Picture Courtesy of Jim Kuntz

Picture Courtesy of Jim Kuntz

General Omar Nelson Bradley was born on a farm three miles west of Clark, Missouri, on February 12, 1893. His father, John Smith Bradley, and his mother, Sarah Elizabeth Bradley, were both from pioneer Randolph County families. Bradley's father was a rural school teacher and Omar received his elementary education attending schools taught by his father. When Omar was twelve, the family moved to Higbee. He attended there for several years.

John Bradley died of pneumonia in Higbee in February, 1908. Bessie Bradley decided to move herself and her son to Moberly after her husband's death and they rented a house on South Fourth Street. Bessie became a seamstress and took in boarders. Omar got a job delivering the Moberly Democrat newspaper. In the Fall of 1908, Omar entered Moberly High School. During his two years at M.H.S. he was a better than average student and was active in sports. During this time he met his future wife, Mary Quayle, a classmate and neighbor. They graduated in the Class of 1910.

Following graduation, Omar worked for a time at the Wabash shops. In 1911 he received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy. Upon entering West Point Omar left Randolph County more or less for good, returning occasionally during the rest of his life. He always, thought of Moberly as home and frequently mentioned that his character and values had been primarily shaped by his years growing up in Randolph County.

The surviving family of general Bradley resides in the east coast area. Elizabeth Bradley Dorsey, daughter and grandchildren, Henry S. Beukema, Omar Bradley Beukema, Anne Beukema Doggett, Melanie Dorsey Standish, and Benjamin Dorsey III.

Comments (1)

Jim Kuntz: ... "Omar worked for a time at the Wabash shops." "The Wabash shops" were shops run by the Wabash Railroad, where they repaired engines, train cars, treated wheels, and generally made equipment worthy of transporting materials over the rails. 1 December 11, 2006

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