LANCASTER, Mo. — Born to Judge Felix Turner Hughes and Jean Amelia Summerlin in 1869, Howard Hughes was one of four kids to live their early childhood in Lancaster, Missouri. The others being Greta, Felix Jr., and Rupert.

All of whom would grow up to become very talented in their given fields.

"Rupert and Howard, as well as Greta and Felix jr., the youngest child, were all incredibly talented," said Marilyn Campbell, the president of the Schuyler County Historical Society. "Greta was a world-famous opera singer as was Felix jr. Then Rupert was a prolific author, we have 52 volumes of his books here at the museum. He wrote screenplays and did some photography; he was quite a renaissance man if you will. Then there is Howard, who was an incredible mechanical genius, what i would describe him."

Before each of them found huge success, life in northeast Missouri was a little bit rough.

During their short time in northeast Missouri, Howard developed a reputation for being mischievous and a little wild.

“He was rather in-and-out of trouble at times according to some of the documentation I've been able to find," said Marilyn Campbell, the president of the Schuyler County Historical Society. "One of the stories I have is that he liked to go to the corner store and charge for candy and not pay for it. He even held cock fights behind the house, even though his father had expressly forbidden it. His brother Rupert told on him and Howard Sr. then slapped his brother Rupert around to get even.”

After reading law in northeast Missouri, Felix Hughes moved to Keokuk, Iowa and found success as a lawyer. Howard initially planned to follow in his father’s footsteps but was encouraged to do his own thing, along with the rest of his siblings.

“The children were encouraged to be their own people, to do whatever they wanted," Campbell said. "While Howard Hughes was trying to please his father by going to law school, his father didn’t put a lot of pressure on him. It is written that when Howard decided to leave home, his father was quite relieved...”

The reason for this was quite simple, and it related to the things he was doing in his childhood.

"Howard Hughes tended to live on the wild side if you will, he kind of walked on the edge of the law and he got into some scrapes that his father had to take care of." Marilyn explained. "So it was a relief to him to have Howard move away."

Howard would go to various schools during his young adult life including the Missouri Military Academy. He would then go to Harvard in 1893, only to drop out the following year.

He would return to Iowa to follow his father's law practice, but during his brief time in law, he felt like he was holding back and that he had more to offer the world.

He would go into the mining and drilling industry to search for the next big thing and it was in Texas during the Texas oil boom.

He would meet his business partner, Walter Sharp, and they would soon develop a tool that would revolutionize the drilling industry.

"He was working in the oil fields in Texas, and they couldn't get through the rock that they needed," Campbell mentioned. "He came home to Keokuk, and at the dining room table it is said that they developed this drill, the two-cone rotary drill, that would drill through that rock. This would make them incredibly wealthy."

They would create the Sharp-Hughes Tool Company in 1908 and would license their technology across the country and around the world.

Howard Hughes would have one son to be the heir to his legacy, that man would be Howard Hughes Jr. and he would take the Hughes name to other industries including film, medical, and aerospace.

The Hughes name still lives on, under the Baker Hughes Company, which supplies services to the oil and gas industries.