Biographical Sketch of Eldridge B. Trail, Franklin County, Missouri

>From "History of Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Crawford and 
Gasconade Counties", Biographical Appendix, Goodspeed Publishing 
Company, 1888.

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Eldridge B. Trail, livery man and dealer in feed at New Haven, is a 
native of Moniteau County, Mo., born in 1850 and the son of Bazil and
Anna F. (West) Trail, natives of Rutherford County, Tenn., where they
were married about 1834.  From there they removed to Moniteau County,
Mo., in an early day, and in about 1852 moved from there to Jackson
County, where they both died, the father in 1857 and the mother in 
1863.  The father was of German-Irish descent; was a farmer and cab-
inet maker by occupation.  After the death of his father Eldridge B.
went with an older brother to Christian County, Mo., where he remained
until 1865.  He never attended school of any consequence until after
he had attained his majority, and then only about thirteen months.  In
1865 he came to Franklin County, and worked out on a farm for several
years.  At the age of twenty he learned the blacksmith's trade, which
occupation he followed until 1881, when for two years he ran a shop at
Dundee.  He then came to New Haven, where he established his livery
business, and has conducted the same ever since with good success.  In
1887 he established his feed store, which he has since been operating.
He has established himself in a good business, and has accumulated con-
siderable property.  In 1879 Mr. Trail wedded Miss Alice Thurmon, a
native of Greene County, Mo., and the daughter of John and Margaret
Thurmon.  This union resulted in the birth of three children: Lulu,
Edgar and Nellie.  As an educational worker Mr. Trail has few equals in
the vicinity, his greatest desire being to give his children a good ed-
ucation.  He is a Democrat in politics, and cast his first vote for 
Horace Greeley, in 1872.  He is a member of the Masonic fraternity. In
June, 1887, Mr. Trail met with a severe disaster by way of fire.  His
good, comfortable residence and barn, together with a large portion of
their contents, were consumed by fire, entailing a loss of about $3,300
of his hard earnings.  Although he had very meager advantages for an
education, his earnest desire for a knowledge of the outside world has
prompted our subject to avail himself of every advantage, through which
he has acquired sufficient knowledge of the German language to enable
him to converse freely in that tongue.

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