Mr. Libby, one of the large and prosperous farmers of Clay
township, was born in Bangor, Maine on June 24, 1829. His ancestors
were among the first settlers of Maine. He was raised on a farm
in the vicinity of Saco.
At age 15, he went to sea and for four
years was employed on vessels trading with the West Indies. Tiring
of the vicissitudes common to a career on the seas, he returned
to Maine and lived there until 1856. In that year, he came to
Indiana and assisted in the construction of the Ohio and Mississippi
railroad through that state. The following year, he went to Kentucky
and worked on the Lexington and Big Sandy railroad then being
constructed. He came to Missouri in 1858 and was engaged in building
the Hannibal and St. Joseph railroad; part of the time at work
on contracts, part of the time as superintendent, and also acted
as wood agent. He subsequently became interested in the Platte
County railroad and laid the track from Weston to Savannah.
When the Civil War interfered with railroad construction,
Mr. LIBBY settled down on a farm four miles south of Graham, in
Nodaway County, and was partly occupied in buying horses and mules
for the government during the progress of the war. For a time,
he operated a livery stable at St. Joseph and then went to Atchison,
Kansas and laid the first 20 miles of track on what was known
as the Atchison and Pike's Peak railroad. Returning to Nodaway
County, he engaged in farming and, for a time, was proprietor of
a hotel and livery stable at Maryville, Nodaway County
He moved to
Holt County in 1871 and located in Whig Valley, where he owns a large
and finely improved farm. He has 573 acres of land in the home
farm and 855 acres in Hickory township. His stables contain some
of the finest horses in Holt County He has always been a Republican.
His wife was the former Lucy ARDERY of Savannah, Mo.
Source: "An Illustrated Historical Atlas Map, Holt County, MO.
Published by Brink, McDonough & Co., Philadelphia, 1877
Provided by Dave Roberts of Lyon County, Kentucky,
a former Holt County resident.
