Zeal for volunteerism - Brazito farmer John T. Ott was active in politics, served as superintendent of prison farm

John T. Ott is pictured with his first wife, Augusta Asel. His grandfather immigrated to the U.S. from Germany and Ott’s father settled in the Brazito area. Ott not only farmed near Brazito but was active in politics and served many years as the chairman of the Cole County Republican Committee. Courtesy of Jeremy P. Amick

Johann Thomas Ott was a second-generation U.S. citizen born on his parents’ farm near Brazito on February 7, 1886. His father, George Ott, was a native of St. Louis but moved to rural Cole County with his German-immigrant parents when just a young boy. George would go on to become a lifelong farmer, instilling in his son not only an interest in agriculture, but an involvement in politics that led to his appointment as a prison superintendent and a desire to serve his neighbors.
 
George Ott twice married and became the father of two sons and three daughters. His youngest son, Johann, who later went by the Americanized name of John, attended a local one-room school with his siblings and became a confirmed member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Honey Creek on March 31, 1901. John Ott later purchased his own farm north of Brazito, much of which involved raising livestock.
 
According to the June 2, 1911, edition of the Central Missourian, although Ott was involved in many activities related to agriculture, he also found time for relaxing activities with friends and relatives. 
 
“Albert Crede and family, Robert Crede and family, Andy Popp and family and John Ott enjoyed a fish fry on the banks of the Osage River Monday,” the newspaper shared. “The only thing that marred the happiness of the crowd was the fact that they failed to catch a large supply of fish.”
 
“John T. Ott, a prominent farmer of Brazito and Miss Augusta K. Asel of Bass were married in Kansas City yesterday,” the Jefferson City Tribune noted on January 22, 1913. “They will spend their honeymoon in Kansas City and then go to Brazito to make their home.  
 
His wife’s father, John Gottlieb Asel, came from a family that had established a successful meat processing business in Jefferson City. John Asel moved to the bygone community of Bass near Brazito, where he operated a general mercantile and became one of the founding members of the German Evangelical Church now known as Friedens Church Brazito.
 
Ott and his wife attended church in Brazito while he also became involved in local and county politics, later serving as chairman of the Cole County Republican Committee. In 1920, he and his wife welcomed their first and only child, a daughter named Lucille.
 
“(John) Ott is a lifelong Republican and native of the Brazito neighborhood,” the Jefferson City Post-Tribune reported on July 11, 1941. “He has been prominent in Republican politics and Farm Bureau circles here for many years.”
 
His farm also served as a gathering point for several local activities, including a shooting match held on the afternoon of Thanksgiving in 1914. Several years later, in early 1921, records note he filed a judgement against the heirs of the late Xenophone P. White, a deceased area farmer, to acquire a clear title to property he owned. He was awarded this judgement in June 1921.
 
When plans were being made for the development and expansion of U.S. Highway 50 east of Jefferson City in 1927, Ott was appointed to serve on a commission to determine the appropriate payment of damages to farmers whose property was impacted. With an interest in local sports, he also volunteered with the Central Missouri and Ozark Baseball League, managing the the Brazito team.
 
Demonstrating his zeal for volunteerism, he also served on the board of the Eugene School District, was a member of his church board and on the board of directors for Three Rivers Electrical Cooperative. However, one of the most important opportunities in his career came with an appointment that happened months before the nation’s entry into World War II.
 
“The appointment of Chairman John T. Ott as superintendent of the Church prison farm met with general approval,” explained an article in the Jefferson City Post-Tribune on June 11, 1941. “While Mr. Ott has given much time to politics, he has never received renumeration in any form. This will be the first paying political job he has ever held.”
 
Months later, the prison farm located about eight miles west of Jefferson City soon was referred to as “John Ott’s Farm.” It became a rehabilitation farm for the state prison system and consisted of nearly 1,400 acres where inmates helped cultivate many types of crops in addition to operating a rock quarry. Ott served as both the farm’s superintendent and overseer.
 
Ott soon decided to return to the simpler life of managing his own farm in Brazito while continuing to participate and lead the Cole County Republican Committee. In 1949, a difficult moment arrived when his wife of 36 years, Augusta, died when only 68 years old and was laid to rest in Riverview Cemetery. On October 24, 1955, Ott married the former Irma Liebl.
 
The 76-year-old John Thomas Ott passed away on November 18, 1962, and was buried with his first wife in Riverview Cemetery.
 
“No one is rich enough to do without a neighbor,” notes a Danish proverb.
 
Decades ago, Jim Angerer’s father operated the Angerer Store in Brazito, where John Ott occasionally stopped for groceries. Though the family is long gone from the area, their legacy lives on through some of Angerer’s endearing memories from childhood.
 
“The Otts lived only two blocks from our store in Brazito and I used to ride my bike to their house, and they allowed me to play around on their property,” Angerer said. “One of the things I remember is that they had a machine shed with a bunch of neat old tractors, and that was exciting for this 8- or 9-year-old kid,” he added.
 
Jeremy P. Ämick is author of the historical compilations “Moments on the Moreau," "Beyond the Moreau," and "Hidden History of Cole County."