A History of Northeast Missouri, Volume I, Part 50

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).

On April 15, 1868, number 1 of volume 1 of the Edina Sentinel was issued at Edina by Taylor, Porter & Stephenson. It was edited by Gen. T. T. Taylor, who came to Knox county from Brown county, Ohio. In 1870 General Taylor became the sole proprietor and in 1873 he sold the property to J. C. Claypool. Mr. Claypool edited the paper until 1889, when he sold it to W. R. Holloway, who later transferred it to Robert F. Schofield, who from that time until June, 1906, edited it continuously, except for a few months when it was temporarily leased. It has been the sad duty of the present management to record the death of its founder, General Taylor, which occurred some time ago at Lake Charles, Louisiana. On March 11, 1909, the Sentinel, upon which Mr. Claypool worked for so many years, printed his obituary. He died at Ottumwa, Iowa, March 7th of that year. In 1906, Mr. Schofield, who was at the helm for seventeen years, sold the property to Dr. Ed. S. and Mrs. Amelia X. Brown, who are its joint editors at this time. Mr. Schofield is now a prosperous business man of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

BANKS

The history of the Bank of Edina begins about the year 1865, when Linville & Wilson began a private banking business. It was organized under the laws of the state of Missouri in 1876 with a capital stock of $50,000 with forty per cent paid up. The charter of this bank was granted for twenty years. Its officers were Philip B. Linville, president ; Elias V. Wilson, vice-president, and John Quincy Adams, cashier. This bank was re-organized in 1896 with capital stock of $20,000, and has $20.000 surplus at this time. The present officers are R. M. Ringer, president ; C. R. Ringer, vice-president; C. B. Linville, cashier, and John W. Hayes, assistant cashier.

The officers of the Knox County Savings Bank are : J. W. Ellis, presi- dent ; Fred A. Knapp, vice-president ; E. O. Parsons, cashier, and Thomas O'Donnell, assistant cashier. The directors are: H. R. Parsons. J. W. Ellis, Fred A. Knapp and E. O. Parsons. This is one of the oldest bank- ing houses in Edina. It was chartered in 1872 with Willis Anderson, president : Ed. J. Brown, vice-president, and H. R. Parsons, cashier.

The banking house of T. J. Lycan was founded by T. J. Lycan in 1891 as a private bank with a capital of $20.000. First officers were: T. J. Lycan, president, and V. E. Lycan, cashier. Its present officers are : P. A. Lycan, president; J. J. Honan, cashier; T. J. Lycan, assistant cashier.

The First National Bank of Edina was organized April 4, 1909, with a capital stock of $35,000. Its present officers are: Mrs. Laura Biggerstaff. president, J. M. Beal, vice-president ; M. F. Cloyd. cashier, and P. K. Gibbons, assistant cashier.

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The Citizens Bank of Knox City was organized in 1903, with a capital stock of $10,000. The officers are: F. H. Meyers, president; J. E. Burch, vice-president ; A. Pettit, cashier, and M. R. Pettit, assistant cashier. It is a private institution.

The Home Bank of Knox City was organized in 1892, with a capital stock of $10,000. Its officers are : J. B. Mckay, president; Peter Hone, vice-president, and A. B. Anderson, cashier. It is a state bank.

The Farmers' Bank of Hurdland was organized in 1890, capitalized at $12,000, as a private bank. Its first officers were: W. H. Buhl, presi- dent, and Frank J. Grassle, cashier. It was incorporated in 1912, its present officers being: John H. Black, president; Martin Humphrey, vice-president ; Homer Black, cashier, and L. C. Shenimann, assistant cashier.

The Hurdland State Bank was organized and incorporated in 1910 with a capital stock of $12,000. Its officers are: William Delaney, presi- dent; B. F. Holman, vice-president ; P. G. Delaney, cashier, and V. De- laney, assistant cashier.

The G. G. Morris Bank of Newark began its history in June of 1891. Its capital stock is $20,000. Its record is one of continued prosperity. Its present officers are: Stonewall Morris, cashier, and J. L. Keetler, assistant cashier.

The Farmers Bank of Newark began business in 1905 with a capital stock of $10,000. The officers are: Arthur Burk, president ; G. S. Minn, vice-president ; J. V. McKim, cashier, and J. M. MeKim, assistant cashier. It is a state bank.

The Novelty State Bank was organized in 1903 with a capital stock of $10,000. The history has been one of continued prosperity. Its officers are : J. M. Epperson, president ; W. E. Pond, vice-president ; J. U. Townsend, cashier, and John B. Norris, assistant cashier.

The Bank of Plevna was organized as a private bank in 1905 with a capital stock of $10,000, with A. W. Hamilton, cashier, and Frank Meyers, assistant cashier. The present officers are : A. Pettit, president ; C. R. Campbell, cashier, and Delle Campbell, assistant cashier.

The Baring Exchange Bank was organized in 1896 with a capital of $10,000. The officers are: J. H. Myers, president; J. F. Hayes, vice- president ; C. S. Houston, cashier, and M. E. McKendry, assistant cashier. It is a state bank.

SCHOOLS

The schools of Knox county in an early day were subscription schools. Although the state laws made provision for the maintenance of public schools, the provisions were not sufficient to keep the schools up for even six months of the year. During the Civil war the schools were closed. For some time after that period they were conducted by inex- perienced teachers in poor schoolhouses, teachers often being required to "board around."

In 1866 Lyon Academy was opened in Edina in the third story of the Pratt building. It was in charge of Professor Caldwell and was conducted some two or three years with considerable success. About the time of the opening of the Lyon Academy, the Sisters of Loretto opened St. Joseph's Academy in Edina.

The Knox Collegiate Institute was founded in Edina by Prof. Edwin W. Fowler in 1878. For three years he conducted a good school in the Winterbottom Hall. In 1881 he erected a commodious building, now known as Maplehurst and occupied as an infirmary by Dr. H. H. St. John. This fine school established here was then called the Edina Seminary. Professor Fowler remained at the head of this school for six years and con-

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ducted it successfully. Later, not being able to meet the financial obli- gations incurred, he forfeited the property and removed to the west. He was succeeded by the Rev. A. V. Francis who changed the name to the original one, Knox Collegiate Institute. He was a scholarly and refined gentleman and conducted the college successfully for a number of years. It was taken in charge by Mrs. Annie Ringer and Miss Ella White, under whom the name of Edina Seminary was resumed. These cultured women conducted the school for some years, when its doors were finally closed. The Edina School of Music was the outgrowth of this closing chapter of the Edina Seminary. This excellent school was founded by Mrs. Ringer, her successor was Prof. J. L. Biggerstaff, now of the North Missouri State Normal and his successor is Mrs. Frank Krueger, the present able directress.

Oaklawn College was founded in 1876 at Novelty by Prof. W. N. Doyle. This was a fine school, and was conducted by Professor Doyle for eleven years, afterward by Charles Cornelius for some time, then removed to Hurdland, where it was successively under the management of Professors Holloway, Simpson and Sever. The necessity for these preparatory colleges has passed with the present system of high schools articulating with the university. Hence there are none in existence in Knox county at this time.

MILLS

After Fresh's mill came Tage Howerton's mill on the Fabius, near Edina. This was a horse mill with a pair of buhr-stones and was called a "corn cracker." A grist mill was built at Milltown, Edina, early in the fifties by Charles Ingles and afterward run by Bowen and then by Fulton. This mill was later destroyed by fire. Moss & Baker built a saw and grist mill near the same place. A man named Van Norman built the first carding mill at Edina on Main street on the site of the present residence of the Corcoran family. This was operated by tread- wheel. Later Ed Wilson built a carding mill about one hundred yards west of Moss & Baker's mill. A carding machine was afterward operated by the Bowen family east of the railroad crossing.

The Edina Roller Mill Company was organized in 1883 and incor- porated in 1884. The mill was erected that year, but not meeting with the desired success the number of the company was diminished and a new charter obtained. The incorporators were: Ed J. Brown, T. P. Cook, R. M. Ringer, F. M. Gifford, T. C. Baker, and Shumate & Burk, with Ed J. Brown as president. The mill was a three-story brick, with basement. It had nine pairs of rolls and a capacity of seventy-five barrels of flour per day. It made the best grades of flour. T. P. Cook bought the stock of the individual stockholders and became the sole owner. The mill was burned August 13, 1902. This was the last enter- prise of this kind in Knox county. However, there are in operation several grist mills in the county.

EDINA

Edina, the county seat of Knox county, is located near its center on the Quincy, Omaha & Kansas City Railroad. The town was laid out by William J. Smallwood in November, 1839, and named by Stephen W. Carnegy, of Canton. In 1845 it became the county seat. In 1842 a postoffice had been established, with James A. Reid as postmaster at a salary of one dollar a month.

St. Joseph's parish, Edina, is one of the oldest Catholic congrega-

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tions in Northeast Missouri. As early as 1844 a log church was erected. The Presbyterian church was organized by the Rev. Thomas H. Tatlow in 1865, the Methodist church in 1861. The Methodist Church South held meetings at an early day at the home of Stephen Sharp. Martin Luther Eads, grandfather of L. F. Cottey, was secretary of the first organization. The Christian church was organized in 1846, the Baptist church in 1909.

Edina was not incorporated until 1851 and up to the breaking out of the Civil war had less than eight hundred inhabitants. Since that time it has had many vicissitudes of business depression and disastrous fires, from the ashes of which it has risen Phoenix-like to a better built and more up-to-date city. It has wide streets, beautiful shade trees, and a public park whose elms almost rival those of New Haven, "the Elm City." The splendid business houses, fine churches and beautiful homes make this a city of fine buildings. The wagon factory, grain ele- vator, mills and other enterprises make it a point unexcelled for busi- ness. Besides these enterprises this little city has a well-equipped hos- pital, 5 beautiful churches, not including the 2 churches for colored people, a third-class postoffice, an articulated high school, an excellent graded school, a convent and parochial school, a school of music offering a fine course in vocal and instrumental music. Its business includes 4 banks, 3 dry-goods stores, 3 drug stores, 2 millinery stores, 9 grocery stores, a meat market, 2 poultry houses, a furniture store, 2 undertaking establishments, a jewelry store, 2 hotels, 2 restaurants, 2 harness shops, 2 grain depots, 3 cigar factories, a smoking tobacco factory and numer- ous other business houses. The city is well lighted, having a well- equipped and carefully operated electric light plant, which furnishes day power to many motors. The city is also supplied with ice manu- factured within its limits.

In connection with the early history of Edina the name of John Winterbottom is entitled to an honored place. He was an Englishman, a Catholic and a good man. One of the early merchants, he built a very substantial brick building, now occupied by Hirner's shoe store. This was completed before the war. About the year 1866 Mr. Winter- bottom conceived the idea of putting in a woolen factory in Edina. He accordingly invested several thousand dollars in a plant for the manufac- ture of woolen goods of all grades, from plain white blankets to fine broadcloths. The approximate investment in this plant was $50,000. Much of this was borrowed capital and when Mr. Winterbottom discovered that Edina merchants opposed his factory and offered severe competi- tion by the importation of all such goods as he manufactured, he became discouraged, accepted an offer from Denver, Colorado, and his factory was removed to that city. The plant used 360 spindles and gave employ- ment to some fifteen persons.

Another pioneer whose name is prominently connected with the his- tory of Edina is that of Patrick Cooney. Mr. Cooney came to Knox county about the year 1843. He entered government land near the present location of Edina and returned to his home at Somerset, Perry county, Ohio. In 1844 he sent P. B. Linville, then a young man about thirty years of age, to take charge of a stock of goods in Edina. After settling up his affairs, he removed with his family to Knox county, where he entered government land to the amount of several thousand acres. This land was sold to emigrants at a low price, to induce them to settle at or near the prospective county seat. He bought forty acres of what is now the east part of Edina from his brother-in-law, James Bradford. A part of this land has been in the name of the Cooney family ever since. P. B. Linville, afterward merchant and banker. and for twenty-five years public administrator, died two years ago at the ripe old age of ninety-six years.

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Peter Early, Richard Cook, Patrick Jarvies, Price Parker, James Cody, Andrew Biggerstaff, E. V. Wilson and James Reid are other names associated with the early life of our city and deserve the grate- ful remembrance of our people.

The present mayor of Edina is P. K. Gibbons, and the city collector, J. E. Cooney ; city clerk, J. W. Ennis; the postmaster is Dr. Ed S. Brown, who received the appointment seven years ago. The postoffice is a third- class office and its management has been pronounced eminently satis- factory. The office is in a handsome room and is furnished with modern equipment.

For information on the early history of Edina, the writer is indebted to Thomas Rogerson, Rufus McAtee, Theodore Coony, L. F. Cottey and the kindness of many other Edina people.

NEWARK

Newark is the oldest town in the county. It was laid off as a town in 1836. In 1858 the Newark Fair Association was organized with Y. P. True as president and James Agnew, secretary. The Newark fair was the first real county fair in the state and enormous crowds came from every part of Missouri. Lewis Bradshaw was president, James Bal- thrope, secretary, and Hodge LaRue, marshal. After the war the organ- ization gave money as premiums. From 1869 to 1891 the Newark fair was known throughout the country. In 1893 the buildings were destroyed by fire and the organization was disabled. The buildings were not re- stored and the once famous Newark fair passed into history. Again the people of Newark decided to revive the fair. The association organized with W. R. Glover, president; D. R. Downing, vice-president. and J. C. Callaghan, secretary. The new site of the grounds is south- east of town on Mr. Downing's place. Fine new buildings were erected, plenty of stalls and an excellent half-mile track.

The Knox, Lewis and Shelby county fair at Newark is now an event of the year. Thousands of people gather every year at this fair and many are the reminiscences of early days that are recalled at these annual gatherings.

NOVELTY

The town of Novelty was laid out by Nars W. Hunter in 1857. Oak- lawn College was established in 1876 and for a number of years was most successful. Novelty has many good business houses and is the center of a fine farming community.

HURDLAND

Hurdland, incorporated in 1878, has a population of about four hundred. It has excellent schools, good business houses, an attractive public park and excellent railroad facilities. It is on two railroads, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and the Quincy, Omaha & Kansas City.

KNOX CITY

The first station on the Quincy, Omaha & Kansas City Railroad after entering Knox county from the east is the thriving town of Knox City. It was laid out in 1872 by Charles S. Wade and C. M. Pomeroy. Knox City was first named Myrtle, afterward Knox, and finally Knox City. It is situated on a high rolling prairie and commands a beautiful view in every direction. It is surrounded on every side by fine farms, some of which are among the best in Knox county.

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BARING

Baring was incorporated in 1889. It is a progressive town, with good business houses and fine residences, and is surrounded by an ex- . cellent farming community.

THE COUNTY AS A WHOLE

Knox county, in the northeast part of Missouri, is in the second tier of counties west of the Mississippi river, and in the second tier south of the southern boundary of Iowa. Fully nine-tenths of the land is beautifully undulating prairie, diversified with streams whose banks are lined with timber which extends for some distance into the rich bottoms. The Fabius river, with its many tributaries, flows diagonally across the county, and affords ample drainage for the fertile uplands. The rich bottoms sometimes overflow, but this is being overcome, year by year, by intelligent systems of drainage. The surface is very slightly broken, the few elevations seldom rising more than fifty feet above the common level.

The soil is a clay loam and is extremely productive. It sets naturally in blue grass, and withstands long periods of drought exceedingly well, owing perhaps to clay sub-soil which underlies this region. The soil will withstand a succession of crops, but of course is better if given a rotation, and responds quickly to a year or so in grass or clover.

Corn is the principal crop grown, but wheat, oats and other cereals do well. This county is naturally a grass-growing region. Blue grass makes its appearance everywhere, and timothy is very profitably grown . for seed, pasture and hay. It naturally follows that stock raising has always been profitable and that dairying is a coming industry.

There is perhaps not another county in the state with fewer acres of waste land. Knox is the banner county in the number and value of mules shipped, and in her shipments of cattle and hogs she ranks among the first in the state. Edina, the county seat, has been known for years among horse buyers in the east as one of the best markets for that kind of stock in the west. In agricultural products Knox county was awarded the first prize at The Show You Congress at Moberly, Missouri, in 1910.

CHAPTER XVII LEWIS COUNTY By Arthur and E. C. Hilbert, Canton THE FIRST SETTLERS

Lewis county, organized January 2, 1833, was named in honor of Capt. Meriwether Lewis, a native of Virginia, at one time private sec- retary to President Jefferson. In 1803, he and Capt. William Clark made the famous Lewis and Clark expedition. In 1807, he was appointed governor of Louisiana Territory, with headquarters at St. Louis.

Lewis county is on the west bank of the Mississippi river, and in the second tier of counties from the Iowa line. It is bounded on the north by Clark county, on the west by Knox county, on the south by Marion and Shelby counties and on the east by the Mississippi river, which is the dividing line between the state of Missouri and the state of Illinois.

Some time soon after the war of 1812, a Frenchman named LeSeur, came up the river from St. Louis, and built a cabin on the Mississippi, at or near the present site of La Grange; he remained for some years engaged in trading with the Indians.

In the spring of 1819, John Bozarth came from Grayson county, Kentucky, and opened a small farm in the Mississippi bottom, a short distance below the present site of La Grange; he settled on the southeast quarter of section 11, township 60, range 6. He was accompanied by his son-in-law, John Finley, and his son, Squire Bozarth, and was the first white settler of the county. He built a house, which consisted of a log cabin, and that year planted twenty acres of corn; the following fall he returned to Kentucky, and in the latter part of November brought his family ; he was accompanied by another son-in-law, Jacob Weaver, and his slaves, eighteen people in all, all of whom came to make their permanent home. They crossed the Mississippi river above Alton, Illi- nois, landing in St. Charles county on the 19th day of November. From there the journey was made by land on the Missouri side.

The following account given in 1874 by Reason Bozarth, a son of John Bozarth, will be of interest: "When we came to this county, in the fall of 1819, it was then a part of Marion. We put up a log cabin which had no chimneys; it had a hearth in the middle of the room and it required an open roof for the escape of the smoke; when our day's work was done we laid down to sleep around the family hearthstone : eighteen of us occupying the only room of which the house consisted; our food was principally boiled corn and honey, the latter which we procured from bee trees, which we made a business of hunting: our bread was made from meal which we obtained by pounding corn in a mortar and our clothes were made from buckskin, which we tanned ourselves; our nearest neighbors were twenty miles away; we had chills but nobody died until a doctor came to the county."

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The part of Lewis county in which Bozarth settled was a point where the bottoms push back the bluffs for about a mile, forming a horseshoe, this land is still in cultivation and is one of the most fertile farms in the county. He entered this land at Bowling Green, Pike county, April 20, 1819. His son-in-law, Jacob Weaver, settled near the river, but the overflow soon drove him out; he afterwards located in Clark county, Missouri. His other son-in-law, John Finley, located near his father-in- law.

Following the settlement of the Bozarth family, the next settlers in the county were John Taylor, Llewellyn Bourne, Robert M. Easton, Isaac Norris, Edward White and Robert Jones; all of them settled in what is now known as Union township. William Pritchard settled on or just below the present site of Canton. They all entered land about the same time, in the year 1819.

In the year 1822, John Mckinney built a grist and saw mill on the Wyaconda river, a short distance above where it empties into the Mis- sissippi river, the first mill built in Lewis county. The town of Wya- conda in Lewis county was laid out about the same time; it gave promise of being a thriving town but it never fulfilled its promise and in a short time became obsolete. The mill was washed away in a short time and was never rebuilt. In the year 1832 the town of La Grange, a short distance below where the mill stood, was established, now one of the principal towns of the county.

Settlements were made slowly for the next few years. A few persons came in 1824 and 1825, among whom were Churchill Blakey, Lockwood Chaflin and Elijah Rice, who located on or near the present site of Canton.

In the year 1829 there was considerable immigration and the popula- tion increased rapidly, most of the settlers coming from Kentucky; among the number were: John G. Nunn, John Wash and his son, John Wash, Jr., and Thomas Creasey and others. At this time there was the Bozarths, Chauncey Durkee, Gerry McDaniel, Thomas Threlkeld, James Thomas and James S. Marlowe, most of whom located in what is now Union township. About the same time there located at not far from the present site of Canton, Capt. William Pritchard, Robert Sinclair, Elliot Sinclair, Robert M. Easton, Gregory Hawkins and a number of others. Emigrants pushed farther westward into the interior of the county. The first settlers found the bottom lands unhealthy, soon abandoned them and moved into the interior of the county and on high ground.

The following includes the names of a number of those who settled in Lewis county during and prior to the year 1830, many of whom have descendants now living in the county :

Jos. Loudemilk, April 16, 1829. Chas. O. McRoberts, October 6, 1830.

Thomas LaFon, August, 1830. John McAllister, November 20, 1830.

John Norris, November 19, 1830. Chauncey Durkee, July 23, 1829. Edward White, June 30, 1829. John Bozarth, Sr., April 20, 1819. Abner Bozarth, March 8, 1828. John S. Marlowe, February 26, 1829. Eli Merrill, June 25, 1825. Lucien Durkee, November 29, 1830. Joseph B. Buckley, December 3, 1830. John G. Nunn, January 4, 1830.

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John Thompson, August 6, 1825. John Wash, Jr., January 4, 1830. Steward Matthews, June 24, 1830. John Taylor, April 20, 1819. Wm. Bourne, November 29, 1825. Dabney Bowles, November 29, 1825. Llewellyn Brown, June 2, 1819. Jeremiah Taylor, October 12, 1825. Saml. K. Taylor, December 20, 1830. Gabriel Long, August 11, 1828. Jacob Jones, October 3, 1829. Saml. King, November 23, 1830. George Vaughn, July 21, 1830. H. H. Brown, October 5, 1830. Edmond Weber, October 5, 1830. William Ewing, December 22, 1829.

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A History of Northeast Missouri, Volume I, Part 50

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