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A HISTORY
OF
JASPER COUNTY MISSOURI
and Its People
BY JOEL T. LIVINGSTON
VOLUME II
ILLUSTRATED
PUBLISHERS : THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY CHICAGO, NEW YORK, SAN FRANCISCO 1912
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY 703829 ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS R 1915 L
History of Jasper County
LEONIDAS P. CUNNINGHAM .- Numbered among the representative members of the bar of Jasper county and known as one of the leading citizens and substantial capitalists of Joplin, the thriving metropolis of the county, Leonidas P. Cunningham well merits recognition in this publication. He is familiarly known as "Lon" Cunningham, and this abbreviated title gives evidence of his democratie personality and also of his popularity in the community with whose interests he is thus prominently identified.
Mr. Cunningham was born in the city of Wheeling. West Virginia, on the 15th of January, 1845, and is a son of John P. and Elizabeth (MeClure) Cunningham. His parents removed to the state of Illinois when he was about eight years of age, and they passed the closing years of their lives in Joplin, the father having been engaged in practicing medicine during the major portion of his active career. He whose name initiates this review, is indebted to the common schools of Middlepost, Iroquois county, Illinois, for his early educational discipline, but, like many another who has attained to definite suecess, his education has been gained mainly in the school of his own ambition. When but four- teen years of age he became largely dependent upon his own resources and at the age of fifteen years he entered upon an apprenticeship to the printer's trade, to which he devoted his attention for four years and in connection with which he gained most valuable discipline of a general order. He continued his studies in his leisure hours and finally proved himself eligible for pedagogie honors, as is evidenced by the fact that he held the dignified position of teacher in a district school in Atchison county, Missouri, for a period of six months. In the mean- while he had formulated definite plans for his future career, in which connection his ambition lay in the direction of the legal profession. He applied himself closely to the study of law, under effective precep- torship, and at the age of nineteen years he was admitted to the bar, at Platte City, Missouri. He initiated the practice of his profession at Rockport, Missouri, and for forty years he continued in active service as an attorney and counselor at law. He gained marked prestige as a versatile trial lawyer and through his labors in his profession he laid the foundation for his large and substantial success as a man of affairs. He finally retired from practice, in order to devote his attention to his varied and important capitalistic and business interests, but his prom- inence as a lawyer and the success he achieved in his profession amply demonstrated the wisdom of his choice of vocation.
On the 7th of August, 1866. Mr. Cunningham established his resi- denee in Carthage, the judicial center of Jasper county, Missouri, and he has continued to maintain his home in this county during the long
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intervening years, which have been marked by earnest and fruitful en- deavor on his part. He followed the work of his profession at Carthage until March, 1877, when he removed to Joplin, where he has since re- sided, and he has been prominently identified with the material and civic development and upbuilding of this thriving industrial city. Dur- ing the years of his professional activities Mr. Cunningham was con- eerned with much important litigation in the circuit and district courts of not only Missouri but also of Kansas and Texas, and he likewise presented many important causes in the appellate and federal courts of his home state and in the supreme court of the United States. With a broad and accurate knowledge of the science of jurisprudence and with splendid dialectie powers, Mr. Cunningham gained a place in the front rank of the members of the Missouri bar, and his fame as an advocate far transcended local limitations, the while his personal integ- rity and honor lent dignity to the profession of his choice.
A man of progressive ideas and high civic ideals, Mr. Cunningham has found many avenues along which to direct his energies aside from the course of his profession. In July, 1871, he became associated with IIon. John S. Phelps (former governor of Missouri), Colonel Henry C. Young, of Springfield, this state; J. B. Perkins, of Pierce City; J. P. Boyd and Charles Marquis, of Sareoxie township, Jasper county; and Colonel E. H. Brown, of Carthage, in the organization of the Memphis, Carthage & Northwestern Railroad Company, and it may be noted that of these valued coadjutors in the important enterprise he is now the only survivor. Mr. Cunningham was elected president of the company, and under his effective administration the road was constructed and placed in operation from Pierce City to Sarcoxie, Carthage, Oronogo and Smithfield, and thence to Columbus, Kansas. This line proved of inestimable benefit in developing the resources and furthering the civic progress of Jasper County and other seetions tributary to the road, and it is now a part of the main line of the Frisco system between St. Louis and San Francisco. At a later period Mr. Cunningham became asso- ciated with Colonel E. II. Brown and the firm of Moffet & Sergeant in the construction of the Joplin & Girard Railroad, which property, after a number of years of successful operation, was finally sold to the Frisco Lines corporation. Ile was also associated with Moffet & Sergeant in projecting and building the Kansas City, Joplin & Little Rock Railroad, the completion of which was stopped by its sale to the Frisco company.
It will thus be seen that Mr. Cunningham has shown the qualities of leadership in enterprises of great benefit to the general public, and in his home city and county his progressive policies have led him into other undertakings that have likewise conserved social, industrial and commercial advancement. He has been specially active in connection with real-estate operations, in connection with which he has platted and rompassed the effective improvement of several important additions to the cities of Joplin and Carthage. He has also purchased and sold many thousands of acres of farm lands in Jasper and other counties and his handling of the city lots in both Joplin and Carthage has been so ordered as to inure greatly to the benefit of both communities. His publie spirit was further manifested through his forming an alliance with Judge O. HI. Picher and Patrick Murphy, with whom he was asso- ciated in the building and operation of the Joplin water works, which they finally sold. Mr. Cunningham is also one of those who have been prominently identified with the exploiting and development of the great zine industry in JJasper county. He was one of the eight men who built and placed in operation the Joplin Zinc Works, besides which he was one of the organizers of the company that established the Joplin
Jas, A. Yangherty
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
woolen mills and also that which placed in operation the Keller wagon factory in Joplin. He furnished the entire capital for the inauguration of operations by the Joplin Overall Company. He was indefatigable in his efforts to secure adequate railroad facilities for Joplin, and all lines entering the city secured his earnest co-operation, both in the mat- ter of influence and capitalistic support. He was one of a small party of representative citizens who contributed forty thousand dollars to aid in the erection of the Connor hotel, in Joplin, and his individual contribution of three thousand dollars was the largest given by any person except Gilbert Barbee, who gave an equal amount. Through such liberality on the part of leading citizens was secured to Joplin a hotel of the best metropolitan type and the improvement has materially added to the prestige of the city.
Alive to all that touches the best interests of the community and loyal to all civic responsibilities imposed by personal success, Mr. Cun- ningham has given liberal support to all measures and enterprises that have tended to advance the general welfare. He was a generous con- tributor to the Children's Home in Joplin, and in conjunction with Samuel H. Regan, of Carthage, he gave the ground for the erection of the present fine government building in that city. That this donation was not one of mere nominal order is shown by the fact that he had paid twenty thousand dollars in cash for the ground thus given for public use. Mr. Cunningham has been one of the largest owners of real estate in Jasper county, and here his holdings are still extensive and valuable. He has large investments in mining properties in his home county and has been an influential factor in the development of the fine mineral resources of this section of the state. He is also the owner of valuable natural springs property in Lawrence county, and it is his intention to so develop this property as to supply therefrom the purest of water for general municipal and domestic use in Joplin, Carthage, Sarcoxie and Webb City, and eventually Kansas City. Even the brief data here given afford ample evidence of the versatile genius and splen- did organizing powers of Mr. Cunningham, and the value of his work will prove cumulative in coming years.
A man of broad mental ken and of well fortified opinions as to mat- ters of public polity, Mr. Cunningham has ever given an unqualified allegiance to the Republican party. He has been an effective advocate of its principles and policies, has been a delegate to various party con- ventions and has been a valued campaign speaker, though he has never permitted his name to appear in connection with candidacy for politi- cal office, having held his profession and his business interests as worthy of his undivided attention. He has been in the most significant sense the artificer of his own fortunes, and has felt the lash of necessity, so that he has due appreciation of the dignity of honest toil and endeavor, has naught of intellectual intolerance, and places true valuations upon both men and affairs. He has been one of the builders of Joplin, one of the leading industrial cities of the southwest, and popular approbation accorded him well indicates the status and character of the man him- self. He is identified with various social and fraternal organizations of representative order, including the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and he is a citizen whose merits and accomplishments render most consonant this brief tribute in the history of the county that has so long been his home.
HON. JAMES ALEXANDER DAUGHERTY .- Some men are so highly en- dowed by nature with executive ability, financial genius and capacity for large affairs that they can carry on gigantic enterprises without
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
apparent effort, making everything work so smoothly that all events and circumstances seem to minister to their welfare, their very difficul- ties and obstacles being turned into wings for their progress or weapons for their defense. Their operations are imperial in range and sweep, and hold a princely rank among the industrial achievements of every age and race. One of the most impressive illustrations of this fact is furnished by the career and achievement of James Alexander Daugh- erty, of Webb City, JJasper county, Missouri, who has put in motion and conducted to emphatic success business enterprises of such a character and magnitude as to forcibly engage the attention and almost stagger belief. even in the West, where men have their vision adapted to colos- sal proportions in everything.
Mr. Daugherty was born at Athens, MeMinn county, Tennessee, on August 30. 1847. He is a son of William Armstrong and Nancy (Riggs) Daugherty, both born in Tennessee, the former on August 19, 1829, and the latter in 1827. The father was a farmer and live stock dealer in his native state, and came to Missouri and located in Jasper county in Oeto- ber, 1867, one of the pioneer settlers in this part of the state. Here he renewed his farming and live stock operations and continued them until 1875, when his attention was directed to mining. In that year he and J. C. Webb started the mining industry in this district, opening the Webb, Carterville and Center Creek Mines. Mr. Daugherty purchased three hundred and twenty acres of land, including the site of the pres- ent city of Carterville, of which he was one of the founders and ineor- porators. He formed a partnership with C. C. Allen. W. M. McMullin and T. N. Davey. the company being known as the Carterville Mining and Smelting Company. This company, with James Alexander Daugh- erty, the immediate subject of this writing, opened the North and South Carterville Mines, which proved to be the richest in the Webb City and Carterville district.
From 1877 to 1896 the North side mines produced 119,812.000 pounds of zine, valued at $1,307,919.78, and 12,158,075 pounds of lead, valued at $262,253.38, while those on the South side, from 1881 to 1896, pro- duced 69,001,720 pounds of zine, valued at $856,780.91, and 8,012,470 pounds of lead, valued at $215,758. Subsequently the same persons purchased one hundred and twenty acres adjoining the above men- tioned tract. Twenty-eight acres of this purchase, between 1880 and October 10, 1891. yielded 2,814,740 pounds of lead, valued at $73,870.73, and 15,644.000 pounds of zinc worth $171,025.71. For eight years fol- lowing 1891 little work was done on this traet, but during the fall of 1899 eight plants were erected on it.
When the North and South Civille Mines were sold, James A. Daugh- erty became largely interested in the Cornfield tract, which, since its opening in 1891, has produced about 8,000,000 pounds of lead and 11,000,000 pounds of zine. In all about thirty-three shafts have been sunk on this property and, while some portions of it are difficult to work, the aggregate output, in quality and quantity, places it in the front rank of mining properties. While the operations here specified were mainly those of the father nominally. the son was in reality the quiekening spirit and potential force in conducting them, and it was to his capacity, enterprise and breadth of view in a considerable degree that their enormous success was due.
James A. Daugherty obtained his scholastie training in a public school and at the age of nineteen went to Austin, Texas. For a time he was engaged in the mountains cutting wood for the government, and after the family moved to this state and located in Jasper county he
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
passed one winter entting and making rails in the lumber region. For a few years he assisted his father in the cultivation of the farm near Carterville until together they discovered that it was underlaid with mineral wealth and began to develop its hitherto hidden riches. The father built the first house in Civille and was the inspiring force in its incorporation and development.
Mr. Daugherty was at one time a partner in the James Gammon Gro- cery Ilouse, the pioneer grocery establishment in Webb City, but sev- ered his connection with it some years ago. He is now president of the First National Bank of Carterville, having succeeded his father in the position at the time of that gentleman's death, and entered upon the duties of the office on June 2, 1907. He is also a director of the City National Bank of Wagoner, Oklahoma, and the Citizens Trust Company of the same place; vice president of the Interurban Ice Company of Carterville ; president of the H. C. Henson Lumber Company ; and has holdings of value in the First National Bank of Civille and heavy inter- ests in many mining properties.
In politics he is an uncompromising Democrat in respect to national affairs and has always been active and effective in the service of his party. Ile served as associate judge of the western district of Jasper county two terms, as a member of the legislature one term, and as school director of his school district for a period of twenty years or longer. In November, 1910, he was elected to the national House of Represen- tatives from the Fifteenth congressional district. and is now serving in that body. Fraternally he is a member of the Masonic order in lodge, chapter, commandery, the Mystic Shrine, and the various gradations of the Scottish Rite. His religious connection is with the Methodist Epis- copal church, and he is a steward and one of the trustees of the congre- gation to which he belongs.
On December 30, 1867, Mr. Daugherty solemnized his first marriage, which united him with Miss Susanna Freeman, of Ashley, Illinois. Eight children were born of this union: Nancy Elizabeth, the wife of W. A. Corl. of the Webb City Mercantile Company; William Alva, a well known mining superintendent, who died on November 19. 1899; Charles Whitworth, former cashier of the First National Bank of Webb City, whose demise occurred on February 3, 1896; Dora May, also de- ceased ; Lee A., who lives at Wagoner, Oklahoma; J. Arthur; Myrtle. the wife of C. R. Chinn, Jr., and Lula Aliee. Their mother died on De- cember 29, 1908, and on April 20, 1910, the father contracted a second marriage, being joined in this with Mrs. M. E. (Boone) Parker, a na- tive of Texas, and the mother of two children by her former marriage : T. E. Parker. a student in the University of Missouri, and Mrs. Blanche Parker Wilson, a resident of Fresno, California.
Mr. Daugherty is an ardent advocate of education and has made liberal donations to institutions of learning, among them the Webb City College. He is a gentleman of very generous instincts and an excellent judge of human nature. His father was a man of eminent ability and it was under his instruction that the son gained his first knowledge of the mining industry. But he had high endowments himself, and readily assimilated all the information that came his way. Ile is universally respected and admired as a gentleman of great business ability, high character and most estimable citizenship.
CHARLES W. DYKEMAN .- One of the gallant defenders of the Union during the climacteric period of the Civil war and one whose loyalty in the "piping times of peace" has been of the same insistent order is
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Judge Dykeman, who has been a resident of Jasper county for more than a quarter of a century and who is one of the well known and highly honored citizens of this section of the state. He served eight years as presiding judge on the bench of the county court and in this office his record was marked by discrimination, fidelity, mature judg- ment and effective adjudication of all matters brought before his court. He held this important office until the beginning of the year 1911 and is now living virtually retired in his attractive home in the city of Joplin, where his circle of friends is limited only by that of his acquaint- ances. He was a mere boy at the time when he tendered his services in defense of his country, when its integrity was menaced by armed rebellion, and he served not only during the entire period of active military operations but also for nearly a year after the surrender of Generals Lee and Johnston. His record as a soldier of the republic was one that will ever redound to his credit and honor.
Judge Dykeman was born in Broome county, New York, on the 23d of March, 1846, and is a son of Walter Dykeman, who passed the closing years of his life in the state of Iowa, he having devoted the major portion of his active career to agricultural pursuits. When Judge Dykeman was a child of four years his parents removed from the old Empire state to Lee county, Illinois, whenee, in 1856, he removed to Scotland county, Missouri, where he was reared to the age of fifteen years, and where he was afforded the advantages of the common schools. At the age noted, he manifested his youthful patriotism and loyalty by enlisting in the Twenty-first Missouri Infantry, on the 18th of June, 1861, and thus he responded, when a mere boy, to President Lincoln's first call for volunteers. His regiment, which was commanded by Colonel David Moore, was formed originally as a part of the home guard of Missouri, as it was early evident that this state would become a field of operation on the part of the contending forces, there having been within its borders the staunchest advocates of the causes of both the Union and the Confederacy. Judge Dykeman participated in the brisk little battle at Athen, Missouri, on the 5th of August, 1861, this being one of the first engagements of the war, and on the 24th of November of the same year, he took part in the engagement at Lancaster, Mis- souri. His regiment then proceeded to Hannibal, from which point it was ordered, in the spring of 1862, to Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, where it became a part of the Army of the Tennessee. This regiment was the first to come into action in the engagement at Shiloh, one of the most momentous of the early battles of the war, and here its com- mander, Colonel Moore was severely wounded, his injury compelling the amputation of one of his legs. The Twenty-first Missouri there- after participated in the siege of Corinth and the various engagements that ensued in that locality during the autumn of 1862. It was sta- tioned at Memphis until after the fall of Vicksburg, and I. G. Best was its commander after the retirement of Colonel Moore, who was incapacitated for further service. At Memphis Judge Dykeman re- enlisted as a veteran, and thereafter he was with his command in service on and along the Mississippi river and the command followed Price on his memorable raid in Missouri. Thereafter it took part in the battle of Nashville and followed Hood's forces to Eastport, Mississippi, from which point it proceeded to Mobile bay and Fort Blakely, which capit- ulated on the 9th of April, 1865. After the surrender of General Lee, Judge Dykeman continued in active service for practically a year, his eommand being assigned to the work of maintaining order at various points in Alabama. He received his honorable discharge at St. Louis,
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on the 30th of April, 1866, and thus he had been in continuous service for four years and ten months. He participated in innumerable skirm- ishes and other minor engagements besides the various important battles of which mention has been made.
At the close of the war Judge Dykeman returned to his old home in Lee county, Illinois, and in that state he thereafter continued to devote his attention principally to farming until 1871, when he located at Baxter Springs, Cherokee county, Kansas, where he conducted a restaurant and bakery for one year, at the expiration of which he established his permanent residence at Joplin, where he was engaged in the retail grocery business for twenty-three consecutive years and where he has ever commanded impregnable vantage place in popular confidence and regard. Here he served four years as a member of the board of education, and within this time important improvements were made and the standard of the schools of the city materially advanced. In the autumn of 1902, he was elected presiding judge of the county court of Jasper county, and so efficient was his administration that he was chosen as his own successor in the election of 1908. He continued to preside on the bench for eight consecutive years and in the election of 1910 he was defeated by only thirteen votes. This defeat was com- passed through various political exigencies and he retired from the bench with a record for faithful and able service in the conservation of equity and justice.
As may naturally be inferred, Judge Dykeman is found arrayed as an uncompromising advocate of the cause of the Republican party, and he has been an active worker in its local ranks. ~ He perpetuates the more gracious memories of his long and gallant military career through his active affiliation with the Grand Army of the Republic, in whose affairs he takes a deep interest.
In Lee county, Illinois, in the year 1868, was recorded the marriage of Judge Dykeman to Miss Elizabeth Mooney, who was born in Ire- land and who was a child at the time of her parents' immigration to America. During the long years of their wedded life she has proved a devoted companion and helpmeet to her husband, and she has gained and retained the affectionate regard of those who have come within the circle of her benignant influence. Of the children of Judge and Mrs. Dykeman, only one is living, Lucy, who is the wife of John Munning, of Joplin, and who has one daughter, Helen.
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