St. Clair County Obits

JOHN WILLIAM DAUGHERTY

The Weekly News
Lowry City, Missouri
19 March 1942
John Wm. Daugherty was born on Aug. 27, 1856 in Granger County, Tenn., and
passed away Mar. 12, 1942 at his home 10 miles southwest of Eldorado at the
age of 85 years, 6 months and 13 days.
He was the son of John Williams and Caroline Satterfield Daugherty. The
father passed away when his namesake was only 11 days old. When he was 4
years old the Satterfields sold their slaves and other possessions and
moved to Cedar County near Stockton, coming in a train of 15 ox wagons.
When the boy was 8 years old his mother died, leaving him and three other
children homeless. Their home was then about 8 miles east of Osceola. After
the mother's death the four children were taken into various homes in the
community.
John William at first was taken into the home of Mrs. Celia Hayes, but war
prejudice caused him to be removed from that home, and he suffered many
hardships before finding another.
His sister Martha (Mrs. Geo. Delozier) died in the early 90s; another
sister, Mary (Mrs. John Young) still lives near Harmony, Okla., at 90 years
of age. His brother, Levi was separated from the others when he was 12
years old and the family never heard from him again.
In the early 70's John William Daugherty, then in his teens, joined a wagon
train bound for Texas and he spent a few years in riding the range there as
a cowboy, returning to Missouri horseback.
His formal schooling was meager, but he had a great natural ability and a
skilled mechanic. To many farmers in Cedar, St. Clair and Henry counties he
will be remembered as the operator of threshing machines in the day of the
steam engines. He has piloted these puffing juggernauts over most of the
roads and byways of this section of Missouri.
In addition he has drilled hundreds of wells and his sawmills have sawed
the lumber for hundreds of homes and barns. He was a man who worked, who
gave full measure to society to justify his being, filled heaped up, and
running over.
To thousands he was even better known as a musician, for he was a master of
most stringed instruments. In his day, Pillar Daugherty as he was
affectionately known, was held up as the best fiddler in the whole county.
Certainly his musical genius has given pleasure to many.
Mr. Daugherty was reared in the Methodist church and was tolerant of other
faiths, being a firm believer that the life we live is more important than
the creed we profess. He faced life with a philosophical attitude and faced
the end of life in the same manner. His children and other loved ones will
love reverence his memory. He saw many friends go on before him, and he
leaves many to mourn his passing. For his friends were legion, and he had
no enemies.
Funeral services were held Friday, March 13 at 2 p.m. in the Siders Gwimm
Funeral chapel in El Dorado Springs. He was buried in the Osceola cemetery
by the side of his wife who passed away July 1, 1937.