USA > Missouri > Encyclopedia of the history of Missouri, a compendium of history and biography for ready reference, Vol. II > Part 63
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sentative of Pike County. During one of these sessions, although then but twenty-eight years old, he was made chairman of the ju- diciary committee, and his services in that capacity received the commendation of the most accomplished lawyers of the day. Warmly espousing the cause of the Union at the beginning of the Civil War, his influence and ability were brought to bear in favor of measures designed to promote the national interests, and especially to save Missouri to the Union. He recruited the Forty-ninth Regiment of Missouri Volunteer Infantry, as- sembling in that command many men who had known him as a Douglas Democrat prior to the war, who were willing to follow his leadership, where one of more radical ante- cedents would have been disregarded. As colonel of this regiment he commanded it in the interior of Missouri during the moment- ous operations of the summer of 1864. When this emergency was passed he was trans- ferred to the Department of the Gulf, taking an active part in the battles about Mobile, where his regiment sustained a large loss in killed and wounded. In August, 1865, three months after open hostilities had ceased, Col- onel Dyer and his regiment were mustered out of service. Immediately after the war he resumed the practice of law and at once became a conspicuous figure in the politics of the State, and one of the recognized leaders of the Republican party in Missouri. In 1868 he was elected to Congress and served one term as a member of that body. In 1875 he was appointed by President Grant United States district attorney for the Eastern Dis- trict of Missouri, and while serving in that capacity was called upon to prosecute the famous "whisky fraud" cases, discharging his duties in this connection with zeal and ability, and with a fidelity to the interests of the gov- ernment which won the commendation of the higher authorities at Washington, and made him widely known to the bar and the people of the country generally. In 1880 he was the candidate of his party for Governor of Mis- souri, and received a flattering vote, although his party was then largely in the minority in this State. He became a member of the St. Louis bar in 1875, at which time he removed to that city, and since then he has occupied a leading place among the more distinguished members of his profession. While his prac- tice has been large and he has given to it the
attention of a conscientious lawyer, he has also continued to take an active interest in politics and public affairs, and has become widely known as a campaign orator and a forcible and polished speaker on all occasions. He holds membership in the Grand Army of the Republic, and in the Military Order of the Loyal Legion. In gatherings of these bodies he enjoys a national reputation, not only as a delightful raconteur, but as a philo- sophical reasoner upon the topics discussed in such assemblages. In his addresses he has contributed largely toward allaying the asperities growing out of a civil war. It is not unusual for him to introduce to his hear- ers those who have borne arms against him, who are received as welcome guests and listened to with respectful attention and warm sympathy. In this is shown not only his breadth of views and generosity, but good reason for the popularity he enjoys with many who are antagonistic to him in a po- litical way. He married, in 1860, in Pike County, Missouri, Miss Lizzie Chambers Hunt, second daughter of Judge Ezra Hunt, and granddaughter of Judge Rufus Petti- bone, the last named of whom was one of the first judges of the Supreme Court of Mis- souri.
Dyer, William Carr, educator, was born June 22, 1845, in St. Louis, son of Thomas B. and Cornelia (Carr) Dyer. His paternal ancestors were Virginians, and were represented in the Revolutionary War. In the maternal line his ancestry is traced back to Rev. John Eliot, "The Apostle to Indians," and beyond him to one of the royal families of Europe. Mr. Dyer graduated from the St. Louis Central High School in 1863, from Westminster College, of Fulton, Missouri, in 1866, and from the University of Virginia in 1867. He then took a theological course at Hampden-Sidney College of Virginia, and for a short time thereafter engaged in ministerial work. Not conscientiously satisfied that it was his duty to continue in this field of labor, he turned his attention to teaching and has ever since been engaged in educational work. For fifteen years he has had charge of the Madison School of St. Louis, and is known as one of the most accomplished and efficient instructors identified with the public schools of this city. On March 13, 1873, he married Miss Emma Willis Rankin, adopted daughter
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of John H. and Mary J. Rankin. Mrs. Dyer's father, Mr. John H. Rankin, was, in his day, one of the most successful steamboat lawyers of St. Louis. Their children were Jane Ran- kin Dyer, John Rankin Dyer, Thomas Eliot
Dyer, William Cornelius Dyer, Charles Austin Dyer and Cornelia Carr Dyer. Of these only John Rankin, William Cornelius and Cornelia Carr survive at the present time.
E
Eagleville .- An incorporated village in Harrison County, six miles north of Beth- any, the county seat. It has a graded school, Methodist Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal South, and United Brethren Churches, a steam roller flouring mill, bank, a newspaper, the "Sentinel," and about twenty other business enterprises, including stores, shops, etc. Pop- ulation, 1899 (estimated), 500.
Early Settlers and Historical Soci- ety of Kansas City .- An unincorpo- rated association, formed for the purpose of keeping a record of settlers who came to Kansas City in 1865 and previous thereto; to collect and preserve books, pamphlets, maps, charts, manuscripts, papers, paintings, statuary and photographs of old landmarks in Kansas City and vicinity ; to procure from pioneers narratives of events relative to the early settlement, overland travel and immi- gration; to gather information exhibiting the past and present progress of Kansas City, and to promote these purposes by lectures and otherwise; and to advance the interest and perpetuate the memory of those whose sagacity, energy and enterprise induced them to settle in Kansas City and become the founders of a great metropolis. The active membership is restricted to those who were residents of Kansas City and vicinity, in- cluding Jackson and Clay Counties, Mis- souri, and Wyandotte County, Kansas, prior to January 1, 1866, and to their male descend- ants. Honorary members are chosen by vote of the directors from persons in any part of the State distinguished for their long resi- dence, for literary or scientific attainments, as editors of newspapers, or as contributors to the collections of the society. The society numbers about 300 members. The initial meeting was held December 17, 1895. Daniel S. Twitchell was chairman, and E. R. Hunter was secretary. The necessity for organiza-
tion was urged in addresses by Charles E. Kearney and M. J. Payne. In February, 1896, the first permanent officers were elected viz. : D. S. Twitchell, president ; H. C. Kumpf, first vice president ; Charles E. Kearney, sec- ond vice president; M. J. Payne, third vice president ; E. R. Hunter, secretary ; Frank Muehlschuster, corresponding secretary, and J. A. Bachman, treasurer. At a subsequent meeting a constitution was adopted, and the association was named "The Early Settlers of Kansas City, Missouri, and Vicinity." February 6, 1897, the title was changed to the "Early Settlers and Historical Society of Kansas City, Missouri." Monthly meetings are held, when papers on historic topics and biographies of deceased members are read. It is the purpose of the society to edit and publish these papers as soon as practicable. The society has gathered many curios and relics of pioneer days, which form a part of the museum in the Public Library Building of Kansas City.
Earthquakes .- "December. 16, 1811, St. Louis and the surrounding country was vis- ited by a violent earthquake. The first shock was felt about 2:30 a. m., and lasted about one and three-fourths minutes. Windows, doors and furniture were in tremulous mo- tion, and there was a distant rumbling noise resembling that made by 'a number of car- riages passing over a pavement.' The sky was obscured by a thick fog, and there was not a breath of air. The temperature was about thirty-five or forty degrees, Fahren- heit. At 2:47 a. m. another shock occurred, unaccompanied by any rumbling noise, and much less violent than the first. It lasted about two minutes. At 3:34 a. m. a third shock, nearly as violent as the first, but without as much noise, was felt. It lasted about fifty seconds, and a slight trembling continued for some time afterward. There
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was a fourth shock shortly after daylight, less violent than any of the others, lasting nearly one minute, and about 8 o'clock there was a fifth shock, almost as violent as the first. This was accompanied by the usual noise, and lasted about half a minute. The morning was very hazy, and unusually warm for the season. 'The houses and fences were covered with a white froth, but on examina- tion it was found to be vapor, not possess- ing the chilling cold of frost. Indeed, the moon was shrouded in awful gloom.' At II:30 a. m. another slight shock was ob- served, and about the same hour on the fol- lowing day 'a smart shock' occurred. No lives were lost, and the houses did not sustain much injury. A few chimneys were thrown down and a few stone houses split. The earthquake appears to have covered an ex- tensive area in southeast Missouri, 'seaming the face of the country with yawning gulfs and submerging it with new lakes.' The de- struction was especially severe at New Mad- rid. There was a volcanic eruption, and gulfs or fissures from four to ten feet deep, and running north and south parallel with one another, were opened for miles, in some instances for five of them. On the night of January 7, 1812, there was another earth- quake, which inflicted much greater damage. Until the 17th of February, slight shocks were felt from time to time. On the 17th occurred another terrible convulsion, which exceeded in fury all the previous ones. Gulfs and fissures broader and deeper were opened, 'until high land was sunk into hollows, hol- lows made high land,' lakes emptied into the fissures, and where there had previously been dry land 'broad-sheeted lakes' created. The residents were panic-stricken, and, abandon- ing nearly all their cattle and household property, fled from the scene of desolation. 'Wreckers' flocked to the deserted town and surrounding country, and carrying off the abandoned property in flatboats, conveyed it to Natchez and New Orleans and sold it. The extent of country visited by the earthquake embraced a circumference of about 150 miles, taking the Indian town of Little Prairie, near Carruthersville, as the center. The loss of human life was small. A Mrs. Lafont died from fright, and a Mrs. Jarvis was crushed by a falling log. Flatboats on the river were found wrecked for miles and their cargoes ruined. It is believed that some members of
their crews were drowned. There were no indications of any previous earthquake in this section, and no tradition of any such vis- itation existed among the Shawnees, Chero- kees or Delawares. Since 1812 there have been no violent shocks of earthquake, but at intervals slight commotions have been expe- rienced."-(Scharf's "History of St. Louis.")
Easton .- An incorporated town in Bu- chanan County, twelve miles from St. Joseph, on the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad. It was platted in 1854 by E. Don Mccrary and has 400 inhabitants. It contains a mill, stores, Catholic and Protestant churches, etc.
Easton, Alton R., was born June 23, 1807, in St. Louis, son of Judge Rufus Easton. He was carefully educated, com- pleting his studies at West Point Military Academy. In 1827 he returned to St. Louis and studied medicine under the preceptor- ship of Dr. Samuel Merry, and later served under Dr. Merry in the office of receiver of public money. His education at West Point gave him a taste for military affairs, and for several years he was captain of the noted military company of St. Louis known as the "St. Louis Grays." Later he became colonel of the St. Louis Legion, and commanded. this regiment in the early part of the Mexi- can War, being stationed at Bureto, on the Rio Grande. Early in 1847 he left St. Louis, in command of the battalion raised there, and marched across the plains to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Later he led his command to Chi- huahua, arriving there in March of 1848. When peace was declared he was ordered home with his troops, and was mustered out of the service in October of 1848. When the Territory of New Mexico was organized President Fillmore offered him the secre- taryship of the Territory, but he de- clined the honor. In 1853 he was appointed Assistant Treasurer of the United States, in charge of the subtreasury at St. Louis, and retained that office until removed by Presi- dent Pierce. From 1860 until 1864 he was a member of the county court. From 1861 to 1864 he was inspector general of the State of Missouri, and in this capacity showed great ability as an organizer, rendering val- uable services to the Federal government. In 1873 he was appointed assessor of internal revenue by President Grant, and held that
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office until it was legislated out of existence. Soon after that Grant appointed him pension agent, and he held that office until 1877.
Easton, Rufus, lawyer and jurist, was born May 4, 1774, in Litchfield, Connecticut, and died at St. Charles, Missouri, July 5, 1834. After completing his academic stud- ies he studied law in the office of Ephraim Kirby, of Litchfield, and began practicing his profession at Rome, New York. He spent the winter of 1803-4 at Washington, and there formed the acquaintance of men prom- inent in public life, among others being Aaron Burr. The following spring he deter- mined to remove to New Orleans, and left Washington with a letter of introduction from Burr to a gentleman in Louisiana. After starting, however, he changed his plans, and settled first at Vincennes, Indiana. From there he came a short time later to St. Louis. In 1805 he was appointed judge of the Territory of Louisiana, an appoint- ment which was procured for him by Burr, upon whom he evidently made a strong im- pression. Presuming upon the obligation which he had thus placed Easton under to himself, when Burr came to St. Louis in the fall of 1805 he broached to the young St. Louis jurist the subject of founding a south- western empire. He soon discovered, how- ever, that he had made a mistake, as Easton refused in a decided and spirited manner to become a participant in his scheming. As a result General Wilkinson, the friend and inti- mate of Burr, circulated charges of official corruption against him, and when his com- mission as Territorial judge expired he was not reappointed to that office. Repairing to Washington, he satisfied President Jefferson that the charges against him were unfounded, and was appointed United States attorney for this Territory. In 1805 a post office was es- tablished in St. Louis, and Judge Easton be- came first postmaster. In 1814 he was elected a delegate to Congress, and served four years in that capacity. When the State govern- ment of Missouri was organized he was ap- pointed Attorney General and held that office until 1826.
East Atchison .- A town in Buchanan County having 200 inhabitants and contain- ing two railroad stations, two general stores, a church, etc.
East Lynne .- A village in Cass County, on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway, and the Kansas City, Osceola & Southern Railway, six miles east of Harrisonville, the county seat. It has a school, four churches, lodges of Masons and United Workmen, a bank, a local newspaper, the "Star;" a flour- mill, an oilmill, a sawmill and numerous stores. In 1899 the population was 600. The town was platted October 24, 1871, by Daniel K. Hall and Noah M. Givan, and was incor- porated in 1883.
East Prairie. - A village commonly known as Hibbard, in St. James Township, Mississippi County, twelve miles southwest of Charleston. It was laid out in 1883. It has Methodist, Christian and Catholic Churches, a school, sawmill and lumber factory, a cot- ton gin and six general stores. Population 1899 (estimated) 200.
East Sedalia .- An addition to the city of Sedalia. It contains the freight depots, yard and shop properties of the Missouri Pa- cific, and the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Rail- ways, the Railway Hospital belonging to the latter company, a sawmill, lumber yards, and other business interests. There are two pub- lic schools and two churches. The popula- tion is about 3,000, and consists largely of railway employes. It was laid out by the Rev. E. T. Brown, who came to Sedalia in 1865, in the interests of the Baptist denomi- nation, and founded the First Baptist Church of which he was the first pastor. Conceiving the desirability of congregating the railway people where their religious, educational and social interests could be properly cared for, he laid off, as an addition to the city of Se- dalia, a farm tract of forty acres which he had previously purchased, selling lots to railroad men on most favorable terms, and in many instances advancing them money with which to build homes. His means were soon ex- hausted, and his wife opened their residence as a boarding house. All their savings be- yond their actual necessities were devoted to one great purpose dear to them both, the establishment of an East Sedalia Baptist Church, which was accomplished March 19, 1875, with eleven members, including them- selves, Mr. Brown being the pastor. Soon afterward, Elder Balcom conducted a revival which brought seventy-five accessions. That
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year a church edifice was erected, provided with a baptistry, organ and bell. The cost was $3,000, and except about $200 contrib- uted in material and labor, was provided by Mr. Brown and his wife. Ill health obliged the resignation of Mr. Brown in March, 1872, and he died June 9, following, leaving his widow and one son. The church is main- tained, with a large and active membership. A tablet set into the wall near the pulpit, bears a fervent memorial of the founder, donor and pastor.
Eaton, John A., physician, was born March 8, 1844, in Hopewell, Missouri, son of Jesse and Sarah (Wildman) Eaton, the first named a Virginian by birth, and the last named, who is still living, a native of Ten- nessee. Dr. Eaton's father was one of the famous band of gold hunters who left Mis- souri in 1849 for California, and he had many thrilling and interesting experiences in that connection. Reared in a rural community, the son obtained his education in country schools and fitted himself by private study for the profession in which he has since had an honorable and successful career. He attend- ed courses of lectures at Missouri Medical College in St. Louis and received his doctor's degree from that institution in 1876. He has since practiced continuously in Washington County, in which he has passed all the years of his life, and both as physician and man of affairs he has occupied an enviable position among his fellow citizens. In later years he has been interested also in the drug business and in agricultural pursuits, and is now the owner of a nice drug store in the town of Belgrade and of a fine farm in Washington County. During the Civil War he served for a short time in the Union Army as a mem- ber of the Thirty-first Regiment of Missouri Volunteer Infantry, commanded by Colonel (afterward Governor) Thomas C. Fletcher. For many years after the war Dr. Eaton was an independent voter, but in later years he has affiliated with the Democratic party po- litically. He is a member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, South, and has for many years taken active interest in church affairs. For twenty years or more he has been a member of the Masonic Order, and for three consecutive years he was Worshipful Master of Tyro Lodge, No. 12. He is also a member of the order of Knights of Pythias, and is
examining physician for the Aetna Life In- surance Company and has served in the same capacity for the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Order of Woodmen of the World. March 19, 1863, he married Miss Ol- lie Ramsey and has reared a worthy family of children. One of his sons, Burkett Eaton, is a well known railroad man, in the employ of the Iron Mountain Railway Company, and another, Dr. Jesse Eaton, of Irondale, Mis- souri, has served his county three terms in the General Assembly of Missouri.
Eclectic Medical University .- The Eclectic Medical University was incorporated and established in Kansas City, in 1898, with Dr. Theodore Doyle, president; Dr. S. F. Marclı, vice president; Dr. N. J. Carriker, secretary ; Dr. C. Palmer, treasurer, and Dr. Eli Swartz and Dr. Theodore Griffin. The first class numbered fifteen students, of whom six were females. The school grew out of the dissolution of the Missouri Eclectic Medical College, which graduated but one small class under the administration of Dr. W. F. Wil- kins, president; Dr. C. Palmer, vice presi- dent, and Dr. Charles Howard, secretary and treasurer. The present school was established in the Nelson building, and lost a portion of its equipment in a fire early in 1900. It was permanently established for the reception of male and female students for the term of 1900-I.
Eden Mission .- A Sunday school mis- sion, established by the German Methodist Episcopal Church, on the corner of New- house and Blair Avenues, St. Louis, in an old frame church building, purchased in 1893 from the Hyde Park Congregational Church and removed from the corner of Blair and Bremen Avenues to its present location. The mission Sunday school was fairly pros- perous for several years, but in 1898 its work had been temporarily suspended.
Eden Theological Seminary .- In the year 1840 six German Evangelical min- isters, prompted by a strong desire to bring the Gospel to their German brethren in America, founded a religious organization at Gravois, near St. Louis, Missouri, under the modest name of Deutscher Evangel- ischer Kirchenverein des Westens-now the "Deutsche Evangelische Synode von Nord
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Amerika." The large number of German Evangelical immigrants that settled in the western part of this country plainly showed the necessity of establishing the German Evangelical Church in the Western Hem- isphere. In order to obtain the requisite number of able men for this important and promising work a theological institution was deemed indispensable. The founding of such an institution was, however, a most difficult task, inasmuch as the promoters of this re- ligious cause were strangers and without the necessary means; and what help could be expected from poor German settlers, who lived in little log cabins, and by the sweat of their brow were converting the dense for- ests into fertile farms? But the Christian faith was their stronghold, and trusting in God, they undertook the work of erecting the "Missouri Theological Seminary." The first donations gathered for this work were, in- deed, small, but the enthusiasm with which they were given showed the expediency of the enterprise. A tract of land, not fertile, but containing all the necessary material for building purposes, was presented by a neigh- boring farmer. This property is situated in Warren County, between the villages of Marthasville and Femme Osage, in a most picturesque valley, and remote from the din and noise of busy city life. The nearest railroad station was, at that time, St. Louis, a distance of about fifty-four miles. The ox- cart served for many years as the chief means of transportation. July 4, 1849, the corner- stone of the Missouri Evangelical Seminary was laid. The ceremonies were simple, but very impressive. It was the first time that songs of praise and thanksgiving resounded through those primeval forests. In 1850 the attractive, massive stone building was com- pleted and the first president, Rev. P. Binner, with three students, entered upon the work. Soon after a second building was put up and used for a printing establishment. Mr. Rich- ard Bigelow, of New York, donated $500 for this building; furthermore, he presented a handpress and types, valued at $300. This was done for the purpose of enabling the col- lege to print the "Friedensbote," the organ of the German Evangelical Church. After six years a third building was erected during the summer vacation by the students them- selves, under the supervision of Professor A. Irion. This building contained a spacious
class room and dormitory. In 1858 the larg- est of all the buildings was completed and opened as a college for boys. This prepar- atory department was in a flourishing condition during the first years of its exist- ence, but unfortunately had to be closed on account of the Civil War. The contributions for all these buildings were received not only from members of the German church, but also from American friends. One of the first donations was made by an American lady, saying: "I want to have a nail in every good work." Mr. Richard Bigelow gave, be- sides the above mentioned contributions, many others at various times. Other Ameri- can friends also manifested a generous in- terest in this work. An eastern organization for the support of educational schools as- sisted the college for a number of years in the most liberal way. Rev. Dr. Baldwin, of New York, was commissioned to visit the college and reported the following: "The most cheerful sacrifices of the directors and friends of the institution have not been sur- passed by the efforts of the Puritans of New England, when these began their important work of establishing educational schools."
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