USA > Missouri > Lincoln County > History of Lincoln County, Missouri, from the earliest time to the present > Part 40
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At the close of the war, Edmund J. Ellis established the Lin-
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coln County Herald. Theodore D. Fisher bought a half-inter- est, May 31, 1867, and the next year the remaining half. Dr. Joseph A. Mudd established the Troy Dispatch, April 8, 1871. The two papers were consolidated June 11, 1873, under the name of the Troy Herald. William T. Thurmond, the present pro- prietor of the Herald, purchased Dr. Mudd's interest December 13, 1876, and Mr. Fisher's interest October 23, 1878, and has continued to publish the paper ever since he became its sole pro- prietor. The Troy Free Press was established in July, 1878, by W. J. and J. A. Knott. Early in 1881, the latter sold his inter- est to C. H. Ward, and in the fall of that year, the former sold his interest to H. F. Childers, who a few months later purchased the interest of Mr. Ward, and became sole proprietor, and sold out entire to George S. Townsend, on January 1, 1888. The News was established August 28, 1885, by J. A. Knott and H. M. Cornick. In 1887 Mr. Cornick purchased his partner's inter- est, and in November of the same year he sold a half interest to R. P. Boulton. On the 3d of February, 1888, the News was consolidated with the Free Press, Mr. Cornick retiring from the business. The Free Press has since been published by Boulton & Townsend, its present proprietors. The Herald and Free Press are both good county papers, each having a large circula- tion, and both advocate Democratic principles.
Troy Schools .-- On the 8th day of May, 1837, George Collier, of St. Louis, sold and conveyed for the consideration of $1, to Richard H. Woolfolk, David Bailey, Emanuel Block, Horace B. Wing, Valentine J. Peers, Cary K. Duncan and Francis Parker, trustees of Lincoln Academy, Lots 338, 339, 348 and 349, in Collier's addition to Troy, for the express purpose of having an academy erected and maintained thereon. The Lincoln Academy existed for a number of years, and was generally under the super- vision of able instructors. The property was sold to C. G. Jones, who, in 1856, erected the present school-building on the old acad- emy grounds. It is a large three-story brick structure, with three rooms and a hall and stairway on the first floor, four schoolrooms on the second floor, and one large room on the third floor. Mr. Jones opened a private school in his new building, had able assistants, and for a series of years following taught an
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excellent school. In 1867 he conveyed the property to the trus- tees of the Troy Christian Institute, by which body a school was opened and conducted for a few years. On the 4th day of March, 1874, the property was conveyed to the board of educa- tion for School District No. 4, in School Township No. 13, it being the Troy Public School District, and since that time it has been used for the public school.
The teachers employed for the school year of 1888-89 are G. A. Y. Reeds, principal, Mrs. C. S. McKee, Miss Lizzie Hutt, Miss Ella Garrett, Miss Willie Coose and Miss Carrie Alloway. The school commences in September and continues eight months. It is thoroughly graded, and the higher branches, making it equivalent to an academy, are taught. In another part of the town is the colored district school, and the teachers employed for the ensuing year are George T. Neal, principal, and J. W. Crav- ens, assistant. The Troy school board consists of Josiah Creech, president, George W. Colvert, Levi J. Garrett and W. A. Jack- son, the latter being secretary. Pupils from abroad are charged from $2 to $3 tuition per month, but such pupils are not solicited, as there are pupils enough in the district to occupy the rooms, and to constitute a good school.
TRUXTON.
Truxton is situated in the southwest corner of Lincoln County, one mile from the Montgomery line, and three-fourths of a mile from the Warren County line, being on Section 22, Township 49 north, Range 3 west. It is very pleasantly located on an elevated plateau just in the northern edge of the prairie. The view of the surrounding country, except to the northward, is splendid. The lands in the vicinity are rich and productive, and well adapted to the raising of nearly all kinds of grain, grass and live stock. Robert B. Allen, the founder of Truxton, was born in Virginia, October 6, 1808. He settled in Lincoln County in 1840, and three years later built the first house in Truxton. In June, 1852, he procured the services of James Reid, the county surveyor, and with his assistance laid out and platted the town of Truxton; and two years later he platted an addition thereto. Mr. Allen became a permanent resident of the village, and lived
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there until his death, in 1875. He was prominently identified with the place, the church and schools, and his excellent wife assisted in all his good works. The village was named in honor of Capt. Truxton, a noted naval officer in the Revolutionary War. [ A par- tial history of this officer can be found on pages 326-27, of Quack- enbos' History of the United States. ] Rev. J. B. Allen, of Troy, was the first child born in Truxton.
For a number of years before the late Civil War Truxton had a large and well-regulated seminary of learning, with an able corps of teachers, and it was well patronized. In 1860 F. T. Williams was principal, W. Cunningham, assistant, and Miss M. C. Williams, teacher of the primary department. The school was closed during the war, and has never since been opened. The old building is still standing. The school of Truxton is now managed in another building erected for the purpose, under the village act for organizing schools in connection with the free school system. Truxton being situated as it is, in a good agricultural country, has always been a place of considerable trade. Its business at present consists of the following: Gen- eral stores, Jarot Ingram & Son, Thomas Aydelott & Sons, H. L. Ross and William Hoech. Aydelott & Sons established their business in September, 1880; Ross established his business in 1885, and William Hoech in 1881. Mr. Ingram established his business about sixteen years ago.
Besides the above Truxton has a livery and hack line to Jones- burg, run by H. S. Owens; hotel and livery, Henderson Branstet- ter; blacksmiths, Lansche & Korth; carpenter, wagon-maker and blacksmith, J. H. Hoech ; millinery and dressmaking, Mrs. Bettie Pennington, Mrs. Annie Holder and Miss Sallie Branstetter; har- ness, saddles, boots and shoes, D. K. Jennings and Ed. Temmer; boots and shoes, B. F. Jennings; grist mill and saw mill, Joseph Holder. In addition Crockett & Ritter run a hack and carry the mail to and from Jonesburg. The physicians are Ben- jamin Perkins, G. R. Spreckelmeyer and - Martinek. Dr. Spreckelmeyer also keeps a small drug store. William S. Pen- nington is a notary public and justice of the peace. The grist mill of Joseph Holder is one of the oldest mills standing in the county. The merchants of Truxton purchase a vast amount of
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light produce, such as poultry, eggs and butter, of which all is hauled to the Wabash Railroad for shipment. The poultry is said to pay a larger per cent on investment than any other prod- uct of the vicinity. Many of the families buy all their goods at the stores with poultry, eggs and butter. Formerly there was a commodious church edifice at Truxton, but there are none at present. The following denominations: Methodist Episcopal, Missionary and Regular Baptist, and Christian, hold services al- ternately at the schoolhouse.
Societies .- Levi F. Pennington Post No. 347, Grand Army of the Republic, was chartered August 1, 1878. Mr. Pennington, after whom the post was named, was a private in Company A, Forty-ninth Regiment, Missouri Infantry Volunteers. He died from disease during the war. The charter members of this post were Benjamin Perkins, Reuben W. Colbert, W. S. Pennington, Fred. Hoekried, Fred. Dedert, H. C. Pennington, Benj. F. Jen- nings, J. W. Delventhal, James S. Strather and William N. Mor- ris. At present writing the three principal officers are J. W. Delventhal, C .; Joseph Goodwin, S. V. C., and William N. Mor- ris, J. V. C. The post contains fifteen survivors of the Union army.
About three miles east of Truxton, on the Troy road, are the extensive mills known as the Dutch Mills, consisting of a grist and saw mill combined, and owned by Koelling, Pettig & Co. These mills are located in the beautiful valley of Camp Creek, and are large and expensive in structure. They are run by steam power.
WINFIELD.
Winfield is situated on the St. Louis, Keokuk & Northwestern Railroad, forty-eight miles from the city of St. Louis. The business portion and some of the residences of the town lie on a level plateau at the footof the bluffs, on the western side of the Mississippi bottoms, while the finest residences are located on the bluffs nearly 100 feet higher. From these bluffs a grand view of the valley, and of the towering heights and rounded hills on the Illinois side of the great river, is obtained. The town was sur- veyed and platted in October, 1879. John Wise, the first merchant in Winfield, began business in general merchandising
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in 1880, and after continuing for a time, retired. Next came Col. Parker with a general store, and also Baxter Crawford, with A stock of furniture and a supply of lumber. About 1885 Col. Parker quit business and left the place. After these business houses had been established, the large frame flouring mill, with a stone engine-house attached, was erected in 1883, by a joint stock company known as the Winfield Milling Company, with a capital stock of $10,000. For several years after this mill was erected it did a good business, and a large quantity of flour and meal was shipped both north and south from it, but not having the roller apparatus connected with its machinery, it had to suspend operations when that method of making flour came into general use. There is prospect, however, that the roller appar- atus will be put in and the mill again put into operation. About the year 1884 the Story Bros. opened a drug store in Winfield. They were succeeded by Hewitt & Son, who were burned out by the destructive fires in the winter of 1884-85. They soon rebuilt and continued their business. After this drug store was established, DePue & Thomasson opened a general store. Soon thereafter they took in as a partner D. T. Killam, and the firm then became DePue, Thomasson & Co. Some time after this house was established, Birkhead Bros. opened a grocery store. They soon sold out to Birkhead & Argent, they to Magruder & Bro., who were victims of the fire and did not afterward resume business. Next in order after DePue, Thomasson & Co. came W. A. Woodson & Co., who opened a general store and also handled farm implements.
In addition to the foregoing there were, in 1885, the follow- ing business houses: Hardware, T. D. Hardesty; saddles and harness, John Kumbera; millinery and dressmaking, Mesdames Neville, Thompson and Steele; hotel, C. W. Ricks; saloons, Patrick Hyland and Guion & Archer; livery, Guion & Archer; barber, C. N. Forbush; restaurant, same; wagon-maker, H. J. Muth. The following is a directory of the business of Winfield at the present writing (1888): General stores, A. C. De Pue and C. H. Stephenson; drug store, F. Hewitt & Bro .; drugs and groceries, T. B. Martin; farm implements, F. W. Rohland; blacksmith and wagon-maker, H. Schierbaum and H. J. Muth;
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dealer in grain, D. F. Killam, who has a grain-elevater attached to the flouring mill; dealer in live stock, John W. Thompson; hardware, F. D. Hardesty; millinery, Mrs. M. F. Nevelle; furniture and lumber, B. Crawford; restaurant, Mrs. Fannie Sanders; farm implements, Gus. Thomasson; hotel, Mrs. Mary Cook; physicians, R. H. Talbott and D. E. Hewitt. The town also contains two church edifices, Missionary Baptist and Meth- odist Episcopal South; also a frame schoolhouse containing three rooms. Winfield was incorporated February 14, 1882, under the corporate name of "The Inhabitants of the Town of Winfield." Its first board of trustees were F. D. Hardesty, A. C. De Pue, B. Crawford, D. T. Killam and J. A. Mudd. The town has a popu- lation of nearly 300. It is a prosperous village, and will continue to grow as the country improves.
A few years ago a party of St. Louis gentlemen constructed a commodious club-house on the margin of King's Lake, near Winfield. It has become famous as a summer resort for the city gentry and their families. Boat-riding and fishing are the prin- cipal sports indulged in.
WHITESIDE.
Whiteside, named after its proprietor, William Whiteside, is a village on the St. Louis & Keokuk (Short Line) Railroad, situated in the central part of Township 51 north, Range 1 west, and about fourteen miles on a direct line from Troy. When the railroad was completed, in 1882, Mr. Whiteside, in order to secure the erection of a depot on his farm, donated to the railroad company one-half of six acres of land for a town site, and a judg- ment in his favor for $500, and also built the depot. The com- pany accepted the donation, and laid out the town. The first houses in the town were erected by Dayton Moxley and Benjamin Miles. These were frame dwelling-houses. The first merchants were Dayton Moxley and W. Hull, under the firm name of Moxley & Hull, who kept a grocery. The first general store was opened by Moxley & Bainbridge. When the postoffice was established, Dayton Moxley was made postmaster, and continues to hold the office. The Missionary Baptists have just completed a frame church 35x48 feet in size. The following is a directory of the
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present business of the village: General stores, Luck Bros. and Pogue & Moxley; hardware, furniture and undertaking goods, Elias Magruder; drugs, Dr. A. W. Slaughter; black- smithing, Henry Elliott; boarding-house, William Parks. Dr. Slaughter is the practicing physician. The village contains from eighty to a hundred inhabitants. It is situated in a good agri- cultural region, and, consequently, will always be a good ship- ping point, its growth keeping pace with the development of the country. Miss Emma Keightley taught the first school in Whiteside in 1886.
POSTOFFICES.
The following is a list of the postoffices and postmasters in Lincoln County in 1888:
Apex, H. H. Morris; Argentville, O. Argent; Auburn, J. M. Terrell; Bals, George Bals; Brevator, Jacob Eisenstein; Briscoe, Cyrus Finley ; Brussells, Joseph Dryden; Burr Oak Valley, Lee Frank; Chain of Rocks, Stephen Reller; Chantilla, Alfred Fil- singer; Corso, J. C. Williams; Dameron, J. W. Jenkins; Davis, William Owen; Early, Robert Howell; Elsberry, J. W. Bibb; Famous, Logan Howell; Foley, -; Hawk Point, Alexander Kennedy; Hines, F. M. Cole; Linn's Mills, F. W. Graue, Louis- ville, T. J. Higginbotham; Mackville, S. R. Mckay; Moscow Mills, J. H. Anderson; Millwood, Daniel Mudd; New Hope, -; Okete, -; Old Monroe, W. T. Cambron; Olney, Theron Ives; Owen, J. V. Moseley; Silex, L. C. Kimler; Troy, George W. Mohr; Truxton, H. L. Ross; Whiteside, J. V. Moxley; Win- field, C. H. Stephenson.
Fairview postoffice has recently been taken up, and there being so many in the county, it is probable that a few more of the country offices, not on the line of the railroads, may be discon- tinued. Those at the stations on the railroads, and in the larger villages, will remain permanent, but the postmasters usually change with every change of administration; some of them, how- ever, are retained through several presidential administrations, irrespective of their political preferences.
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CHAPTER XIV.
EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS.
In common with the pioneers of all newly settled countries, the early settlers of Lincoln County were deprived of educa- tional advantages for their children. As soon, however, as a sufficient number of pupils was found to exist in any particular locality, the parents, or guardians thereof, assembled and erected one of the old-fashioned log schoolhouses, with puncheon floor, open fireplace, with its stick and mud chimney, and furnished with hewed plank benches for seats, and rough boards resting on pins driven into the logs, for writing desks. These were the early schoolhouses in which the children of the first settlers received the rudiments of their education. These schools were known as " subscription schools," the teachers being paid by the parents or guardians of the pupils, in proportion to their numbers. No superior education was required of teachers in those days. It was the custom with some men to contract to teach "reading, writing and arithmetic to the rule of three," and nothing more. Occasionally a well-educated man could be employed.
Samuel Groshon (or Groshong) probably taught school in Lincoln County before the War of 1812, as an account is given of his riding out one day near one of the forts (perhaps Clark's) when he was espied by some Indians, one of whom shot him in the shoulder. He then put spurs to his horse and ran for life, and when about 300 yards from the fort his horse fell dead. His comrades in the fort then ran out and carried him safely in. The narrator of this incident spoke of Mr. Groshon as a school teacher; hence the conclusion that he had previously taught school in the vicinity. The first school teacher in the vicinity of Auburn was Philip Orr, and the others were James Wilson and James Reid. Mr. Wilson taught the first school in his neigh- borhood where he settled, about three miles northeast of Auburn. He still survives, lives at Auburn, and is ninety four years of age. In 1829 Clayton Alcom taught school in a log cabin near Mill Creek, and Ariel Knapp taught the first three years at Mill Creek. He taught almost continuously, and
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received from $12 to $15 per month. Joseph E. Wells was the first teacher in the vicinity of Millwood. He was well edu- cated and was an excellent teacher. Richard H. Hill, brother of the Hon. Clem Hill, of Lebanon, Ky., settled on the branch between Millwood and Silex, and pre-empted his claim, and was very poor. He had four children. He taught school with great success as a teacher, but with poor success to himself financially. His brother Clem furnished him some land warrants, which he located on 280 acres of land near the line of the Wabash Railroad. He sold this land for $2,500, then went to Texas, where he became quite wealthy, raised ten children, and at last account, he and his wife were both living at the age of about eighty years. Another early school teacher in the vicinity of Millwood, was Athanasius Mudd, a graduate of the College of Georgetown, D. C., both in literature and law. The first school near Elsberry was taught about the year 1833, by William Watts. An old settler of that vicinity remembers a fight that took place at the raising of the log schoolhouse in which Watts taught, between one William Vance and one Mellon.
PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.
Missouri has had a public school system ever since it became a State, but for many years it was considered as an institution of charity for the benefit of the poor, and, consequently, was not patronized nor encouraged by the more wealthy classes. The original incentive to the creation of the school system was the donation, made by the General Government to the State, of the sixteenth section of land in each and every congressional town- ship, for the purpose of raising a fund to maintain free schools. The first step preparatory to the establishment of such schools in Lincoln County was taken in April, 1821, by the county court, by appointing Samuel Howland, Daniel Draper, Andrew Miller, Thomas Blanton and Benjamin Allen as "school land trustees of Lincoln County." The duties of these trustees, however, were merely to oversee and protect the school lands from spoliation. In August, 1823, the court appointed two commissioners of school lands for each township, as follows: Bedford, Cary K. Duncan and John Griffee; Union, Samuel Smiley and Philip Sitton;
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Hurricane, Alfred Gordon and William Hammock ; Monroe, John Lindsey and - Webb. In November of the following year Duncan and Griffee, commissioners for Bedford Township, leased Section 16, in Township 48 north, Range 1 west, to Alambe Williams, for a term of five years, for the consideration of making certain specified improvements on the land. This was the first lease of school lands made in the county.
An act of the General Assembly of the State, approved Jan- uary 17, 1825, required the tribunal holding court, at its first session, in 1825, and every two years thereafter, to appoint three respectable householders in each municipal township as commis- sioners of school lands, their duties being to care for and manage the school lands, etc. The act provided that each congressional township, or fractional township, having not less than 100 acres of school land, should compose a school district, to be numbered and recorded; and that the rents and profits of the school lands should be appropriated to the support of the common school in such district. The school trustees were given the power to deter- mine what number of children and what children should be educated, and for what length of time each year. The act further provided that there should be taught in all common schools, read- ing, writing, arithmetic and English grammar; and that the school trustees might levy a per capita tax on the children attending the schools, to make up any deficiency in the funds for paying teachers. This was the first provision for helping to support the schools by a tax. It was not, however, a direct tax on property, but simply a per capita tax on those belonging to the schools, as designated by the trustees. In May, 1826, Henry Watts, Nicholas Wells and Thomas Wells were appointed commissioners of school lands in the newly formed municipal township of Waverly. In November following these commissioners reported their first lease, the northwest quarter of Section 16, Township 51 north, Range 2 west, to Henry Watts, and another lease to Nicholas Wells for the northeast quarter of the same section. In August, 1827, Cary K. Duncan, Alexander Hill and Walter Wright were appointed the first commissioners of school lands for the newly organized municipal township of Clark.
The fractional townships along the Mississippi, and some
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other townships partially covered with Spanish grants, contained no section numbered sixteen, and consequently had no school lands. To provide for this deficiency, Congress passed an act which was approved May 20, 1826, providing for the selection of other public lands to be donated to the inhabitants of such town- ships in lieu of Section 16. To fractional townships a propor- tionate share of school land only was donated. In February, 1828, the county court appointed Henry Watts as commissioner for the county, for the purpose of making selections and loca- tions of lands granted by the above mentioned act of Congress. At the following August term of the court, Commissioner Watts reported that he had selected lands at the Palmyra land office, as follows: Town 51 north, Range 2 east-The southeast quar- ter of Section 30, containing 160 acres; the southeast quarter of Section 31, containing 160 acres; the east half of the northeast quarter of Section 31, containing 80 acres; Lot No. 1, of the southwest quarter of Section 31, containing 80 acres; and the southwest quarter of Section 32, containing 160 acres. Town 49 north, Range 3 east-The southwest quarter of Section 19, containing 160 acres. Town 51 north, Range 1 west- The west half of Section 11, containing 320 acres; the north- west quarter of Section 14, containing 160 acres; the southeast quarter of Section 14, containing 160 acres, making a total of 1,440 acres selected at the Palmyra office. He also reported that he had selected from the St. Louis land office (as shown by the record ) Section 16, in Town 48 north, Ranges 1 and 2 west; and Section 16, in Town 48 north, Ranges 1 and 2 east; and the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter, and the southwest quarter of Section 29, Fractional Township 48 north, Range 3 east. The query arises here, why he should report the selection of lands already donated by Congress. This needs an explana-
tion which the records do not show. In 1831 the court appointed Gabriel Reeds commissioner or agent for the school lands of the county. In November following the first petition for the school lands was presented to the court, coming from Township 51 north, Range 2 west ( Waverly ).
An act of the General Assembly of the State, approved March 19, 1835, provided that all congressional townships having fifteen
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free white householders should have the right to sell the school lands thereof, upon petition to the county court, the sheriff to be ordered to sell them; and that whenever school lands in a town- ship were sold to the amount of $800, the county court could incorporate the inhabitants thereof into as many school districts, not exceeding four, as they might require. The act also provided that the trustees should, employ a teacher and keep up a school in each incorporated school district at least six months in every year, in which school all white children between the ages of six and eighteen years, permanently residing in the district, should be free to enter as scholars; and that in all schools established under the act " reading, writing, geography, English grammar, and such other branches of education (theology excepted) as the funds might justify," should be taught; and if the annual income from the school lands was not sufficient to sustain the school six months, the trustees should apportion the deficiency among those who sent to school, in proportion to the number sent by each patron. The act also contained other provisions not necessary here to mention.
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