History of Caldwell and Livingston counties, Missouri, written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri; a reliable and detailed history of Caldwell and Livingston counties--their pioneer record, resources, biographical sketches of prominent citizens; general and local statistics of great value; incidents and reminiscences, Part 93

Author: Pease, Ora Merle Hawk, 1890-
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: St. Louis, National Historical Company
Number of Pages: 1260

USA > Missouri > Livingston County > History of Caldwell and Livingston counties, Missouri, written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri; a reliable and detailed history of Caldwell and Livingston counties--their pioneer record, resources, biographical sketches of prominent citizens; general and local statistics of great value; incidents and reminiscences > Part 93
USA > Missouri > Caldwell County > History of Caldwell and Livingston counties, Missouri, written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri; a reliable and detailed history of Caldwell and Livingston counties--their pioneer record, resources, biographical sketches of prominent citizens; general and local statistics of great value; incidents and reminiscences > Part 93

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).

CHAPTER XIII.

GREENE TOWNSHIP.

Position and General Description - Economic Geology - Grand River - First Set- tlers - Original Land Entries Prior to 1840 - Organization - Items - The Town of Utica - Complete Historical Sketch of the Town, with Notes of Its Leading Institu- tions, Churches, Lodges, Schools, Newspapers, etc. - Biographies of Some of the Old Settlers and Leading Citizens.

Greene township comprises that portion of Congressional township 57, range 24, lying between Shoal creek and Grand river (including the West fork of the latter), and that portion of the east line of sec- tions in township 57, range 25, lying south of the West fork. The area of the township is about 24,000 acres ..

Only about half the township is tillable land. The vast broad bot- toms of Grand river and Shoal creek comprise a considerable portion, and the bluff's and hills on the West fork, in the northeastern part of the township, interfere with the cultivation of that part. South and southwest of Utica is some excellent prairie lands, high and rolling.

The valuable character of Livingston county soil and its adaptability for fruit culture is exemplified in this township. Some of the largest and best orchards in Missouri are here. In 1883 Thos. B. Stone sold from his orchard of 30 acres, south of Utica, 2,200 barrels of apples, at $2 per barrel. Last fall, owing to the unfavorable season, only 1,200 barrels were sold. Mr. Stone has about 2,000 apple trees, chiefly of the Ben Davis, Willow Twig, Wine Sap and Genitan varie- ties. Stone & Harper's well known fruit farm, a mile northwest of Utica, is one of the best in the country.

ECONOMIC GEOLOGY.

A superior quality of brick clay is found in every section. Abun- dant limestone exists in the hills and highlands in the western part of the township. Along the bluffs on West Grand river are exposures of good building sandstone. The latter is of the variety known to geologists as ferruginous sandstone. When first taken out it is quite soft and easily worked, but soon hardens on exposure and is very durable. In buildings where it has been for 30 years, it is still firm and substantial. It ought to be more generally utilized.

(884)

885

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

The limestone comes well up to the surface in the western part of the township. West or southwest of Utica the railroad passes through a deep cut the walls of which are of stone ; the surface is prairie. In but few portions of the State is the limestone to be found at so slight a depth on high prairie land.

There are traces of coal and a few shallow veins, but no workable beds. In former times some of these veins were opened, but soon abandoned. (See Chapter I. ) Some years since Mr. Wm. M. Rush made an exploration for coal on the south side of the West Grand river, near the mill at Utica. He first dug a shaft and then bored. At a depth of 200 feet the work was stopped, no coal in paying quan- tities having been found.

Whether or not the large expanse of land in this township lying in the Grand river bottom will ever be reclaimed from its present swampy, marshy character, and freed from all exposure and subjec- tion to overflow, time will determine. This can be accomplished only by " straightening " Grand river, changing its current by jetties and canals, and deepening and widening its channel, so that it may contain and carry off the volume of water it receives. At present, and for all time past, the stream has not been large enough and swift enough to convey the water ; and nearly every year it overflows, sometimes for a mile and more on either side. These inundations of course cause the swampy condition of the bottom lands.

By cutting across some of the many sharp but extensive bends of the river its length would be greatly shortened, and the velocity of the current proportionately increased. Then by putting in jet- ties, and in some places rip-raps, the stream would gradually widen and deepen its own channel, and it is possible that in time it would be capable of taking care of the water that it receives without flood- ing the county. By whom this work should be done is not clear. The citizens and owners of the land have not the means, the State has not the authority, and the General Government no disposition to appropriate money for the reclamation of swamps and overflowed land. Congress has the power to improve navigable streams, and if in this improvement certain lands are benefited it is well. But Grand river is not a navigable stream, properly speaking. If Congress should undertake that it would hold all the water poured into it during the rainy seasons, it would also be compelled to devise a plan whereby the volume should respond to the demands of navigation, and in the dry seasons pour water into the stream. Sometimes there is too much water in the stream, but often there is too little ; some-

886

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

times Grand river has plenty of water to spare, but at other times it hasn't enough to float a skiff.

Again, the river is obstructed by the Wabash Railroad bridge at Brunswick, which seems to give color to the idea that it is not a navi- gable stream in a legal sense, and if this is true then no help may be expected from the General Government. The writer is compelled to admit his ignorance on the subject, but it is probable that the river has been at some time declared a non-navigable stream, and that no assistance for its improvement may be looked for from the Federal treasury. No survey or examination of the stream by com- petent engineers has ever been made, and it may be that the scheme is impracticable.

· FIRST SETTLEMENT.

The first white settlement in Livingston county was made in the western part of this township, about a mile and a half west of the railroad depot at Utica. Mr. Samuel E. Todd was the settler, and the date of his coming was the spring of 1831. His location was on the nw. 1/4 of section 24, township 57, range 25. In 1833 or 1834 Mr. Todd put up a horse mill, and in 1836 built a water mill on West Grand river at Utica. The later was a " corn-cracker," and in a year or so a sawing attachment was put in. The first boards in the county were sawed at this mill.

Other early settlers in the township were Joseph Todd, William Todd, Roderick Matson, William Mead, John Stone, George Stone, John Austin, John Rockhold, Alfred Rockhold. The majority of the settlers in the township prior to 1840, except a few men living in Utica, were those named in the list of first land entries.

From official records it is learned that the first entries in Greene township were made on the tracts and at the dates mentioned below. All of the parties named were actual residents of the township or vicinity : -

FIRST LAND ENTRIES -- IN TOWNSHIP 57, RANGE 25.

Name.

Description. Date. Samuel E. Todd . e. ¿ nw. and c. § sw. sec. 24 . June 8, 1835. John Stone

June 14, 1837

John Rockhold

s. ¿ sw. sec. 13

June 29, 1835

Alfred Rockhold .

n. ¿ sw. sec. 13

May 27, 1837

Samuel E. Todd .

sw. se. see. 13 and sw. ne. sec. 24

Dec. 28, 1835

James Todd

se. se. sec. 13

Sept 6, 1836

Reuben MeCoskrie

w. ¿ uw. sec. 24 June 18, 1835

John Kelly

nw. ne. sec. 24 Aug. 27, 1836

W. T. Todd

e. , ne. sec. 24

Oct. 9, 1835

se. se. sec. 12 and ne. { and ne. se. sec.

887

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

IN TOWNSHIP 57, RANGE 24.

Name.

Description.

Date.

Wm. Pailthrop

sw. sec. 13

July 14, 1838

Roderick Matson .

se. nw. sec. 17

Nov. 3, 1836

Matson & Van Zandt

w. ¿ sw. and w. ¿ se. sec. 17 .

Oct. 6, 1836

Sam'l E. Todd

se. ne. sec. 18 .

July 25, 1835

Sam'l E. Todd

w. ¿ ne. sec. 18

June 6, 1837

John Stone

w. ¿ and w. ¿ se. sec. 18

Feb. 7, 1837

Reuben McCoskric

e. ¿ se. sec. 18

Nov. 10, 1836 Dec. 30, 1836 Oct. 9, 1835

James Todd

nw. sw. sec. 19

Aug. 30, 1836

Robt. Snowden

ne. sw. sec. 19

Nov. 23, 1836

Matson, Mead & Van Zandt

se. ne. sec. 19

Nov. 23, 1836 Nov. 16, 1835

David Girdner

ne. ne. sec. 19

Sept. 17, 1836

Madison Fisk .

ne. # sec. 23

Sept. 3, 1839

Wm. McCarty .

w. ¿ ne. sec. 30

June 5, 1837

Reub. McCoskrie .

w. ¿ se. sec. 30

Feb. 28, 1838

ORGANIZATION.

Originally, upon the organization of the county, the entire south- western portion was embraced within what was called Shoal Creek township, which comprised what are now the townships of Greenc, Mooresville, Monroe and Mound. The first election in Shoal Creek township was held at John S. Tomblin's. In February, 1839, the name of the township was changed to Monroe, in honor of President James Monroe, and in April following it was divided by a line run- ning east and west, commencing on the county line between sections 30 and 31 in township 57, range 25, and running thence to Grand river. The southern portion retained the name of Monroe ; the northern was called Greene, " in honor," says the record, in the handwriting of Wm. E. Pearl, who spelled as he pronounced, " of Jineral Green of the Revolution War." The name is commonly written as Mr. Pearl wrote it; but as "Jineral" Nathaniel Greene always spelled his name with a final e, so Greene township should be written. There can be no question as to the propriety of the latter spelling.

ITEMS OF EARLY HISTORY.

Settlers came in rather rapidly to Greene township. Utica was laid out in the spring of 1837. Todd's mill was in operation at the same time, and the locality was considered a favored one. The land did not come into market until 1835, when the first entries were made, but there was quite a population, all circumstances considered, before that time.

At the time of the Mormon War, in the fall of 1838, one company of

Joseph Todd

nw. nw. sec. 19

Wm. T. Todd .

sw. nw. sec. 19

Joseph Y. Todd

n. ¿ sw. sec. 20

888

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY,

militia from the township, under Capt. Roderick Matson, -about fifty men -turned out, but took no further part than to assemble at Isaac McCoskrie's, about three miles south of Mooresville, and hold themselves in readiness for an emergency. A day or two after the massacre at Haun's Mill Capt. Matson sent John Stone and nine men of his company to meet Gen. Atchison's army, to report the situation here and receive orders. The detail returned without instructions.

THE TOWN OF UTICA.

The land on which the town of Utica stands was entered by Matson and Van Zandt in October, 1836; but to Roderick Matson is justly given the distinction of founder of the town. In the spring of that year he came to this county from Utica, N. Y. At first he opened a small store at McCoskrie's, two miles west, but in the fall of 1836, or early in the following spring, he came to the town site and occupied a small building which stood on the west side of Fellows street, probably on block 73. One statement is to the effect that John Austin built this house.

In April, 1837, the original town was laid off, and on the 27th of that month the plat was filed for record in Chillicothe. It was named by Mr. Matson for his old home in New York. In the fall of 1837 Henry Stover put up a little frame, store-house north of where the public school building now is, and this building was occupied at first and for a short time by a man named Taylor, who kept a small store. The boards of which this house was built were partly rived or split by hand, and the " finishing lumber," such as it was, was sawed at Todd's mill. In the spring of 1839 Martin & Harper opened a store in the Taylor building. This was quite a respectable establishment, and the proprietors continued in business a number of years.

In the summer of 1838 Mr. John Stone built a small frame dwelling- house near a spring just north of his present residence (the Rogers House ) near the railroad depot. Although this house was outside of the original town, yet it was practically a part thereof, and was the third or fourth house in the immediate vicinity. The site is now within Stone's Railroad Addition, but both house and spring have long since disappeared.

Utica settled up slowly, but many of its citizens were from the Northern and Eastern States, and were people of intelligence, industry and enterprise. Some of the best people of Kentucky and other Southern States also came in, and no more intelligent, reputable com-

889

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

munity existed in North Missouri. The progress of the town, as that of the county, was slow, until the projection of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad and the location of Utica as a point thereon.

From 1858 to 1861 there was a " boom" in the place. Business enterprises flourished, and the citizens began the erection for them- selves of those fine, capacious and tasteful residences, which yet exist - although with their former beanty and general excellence much impaired. These were the abodes of comfort, culture and refinement. The society was of the best, and the advantages of the town were most excellent. Upon the completion of the railroad, in February, 1859, the tide of prosperity swelled. Utica became a shipping point for a large area of country. From Carrollton and other towns in Carroll and Ray shippers came with their stock and grain, and merchants for their goods, and a large trade was drawn from the country to the northward.

The first railroad depot was built a mile west of town. John Stone had given the railroad company forty acres of land in that locality, and the corporation placed the depot where it would " do the most good "- for the company ! The citizens were greatly displeased. They first remonstrated, then became indignant, and, at last, denun- ciatory and violent. They fell to " soaping " the track, and at last one night the depot was burned. Then the location was changed to the present locality, which, though better than the first, was still pro- tested against, and is yet considered illy placed and inconvenient.

When the war came on it found the people nearly equally divided in sentiment, half for the old Union and half for secession. Two companies were formed, one Union and one secession. The latter had for a leader Capt. Charles Cooper. The drillmaster of the former was W. P. Frazer, commonly called Paley Frazer. In 1863 this man was assassinated near the bridge, as detailed elsewhere, by some militia who considered him a rebel ! Hon. A. J. Austin, the county's Representative in the Legislature, owned a farm in the country and had a store in town. He was the leading spirit among the secession- ists, raised a secession flag above his store, entered Gov. Jackson's army as lieutenant-colonel and fell at Wilson's Creek. Capt. John N. Stone, an Ohioan, entered the Secession army, and was killed at Carthage, the first officer of that army killed in battle in Missouri.

Secession flags were early raised in Utica. In the summer of 1861 the stars and stripes were waving over the store of Wm. E. Mead. His cousin took down the flag, saying it was " not the right kind." The next morning a " rebel " flag was floating where the Union flag

890

IIISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

had been. This cousin who " hauled down the American flag " was the next year a prominent officer in the Federal militia !

On the morning of the 14th of June, 1861, the first Federal troops, the 16th Illinois, appeared and seized the town, making prisoners of two or three citizens, and fugitives of others, and bearing away two Secession flags as rare trophies. In September, when Gen. Sturgis disembarked from the train here, on his way to the relief of Mulligan at Lexington, as mentioned elsewhere, he pressed a sufficient number of wagons and teams to transport his baggage. In most instances, however, the owners were quite willing to render this service, many of them being Union men. Gen. Sturgis repressed all disorder among his men. Some of them robbed Capt. Cooper's bee hives, and the General had every honey forager put under guard.

In the spring and summer of 1862 the block house at the Grand river railroad bridge was built. Jacob Wells, of Utica, finished the structure. He also assisted in building the block house at Medicine creek.

At the time of Poindexter's raid there was great excitement. The militia were summoned to Chillicothe and the town was un- guarded. The raiders came through the town on their way to Spring Hill, but made scarcely a halt and molested nothing and no- body. A few provisions were purchased and paid for. They seemed in ill-condition, jaded, weary, hungry, sleepy and dispirited. Some had lost their horses, or never had any, and were on foot. Others were riding, " two on a horse."

Half a mile in the rear of Poindexter's column came one of his men, a boy of 17 or 18, struggling hard to overtake his command. An inhuman Federal sympathizer, a railroad man named Smith, shot the young man down when he could as easily have captured him. The ball went through one of the boy's lungs and made a very serious wound ; but Dr. Gibson took him in charge and nursed him until his almost complete recovery, when his father came for him and took him to his home, somewhere in Linn or Chariton. While the young man was being cared for he was not molested by the militia. 1

The town suffered a great deal from the war. Business was gen- erally prostrated. The merchants feared to carry considerable stocks of goods, lest they might be " raided," and on one occasion Har- per's store was plundered by some Federal jayhawkers. There were many annoyances incident to a state of war, but no considerable out- rages save those mentioned.

891

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

After the war there was considerable improvement in the condition of affairs for some years. In 1867 the fine public school building was erected, in which enterprise, by a piece of sharp practice, the town " got ahead " of the county and got the building for almost nothing. In 1871 the project of building the Utica and Lexington Railroad was much discussed. In May the county voted to sub- scribe $200,000 to the stock of the road, but it was never com- pleted, and the town was compelled to relinquish the idea of becoming a railroad center and obliged to content itself with its former and present condition - a way station on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad.

Since 1873 the history of Utica has been uneventful, compara- tively. Its prosperity has not been increased, but has rather been on the wane. The value of property has depreciated, until some of the fine commodious residences of former days can be purchased for about one-fourth of their original cost. Yet, although the town shows evidence of dilapidation and depreciation, it is not in a state of utter prostration, but is a good trading point and the abiding place of a community of intelligent and fairly thrifty people.

In 1880 the population was 660. There were five churches -- Baptist, Methodist, Congregational, Episcopal and Catholic ; two lodges, Masonic and United Workmen ; a newspaper, the Utica Herald; a $5,000 school-house, a good water flouring mill, seven stores, a number of shops, four attorneys and two physicians.

Utica M. E. Church. - The Utica M. E. Church, a frame building, was erected in 1877, and cost about $1,000. In 1868 the church was organized, some of the members being Andrew Block and wife, John Law and wife, Orville Wilcox and wife, Lewis Crain and wife; William Heywood and wife and J. M. Davis and wife. The pastors and their years of service are as follows : Rev. Mosher, 1868-69 ; Rev. Hatfield, 1869-71; Rev. Fowler, 1871; Rev. Bassett, 1872-74 ; Rev. William Edmunds, 1874-76; Rev. George Stockings, 1876-77; Rev. C. T. Phillips, 1877 -- 79 ; Rev. T. P. Hole, 1879-82; Rev. Bratton, 1882-83 ; Rev. Barwick, 1883-85 ; Rev. Powell, 1885-86. The number of Sabbath-school scholars as 60, the superintendent being W. T. Davis.

The Second Advent. - The organization of this church was effected in the year 1878, William C. Griffith, C. W. Middleton, N. Tarpley, William Lemmon, T. M. Clark and wife, Maggie Middleton, A. B. Miller and wife, and two or three others, being the original members. The first pastor was elder C. H. Chaffe ; C. W. Middleton has also

892

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

been elder. The present elder is C. J. DeSha. T. M. Clarke is the present deacon. The Sabbath school superintendent is William C. Griffith.

Masonic Lodge .- Benevolent Lodge, A. F. and A. M., was instituted July 19, 1856. The charter was not granted until May 30, 1857. The charter members and first officers were J. S. Harper, W. M. ; A. J. Austin, S. W. ; William Hixon, J. W .; D. K. Stockton, treasurer ; J. W. Ringo, secretary ; John Lowe and J. L. Austin, deacons ; W. W. Long, tyler. The past masters have been J. S. Harper, William Hixon, A. J. Austin, John Lowe, C. Fink, David Stone, Henry C. Cox, A. A. Stone and George Culling. The present membership is 31.

THE "HERALD."

The Utica Herald was established in 1873 by a stock company com- posed of some of the citizens, and Charles Hoyt was the first lessee and editor. In 1874 Hoyt withdrew in favor of Prof. H. W. Saw- yer, now of Hamburg, Iowa. The following year Prof. Sawyer was succeeded by Frank Green, who was succeeded in 1876 by R. Risley, who transferred his position to E. D. Green, and that gentleman, after an experience of one week, stopped the publication of the paper entirely. In January, 1877, the office material was purchased by D. W. Webster, who resumed the publication of the journal, and still presides over its columns, very successfully and acceptably. In 1878 his son, Harry C. Webster, now of the Chillicothe Crisis, was part pro- prietor. The Herald is a creditable little journal, and the fact of its existence for so long a period, comparative, is evidence of the effi- ciency of its management and of its appreciation.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

JOSEPH FLAVIAN BONDERER

(Utica).

Mr. Bonderer is also numbered among the foreign-born residents of Livinston county, his birth having occurred in St. Gallen Can- ton, Switzerland, September 9, 1827. His parents, Johan Peter and Catherine ( Probst ) Bonderer, were natives of that same Can- ton and they are both now deceased. The father was a farmer and miller by calling and died in 1875, aged about 81 years ; the

893

HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.

mother was 44 years old at the time of her death in 1844. Their union was a fruitful one, 15 children being born to then, of whom Joseph was the fourth, or, at least, the fourth of those that grew to maturity. When he was a youth the system of compulsory edu- cation had not been adopted in Switzerland, but still excellent schools were to be found there and these young Bonderer attended. After discontinuing his studies he worked on the farm and in the mills of his father until 1855, in which year he left his native country for America, landing at New Orleans in May. Coming up the Mississippi river to St. Louis he went from there to Belleville, Ill., and began work on a farm at $6.75 per month. Six months later he returned to St. Louis, and after about a month ascended the Missouri river to Brunswick, from which place he went by wagon to Utica. Here he settled and began the business of burn- ing lime, making brick and contracting rock work until 1860. In 1862 he entered the E. M. M., was stationed at Breckinridge, and in 1863 he was mustered out of service. While stationed at Breck- inridge he was robbed (then living on a farm in Carroll county, near the Livingston line) and to escape further robbery he went to Leavenworth, Kan., in the spring of 1864. In December, 1864, he came back to Utica and re-established lime kilns and brick yards, also contracting for buildings, etc., continuing to be thus occupied for 12 years. From 1861 to 1863 he had been interested in farm- ing in Carroll county, and this calling he now resumed. Up to 1885 he was employed in various business enterprises but since then he has confined himself mainly to farming. In 1860 he was married at St. Joseph to Miss Catherine Seitter, of Wurtemburg,

Germany, her father being an agriculturist of that country. Six of their fourteen children survive : Mary, who married September 9, 1885, Alois J. Gier, then of Chillicothe, but formerly of Ger- many ; they reside at Hanover, Kan. ; Caroline, Lawrence, Bertha, Theresa and Joseph. Those deceased are Frank, Louisa, Louis, Gerald, Angust, Catherine, Frowin and an infant. Mr. and Mrs. B. and their children are members of the Catholic Church.

RODERICK M. CHITTENDEN

(Retired Merchant, Utica).

For more than twenty years and, indeed, up to 1883, Livingston county had among her representative merchants none more worthy than Roderick M. Chittenden, a man whose connection with mercantile life was only discontinued some three years ago on account of ill- health. Upon his removal to this county in 1860 he gave his attention first to farming, in which he met with good success, but desiring to engage in merchandising he removed to Utica, and started a store, and this he conducted as above stated. During all these years of active business life he showed himself to be a man of energy and progressive spirit, and a merchant of whom the community had no reason to feel ashamed. Since his retirement

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Author: Pease, Ora Merle Hawk, 1890- Publication date: 1886 Publisher: St. Louis, National Historical Company Number of Pages: 1260

Author: Pease, Ora Merle Hawk, 1890-
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: St. Louis, National Historical Company
Number of Pages: 1260