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The Kansas City Star, 08/26/1909 WHERE APPLES GO BEGGING, The Biggest Crop In Many Years in Adair County Missouri! Juicy "Maiden's Blushes," "Sheep Noses" and other Choice Kinds Are Fed to the Hogs Because the Markets are Cluttered. KIRKSVILLE, MO, August 25--Adair County is the home of the big red apples this year.  Fruit men estimate the Surplus crop at two hundred eats, and many place it even higher.  The crop this year is the largest one in many seasons, surpassing that of six years ago.  The Kirksville market has been glutted with early apples for a month and it is no uncommon sight to see farmers who have driven twelve miles to take their loads of big juicy "Maiden's Blush" or "Sheep Nose" or other luscious kinds of apples back to their farms and feed them to the hogs.  These apples have been selling on the local markets at prices varying from twenty to sixty cents a bushel and the market is slow at that.  Many of the "windfall" apples have come to town have been sold at twenty cents, and cider makers here have converted them into cider and vinegar.  A half dozen wagon loads of cider barrels were taken to various parts of the country Saturday to be used by the fruit men who are making up their surplus apples into cider.  The demand for kegs and barrels has been so great that the local dealers have not been able to supply it.  The Adair County apples are known for their fine flavor this year.  The fruit is shapley and well developed, so say the prospective buyers who have already come in large numbers to buy for the cold storage men.  The western part of the county, particularly along the Chariton River hills, has a good crop of late fall adn winter apples, but a poor crop of early summer apples, while teh prairie districts of the south and east parts of teh county have very fine July and August apples.  J.E.  May of the Gibbs neighborhood has the finest orchard in the county, and his trees are laden this year with a very fine quality of fruit.  His crop will find its way in the larger markets this year and will be barreled in the orchard.   G.W. Newton and Joseph Stuckey have large orchards in the south part of the county which have loads of apples in fine variety. source: DLBR

The Kansas City Star, 06/22/1893 A Tornado In Adair County DES MOINES, IA, June 23-- A tornado passed through Adair County, southwest of here, late last night, and devastated a strip a quarter of a mile long.  A large number of farm houses were destroyed, but no fatalities are reported.  A child was carried twenty rods through the air and escaped unhurt. source: DLBR

The Kansas City Star, 09/20/1912 CHORES AS SCHOOL TASKS, IN ADAIR COUNTY PUPILS ARE TO BE GRADED ON HELP TO PARENTS A New Plan of Superintendent Sipple Makes Girls Do House and Boys Farm Work- On Basis of Excellence a Promotion Will Be Given KIRKSVILLE, MO., September 20--County Superintendent Sipple has introduced into the Adair County public schools, a new system of making reports.  The schoolroom work done by the pupils is to be averaged with the work done by them at home, in helping their mothers and fathers.  The report blanks provided have spaces on one side for the grading in school subjects.  On another page there is a section devoted to "industrial work," with blanks in which teh parents are to mark the grades of their children. TO GRADE GIRLS ON DOMESTIC SCIENCE. The girls are to be graded on sweeping, dusting, cake baking, bread baking, sewing, washing dishes and ironing.  The boys are to be graded on feeding stock, milking, currying horses, providing fuel and feeding poultry. Blank spaces are left for other sorts of home work.  The teacher fills out the grade spaces in the blank provided for the work in the schoolroom and sends the report to the parents.  They are asked to put down the industrial work grades.  Superintendent Sipple explains that "E" is used to denote a grade of 90 to 100, "G" from 80-90, "P" for 70-80.  Seventy is the passing mark in industrial work. IDLENESS TO BE PUNISHED In a note on the report blank addressed to teachers, parents and pupils, Professor Sipple says: "Teachers are requested to send this card out promptly each quarter. Parents should study it carefully and fill out their part of it and return promptly.  Pupils get credit at school for the work they do at home.  Home grades should be considered by the teacher in making the final grade and to determine promotion." source DLBR

The Kansas City Star, 07/09/1907 A DOUBLE MISSOURI KILLING The Child of an Adair County Man Spared By The Father. LEBANON, MO., July 9--It was learned here today that A. Scribner of Adair County, Missouri, killed his wife and himself in a hotel at Buffalo, Mo., near here, last night.  Scribner announced to his wife and 8-year-old daughter that he intended killing them.  He shot his wife twice, then turned the revolver on himself, sparing the child. source DLBR

The Kansas City Star, 06/25/1895 MOTHER AND CHILD LOST A Cloud Burst in Adair County Causes Two Deaths and Does Much Damage. KIRKSVILLE, MO., June 25-- A rain and hail storm raged here Sunday night and reports of teh destruction of crops and property are coming in from all parts of Adair County.  On Sugar Creek, in the Cariton bottoms, eight miles west of here, Mrs Stewart and her two children, who lived with her father and brotehr in a tent near Picklers (tie?) camp, where teh father and brother were employed, were aroused by the water rising in the tent.  Mrs. Stewart took one child while her father took the other, and the party attempted to escape.  They started out into the forest, wading through water waist deep and by teh aid of an occasional dash of lightning finally reached dry land, but in crossing a creek Mrs Stewart made a misstep and fell into the water.  The current was so swift that the mother and child could not be rescued and their bodies were not recovered until this morning. source DLBR

The Kansas City Times, 01/22/1921 PATRIOTISM COST HIM $6,000 Verdict Against Adair Farmer Who Branded Another A Slacker KIRKSVILLE, MO., Jan 22-- Edward Gorman, Putnam County farmer, will have to pay $6,000 damages for painting "slacker" on the barns and fences of his neighbor, Lloyd L Laughlin, in the war, according to a verdict returned by the Adair Circuit Court this morning.  Laughlin asked for $50,000 damages.  The case was brought here on a change of venue from Mercer County. source DLBR

The Kansas City Star, 02/21/1911 JOBS FOR ALL THE BISHOFFS Twelve Members of the Family Hun Four? Sections of the Railroad in Adair County. KIRKSVILLE, MO., Feb 21-- The Bishoff family of Adair County practically has monopolized the offices of railroad section foremen in the western part of Adair County.  Twelve members of teh Bishoff families have charge of sections, or have positions as section hands on the Quincy, Omaha & Kansas City and Iowa & St. Louis railroads. D.A. Bishoff, who has charge of teh Novinger section, employs his son, D.C. Bishoff and C.C. Springate, a son of his sister, as helpers.  What is called the Mine section has as its foreman, G.W. Bishoff, who has as his assistants Low D. Bishoff and D.A. Bishoff, a son of C.W. Bishoff.  The Youngstown section is in charge of A.M. Bishoff, who employs his son in law Charles Keyhart.  There are enough of the Bishoff men in Adair County to make a good footbal team, and they have the physical qualifications for teh game. They are big and brawny, weighing from 160 to 250 pounds. source DLBR

The St. Louis Republic, 10/10/1889 REMARKABLE LONGEVITY Garland Moore, Who Ploughs Corn and Hoes Tobacco at 109 KIRKSVILLE, MO., October 9-- Saturday the old settlers of Adair County met with in assemblage at the fairgrounds, with an attendance of about 8,000.  The town was filled from morning til night with anxious listeners to the tales of the old timers.  This was the first meeting of the old pioneers, and it was discovered early in the morning that among them was Garland Moore, who is 108 years old, having been born in Virginia in 1781.  He came to this country 43? years ago and today carries with him a cane, the bend of which is the horn of the first buck deer killed in this county, one Sunday morning 43 years ago.  The old man has received his second sight and has not used glasses for about 25 years.  Despite his old age adn feebleness he raised and tilled 10 acres of corn and tobacco the past summer. source DLBR