Jeanne Newby
Another name that surfaces quite often is that of O.C. Kerr. He was the son of Judge Solomon and Susan Kerr, who were early pioneer settlers of Jasper County. They built the Kerr homestead three miles north of Webb City.
The Kerrs had several children besides O.C. There was S.W. Kerr, Porter O. Kerr (a miner and policeman), Robert B. Solomon, William (a bookkeeper), Joseph, and a daughter who married one of the Haskin boys. There may have been more children, but names have not been located.
O.C. was born with one leg shorter than the other. Not to be singled out as “different,” O.C. had a special piece made to attach to his shoe, which added about 6 inches and equalized his gait.
He was born the 15th of May in 1868 on the Kerr homestead, before Webb City was incorporated as a town in 1876. In 1897, at the age of 29, O.C. opened his photography studio at 115 S. Main St. He took on a partner in 1900, and his shop became Kerr & Johnson Photography. Then in 1906, he moved his studio to 215 S. Main and was sole owner once again.
The year he took on his partner was the same year he married Minnie Ansley, on April 28, 1900. They had three children, Dr. H.B. Kerr, Eileen Kerr Sprouce and Helen Kerr Jackson. O.C. was active in the Methodist Church, Security Benefit Association and the Knights of Pythias.
Another member of the Kerr family brought into the limelight was Elizabeth Kerr, who was married to one of the Kerr boys. Elizabeth was born in Illinois and came to Webb City in 1890. Her claim to fame was being the grandniece of John Quincy Adams, and she had been present at the celebrated Lincoln-Douglas debates, held prior to the Civil War in Illinois.
O.C. Kerr was one of those People of the Past who left his mark on the history of Webb City with his photography and his willingness to be involved in the everyday events in building the town of Webb City.
