A History of Northeast Missouri, Volume I, Part 54

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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There are two Old School Presbyterian churches in the county. One is at Troy, which was organized in 1831, and it is one of the few churches which has perpetuated its original organization to the present day. It has about one hundred members. The other is located at Auburn.

There are four Catholic churches in the county. That at Millwood was organized in 1840, when the first church was built; the second house was built in 1851 and destroyed by a storm in 1876. It was rebuilt in 1877. It has a large and wealthy congregation. The congregation at Troy was organized in 1875 and numbers about fifty families. It has a $14,000 church and rectory. The congregation at Bals was organized in 1867. It now sustains a parochial school. The church at Mashek has a congregation of about forty families.

There are two German Methodist churches in the county-one at Truxton, organized about 1850, and one near Schroeder's Mill.

There are three German Evangelical churches-in Troy, near Win- field and at Moscow Mills.

Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian church, located at Okete, was organized about the year 1840, and enjoys the distinction of being the earliest church of that denomination in Missouri. A church of the same denomination was organized in Elsberry in 1912, and a house of worship built.

There are Cumberland Presbyterian churches at Whiteside, Elsberry, Olney and Silex.

RAILROAD HISTORY

There are three railroads in Lincoln county, one in the eastern, one in the central and one in the southern part of the county. The St. Louis, Keokuk & Northwestern, which is a part of the Burlington system, was completed through the county in 1879, and is one of the best lines in Missouri. The St. Louis & Hannibal Railroad was com- pleted through the central portion of the county in May, 1882. The line first mentioned was built without any aid from the county. The latter road, however, has cost a vast sum and the county has not yet paid all of the debt incurred. The third road was built in 1904, by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company, from Old Monroe

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to Mexico, Missouri, and forms a short line between St. Louis and Kansas City. This line of road has been used jointly by the Burlington and Chicago & Alton for passenger service between Missouri's largest cities. It is expected that the Burlington will ultimately complete this line from Mexico to Kansas City.

The history of the creation of the original debt of $300,000 in aid of the St. Louis & Hannibal Railroad is fresh in the minds of the people. It is sufficient to say that it was created in 1870, and that in- terest was paid on it up to and including 1876; then the county court refused further payment of interest on the ground of the invalid nature of the debt. Litigation ensued which ended in judgments by the United States supreme court against the county. Finally, in 1883, by a vote of the people the county court was authorized to compromise the debt and issue six per cent bonds in lieu of the old ones. This required the issue of $372,000 in new bonds. Five years later $325,000 of that debt was refunded at five per cent, and on January 3, 1899, $100,000 of the five per cent bonds were refunded at four per cent. At the present time the debt amounts to $30,000 and the interest to $1,200 a year. The debt will be fully paid on or before February 1, 1914.

These railroads give the citizens of the county ample shipping facili- ties to the markets of both St. Louis and Chicago, while the passenger and mail service on the roads are excellent. In addition to these ad- vantages, the southern border of the county is only about seven miles from the Wabash Railroad and some portions not so distant.

TOWNS

Troy, the county seat of Lincoln county, is the largest town in the county. It has a population of 1,120. It is on the St. Louis & Han- nibal Railroad, sixty-eight miles from Hannibal and sixty miles from St. Louis. It is a shipping point for a large area. It has six churches, a flouring mill, a good graded school and a high school.

Troy was surveyed and laid out September 16, 1819, almost two years before Missouri was admitted to the Union. The owners of the land were Joseph and Lee F. T. Cottle and Zadock Woods. The town as originally platted contained two hundred building lots. The first house built within the limits of the town was a log structure erected by Joseph Cottle. Zadock Woods' house, built not long afterward, was the first tavern or hotel in the county. For protection against the fre- quent depredations of the Indians of that early day, a stout blockade was built which enclosed the houses of both Mr. Woods and Mr. Cottle, as well as the public spring, which had to be relied upon for water in case of attacks from the Indians. '

The second town in point of population is Elsberry, which has 1,018 people. It is on the St. Louis, Keokuk & Northwestern Railway. It was laid out in 1879 on lands belonging to Robert T. Elsberry.

Silex, with a population of 276; Foley, with 227; Hawk Point, with 299; Old Monroe, 251; Winfield, 422, and Whiteside, 129, are other towns in the county.

The population of the entire county in 1910 was 17,033. In 1900 it was 18,352 and in 1890, 18,346.

POLITICAL

Lincoln county is Democratic in politics by a majority of between eight hundred and a thousand. For president in 1908, the vote was: Bryan, Democratic, 2,555; Taft, Republican, 1,620.

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The county officers at the present time are all Democrats, except the superintendent of schools, which office is non-political. The officers are: Benjamin W. Wheeler, presiding judge of the county court; Frank L. Dawson, judge of the county court from the first district; Fillmore Story, judge of the county court from the second district; James W. Powell, probate judge; Abe Stephens, circuit clerk; J. Forrest Johnston, county clerk; Charles H. Thompson, recorder; Stuart L. Penn, prose- cuting attorney ; Richard T. Bennett, sheriff; William E. Swan, collector; Lee H. Fisher, assessor; Clarence B. Tucker, treasurer; Edward A. Hicks, coroner; Robert S. Martin, public administrator; Andy J. Brown, surveyor; Miss Zula Thurman, superintendent of public schools.

The representative in the state legislature is Wiley Huston, of Troy, a Democrat. The county is a part of the eleventh state senatorial dis- trict, which is represented by Robert D. Rodgers, of Mexico, a Democrat. Champ Clark is the representative in congress of the congressional dis- trict of which the county is a part-the Ninth district.

CHAPTER XIX LINN COUNTY . By Arthur L. Pratt, Linneus A SEPARATE BODY POLITIC

The territory now comprised within the limits of Linn county was originally a part of the county of St. Charles and was next embraced within the limits of Howard county, which latter county was organized by an act of the territorial legislature, approved January 23, 1816. It so remained until the 16th day of November, 1820, when the county of Chariton was organized by act of the state legislature. There was a provision in the act organizing Chariton county that "All that section of the country north of the county of Chariton to the northern boundary of the state which lies between the range lines dividing ranges 13 and 14 and the range line dividing ranges 21 and 22 be and the same is hereby annexed to the county of Chariton for all civil, military and judicial purposes."

By act of the legislature approved January 6, 1837, Linn county was formed as a separate county having the following boundaries: "Be- ginning at the southeast corner of township 57, range 18, thence west with said township line to the range line dividing ranges 21 and 22, thence north with said range line to the township line dividing townships 60 and 61, thence east with said township line to the range line dividing ranges 17 and 18, thence south with said range line to the place of be- ginning."

By an act of the general assembly approved January 14, 1837, the county line dividing the counties of Linn and Livingston was so changed as to continue up Grand river from where the range line dividing ranges 21 and 22 crosses said river to the section line dividing range 22 into equal parts, thence north with said sectional line to the township line dividing townships 59 and 60. The intention seems to have been to add the east half of range 22 to Linn county. That there was error is manifest. Just when the error was discovered can only be surmised. At any rate the Revised Statutes of 1879 fixed the boundaries of Linn county as follows: Beginning at the southeast corner of township 57, range 18 west; thence west to the southwest corner of section 34, town- ship 57, range 22 west; thence north with the subdivisional line to the northwest corner of section 3 of township 60, range 22 west; thence east with the township line between township 60 and 61 to the northeast cor- ner of township 60, range 18 west; thence south with the range line between ranges 17 and 18 to the place of beginning.

EARLY COURTS

The organic act provided that the courts of the county should be held at the home of Silas Fore until the county court should decide

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upon a temporary seat of justice for the county. William Bowyer, James Howell and Robert Warren were appointed justices of the county court by the governor, and the first term of the county court was held by Judges Bowyer and Howell at the house of Silas A. Fore on the first Monday in February, 1837. The court appointed James A. Clark, after- wards judge of the circuit court of this circuit, clerk pro tem for the term. The court divided the county into three municipal townships. All that part of the county lying west of Locust creek was named Parson Creek township; that part lying between Locust creek and the main branch of Yellow creek was named Locust Creek township, and the remainder was named Yellow Creek township. An election for justices of the peace was ordered to be held in the several townships, on the 8th day of April, 1837.

The voting precinct for Parson Creek township was established at the house of Irvin Ogan, Esq., that for Locust Creek township at Barbee's store and that for Yellow Creek township at the house of Sampson Wyatt, Esq. The court adjourned to meet at the home of E. T. Denni- son, Esq., but at the next term changed to Barbee's store.

At the election held in pursuance of the above mentioned order, Thomas Russell and David Mullins were elected justices of the peace for Locust Creek township, Irvin Ogan for Parson Creek and Mordecai Lane for Yellow Creek township.

James Howell was chosen as president of the county court, John J. Flood was the first assessor and his pay for making the first assessment of the county was $28.75. John W. Minnis was the first sheriff. The total amount of revenue collected by him the first year was $148.99, which amount fully met the county expenditures.

Thomas Barbee was the first treasurer of the county.

The first circuit court was held at the house of Thomas Barbee on the 11th day of December, 1837. Thomas Reynolds was then judge. The following persons were summoned and served as grand jurors: Augustus W. Flournoy, foreman, John M. Ogan, W. Tyre, Kinith Bagwell, Jere- miah Hooker, Samuel S. Masses, Alexander Ogan, Bowling R. Ashbrook, K. Ashbrook, William Cornett, Abraham Venable, George Taylor, Isaac Taylor, John Beckett, John Cherry, Uriah Head, Rennison J. Tisdale, Littrel B. Cornett, and William P. Southerland. They were in session but one day and no indictments were returned.

There was but one suit brought at that term of court which was an action for trespass on the case for slanderous words spoken, brought by Thomas Stanley against Thomas Botts for having said that he, Stanley, burned the house of Joshua Botts. The cause was tried at the August term, 1838, before Judge Reynolds and a jury of the following named persons : John Ogan, James C. Slack, Johnson McCouen, R. J. Tisdale, Preston O'Neal, James M. Warren, Jeremiah Phillips, Jefferson Han- cock, William Smith, William Clarkson, Wharton R. Barton and John Neal. There was a plea of not guilty and a plea of the truth of the words in justification. The verdict was in favor of the plaintiff and judgment was rendered against the defendant in the sum of $600. Jo Davis was the attorney for plaintiff and James A. Clark for the de- fendant. The pleadings were drawn under the common law system and are regarded as a curiosity in the way of verbose literature.

PIONEER SETTLERS ·

For many years after the admission of Missouri as a state, the terri- tory now embraced in Linn county was given up to the hunter and trapper. Parties of Indians from the Iowa tribes vied with the hunters

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from the river counties. Game was plentiful, the streams abounded in fish and honey was found in abundance. The timbered regions along the three principal streams, Locust creek, Parson creek and Yellow creek, were full of game and the hunters from the river counties es- teemed this a hunter's paradise, and this region soon came to be known, especially to the people of Howard and Chariton counties, as the "Lo- cust Creek Country." Among the Howard county hunters who visited the "Locust Creek Country" were James Pendleton and Joseph Newton. They came in the fall of 1831, and erected their log cabin, filing on section 14 in township 58 of range 21. Having established their claim they returned to Howard county for their families and returned the fol- lowing spring. They were the first white settlers in Linn county.

The family of William Bowyer was the next to come from Howard county. He and his brother Jesse were among the Howard county hunters who had visited the "Locust Creek Country" and liked it so well that they decided to make it their home. That was in January, 1832, five years before the county was organized. The Bowyers made their first camp on section 2, about one and one-half miles west of Lin- neus. In 1832 Silas and Peter Fore came to section 29 in township 59 of range 20 and located. Others who settled in the county before its

AT A MISSOURI FARM HOME

organization were James A. Clark, Col. A. W. Flournoy, Capt. Jere- miah Phillips, E. T. Dennison, Robert Warren, James Howell, John J. Flood, Irvin Ogan, Thomas Botts, Willis Parks, Meredith Brown, Mor- decai Lane, Sampson Wyatt, Wharton R. Barton, John Kemper, Thomas Barbee, John Minnis, Thomas Russell, Col. John Holland and David Mullins. The early settlers were in the main Kentuckians with a few from Virginia and Tennessee. E. T. Dennison was a "Yankee" from Vermont. Nearly all were Democrats. David Mullins is said to have had the distinction at one time of being the only Whig in the county.

FIRST RESIDENT OF LINNEUS

Col. John Holland, familiarly called "Jack" Holland, was Lin- neus' first settler. He came from Virginia in the spring of 1834 and located his claim on the section where Linneus now stands and con- structed a two-room edifice. In this pioneer edifice, court was after- wards held, a school was taught and the business of the county was transacted. The cabin stood near the center of the public square. Dinah was the name of a negro slave who came from Virginia with Colonel Holland to cook for the pioneers who built the cabin and cleared the timber about it. Colonel Holland also brought with him from Virginia thirty head of sheep and these were the special charge of the black

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woman. Every day Dinah led her flock into the woods to let them browse and graze. She was the shepherdess of the flock and it was her duty to shoo away the savage wolves which were then numerous. At night Dinah penned the sheep in one room of Colonel Holland's cabin, barred the doors and left a large dog, the match of any wolf that might appear, guard on the outside. Colonel Holland returned to Virginia for his family and supplies and Dinah and the big dog were left alone. Occa- sionally William and Jesse Bowyer would pass the cabin and stop to see that all was well with Dinah and her charges. Aside from these visits the black woman had no one to speak with but her four-footed friends. At last, after many months of waiting, the rumbling of wagons and the lowing of cattle heralded the approach of Colonel Holland, bringing with him his family and slaves and other belongings, and Dinah solemnly declared that that day was the happiest of her life.

THE FIRST HORSE MILL

The first mechanical enterprise in Linn county was a horse mill put up by William and Jesse Bowyer, on the east side of Locust creek. That mill did most of the work that had been going to Keytesville. It was erected three years before the organization of the county and was oper- ated successfully for many years thereafter. Soon after the county was organized Botts' mill was constructed and began grinding on Parson creek in township 59, range 22, and Maddox and Rooker erected a mill on Yellow creek in township 58, range 18. In 1840, Seth Botts and William Bowyer constructed a water mill on Locust creek three and one- half miles from Linneus. This mill was not quite completed when Mr. Bowyer sold his interest to Thomas Botts, a brother of Seth, and the Botts brothers completed the mill and operated it for many years. There was not much money passed in those days as the miller was usually paid a certain per centum of the grain for his labor. The miller generally obtained his cash by feeding the grain to hogs and selling the hogs to the buyers.

THE FIRST COURT HOUSE

Early in 1841, the affairs of the county had reached that point where it was deemed necessary to have a court house in which to transact the business of the county. Theretofore the various officers kept the books and records of the county at their respective homes and a person hav- ing business to transact with the county officers would frequently have to go to the field or forest and locate the officer and have him return to the house to look up the records needed.

Accordingly at the February, 1841, term of the county court an order was made for the erection of the first court house. These are the specifications :

"The house to be built on the southeast corner of Lot 3, Block 19, of hewed logs, 36 feet long and 20 feet wide (the house to be 20 feet wide, not the logs, of course) from out to out; the wall to be fifteen feet high from the bottom of the sill to the top of the plate, with a wall partition to be carried up from the bottom to the top of the plate so as to make the front room twenty-three feet long in the clear; the logs all to be of sound oak; the sills to be of white oak or burr oak; the sleep- ers to be of good white oak or burr oak of sufficient strength, two feet from center to center; the joice to be of good sound oak three feet by ten inches, put in two feet from center to center, to extend through the walls; * * . The house to be covered with good oak shingles; . the end of the house is to front the public square, with one door in the

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center of the end of the house; one fifteen-light window on each side of said door, eight by ten inches; one door in the center of the partition wall; one door and one window in the end of the back room so as to leave room in the center for a chimney; the window to be twelve-light of eight by ten inch glass, the doors and windows to be finished in plain batten order, with good black-walnut plank; the whole build- ing to be chinked with stone suitably tamped; the lower floor to be laid down roughly, with square joints; the upper floor rough-tongued and squared, the plank to be of good sound oak timber well dressed, with an opening left in the southwest corner for a staircase; the whole to be done in a workmanlike manner on or before the first day of August, 1841."

The building of the temporary court house was let to David Jenkins and Goolsby Quinn, $400 having been appropriated for that purpose February 5, 1841, and was superintended on the part of the county by William Hines. It was not completed within the time specified. In November Mr. Hines was ordered to have a brick chimney erected in the building, to contain two four-foot fireplaces below and two two-foot fireplaces in the upper story. The building finally cost when completed $516.50 and long stood in Linneus and is well remembered by the old settlers.

As heretofore mentioned, court was held at the house of Silas Fore, E. T. Dennison, Barbee's store or at Colonel Holland's. Judge James A. Clark held his first court at Holland's. The court was held in one room of the cabin which was warmed by a fireplace with a smoky chimney. The judge and the attorneys shed tears copiously. The trouble with the chimney was that the back wall was bad, full of gaps and cracks. In the midst of the session this wall fell out. Thereupon the court ad- journed and as the judge left the court room the sheriff came to him and advised him that a fight was in progress near by and asked for instructions. "Oh! never mind," said the judge, "let the boys enjoy themselves."

THE SECOND COURT HOUSE

After 1846 dawned, the growth of Linn county and its official busi- ness demanded a more adequate court house. The pressure on the county court became so strong that on March 4, Thomas Barbee was ap- pointed to prepare and submit to the court a plan for the building of a court house in Linneus, fixing the dimensions, naming the materials and estimating the cost of such a structure. On July 1, following, an ap- propriation of $4,000 was made for the new building. William San- ders, Hiram E. Hurlbut and Daniel Grace were appointed to superintend the construction. After the August election a new county court took charge and Messrs. Grace and Hurlbut were relieved from acting as commissioners. Later Mr. Sanders reported plans and specifications for a new court house and the same were approved and placed on file. James L Nelson, who had built the court house in Gallatin in Daviess county, was the contractor for the Linn county court house On Octo- ber 16, 1848, Augustus W. Flournoy, who had succeeded Mr. Sanders as superintendent of construction of the new building, reported to the court that the new court house had been completed according to contract and recommended that the same be received. The court accepted the report and paid the balance due to contractor Nelson. The total cost of the building, including some slight alterations made in the contract, was $3,894.85, which was less than the contract price.

TWO RAILROAD DIVISIONS

Linn county is notable in that it has within its confines two railroad divisions, Brookfield, on the Chicago, Burlington and Quiney railroad,

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and Marceline, on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad. Brook- field was laid out by Josiah Hunt, land commissioner of Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad company, July 20, 1859. Filed and recorded July 23, 1859. It is half way between Hannibal and St. Joseph and has long been the metropolis of Linn county. Situated in the midst of a beautiful and fertile agricultural region and having within its con- fines hundreds of railway employes, the commercial progress of Brook- field is assured. The last census showed a population of nearly six thousand. In the way of public and private utilities it has an electric light plant, a gas plant, waterworks and sewerage. The commercial club was organized in 1905 and one of its initial endeavors was to secure the location of the Brown Shoe Factory. A bonus of $70,000 was raised in four days and the factory secured.

Marceline was laid out by the Santa Fe Town & Land Company and the plat was filed for record on January 19, 1888. In 1890 it had a population of 1,977, in 1900 a population of 2,638, and in 1910 a popula- tion of 4,000. The town was named in honor of the wife of one of the directors of the railroad whose Christian name was Marcelina. In addi- tion to its location in an excellent agricultural region and being a rail- road division with its hundreds of railway employees, large coal fields have been developed in close proximity to the city affording employment for 300 men. The city has a waterworks system, an electric light plant and last year the work of paving the streets was begun. Claud C. Dail, who still resides in Marceline and who is a son of ex-sheriff R. J. Dail, has the honor of being the first child born in Marceline, the date of his birth being March 6, 1888.

OTHER TOWNS

Browning, located partly in Linn and partly in Sullivan county, was laid out by Wm. R. Robinson and wife, Jno. C. Stone and wife, Benj. F. Stone and wife, Francis E. Stone and wife, Benj. Mairs, Thomas H. Arnold and wife, and John Arnold and wife in 1872. The plat was filed and recorded November 20, 1872. The town draws patronage from a wide scope of country, has three banks and has always been re- garded as a "good trading point." The population is 700.

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A History of Northeast Missouri, Volume I, Part 54

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