History of Boone County, Missouri., Part 71

Author:
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: St. Louis, Western Historical Company
Number of Pages: 1220

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ACHILLES F. SNEED, M. D.,

Is the son of Landon C. and Elizabeth (Gibson ) Sneed, both of whom were natives of Franklin county, Kentucky, where the subject of this sketch was also born, December 20, 1827. In his boyhood days, Dr. Sneed lived on a farm, and of course the first work he ever did was of an agricultural nature. He grew up in his native county, receiving the elementary part of his education in the subscription schools of that period. In 1851 he began the study of medicine, and the same year entered Louisville University, from which insti- tution he graduated in 1853. The following fall he moved to Boone county, Missouri, and located eight miles south of Centralia, where he began the practice of his profession. He continued in that neigh- borhood till 1860, when he went to Centralia, being the first regular physician to locate at that place. Himself and brother are the only citizens now living in the town who were there when he moved there. Dr. Sneed has always enjoyed a lucrative practice in his profession, and, better still, has always gained and retained the esteem and con- fidence of the people. He has been a Free Mason for nearly a quarter of a century and a member of the Baptist church since 1854. In the last named year he was married to Miss L. Blanton, daughter of Rev. William Blanton, of Franklin county, Kentucky. Eight chil- dren have been born of this union, four of whom still survive : Eliza- beth, wife of Dr. Wallace, of Centralia ; Henry Landon ; Lewis W. ;

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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.

and Cora V. Dr. Sneed still continues to do a fine practice and is one of the leading citizens of Centralia.

HENRY CLAY THRELKELD.

The subject of this sketch was born in Boone county, October 31, 1844. Was educated at public schools. Lived in Columbia township till March 4, 1866, when he came to Centralia. Had but twenty-five cents in his pocket the day he landed in town. Went to work on the railroad and afterwards drove a team. He next engaged in the gro- cery business, afterwards in general merchandising. Followed this business for nine years. Then went into the hotel business, which he followed for three or four years. Quitting the hotel, he went back to the grocery business, afterwards selling out to E. M. Anderson. He then became one of the incorporators and directors of the Centralia bank. Mr. Threlkeld has been trustee of Centralia for many years. Has been twice married. His first wife was Mary Enochs, of Renick, Missouri. Was married May 11, 1870. The first wife having died January 23, 1871, he married Miss Mattie Porter, a native of Belle- ville, Canada. They have two children. Mrs. Threlkeld is a mem- ber of the Methodist church. Mr. Threlkeld is a Mason.

THOMAS TURNER

Was born at the fort at Old Franklin, Howard county, April 15, 1817. He is a son of Smith and Nancy Turner, who were natives of North Carolina, but settled in Kentucky at an early day. In 1816 they removed to Howard county, Missouri, and three years later came to Boone, locating in what is now the neighborhood of the old Rock- ford church, and becoming one among the pioneers of the county. Here Thomas Turner grew to manhood, receiving his education at the schools of his neighborhood, then not of a very high order. His education, so far as book-learning is considered, was therefore some- what limited, but in the school of experience he took a full course. In 1839 Mr. Turner entered eighty acres of land south of Centralia, on the line of Boone and Audrain counties. Here he has since lived, having added largely to his original tract, until his farm now com- prises 721 acres of choice land, and is one of the best stock farms in the country. Mr. T. has uniformly engaged in farming and stock- raising, in which pursuits he has been fairly successful. In 1882 Mr. Turner removed to Centralia, where he has a fine residence and is very comfortably situated. His son manages his fine farm. September 27,

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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.

1838, Mr. Turner married Miss Eleanor Turner, daughter of Thomas and Peggy (Dunham) Turner, natives of Kentucky, and among the early settlers of this county. The subject of this sketch and his wife are the parents of two children, William S. and Mary B. M. Turner. While not a wealthy man, as the term is understood, he enjoys a compe- tence of this world's goods, the product of his own industry, energy and management. No man stands higher in his community. His word is as good as his bond. His friends are numbered by legions, and he deserves every one of them.

WILLIAM N. WHITE,

Is the son of John O. White and his wife, Jemima (nee Conley ) White, and was born in this county, on the 2d day of July, 1847. His parents were both natives of Kentucky, but moved out to Boone county at an early day. Mr. White's paternal grandfather was a soldier in the war of 1812. William N. was reared on a farm till he was eighteen years old, and then accepted a clerkship in the store of Conley, Strong & Co., at Columbia, and was with them and their suc- cessors for twelve years. He then went into business as a partner in the firm of White, Barron & Co., at Columbia, also having a branch house at Centralia. In 1881 they consolidated at Centralia, where they do a leading business in their line, carrying a stock of some $50,000 annually. May 1, 1873, Mr. White married Miss Cornelia Shannon, daughter of the Rev. James Shannon, of Jefferson City, Missouri, an eminent divine in the Christian church, and for several years president of the State University. Mrs. White's mother, whose maiden name was Moore, was born in Georgia. Mr. and Mrs. White are the parents of three children, two of whom - John Shannon and Jemima - still survive. Mr. White has been a member of the Chris- tian church since he was fifteen years of age, and is also a member of the Masonic fraternity and a Knight of Honor. He accumulated what he has chiefly through his own exertions, and is a fine business man and a worthy citizen.

ROBERT HARRIS WILHITE.

Robert Harris Wilhite is the son of Smith Wilhite, a native of Boone county, and was born October 7th, 1855. He was raised on the farm and educated at the common schools of the neighborhood. In 1875 he commenced business for himself at Austin, Texas. Re- turning to Missouri, a few years later, he opened a furniture and un-

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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.

dertaker's store at Centralia, which he continued until July, 1881, when he went into the boot and shoe trade. In 1882 took T. H. Barnes in partnership. In religion, Mr. Wilhite is a member of the Baptist church. He is a young man of energy and firmness, and is fast build- ing up for himself a reliable and paying business.

JAMES D. WYATT.

The subject of this sketch was born in Fleming county, Kentucky, April 30th, 1830. His parents, Micajah and Mary (Drennen ) Wyatt, were both natives of Kentucky, and both his paternal and maternal grandfathers served as soldiers in the Revolution. James D. was reared on a farm and received his education in the county of his birth, finishing his course at Flemingsburg Academy. After quitting school he began teaching, and continued in that calling till 1852, when he began merchandising at Flemingsburg. In 1855 he went to St. Joseph, Missouri, and there read law under his brother, Judge Wyatt, who was then judge of the probate court in that city. Mr. Wyatt, however, never entered the practice, but giving up the law, went to Barry, Clay county, Missouri, and again began merchandising. He returned to St. Joe in '63, and for four years filled the position as salesman in a business house there. Again entering the mercantile field, he operated till 1869, when he sold out and moved to Centralia, where he carried on the mercantile business till the year of the National Centennial. He then retired from that line, and since then has been practicing law and operating as a collector. He has served as postmaster, and was also mayor of Centralia. Mr. Wyatt was married in 1858 to Miss Bettie Givens, daughter of Albert and Sallie Givens, of Clay county, this State, formerly of Kentucky. Three children were born of this union, only two of whom are living at this writing. Mr. Wyatt has been a member of the Christian church for over twenty years, and since 1869 has been an elder therein. He has also been a member of the Masonic fraternity for ten years, and in every way a trustworthy and exemplary citizen.

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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.

CHAPTER XVIII.

COLUMBIA TOWNSHIP.

Topography - Fine Farms - Early Settlers and Settlements - Pioneer Life - The First Mills - Killed by a Tree-A Pioneer Burial - Old Boonsborough - Organization - First Officers - Brown's Station - The Coal Mines - Horrible Mine Disaster - Mills - Killing of Major Cave - Country Churches- Grange - Biographies of Old Settlers and Prominent Citizens.

TOPOGRAPHY.

The greater portion of the land in Columbia is of a rolling char- acter, and in many parts it is rough and hilly. Along the Hinkson and the other streams, the soil is very stony. Some very fine and picturesque bluffs are to be seen along the Hinkson, and there is some magnificent scenery of this character on the Cedars.

In the eastern part of the township is the famed Two-mile prairie, a body of prairie land some miles in extent from north to south, and of about an average width of two miles, from which circumstance it takes its name. There are a few other tracts of prairie in the town- ship.

Cedar and Little Cedar creeks in the eastern part, the Hinkson in the center, and numerous branches of Bonne Femme in the western part of the township, besides numberless springs, furnish abundant water. Stone of the best quality can be had in abundance. Coal abounds in the north and is mined very successfully. There are natural exposures of this mineral in other parts of the township.

FINE FARMS.

Some of the finest farms in the State of Missouri, or in the West, are to be found in Columbia township. On them are to be found not only fertile fields but fruitful orchards, pleasant pastures, lovely lawns, and handsome, commodious and elegant residences. Some of the farm- houses in the township present the appearance of the mansion of an English landlord, and the estates are in the highest state of cultiva- tion and improvement. The farms on the Two-mile prairie have an extended reputation, but a majority of the timber farms produce on an average fully as well, albeit a great deal of the soil in the timber is so poor as to be practically worthless for the purposes of ordinary cultivation.

735

HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.

EARLY SETTLERS.

It will not be expected by the readers of this volume that the names of all of the first settlers of this township can now be correctly given in their proper order and arrangement, with the details and date of their settlement accurately set forth. The best has been done to meet public expectation in the historical sketch of not only this township, but of every other in the county, and it is hoped that the result will be fairly satisfactory.

It is known that among the first white men who came to the country now comprised within Columbia township were old Robert Hinkson, whose cabin stood near where the St. Charles road crossed the creek that afterward bore and now bears his name. Near Hinkson came Thos. and John Kennon, Dennis Callahan, James W. Fowler, Samuel Johnson, Robert Houston and Joseph Persinger, the latter the famous old hunter and pioneer, who was reared by the Indians. Peyton Mahan settled two miles north of Columbia in 1824.

Mr. Ed. Stephens, in his historical sketch in the Boone County Atlas, in 1875, says that in the early days land cost the settlers from two to six dollars per acre. During the years 1816, 1817 and 1818, the land in Boone county was surveyed into ranges, townships and "sections, under William Rector, surveyor-general, and Angus L. Langham, William L. May and John C. Sullivan, deputies.

A description of these early pioneers, their habits of life, traits of character and experiences would be of great interest did space permit, or were the facts wholly known. That they possessed, energy, in- tegrity, industry and dauntless courage is a familiar fact to those who have the honor to claim them as ancestry. Children of revo- lutionary heroes, the best blood of Virginia and Kentucky, brave, determined and nurtured in the noblest precepts of Christianity, they were embodiments of manhood that would have honored any country.

The homes of these pioneers were simple but comfortable. Log cabins daubed with mud and covered with boards, secured to the roof by poles, laid lengthwise, nails being too expensive -the whole usually built by the occupant - comprised a majority of their abodes. The floors of many of these cabins were dirt, while the chimneys were of wood, stone rarely being used at all. Farms ranged in size from ten to thirty acres. A farmer, though entering a thousand acres, would generally only cultivate fifteen or twenty acres in corn, perhaps

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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.

one in hemp or flax, and some little tobacco and a few acres of cotton. Cotton gins were common and were better patronized than carding machines.

Corn sold at twenty cents a bushel, pork brought a cent a pound, and whisky from twenty to twenty-five cents a gallon. Horses brought from twenty to forty dollars, and a cow was by no means a bargain at nine dollars. An estate worth five hundred dollars was a good com- petence, and one thousand was rich ; wants were few and the necessa- ries of life cheap.

Men were imprisoned for debt, a barbarism that has happily yielded to our advancing civilization. The " whipping post," another cruelty, has likewise passed away. The people of those times were eminently social. " Shooting matches," " log rollings," frolics of nearly every conceivable nature were in vogue, and everybody would go; some would get drunk ; all would have a good time. Patriotism was at fever heat, and the people had still the mania for the " military " created by the revolution. Musters were of constant occurrence, which would be attended by a vast concourse, and Fourth of July and General Jackson celebrations aroused an enthusiasm that knew no bounds.

THE FIRST MILLS.

The first mill in the township was a horse mill brought in a wagon from Virginia by William Wright, in the year 1816. It was set up on the northeast quarter of section 13, township 49, range 12, and was run for a great many years. Mr. Wright was one of the first settlers of Boone county. Richard Cave's mill was on the farm now owned by Capt. David Guitar. It was put up about 1821 or 1822, and was a horse mill. The Fulkerson mill stood on the Hinkson, in Missouri township, and was built in 1819.

KILLED BY A FALLING TREE.

In 1825 a little nine-year-old boy named William R. Wright, whose parents lived in this township, was killed at a point in Missouri town- ship, on what is now known as the Hume farm. He was buried where is now a garden, on the farm of Sidney Hume. The Indians had set the woods on fire and the boy, with his father and some others of the settlers, was out fighting the flames, and a burning tree fell on him and killed him instantly. The tragic incident was long remem- bered by those who lived in the county at the time.

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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.

A PIONEER BURIAL.

In 1820 a young man whose name cannot be recalled sickened and died at the home of Isom Winnegan, three miles northwest of Colum- bia and was buried in a very singular manner, and his grave is yet to be seen on the old James King farm. At that early day there were no professional undertakers in the country and very scanty means of making coffins. Having no planks out of which to construct a coffin and determined that the young man should not be simply interred in his clothes it was agreed by some of the neighbors - Newberry Stock- ton, William and Alex. Douglass and Arch Mayo - that they would aid Mat Douglass, a negro man belonging to William Douglass, in cutting down a large walnut tree, splitting it and making two troughs of sufficient capacity when joined together to contain the body. The purpose was accomplished and the young man buried in this rude coffin.

OLD BOONESBOROUGH.

About the year 1836, a Mr. Woods laid off a town on section 3, township 48, range 11, on the east end of the township line, adjoin- ing Callaway county, which he called Boonesborough. The place came to be one of some trade and importance. The first merchants were Felix Bryan and W. H. Robertson. The first grocery store was built and kept by Thomas Turley, who was succeeded by Lewis Reed, Peter Kenney and J. Taylor. 'A store-house was also built by New- man & Kimbrough, and another by. Broyles & Taylor. The latter building was afterward occupied by Carr & Kempinsky. There were also at Boonesborough a horse-mill, built and run by Wm. James ; one blacksmith shop by Durnell Bros., and another by Walter James ; a carpenter shop, by Wm. James and Lon Levi; a carding machine built and run by James Turner, and a grocery store built and kept by Arthur McLane. There was also a select school, the "Boonesbor- ough Academy," which had for teachers, from time to time, Robert Hill, Thomas Kennan, - Leachman, Stephens, W. H. Robertson, - Field, and others.

Boonesborough was in existence for about twenty years, or until 1857, when it died, or "played out," as we in the West express it. Nothing is now left to mark the site and the former glory of the town but two buildings, one of which was the residence of Mr. Woods, and the other the old store house built by Bryant & Robertson.

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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.

ORGANIZATION - BOUNDARIES.

Columbia is one of the original townships of Boone county. At the session of the county court, May, 1821, the county was divided into municipal townships. Saith the record : -

The court then proceeded to lay off the county into townships, and do establish the fol- lowing as the several and respective boundaries thereof, viz. : * *

* Second town- ship, To be denominated Columbia township: Beginning on the township line between townships 47 and 48 and one mile west of the range line between ranges Nos. 13 and 12; thence north with the sectional line to the southeast corner of section 2, township 49, range 13; thence east with the sectional line to the eastern boundary of the county; thence south- wardly with the said boundary line to the northeast corner of Cedar township; thence west with the northern boundary of said township to the place of beginning.

The metes and bounds of the township as fixed by the early fathers are the same at this day, no subsequent court caring to remove the ancient landmarks. Sundry efforts have been made, from time to time, to create a new civil township out of the territory embraced in Columbia and of some of the other contiguous townships of the county, but to all petitions for a change the court has always turned a deaf ear.

FIRST OFFICERS.

After the location of the town of Smithton and prior to the organiz- ation of Boone county, when this territory composed a part of How- ard county, where the greater portion of Columbia township now is the township of Smithton was created by the county court of Howard July 12, 1820. The first constable of Smithton township was Wallace A. Estill. No record is to be found containing the name of the jus- tice of the peace of the township - perhaps, and indeed probably, none was ever appointed.

At the first term of the Boone county court, May, 1821, a num- ber of petitions were presented praying for the appointment of jus- tices of the peace, but these petitions being irregular, were rejected, and none others offered. On the last day of the term this court, on its own motion, recommended certain persons to the Governor for commissions. Referring to this township, the record stated: " A justice of the peace being much wanting in the township of Columbia, Boone county, and none having been petitioned for as the law directs, this court, on the last day of the term, do nominate to His Excellency Alexander McNair, Governor of the State of Missouri, Richard Cave as a suitable person to fill the office of justice of the peace in the said township of Columbia." Accordingly Richard Cave was duly com-

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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.

missioned, and shortly stood up in all the glory of his robes magiste- terial, the pioneer justice of Columbia township. A few days previous, Nicholas Kavanaugh had been appointed constable of the township, giving $1,000 bond.

BROWN'S STATION.

The hamlet known as Brown's Station is situated on the northwest quarter of section 10, township 49, range 12, and is quite a shipping point - the leading one, in fact, on the Columbia branch of the Wa- bash railway between Centralia and Columbia. Its founders were Reese, Goodding and Hubbard, the proprietors of the coal mine.

The first house was built by John W. Hubbard, and A. E. Burnam, and the first store was owned by these gentlemen. The post-office was established in 1876, and A. E. Burnam was the first postmaster. The first marriage was that of Ralph Hayworth and Miss Lizzie Good- ding, by Stephen J. Bush. The first death was that of Chas. Hockry, who was buried in Gilead cemetery, three miles north of Brown's Sta- tion. The first physician was Dr. L. B. Brown, who is still actively engaged in the practice of his profession. The first religious services were held in Burnam's warehouse, by Rev. Stephens, a Baptist.

LEADING INDUSTRIES.

THE COAL MINES AT BROWN'S STATION AND PERSINGER.

The Boone County Coal and Mining Company was organized in the year 1875, by Alfred Rees, W. A. Goodding, Allen E. Burnam and John F. Burnam, for the purpose of mining coal in the northern part of Columbia township. Previously, in 1872, a mine had been opened at Brown's Station by J. W. Hubbard, Alfred Rees and W. A. Good- ding. This mine is now the property of the Boone County Coal and Mining Company. Its shaft is about 177 feet in depth. The vein averages about forty-two inches in thickness, and the coal is of excel- lent quality. The first shaft was practically abandoned in February, 1882, after producing nearly 2,000,000 bushels.

The company's mine at Persinger station was opened in May, 1881.1 The shaft is 80 feet deep ; depth of vein, 42 inches ; average number of men employed, thirty-five. The mine is located in section 28, town- ship 49, range 12, on land leased for twenty-five years, the lease

1 The first considerable quantity of coal was taken out the following October.

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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.

expiring in 1906. Altogether, the company is in possession by lease of 290 acres of land, in sections 28, 29 and 33, in township 49, range 12. The present capacity of the mine is 1,200 bushels per day. The coal is shipped to the gas company at Columbia, also to the mill company, and to various points on the Wabash railroad, notably to Warrenton. It bears an excellent reputation as to quality, and the mine itself, generally speaking, is the best in this section of Missouri. At present it is in a highly prosperous condition. The firm is now composed of Alfred Rees and W. A. Goodding, the firm name being Rees & Goodding.

MINE DISASTER AT BROWN'S STATION.

In connection with the history of the mines of the Boone County Coal Company it is proper to note the terrible accident in the Brown's Sta- tion mine, Friday, April 21, 1876. On the morning of that day the miners began to descend the shaft to go to work. Twenty-one of them had gone down in safety by means of the tub, such as is ordinarily used in coal shafts, and four more stepped in to make the descent. The names of those in the tub were Charles C. Stewart, W. H. Can- non, Joseph McIntyre, and Robert L. Palmore. When the men were about forty feet from the top, the post on the outside that supported the apparatus by which the tub was raised and lowered broke and fell. This caused the rope by which the tub was suspended to fly off the drum wheel through which the post passed and it ( the rope) was cut in two. The tub with its inmates fell a distance of about 135 feet, alighting on the solid rock. Palmore, an eleven-year-old boy, was killed instantly. His throat was cut, and his teeth were knocked out. Cannon exclaimed, " Tell my wife ' farewell ' for me," and died in a few moments. He was a young married man aged 25. McIntyre died in 24 hours. Stewart lived nineteen days, suffering intensely all the while. J. H. Truby, who was in the mine was slightly injured. The scene a few moments after the dreadful fall was terrible. The screams of women and children, the wives and other relatives of the poor miners, were heartrending. Men ran wildly to and fro and the wildest rumors and conjectures as to the number killed and injured were prevalent for a time. Burnam Bros. generously opened their store and told those engaged in caring for the victims of the accident to take anything they wanted. The first three that died were buried in Mt. Gilead cemetery, the next day. No blame for the disaster at- tached to any one. The post broke because it was badly worm eaten.

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History of Boone County, Missouri., Part 71

Author: Publication date: 1882 Publisher: St. Louis, Western Historical Company Number of Pages: 1220

Author:
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: St. Louis, Western Historical Company
Number of Pages: 1220