Encyclopedia of the history of Missouri, a compendium of history and biography for ready reference, Vol. II, Part 46

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: 800

USA > Missouri > Encyclopedia of the history of Missouri, a compendium of history and biography for ready reference, Vol. II > Part 46

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Dearmont's immigrant ancestors in the pa- ternal line came from Ireland to Virginia, in early Colonial times. One of the family acted as a scout for General Braddock and was with him when he suffered his memorable defeat at the hands of the French. Michael Dearmont, the grandfather of Washington S. Dearmont, was a successful man of affairs in Virginia, and the family is closely related to the Strother, Ferguson, Marshall, Green, Wil- liams and Orear families of the "Old Do- minion." The maternal ancestors of Mr. Dearmont also came to this country from Ireland, his mother's great-grandfather hav- ing immigrated from near Belfast and settled on a large tract of land in what is now Clarke County, Virginia, which he purchased from Lord Fairfax. Her grandfather, James David Bell, was an officer in the United States Army in the War of 1812, and colonel of a regiment of Virginia militia for many years. One of Colonel Bell's brothers went from Virginia to Tennessee at an early day and became the founder of the Bell family of that State, a dis- tinguished member of which was his son, Senator John Bell. Until he was twelve years of age, Washington S. Dearmont lived near White Post, Virginia. He then came with his father's family to Missouri and attended the country schools in the neighborhood of his home, in Holt County, until he was nineteen years old. Having formed a taste for the study of history and literature and being an omnivorous reader of books, it was natural that he should have an ambition for higher education, and, after teaching school one term, he entered the State University of Mis- souri, in 1880. At the end of a full classical course he was graduated from that institution in the class of 1885, with the degree of bache- lor of arts. In 1889 the degree of master of arts was conferred upon him by his alma mater. After leaving college, he taught school three years in subordinate positions, and one year in a country district. In 1888 he became principal of the public school at Mound City, Missouri, and retained that position until 1893, when he gave it up to become superintendent of schools at Kirk- wood, Missouri. At Kirkwood he gained well merited distinction as an educator, and remained at the head of the schools of that beautiful suburban town until 1899, when he resigned the superintendency to accept the presidency of the State Normal School at

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Cape Girardeau, Missouri. As president of this widely known institution, he has evi- denced his broad capacity and superior at- tainments, both as instructor and executive officer. He was county school commissioner of Holt County during the last two years of his residence in that county, and during his school vacations, he has engaged largely in the work of teachers' institutes and educa- tional associations, and in various move- ments designed to advance the cause of popular education. When he was seventeen years of age he became a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and in 1885 joined the Presbyterian Church at Mound City, by letter from the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He transferred his membership to the Presbyterian Church of Kirkwood, in 1893, and a year later became an elder in that church. An earnest and consistent churchman, he has been actively interested in advancing the cause of religion, not only through his church, but through the Young Men's Christian Association, the Young People's Christian Endeavor Society and the Sunday school, as well. His political affiliations are with the Democratic party, and he is a member of the order of Knights of Pythias. May 29, 1890, he married Miss Julia Lee McKee, daughter of H. N. and Sarah (Scott) McKee, of Mound City, Missouri. Both of Mrs. Dearmont's parents were natives of Pennsylvania, and the McKee, Lee and Scott families of the Key- stone State are closely related to them. The children of Professor and Mrs. Dearmont are Russell Lee, Julian Scott and Nelson Strother Dearmont.

De Bar, Benedict, famous through- out the United States as an actor, was born November 5, 1812, in London, England, and died in St. Louis, August 14, 1877. Trained for the stage in his youth, he made his debut at the Theater Royal, of Margate, England, in 1832. In 1834 he came to the United States, and the following year appeared at the St. Charles Theater, of New Orleans, as Sir Benton Backbite, in "The School for Scandal." He opened the old National Thea- ter in New York City in 1837, and in 1838 made his first appearance in St. Louis, play- ing at the old St. Louis Theater. During the two years following he played in all the prin-

cipal cities of the West, and in 1840 played successively in New York and London. Re- turning to New York, he played at the Bowery Theater, and in 1842 he became stage manager for Hamblin at the Bowery. In 1849 he purchased the Chatham Theater, of New York, which he managed for three years, going at the end of that time on a starring tour, in the course of which he played in principal cities of the United States. He became proprietor of the St. Charles Theater, of New Orleans, in 1853, and in 1855 of the St. Louis Theater, of St. Louis. This theater he leased in 1873, and then bought a large interest in the Grand Opera House, of St. Louis. After the death of Hackett the dramatic stage of this country lacked a great "Falstaff" until Mr. De Bar undertook its representation, making a specialty of this character, which others had adopted, and soon relinquished. His ap- pearance in Brooklyn in this character after his success in the West and. the South, St. Louis being one of the principal cities in which he appeared, was a dramatic event of note. He was successful both as an actor and as a manager, and acquired a large fortune.

De Bolt, Rezin A., lawyer, soldier and Congressman, was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, January 20, 1828, and died at Trenton, Missouri. He was raised on a farm until he was seventeen years of age, and then became a tanner, following the trade for several years, studying law in the meantime, and in 1856 was admitted to the bar. In 1858 he came to Missouri and practiced law until 1861, when he entered the Union Army as captain in the Twenty-third Missouri Volun- teer Infantry. At the battle of Shiloh in 1862 he was taken prisoner and held six months. His health was impaired, and on his release he resigned, but shortly afterward re-entered the service as major of the Forty- fourth Missouri Volunteer Infantry and served to the end. He was elected circuit judge, and re-elected, serving eight years. In 1874 he was elected to the Forty-fourth Congress from the Tenth Missouri District, as a Democrat, by a vote of 11,722 to 11,505 for Hyde, Republican.

Debt of Missouri .- See "State Debt."

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DECORATIVE ART SOCIETY OF ST. LOUIS-DE FRANCA.

Decorative Art Society of St. Louis .- This society was incorporated in April, 1889. Its object is to establish schools and classes for instruction in needlework, decoration of china and pottery, and generally in the liberal arts; to provide rooms for the exhibition and sale of works of art manu- factured by women ; to promote and diffuse a knowledge of decorative art in all its branches, and train women in artistic in- dustries. Through the efforts of the society, beautiful work has been secured from con- tributors at home and abroad; and skilled workwomen fill the orders entrusted to the society. The exhibition and sales rooms are always filled with articles combining use with beauty, all of which have passed the criticism of the managers, all work not of standard excellence being rejected; and in the work rooms pupils are daily instructed in the vari- ous branches of ornamental art. Women de- pendent on their own efforts, whose tastes are refined and artistic, are here enabled to acquire knowledge of the work for which they are best adapted, and are also afforded the opportunity of bringing the most perfect and beautiful specimens of their work to the notice of appreciative purchasers. The society is supported by voluntary donations, subscriptions, commissions on sales of con- tributed articles, sales of the work done by the women regularly employed in the work rooms, and tuition fees for instruction in the various classes. When necessary the funds are augmented by the proceeds of entertain- ments. Each subscriber paying $5 per annum is entitled to send a pupil for free in- struction. The meetings of the society are held monthly. The incorporating officers were: Mrs. A. B. Gregory, president ; Miss Mansur, vice president ; Mrs. DeCamp, secre- tary; Mrs. E. S. Warner, treasurer. Mrs. Francis P. Blair, widow of the distinguished statesman, was, in 1895, elected honorary president for life. Mrs. Gregory was suc- ceeded in the presidency by Mrs. Geo. Allen, Mrs. F. P. Blair, Mrs. J. C. Richardson and Miss Mary Lionberger. The present (1898) officers are Miss Lionberger, president ; Mrs. W. H. Thornburgh, vice president ; Mrs. W. A. Shoemaker, secretary; Mrs. W. A. Stick- ney, treasurer. These officers with the fol- lowing ladies form the board of managers: Mesdames J. C. Richardson, W. A. Stickney, Jas. L. Blair, E. Davenport, John O. Davis,

Thos. Niedringhaus, Goodman King, A. B. Gregory, N. G. Pierce, L. M. Rumsey, Robert Kern, D. M. Houser, O. H. Peckham, Northrup McMillan.

MARTHA S. KAYSER.

Deepwater .- A fourth-class city, in Henry County, seven miles south of Clinton, the county seat. It has a brick public school building erected at a cost of $6,000, and main- tains a high school. There are churches of the Baptist, Catholic, Christian, Methodist Episcopal, Methodist South and Presbyterian denominations ; a newspaper, the "World ," and a bank. The industries comprise coal mines, two factories for brick, tile and sewer- pipe, and extensive pottery works. In 1899 the population was 1,500. It was founded by the Keith & Perry Coal Company, of Kansas City, and takes its name from the creek near by.

Deerfield .- A town in Vernon County, on the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Rail- way, ten miles west of Nevada, the county seat. It has a public school, and Baptist and Southern Methodist Churches. It has excel- lent pottery works, using material found three miles west of the place. In 1899 the population was 260. The town was platted in 1871 by David Redfield, and derives its name from the fact that it was a favorite hunting ground for the army officers at Fort Scott, when that place was a military post during the Territorial days of Kansas.

De Franca, Manuel J., who was probably the ablest and most successful painter of ladies' portraits who has ever lived and painted in St. Louis, was a native of Portugal, and member of an aristocratic family of that country. Political disturb- ances caused him to leave his native land, and he lived for a time thereafter in Paris. Then he came to America and located first in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he lived for a number of years, finally coming to St. Louis about 1845. He was not encouraged there at first, but afterward, through the gen- erous patronage of Mr. James E. Yeatman, he entered upon an active and prosperous career, which continued until the time of the Civil War, during which he died. De Franca was an artist of a high order of ability. His portraits, painted with vigor and strength,

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were characterized by grace and refinement, and by a live appreciation of beauty of ex- pression in his pictures of women and children. He seemed able to impart to his canvas some of his own genial and vivacious nature. His portraits were widely distrib- uted among the people of St. Louis, and are justly prized by their present possessors. He was married while living in Philadelphia, and his widow survived him a number of years.

DeKalb .- This is the oldest town in Buchanan County, having been platted by James G. Finch in 1839. It has a population of about 600, and contains a newspaper, a bank, two general stores, a hotel, an imple- ment house, a drug store and various kinds of artisans' shops. Professor Charles S. Roffington conducted the Bloomington Academy at this point.

DeKalb County .- A county in the northwestern part of the State, bounded on the north by Gentry; east by Daviess and Caldwell; south by Clinton, and west by Andrew and Buchanan Counties. It is nearly square and contains 4117/8 square miles, or 263,608 acres. Its altitude is about 1,000 feet above the sea level, and its latitude about the same as that of Indianapolis and Phila- delphia. The surface is generally undulating, no considerable part being too broken for cultivation. The greater portion is rolling prairie, the soil deep and fertile. The timber is found along the streams, in the most con- siderable bodies in the southern part, and consists of walnut, oak, elm, sycamore, hick- ory, linden, maple, ash, buckeye, cottonwood and dogwood. The streams are Grindstone Creek, a large tributary of Grand River ; Lost Creek, Owen's Creek, Peach Creek, Irving's Branch, East Lost Creek, Muddy Creek, Morgan's Branch, Big Fork, Butler Creek, Big Third Fork, Crooked Creek, Little Third Fork and Evan's Branch. Springs abound and wells dug to the depth of thirty feet yield good water. Limestone of fine quality is found in nearly all parts of the county and sandstone abounds on Grindstone Creek. The extreme range of temperature is IO1 degrees Fahrenheit in summer, to 26 degrees below zero in winter. The county is devoted to agriculture, the principal crops cultivated being wheat, corn, oats, barley, rye and grass, with cattle, hogs, sheep and horses

as the product of feeding and pasturing. Wild fruit abounds, and apples and grapes yield abundantly. The average rainfall is about twenty-eight inches, and a destructive drouth was never known. Bluegrass, clover and timothy are the principal grasses, though other choice varieties thrive, and the rearing of animals is easy and profitable. In the first settlement of the county, game of the noblest kind was abundant. Deer were to be seen in herds, which sometimes numbered a hun- dred head; wild turkeys, geese, grouse, prairie chicken and duck were so plentiful that they hardly needed to be hunted, and the settler's trusty rifle kept his table bounti- fully supplied with meat. Mills for grinding were among the first urgent wants. One of the earliest was David Whittaker's mill on Grindstone Creek, in Grand River Township. William Hunter put up a horse mill and small distillery in the northeast corner of that town- ship at an early day, and William Thornton and Adam Kerns put up a horse mill in Washington Township. The old military trail between Liberty, Clay County and Council Bluffs ran through the county, and the earliest bit of history of DeKalb County relates how three United States soldiers car- rying the mail over this trail in the winter of 1824-5 were overtaken by a snow storm and bewildered. Two of them burrowed into a snow drift, near the present site of Mays- ville, while the third managed to return to Liberty and tell the story of their sufferings. Rescuers started out to succor the two in the snow drift, who were found with hands and feet frozen, and nearly dead from four days' starvation. "Lost Creek," near where the unfortunate men found a dreary shelter in the snow drift, perpetuates the memory of the disaster. Samuel Vesser, a French- Canadian, who had a cabin north of the pres- ent site of Stewartsville, in 1824, is supposed to have been the first white resident of the county. He did not remain after other settlers began to come, and nothing more of him is known. Abraham Stanley located in what is now Washington Township, about 1830, but moved away two years later. Sev- eral settlers came into Washington Township in 1838 and 1839, but their names are not preserved. In 1842 Thomas Yallalee, from. South Carolina, made a settlement a mile northeast of where Stewartsville now stands, and the same year a man named Tinney, from

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Tennessee, settled near him. Evan Evans about the same time settled in the western part of Washington Township. He was an enterprising man and built the first distillery. Isaac Agee and James Torrey located in Washington Township about 1839, and about the same time came Elder Jesse Todd, a Bap- tist preacher from Kentucky. He was the first resident clergyman in the county, and was highly esteemed. In 1840 William Thornton, a brother-in-law of Elder Todd, accompanied by his sons, Jeremiah, Jeptha, John and Thomas R. Thornton, all of whom · became prominent citizens, located in Wash- ington Township, and the same year John F. Doherty, of East Tennessee, settled in the county. When DeKalb County was or- ganized Mr. Doherty was made the first county clerk, and was afterward elected to the Legislature for several terms. Sherman Township was settled first by persons who came from Kentucky and Tennessee, John Means, William Means, Nathan Morgan, with his six sons, and Greenup Gibson being among those who came in the early forties. The settlement of Adams Township began about the year 1840, when several families located on Grindstone Creek. Dallas and Grant Townships were settled in 1839, when James Green and Mason Cope built on Lost Creek. In 1840 James Sherard settled near the present site of Fairport. He came orig- inally from Vermont, and was accompanied by his five sons, all of whom became influen- tial citizens. Levi Thatcher, Andrew Wood, James Davis and George Ward were among the earliest settlers. Camden Township was settled in 1844-5, James M. Arrington, from Tennessee, locating there in 1844. He after- ward became county clerk and served in the Legislature. Other early settlers were Ephraim Porter, William Coen, William Mc- Clain, John McCall, George Ireland, Tomp- kins Jones, James M. Skidmore, Thomas and James Davis, George W. McPherson, and his brother, Hugh L. McPherson. Grand River Township was settled in 1839, the first settlers being Edward Smith, from Tennes- see; William Hunter, Albert H. Owens, Samuel McCorkle, John Wright, James Shaw, Michael Moore, Daniel Parks, Dr. A.

T. Downing, David Whittaker and Simon Hixson. Colfax was the latest settled town- ship in the county. Its first settlers were Thompson Smith, Neville Stevens, Rev.

Elijah Moore, Andrew Potter, Littleton Roberts, Ellis Coen, Mrs. Kibby, Dr. Smith and Thomas Edie. One of the first settlers in Polk Township was Samuel Livingston, from St. Louis, who located there in 1843. Not long after, James Robinson, with his sons, Edward, Thomas and Joseph, arrived. DeKalb County was originally a part of Ray County. In January, 1843, an act of the Leg- islature was passed establishing the bounda- ries of DeKalb County, and in February, 1845, an act was passed providing for the or- ganization of the county. Henry Brown, of Andrew ; Peter Price, of Daviess, and Martin M. Nagh, of Clinton County, were made com- missioners to locate the permanent seat of justice, and the dwelling house of Henry Hunter, two miles southeast of Maysville, was designated as a place for holding the courts. The commissioners selected the northeast quarter of Section 34, Township 59, Range 31, near the geographical center of the county, for the county seat, and Thompson Smith entered it for the county in the land office at Plattsburg, and a patent was issued for it. The first county court met at the house of Thomas Hunter, May 25, 1845, the justices, Elias Parrott, James McMahan and Henry Ritchey, being present with Charles Allen, sheriff, and John F. Doherty, clerk, all being from Tennessee. Andrew Hainer, from Ohio, was treasurer; Charles H. Allen, who had been elected sheriff, re- fused to qualify, and Andrew H. Skidmore was appointed in his place ; James McKowen was appointed assessor, and John F. Doherty was made clerk of both courts, serving until the following year, when he was succeeded by James M. Arrington. The report of the commissioners locating the seat of justice, and giving the name of Maysville to the place, was received and approved, and G. W. McPherson was appointed to lay the place off in lots. Five townships were organized, Camden, Dallas, Polk, Grand River and Washington. The first term of the circuit court was held in the log residence of John Buckingham, which stood a mile and three- quarters from the present site of Maysville, Honorable Austin A. King presiding. The following year Walter Doak, by order of the county court, built a double log house with two fifteen-foot rooms on the east side of the public square in Maysville, and into it the county offices were moved in 1847. This

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served until 1852, when a new brick court- house, two stories high, a court room and two offices below, and the other offices above, was built, at a cost of $3,750. This building was occupied until 1878, when it was burned down, many of the records being destroyed with it. In 1880 a proposition to build a new courthouse was submitted to the people, but defeated through the opposition of the citi- zens in the southern part of the county, who favored the removal of the county seat to Stewartsville. In 1881 the proposition was again submitted and again lost; and in 1882 it was submitted a third time, and a third time defeated. But in 1884 the county court submitted the proposition the fourth time, and it was carried by a vote of 1,960 for, to 983 against, and a new and capacious court- house was erected, by contract, for $32,497. The first deed on record in the county is dated August 27, 1845, made by Charles Pryor and Catherine, his wife, of Gentry County, Missouri, to John Montgomery, of Jackson County, Missouri, conveying eighty acres, consideration $150. In 1872 the peo- ple of the county voted in favor of township organization, and their organization was ac- complished the following year. In 1859 the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad was built through the southern part of the county. In 1886 the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific was built through the county, running north and south; and the same year the St. Joseph & Des Moines Narrow Gauge Road, passing through the northwest corner of the county, became part of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, and was changed to standard gauge. The first two of these roads have been of great advantage to the county. The earliest preachers in DeKalb County were Elders Jesse Todd and John M. Evans, from Ken- tucky, and the first church in the county was the Baptist, of twenty-two members, organ- ized by them in what is now Washington Township in 1842.

The first newspaper published in DeKalb County was the "Stewartsville Telegraph," established about the year 1858 by Alstott & Williams. It suspended in 1861. In 1865 the DeKalb County "Register" was estab- lished at Maysville by Day & Howe. In 1878 the Stewartsville "News," which had been published since 1870, was removed to Maysville and consolidated with the "Reg- ister," the new paper being called the "Regis-

ter News." Its name was afterward changed to the "Maysville Register." In 1877 the "Stewartsville Independent" was started, and the same year the "DeKalb County Republi- can," both these papers continuing and be- coming prosperous. In 1884 the "Investiga- tor" was established at Osborne, and in 1886 the "Comet" was first published in Union Star; and about the same time the "Weekly News" was started at Stewartsville. The papers of the county exhibit intelligence and local spirit and are a credit to the State.

In 1899 there were eighty-one white schools and one colored school in DeKalb County; 132 teachers; estimated value of school property, $65,412; enrollment of pupils, 4,715; number of volumes in the libraries of the county, 447, valued at $383; receipts for school purposes, $31,693; school fund, $45,946. In the year 1898 there was shipped from the county 17,100 head of cat- tle, 63,200 head of hogs, 1,120 head of sheep, 680 head of horses and mules, 2,548 bushels of wheat, 1,938 bushels of oats, 74,500 bushels of corn, 20 tons of hay, 18,074 pounds of flour, 109,470 pounds of corn meal, 14,300 pounds of ship- stuff, 69,315 pounds of timothy seed, 10,300 feet of lumber, 12,000 feet of walnut logs, 4,198 pounds of wool, 338,700 pounds of poul- try, 320,900 dozens of eggs, 121,340 pounds of butter, 17,000 pounds of cheese, 1,934 pounds of dressed meat, 2,640 pounds of game and fish, 4,132 pounds of peltries, 2,255 pounds of fresh fruit, 10,820 pounds of nurs- ery stock, 22,010 gallons of milk, and other produce in smaller quantities. The State auditor's report for 1898 shows for DeKalb County, 266,070 acres of land, valued for tax purposes at $1,034,616; town lots, 285, valued at $115,445; total real estate, $1,150,061; 6,618 horses, valued at $115,497 ; 1,538 mules, valued at $30,447; 45 asses and jennets, valued at $1,199; 9,504 head of neat cattle, valued at $106,313; 8,070 head of sheep, valued at $9,702 ; 27,528 head of hogs, valued at $36,070; money, bonds and notes, $161,- 537; corporate companies, $25,615; all other personal property, $122,420; total personal property, $608,835 ; total real estate and per- sonal, $1,758,896. The railroad and telegraph property in the county was assessed at $583,- 557. The total taxable property of the county was $4,296,425, and the taxes levied were, for State revenue, $6,455; for State in-

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Encyclopedia of the history of Missouri, a compendium of history and biography for ready reference, Vol. II, Part 46

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: 800

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: 800