Encyclopedia of the history of Missouri, a compendium of history and biography for ready reference, Vol. I, Part 81

Author: Conard, Howard Louis, ed. 1n
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: New York, Louisville [etc.] The Southern history company, Haldeman, Conard & co., proprietors
Number of Pages: 856

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pany, in which corporation he was at that time a stockholder, and of which he was also a director. After the sale of the Iron Mountain Road to the late Thomas Allen, he engaged for a time in the real estate busi- ness as a member of the firm of Barlow, Valle & Bush, and in 1869 organized the Isi- dor Bush Wine & Liquor Company, which engaged in the wholesale trade. He served at different times as a member of the City Council, and the Public School Board: was a member of the Masonic order; chairman of the Independent Order of B'nai B'rith, the largest Jewish benevolent fraternity in the world; and chairman also of the Wid- ows' and Orphans' Endowment Fund of that order, in which capacity he acted as custo- dian of thousands of dollars without bond. He was founder of the Jewish Orphan Asy- lum, at Cleveland, Ohio.

Bush, William Dennis, judge of the Probate Court of Saline County, was born in Clark County, Missouri, January 16. 1836. son of Caleb and Elizabeth (Lockwood) Bush. The elder Bush, who was a native of Virginia, died in 1897, in his ninety-fourth year. He was a Baptist minister, and came to Missouri in the pioneer days of Clark County, where he spent fifty years in the min- istry, organizing more Baptist Churches in the State than any other man. He was a graduate of an Eastern college, and pro- foundly learned in the ancient Greek and Hebrew languages. His father, who was de- seended from the same stock as Chief Justice Bush, of Ireland, came to America be- fore the Revolution, located in eastern Vir- ginia and fought under the standard of Washington. Judge Bush still has the bul- let molds made in 1774 and used by this an- cestor. Members of the family also served in the War of 1812. Judge Bush's mother was born in Virginia, of Revolutionary stock. ller grandmother was a Carey, and her grandfather held a captain's commission dur- ing the Revolution. Judge Bush was edu- cated in the public schools of Clark County, and elsewhere. At the age of seventeen years he began reading law, and was admitted to the bar in 1857, and practiced in Clark County until the beginning of the Civil War. In 1861 he enlisted as a private in the brigade of General Martin E. Green, of the Confed- erate Army. After the battle of Corinth

Mouro Level

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BUSINESS MEN'S LEAGUE. ST. LOUIS.

his regiment was assigned to Parsons' Brigade, with which he remained until his discharge, in the fall of 1863. He immedi- ately re-enlisted in the cavalry command of General John Q. Burbage, with whom he re- mained until the fall of 1864. He was mus- tered out as captain of Company D, in Col- onel Priest's regiment. Just before the close of the war Judge Bush was captured near New Madrid and taken to St. Louis. There he met a Federal colonel with whom he was acquainted, was employed by the latter as attorney to conduct an important lawsuit, won his case in the court, and through the influence of his client was paroled to the city limits. He then returned to Clark County, but remained there only a short time, and in 1865 removed to Saline County, where he practiced law continuously until Jan- uary 1, 1899, when he assumed the duties of the office of judge of the probate court, to which he had been elected in the fall of 1898. The only office he ever consented to fill prior to that time was that of prosecut- ing attorney for Clark County before the war. Judge Bush is an enthusiastic advo- cate of the principles of Democracy, has been a great campaigner for his party, and dur- ing the past thirty-five years has had to meet, in joint discussion, nearly every opponent of Democracy in Saline County. For over twenty years he has been a member of the Baptist Church. Fraternally, he is a Knight Templar in Masonry. Aside from his pro- fession he has farming interests in Saline County. He has been twice married. In 1867 he was united to Annie Payne, who died in 1873, leaving no children. February 4, 1876, he married Ruth V. Thompson, a na- tive of Saline County, and a daughter of Pike M. Thompson, who came to Saline County from Kentucky fifty years ago. He com- manded a battalion in the Confederate Army. Judge and Mrs. Bush are the parents of eight living children. They are Pike C., a farmer of Saline County; George Vest, in the lumber business at Pleasant Green, Cooper County ; Bettie, a clerk in her father's office; Laura Lee. William Voorhees, Mary, Jefferson and Frank Cockrell Bush.

Business Men's League, St. Louis. This body was organized October 9, 1894, at a meeting held at the Planter's Hotel, to wind up the affairs of the Autumnal Festivi-

ties Association. In the following year the St. Louis Traffic Commission, of which Mr. L. B. Tebbetts was chairman, was consoli- dated with the League, and on April 11, 1895, a charter was obtained incorporating the League, with the following officers: S. M. Kennard, president ; E. O. Stanard, first vice president : W. G. Boyd, second vice presi- dent ; J. J. Lawrence, third vice president ; J. C. Wilkinson, fourth vice president ; W. H. Thompson, fifth vice president. Freight Transportation Department : L. B. Tebbetts, chairman; and Joseph S. Leeds, traffic man- ager; Frank Gaiennic, general manager ; Walker Ilill, treasurer ; and James Cox, sec- retary. The formal preamble of the organi- zation reads as follows: "Established to unite the merchants, manufacturers, profes- sional men and citizens generally for the fol- lowing purposes: To promote the interests of the city of St. Louis in every avenue of trade and commerce; to oppose discrimina- tion against such interests by any corpora- tion, organization, or association; to guard against and oppose legislation and taxation inimical to the city and State; to co-operate with the railroad and river interests ; to main- tain and secure favorable rates through all our territorial connections; to entertain dis- tinguished and other visitors, and to direct their attention to points of interest; to en- courage the holding of conventions and similar gatherings in this city ; to answer in- quiries from corporations or individuals con- templating a change of location; to foster manufacturing and commercial enterprises of every character ; to keep the city's great- ness constantly before the people of this and other countries, and to secure by all legitimate means the greatest good for the greatest number of our people." The League is the successor of the St. Louis Autumnal Festivities Association, and inherited the high public spirit, enterprise and devotion to the name, fame and welfare of St. Louis, which distinguished that association. It was through the active and intelligent efforts of the League that the Republican National Convention of 1896, which nominated Mr. Mckinley for President, was held in St. Louis, and it built the Auditorium for the accommodation of that convention. It is recognized as one of the most active and vigilant associations in the city, and it spares no effort or pains to hold up the claims and

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BUSINESS WOMEN'S CLUB-BUTLER.

honor of the city, assert its rights, demon- strate its advantages, and protect it from in- jurious discriminations.

D. M. GRISSOM.

Business Women's Club. - An as- sociation of business women in St. Louis, for purposes of mutual improvement and help. It is the pioneer club of its kind in the world, being the first supported and car- ried on exclusively by business women. It was organized in 1894, and incorporated under the laws of the State of Missouri as a "fraternal beneficial institution." Any business woman of good character is eligible to membership. At present-1898-there are two hundred and fifty members enrolled, including stenog- raphers, bookkeepers, cashiers, clerks and saleswomen. There is also a sprinkling of professional women, including teachers, physicians, and one lawyer. The club occu- pies an attractive and well furnished suite of seven rooms in the Holland Building. Here it carries on a dining room, where, through the principle of co-operation, the best possible lunch is furnished at the least cost. The parlors serve also as meeting places for the evening classes, led by the most capable teachers, which have been well and heartily patronized, at only a nominal ex- pense to members. At the present time there is a large class in English literature, three separate classes in French, two in Spanish and German, and one in vocal music; and the culture committee stands ready to se- cure teachers in any new line so soon as the demand arises. In 1896 cash prizes were offered by the club for the three best original short stories written by members ; the stories were read aloud at a special meeting of the whole club, and many of them were of strik- ing merit. Another feature which is grow- ing daily in importance is the Employment Bureau, by means of which members are as- sisted to positions without cost to them or to their employers. The present officers of the club are: Laura M. Eagan, president ; Mary Ferguson, vice president; Elizabeth Hudson, secretary ; Mary Taylor, treasurer. Chairmen of the standing committees are as follows: House, Caroline Hall; culture, Gertrude Campbell; membership, Mary Walther ; entertainment and decoration, Louise Cullen. The record of this club has been one of constant achievement, and the

earnest and ambitious women who compose its membership are steadily devoting their time and efforts to extend their work, and carry out such of their plans as are still unfulfilled. The Business Women's Club is a member of both the National and State Federations of Women's Clubs.

MARTHA S. KAYSER.

Butler .- The county seat of Bates County, on the Lexington & Southern di- vision of the Missouri Pacific Railway, sev- enty-three miles south of Kansas City, and seventy-five miles southwest of Sedalia. It is in the heart of a rich agricultural and stock-raising region, and is the seat of large coal-mining interests. It stands upon gently rolling prairie, with the heavy timber skirt- ing the Marais des Cygnes on the south- west, and that of Mound Creek on the southeast. Thic city is provided with ex- ceptionally pure and clear water, drawn from the Miami River, four miles distant. The supply is distributed by the Butler Water, Light & Power Company, with $100,000 cap- ital; and the city pays, for public uses, $4,495 per annum. The company does not yet furnish light or power. A large pub- lic square, set in blue grass and shaded with soft maple trees, contains the abandoned courthouse-in its day the most imposing public edifice in southwest Missouri-soon to be replaced with a modern structure. (See Bates County.) The county jail is of brick, two stories, and contains rooms for the residence of the jailer; it was built in 1894, at a cost of $12,000. The city hall is a two-story brick edifice, providing accom- modations for the City Council and for the fire department ; a hose cart and hook and ladder equipment are maintained at an an- nual cost of $500. The Walton Opera House, of brick, contains a spacious auditorium, with ample stage and all necessary acces- sories; the lower floor is used for business purposes. Among fraternal societies, there are a lodge, chapter and commandery of Masons; a lodge and encampment of Odd Fellows, and lodges of the Knights of Pythias, Modern Woodmen, Woodmen of the World, United Workmen, the Royal Tribe of Joseph, and the Knights and Ladies of Security. The city is the headquarters of the First Brigade, National Guard of Missouri, and the resi- dence of its commander, Brigadier General

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Harvey Clark. General Clark was first cap- tain of the Butler Rifles, organized in 1888, which became Company A of the Second Regiment, National Guard of Missouri, and, under command of Captain Verney L. John- son, was in the military service of the United States, in camp at Chickamauga Park, Ten- nessee, Lexington, Kentucky, and Albany, Georgia, in 1898, during the war with Spain. The company lost two men by death while in service ; it reorganized on being released from active duty. The local press comprises the "Weekly Record," Republican, the first paper published in the city after the Civil War; the daily and weekly "Democrat," Democratic, founded in 1869; the "Weekly Times," founded in 1878; the "Weekly Republican," Republican; and the "Free Press," Populist. There are three substan- tial banks. The Bates County Bank, the oldest financial institution in Butler County, was founded in 1870, became a national bank in 1871, and in 1894 again became a State bank. In January, 1900, its capital was $75,000, its surplus was $3,000, its de- posits were $150,000, and its loans were $182,- 500. The Missouri State Bank was organized in 1880: in January, 1900, its capital was $55,000, its deposits were $150,000, and its loans were $125,000. The Farmers' Bank of Bates County, incorporated in 1888, had, in January, 1900, a capital of $50,000, deposits of $130,000, and loans of $140,000. The Bates County Investment Company was incorpo- rated in 1894, with a capital of $50,000; it is managed by the owners of the Bates County Bank. The Walton Trust Company, capital $55,000, was incorporated in 1896. The industrial interests of the city include two steam flourmills, an elevator, a car- riage factory, brick and pottery works, coal mines, and extensive stores, some of depart- ment store character. The public educational institutions comprise two school buildings for white children and one for colored chil- dren, in value amounting to $25,000. In Jan- uary, 1900, the school district issued $10.500 in bonds, and provided for the erection of a new building and for an addition to one of the buildings then in use. A full high school course leads directly to the University of Missouri. In January, 1900, seventeen teach- ers were employed and 664 pupils were in at- tendance, of whom fifty-five were colored. The annual expense of the schools was

$9,292.69. The churches are the Christian, the Methodist Episcopal, the Methodist South, the Presbyterian, the Cumber- land Presbyterian, two Baptist, the Prot- estant Episcopal, the Roman Catholic, the Holiness, and colored Baptist and Methodist Churches. The business portion of the city contains many buildings of modern design and best construction. The residence por- tions are tastily built up with handsome resi- dences on well kept grounds, and the streets are well shaded. The first settler upon the site of Butler was John C. Kennett, who built a log store. In 1853 he was bought out by John W. Montgomery, who is ac- counted the first permanent resident. John E. Morgan came from Tennessee in 1854, and was elected to the Legislature the same year. Joseph C. Couch and William S. Smith, Kentuckians, built the first business house in 1856. Thomas H. Stearns was the first lawyer, and Joseph S. Hansbrough the first physician ; the former died and the lat- ter was killed during the Civil War. In 1856 Jolın E. Morgan opened a log boarding- house, and his wife taught school in the first building erected for school and church pur- poses. In 1858 the "Bates County Standard" was established by a number of business men, and edited by W. L. Perry; it was succeeded by the "Western Times," edited by W. Pat Green, which was discontinued in 1861. The first building erected for exclusively religious purposes was the Christian Church, in 1860. This was destroyed by fire, with the court- house and all the business houses upon the square, by soldiers from Kansas in 1861. Early in war times all the inhabitants moved away, and raiding parties ceased to visit. The prairie grass resumed its original rank devel- opment, and the dooryards grew up in weeds. These burned off from time to time, as great prairie fires came from miles away, and caused the destruction of nearly all habita- tions which had been spared by man. Re- settlement began in 1865, when there were not a dozen houses in the town, these be- ing old log huts, which could not be fired. The first to come was Alexander Lamb, who established a station on the Pleasant Hill and Fort Scott stage line. Benjamin White, a former resident, brought a small stock of goods late in 1865, and John Devinney erected the first building on the square. The first lawyers to locate were Charles C. Bas-

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BUTLER COLLEGE-BUTLER COUNTY.

sett and Calvin F. Broxley; and Dr. Mc- Neil was the first physician. In 1866 M. S. Powers built a small cornmill, the first in the neighborhood, to which he afterwards added a sawmill. The same year a tempo- rary school building was erected. and a school was taught by Professor Cavandish. In 1867 the Presbyterian Church was organized, un- der the Rev. S. G. Clark; a house of worship, the first church edifice after the restoration of peace, was built the following year at a cost of $4,000. In 1866 the Rev. Mr. Callo- way began the restoration of the Methodist Episcopal Church; in April a class was formed, and a parsonage was built in 1868, and a house of worship in 1870. The first Baptist Church was formed in 1866, with Elder John Smith as pastor. The Christian Church was in the ascendancy until its prop- erty was destroyed and its people dispersed during the war period; a reorganization was effected by Elder A. Cassidy in 1868. In 1870 the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was reorganized by the Rev. R. J. Derrick. Butler was platted in 1854, and was named in honor of General William O. Butler, of Kentucky, an officer during the Mexican War, and the Democratic candi- date for Vice President in 1848. In 1856 (see Bates County) it was designated as the county seat of Bates County. It was incorporated as a town June 19, 1872, became a city of the fourth class April 7. 1879, and is now a city of the third class. The population in 1900 was 3,153.

Butler College .- A collegiate institu- tion for both sexes, located at Butler, Bates County. The building is a substantial brick edifice of two stories. The college was founded as Butler Academy, in 1874, by an association of residents of Butler. The first teacher was the Rev. E. V. Campbell, a Pres- byterian minister, and rented rooms were occupied until 1877, when the college build- ing was erected. The institution was placed under the care of the Presbyterian Church, with a restriction that it should be maintained free from sectarian influences. The first de- grees were conferred in ISSI, under the pres- idency of Professor James M. Naylor. In 1900 there were five teachers and eighty- five pupils, of whom eleven were boarders.

Butler County .- A county in the southeastern part of the State, bounded on

the north by Wayne County, east by Stod- dard and Dunklin, from which it is divided by St. Francis River, south by the State of Ar- kansas, and west by Ripley and Carter Coun- ties; area, 639,600 acres. The surface of the county is hilly and broken in the north- western part, and in the southeastern part it is comparatively level, the greater portion consisting of densely wooded bottom lands. The Big Black River, a beautiful crystal- like stream, runs in a southerly direction through the county east of the center, and for a few months in the year is navigable for small steamboats as far as Poplar Bluff. Other streams in the county are Little Black, Cane, Ten-Mile and Indian Creeks, and nu- merous small tributaries, all west of Big Black River. Along the eastern border winds the St. Francis River. While classed as swamp lands, the bottoms are compara- tively dry and make the richest of farming lands when cleared of timber. In the center and northern sections there are broad valleys, having a rich, productive soil, and uplands and ridges of the greatest value as grass land and for grazing purposes. The high lands are covered plentifully with large oaks and yel- low pine, while on the bottoms in the south- ern part are found oak, walnut, maple, pop- lar, ash, elm and large forests of cypress. Wild fruits of different kinds grow abun- dantly, and to a degree of perfection that renders their harvesting a matter of econ- omy. The soil in the bottoms is a rich, dark loam. That in the valleys and uplands is ex- cellent for fruit-growing. The cultivation of cotton is a growing industry, but so far the most profitable pursuits are stock-raising and the manufacture of lumber. In some sections of the uplands good crops of a supe- rior quality of tobacco have been grown. Among the exports from the county in 1898 were 159,300 pounds of cotton, 48,000 pounds cotton seed products, 15.007,100 feet lumber, 420,000 feet piling, 24,480, cross ties. 1,523 cars of cooperage and 125 cars of wagon hubs and spokes. Little has been done in the way of prospecting for minerals in the county. An old tradition is that Indians found silver in the hills in the northern part, but the only minerals so far discovered are iron and lead, but not in paying quantities. Kaolin and granite exist in large deposits in the county. Prior to the advent of white men as settlers in what is now Butler County, it was one of

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BUTLER COUNTY.

the great hunting grounds of the Indians, also of the early French hunters, and for many years after the white man began the cultivation of the soil there the Indians re- mained in camps along the Big Black River, but on the most amicable termswith the white settlers. There is no record or tradition of the slightest trouble between them. Accord- ing to all available authorities, the first white man to become a permanent settler in the sec- tion now comprising Butler County was Sol- omon Kittrell, a Kentuckian, who located near Cane Creek and opened up a trad- ing post. He was the first store-keeper in the county, and hauled his goods from Cape Girardeau by ox team. He did a good busi- ness with the Indians and hunters in fur trad- ing. Later he opened a distillery and tan yard and made money. He died in 1872. He was one of the first county judges. Daniel Epps was another pioneer. Ile settled on the "Military Road," along Ten-Mile Creek, where he built the first mill in the county. Thomas Scott and Malachi Hudspeth settled on Cane Creek, and Martin Sandlin was a pioneer on Little Black River. Other early settlers were Samuel Hillis, Samuel Polk, James Brannan, Frank and William Whiting- ton and the families of Vandovers and Ap- plebys. Settlement along the Black River and its tributaries was slow. Hunting and trapping was the principal occupation of the settlers for more than a quarter of a cen- tury. In 1850 the population of the county was only 1,616, and for years after Butler County was organized money was such a scarce thing that taxes were paid chiefly in furs and peltries. These were the circulating medium, the money of the settlers. Needed supplies were received in exchange for the products of the hunt and the catch of the traps. The pioneers were a sturdy, easy- going class, hospitable and good-natured. The county was organized from a part of Wayne by a legislative act approved Febru- ary 27, 1849, and named in honor of William O. Butler. At that time nearly all the land belonged to the government. The majority of the settlers had no title to the tracts upon which they lived, other than that acquired by settlement. The act creating the county appointed John Stevens, of Cape Girardeau County : William Henley, of Stoddard, and Martin Sandlin, of Ripley County, commis- sioners to select a seat of justice. Sandlin

died before any action was taken, and his place was filled by John F. Martin, of Ripley County. The commissioners selected one hundred and forty acres of land on Black River, and this became part of the site of Poplar Bluff. At the time of its selection the land was part of the public domain, though William Hinkley had made some improve- ments upon it. September 15. 1849, the circuit court approved the report of the con- missioners. March 18, 1850, the county court ordered that John Endaly employ a compe- tent person to survey and lay out a county seat. It was also ordered that on May 17th of the same year a sale of the town lots of Poplar Bluff be held, no lot to be sold for less than $5. and the purchasers to be allowed twelve months in which to pay for the same. The sale netted $504.05. A second sale of lots was held on August 11, 1851. The first meeting of the county court was held at the house of Thomas Scott, on Cane Creek, June 18, 1849. The county judges were John Stevenson, Solomon Kittrell and Jonathan R. Sandlin, with Jacob C. Blount, clerk. A number of road petitions were considered, and a license granted to Gabriel Davis to run a ferry across Black River. Afterward sessions of the county court, by an order issued April 13. 1850, were held at Poplar Bluff. In 1851 a small weatherboarded plank courthouse was finished on the southeast corner of the public square. In 1859 a new courthouse was built. This was burned De- cember 14, 1886. and in 1887 the present courthouse was built at a cost of $15,000. The first jail was a small log building. In 1885 a new jail was built. The criminal court for the county was organized Septem- ber 15. 1849, Judge Harrison Hough pre- siding. The session was held in the house of Thomas Scott. Not until the following September was a grand jury chosen, the members of which were W. R. Griffith, John L. Davis, James Cobb, Charles Appleby. Exum C. Scott, L. L. Burgen, Christian Wright, S. R. Rutherford, William Whit- tington, William Ellison, Jesse A. Gilley, L. M. Byers, Hamilton Scott, David Gowen, R. L. Brown and William Hill. A number of indictments for selling liquor without license were returned, and one High was in- dicted for assault with intent to kill. At that time Newton Wallace was sheriff. In 1853 he drew from the State treasury $1,200 bc-

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Encyclopedia of the history of Missouri, a compendium of history and biography for ready reference, Vol. I, Part 81

Author: Conard, Howard Louis, ed. 1n Publication date: 1901 Publisher: New York, Louisville [etc.] The Southern history company, Haldeman, Conard & co., proprietors Number of Pages: 856

Author: Conard, Howard Louis, ed. 1n
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: New York, Louisville [etc.] The Southern history company, Haldeman, Conard & co., proprietors
Number of Pages: 856