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 64
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 64
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 64
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 64
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STATE OF MISSOURI.
was about 650. This estimate, of course, does not include those who served in the enrolled and provisional militia, about 600 in number.
The number of men who served in the Confederate or rebel armies for thirty days or more can not be exactly stated, for lack of reliable data and information. Estimates of those who were themselves in that service, and of others whose opinions are worthy of consideration, warrant the statement that they did not exceed 150. This estimate includes those who served in the Missouri State Guards in 1861-62, and those who joined Col. Joe Porter in 1862, and served thirty days or more. [It would be unjust to class with the regular Confederate soldiers the few bushwhackers of the county who never did any creditable serv- ice. ] The compiler is credibly informed that not more than twen- ty-five Knox County Confederates fought the war through and surrendered with the furling of the conquered banner in 1865.
In the Third Regiment of Cavalry, Missouri Volunteers, of the Federal or Union Army, the following field officers were from Knox County :
Colonel-John M. Glover, commissioned September 4, 1861, resigned March 11, 1864. Lieutenant-colonel-Walter C. Gantt, commissioned November 22, 1861; resigned September 4, 1862. Major-Albert D. Glover, commissioned February 3, 1863; dis- charged for disability April 4, 1864. Quartermaster-James C. Agnew, commissioned September 27, 1862; resigned February 27, 1864. Surgeon-John L. Taylor, commissioned September 10, 1861; mustered out on expiration of service November 30, 1864.
Company B, of this regiment, was from this county, and was officered as follows:
Captain-Albert D. Glover, commissioned September 21, 1861; promoted major February 3, 1863. Captain-John W. Yates, commissioned February 3, 1863; mustered out November 30, 1864. First lieutenant-John W. Yates, commissioned September 21, 1861; promoted captain. First lieutenant-John J. Agnew, commissioned February 2, 1863; promoted captain Company D, June 13, 1864. First lieutenant-Henry Hick- man, commissioned June 13, 1864; resigned September 12, 1864.
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HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.
Second lieutenant-John J. Agnew, commissioned September 21, 1861; promoted first lieutenant. Second lieutenant-Henry Hickman, commissioned February 2, 1863; promoted first lieu- tenant. James J. Hiles, commissioned June 13, 1864; mustered out July 27, 1865.
The Fiftieth Regiment of Enrolled Missouri Militia (the "E. M. M.") was composed almost exclusively of citizens of Knox County. Following is the official roster of the regiment:
FIFTIETH REGIMENT ENROLLED MISSOURI MILITIA.
FIELD AND STAFF.
Samuel M. Wirt, colonel; com. Sept. 3, 1863; resigned January 18, 1865. William T. Porter, lieut .- colonel; com. November 20, 1863; resigned 1864. L. D. Woodruff, lieut .- col .; com. August 19, 1864, dismissed Dec. 3, 1864. Jacob Pugh, major; com. September 3, 1863; dismissed December 3, 1864. Tobias J. Lycan, adjt .; com. September 3, 1863; dismissed December 3, 1864. David Brewington, Q. M .; com. September 3, 1863; vacated Dec. 3, 1864. William Blair, surgeon; com. March 27, 1863; vacated 1864.
J. W. Lee, surgeon; com. October 26, 1864; vacated March 12, 1865.
COMPANY C.
L. D. Woodruff, capt .; com. August 25, 1862; promoted to lieut .- colonel. Francis M. Rose, capt .; com. October 26, 1864; vacated March 12, 1865. Edward Jarvis, first lieut .; com. August 25, 1863; vacated March 12, 1865. Peter Hanes, second lieut. ; com. August 25, 1862; vacated 1864.
Peter Hanes, second lieut .; com. January 15, 1865; vacated March 12, 1865.
COMPANY D.
Charles McQuoid, capt .; com. March 20, 1863; vacated March 12, 1865. William J. Pulis, first lieut .; com. August 25, 1862; revoked June 23, 1864. Tobias McQuoid, first lieut .; com. June 23, 1864; vacated March 12, 1865. John Mauck, second lieut., com. March 20, 1863; vacated March 12, 1865.
COMPANY E.
John B. Poage, capt .; com. August 25, 1862; dismissed December 3, 1864. Russell Smith, first lieut .; com. July 7, 1863; vacated March 12, 1865.
S. V. Pinson, second lieut .; com. August 25, 1862; vacated March 12, 1865.
COMPANY F.
George H. Boone, capt .; com. March 20, 1863; vacated March 12, 1865. Isaac W. Fox, first lieut .; com. Aug. 25, 1862; com. revoked June 23, 1864. W. M. G. Elliott, first lt .; com. June 23, 1864; killed by guerrillas at Centralia. Samuel Clennison, first lieut .; com. Oct. 21, 1864; vacated March 12, 1865. Abraham Miller, second lieut .; com. April 27, 1863; vacated March 12, 1865.
COMPANY G.
Enoch Rinehart, capt .; com. June 23, 1864; vacated March 12, 1865. Enoch Rinehart, first lieut .; com. March 20, 1863; promoted to captain.
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STATE OF MISSOURI.
Thos. M. Poore, first lieut .; com. June 23, 1864; vacated March 12, 1865. Thos. M. Poore, second lieut .; com. March 20, 1863; promoted to first lieut. Asa Blanchard, 2d-Lt .; com. June 23, 1864; entered U. S. service Sept., 1864. John S. Leach, second lieut .; com. Jan. 15, 1865; vacated March 12, 1865.
COMPANY H.
Noah Motter, capt .; com. Aug. 12, 1863; trans. to 86th Regt. June 28, 1864. Thos. W. Hotchkiss, capt .; com. June 28, 1864; vacated March 12, 1865. Joseph M. Smith, first lieut .; com. Aug. 12, 1663; trans. to 86th Regt. L. E. Townsend, first lieut .; com. June 28, 1864; vacated March 12, 1865. H. G. Hildreth, second lieut .; com. Aug. 12, 1863; trans. to 86th Regt. Janus Cox, second lieut .; com. June 28, 1864; vacated March 12, 1865.
THE RAILROAD BONDS.
In the year 1859 the people of Knox County became very much interested in the construction of a railroad to run through the county. Public meetings were held, and the question of furnishing local aid by taxation, for the construction of such a road, was the great theme of discussion. A corporation called the Alexandria & Bloomington Railroad Company had been duly chartered to build a road from Alexandria, Clark County, to Bloomington, the then county seat of Macon, via Edina, Locust Hill and other points in Knox.
In October a large public meeting was held at the court- house in aid of this enterprise. Resolutions were adopted strongly in its favor, and a numerously signed petition prepared, request- ing the county court to call an election, in order that the voters of the county might have an opportunity of expressing their views as to the propriety of a liberal subscription in its aid, on the part of the county.
The action of the county court in the premises may best be understood by the following copy of its order, made November 8, 1859:
Now at this day comes John Thomson, chairman of the committee ap- pointed by a mass meeting of the citizens of the county of Knox, and presents a petition praying for an appropriation for the survey of the Alexandria & Bloomington Railroad through the county of Knox; also praying for a subscrip- tion for said road from the county of Knox for $100,000, which petition being seen and fully understood by the court is granted. It is therefore ordered by the court that the sum of $300 be, and is hereby appropriated by the county of Knox for the survey of said road; also that an election be held on the first Mon- day in January, A. D. 1860, at the different precincts in the county of Knox, and a vote taken against said subscription of $100,000, and also a vote taken for said subscription of $100,000; and that the clerk of this court make out poll
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HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.
books in accordance with this order, to be delivered by the sheriff to the judges of the different precincts. It is further ordered by the court that the foregoing appropriation for said road, and the subscription of said $100,000 be, and are hereby ordered to be upon the following conditions, otherwise not to be bind - ing upon the county of Knox:
1. Said railroad shall pass through the county of Knox, within one-half mile of the courthouse, in the town of Edina.
2. All money appropriated by the county of Knox for the survey, or the $100,000 subscription, shall be expended in the county of Knox.
3. This order of appropriation for the survey, also the $100,000 subscrip- tion, if voted by the county, shall not take effect, or be in force, or in any wise binding on the county of Knox, until the said Alexandria & Bloomington Rail- road Company, or the counties through which said road may run, shall show, to the satisfaction of this court, that they have, with the subscription of the county of Knox, sufficient funds for making and completing said road-bed ready to receive the iron; neither shall the appropriation for the survey of said road take effect until said railroad company shall prove, to the satisfaction of this court, that they have sufficient funds for the completion of said survey through the entire route.
It is further ordered that a certified copy of this order be furnished the Knox County Argus and the Edina Weekly Democrat, and that the same be published in said papers until the day of said election.
The judges were Henry T. Howerton, John Ross and William M. Beal. [Record 2, page 308.]
January 4, 1860 .- Now, at this day, the court proceeds to examine the poll books of an election held at the various precincts in Knox county to determine a subscription of $100,000 by Knox County to the Alexandria & Bloomington Railroad, and find the result as follows: For the subscription, 757 votes; against the subscription, 333 votes, showing a majority of 424 votes in favor of said subscription. Whereupon it is ordered by the court that the aforesaid subscrip- tion be made, in accordance with the provisions of an order of this court, made November 8, A. D. 1859. [Record 2, page 331.]
No work other than the "wind work" of the proposed Alex- andria & Bloomington was ever done after the survey of the line. The Civil War came on a little more than a year after the making of the subscription by the county court, and put a quietus upon all public enterprises in this quarter.
Before the war had fairly closed, however, preparations were making for the building of railroads in various parts of the State. The Legislature of 1865 granted a score or more of charters to different companies for the building of roads from one point to another in every direction, and upon nearly any condition or terms. The Alexandria & Bloomington was non est, but was virtually succeeded by the "Missouri & Mississippi Railroad Company" which was chartered by an act approved February 20, 1865, with an authorized capital stock of $4,000,000, divided into
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STATE OF MISSOURI.
shares of $100 each. Abner L. Gilstrap, Thomas A. Eagle and Thomas Moody, of Macon County; E. V. Wilson, S. M. Wirt and William F. Plumer, of Knox County, and Erastus Sacket, James M. Crane and John H. Cox, of Clark County, were consti- tuted the first board of directors under the charter, with full power to appoint the president, agents, clerks, engineers, superinten- dents and other officers and servants of the company, and deter- mine how and under what circumstances all contracts with the company should be made and executed. The board of directors were also given "full power and authority to survey, mark out, locate and construct a railroad from the town of Macon, in the county of Macon, in the State of Missouri, through the town of Edina, in the county of Knox, in said State, and hence to or near the northeast corner of said State, in the direction of Keokuk, in Iowa, or Alexandria, Mo."
Meanwhile, between the year 1859 and the passage of this act, the county seat of Macon County had been moved from Bloom- ington to the town of Macon; hence Macon was made the initial point of the Missouri & Mississippi Railroad, instead of Bloom- ington. It is clearly shown that the route or line of the proposed Missouri & Mississippi Railroad is substantially the same as the line proposed and actually surveyed by the Alexandria & Bloom- ington Railroad Company before the Civil War. It is also clear that the Missouri & Mississippi Railroad Company was a local company, the first board of directors being composed of individ- uals of the counties through which the road was to be constructed, and it seems from what followed that the people of these counties conceived the idea of building, owning and operating their own railroad; but the sequel will show how utterly they failed.
The war over and peace restored, the railroad excitement be- came intense. Everybody wanted a railroad, and the matter was agitated until finally on the 5th day of March, 1867, the county court of Knox County made an order for another special election to test the sense of the then voters of the county, as to whether there should be made a subscription to the Missouri & Missis- sippi, equal in amount, and almost identical in terms, to that made to the old Alexandria & Bloomington. Following is a copy
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HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.
of the order, the original of which may be found on page 285 of Vol. III, records of the county court:
It is hereby ordered by the county court of Knox County that an election be held at the various election precincts in Knox County, on the Tuesday after the second Monday of March, 1867, to ascertain the sense of the qualified voters of said county, as to whether or not they do authorize the county court of said Knox County to subscribe stock to the amount of one hundred thous- and dollars.
First. In any railroad company which may construct a railroad running from West Quincy, in this State; thence west through Knox County, and running through Edina, the county seat of said Knox County, to some point on the Missouri River.
Second. Or in a company which may construct a railroad running from Alexandria, in this State, southwest through Knox County, and through Edina, the county seat of said Knox County; thence west so as to intersect the North Missouri Railroad at or near Macon City.
Third. Or in any other railroad company which may duly organize under the laws of this State, and which may construct a railroad running through Knox County, and through Edina, as aforesaid, and connecting with the North Missouri Railroad, or running through Knox County and through said Edina to Quincy, Illinois, or to Macon City, Missouri, or to some point on the Mississippi or Missouri River. The stock to be taken to be subject to the conditions that it shall be payable in county bonds bearing seven per cent interest, and running ten years, and that all moneys arising from the sale of said bonds shall be ex- pended in the construction of arailroad within the county of Knox aforesaid; and further ordered by the court that the ballots or tickets voted will be marked as follows:
Shall the county subscribe $100,000 to the railroad? Yes.
Shall the county subscribe $100,000 to the railroad? No.
The election was accordingly held on the 18th day of March, in vacation. The following entry, which explains itself, was made on page 288 of Record 3 of the proceedings of the county court, to-wit:
The clerk of this court, in conjunction with Joel Sever and David Bunnell, two justices of the peace within and for the county of Knox, on this 18th day of March, 1867, proceeded to count the votes cast at the special election held on the 12th day of March, 1867, at the various election precincts in Knox County, for the purpose of ascertaining the sense of the legal voters of Knox County as to whether the county court should subscribe one hundred thousand dollars to any railroad company who would build a railroad through Knox County, and find the vote as follows:
Greensburg Township, for, 32; against, 11; Lyon Township, for, 48; against, 1; Salt River Township, for, 31; against, 38; Jeddo Township, for, 52; against, 0; Benton Township, for, 101; against, 4; Center Township, for, 225; against, 7; Fabius Township, for, 21; against, 37. Total, for, 510; against, 98.
Showing by the votes recorded in the poll books as counted and received by us that there were cast, for subscription of stock by Knox County, five hundred and ten (510) votes, and that there were cast against subscription of stock by Knox County, ninety-eight (98) votes.
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STATE OF MISSOURI.
Afterward on the 13th day of May, 1867, the county court being then in session, the following entry was made on page 302 of the same record, viz:
Now at this day it is ordered by the court that the president justice of this court be, and is hereby authorized to subscribe for, and in the'name of the county of Knox, for the use of the inhabitants thereof, one thousand shares of stock in the capital stock of the Missouri & Mississippi Railroad Company upon the following terms and limitations:
First. That the sum of one-half of one per cent of said stock, being one hundred thousand dollars, be paid in cash, to defray expense of survey of said road through Knox County.
Second. That the remaining ninety-nine and a half per cent of said stock be issued in bonds of the county of Knox, bearing seven per cent interest per annum, and running ten years, with coupons attached, the interest on said bonds payable annually at the treasury at the county of Knox aforesaid.
Third. Said bonds to be signed by the president justice of said county court, and attested by the clerk thereof, and made payable to said railroad company upon the order of the president and directors thereof. But in no case shall bonds be issued except for work actually done on said railroad, within the limits of said Knox County, which amount of work shall in all cases be shown by the estimates of the engineer of said road, verified by his affidavit. which said estimates shall be filed in the office of the clerk of this court.
In accordance with the foregoing order the first bonds for work done on said railroad in Knox County were issued Novem- ber 12, 1867; the total amount being $7,800, which bonds bore date October 1, 1867. On the 16th of December bonds were issued to the amount of $7,000, and ordered dated December 1, 1867. The next day, December 17, upon the written request of Prescott & Co., of St. Louis, the court ordered that the dates in $50,000 of the Knox County railroad bonds, issued for stock taken in the M. & M. Railroad Company, " except the dates of maturity, be changed from the 1st of October, 1867, to the 1st of Febru- ary, 1868, provided the said Prescott & Co. pay all expense in- curred in changing the said bonds." The account for " litho- graphing, printing and making change" was presented to the court February 6, 1868, and was allowed in the sum of $325. A warrant was ordered on the county revenue fund to pay the same.
Thus it will be seen that this extra expense, incurred at the request and for the accommodation of Prescott & Co., was actu- ally paid by the county instead of by that firm as stipulated in the foregoing order. Bonds for the first $100,000 of stock subscribed continued to be issued from time to time as the
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HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.
work on the bed of the railroad progressed, until all were issued. Then on the 6th of September, 1869, the county court made the following entry on page 488 of Record 3 of its proceed- ings, to wit:
It is ordered by the court that the county of Knox take (300) three hundred additional shares ($30,000) in the capital stock of the M. & M. R. R. Co., to be applied to the completion of the road-bed, ties, bridges, etc., of the first divis- ion of said road, viz .: So much of said road as lies in Knox County, between Edina and Macon City.
It is further ordered that said stock be paid in Knox County railroad bonds at par, running ten years and bearing seven per cent interest; and to be issued and paid out on the sworn estimates of the engineers on said road, for work done.
In making this additional subscription to the capital stock of said railroad company, the court failed to cite any authority what- ever for so doing. No election had been held to submit the ques- tion to the electors of the county, and consequently two-thirds of the voters had not declared themselves in favor of such addition- al subscription. It is evident, and it is not denied, that said sub- scription was made under the authority given in Section 13, of the act incorporating the said Missouri & Mississippi Railroad Company, which reads as follows:
It shall be lawful for the corporate authorities of any city or town, the County Court of any county desiring so to do, to subscribe to the capital stock of said company, and may issue bonds therefor, and levy a tax to pay the same not to exceed one-twentieth of one per cent upon the assessed value of taxable property for each year.
In accordance with this last order of the county court, bonds were issued from time to time as the work progressed, until the $30,000 was exhausted, and on the 2d of May, 1870, the said county court made the following entry [Record 3, page 580]:
Now, at this day, it is ordered by the court that the president justice of this court be, and is hereby authorized to subscribe for, and in the name of the County of Knox, State of Missouri, for the use of the inhabitants thereof, five hundred and fifty shares of stock to the capital stock of the Missouri & Mis- sissippi Railroad Company, on the following terms and limitations, to wit:
First. That said stock shall be taken and paid in bonds of the county of Knox, and State of Missouri, at par, payable in ten years from the date thereof, and dated February 1, 1870, and bearing interest at the rate of seven per cent per annum, payable at the Bank of Commerce, in the city of New York.
Second. But in no case shall said bonds be issued or made payable except for work actually done on said railroad in said Knox County, which amount of work shall be shown by the estimates of the engineers of said Missouri & Mis- sissippi Railroad, duly verified by affidavit; a copy of which said estimates shall have been filed with the clerk of this court.
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STATE OF MISSOURI.
Under this order bonds were again issued from time to time as the work progressed, though not quite to the full amount thus authorized, or at least they were not sold and delivered to the full amount as will appear hereafter.
April 6, 1869, on representations of S. M. Wirt that " an Eastern company" proposed to take the contract and finish the road, furnish the iron and equipments, etc., the court agreed, if this was done " within eighteen months from the commencement of the work thereon, or some other reasonable time," to subscribe an additional 1,000 shares.
[Record 3, page 452. ]
June 9, 1869, "on motion of James A. Reid, one of the directors of the Missouri & Mississippi Railroad," it was ordered by the court that the 1,000 additional shares be taken in the capital stock of the Missouri & Mississippi Railroad Company, "as per order of this court, April 6, 1869, to be paid in Knox County railroad bonds at par, running twenty years, bearing seven per cent interest, payable semi-annually," at some bank in New York City, upon certain conditions. [Record 3, page 473.] These con- ditions were amended by an order of the court, September 6, 1869, to read as follows: "Payable $50,000 (fifty thousand dollars) of [sic ] in bonds at par on completion of said Missouri & Mississippi Railroad bed ready for iron and rolling stock (cars ) from Clark City, in Clark County, to Edina, in Knox County, Mo .; and $50,000 of [sic ] in bonds at par when the cars are running to the town of Edina, from Clark City, aforesaid." [Record 3, page 488. ]
"For the purpose of facilitating the completion of the Mis- . souri & Mississippi Railroad, and for the more definitely fixing the time for the completion of the said railroad," the court, on the 10th of November, 1870, ordered that P. B. Linville be ap- pointed trustee to receive and hold the $100,000 bonds issued in compliance with the order of September 6, 1869.
The conditions of the trust were that the trustee should pay out the bonds to the railroad company when the road was com- pleted and the cars running "from the city of Macon, in Macon County, Missouri, by way of Edina, in Knox County, to a junction with the Iowa, Missouri & Nebraska Railroad, at a point not farther west on the said Iowa, Missouri & Nebraska Railroad than the eastern line of Scotland County, in Missouri, or by a
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HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.
line not farther east than the town of Williamstown, in Lewis County, Missouri, to Alexandria, in Clark County, Missouri, or the city of Keokuk, in Iowa." It was stipulated that if the com- pany should fail to finish the railroad "on or before the (4) fourth day of July, A. D. 1872," that the trustee should bring the bonds into the presence of the court and destroy them; but, if the company were delayed "by reason of any suit now pend- ing, or controversy that may arise," the period of such delay was to be granted, in addition, after July 4, 1872, in which to com- plete the road, provided the trustee received proper notification of the delay; in that case he was to retain the bonds until the expiration of the additional time allowed, and if then the road was incomplete, destroy them in presence of the court.
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