Nature, in the distribution of her personal gifts, no matter how prodigal, rarely confers upon one individual excelling talents in more than a single direction. The qualities that combine to form the make-up of an eminent lawyer, the more pronounced they are, conduce the more to make him a specialist; the talent which enables a man to gain success in the field of commerce and trade, seldom qualifies him for excellence in other directions; the refinement and courtesy which make one a leader in social life usually unfit him for the stern conflicts of business and financial activity. Yet all these elements seem to have been combined in rare proportions in the person of Millard F. OXFORD, of Gainesville, whose forty years of residence here have been marked by success in the law, in business and in finance, and who is also known as a prominent factor in political and social circles.

Millard F. OXFORD was born near Bethany, Missouri, November 10, 1848, and is a son of Jacob B. OXFORD and Mary (McCANY) OXFORD. His grandfather, also named Jacob B. OXFORD, was born in Buncombe County, North Carolina, whither his father moved from England, and among the latter's children were seven sons. This remote English ancestor was James OXFORD, and the "English Blue Book," reporting unclaimed estates there, contains the family name. When past middle life the grandfather moved to Clay County, Kentucky, from whence he came with the family to Daviess County, Missouri, where he died and was buried near Jackson Station. He married Elizabeth ROGERS, who is buried beside her husband, and their children were: Jonathan, Jacob B., Mrs. Locky McDONALD, Mrs. Rosa McCAMMON, Russell, James M., Albert and John, all of whom came to Missouri, while all with the exception of Albert reared families.

Jacob B. OXFORD, the father of Millard F. OXFORD, was born in June, 1815, in Buncombe County, North Carolina, and when three years old moved with his parents to Clay County, Kentucky. He was there reared in a rural community and educated sparingly in the country schools. He then followed farming until 1836, then coming to Missouri and locating in the vicinity of Gallatin, Daviess County, and coming to Harrison County about the year of its organization — 1845. He possessed fine native ability, did much toward the building up of the community, encouraged education and was an active member of the Missionary Baptist Church. He was in politics only as a voter, save when he was elected assessor of Harrison County, and in politics was originally a whig and later a democrat. On the issues of the Civil war he was a war democrat, and one of his sons, Lilburn H., served in the Union army and still survives. Mr. OXFORD died in December, 1882. He married Mary McCANY, a daughter of Andrew McCANY, of Scotch descent, and she died in September, 1879, having been the mother of the following children: Mrs. Sarah E. BROWNING, of Chicago; Mrs. S. D. RARDIN, of Ridgeway, Missouri; Martha J., who marired Robert L. OXFORD and died at Sioux City, Iowa; Lilburn H., a resident of Orting, Washington; Millard F., of this notice; LaFayette C., a resident of Colorado; and Emma, the wife of William TOLLINGER, of Emerson, Iowa.

The early education of Millard F. OXFORD came from the common and select schools, and his boyhood surroundings were of a rural character. He began teaching school when he was nineteen years of age, at "Turkey Grove," near Ringgold, Iowa, hiring for three months and at the end of that period being retained for another three. He taught only about four years, and in 1874 commenced his business career at Cainesville, where he had been acquainted for some time. His initial venture was in a general merchandise enterprise associated with his cousin, Robert L. OXFORD, and as the partners were brothers-in-law, as well as cousins, they styled their firm OXFORD Brothers. This concern existed until 1883 when Millard F. OXFORD bought his partner's interest and continued business alone until the spring of 1901 at which time a disastrous fire caused him to lose his store and stock, valued at some $18,000. He remained out of business only a few months, however, and then organized another enterprise, taking in as partners his son, O. H. OXFORD, and his son-in-law. William J. BURROWS, and styling the firm M. F. OXFORD & Sons. After the organization of the new business, Millard F. OXFORD soon retired from active connection in the store and took up law and real estate instead.

Mr. OXFORD prepared himself for the law, partially, in his younger days with text books on the subject in his own home, and after he retired from merchandise took up the study and completed it in his office, studying two years and being admitted to practice at Bethany, in 1903, before Judge WANAMAKER. He was examined by Attorneys E. H. FRISBY, Carl WINSLOW and Alexander CUMMING, and after an examination of an hour and one-half the presiding judge called a halt to the proceedings and admonished the committee that the examination had covered a wide scope and had been more rigid than usual. Satisfied with the applicant's capabilities, he issued the license to practice. Mr. OXFORD's first case, tried in 1903 at Cainesville, was of a civil nature, in which he represented the defense against Lawyer WILSON for the prosecution, and this was finally decided in favor of the defendant. Mr. OXFORD has followed the general practice in Harrison and Mercer counties, and Cainesville being a mining town much business for him has originated here. His has been civil business, and he has also been local attorney for the Cainesville Bank, the Grand River Telephone Company and the Grand River Coal and Coke Company here.

Aside from his business and his profession, Mr. OXFORD has been secretary of the board of directors of the Cainesville Bank since its organization. He owns 400 acres of land adjoining and in the vicinity of Cainesville, the greater part of which is underlaid with a 4-foot vein of coal which is now being mined. He has been an Odd Fellow since 1873 and never has drawn a week's benefits because of illness during that time. He joined the Baptist Church in 1884, and served as Sunday school superintendent for eight years, has been a member of the Missionary Board of the church, and has assisted in financing the missionary work. His home is of his own construction, a development from humble proportions through successive changes to one of the finest of the city, and here he has lived throughout the period of his married life.

Mr. OXFORD has been ever identified with the democratic party and for a number of years one of the leaders therein in his county. He attended his first congressional convention in 1876, at Chillicothe, and was a delegate there for Charles H. MANSUR, who failed of the nomination, a dark horse, of Randolph County, named Rothwell, winning. He attended two congressional conventions at Plattsburg, the first in the interests of Hon. A. M. DOCKERY, who was nominated and elected, and the second in the interests of T. A. DUNN, of Bethany, who was defeated by John DAUGHERTY, of Liberty. He was a delegate to the state convention in 1900 and had the remarkable experience of getting all the candidates nominated that his delegate was instructed to support, Governor A. M. DOCKERY heading the list that year. Mr. OXFORD also attended the democratic national convention in 1904 at St. Louis, as a spectator, and saw Judge PARKER made the standard-bearer of the party for president. Mr. OXFORD has never sought political honors for himself, but was nominated in his absence once to represent Harrison County in the General Assembly, and notwithstanding the heavy republican majority in the county of about 1,100 he was defeated only by 411 votes. Mr. OXFORD was married at Gainesville, Missouri, in the old school- house, Christmas day of 1869, to Miss Sarah J. CHAMBERS, a daughter of Isaiah J. CHAMBERS, one of the pioneer settlers of Mercer County, who entered 160 acres of land adjoining Gainesville on the east. He was born in Kentucky, but came.to Missouri from Indiana. Mr. CHAMBERS married Miss Almyra KENNEDY, a native of New York. He passed his life as a farmer, was one of the deacons and a stanch member of the Baptist Church here, and one of the organizers thereof. He died at the age of sixty-three years, and Mrs. CHAMBERS passed away some time before. Their family comprised: Mrs. Mary WOODWARD, of Gainesville; Mrs. Elizabeth SALLEE, who died early in her married life; Helen, who married T. G. ROGERS and died at Gainesville; Mrs. Ann HENDRIEKS, who also died here; John W. and Joseph, who are deceased; Mrs. OXFORD, born.in February, 1851; Mrs. C. T. HAGAN, of Pleasanton, Iowa; and Damsal, who is the wife of Henry PAYNE, of Gallatin, Missouri.

To Mr. and Mrs. OXFORD there have been born the following children: Nora I., who died in childhood; Cora, who married W. J. BURROWS; Oscar, who is his father's partner in the store; Gertrude, the wife of L. B. GILLIHAN, of Gallatin, Missouri; and Maud, the wife of Oscar L. FITTERER, of Gallatin.

SOURCE: WILLIAMS, Walter. A History of Northwest Missouri Vol. II. Pp. 1056-59. Lewis Publ. Co. Chicago. 1918.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, June of 2009