A History of Northeast Missouri, Volume I, Part 28

Author: Williams, Walter, 1864-1935, editor
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 731

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day at noon he took his gun, which he always had at the school house, went into the woods and brought in a dead wild cat, to the curiosity of his pupils.

There were doubtless others settled in the county within the decade here mentioned, but at this late date, their names are not obtainable. There were thirty-three voters in Cuivre township in 1840.

On February 2, 1837, the Rev. Mr. Younger performed a marriage ceremony for Samuel Riggs and Nancy Dollins. June 22, 1837, Michael Perkins, J. P., performed a marriage ceremony between Jesse Robards, and Parthenia Smith. On the 19th of September, 1837, Benjamin Can- terberry, J. P., performed a marriage ceremony between Joseph A. Peery and Harriett Talley. December 21, 1837, J. B. Hatton, J. P., solemnized the rites of matrimony between John Pearson and Mary Barson. February 8, 1838, Lycurgus L. Ramsey and Jane Fenton were married by the Rev. Robert C. Mansfield. Ramsey became one of the prin- cipal merchants of the town afterward. April 16, 1838, Greensberry Johnson, J. P., performed a marriage ceremony in Prairie township between Jesse C. Clarkson and Mary Ann Dicken.

The first deed placed of record was dated February, 1837, wherein William Wood conveyed to John B. Morris, the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 36, township 51, range 9, of Audrain county. However this was not the first conveyance made in the county, for prior to that time deeds were sent to Monroe and some other counties for record and others withheld from record till the county was organ- ized.

According to the United States census for 1840, the population of the county was, 1,949. This growth chiefly took place after the organiza- tion of the county in February, 1837.

The county court of Audrain county was authorized by the legisla- ture by an act approved January 25, 1837, with the counties of Pike, Ralls, Monroe, and Shelby, "to subscribe and take so much stock in 'The Salt River Navigation Company,' as they may think proper for the use and benefit of the county." 1

The Salt River Navigation Company was one of the projects of John M. Clemens of Florida, Monroe county, the father of Samuel L. Clem- ens (Mark Twain). By this act Clemens and his associates were given authority to open and deepen the bed of Salt river from the junction of the Three Forks of Salt river near Florida, to its mouth on the Missis- sippi river, to erect dams, locks, culverts, bridges, etc., so as to render the stream navigable for steamboats and other crafts. The same legislature gave Clemens and associates also authority to incorporate and build the Florida and Paris railroad 2 thereby completing a line for transportation from Paris, Monroe county, to the Mississippi river. It does not seem that Audrain county ever availed itself of its privilege of taking stock in the Navigation Company. This is as near as Audrain county has ever been able to come in establishing any connection with Mark Twain. These wildly conceived projects of John M. Clemens were doubtless in the mind of the son when fashioning the character of Colonel Mulberry Sellers in the "Gilded Age."

The buffalo, like the Indian, had disappeared from this county prior to the early settlements. The country surrounding Audrain county being largely timber, was settled years before this county, hence the Indian and buffalo had gone westward of the civilization of these other counties. At the time of the Clark and Lewis Expedition, the line between the Sacs and Foxes ran through the county north and

1 Laws of Missouri, 1836-7, 229.

2 Id. 237.

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south, most probably about a mile east of what is now Mexico. Even to this day, arrow and spear heads are found on the banks of Beaver Dam in the flint rock vicinities just east of Mexico.

The last elk killed in the county was in 1837. The deer, however, remained in abundance until late in the '50s and the last wild turkey killed in the county was about 1875. The prairie chicken disappeared soon after the turkey was gone. It was not only supposed by these early settlers, but on account of the green head flies, it was impossible to live upon the prairies. So bad were these flies in the day time, that the plowing in the summer was largely done in the night time. One of the draw-backs to the settlement of the prairie country too, was the want of water. All the water at that time was such as accumulated in the streams. Audrain county never had any streams or natural wells Again until the Graduation Act, so called, of 1854, they had not the money to enter land from the government at $1.25 per acre, and it was not until that Act reduced the price to 121/2 cents an acre that the prairie lands began to be taken up. By 1850 the population had in- creased to 3,506 over 400 of whom were slaves.

The early settler of Audrain county lived in the same fashion as did the early settlers of other places. They produced all of their own food and their own clothing, and very few of them produced anything to sell. One of these early settlers, being asked what they did for money, said "Why, we didn't need it. Taxes amounted to nothing, or very little, we had our own sheep and our own flax fields, and from the wool and flax we manufactured all our own clothing and bed clothing. We raised our own corn for meal. We raised and killed our own pork and cured our own bacon. We managed to get leather from the tanners and the neighborhood cobbler made it into boots and shoes." Later on, cattle and hogs were raised for the market. Before the advent of the railroad, the cattle were driven to St. Louis to market. The hogs were butchered at home and turned into bacon, but later driven to Hannibal where .there was a pork packing establishment. The only markets were at St. Louis and Hannibal and Louisiana and all of these were reached by wagon.

Teaming in the late '40s and through the '50s, until the North Mis- souri Railroad reached Mexico in 1858, was a very flourishing business. All supplies coming into the county until that time came over the prai- ries in wagons from Louisiana and Hannibal to Mexico. When the Mississippi was frozen over so boats could not get to these towns, goods were hauled from St. Louis. Two noted teamsters of that time were John and Samuel Dingle.

R. A. Calhoun, now living in Mexico, a boy eight years of age in 1844, when his father, the Whig candidate, defeated Richard R. Lee, Democrat, for the legislature, says that on that day there were many fights over the election without any special ill-feeling, and what there was disappeared when the election was over. He also says that both sides had an open barrel of whiskey, to which their adherents went for free drinks. Up until shortly prior to the Civil war fighting and drink- ing were as much a part of the election day performance as voting.

Albert Gass, now living near Mexico, says that when he was a boy, he always went to the election for the amusement of seeing the fights. When this sondition began to disappear, the present hackneyed expres- sion of some newspapers that the election "passed off quietly," had more significance than it has now.

These early settlers of the county as a rule raised large families. Picking out a few names from them at random, Franklin Armstead had nine children, Neil Blue ten, Richard Byrnes eight, John Barnett twelve, Elias Eller nine, William M. Jesse sixteen, three of whom died

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HISTORY OF NORTHEAST MISSOURI

in childhood. The others lived to maturity and three of them, like their father, were Baptist ministers. Asap Hubbard had four children, but that was an unusually small family. Asap's father had twelve. John Kilgore married twice and had eighteen children. John Bybee had six wives and twenty-six children, but he seems to be rather an ex- ception both as to wives and children.

Chills and fever, especially in the fall of the year, were the prevail- ing sickness of the people, and this condition continued until about 1880, when the prairies had been largely subdued and the stagnant water drained off. People then thought that ague was produced by the condition of the atmosphere arising from the rank vegetation and pools. They called it malaria, but they are ready now to agree with the medical profession, which has discovered that this disease was produced by the bite of the mosquito which was bred in the stagnant water and pools of the county.

In 1860 the number of inhabitants had increased to 8,075, 1,166 of whom were slaves. Yet a slave trader in the community was not ac- counted a respectable person and to sell a slave to be sent south was considered inhumane. Many are the acts of these people showing their kindness to their slaves, and that really at heart they were abolitionists themselves. Edward Beatty in his will, dated May 24, 1847, disposed of certain of his property to his children, on condition that "If Aaron, the black man, is still living, the property then falling back to my children must not be divided until they make some permanent arrange- ment between themselves for the support of said negro man Aaron, allowing him to make choice which one of the children he will live with."

Some years before the Civil war, John P. Clark owned a likely bright negro man named George. A southern slave trader took a fancy to George and wanted to buy him to take south. He made several offers for George but each wwas refused until finally the sum of $3,000 was offered, a very large sum for a slave. Clark, being pressed for money, finally consented to the offer on condition that George was to decide. The matter being submitted to George, he conferred with his master and the conclusion was that George would not be sold. George did remain until Lincoln's proclamation of freedom, when he volunteered into the Federal army, made a good soldier and after the war returned to Mexico where he is now living.

Instances of this kind are entitled to a permanent record in the history of slavery. Slavery was more of a condition than a choice of the slave holder. It was an institution coming to him from former generations and there can be no doubt that the Civil war only has- tened what would have been finally peaceably reached.

By this time the families along the streams had begun to extend their farms into the prairies and occasionally a farm house would be found with the entire farm on the prairie.

The North Missouri Railroad was completed to Mexico in 1858 and extended northward to Hudson City, now Macon, by 1860. The county court in 1853 subscribed $50,000 to the capital stock of that railroad on condition that it would be located on what was called "The Ridge Route," and thus touch Mexico, the county seat. At the time this subscription was made people thought this to be an enormous indebtedness, but by the time the road was completed to Mexico in June, 1858, the entire amount had been paid without oppression or even inconvenience.

By 1860 the county was beginning to be accounted one of the progressive agriculture counties of Northeast Missouri, and James S. Rollins, comparing it with the older county of Boone, referred to it

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as "Little Sis." Cattle raising became one of the chief enterprises of the people. The prairie constituted probably three-fourths of the county and on it grew a very luxuriant grass commonly called "blue stem." It grew from one to five feet high and furnished very rich grazing. The cattle were herded on these prairies and it was not an act of trespass for them to go on to the unenclosed lands of others for the purpose of grazing. The courts held that the Common Law of England, requiring persons to fence their stock in, never applied to Missouri, but on the other hand it was the law regardless of the owner- ship of the prairies, that they were the common range and the common property for the purpose of grazing by stock collected in herds or run- ning at large. The owner of a herd of cattle or sheep would go early in the spring and stake out what part of this common range he pro- posed to appropriate to the use of his herd the coming year. This often brought about conflict and more than one homicide has been recorded in the county, as a result of these conflicts.

F. W. Lehmann, lately Solicitor General of the United States, when a boy herded sheep in the county, and the following from him is a fair expression of the conditions of the time he speaks: "I went to Audrain

A HAYSTACKING SCENE

county in the summer of 1867 in the employ of a Mr. McCausland, who was moving from Pennsylvania to Missouri. My work was to assist in the care of a flock of about a thousand sheep. We stayed in Audrain county until the fall of that year, so long as the pasturage was good, and then drove our flock to a place in Cooper county, near Arrow Rock, where we remained for most of the winter. Our stay in Audrain county was on a prairie, a few miles east of Mexico. The country was sparsely populated. Here and there was an occasional farm which was fenced in. We had what in my memory seems to be an almost limitless range for the sheep and had it free I think, and without asking for leave or license of anybody. I was a boy of fourteen at the time, it was my first view of a prairie, and I was greatly impressed with its immen- sity. I recall that the summer was one of drought and that the wells quite generally failed in their supply of water. We watered the sheep at a creek near by, and the same creek was the resource of the neigh- boring farmers for water for their stock and for household purposes. I have a vague recollection that I boarded for a time with a family named Field,1 and later with a family recently come from Michigan whose name I have entirely forgotten. Some tobacco and a consider- able amount of sorghum,2 was grown in the neighborhood."

As the prairies began to be encroached upon for the purpose of establishing farms this condition produced great hardship because it

1 John H. Field, Sr., four miles east of Mexico.

2 New Orleans molasses was quoted in the Missouri Ledger at $1.10 per gallon in 1867.

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cost as much or more to fence a farm to protect the crops from the stock running at large, as it did to pay for the farm.

The growth of the county as well as other parts of this state, was retarded on account of this condition, which caused many people from the east to pass over the state and locate in Kansas and Nebraska, where the early legislatures had provided against this condition by a suitable stock law. The general assembly of this state by an enactment in 1883, provided a law submitting it to the voters of any county at an election to be held for that purpose, as to whether they would adopt or reject the law requiring all animals to be kept up or fenced in. Soon after this act, the matter being submitted in Audrain county, was adopted.

While there are no definite statistics upon the point, it is safe to say that by the later '80s all of the prairie and open lands of the county had been either put under fence or brought under subjection in such a way that every owner had control of his own lands, and from that time on, herding was no longer engaged in.

From the early settlement of the county until about 1855, the county grew quite slowly, but the Graduation Act before mentioned had the tendency to invite immigration. Then the agitation of railroads and the completion of the North Missouri Railroad in 1858 was another impetus to settlement, especially along that line. Then after the Civil war from 1865 to 1870, there was quite an immigration into the county from the east. The population of the county in 1870 was 12,370. There are many families in the county who came into the state shortly after the Civil war from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and other northern states east of the Mississippi. Another addition to the county was brought about by a number of families from Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee leaving their homes which had been destroyed in the Civil war. A dozen or more families living in the county now came into the county from those causes from Virginia. As a result of this, Audrain county has an unusually mixed population. It is a fair example of what is often said of Missouri, that it is neither north nor south, east nor west, but is a national blend.

. In murder cases frequently in the past, from one hundred to two hundred men have been summoned from all over the county, from which to procure juries and almost invariably on those occasions in asking the usual questions about birth, former citizenship, etc., etc ... men would be found on the panel from nearly every state in the Union, especially east of the Mississippi river. It is recalled that on one such occasion every state east of the Mississippi, with the exception of Rhode Island, together with Iowa, Arkansas, Kansas and Nebraska was represented on the , panel, but before the call was completed the missing Rhode Islander turned up. On such occasions also would turn up an Englishman, Scotchman, German, Irishman and often immigrants from other countries of Europe. The population by 1880 had increased to 19,732, in 1890, it was 22,074 and in 1900, 21,160 and in 1910, 21,687.

The Louisiana & Missouri River Railroad was completed to Mexico in 1872. The county had issued bonds to the amount of $300,000 to aid the construction of this road. That bond issue was made by the court elected in 1866,composed of Increase Adams, John B. Morris and B. H. Wilder. There was never any serious question of the legality of the subscription. The last bond was paid in 1881. This road now forms part of the Chicago & Alton Railroad. That road was extended from Mexico to Kansas City in 1878. The Burlington System entered the county in 1905.

After the building of the North Missouri Railroad and the immigra- tion into the state, after the Civil war, the next period of rapid growth

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came in the late '70s to 1880 and continued until the early part of the next decade. The prairie lands were settled rapidly. For the first two or three years of the '80s they doubled and trebled in value. In the western part of the county the immigration was largely from the older counties, mainly from Boone, Callaway, and Monroe. On the prairies along the Chicago & Alton, the settlers came mainly from Illi- nois and along the line of what is now the Wabash, especially around Martinsburg, came a great many Germans. The prices of land settled down, depending on location, character and improvement from twenty to fifty dollars per acre. Then there was no marked change, but the improvement was gradual until about 1902, when there came a great rush for Missouri lands from the eastern and northern states. Begin- ning with that time up to the present, lands have steadily increased in value until they have doubled and trebled and in many instances quadrupled.

The early settlers depended upon the streams for water and as they were compelled to move back from these, it having been found out that the earth would hold water like a jug, people depended upon ponds for stock water and cisterns for family use. Later on it was discovered that by boring, water could be found anywhere on the prairies and now almost every farm has its deep well and wind mill.

In this limited sketch it is impossible to give a full list of all the officers of the county but they have been generally men of high charac- ter, from the beginning down to the present time. Mismanagement of county affairs are scarce and not more than one or two defaults have ever occurred. In the earlier days, when nominations were made by the convention system, the parties, through the leaders, put up for election only their ablest and best men.

Audrain county has always maintained the county unit system, tak- ing the idea from Virginia and Kentucky, thereby bringing into the county seat a concentration of the strongest elements of the county. At one time in the 70's, when B. L. Locke was county clerk, B. R. Cau- thorn, collector, S. M. Edwards, probate judge, James Carroll, circuit clerk, and John J. Steele or Harrison Glasscock," sheriff, they composed a collection of men in the courthouse that would have done credit to any state capital.

Audrain county has contributed a fair share of the public men of the state. Charles H. Hardin, governor; D. H. McIntyre, attorney general; George B. Macfarlane, supreme judge; Sam B. Cook, secretary of state; A. H. Buckner and J. E. Hutton, congress; Col. Green Clay, M. R. K. Riggs, state senate; Hardin and McIntyre also state senators; John W. Gamble, constitutional convention of 1865; Lebius R. Wifley, attorney general of the Philippine Islands and the first judge of the extra territorial United States court in China; and Howard A. Gass, state superintendent of public instruction.

MEXICAN WAR

Audrain county was most too young to participate, excepting remotely, in the Mexican war. It contributed only one volunteer to Company H, First Regiment, Missouri Volunteers, made up in Calla- way county, and joining Doniphan's Regiment. That was Alexander Reed. Temple Wayne also went into the war from this county, but not into that company. Members of that company, after the war liv- ing in this county were Thomas Jamison. Thomas Harrison, Charles A. (Aus) Rodgers, Paul H. Duly, John M. Kelso, William H. North-

* Glasscock, October 18, 1877, captured James Berry, the Union Pacific train robber.

Fol. 1-14

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cutt, John M. Robards, Thomas Ficklin and William French. The latter died at the age of 87 years on July 17, 1912, being the last sur- vivor of that company.

Other soldiers of the Mexican war living in the county, but not in that company or regiment, were James Shell, Richard T. Throckmor- tin, John Ellis, Elijah Bennett and David Hiner. These men all lived long and honorable lives and were the leading men of their neigh- borhoods.

THE PRESS

The first newspaper published in the county was the Weekly Ledger, which was established at Mexico in the summer of 1855, by John B. Williams. Mr. Williams who was well known as a newspaper man in central Missouri, conducted the paper until 1856, when he sold it to William D. H. Hunter who continued its publication until January. 1862, when fire destroyed the office. In January, 1863, a paper called the Audrain County Beacon was established by Captain Amos Ladd and O. A. A. Gardner. John T. Brooks took an interest with Ladd and Ladd & Brooks published it as the Weekly Missouri Ledger. Later Brooks took over Ladd's interest and continued the publication till in March, 1872, Colonel J. E. Hutton purchased the paper and re-christened it the Intelligencer. In 1879 Colonel Hutton began publishing a daily edition of the paper. In 1885 the paper was purchased by Samuel B. Cook, who, in 1898, accepted C. M. Baskett as partner, and in 1900 Cook sold his interest to Baskett, who published it for a short while, and from him it was taken over by a corporation of which F. A. Morris is the president, the editor being Rufus Jackson. In October, 1865, W. W. Davenport established the Messenger and soon afterward sold it to M. F. Simmons, who conducted it until September, 1874, when it was purchased by J. Lynn Ladd, who changed its politics from Repub- lican to Democratic re-christening it the Ledger, and in 1876 sold it to R. M. White. Mr. White began publishing the Daily Ledger in 1886. Both weekly and daily issue of that paper are now published by R. M. White & Son, L. M. White.

In 1859, the Audrain County Banner was started by William H. Martin, but existed only a few months. A paper called the Signal was established in 1858 by William A. Thompson, who ran it for about two years and then sold it to Joseph A. Armstead, who, after publishing it for about a year, discontinued it. In October, 1868, the Agriculturist was started by W. G. Church, and lived one year. John Beal began publishing the Mexico Message, November, 1899. The State Leader, a prohibition paper, was published here for a while about 1900, by Charles E. Stokes, then and now the Prohibition candidate for governor. He removed it to Kansas City. In October, 1868, the Audrain Expositor was started by Ira Hall, J. D. Macfarlane and Milton F. Simmons, and existed about a year. The Mexico Union was established in 1878 by Harry Day, and in 1879 was acquired by C. A. Keeton, who changed its name to the Audrain County Press. which, after an existence of a few years, ceased publication. At dif- ferent times journalistic ventures were put forth, flourished for a while, and died a natural death.

THE CIVIL WAR

As noted above the old parties were prior to the Civil war about equally divided in the county. In 1860 all three of the Democratic tickets as well as the Republican were represented in the campaign.

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The Bell and Everett voters and the Douglass voters maintained flags on a pole in the courthouse yard throughout that campaign. In that election Lincoln received one vote in the county. As above noted Audrain's representative was a secessionist and its representative in the state senate was a Union man. Early in the spring of 1861 when the lines between union and secession were beginning to be drawn, the people of the county were about equally divided, there being, how- ever, a strong secession sentiment in and around Mexico. The divided sentiment is well illustrated by an effort which was made to raise a secession flag in Mexico that spring. William O. Johnson. Green Bishop, James and Robert Carter and Joe Inlow were the leaders of the participants on the part of the secessionists. On the other hand, were George W. Fentem, Samuel Fentem, Henry Estes and W. H. White, the leaders of the opposition. It was undertaken to put the flag on the Bell and Everett pole of the fall campaign still standing. This resulted in a general fight in which no one was killed but several badly hurt. The secessionists were compelled to retire without ever getting the flag on the pole and the secession flag never floated in Mexico.

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A History of Northeast Missouri, Volume I, Part 28

Author: Williams, Walter, 1864-1935, editor Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis Publishing Company Number of Pages: 731

Author: Williams, Walter, 1864-1935, editor
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 731