Springfield-Greene
County LibraryEarly and Recent History and Genealogical Records
of Many of the Representative Citizens
MOSES M. RENSHAW. A man who has spent his life as a farmer can not move into town and make himself indispensable in an art studio, nor can the artist, the machinist, the dry goods clerk, those from the professional offices, become prosperous in any early time as hewers of wood and drawers of water, tillers of the soil, or salesmen of its products. No greater disaster could come to the masses in cities than to thrust them unprepared into the strange situations they would encounter in attempted farm life. Their story would be one of tragedy. There are a great many people in the cities now-a-days who desire to heed the "back-to-the-land" slogan, who have very little conception of what is to be done to success after they are located on a farm All such should have some capital to start with and go slow until they can learn what they should know of the thousand and one things regarding life as an agriculturist. On the other hand, those who have spent their lives as farmers should stay away from town unless they have laid by enough money to live comfortably without an income. Moses M. Renshaw, a farmer of Cass township, near Cave Spring, Greene county, has lived on a farm many years; and being contented and successful, has no desire for city life.
Mr. Renshaw has spent practically all of his life of three score and ten years in the vicinity where he now resides, having been born there December 15, 1844. He is a son of Joseph A. and Sarah (Griffis) Renshaw, a pioneer family of the northern part of this county. The father was born in Tennessee, in 1813, and the mother was also a native of that state. There they both spent their childhood years, received limited educations in the old-time subscription schools, and when young, removed with their parents to Greene county, Missouri, the mother coming here in 1842. Here the parents of our subject spent the rest of their lives, the father dying in the year 1863 and the mother died May 9, 1914. They were the parents of eight children, namely: Robert, who is making his home on the farm with our subject; Moses M. of this review; the next child died in infancy; Sarah J. married Gilbert Hughes and they live in Murray township, Greene county; Howard A. died in 1900; William C. lives on a farm near the home of the subject of this sketch; Mary is the wife of J. B. Easly, who is engaged in the real estate business in Springfield; Francis A. is living with our subject.
Moses M. Renshaw grew to manhood on the farm in his native locality, and he received his education in the common schools of Greene county, and here he began life for himself as a farmer. In 1877 he removed to Arkansas, where he engaged in the livery business in Pine Bluff, Jefferson county, remaining there until 1900, enjoying a large and successful business all the while, and became well known throughout the county. He then went to Wyoming, where he remained only a short time, after which he returned to his native vicinity in Cass township, Greene county, locating on his present farm of two hundred acres of well-improved and productive land, his well-kept place bearing the name of "Locust Lawn Farm." He carries on general farming, keeping tenants on his place to assist him. He is also owner of valuable land on the prairie south of his home district, his holdings in all amounting to nearly six hundred acres. He farms on an extensive scale, is careful of details, always exercising proper system and adopting advanced methods. He handles large numbers of live stock from year to year.
Politically, Mr. Renshaw is a Republican, but he has never been especially active in public affairs. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, in which he has been a director.
Our subject has remained unmarried.
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