S. B. Austin is of S. B. & J. M. Austin, a leading firm of Mound City. The mercantile trade of Holt County, is ably
represented by these parties, who do a large and successful business. They are both men of experience, having worked
in the dry goods trade from boyhood.
Their father, Jeremiah Austin, was born in Connecticut, and emigrated to New York, and while in that State he was married
at Fort Covington to Miss Betsie Howard, a native of New Hampshire. They located in Morley, St. Lawrence County, New York,
where S. B. and J. AT. Austin were born, the former on June 15, 1844, and J. M. on the 6th of November 1841. They were
reared and educated in their native town, and during their boyhood days assisted their father, who was a lumber dealer,
in that business.
In 1862 S. B. Austin went to Ogdensburg, New York, where he was employed as clerk in a dry goods store
till the winter of 1870, when he came to St. Joseph, Missouri. There he followed different mercantile pursuits till 1874,
when he came to Mound City, and since that time he has been engaged in his present business, though under different firm
names.
Mr. A. was married October 15, 1874 to Miss Josia Pitcher, a daugther of S. D. Pitcher, a native of Connecticut.
Her mother's maiden name was Margaret Drew, a native of Kentucky. Mrs. Austin was born in Clay County, Missouri, March 18, 1853,
and was married at
Liberty, where she had been educated. They have one child, George F.
In the year 1857, J. M. Austin went to Ogdensburg,
New York, where he was for six years engaged in selling goods, after which he accepted a position as
salesman in a large retail dry goods house of Boston. This he continued for two years, and from that time till the latter
part of 1875, he was engaged as traveling salesman over the State of New York in the interest of different wholesale dry
goods houses of Boston and New York. Among his employers were Swedser, Swan & Blodget, and Ordway, Bradbury & Co., both
of Boston, he being with the latter firm from January, 1866, till the Boston fire, which occurred November 9, 1872. Mr. A.
then traveled from New York till. 1874, the first year being with Diggs, Cunningham & Co., then with S. B. Chittendon & Co.,
after which time he returned to Boston. F'or a period he traveled for Perry, Cook & Tower. In the latter part of 1875, he
came west, and since then has journeyed over Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico, from St. Joseph, Kansas City and St. Louis.
July 1, 1881, he came to Mound City, Missouri, where he had previously had an interest in business for some time.
Source:"History of Holt and Atchison Counties, 1882"
Transcribed by Karyn
