USA > Missouri > Encyclopedia of the history of Missouri, a compendium of history and biography for ready reference, Vol. II > Part 64
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102
As the attendance of the Missouri Sem- inary continued to grow steadily, the accom- modations became inadequate. On account of the isolated location and the inconveni- ences resulting from this, it was not thought prudent to make any further improvements at this place. Thus, in 1883, the college was moved to St. Charles Rock Road and Hunt Avenue, on the outskirts of St. Louis. Here the spacious Eden College was erected on a tract of land, covering nineteen acres of ground. The corner stone was laid April 8, 1883, and the dedication of the new build- ing took place October 28, 1883. The growth of the German Evangelical Church and of the college during the thirty-three years of its existence was evinced on this festive occa- sion by the presence of thousands of sympa- thizing friends from all parts of the Union. The college, surrounded by a beautiful park, is a handsome three-story brick building- not including basement and attic-with a front of 168 feet, and a tower ninety-six feet high. The number of graduates up to 1895 has been over 600. The course is a strictly theological one and comprises three years for such as have had the required amount of preparatory work. Until recently instruc-
-
349
EDGAR.
tions have been given in the German lan- guage, but because of the increasing demand for English-speaking ministers, great atten- tion is now being paid to the study of English. The following presidents have presided over the college : Rev. P. Binner, Rev. A. Irion, Rev. J. Bank, Rev. E. Otto and Rev. L. Haeberle.
The fiftieth anniversary of the college, cele- brated in 1900, afforded proof of the loving kindness with which God has looked down upon the institution, erected for the purpose of glorifying His name.
LOUIS HAEBERLE.
Edgar, Charles Bloomfield, clergy- man and journalist, was born April 2, 1847, at St. Louis, Missouri. His parents were Joseph Crowell and Lucy Watson (Dorey) Edgar, both natives of New Jersey. The father removed to St. Louis in 1835 and be- came well and favorably known as an archi- tect. He died in 1893. His two brothers were well known in that city, Timothy B. as a banker and manufacturer, and William S. as a physician and editor of the St. Louis "Med- ical and Surgical Journal." The mother was a daughter of John Dorey, a native of Eng- land, who established the first brewery in St, Louis. The son is sixth in descent from David Edgar, laird of Keithoch, near Brechen, Forfarshire, Scotland, the head of which family now is Sir James Edgar, present speaker of the Canadian Parliament. The Edgar family of Scotland became widely dispersed on account of their activity as par- tisans of the Stuarts, three brothers being in the service of the pretender, one of them as his personal secretary. The son of David Edgar, Thomas, from whom Charles B. is descended, emigrated to America in 1715, settling in Rahway, New Jersey. The paternal grandmother of Charles B. was a Crowell, and a descendant of the Bloomfield and Fitz Randolph families of New Jersey. Charles B. Edgar received his rudimentary instructions in the public schools of St. Louis and completed his education with classical and theological courses in the West- ern Union College and the University of Kentucky, at Lexington. In 1864, being too young to enter the military service, he joined his uncle, Dr. William S. Edgar, then medi- cal director in charge of the United States Army Hospital at Cairo, Illinois, and entered
upon duty as a clerk in the quartermaster's department, under Captain Woolfolk, and served in that capacity until the close of the war. For a time afterward he was engaged as a clerk in the National Loan Bank, of St. Louis. Later, his convictions of duty im- pelled him to enter the Gospel ministry. He had been reared an Episcopalian, but the doctrines and practices of the church were not satisfying to him and he connected him- self with the Disciples, and, after suitable preparation, was licensed as a preacher, occu- pying, in turn, pulpits in Lexington and Han- nibal, Missouri, in Cynthiana, Kentucky, and in Brooklyn, New York. During most of the time in which he was performing ministerial labor, he was also engaged in newspaper work. While at Hannibal he con- ducted a weekly secular journal and at other times he was a correspondent or a leader writer. Removing to St. Joseph in 1894, he became president of the Daily News Publish- ing Company, and editor of the paper, and ceased preaching entirely. In this arduous work he gave evidence of masterly ability, in a business way as well as an editor and writer. When he took charge of the "News" it was inconsequential in influence and of lit- tle value as property. Under his management it has become one of the most influential and most widely known newspapers in Missouri, and its circulation has been increased to almost 17,000. Mr. Edgar regards journal- ism as pre-eminently the calling for which he is adapted, and public opinion confirms his judgment. He seeks to make his paper a public expression of the truth, as his con- science presents it to him, for the sake of truth setting aside partisanship in politics as he does in religion. While a Democrat, and usually acting with that party, he does not always follow where the party organization would lead. In 1896 he allied himself with the gold Democrats, and was chairman of the delegation from his district to the St. Louis convention of gold Democrats which nom- inated a State ticket. Deriving his right from the services of four of his ancestors in the War for Independence, he is a member of the Society of the Sons of the Revolution, and one of the State officers of that body. He also holds membership in the Benton Club and the Country Club, of St. Joseph. Mr. Edgar was married, in 1882, to Miss Aurora, daughter of Judge William B.
350
EDGAR-EDGELL.
Drescher, of Hannibal, Missouri, one of the most prominent of the old settlers of Marion County, who served in General Doniphan's command during the Mexican War, and is now presiding judge of the Marion County Court. Mr. and Mrs. Edgar are the parents of two children, both of whom are living: Helen, born in 1883, and Joseph Charles, born in 1889.
Edgar, William R., lawyer and bank- er, was born September 17, 1851, in Cedar County, Iowa, son of William R. and Rebecca (Tichenor) Edgar, the first named of whom was born in Rahway, New Jersey, and the last named in Warren County, Ohio. The family to which Mr. Edgar belongs is one of the old families of New Jersey and was founded there in 1715, when Thomas Edgar, son of David Edgar, of Scotland, purchased an estate and established his home in what later became the State of New Jersey. Both the grandfather and great-grandfather of William R. Edgar served in the American Army during the War of the Revolution, and both died in New Jersey. The father of the subject of this sketch removed from there to Ohio in his young manhood, and in that State married Rebecca G. Tichenor, who was reared at Lebanon, the home of the famous Whig statesman, Thomas Corwin. Soon after his marriage, and in the year 1835, he removed to Iowa, and he and his wife were among the pioneer settlers in that State. They continued to reside in Iowa until after the Civil War, when they removed to Mis- souri, establishing their home near Ironton, in Iron County, in 1866. The father died there, in 1879, at the age of seventy-five years, his wife having died some years earlier. William R. Edgar, the son, obtained his rudi- mentary education in the public schools of Iowa, and later was graduated from Arcadia College in Iron County, Missouri. He then entered the St. Louis Law School, at St. Louis, and received the degree of bachelor of laws from that institution in 1875. For four years thereafter he was engaged in teaching school, and during the last year of his em- ployment as a teacher he was principal of the Ironton public schools. He was elected pros- ecuting attorney of Iron County in the autumn of 1878 and entered upon the dis- charge of his duties in that connection Jan- uary Ist, following. He filled the office of
prosecuting attorney ably and faithfully until 1885, when he was appointed receiver of the land office at Ironton by President Cleveland. For four and a half years thereafter he dis- charged the duties of this office, and in 1893 was again elected prosecuting attorney, which position he still fills. While giving close attention to his professional duties and gaining prominence at the bar, he also be- came interested in financial enterprises, and in 1896, when the Iron County Bank was or- ganized, he was made vice president of that institution. In 1897 he was made president of this bank, and still fills the position, being recognized as a capable financier of unques- tioned integrity. In 1894 he was elected mayor of Ironton, notwithstanding the fact that the Republican voters of that city are in the majority and he a Democrat of the most orthodox kind. Since his young man- hood he has taken an active interest in poli- tics, participating in all State and national campaigns, and contributing his full share at all times to the success of his party. His religious affiliations are with the Presby- terian Church, and he is a member of the Masonic order, in which he has taken the Royal Arch degree. October 5, 1888, Mr. Edgar married Miss Pressia S. Whitworth, daughter of Isaac G. Whitworth, of Ironton. Their children are Maude W., Wm. R., Jr., James D., Mary C. and Robert Lee Edgar.
Edgell, Stephen Madison, merchant, was born in Westminster, Vermont, July 14, 1810, third son of Abel and Susanna (Holden) Edgell. His father was born in Westminster, Massachusetts, and was the son of John Egdell, a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and one of the earlier settlers and pro- prietors of the Massachusetts town of West- minster. The founder of the family in Amer- ica was William Edgell, who came from Somersetshire, England, to America about 1650, and lived thereafter, until his death, at Woburn and Lexington, Massachusetts. The wife of the immigrant ancestor of the family was born Elizabeth Norman, of Marblehead, Massachusetts, who was descended from the Mavericks and Normans of the Massachu- setts Bay Colony. Stephen M. Edgell was reared on a farm and obtained his early edu- cation in the common schools of his native town. Disinclined to follow farming as a vocation, he left home when he was fourteen
351
EDGELL.
years of age, and for two years thereafter clerked in a country store, receiving for his services a salary of $100 a year. With the money thus earned he maintained himself while attending school during the following year, and when eighteen years old he went to Sherbrook, Canada, where he engaged in the dry goods business on a small scale on his own account. Successful in this venture, he remained at Sherbrook six years and accumu- lated a considerable amount of working cap- ital. Disposing of his interests there in 1834, he came west, intending to engage in mer- chandising in Chicago, then a frontier town which had just been laid out, and which was attracting much attention in the East. About the time he reached Chicago a wave of real estate speculation was sweeping over the West, and Chicago soon became the center of the excitement. Mr. Edgell caught the prevailing contagion, and, as a result, in- vested his means in real estate in and adjacent to Chicago. A period of great business de- pression, inaugurated by the financial panic of 1837, followed this era of speculation, and, as a result, his Chicago property slipped away from him, and investments which would have yielded him rich returns a few years later proved worthless when forced upon a broken market. After this unsatisfactory experience he found employment with the firm of George Smith & Co., a noted pioneer business house of Chicago, and his duties bringing him occasionally to St. Louis, he became much impressed with the substantial character of the city and the promising out- look for its future growth and prosperity. In consequence of this favorable impression, he removed to St. Louis in 1838, and for some time thereafter was resident manager of the business of George Smith & Co. In 1842 he established a commission and forwarding house in New Orleans, and the following year engaged in the same business in St. Louis. Thus was established the prosperous and enterprising business house of S. M. Egdell & Co., widely known throughout the West and Southwest during a period of thir- ty-six years, which commanded a large and profitable patronage, and the highest esteem of its patrons and contemporaries. While at the head of this business, from which he retired in 1879 on account of failing health, Mr. Egdell was also identified with many other enterprises and held various positions
of honor, trust and responsiblity. He was president of the Missouri State Mutual In- surance Company and of the Exchange Bank during a portion of his business career in St. Louis, and the high standing and pros- perous condition of these institutions testified® to the faithfulness and ability with which he administered their affairs. Interested, in the broadest sense, in the development of the city and State, he encouraged every movement designed to contribute thereto. He was interested to a considerable extent as a stock- holder in the Kansas Pacific Railroad Com- pany, and was a director of that corporation up to the time of its consolidation with the Union Pacific Railroad Company. Plain and unassuming in manner, he had a vigorous mentality and great force of character. His friendships were sincere, and his devotion to his home and family endeared him to a re- markable degree to those most intimately associated with him. During the Civil War lie was a staunch and uncompromising friend of the Union, and on every occasion and in all the affairs of life his actions were governed by his convictions. A Christian gentleman, he united early in life with the First Congre- gational Church of St. Louis, and continued his membership until, in 1866 or 1867, largely as a result of his efforts, Pilgrim Con- gregational Church was organized. Becom- ing a member of the last named church at its inception, he was essentially one of the pillars of the church until the end of his life, having contributed many thousands of dollars to its upbuilding, and through his judicious coun- sels and connection with the conduct of its business affairs, having aided to an even greater extent in the construction of an ideal church edifice, owned by a society having more than 800 members, and free from in- debtedness. A donation of $10,000, which he made to the Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation, enabled that worthy organization to purchase the property at the corner of Eighteenth and Locust Streets, which it after- ward sold at a handsome advance, materially strengthening its resources. The New West Education Society and Drury College were also recipients of his benefactions. In a thousand ways, unknown to the public, he contributed also to the betterment of the community, and when he died, in 1883, the feeling that a good and useful citizen had passed away pervaded all circles. He mar-
352
EDGERTON-EDWARDS.
ried Louisa Chamberlain, of Lyndon, Ver- mont, in 1842, and of four children born to them two were living in 1897. These were George S. Egdell, of New York City, and Mrs. Mary C. Jocelyn, wife of Major S. P. Jocelyn, of the United States Army.
Edgerton .- A city of the fourth class, of 600 inhabitants, on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, in Preston Township, Platte County, thirteen miles northeast of Platte City, the county seat. It was selected for a railroad station in 1871 and laid off. On the Ist of June of that year, the first sale of lots was made. In 1883 it was incor- porated as a village, with Biggerstaff, Clark, Feagan, McPhetridge and Moore as trustees. February 2, 1891, it was organized as a city of the fourth class with Jesse Barnard as mayor. It contains three churches-Chris- tion, Methodist Episcopal, and Methodist Episcopal South-a Democratic newspaper, the "Journal," several stores and the Bank of Edgerton with a capital and surplus of $10,450, and deposits of $57,140.
Edina .- The judicial seat of Knox Coun- ty, a city of the fourth class, on the Omaha, Kansas City & Eastern Railway, forty-seven miles west of Quincy, Illinois. It was laid out in 1839 by William Smallwood and Stephen Carnegy and became the county seat in 1845. It was incorporated December 18, 1851. The city is nicely situated, compactly built, with well graded and shaded streets, which are kept in excellent condition. It has an electric light plant, a telephone system, a good public school and school for colored children, a Catholic school, St. Joseph's Academy, five churches, Catholic, Methodist Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal South, Chris- tian, Presbyterian and Baptist (colored). The Catholic Church is a beautiful edifice, built at a cost of about $80,000. The busi- ness interests of the town are represented by three banks, three hotels, flouring mill, to- bacco factory, three cigar factories, two wagon factories, one brick manufacturing plant, three newspapers, the "Democrat," the "Register" and the "Sentinel," the first two Democratic and the last named Republican in politics. There are about thirty miscella- neous stores and shops, all of which have a good trade. The different leading fraternal orders have lodges in the city. Population, 1899 (estimated), 1,800.
Edinburgh .- An incorporated village in Grundy County, four miles west of Tren- ton. It has a good graded school, six stores, a religious paper, "Light and Truth," and a few miscellaneous shops. It is the seat of Grand River College, established in 1854, and now called Grand River Christian Union College. Population, 1899 (estimated), 200.
Edmunds, Henry Littleton, lawyer and jurist, was born April 2, 1853, at Birchland, Halifax County, Virginia, son of Sterling E. and Mary J. (Claiborne) Ed- munds. He was fitted for college at Bellevue High School and then finished his academic studies at the University of Virginia, from which institution he was graduated. In 1874 he came to St. Louis, and since then he has practiced law in that city, except while serv- ing on the bench. In 1892 he was elected judge of the St. Louis Criminal Court, and held that office until 1897, winning the com- mendation of the bar and of the public by his businesslike conduct of the affairs of the court and the ability and conscientiousness with which he discharged his judicial duties. In 1898 he was the nominee of the Demo- cratic party, with which he has always af- filiated politically, for a circuit judgeship, but was defeated, the Republicans electing their ticket by substantial majorities at the ensuing election. As a practitioner he has been emi- nently successful, and is ranked among the able, scholarly and high-minded lawyers of St. Louis. He is a member of the Presby- terian Church, and belongs to the Second Church of that denomination in that city. In fraternal circles he is known as a mem- ber of the Masonic order and of the order of Knights of Pythias. June 10, 1895, Judge- Edmunds married Miss Almy Breckinridge, daughter of the late Judge Samuel M. Breck- inridge, of St. Louis.
Edwards, Albert Gallatin, long a. resident of St. Louis and a man who achieved distinction both as soldier and civilian, was born in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1812, son of the pioneer jurist and statesman, Governor Ninian Edwards, who was chief justice of Kentucky when he was thirty-one years of age, first and only Governor of the Territory of Illinois, one of the first United States Sen- ators elected from that State, and Governor of the State from 1826 to 1830. Albert Galla --
353
EDWARDS.
tin Edwards was educated at West Point Military Academy, and after his graduation from that institution was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in a cavalry regiment, waiving his right to a furlough, to participate in the Black Hawk War, in 1832. For ten years thereafter he was in active service in the army, participating in various campaigns against the Indians, and spending a large portion of that time on the frontier. At the end of this ten years of army service he re- signed his commission and returned to civil life, hecoming connected with the old-time wholesale house of William L. Ewing & Co., of St. Louis. He was engaged in business in that city at the outbreak of the Civil War, and at once tendered his services to the Gov- ernment in defense of the Union. Governor Hamilton R. Gamble commissioned him Brigadier General of State troops and placed him in command of St. Louis. In this ca- pacity he rendered important services to the State and to the Federal Government, and throughout the war he was one of the active and zealous Unionists whose action and in- fluence contributed so largely to the success of the Federal arms in the West. During a portion of Governor Gamble's administra- tion he served as bank examiner of Mis- souri, and shortly after President Lincoln's second inauguration he was appointed United States Treasurer in charge of the subtreas- ury at St. Louis. His sterling integrity and his capability as a financier admirably fit- ted him for this office, and he continued to hold it under all administrations until the Republican party was deposed from power by the election of President Cleveland. He was succeeded by a Democrat under President Cleveland's administration, and after his re- tirement from office organized the firm of A. G. Edwards & Son, stock and bond brok- ers, composed of General Edwards and his eldest son, Benjamin F. Edwards. Later George L. Edwards, a younger son, was ad- mitted to the firm, which is now known as the A. G. Edwards' Sons Brokerage Company, the sons having succeeded to the business established by their father. General Edwards remained at the head of the firm until his death, which occurred April 19, 1892, and as a business man he was no less esteemed than as a public official. From boyhood to old age his life was full of interesting incident, and the condition in life to which he was
born, coupled with his own distinguished services as a soldier and public official, brought him into intimate relations with many of the most prominent men of his time. During his term of service in the United States Army he was an officer in the same regiment with Jefferson Davis, afterward President of the Confederate States govern- ment, and in subsequent years he enjoyed the intimate friendship of many men equally dis- tinguished in public life. In St. Louis, where he was best known, he was both honored and loved by his fellow-citizens. His wife, who, before her marriage was Miss Mary E. Jenckes, survived her husband several years, dying in 1897.
Edwards, John, lawyer and poet, was one of the most prominent and thoroughly finished men of his day, and death overtook him in 1888, just as he was gaining a repu- tation as a man of rare literary ability, in ad- dition to the name he had already estab- lished as an attorney of extraordinary pow- ers. Mr. Edwards was born December 8, 1836, at Valley Forge, Chester County, Penn- sylvania. His parents were Robert and Eliza- beth (Conard) Edwards. John traced his an- cestry on his mother's side as far back as 1682, at which time Dennis Kunder arrived from Germany with the first company of re- ligious settlers, who fixed their residence at Germantown, now Philadelphia. At Kun- der's stone mansion, probably the largest at that time in the locality where it was erected, the Society of Friends, of which he was a member, held its first meeting during the year of his arrival in this country. The name "Kunder" was anglicized to "Cunrad," then to "Conrad," and lastly to "Conard." The great-grandfather of John Edwards, on the maternal side, was Cornelius Conard. His son, Everard Conard, settled near Doyles- town, Pennsylvania. The son of Everard, whose name was Cornelins, lived in Chester County, Pennsylvania. His daughter was Elizabeth Conard, the mother of John Ed- wards. In 1837 the parents of John removed to Highland County, Ohio, and settled near Leesburg. Robert Edwards, the father of John, was of Welsh descent, his ancestors having been among the first immigrants who settled in Berks County, Pennsylvania. In 1856 John attended an academy at South Salem, Ohio. In September, 1858, he entered
Vol. II-23
354
EDWARDS.
the Freshman class of Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio, and took up the studies of the classical course. He was graduated July 3, 1862, receiving the highest honors of his class for scholarship. During his attendance at the University he was under the tutorship of Pro- fessor David Swing, the late distinguished scholar and divine of Chicago, Illinois. John received his class honors, was elected poet laureate and delivered the valedictory. After graduating from college he was elected, in the fall of 1862, superintendent of the public schools at Hillsborough, Ohio. He resigned this position in 1864. In the month of Sep- tember, that year, he was elected superin- tendent of the schools at Hamilton, Ohio, . where he remained until 1867. July 5. 1865, the degree of master of arts was conferred upon him by Miami University. While resid- ing in Hamilton, Mr. Edwards studied law under the Honorable Robert Christy, later United States district attorney at Cincinnati. He was admitted to the bar at Hamilton in 1867. In the fall of that year he began the practice of law at Hillsborough, Ohio. In August, 1868, he removed to Maryville, Mis- souri, where he was superintendent of the public schools during the years 1868 and 1869. In July, 1869, he entered into a part- nership with Lafayette Dawson for the prac- tice of law. This was dissolved by mutual consent January 1, 1877. In the fall of 1876, Mr. Edwards was elected prosecuting attor- ney of Nodaway County and filled that po- sition until January 1, 1879. On the first day of the preceding year he formed a part- nership with W. W. Ramsay for the prac- tice of law at Maryville. They were together for a number of years. In the summer of 1885 he formed a partnership with W. C. El- lison, of Maryville, and they were associated up to the time of Mr. Edwards' death, three years later. Mr. Edwards was married Feb- ruary 12, 1864, to Mrs. Elizabeth A. Hays. She was born in Dallas County, Alabama, in 1839, and was a daughter of Colonel James B. Diggs, of New Orleans, who commanded a regiment under General Jackson in the memorable battle of January 8, 1815.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.