Newark post., 1919-09-17
MISSOURI TOWNS RIVAL
FCI, ,AIMANTS FOR BIRTH
PLACE OF PERSHlNG
ac1ede and Meadville Claim
Honor Says Everett Tom
linson in Leslie's

l..1.f J.hn Joseph Pershing was
.rumDcr -, 1860, near Lac
,l. M The old quarrel Of the seven
L.. ..u tire honor Of being the birth
n... a. Homer threatens to break
,ru new form over the place
,r.. T. niug first saw the light.
h.. ..u ii inhabitants Of Laclede are
:.,. . u~oudIy ana positively to
h. -uo. in their village on which
E,ong ,n, little house in which Cen
.rI p..-hug was born. The neigh
,,..ag tuwuship Of Meadville, how
ey.r. with equal pride is preparing a
bnarlr. for his birthplace, which they
.o@f,-usIy declare is within their
,n,.a- ! have letter from "Grand-
baa" Warren who was present when
tbr fat;,r general arrived. She first
washcu and dressed him and was a
ffrg,Ic,t visitor in the Pershing house
ho'6 whI,. he was a baby. She ought
T. roow. and is positive that she does
l,orv. thu, the general was born in
hI,ad1llv, and a year later went with
h. fa,ncr and mother to live in Lac
leac. General Pershing himself dis
,rpp., states that he was born "near
.arlrdr." Without question he passed
bi> uovhooI in that place, which sixty
l. .4r. ago was almost frontier set
tn..t. having as many blacks as
N.n... among its inhabitants.
III, t"ther was section foreman at
that time on the Hannibal and st. Joe
Ta,ir0.d. He was man of marvellous
Mprg: and speedily pushed ahead.
4Af;er brief service as sutler in the
rowhcrn army he became the post
master and foremost merchant of the
3yiIIuur. Afterward he was travel
{in- salesman for clothing house of
Is Joseph. and later made his home
In Chicago, where he was engaged in
I Ithr wholesale clothing business. Sew
&era, ,me+ he met misfortune, but, un-
|Gaunt2d "y failure, he speedily recov-
cred himself. He originally came
|from Western Pennsylvania, his an
ce-tur- having emigrated from Alsace
Lorraine.
!. L.aclcde, the senior Pershing, as
q avmnu' Of the board of education,
.1u~hed through a reorganization of
Of +lo vii
ard ~a- chiefly responsible for the
~. ..nol buildings. He was a de-
y.,, n.omhcr of the Methodist church,
a.G ,Deriutendent of its Sunday
,.nuo., AID it is reported at times even
rv& he pulpit. One of the oldest
| {iuhaG-#nJs of Laclede writes ME that
he dist.ActIy recalls the sight of the
TcnHsy.vania family regularly to be
seen un Sundays on their way to
cnyrM. Mr.. Pershing with the gen.
elal and jim in advance, and Mrs.
[Pvrshing and the girls following.
Mos. Great men have great mothers.
General Pershing is no exception. His
mother was Ann Elizabeth Thompson,
who Was born in Nashville, Tenn: A
[l,scmUlance almost weird az pears IN
her likeness to her first born. She
had brothers in the southern army
| Ut with her husband she herself was
>tanchIy loyal to the North. She risk
ed hcl life by raising thG first flag IN
Linn county, Mo-, and with her hus-
band and children first observed Me-
mortal Day by personally decorating
the graves of the fallen Union soldiers
in that county. One of her children
rises and calls her blessed in the fol-
lowing tribute: "She was always an
inspiration to her family, AMI her ON
Ijrion for them, especially = an edu-
0atonaI way, was unbounded."
I..1 this family was born John
Io-Hal pershing, the eldest Of nine
ohi,rrn. six of whom lived to matur-
.js As boy he was known as tow
hoad having dark eyes, firm set
mou.h and sturdy erect frame that
VA Indicative of his strength and
g3ict bearing. His boyhood asso-
riy,l. write me that he was leader
among his friends, in school and out
A. d student he was steady, persist
o1 dependable rather than brilliant
"IIe was always ready to take the
par Of the smaller boys when they
""rr imposed upon by the larger
oac-." "He always knew the best
T'aros to find hazel nuts and the deep
TT swimming holes in the Locust
Muddy and Turkey Greeks. Many a
time We went swimming together IN
IuaJt's pond" One of the best trl-
hu'cs to the clean life and earnest Ell
forts Of the boy Pershing is recorded
in a letter snet me a year ago by one
Of his early chums. "He was liked by
everybody, although he was a quie'