David Barnhill was a native of Carroll County, OH and his wife, Sarah Dempsey, was originally from Jackson County, OH.  They, with the five eldest of their eventual family of twelve children, moved to Adair County in 1869 and settled on a farm near Brashear. David farmed the same land the rest of his life and died there at age 95 from injuries received in a fall.  [KDE obits]

Benjamin Hall moved to Knox County, MO from Washington County, OH with his parents as a teenager.  In Knox County, he met Elizabeth Ashby who had arrived from Virginia with her parents a few years earlier.  The young couple married shortly after Ben completed his Civil War military service with the 21st Missouri Volunteer Infantry and established their permanent home on a farm near Brashear in Adair County.  [Violette; Adair Co Cemeteries]

James Hanks was born in Adair County but raised just across the line in Knox County.  After completing his public school education, he taught for several years before switching to medicine.  He began medical training in Brashear, MO with Dr SL Ellis then earned his MD in 1890 at Belleview Hospital Medical College in New York City.  He returned home after completing his studies to establish his practice at Brashear and, a year later, to marry Miss Estella Hopkins. His brother Warner moved to Wilson about the same time.   [Violette]

Robert Milstead, a native of Ray County, MO, moved to Adair County at about age 18 and began farming near Brashear.  Forty years later, he retired from farming and moved into town where he and a brother opened Milstead Bros Mercantile.  He operated the store in Brashear with several different partners from 1907 until he retired again in the late 1920s.  Robert and his wife, Margaret E Davidson, had ten children, four of whom died in childhood. [Violette; KDE obit]

John Nupnau came to the US from Hamburg, Germany in 1852 and arrived in Adair County ca 1867.  He settled on a farm near Brashear and in 1869 married Catharine Propst (sister of Robert) with whom he had at least four children, Malinda A, Robert Francis, Rosa Ellen & Catherine Josephine. After Catharine's death he married Sarah Buckingham and had another daughter, Leona.  His third wife was Annie Jordan.    [Federal Census; Adair Co Cemeteries; Adair Co Marriages]

George Platz and Margaret Robertson married in 1883 and raised their six children on the Platz farm near Brashear.  He had come to Adair County from Holmes County, OH with his parents when he was 11 years old.  She was a native of Toronto, Canada who had moved to the Kirksville area with her parents at age 14.  A skilled carpenter, George ran a contracting business while continuing to operate the family farm; he was responsible for many of the buildings in and around Brashear.   [KDE obits]

Robert Propst, a native Adair countian, was born on the Propst family homestead near Sabbath Home.  He and Mary Miller married in 1878 and farmed in the same area until 1899 when they rented out their land and purchased a retirement home in Brashear.  They were the parents of seven: Malinda, Joseph, Viola, Sarah, Lula May, Robert P and Cecil M. [Violette; KDE obit]

OC Sands an Indiana native who came to Adair County via Illinois, cofounded the State Bank of Brashear in 1890 then bought out his partners the following year. He remained sole owner and President until March 1900 when he sold the firm and purchased controlling interest in a bank in University Place, a suburb of Lincoln, NE. We don't have the date of OC's death, but we do know he and his wife, Lizzie Cox, were buried at Lincoln's historic Wyuka Cemetery.  [Violette; Federal Census; K'ville Journal; Wyuka database]

LE Schoene, of Lee County, IA, began his employment with the Quincy, Omaha & Kansas City Rail Road at age 16 and in 1887 was transferred to the Brashear, MO depot as agent and telegrapher.  He remained in this position until his retirement from the Road in 1925.  In 1888, he married Adair County native Junetta Dunham and the young couple raised their six children in Brashear.   [Violette; KDE obit]

MB Sherwood, a native of Connecticut, came to Adair County with his parents about 1880 and was owner/publisher of The Brashear News from June 1897 till July 1898. He opened a real estate office in Brashear after selling the newspaper and moved to Macon County after his wife's death. He was a resident of Atlanta, MO at the time of his own death. [Violette; Directories; MO Death Certf]

Albert Smith, the son of Edward & Melissa (Cullison) Smith was born, lived his entire life and died on the family farm about five miles northeast of Brashear.  He and Laura Bell Conkle, also an Adair County native, married in 1890 and raised their family of nine on the same place: Gladys, Blanche, Ethel, Beulah, Violet, Virl, Fulton, Lawrence & Paul.  [KDE obit]

Daniel Tuttle and his wife Sarah (Hill) moved to Missouri from Morrow County, OH in 1866 and farmed near Brashear. They had four children, Walter, George, Ernest & Mary before they separated in 1884.  After retiring, Daniel lived with George & his family on the farm and Sarah lived with Mary in Kirksville. Although a positive ID has not been made, the grandchild pictured with Daniel is possibly George’s daughter Golda. [Violette; 1900 Census; Sarah's KDE obit]