History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland counties, Missouri. From the earliest time to the present, together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and mumerous family records, Part 32

Author: Goodspeed, firm, publishers, Chicago (1886-1891, Goodspeed Publishing Co.)
Publication date: 1887
Publisher: St. Louis, Chicago, The Goodspeed publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1308

USA > Missouri > Scotland County > History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland counties, Missouri. From the earliest time to the present, together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and mumerous family records > Part 32
USA > Missouri > Lewis County > History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland counties, Missouri. From the earliest time to the present, together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and mumerous family records > Part 32
USA > Missouri > Clark County > History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland counties, Missouri. From the earliest time to the present, together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and mumerous family records > Part 32
USA > Missouri > Knox County > History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland counties, Missouri. From the earliest time to the present, together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and mumerous family records > Part 32

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).

Kahoka is surrounded with a rich agricultural district, and it is a prosperous and flourishing town. However, in the last week in November, 1880, it suffered a severe loss by fire, which originated in the produce store of Isaac Schermerhorn at about the middle of the row of frame buildings which then lined the east side of the public square. The buildings, which were dry, burned like tinder, and were all consumed except the new brick building of Bishop Bros., standing nearly completed at the north-

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east corner of the square. This building was saved by the free use of wet blankets swung over the south wall. The fire left nothing on the east side of the square but the Bishop building, and the total loss was estimated at $25,000, distributed as fol- lows: Bishop Bros., frame buildings, stock of hardware, grocer- ies and drugs, $17,000; Noah Bailey, building, $2,000; G. M. Little, restaurant, $200; John N. Scott, blacksmith shop, $1,400; Isaac Schermerhorn, produce, $350; Ed Smith, building and liquors, $2,000; George Duer, building, $1,400; B. F. Earl, building, $500, and some smaller losses. The total insurance on the property was $4,000. Though this was a heavy loss to indi- viduals, it almost seems like a gain to the town, which now has the space then occupied by the wooden row covered over with an extensive brick block. This is the common experience of nearly all towns. Fires remove the original cheap wooden buildings. and they are replaced with substantial brick blocks.

SOCIETIES.

Hiram Lodge, No. 362, A. F. & A. M., was chartered in Octo- ber, 1870, with Hiram Beason, W. M .; William H. Martin, S. W., and Thomas W. Sink, J. W. The present officers of this: lodge are George C. Bradford, W. M .; Hy Martin, S. W .; Dr. S. Neeper, Secretary, and Harry Martin, Treasurer.

America Chapter, No. 132, O. E. S., was chartered September 15, 1875, and the charter members were Emma Sansom, Sadie E. Trowbridge, Rebecca J. Moore, Hettia Giles, Alice J. Martin, Miranda Wallace, Luzerne Sink, Lottie Todd, Flora A. Wallace, Mary H. Greenleaf, Mary Greenleaf, Emma Tinsman and Mary E. Martin. The officers of this lodge at the present writing are: George W. Sansom, W. P .; Emma Sansom, W. M .; Sadie E. Trowbridge, A. M.

Kahoka Lodge, No. 261, I. O. O. F., was chartered in the fall of 1871, with George Rauscher, Joseph Myers, P. H. Bennett, Lucius Brugger, Lewis Zellers and - Goldsmith as charter members. The present officers of this lodge are J. M. Moffit, N. G .; James Neil, V. G .; George W. Thompson, R. S .; Z. W. Dowell, P. S., and G. W. Bostic, T. The membership is about twenty-six.

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HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY.

Kahoka Lodge, No. 237, A. O. U. W., was chartered Decem- ber 8, 1881. The first officers were Samuel Neeper, P. M. W .; Edgar C. Trowbridge, M. W .; George N. Sansom, Foreman; Roswell L. King, Overseer; Jacob Trump, Recorder; Adam Lang, Financier; George Rauscher, Receiver; George W. Bos- tic, G .; Fred Karle, I. W .; Thomas A. Doran, O. W. The above officers, together with J. McNally, E. M. Faulk, Joseph Myers, L. C. Bostic, George Trump, John Schlegel and O. J. Snyder, were charter members. The present officers are George N. Sansom, P. M. W .; Jacob Trump, M. W .; T. A. Doran, Fore- man; James McNally, O .; L. C. Bostic, R .; George W. Bostic, F .; George Trump, Receiver; O. J. Snyder, G .; W. H. Sansom, · I. W .; John Schlegel, O. W.

William McKee Post, No. 110, G. A. R., was chartered Sep- tember 27, 1883, and the following comrades were the charter members: David Mckee, George Rauscher, C. W. Mery- hew, Hy Sants, George Weiser, M. Muhrer, L. W. Rosencrans, W. Beckwith, Dr. S. Neeper, G. F. Rex, George N. Sansom, W. D. Moore, J. B. Sansom, George W. Fenton, John Kirch, Hy Callison, J. M. Gaiser, J. R. Hume, John P. Smith, W. Stacker, William Ackland, George Trump, L. H. Kenney, L. W. Will- iams, Joseph Vandolah, William Woods, Philip Reynolds, James P. Smith, I. P. Schermerhorn, A. R. Walker, John Kirkpatrick, Joseph Myres, Z. W. Dowell, Charles Baldwin, W. Owens, W. Anderson, W. H. Powell, James Toleman, William Creger, Michael Seyb and Joseph C. Harkness. The officers of the post at the present writing are Z. W. Dowell, Commander; Jacob Wickham, Senior Vice Commander; William Martin, Junior Vice Commander; Joseph B. Sansom, O. D .; Dr. Sam- uel Neeper, Adjutant; G. N. Sansom, Q. M .; A. J. Walker, Chaplain; George W. Fenton, O. G.

All of the foregoing societies, excepting the I. O. O. F., meet in Sansom's hall at the southeast corner of the public square. The I. O. O. F. meet in their hall in the brick block over the hardware store of Judge John Langford. These lodges or societies are all in a prosperous condition. The G. A. R. is probably the strongest now in numbers but it can not so continue. While the other societies have the populace from which to select

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their members, the G. A. R. can only recruit their ranks from that class composed of those who saved the Government of our fathers, and hold an honorable discharge from the army of the United States. The "boys" who defended the flag, as well as those who so bravely opposed it, are growing old. The roll grows smaller with the return of the seasons, and those who live to see the morn of the next century will find but few comrades left to finish with them the battle of life. The G. A. R. can not long survive the present century. The Clark County Medical Association was organized about the year 1871, with Dr. Samuel Neeper as president and Dr. W. J. Phelps as secretary. The association includes the physicians of Clark County which are about thirty in number, and they hold their meetings in Kahoka.

Kahoka was incorporated in June, 1869, by the name and style of "The Inhabitants of the Town of Kahoka,"* and John Jordan, William Martin, George N. Sansom, William Cohagen and D. M. Spangler, were appointed trustees of the town. The; corporation has since been changed to that of a city and the present officers are as follows: J. R. Hume, mayor; O. J. Snyder, marshall; Luther C. Bostic, treasurer; J. W. Howard, attorney, and H. M. Martin, clerk. The council consists of O. S. Callahan, John Langford, Ed W. Robinson and J. H. Million.

A GIGANTIC SCHEME.

" There is no incident or chain of incidents connected with the history of Clark County more romantic or remarkable in their character than the real estate transactions of William Mul- drow. The facts of these transactions were taken from the record of a suit brought before the circuit court of this county in the year 1838, by parties whom Muldrow had two years before persuaded to embark in one of the most remarkable philanthropic enter- prises on record. This was nothing less than the establishing of a magnificient institution of learning in the center of what was. then the wilderness of Clark County.

" The early settlements of St. Francisville, Waterloo and Luray had just begun. Only seven years had elapsed since that. trio of pioneers, Jerry Wayland, George Haywood and Samuel

* Extract from the Kahoka Herald ot several years ago.

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HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY.

Bartlett, had pushed their way from Tully through the tall grass and brush to the wild and solitary banks of Fox River, and the few hardy pioneers who had penetrated the almost unexplored upland were roaming the untracked prairies in a crusade against the aboriginal wolves or engaged in single combat with an occa- sional bear, the solitary aristocrat of the woods and prairies. It was at this time that William Muldrow approached the com- plainants in the suit above referred to-William Green, Jr., S. B. Hunt and I. M. Diamond, all of the State of New York-and, in the language of the petition, gave them a beautiful and glow- ing description of the Western country and especially the State of Missouri, and after exhausting his descriptive powers in im- pressing upon the minds of the complainants false, erroneous and unwarranted opinions in relation to the country, its future great- ness, and after descanting over the great want of intellectual improvement in the far West, and descanting extensively upon the great benefits which would result from establishing institu- tions of learning in Missouri, proposed to the complainants that they furnish him (Muldrow) a sufficient sum of money to enter two townships of land in Missouri, on which to erect seminaries or colleges of learning on the manual labor plan. The plan by which Muldrow proposed to render his institutions self-support- ing was a novel one, and to most people will appear extensively visionary. In the center of each township was to be laid off 4,000 acres of land which was to be held by Muldrow and the parties advancing the money, as trustees for the benefit of the college which was to be situated in the center of this tract, and the rents, issues and profits of said 4,000 acres were to be applied to the support of the institution. A belt of land sur- rounding this college campus, and consisting of about 1,063 acres, was to be laid off in town lots. These lots were to be sold by Muldrow, and the proceeds were to be paid over to the New York parties as profits on their investment, except one-sixth part and an additional ten per cent of the whole which was to be reserved by Muldrow as compensation for his services. It was further agreed, that Muldrow was to have another tract of the township, 2,800 acres of land, as a consideration for his services. " Under this agreement the enterprising William Muldrow

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actually received $28,000 in cash. He entered land in only one township and that about the center of Clark County. It was much smaller than the plan above detailed called for; consisting of an area of two miles square, and consequently containing in all only 2,500 acres. This tract of land, the original entry of which was under such romantic conditions, extended on its north border from the center of Johnson Street in Kahoka, near the present resi- dence of C. W. Meryhew, to Clark City on its north corner. The whole tract lay in a square south of this line, and its southwest corner was near the present site of the Star schoolhouse. The tract to be laid off in town lots consisted of a strip eighty rods wide, entirely surrounding and within the limits of the four-mile area. Muldrow in his answer describes this tract of land as near the center, and would eventually be the capital of Clark County. The reader can decide for himself whether Muldrow is entitled to the reputation of a prophet or merely to the credit of having ordinary business sagacity. Although Muldrow, in making his entry of land, reduced the extent of the college grounds from the stipulated amount of 4,000 acres to the smaller tract of 1,497, he did not fail to enter the 2,800 acres for his own use. This tract included the ground upon which the town of Kahoka and most of its additions are laid out. The suit against Muldrow was brought two years later by the New York parties who had fur- nished the cash for this pretty scheme, and who were not satisfied in the way in which their investment was likely to pan out. The suit was settled by the granger plan of arbitration. William Muldrow became the owner in fee of the land on which Kahoka is situated. He afterward gave a deed of trust on the lands, in which his wife did not release her dower interest. The land was sold under the trust deed, and when the county seat was estab- lished at Kahoka many years later the circuit judge would not approve the title to the public square on account of the unrelin- quished dower interest. The courthouse was therefore located outside the town of Kahoka at that time, and this is one of the reasons why our temple of justice stands off in one corner remote from the business portion of the city.

"As Mrs. Muldrow's dower was only a life interest, it ceased at her death, which occurred several years ago, and the title to

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the land on which Kahoka stands is now perfect. There is a difference of opinion among old settlers as to the sincerity and disinterestedness of Mr. Muldrow's motives in devising and exe- cuting his singular scheme. It is possible that he was more visionary than tricky, and that his failure was as severe a disap- pointment to himself as to his New York backers. It is said by some of the old citizens who remember Muldrow, that he was very proud of his possessions in Clark County. At one time, while riding over the lands claimed by him, he met a school boy who did not know him by sight. Muldrow accosted the boy with 'Hello, boy, who owns all this land about here ?' The boy read- ily answered: 'Old Bill Muldrow; pap says he is the dangest scoundrel in the State of Missouri.' "

THE PRESS.

The Alexandria Delta was established at Alexandria, in 1856, by Chambers Ober. It changed hands several times, and about the year 1859 J. J. Reabun purchased it, and published it until 1863, when it was suspended. Another paper was published a short time at Waterloo, by Frank Sheldon. The Alexandria Commercial was established at Alexandria in 1868, by Charles Grumman. It was published a few years, and then sold by its publisher, J. W. Murphy, to G. G. Childers, of Kahoka. It was a Republican paper. The Kahoka Herald was established January 1, 1881, by G. G. Childers, who has been the proprietor and editor there- of ever since. It is a large four-page, thirty-two column weekly newspaper, ably edited, and is Democratic in politics. The Clark County Democrat was established in March, 1878, by J. M. Clark, its proprietor, and Dr. E. H. Davis, its editor. In the fall of 1879 it was converted into a Republican paper, called the Kahoka Journal, and conducted by Lewis Cramer, a son of Maj. Cramer, of Memphis. It was suspended in 1880. The Clark County Gazette was established February 22, 1871, by E. B. Christy, who published it about five years, and then sold it to J. H. Heath, who published it about six years, and then sold it to J. L. Green- lee, who published it until January 3, 1887, and then sold it to E. B. Christy, its original proprietor, who still continues its pub- lication. It is a large four-page, thirty-two column, weekly

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newspaper, and is edited with ability. It has always advocated Democratic principles, except during the time when it was pub- lished by J. L. Brownlee, who published it as a Republican paper.

WAYLAND.

This is a village on the Keokuk and Western Railroad, eight miles east of Kahoka. The town was established as soon as the railroad was completed. Hon. P. S. Stanley, who was the first railroad agent, built the first dwelling-house in the town, and Dr. Jester built the first store house (the one now occupied by Mrs. McKay), and sold drugs about two years. P. H. Ahern then bought him out, and opened the first general store. Then Way- land & Bibb kept a general store for a few years, and they were followed by Hennesy and Givens, who kept a general store about three years. The town now contains three general stores kept respectively by Barnett Bros., Mrs. McKay and George Smith; one hardware store kept by Grate Bros .; one drug store kept by Z. T. Sniveley; two hotels kept respectively by Henry Clark and Mrs. Wilson; livery stable by H. S. Reese. There are also two blacksmith shops, one saloon, the railroad depot, and the large grain warehouse belonging to William Hennesy. The latter began buying grain in 1875, and has made that the leading indus- try of the place. In 1882-83 he shipped 125,000 bushels of grain, and had 50,000 bushels in his cribs at one time. This included the shipments of one year only; since then the ship- ments of grain have not been quite so large, while the ship- ments of other things have greatly increased. In 1886 Mr.

Hennesy shipped from Wayland 350 tons of hay, and N. E. Frazee, a farmer, living near Wayland, shipped in 1887 the enormous amount of 170 tons of hay, which he raised in 1886. In 1885 he shipped his crop of hay produced the previous year, which amounted to 220 tons. Aside from the foregoing there were shipped from Wayland during the year ending June 1, 1887, the following amount of live stock products, etc., viz .: cattle, 1,111 head; hogs, 2,691 head; sheep, 769 head; cucumbers, 14,700 bushels; water melons, 474,440 pounds; wood, 639 cords, and a large quantity of other commodities. Wayland contains two churches-one Catholic and the other a Union Church.

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HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY.

ASHTON.

This small village, on the Keokuk & Western Railroad, five miles west of Kahoka, was laid out in November, 1883, by Philip Showalter. As surveyed it contains twenty lots of different sizes, and is located on the southwest quarter of Section 8, Town 65 north, Range 8 west, being in the civil township of Lincoln. The first lot, containing one acre, was sold to B. F. Strickler for the sum of $50. Mr. Strickler erected a business house, in which he opened the first store. The town is composed of two general stores, one saddler and harness shop, one milliner store, one grain elevator, one blacksmith shop, one Methodist Episcopal Church, and one Methodist Protestant Church (the latter being about one-half mile north of the village), and a public schoolhouse; also one hotel, one cooper-shop, the postoffice and railroad depot, the latter having been built in 1883. The village has about seventy-five inhabitants, exclusively white. The railroad pond, situated near Ashton, covers six and three-fourths acres of ground, with an average depth of twenty-five feet. The water is conveyed from this pond to the railroad tank at Ashton, through a pipe one mile and fifty yards in length. It is forced into the tank by means of steam power located at the pond.

ST. PATRICK.

This small village, in the southeastern part of Jackson Town- ship, in Clark County, is composed of a few dwelling-houses, one general store, postoffice, blacksmith shop, and a Roman Catholic Church. D. McDonald is proprietor of the store, Herman Zerald of the blacksmith shop, and Rev. J. J. Mahan is the Catholic priest. The church, which is a fine large brick edifice, was erected in the year 1860, but the society was organized several years previous to that date. The membership now reaches about 300.

CLARK CITY.

This town lies on the railroad two miles east of Kahoka. It was a competing point for the county seat, and was laid out by Aaron Bechtol for that purpose. It contains the railroad station house, a general store, church, schoolhouse, etc. There are sev-

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eral other hamlets in the county containing a general store and a few other buildings.

TEMPERANCE.

The majority of the people of Clark County are strenuously opposed to intemperance, and the county has never been noted for the manufacture of much spirituous liquors. The only dis- tillery in the county is the one owned by the Snyders, on the . Linn Branch of Fox River. It has been operated, though not constantly, for many years. The only licensed saloons in the county are at Wayland Station and Alexandria.

THE IOWA WAR.

The first war in which the people of Northeastern Missouri were interested, was that known as the Black Hawk war, a sketch of which has been given in this work in connection with the settlement of the county. The next war, one in which no battles were fought, and no lives were lost, was the trouble known as the "Iowa war," the history of which is as follows: The act of Congress of March 6, 1820, authorizing the people of the Terri- tory of Missouri to form a State government, provided that the boundaries of the proposed new State should be as follows: " Beginning in the middle of the Mississippi River on the par- allel of thirty-six degrees (36º) of north latitude; thence, west along that parallel of latitude, to the St. Francois River; thence, up and following the course of that river in the middle of the main channel thereof, to the parallel of latitude of thirty-six (36°) degrees and thirty minutes (30'); thence, west along the same, to a point where the said parallel is intersected by a merid- ian line passing through the middle of the mouth of the Kansas River, where the same empties into the Missouri River; thence, from the point aforesaid, north along the said meridian line to the intersection of the parallel of latitude which passes through the rapids of the river Des Moines, making the said line to cor- respond with the Indian boundary line; thence, east from the point of intersection last aforesaid along the said parallel of latitude, to the middle of the channel of the main fork of the said river Des Moines; thence, down and along the middle of the main channel of the said river Des Moines, to the

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mouth of the same, where it empties into the Mississippi River; thence, due east, to the middle of the main channel of the Mis- sissippi River; thence, down and following the course of the Mis- sissippi River, in the middle of the main channel thereof, to the place of beginning."

The act of April 20, 1836, establishing the Territory of Wis- consin, and of April 12, 1838, establishing the Territory of Iowa, prescribed that the southern boundary of each* should be the " northern boundary of the State of Missouri." By an act of the Missouri Legislature approved December 21, 1836, it was made the duty of the Governor to appoint commissioners to " ascertain, survey and establish the northern boundary line of the State;" and it was further made his duty to open a correspondence with the President of the United States, and with the Governor of Wis- consin Territory, and request the appointment of commissioners, to act in conjunction with the Missouri commissioners, and to request the service of a United States civil engineer, "for the purposes aforesaid;" if the service of the latter could not be secured, then the commissioners were to "employ a skillful engineer." The chief duty prescribed to the commissioners was-

Sec. 2. To ascertain by astronomical observations, the true latitude and longitude of the eastern point of termination of the north boundary of this State in the rapids of the river Des Moines, and thence, passing west with the same parallel of latitude, to the point where the same strikes the Missouri River, and to ascertain by the same means the true latitude and longitude of the point last aforesaid.

No appointment of commissioners and engineer was made by either the Governor of Wisconsin or the President, and in the months of July, August, September and October, 1837, the survey was made by the Missouri commissioners exclusively. The report was laid before the Legislature, at its session in 1838-39, and the line as run and marked out was declared the northern boundary of the State by an act of the General Assembly approved February 11, 1839.

Subsequent to the Missouri survey, as it was called, but before the report was filed, or June 18, 1838, Congress directed a survey of the same boundary to be made under the direc- tion of a United States commissioner, in conjunction with

* The Territory of Wisconsin originally comprised what is now the State of Iowa.

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a commissioner from the State of Missouri and one from the Territory of Iowa. In case, however, the State and Territory refused to make an appointment, then the Federal commissioner was to act alone. The President appointed Maj. Albert Miller Lea, of Maryland, commissioner on the part of the United States. In his report to James Whitcombe, commissioner of the general land office, under date of January 19, 1839, Maj. Lea says:

* * I promptly repaired to St. Louis, where I had previously informed the Governors of Missouri and Iowa I would receive their communications in regard to the appointment of the commissioners of the State and Territory respectively. On my arrival at St. Louis, 1st September last, I received a letter from the acting Governor of Iowa, asking me, on the part of the Territory, to defer before going further, also a letter from the Governor of Missouri, suggesting the propriety of deferring and suspending operations till I could hear from the

Secretary of State of the United States, to whom His Excellency had written on the subject: His Excellency stated that he had no right to appoint a commis- sioner on the part of the State of Missouri, and desired the proposed survey to be postponed till after the meeting of the State Legislature. In reply I informed His Excellency that I would confine my operations to the ascertainment of facts necessary to be known, before the line could be properly established, and with this arrangement he expressed himself satisfied. On September, the 8th, I received notice from His Excellency Robert Lucas that he had appointed Dr. James Davis the commissioner on the part of the Territory of Iowa .*

The accounts of both surveys are very interesting, but must be omitted here for lack of space. The Missouri commissioners decided at last that the rapids of the river Des Moines referred to . in the organic act were in the said river in latitude 40° 44' 6", longitude 91° 46' 40", nearly opposite where now stands the town of Bentonsport, Iowa, and the distance from the said Des Moines River west to the Missouri River to be 203 miles, 32 chains and 40 links. The line so run was adopted as the northern boundary of the State by an act of the General Assem- bly approved February 11, 1839, and extended that boundary about nine miles north of the present limit.+ United States Commissioner Lea, however, reported, January 19, 1839, that there were four lines, any one of which might be taken as that intended by the act of March 6, 1820, as the northern boundary,

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History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland counties, Missouri. From the earliest time to the present, together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and mumerous family records, Part 32

Author: Goodspeed, firm, publishers, Chicago (1886-1891, Goodspeed Publishing Co.) Publication date: 1887 Publisher: St. Louis, Chicago, The Goodspeed publishing co. Number of Pages: 1308

Author: Goodspeed, firm, publishers, Chicago (1886-1891, Goodspeed Publishing Co.)
Publication date: 1887
Publisher: St. Louis, Chicago, The Goodspeed publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1308