My Genealogy Hound

Below is a family biography included in the book, The History of Scotland County, Missouri published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1887.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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Maj. Robert D. Cramer, lawyer, was born in Ohio, May 12, 1836, the son of George and Hannah (Wilson) Cramer, natives, respectively, of Virginia and North Carolina. The father came to Jefferson County, Iowa, in 1856, and has spent a successful life as a farmer and stock raiser, and is now in his eighty-third year. The mother died in 1860. Their children are Caroline, wife of N. M. Longfellow; Louisa, wife of W. T. Johnson; John W.; Vashti, wife of L. D. Johnson; Ann E., wife of T. Rowland; a deceased infant daughter, and Frances M., deceased wife of J. Gardner. Our subject is the fifth child, and received a good education at his country home in Ohio, so that he was able to follow teaching from his nineteenth year until after he came to Iowa. In that State he taught school during the day, and was a vocal music teacher in the evening. In 1862 he joined Company G, Thirtieth Iowa Infantry. He was captain until after the fall of Vicksburg, when he became major, and as such was mustered out June 16, 1865. He was seriously wounded at Arkansaw Post. He had read law some before the war, and now entered the law school at Ann Arbor, Mich. After his graduation, in 1867, he came to Missouri, and was admitted to the bar. He has been very successful, and has been a prominent Republican ever since the birth of that party. He served two years as county attorney, and several terms as attorney for the city. In 1884 he was a delegate to the famous Chicago convention, and in 1886 was a prominent candidate for Congress from the First District, but entered the race in convention under protest, well knowing the hopeless minority of his party. His first wife was Martha Pettyjohn, deceased. Their children are Lewis W., Flora E. (wife of C. M. Teeters), and Robert O. April 25, 1867, he was united to Sallie M. Gray, of Ohio. Their only child is Ada B. Our subject has been commander of the G. A. R. at his place, and has passed all the chairs of the A. F. & A. M. and served as E. C. of Memphis Commandery No. 41. He is also a member of the A. O. U. W. and I. O. O. F. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he is very prominent, being a lay delegate in 1880 from the Missouri conference to the general conference that met at Cincinnati, Ohio, and filling other important positions.

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This family biography is one of 140 biographies included in the Scotland County, Missouri portion of the book,  The History of Lewis, Clark, Knox and Scotland Counties, Missouri published in 1887.  For the complete description, click here: Scotland County, Missouri History, Genealogy, and Maps

View additional Scotland County, Missouri family biographies here: Scotland County, Missouri Biographies

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