William D. Coberly was born in Illinois in 1840. He is the son of James S. and Sarah A. (Parsell) Coberly. He was reared on a farm, and in 1858 went to Colorado, where he worked by the month, herding cattle, until he had saved enough of his earnings to start a ranch of his own, which he did on a small scale in 1868. It is situated in Colorado. He has now over 3,000 head of cattle and 250 horses. He owns 520 acres of land in Missouri and 640 aces in Colorado. In 1875 he was united in marriage with Florence Bailey, of Illinois. Two children have blessed their union, viz.: Girtie and William B. His wife is a member of the Methodist Church. He is a member of the Masonic order. He and family reside in Stewartsville, but spend about two months of the summer session in Colorado. In politics he is a stanch Republican.
Source: History of Andrew and DeKalb Counties, Missouri (Chicago: Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1888), p. 555.