USA > Missouri > Encyclopedia of the history of Missouri, a compendium of history and biography for ready reference, Vol. I > Part 50
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BIRD'S POINT-BISHOP ROBERTSON HALL.
ruary 27, 1826. She was a daughter of Enoch and Pamelia (Allis) Lane, and was born June 12, 1805. Iler grandfather, Dr. Samuel Lane, was descended from English ancestry. The family of Gould P. and Mary A. (Lane) Birdseye consisted of the following children : David Nelson, Ezekiel, Frederick Gould, John Tifft, Mary Eliza, Enoch Lane, Theo- dore and Theodora (twins). The father and mother removed to Huron County, Ohio, about 1832, where the former bought the farm on which he resided until his death, in 1881. The education of John T. Birdseye was such as the public schools of his native town afforded. After leaving school he read law with Judge C. B. Stickney, of Norwalk, was admitted to the bar in 1859, and at onee opened an office there for practice, which he continued about a year. Soon after the out- break of the Civil War he enlisted as a pri- vate, for three months, in the Eighty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. At the end of his term of service he enlisted with the One Hundred and Eleventh Ohio Volunteer In- fantry, serving to July 4. 1865, when he was mustered out, as first lieutenant, at Cleve- land, Ohio. During his service in the One Hundred and Eleventh Ohio his command was a part of the army corps of General George H. Thomas, in General Sherman's army. Though he participated in many im- portant engagements, he was never seriously wounded. At the close of the war Mr. Birds- eye left his home with the intention of locat- ing in Iowa, but altered his determination and settled in Harrisonville, Missouri, in- stead. From August, 1865, to October following he remained in that place; but learning that Vernon County was to be re- organized, he came to Nevada and assisted in the movement to that end, which was aecom- plished November 1, 1865. At that time the population of the county numbered but 500, and not a person lived on the Nevada town plat. In 1866 he erected a frame residence, and two years later built a law office where his present briek office stands. Soon after the organization of the county the county court appointed him to the office of county attorney, but two years later he was displaced to make room for a Democrat. He was bred a Democrat, but since the close of the war has affiliated with the Republican party. The only other political office he has ever con- sented to fill is that of mayor of Nevada,
which he occupied during the early days of the town. He was also a member of the first Board of Education of Nevada. Since his lo- cation in Nevada he has continuously con- ducted a law and real estate business. Until December, 1885, he practiced alone. Since that date he has been in partnership with John B. Harris, the style of the firm being Birdseye & Harris. He is prominently connected with the Grand Army of the Re- publie, having served several years as com- mander of General Joe Bailey Post, No. 26. He has for several years been a director in the Thornton Bank. He has been identified with the Episcopal Church in Nevada since its organization, and is a liberal contributor to its support. January 4, 1866, he married Mary U. Manahan, of Norwalk, Ohio. They have been the parents of six children, of whom four survive, namely: Mary Platt, Henry Frederick, Emma Theodora and Na- tilie Lane. A pioneer of Nevada, Mr. Birds- eye has always been closely identified with all movements for the promotion of the welfare of the city.
Bird's Point .- A village on the Missis- sippi River, in Ohio Township, Mississippi County, twelve miles northeast of Charles- ton, and two miles from Cairo, Illinois, on the opposite side of the river. It is one of the oldest settlements in the county. It has a stave factory, two hotels and five general stores. The town was formerly known as Greenfield and Birdville. Population, 1899 (estimated). 400.
Birmingham .- A city of the fourth class, in Clay County, six miles south of Lib- erty, the county seat. Its railroads are the Hannibal & St. Joseph, the Chicago, Mil- waukee & St. Paul, and the Wabash. It was founded in 1887. by Coburn & Ewing, who procured the establishment there of the Mis- sonri Foundry Company, afterward the Kan- sas City Car and Wheel Company. In 1895 the plant was removed to Armourdale, Kan- sas, and the population of 1,200, based upon 400 workmen in the shops, practically disap- peared. In 1900 the population was esti- mated at 200.
Bishop Robertson Hall .- A board- ing and day school for young ladies, estab- lished under the auspices of the Protestant
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Episcopal Church, by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, in 1874, at St. Louis, as the School of the Good Shepherd and was con- ducted at 1532 Washington Avenue. In 1877 the school was removed to Park Ave- nie, opposite Lafayette Park, and ten years later to its present location at 1607 to 1617 South Compton Avenue. It occupies the for- mer residence of Captain James B. Eads, which is surrounded by four acres of ground, covered with handsome forest trees. The original name of the institution was dropped some years since and the name "Bishop Robertson Hall" was given to it, in lionor of Bishop Charles F. Robertson, who was one of its founders.
Bismarck .- A town in Iron Township, St. Francois County, at the junction of the Iron Mountain main line and Belmont branch, twelve miles west of Farmington and seventy-five miles from St. Louis. The town was laid out in 1868 by C. T. Manter, P. R. Van Frank, J. H. Morley and E. H. Cordell. It contains a Hlouring mill, two hotels, several stores, etc. There are three churches-Lu- theran, Catholic and Baptist. Population, 900.
Bissell's Point .- So called from the fact that it was for many years the property of Captain Lewis Bissell, who resided there on a farm. It is now the site of the city waterworks, begun in 1867 and completed in 1870.
Bittinger, John L., United States con- stil general at Montreal, Canada, was born November 28, 1833. near Chambersburg. Pennsylvania. His parents were John and Susan (Ritter) Bittinger. He was educated in the common schools of Ashland County, Ohio, but on account of the fact that he was obliged at an early age to earn his own way in the world his training was necessarily lim- ited, and the knowledge which has assisted him in the steady rise to a position of honor and prominence has been acquired largely through his own determined effort, and with- out the assistance of tutor or learned profes- sor. His father died when the subject of this sketch was twelve years of age, and the boy went to live with a farmer in Ashland County, Ohio. Three years later he emi- grated with the farmer to Green County,
Wisconsin, and remained there from 1849 to 1852. In the latter year he entered the office of the "Journal," at Freeport, Illinois, and there learned the rudiments of the printing business. He finished his apprenticeship in three years, and at the end of that time re- moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he be- came assistant foreman of the"Intelligencer." A year later he became foreman of the "Dem- ocrat," in the same city. In 1858 Mr. Bit- tinger assumed the position of publisher of the St. Louis "Evening Bulletin." He dis- posed of his interest in that paper in the fall of 1859, and in the spring of 1860 removed to St. Joseph, Missouri, where he has since re- sided. He took an active part in the political campaign of 1860, and the following year was appointed postmaster of St. Joseph by Presi- dent Lincoln, upon the recommendation of General Francis P. Blair. Soon after this appointment he was sent to Washington by General Blair with a message to the Presi- dent of the United States, and returned with the authority. addressed to Generals Blair and Lyon, to take Camp Jackson. The sub- ject of these lines was a volunteer aid to Gen- eral Blair at the time the camp was captured. Returning to St. Joseph on the following day, he enlisted as a private soldier in the enrolled Missouri militia, and subsequently was made aid-de-camp, with the rank of major, on the staff of General Willard P. Hall, who was then commanding the district of north Mis- souri. In June, 1862, Major Bittinger was a delegate to, and secretary of, the first Repub- lican State convention ever held in Missouri, and was made a member of the first Republi- can State committee. At the election of 1862 he was elected a member of the Missouri Legislature, served as speaker pro tem. of that body, and established a record for fear- less and upright aggressiveness, being an im- portant factor in the movement that resulted in the election of John B. Henderson and B. Gratz Brown as United States Senators. Major Bittinger declined a renomination to the lower House of the Legislature in 1864. He was nominated for the State Senate, but declined the honor offered by his party, for the reason that his newspaper, the St. Joseph "Herald." in which he had purchased a half interest, together with his duties as postmas- ter of St. Joseph, required all of his time and attention. The "Herald," under his direction as managing editor, became the most power-
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ful Republican journal in the State. In 1870 Major Bittinger was again induced to accept a nomination for the Legislature, and was elected. During this term he secured the passage of the bill to establish Insane Asylum No. 2 at St. Joseph. He was re-elected to the Legislature in 1872 and 1874. He was a dele- gate to the Republican National Convention of 1872, held in Philadelphia, which nominated General Grant for a second term as Presi- dent. Ile was also a delegate to the National Republican Convention of 1896, held in St. Louis, which nominated Mckinley for Presi- dent. Major Bittinger disposed of his inter- est in the St. Joseph "Herald" in 1878, and in 188I became managing editor of the Kansas City "Journal." In 1886 he resigned this po- sition and made a tour through the various countries of Europe, during which time he wrote a series of interesting letters, which were so highly valued by those who read them that he has often been urged to publish the series in book form. In 1858 he was a delegate from St. Louis to the National Typographical Union, held in Chicago. The following year he was a delegate to a similar gathering held in Boston. In addition to the honors already enumerated, which have been showered upon this worthy man from the time he first came into public notice, he has served as auditor of the St. Joseph Bridge Company, member of the St. Joseph Board of the Free Public Library, and member of the St. Joseph Board of Park Commission- ers. As the occupant of one of the most dig- nified positions in the consular service of the United States, he is rounding out a career of remarkable brilliancy and usefulness. In 1880, after returning from his extended trip to foreign countries, Major Bittinger again became associated with the St. Joseph "Her- ald," and became the editor of that news- paper. In 1894 he was elected to the Legis- lature, and was re-elected in 1896. During his long term of service in that body he was the author of many bills which secured great benefits to the people of St. Joseph, the sec- tion of the Commonwealth in which his county is located, and, in fact, the entire State, among which may be mentioned the asyhim bill, heretofore spoken of, the char- tering of St. Joseph's street railway system, the bill providing for a complete sewerage system for that city and the construction of the bridge across the Missouri River at St.
Joseph. But the act in which he takes the greatest pride, during all his legislative ca- reer, was that providing for statues in honor of Thomas H. Benton and Francis P. Blair, Jr., whom he looked upon as the two most distinguished Missourians, to be placed in Memorial Hall of the capitol in Washington. In 1897 President Mckinley appointed Major Bittinger to the office of consul general of the United States at Montreal, Canada, one of the most important places in our foreign service. This position he is now filling, and his reports, made to the government from that country, have been widely and favorably commented upon by the press of the United States and Canada. As a factor in the affairs of the Republican party the major has been one of its most conspicuous members and most ardent workers. He has attended na- tional conventions and assisted in other ways to promote the interests of the party and further the principles advocated by it. The honors bestowed upon him have been well carried, and the duties resting upon such able shoulders have been faithfully discharged. He .is popular throughout the State, and his ability is recognized far be- yond the boundaries of Missouri. He has al- ways been a liberal contributor. to the chari- table and philanthropic institutions of the State, and generosity is one of his most pro- nounced characteristics. He is a member of the orders of Knights of Pythias, the Legion of Honor, the Elks and the Royal Court, and also holds honorary membership in the Mis- souri Editorial Association and other organi- zations having connection with the fraternity which he graced so long. Major Bittinger was married, June 10, 1862, to Annie M. Smith, of Freeport, Illinois.
Blackburn .- A village in Saline County, on the Chicago & Alton Railway, sixteen miles west of Marshall, the county seat. It has a public school, churches of the Baptist, Christian, Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal, Presbyterian and German Evangelical de- nominations : a Democratic newspaper, the "Record": a bank, and a steam flourmill. In 1899 the population was 400.
Black, Francis Marion, eminent as a jurist, who rendered conspicuous service on the bench of the Supreme Court of Missouri during a long and important period, was born
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July 24, 1836, in Champaign County, Ohio. His parents were Peter and Maria (Hilliard) Black, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter of Vermont. Their son, Fran- cis Marion, was reared upon the farm, and his rudimentary education was acquired in a country schoolhouse, terminating when he was eighteen years of age. During these years, and for some time afterward, much of the labor and management of the farm was, of necessity, imposed upon him. lle had im- bibed sufficiently of knowledge to awaken an ambition for further progress, and he bent every effort in this direction. After complet- ing a one-year course in a high school at Ur- bana, Ohio, he became a student at Farmers' College, College Hill, Ohio, from which he was graduated in his twenty-fourth year, hav- ing completed the English literary and scien- tific branches, and made some progress in Latin. During a portion of his scholarship he taught a class in philosophy, acquitting himself with such ability as to earn the warm commendation of the faculty. All the ex- penses of his education were met through his own labor upon ten acres of land which his father permitted him to cultivate during va- cations. On leaving college his father was desirous of establishing him upon a farm, and was sorely disappointed when his overtures were rejected, prophesying failure should the son persist in his determination to enter the profession of law. In no wise deterred, the young man entered the law office of General John H. Young, at Urbana, Ohio, and in 1864 was admitted to the bar upon examina- tion before the Supreme Court of Ohio. In the same year lie located in Kansas City, Mis- souri, and, practically without means and en- tirely a stranger, essayed the task of building up a practice. For some years his progress was slow, and was attended with discourage- ments and privations, but his ultimate success was abundant. Within ten years his legal ability had come to be so highly regarded by the best people, and their confidence in his in- tegrity and sagacity was so great, that he was elected a delegate to the Constitutional Con- vention of 1875. He proved himself one of the most able members of that important body, and his views upon various questions of great public importance, as expressed in his advocacy of certain salutary measures, brought him into larger and yet more favor- able notice, and led to his elevation to posi-
tions of greater usefulness and higher honor. He earnestly supported beneficial limitations upon legislative enactment, and favored those stringent restrictions upon the debt-creating powers of cities, towns and school districts which afforded effectual protection against lavish bond issues and consequent litigation and impairment of public credit, evils which had been self-imposed upon many municipali- ties for want of such protective legislation as he now advocated. He also argued master- fully for the extension of the constitutional clause defining the rights of eminent domain, and providing for the inalienability of private property without reasonable compensation, and the protection afforded by constitutional provision is in large measure due to his ef- fort. In 1880, while busied in a practice affording him ample employment, he was elected circuit judge of the Twenty-fourth Judicial Circuit, and during his term of four years performed a vast amount of labor. In this position he displayed qualities which commanded the highest admiration, and di- rectly led to his elevation to the most impor- tant official position in the commonwealth. In 1884. while yet serving as circuit judge, he was elected to the Supreme bench for a term of ten years. In 1893-4 he occupied the position of chief justice. During this long period of service questions of pre-eminent im- portance and difficulty came before the court for adjudication. Chief and most famous were those which had been pending for forty years, and three times passed upon by the Supreme Court, involving the legal title to large tracts of land valued at many millions of dollars, contained within the most desir- able residence districts in St. Louis, one class of contestants basing title upon Spanish and French concessions, and another class claim- ing under New Madrid earthquake certifi- cates. The highest authorities in the legal profession have recognized in him one of the greatest judges who ever occupied a seat upon the Supreme bench. Thoroughly judi- cial in his mental processes, with deep knowl- edge of law, he was too conscientious to repose trust in a great attribute or attain- ment, and only declared an opinion after the most deliberate and exhaustive investigation. In consequence, his decisions have been re- ferred to as sufficiently broad to establish principles for many years to come, being characterized by accurate statement of
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fact, and citation of law, sound and logical reasoning and unassailable conchi- sions. His personal practice at the bar has embraced the various fields of commercial, realty and corporation law, and the many in- tricate questions adjudicated by courts in equity, and in all he has been governed by the principle of viewing the application of law as a question of good morals, demanding his highest ability and most conscientious effort. Abhorring trickery, and with a con- tempt for that artfulness which wins applause for the moment, his conduct in trial of a case 'was dignified, his argument was as pertinent as were his decisions from the bench, and his unimpassioned oratory was earnest and graceful. The symmetry of his personal character has ever been such as to command confidence and respect, and further exalt him in the estimation of the people whom he has served so long and ably in both personal and official relations. Having at heart the best interests of the community, his conduct in local political affairs has been controlled by a spirit of lofty independence, in sincere desire to insure good government, and calling into requisition those most capable of service to that end. Regarding his own profession as of pre-eminent nobility, and of the highest usefulness in society, he afforded efficient aid in the establishment of the Kansas City Law School, served as its president, and delivered many lectures before its students, his services being entirely uncompensated. Judge Black was married, in 1867, to Miss Susan B. Gei- ger, a highly educated lady, daughter of Dr. A. Geiger, a leading physician and citizen of Dayton, Ohio. They have four living chil- dren and two children are dead. Those living are Helen M., Susie B. (both of whom were educated at Dr. Blewet's seminary, near St. Lonis), Francis M., Jr., and Arthur J. Black. The eldest son graduated at the Kansas City High School and was for a time a student at Cornell University. Arthur J. Black is at the present time (1900) a student at the State University of Missouri.
Black, James, lawyer, was born April 6. 1860, in Camden, Ray County, Missouri. Ilis father. James W. Black, came to Mis- souri in 1854 from Ohio, to which State he had removed from Pennsylvania. Ilis first home in Missouri was at Richmond, where he taught school in an early day. His career as
a teacher included other points in that por- tion of the State. As a citizen of influence and uprightness he held the confidence of the people in all that section of the State, and as a Democrat he stood high in the councils of his party, serving at one time as collector of internal revenue, with headquarters at St. Joseph. He was a member of the Missouri Legislature, and for many years a member of the School Board at Richmond. He was also a man of decided literary tastes and attain- ments, giving much of his time to the study of literature and scientific subjects. The mother of the subject of these lines, Jose- phine Nisbet, was born in Scotland, and came to this country with her mother when she was thirteen years of age. her father having died in Scotland. Mrs. Nisbet had become the wife of Alexander Oliphant, one of the most noted of all western Missouri pioneers. Ile was a man of superior intellectual attain- ments, was an engineer and surveyor of great ability, and was employed by the government to survey portions of the land now included within the limits of the States of Kansas and Nebraska. His name is linked with that of General A. W. Doniphan and other influen- tial men of the time, to whom the living gen- eration owes a debt of deepest gratitude. James Black's mother died when the son was but six months of age, and he was, therefore, reared in the home of his grandmother, Mrs. Oliphant. The lessons imparted in that home were of lasting benefit to the young man, who was obliged at an early age to test his own strength against the world, and to gain knowledge largely through self-reliance. Both of his parents were of Scotch descent, and there was in the young man's veins that blood which is typical of determination and perseverance. His grandfather Black was a Presbyterian preacher, a contemporary of the noted Dr. Witherspoon. His father, James Witherspoon Black, died in 1891. James Black attended the public schools of Ray County, Missouri, and had one term at the Kirksville State Normal School. He then spent four years in the Missouri State University at Columbia, graduating from that institution in 18SI with the degree of A. B .. Among his classmates were W. S. Cowherd. now a member of Congress, repre- senting the district of which Kansas City is a part ; H. H. Crittenden, son of ex-Governor Crittenden, of Missouri, one of the most
Very truly James Black
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prominent Democrats in the State, and other men who have reached positions of trust and dignity in the professional, political and com- mercial world. In fact, no more brilliant class ever left the university, with graduation hon- ors, than the one of which Mr. Black was a member. After receiving his diploma, Mr. Black went to Richmond, Missouri, and there taught in the high school for two years. At the end of that time he was elected assistant professor of modern languages in the State University, and filled that chair for four years. He had devoted a year to reading law before his removal to Kansas City in 1887. In that year he entered the office of W. S. Cowherd, and studied law one year in Kan- sas City. His financial means being limited, he felt obliged to renew his income, and, therefore, accepted a position in the Kansas City High School, serving as instructor in French and German during the scholastic year of 1888-9. At the end of that year he entered upon the practice, being associated with James W. Garner and E. K. Sumerwell, the latter now of New York, under the firm name of Garner. Sumerwell & Black. This association existed about two years. In 1891 Mr. Black became an assistant to City Coun- selor Frank F. Rozzelle, discharging the du- ties of that office about one year. W. S. Cowherd had been elected mayor of Kansas City, and when he assumed the duties of the office, in 1892, he requested Mr. Black to be- come his private secretary. The offer was accepted, and for the next year or more, until July, 1893, he acted in a position requiring rare tact and diplomacy. At the time last named he entered the office of Pratt, Ferry & Hagerman, one of the strongest legal firms in Kansas City. In 1896, when Mr. Ferry re- moved to Chicago and Mr. Hagerman retired from the firm to engage in practice alone, the existing firm of Pratt, Dana & Black was formed. Its members are Wallace Pratt, general counsel of the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Memphis Railroad Company; I. P. Dana, general attorney for the same road; and the subject of this sketch, whose rapid rise to a place of responsibility is hereinafter noted. In 1898, General Charles W. Blair, who had been the attorney for the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Memphis, in Kansas, for nearly thirty years, was obliged to retire from active service on account of failing health. Mr. Black was appointed his assistant, and,
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