Hezekiah Anderson, a son of John and Mary Hubbard Anderson, was born December 6, 1851 on the Anderson farm seven miles north of Marceline. He lived on this farm, affectionately termed “the old home place” for about thirty-five years, then moved to a farm three miles northwest of where Marceline was later located. “Uncle Hez,” as he was known all over Linn and Chariton Counties, lived on this farm for many years. In early years he was associated with Mr. Ed Hayden in the Hayden meat market.
“Hez” Anderson was one of the most picturesque characters in the section of Missouri. With a meager education he could hold his own with the best bankers and lawyers in reviewing abstracts and figuring notes. He was a kindly man and his life was filled with good deeds to his neighbors and friends. While a money lender, Mr. Anderson never charged the maximum rate, always giving to those who borrowed from him a cheaper rate of interest than they could get elsewhere. Many times “Uncle Hez” loaned money to worthy persons who had no security whatsoever, and if some misfortune prevented some of the people to repay him, he often gave more time on the note and in some instances has even torn the note up.
“Uncle Hez” cared nothing for show or fancy clothes as far as he himself was concerned. Strangers in town would likely think that he was poverty stricken, but deep in his heart he had a great love for the beautiful things in life. His motto in life was “Choose not your friends for outward show; the feather floats, the pearl lies low.”
He died in 1931. His nephew now lives on the “old home place” and a niece, Mrs. W. J. Buckley, lives on the farm northwest of Marceline that he had bought before the town was started.