A History of Northeast Missouri, Volume I, Part 43

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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Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Wetmore, in his Gazetteer, published in 1837, says: "There are in Keytesville a good court house, four stores with a general assortment of merchandise in each, and three taverns, and various mechanic's shops that are requisite in a farming country. West of the town, across the Mussel Fork, is a good bridge, a sawmill and gristmill, with two pairs of stones which is run the whole year."

Among the early settlers of Keytesville was Pugh W. Price, who came from Prince Edward county, Virginia, and settled for a time in Randolph county. In the fall of 1831 he settled on a farm one mile south of Keytesville. He was the father of General Sterling Price; Doctor Edwin Price, Major Pugh Price, John R. Price, Mrs. Pamelia Royal, mother of Col. William Royal of the United States army. John R. Price built a hotel in Keytesville and in 1835 sold it to his brother, Sterling Price, who conducted the hotel and embarked in the mercantile business with his brother-in-law, Walter G. Childs.

Chariton county has had but two courthouses, as no courthouse was built at Chariton, where the courts were held for eleven years. The first courthouse was erected in 1832-33. It was a two-story brick house, square in form, with one large room, the court room, below and the jury room and other offices above. This building was burned by the Confed- erate guerrillas during the Civil war and much valuable information con- cerning the early history of the county was destroyed. The records of deeds from 1821 to 1826, deeds of trust from January, 1859 to 1861, and the marriage record from 1852 to 1861 were all destroyed. In 1881 the offices of circuit and county clerks were located in a building in the south- west corner of the courthouse yard and on the night of November 11, 1881, the offices were discovered to be on fire. It has never been ascer- tained by whom or for what purpose the building was set on fire. J. C. Crawley and Senator A. Mackay broke open the doors to the building and threw out the books. A new court house, costing nearly $75,000, was built in 1866 on the site of the old building. It is a two-story brick building and is 110 by 62 feet, with a circuit court room and jury rooms above and the county court room and county offices below.

The first jail, erected in 1872, at a cost of $11,000, was torn down and a new building erected in 1906 and 1907, just west of the courthouse, at a cost of $11,000. The sheriff's headquarters are in the same building. `The poorhouse is located on a farm about two and one-half miles northwest of Dalton and four miles west of Keytesville. It is estimated that the building and farm cost about $8,000.

Among the physicians who practiced in Keytesville were Dr. .

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David Pettigrew, Dr. John Grinstead, Dr. George M. Dewey, Dr. M. J. Rucker, Dr. Felix Clermond, Dr. H. T. Garnett, Dr. Luther Perkins, Dr. John Aldridge, Dr. C. T. Holland, Dr. James A. Egan, Dr. B. Hughes and Dr. T. J. Dewey.

Keytesville has one of the largest high school buildings in the county, built in 1887 at a cost of $24,000. There are nine rooms and nine teach- ers, with the principal, and an average attendance of 353 pupils. It is a first-class graded high school, fully accredited by all colleges and by the University of Missouri. Under the supervision of the teachers, athletics are encouraged, but are not carried to excess so as to interfere with the other school work.

Two newspapers are published in Keytesville, the Chariton Courier, owned and edited by Earl B. Kellogg, and the Keytesville Signal, owned by the Rev. Franc Mitchell and at present edited by A. M. Child.

There have been only two banks in Keytesville, the Bank of Keytes- ville, established in 1871, with William E. Hill owner and cashier, and the Farmers Bank of Chariton county, which commenced business in 1880, with L. M. Applegate, president, Judge J. B. Hyde, vice-president, and John C. Miller, cashier. The present officers of the Farmers Bank are: A. S. Taylor, president; James C. Wallace, vice-president; H. C. Miller, cashier; A. F. Taylor, assistant cashier.

Among the prominent attorneys of Keytesville have been : William H. Davis, John C. Crawley, C. B. Crawley, A. Mackay, Jr., Capt. J. C. Wallace, Judge W. W. Rucker (now member of congress), O. F. Smith, John D. Taylor (now member of legislature), J. A. Collett, and Roy W. Rucker, county attorney.

POSTOFFICES

In 1837 there were only three postoffices in Chariton county, Chari- ton, G. Compton, postmaster; Keytesville, Sterling Price, postmaster; Brunswick, James Keyte, postmaster. In 1912 there are twenty post- offices and twenty-eight rural mail routes.

BRUNSWICK

The town of Brunswick was laid out by the Rev. James Keyte in 1836, on the northwest quarter of section 11, township 53, range 20, which at that time was one mile below the mouth of Grand river, and the original site was several hundred yards south of the present site on the Missouri river. The banks of the river kept caving in at every rise in the river and forced the business houses and residences to be moved back to the base of the bluffs. The Missouri river in 1875-76 cut through a bend on the Saline county side and left the town and the Grand river, followed the old channel of the Missouri river and empties into that river three miles below town. The first house erected in Brunswick by the Rev. James Keyte was a log-house used as a general merchandise store. He also erected the first sawmill in the town. He was the first postmaster in the town and held the position until his death, in the fall of 1844. Among the pioneer business men were: Peter T. Abell, Perkins and Cornwell, who had general stores; John Basey, father of Capt. D. C. Basey, kept the first hotel. Captain Basey was the first white child born in the town. Nathan Harry was the first saddler; Joseph Winters and Joseph Caton were the first tailors; Col. Peter T. Abell and Col. Casper W. Bell were the first lawyers to practice in the town. Dr. Edwin Price, brother of Gen. Sterling Price, was one of the most distinguished pioneer physicians. His daughter, Lizzie, married Dr. Henry W. Cross,

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who was also a prominent physician and for several years edited the Brunswicker. R. B. Price, son of Dr. Edwin Price, is a prominent banker in Columbia, Missouri. George R. Dupuy, Broady Barrett and Thomas I. Beazley were among the early buyers and shippers of tobacco. Ada- mantine Johnson and Thomas E. Gilliam were the first manufacturers of chewing tobacco. The pioneer school teacher was Judge John M. Davis, who opened the first school in a log-cabin in Brunswick on June 19, 1840.

Brunswick grew rapidly and prospered until the time of the Civil war, as its trade was quite extensive and much of its business was drawn from the counties north and northeast as far as the Iowa line. It was no unusual thing in the winter time to see from fifty to seventy-five wagons arrive daily from the upper counties loaded with tobacco, which they would sell for cash and would invest the money in groceries and other merchandise. The building of the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad took away much of Brunswick's trade.

The first church building erected in Brunswick was built by the Methodist Episcopal Church South and shortly afterward the Presby- terians erected a house of worship.

The first bank was started in Brunswick in 1856 and was known as the Brunswick branch of the Merchants' Bank of St. Louis. The president was Adamantine Johnson; George W. Outcalt, cashier; and William C. Applegate, clerk. The bank suspended business during the Civil war. Willis H. Plunkett started a private bank in 1865 and continued until the Chariton County Exchange Bank was char- tered in 1877, with Robert H. Hodge as president; J. A. Merchant, cashier; and Frank Kennedy, clerk. The capital stock is $25,000. The present officers are L. H. Herring, president; T. J. Marshall, vice president; W. D. Magruder, cashier; L. O. Riley, assistant cashier.

The First National Bank of Brunswick was organized in 1889, with Capt. J. M. Peery, president; T. S. Griffin, vice president; and Lon Dumay, cashier. The capital stock is $50,000. The present offi- cers are George W. Cunningham, president; L. A. Sasse, cashier; A. L. Friesz, assistant cashier.

Among the prominent business men who have lived in Brunswick and extended its trade were H. C. Brent & Company, R. H. Dickey & Company, Hathaway & Anderson, Brinker Brothers, Ballentine & Outcalt, Johnson & Company, Willis H. Plunkett, Merchant & Beazley, ; D. C. Basey, J. J. Heisel, Morgan Bowman & Company, Stark Mauzey, Douglas & Blue, J. W. Cunningham, Griffin Brothers & Company, Wil- liam Rosenstein, Kennedy Brothers, J. T. Plunkett, J. M. Spencer, A. F. Tooley, Lewis Bosworth, John Strub, Sr., Strub Brothers, Strub & Meyer, Knight & Rucker, C. B. Wallace & Company, H. L. Mann, George Defani, C. W. Bowen.

Among the physicians who practiced medicine in Brunswick and vicinity have been Dr. Edwin Price, Dr. John H. Blue, Dr: Henry W. Cross, Dr. W. H. Beddow, Dr. Groves, Dr. G. M. Brinker, Dr. Drake McDowell, Dr. I. P. Vaughan, Dr. James Allin, Dr. William S. West. Dr. Lewis S. Prosser, Dr. C. T. Kimmel, Dr. William Watts, Dr. Clarkson, Dr. J. S. Wallace, Dr. G. W. Edwards, Dr. Thomas Mar- tin, Dr. R. O. Davenport, and Dr. H. E. Tatum.

BRUNSWICK LODGES

Eureka Lodge No. 73 A. F. & A. M. was organized August 23, 1845. The lodge room and all the furniture and regalia were destroyed by fire February 1, 1882. The present officers are: J. B. Robertson,

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W. M .; Dr. L. L. Cleveland, J. W .; J. I. Crossland, S. W .; Otto Ben- ecke, secretary ; and Dr. J. S. Wallace, treasurer.

Houston Royal Arch Chapter No. 37 was organized September 10, 1847. The charter was surrendered in April, 1851, and reorganized January 30, 1869. The present offices are: H. L. Mann, H. P .; G. D. Kennedy, scribe; Robert Morehead, king; G. W. Rucker, C. H .; Wil- liam Rosenstein, R. A. C .; J. M. Barker, P. S .; H. E. Tatum, secre- tary; L. H. Herring, treasurer. This is the only chapter of R. A. M. in the county, as the chapter formerly at Salisbury surrendered its charter several years ago.

Brunswick Lodge No. 34 I. O. O. F. was chartered June 9, 1848, and organized June 24, 1848. They have a commodious, well-fur- nished lodge room over the Presbyterian church. The present officers are: R. C. Meyers, N. G .; L. M. Paul, secretary ; A. B. Crismond, fin. secretary ; J. R. Meyer, treasurer.

Among the attorneys of Brunswick have been Col. C. W. Bell, county attorney in 1876-1880; Judge Charles Winslow, judge of the common pleas court and supreme judge in 1882; Col. R. H. Musser; Col. Andrew Harris; Col. Peter T. Abell; Benjamin Stringfellow; Judge John M. Davis; Judge Charles Hammond, member of the leg- islature in 1876; E. Kinley; I. H. Kinley, county attorney in 1872; Capt. J. C. Wallace, county attorney from 1885 to 1890; T. S. Dines; C. C. Hammond; Ed T. Miller, now in St. Louis, and general attorney for the St. Louis & San Francisco Railway; Lee J. Davis; F. C. Sasse; L. E. Merrill; Charles Finch; James W. Davis, member of legislature in 1896.

BRUNSWICK SCHOOLS

The high school building at Brunswick was built in 1892 at a cost of $25,000. The directors are now building a new addition that will cost $8,000. The building is commodious, well lighted and heated, convenient and strictly modern. The class and recitation rooms are supplied with maps, globes and reference books, and a well-equipped physical laboratory and they are preparing to have a well-equipped agricultural laboratory. There is a library with several hundred vol- umes, and new books are added each year. There is a well-equipped gymnasium in the basement and the school grounds have been graded and a basketball court and cinder track prepared. An outdoor gym- nasium, provided with trapezes, horizontal bars, swings, etc., is being constructed. This is the only high school in this part of the state equipped for all kinds of wholesome athletic sports. The high school is fully accredited by all universities and colleges. The total units credit 211/2, being the highest in Chariton county by three units. Many of the graduates of the high school are holding responsible positions in the army. civil service, educational field, professional and business world. The principal of the high school is Prof. G. W. Diemer.

The B. K. Bruce graded school for colored children has a large and commodious building, costing $8,000, and they have two men teach- ers and one woman teacher. The average attendance is eighty-five.

The Catholic school building is situated on the hill just north of the Catholic church. It has several large rooms and the average attendance is about forty pupils. The school is under the careful super- vision of the parish priest, the Reverend Father Alexander, a kind- hearted, broad-minded man with a classical education, who numbers his friends by the extent of his acquaintance.

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COMMERCIAL, INDUSTRIAL AND AGRICULTURAL

The steel bridge across Grand river at Brunswick is the longest free bridge in the state and was built in 1906 at a cost of $16,500, by con- tributions of the citizens of Brunswick and vicinity and appropria- tions made by the county court of Chariton county.

Before the days of railroads all the freight for Brunswick and its vicinity and the counties north came by steamboats from St. Louis and there were from fifty to sixty boats running on the Missouri river every year. The number of steamboat arrivals and departures at Brunswick for one year was 534 and one boat alone that year made forty- four landings at this wharf. Now it is a rare thing to have a steam- boat land at Brunswick.

One of the principal manufacturing establishments in Brunswick is the Brunswick Tobacco Company, owned and managed by T. W. Jen- nings and J. M. Barker, an independent concern that has no connection with any of the consolidated American tobacco companies. They manu- facture both chewing and smoking tobacco, employing about fifty or sixty hands, and have an extensive trade for their products all over this state and also a large business in Iowa and Kansas. The tobacco production in Chariton county during the past few years is due, in a great meas- ure, to the encouragement of this tobacco manufacturing company and has more than kept pace with the increase in other farm crops of the state, no other crop having shown such a marked increase in acre- age, production and value. They imported the White Burley tobacco seed from Kentucky and distributed the seed to the farmers and as- sured them the highest market price on all they raised. In 1875 Chariton county produced over 15,000,000 pounds of tobacco, but the low prices prevailing from that time until about 1905 caused the farmers to almost quit raising the weed. The efforts on the part of these manufacturers to encourage the growing of tobacco in this county have met with splendid success and in 1911 Chariton county was sec- ond in the state in the production of tobacco, having raised in that year 1,533,997 pounds, valued at $169,000 and realizing to the farmer from $100 to $250 an acre. The soil in many parts of the county is peculiarly adapted to the raising of the White Burley tobacco, as the ridges where the white oak and pawpaw grow produce that beau- tiful golden yellow and "piebald" tobacco leaves that are so popular with manufacturers of chewing and smoking tobacco.

Another important industry located in Brunswick is the Bruns- wick Brick and Tile Company. Started in 1886 on a small scale, it has grown and prospered from year to year until the present output annually is about 500,000 bricks and 250,000 tiles of all sizes. They employ from eighteen to twenty persons and to the general manager, L. Kinkhorst, and the foreman, A. C. Salter, is due the splendid suc- cess of this enterprise. The large clay hill just two blocks north of the tile factory furnishes an inexhaustible supply of fine material for the manufacture of both brick and tile.

Farmers in Chariton county who own low land or swamp land. unfit for cultivation, find that after properly ditching and tile drain- ing this kind of soil the value of the land is enhanced three or four fold.

The Owen Grain and Milling Company, owned by Walter S. Owen, is one of Brunswick's thriving enterprises, with a capacity of turning out daily 125 barrels of flour and 100 barrels of meal and shipping annually over 80,000 bushels of wheat and more than 100.000 bushels of corn. This company stands high for fair dealing and they enjoy Vol. 1-21

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not only a splendid trade at home, but also throughout Chariton and neighboring counties their products of flour and meal are rated as the best.

The Brunswick Elevator Company, owned by Cashman Brothers, also ship from this place annually some 50,000 bushels of wheat and more than 100,000 bushels of corn.

Brunswick has an excellent telephone system and a splendidly equipped electric light and water works company, the latter supply- ing an abundance of water to stores and residences and serves as a protection in case of fire.

THE MEXICAN WAR

In May, 1846, the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma were fought and Mexico having declared war against the United States, great excitement prevailed and the patriotic people of Missouri offered their services to fight for their country's cause. During May, 1846, Governor Edwards of Missouri called for volunteers to join the "Army of the West." General Sterling Price resigned his seat in congress and during the summer of 1846 raised one mounted regiment and one mounted extra battalion to join the Army of the West. Sterling Price was commissioned colonel and D. D. Mitchell, lieutenant colonel. Chari- ton county furnished one company of this regiment of seventy as brave men as ever fired a gun or unsheathed a sword in defense of their coun- try. William C. Holley was elected captain; Daniel Herryford, first lieutenant; John Mansfield, second lieutenant; Golden Wassen, third lieutenant ; D. Mansfield, orderly sergeant; Valentine Cupp, flagbearer ; Hiram Lewis, bugler. This company was made up of men from all walks of life and from their youth they had been accustomed to the use of firearms and many of them were expert marksmen. They were men who had reputations to maintain at home by their good conduct in the field and there was an individuality of character in the men of this regiment found in the ranks of few armies. Their ideal and hero was their commander, Colonel Sterling Price. Fatigue, hardships and privations of a soldier's life in a barren and inhospitable country brought on disease and death and only about half of the men lived to return to their homes. On their return to Missouri the people of Chariton county gave a barbecue on October 20, 1847, at Keytesville to the officers and soldiers of General Price and General Doniphan's regiments. The address of welcome was made by Dr. John H. Blue, editor of the Brunswicker, and the response in behalf of the volun- teers made by General Price was very touching, as he told of their hardships on the march and their gallantry on the field of battle. The flag of the company, presented to them by the women when they started for Santa Fe, was unfurled amid the applause of the multitude and the sixteen bullet holes in this faded and tattered banner showed it had been borne in the front of the battle where the bullets flew the thickest, where 280 Missourians whipped 2,000 Mexicans led by their bravest generals at the battle of Canada and also at the siege of Taos. Colonel Claiborne F. Jackson, an invited guest, also made an address and spoke of the heroic deeds of these gallant Missourians.

CALIFORNIA GOLD SEEKERS

In the fall of 1848 exaggerated reports were printed in the news- papers of the wonderful richness of the placer mines of California and the lust for gold pervaded every community in the West. The most

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sober-minded and incredulous men could not resist the infection and the winter months were spent organizing companies and making plans to start early in the spring for the new-found Eldorado. The roads were crowded every day with a long line of white-topped wagons, to each of which were hitched from three to five yoke of oxen, wending their way slowly from east to west as far as the eye could reach. Many of those who left their families and peaceful firesides were doomed to disappointment and others never returned, having fallen victims to the epidemic of cholera that was raging in that year. Several com- panies were organized in Chariton county and among them was one formed by John S. Wallace, of which he was elected captain. In this company were Erastus Butler, a neighbor boy; William Shomens, Sam- uel Burch, and a colored man named Abe belonging to Capt. J. S. Wallace. This company started the latter part of April from Chari- ton county and on April 25, 1849, just three hours after the birth of the writer of this sketch, my father bade farewell to his family, mounted his horse and with tear-bedimmed eyes started for the far West and over- took his companions at Weston. He kept a diary of his trip and in its pages he relates many thrilling skirmishes with hostile Indians. He remained in California two years, returning on a sail ship that was becalmed in the Pacific ocean for several weeks, crossed the Isth- mus of Panama, and returning home by the way of New York City. He found on his return that his wife, by her frugality and skill in management of the farm, had made and saved more money than he had accumulated in his two years in California. He lived only a few months after his return, falling a victim to Asiatic cholera on August 14, 1851, which disease was raging as an epidemic at that time in Glasgow. Among others who went to California in 1849 and 1850 were James N. Staples, Cyrus Hutchison, Philip Hooper, R. W. Price, Andy J. Crockett, James Peery, Dr. L. S. Prosser, Tilly Emerson, John G. Moore, Ephraim Moore, Alfonzo Moore, Hiram Lewis, George Apple- gate, Frank Woods, Jacob Trent, T. H. Walton, and Lisbon Apple- gate.

HIGH WATER OF 1844.

One of the greatest calamities that ever befell the people of Chari. ton county was the high water of 1844, when the lowlands on the north side of the Missouri river from Brunswick to Glasgow and on both sides of the Grand Chariton were covered with water from five to fif- teen feet in depth. It was due to the June rise in the Missouri river causing it to overflow its banks and, with an unusually heavy rainfall throughout Kansas, Missouri and Iowa, the tributaries of this stream in Chariton county overflowed their banks and the water in the south- ern part of the county was six feet higher than it had ever been before. There was great suffering among the farmers in the submerged dis- trict and they were forced to flee with their flocks and household goods to the bluffs, where they were kindly cared for by their friendly and hospitable neighbors. All the flatboats, skiffs and canoes that could be had were pressed into service to rescue the unfortunate people from their danger. Many of them lost not only their crops, fences, houses and stock, but some lost their lives by remaining in their houses and trying to rescue their stock from the flood which covered the land for more than three weeks. Two other floods have occurred in recent years, one in 1903 and the other in 1909, at which times there was perhaps greater loss of crops than in 1844, but no loss of life.

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PHYSICAL FEATURES

Chariton county is well watered by many streams, the Missouri on the south border being the principal one, and its tributaries, Brush, Salt and Yellow creeks, Locust, Elk and Turkey creeks, Lake and Palmer creeks, the Grand Chariton, Mussel Fork, Little Chariton, east and middle fork of the same. The streams flow generally in a south- erly direction and, as the county is an undulating plain neither too flat nor too hilly, form a perfect system of natural drainage. In some parts of the county the land along these streams is flat, but by syste- matic drainage it can be made to yield large crops of corn, timo- thy and wheat. The "divides" between the streams or high table lands extending nearly the whole length of the counties is a rich black loam of vegetable deposit with a porous subsoil and is inexhaustible in fertility. In the bottomland the soil is a rich, sandy, black loam as fertile as the valley of the Nile, peculiarly adapted to the raising of potatoes, onions and melons, and it yields the farmers bountiful crops of corn, wheat, oats, barley, timothy and alfalfa. It is no unusual thing for a farmer to cut three or four crops of alfalfa each year, yield- ing two tons an acre, and for potatoes to yield 200 bushels and onions 400 bushels an-acre. The prairie lands of the county are generally roll- ing and quite fertile. The vast primeval forests of oak, elm, honey locust, walnut, hickory, pecan, hackberry, linn, cottonwood, and sycamore that grew on the uplands and along both sides of the various streams have been ruthlessly and improvidently destroyed. Many farms have large woods pastures set in bluegrass that grows as luxuriantly as it does in the celebrated blue grass counties of Kentucky. If the farmer is not a stock-raiser, he can easily rent it out for grazing stock upon, at from $3 to $5 an acre. This county is peculiarly adapted to the production of all kinds of fruit. Peach, apple, pear, apricot, plum and cherry trees grow rapidly, stand the winters well and yield bountiful crops of excellent quality. Grapes, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries yield boun- tiful crops also and find a ready market. Many of the farmers of Chariton county who devote a great deal of care and attention to their orchards are amply rewarded by selling the fruit on the trees to shippers for from $1,000 to $1,500 an orchard, the prices depending upon the number of trees, the yield of such trees and the kind of apples grown.

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A History of Northeast Missouri, Volume I, Part 43

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