neighboring to the town of Waco on the line of St. Louis & San Francisco Railway. His landed estate consists of 4,000 acres of fine land, which is drained by Spring River and its tributaries, being mostly valley and bottom lands. His home farm comprises several thousand acres of fine valley land along Spring River. It is covered with a dark, rich, flexible alluvial, from six to ten feet deep, enormously productive of all crops grown in that region. Mr. Guinn has in cultivation some 1,600 acres devoted to wheat and corn, also many hundred to timothy meadow; and for the past ten consecutive years his broad wheat fields have averaged 24 bushels per acre. In 1874, 80 acres gave an average of 47 bushels. He has grown twelve consecutive crops of wheat from the same land with no sign of diminution in yield. The crop of 1882 consisted of some 27,000 bushels of wheat from 1,000 acres of land. He keeps many high grade cattle, hogs, and fine pigs, he employs some thirty men and works some thirty teams. In active seasons he runs some twelve self-binders and is the most successful and practical wheat-grower in southwest Missouri. The beautiful estate is well improved, surrounded and subdivided by hedge and plank fences; he has a large, new and commodious barn, 40x60. He contemplates building a handsome residence. On his estate there is a strong water-power having a fall of five and a half feet, which might be made one of the most valuable milling properties in the state. Mr. G., in connection with Mr. Lloyd owns a large section of valuable mineral land near Webb City and Joplin, also extensive stockholders in the Parr Hill mines, at the latter city. The above gentleman is a native of Greene county, east Tennessee, born Aug. 29, 1832, being a son of P. R. and Lottie (Landerdall) Guinn, both natives of Greene county, east Tennessee. The father was born March 4, 1800, and lived to the age of sixty-six years, being a farmer by occupation. The mother was born in 1802, having died when thirty-eight years of age, leaving a family of six children, as follows: George W., Wm. M., Caroline M., John C., Pleasant M., and P. E. Mr. Guinn grew up on a farm having received a good education. He started out single handed to contend with the rough edge of the world. In 1850 he entered a mercantile establishment at Atlanta, Ga., and remained some two years; then turned his attention to railroading, continuing at the same until 1856; he then spent many months in Central America, finally returning to Atlanta, Ga. He came to Jasper county in 1865, making purchases and improving lands, but did not move his family until 1870. The most important event of Mr. and Mrs. G.’s lives transpired Nov. 7, 1861, when they were married, she being Miss Mary J. Broome, one of Georgia’s fair daughters, her birthplace being La Grange, True county, born Aug. 15, 1832, being a daughter of Ruben and L. W. (Pitts) Broome, both natives of Georgia. The family consists of eight children, Elizabeth E., Julia, John R., May J., George W., Henrietta, J. A., and C. W., Mrs. Guinn being the fourth child. Her early education was received at La Grange, afterwards, in 1849, she graduated at the Wesleyan Female Seminary, at Macon, Ga., it being one of the oldest institutions in the Southern states. Mr. and Mrs. Guinn have a family of three children living, as follows: Chas. B., born Feb. 14, 1864; John B., born Oct. 18, 1868; and Lottie H., born Sept. 11, 1872; have lost George D., born July 4, 1866, and died Sept 17, 1868.