USA > Missouri > Randolph County > History of Randolph County, Missouri > Part 15
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Mount Hope, Cumberland Presbyterian church, was constructed in 1874. The congregation had been organized as a church sometime prior thereto.
Since the close of the Civil War church buildings have multiplied in Randolph County.
CHAPTER XXI
TRANSPORTATION.
STEAMBOAT TO HANNIBAL AND GLASGOW-SUPPLIES HAULED OVERLAND-NORTH MISSOURI RAILROAD IN 1858-RAILROAD BUILDING SUSPENDED DURING CIVIL WAR-CHICAGO & ALTON BUILT IN 1871-WABASH RAILROAD AND ITS BRANCHES-THE MISSOURI, KANSAS & TEXAS-RAILROAD PROSPECTS IN CONTEMPLATION.
Randolph County, as we have seen, was organized in 1829. By this time or shortly thereafter, steamboats began to run more or less regu- larly on both the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. Goods and groceries, such as sugar, tea, coffee, hardware and other necessaries, were obtained by the merchants of Randolph County either from Hannibal or from Glasgow. Glasgow, being the nearer, was the usual shipping point where produce was shipped and merchants received goods bought in St. Louis or' farther east.
The ability to obtain necessary supplies and hardware material aided in the improvement and development of the county. Emigrants coming into the state had their choice to come overland by wagon or they could come by boat to Hannibal or Glasgow and thence to their destination by land.
In the year 1858, the North Missouri Railroad leading from St. Louis, northwest and north, was built into Randolph County, entering the county near its southeast corner, thence northwest to a point three miles south of the city of Moberly, and thence north to the town of Allen, where it crossed the state road leading from Huntsville to Paris. This road was extended the same year northward to Macon City, being completed to that point where it connected with the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad in February, 1859. The building of the North Missouri Railroad through the county put Randolph County on the map as a railroad county.
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The war between the states known as the Civil War or War of the Rebellion began in April, 1861. During the four years that this unhappy struggle continued, railroad building, and indeed every constructive enter- prise, was halted. Directly after the close of the war projected lines of railroad so halted by the war, many of them were speedily constructed The projected line from Moberly westward to Kansas City was constructed between the years of 1865 and 1868. The projected railroad from Hanni- bal to Moberly was constructed and completed between 1869 and 1872 and shortly thereafter in the same or following year the railroad first known as the Tebo and Neosho, afterward the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad, was extended south through Fayette and Boonville to Sedalia and from thence south to Texas. About the same time, or shortly thereafter, a branch line was built northwest from Brunswick, following along the valley of the Grand river through the cities of Chillicothe, Gallatin and on to Pattonsburg, where it connected with the Omaha, Quincy and Kansas City Railroad.
A number of years later the line of road extending from Brunswick to Omaha was purchased and became and is yet part of the Wabash Systeni.
In 1871 the Chicago and Alton Railroad Company constructed its line of railroad westward from Mexico through Randolph County and from thence westward to Kansas City. With the completion of these several roads and branch lines all constructed within the fifteen years elapsing between 1858 and 1873, Randolph County had probably a greater mileage of railroads than any inland county within the state. At the present day that part of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad extending from Moberly to Hannibal is used by both the Missouri, Kansas and Texas and the Wabash railroads.
From Moberly the Wabash railroad and its branch lines extend to St. Louis, Hannibal, Ottumwa, Des Moines, Iowa, to Kansas City west- ward and to Omaha in the northwest. The Missouri, Kansas and Texas likewise operates its trains to and from Hannibal and from Moberly south to the Gulf of Mexico. The Chicago and Alton railroad enters Randolph County east of Clark, passes through Clark, Higbee and Yates, and from thence into Howard County and on to Kansas City through Glasgow.
Prior to the entry of the United States into the World War the Santa Fe and Burlington systems of railroad had determined to build a line of railroad from Carrollton, Missouri, through Randolph County to Mexico, Missouri, where it would connect with the Burlington road extending from
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Mexico to St. Louis. It was further determined by the Burlington Rail- road Company that this company would build a line of railroad from or- near Monroe City, southwesterly through Monroe County and through the city of Moberly to a junction point of said roads about five miles south- west of Moberly and much of the right-of-way for these railroads had already been acquired, prior to the declaration of war by this government against the German Empire.
That these railroads will be ultimately built seems a certainty. The grade of these roads, established by their engineers, does not exceed three per centum throughout their length.
It was further projected by the Burlington road that a like grade would be obtained between Monroe City and Quincy, Illinois. By this line the distance from Chicago to Kansas City over the Burlington road would be shortened thirty or thirty-five miles, and the grade so obtained would en- able said railroad to economically compete with any railroad now operating from Kansas City to Chicago, the Santa Fe included.
When these roads are completed, as they will be, Randolph County will be a veritable railroad center and will have direct lines of railroad radiating in every direction and that too over the shortest lines.
CHAPTER XXII
MISCELLANEOUS.
THE "RAZORBACK"-FROM THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LIBERTY NOBLE-INDLIN SCARE OF 1829.
THE RAZORBACK.
With the coming of the pioneer to the Boonslick Country came the pio- neer hog, the "razorback."
The "razorback" like the pioneer was no pampered child of fortune. He was likewise of the pioneer type, in that he was somewhat long of limb, gaunt, muscular, active, strong and swift of foot, when occasion required. He was further of the pioneer type in that he was active, cour- ageous and self-reliant, and frequently it was a case of "root hog or die" with both man and hog.
For the purpose of rooting the "razorback" was well equipped. His shoulders, neck and head were large and muscular and his nose was long, terminating with a rooting attachment that needed no repair. This nose, however, was not equipped with a coulter and the tough prairie sod was too tough of a proposition for him as well as for the pioneer settler, hence they both went to the woods together where they could make an honest living the year around by the industrious use of hand and snout.
The woods at that time had other inhabitants, bears, panthers, wild cats, and wolves in great numbers, but the razorback went forth fearlessly at hunger's call or just because he wanted to, that is, the full-growns did, and unless restrained, the younger ones followed. The "razorback" was armed for defense. From his lower jaw projecting upward and outward were strong, sharp, curved tusks, several inches in length, and set into the upper jaw were shorter upturned tusks that co-ordinated with the
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larger ones below. In battle the "razorback" fought by lowering his head and striking upward. These upper thrusts driven by the powerful next muscles were capable of inflecting long, deep, ragged wounds, some- times dangerous or deadly.
The "razorbacks" in the woods usually herded together. When a member of the herd by prolonged squealing gave the signal of distress the grown ups of the herd, with bristles erect rushed to the rescue, and whether the trouble maker be man or animal the only safe way was up a tree or rapid flight.
The "razorback," though homely and bristly, was invaluable to the early settler. He could take care of himself. He was able and willing to make his own living in the woods ten months in the year, if need be, and was therefore a cheap boarder. The "razorback" was seldom con- verted into bacon before he was eighteen months or two years old. Run- ning at large, he grew more slowly, his keep was trifling and he usually survived until the fall of his second year. Having grown fat on acorns and nuts the settler would round up his herd, separate and confine in a closed pen all those that he designed to butcher, feed them corn for a few weeks until assured that the meat and lard would be firm and of the best, then a day was set and the hog killing was held. Usually the near neighbors assisted and frequently a score or more hogs were butchered and cut up in a single day.
Then the meat was salted down, the lard rendered out, and in early days before the advent of the sausage grinder, sausage was made by beating the meat into a pulp on a block with hammers.
Aside from the labor of feeding the hogs at times, and that incident to butchering and curing the meat, the cost of bacon to the farmer was trivial compared to the cost of today, nor does the packing house bacon of this period of time compare in excellence with the delicious country cured hams, smoked with hickory wood and carved out of these mature hogs.
But the "razorback," indispensable to the early settlers, could not endure. He had his day in north Missouri, and his decline. As the trees in the wooded districts fell year by year under the blows of the woods- man's ax, the noise of their falling beat the "razorback's" "last tattoo." With the going of the woods went the razorback, with improved methods of farming came improved breeds of hogs, cattle, sheep and horses. The "razorback" had served and served well-his purpose and his mission was ended.
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In the Ozarks he survived until the Civil War. The late Proctor Knott, for many years a Kentucky congressman, while a young man spent some years in the Ozarks and while there was elected to the Missouri legislature shortly before the Civil War. While so serving he made a speech in the house, boosting the Ozarks and their many resources, their climate, fishing, streams, fruit trees, fertile valleys, and their endless forests of oak that covered the hills and bore fruit and almost covered the ground with acorns in the fall of the year. Among other assets he introduced the "razorback" as a prime asset in that timbered region. After describing him and his characteristics of courage, industry, and his ability to provide for and defend himself against all comers without human aid, he wound up by saying "that the 'razorback' could readily root potatoes out of the third row through a crack in the fence."
It seems from the following incident that the "razorback" may yet survive in some of the timbered regions farther south. A Pennsylvania breeder of fine hogs had a pen of assorted sizes on exhibition at the Rich- mond, Virginia, Exposition, held a half score years ago. A North Caro- lina farmer came along, stopped, leaned on the fence of the pen and leisurely scanned its inmates. They were show hogs, short legged and fat. Some were lying down and others were waddling around in the pen. The owner came around hoping to sell and said, "What do you think of them ?"
"I never saw such hogs before. They sure do look fine," replied the tar heel.
"Don't you want a pair to take home with you?" inquired the Penn- sylvanian.
"No," replied the North Carolinian slowly, "they would be of no account to me, stranger. No hog is worth a d-m in the country where I live that can't outrun a nigger."
FROM THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LIBERTY NOBLE.
Liberty Noble was born in Casey County on November 10, 1809. He was the third son of Mark Noble and Rachel, his wife. In June, 1817, Mark Noble and his family, consisting of a wife, seven sons and three daughters, moved from Kentucky to Howard County, Missouri, and four years later, on March 8, 1821, moved to Randolph County. The follow- ing is an excript from his autobiography :
"About the year 1829 we moved to near where Huntsville now stands and cleared off the first twelve acres of the city lots. We com-
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menced nearly exactly where the court house now stands. The contract was let to the lowest bidder and my father secured the contract. We also burnt the lime for Randolph's first court house. Two weeks were spent in building a lime kiln. We found two trees on the hillside some thirty feet apart and hauled our logs and piled them upon each other against the two trees until we had a large pile; then we hauled rocks and stacking them on the long heap set fire to the logs. When the logs had burned away the rocks being burnt were left in a heap something similar to the form in which they were placed. Then we slacked this burnt rock and had our lime.
Lumber was sawed by hand in those days and I have helped to saw thousands of feet with the old hand rip saw. I have had the privilege of sawing lumber with Missouri's Ex-Governor Jackson. We found two trees somewhat like we did in commencing a lime kiln. These trees must have forks some six or eight feet from the ground. In these forks we placed a pole called a ridge pole. On the ridge pole we put two other poles with one end of each on the hill side. Then we hewed our logs square, rolled them on the poles, lined them on top and on the bottom the entire length, and with one sawyer on top and the other on the ground sawed out our lumber. We stuck one end of the logs as far over one of the poles as we could not to overbalance and then ripped all the logs at that end; then slipped them endways past the pole and sawed again to the other pole and so on through the log. We could saw about two hundred feet in a day by this method.
In the fall of the year of 1832, I with four friends went on a bee hunt. It was the month of September and we went to the Chariton river, eight or ten miles northwest of where Kirksville now stands. We camped over night and spent the next day in locating bee trees. We were gone twenty-three days and brought home 309 gallons of strained honey, one tub and two buckets full of honey in the comb and a good quantity of beeswax.
When my father first moved to Missouri hogs were very scarce and he paid one dollar for a very small pig. I remember our hogs used to run outside, and during the summer when we were busy in our crops and harvesting, we would not see our hogs for sometimes three months at a time and they would become rather wild, so we would have to hunt their beds and drive them home.
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The houses in which we lived were built of logs hewn out by our own broadaxes, and chinked with sticks, rocks and mud. They were almost always built with a chimney in the west side so the heat as we thought would be on the coldest side of the house. The chimney was built according to the number of children in the family, a small family built a small chimney and sometimes a chimney occupied nearly all the west end of the house. Then a log was split and legs put into it to make a bench for each side of the fireplace, and a long bench made for in front of it. Some, though not all, of the bedsteads were one-legged ones. A post placed from one corner of the room and poles reached from the post to the walls and plank put on these formed the platform on which our straw beds were placed and after awhile some people became rich enough to afford geese and they had feather beds.
We had to go twenty or twenty-five miles to mill and then furnish our team to grind our grain. The mills were old fashioned sweep-mills and ground the corn somewhat similar to the way molasses cane is mashed now. There were two mills in Howard County, one was run by Colonel Snoddy and the other by Paddy Woods.
Our grain was cut with a reap hook and very slow work it was. We caught a bunch of grain by the top with the left hand and cut it with a reap hook in our right hand, and when we had thus cut across a field we hung the reap hook on our shoulder and bound the grain we had cut as we came back.
I never went to but three schools in my life and only went about half the time then for I had to stay at home and work. Schools were taught in the spring and summer just when the most work was done. I went to one school in 1819 in Howard County to Joseph Persinger and in 1823 in Randolph County to John Dysart, a brother of Rev. James Dysart of the Cumberland Presbyterian church. The next year, 1824, I went to Nic Dysart, also a brother of the preacher. Our schoolhouses had only dirt floors and they would get pretty dusty sometimes. At our writing desk a log was cut out so as to give us light and we stood and wrote with a split log for a desk and used ink made from indigo and oak berries and a goose quill for a pen. The benches were made of split logs with wooden pegs for the legs and were generally made of cotton- wood or lime so as to be soft so they would not have to be cushioned. Our feet dangled between the bench and floor and as we had no lazy backs to the benches we did not have to have our coats patched in the back.
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The plows we used were single shovels made by a blacksmith and the bar-shear plow, which had a wooden mouldboard, as did the Cary plow which came into use a few years later. These plows were about ten inches wide and if a man broke two acres a day he had done something extra. Our harness were all homemade; the collars were made of linn bark and shucks. The hames were made by ourselves and had a hole bored through them into which the rope tug was run and with some bark and a knot fastened. The rope tugs were made by twisting tow and flax together. A notch was cut in the end of a singletree, and we made a loop in the tug and slipped it over the end. Very often we had no backbands to the harness, but occasionally some would make them out of bark and shucks. Old Mr. McClain, whose son lived in McClainsville, said he could not raise a crop without hickory bark. It was used for as many things as string is now.
Our hoes were made by a blacksmith and were very heavy, some- times having enough iron in one for two or three hoes like we use now. Our axes were also home-made, and in fact nearly everything then was very different from what it is now.
The girls in those days worked hard enough to raise corns on their hands, wore home-made dresses and sunbonnets, and besides the house work also helped in the field and hoed in the garden, and had to content themselves with such flowers as the morning glory, hollyhock, sunflower and pumpkin blossoms."
INDIAN SCARE OF 1829.
It was customary in the early days for every male over eighteen years of age to have a good trusty rifle and plenty of ammunition. Shotguns were unknown, also revolvers. These hardy men most gen- erally took their firearms with them wherever they went, not for the purpose though, be it remembered. to shoot one another, as is often done nowadays, but to defend themselves against the wild, untutored redman, who then had their wigwams so close to their borders, and occasionally made unexpected raids into the white settlements to take vengeance upon the innocent and peaceful citizen, for some outrage often committed upon the poor Indian by some of the few bad white men, that then had their homes somewhere in these western wilds.
Most of the cruelty and butchery committed by the savages, in those days, no doubt, were occasioned by the fact that bad white men, either instigated them, or had committed great outrages upon the Indians when
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they had the advantage of them. And, they being savages, and perhaps knowing no better, would take vengeance upon the first pale-face man, woman or child that happened in their pathway. But it is true, no doubt, also, that these red men of the forest took great delight in shedding blood, and gloried in taking the scalp of the white man; and for even a fancied wrong conjured up by the brain of some would-be chieftain, they would raise the war-whoop and sally forth, seeking whom they might devour. Hence, when in the year 1829, these first settlers of Ran- dolph County, together with others that had then made Randolph County their future home, heard from a messenger, fresh from the scene of the conflict, his fiery charger foaming, being driven by the whip and spur to his utmost speed, that the Indians on the northern borders had raised the war club and were marching rapidly to the settlements, murdering indiscriminately men, women and children that were then scattered along in isolated settlements from the Iowa line down to what is now the boundary line of Randolph County.
The news was carried from cabin to cabin by swift and trusty mes- sengers. It was appalling, it is true, and no doubt carried great consterna- tion to some. But action was quickly taken and preparation made to send the women and children down to the big settlement in Howard County, under charge of the old and feeble men, not able to do military duty, where they knew they would be well protected and cared for cheer- fully. A company of about seventy men, comprising nearly all the able- bodied adult men in the county was organized. Robert Scounce, a highly respected citizen who many years afterwards died in the county, was elected captain, and marched at once to meet the enemy. In the mean- time a regiment was organized in Howard County, under command of Colonel, later General John B. Clark, an honored citizen of Howard County.
The Indians were driven without much trouble north of the state boundary. Before the expiration of these troubles, two other companies, under command of Captain Abraham Goodring, who was also in the war of 1812, and a highly respected citizen of the county, and Captain Robert Boucher, of Randolph County. This small war was one of the incidents, it was said, leading to the famous Black Hawk war.
CHAPTER XXIII
BIOGRAPHICAL
Ottis O. Ash, M. D .- Among the professional men of Randolph County none is more worthy of being represented in its annals than Dr. Ottis O. Ash, a leading physician and surgeon of Moberly. For more than 17 years he has lived within the county's borders, during which time he has been a prominent factor in its social, civic and professional affairs. Doctor Ash was born in Monroe County, Mo., March 13, 1869, the son of W. P. and Hester (Wilson) Ash, being the second of 12 children born to them.
W. P. Ash was born in the same house in Monroe County, Mo., July 8, 1843, and died Feb. 11, 1913. He was a son of Robert and Mary (Kess- inger) Ash, both born near Lexington, Ky. They came to Missouri at an early day locating in Howard County, later removing to Monroe County where the grandfather was a farmer. He died in 1875 at the advanced age of 80 years, being survived by his widow who lived to be nearly 100 years old. W. P. Ash was a farmer and country merchant, who passed all his days in Monroe County, now being survived by his wife who was a native of Shelby County, Mo. She now resides at Madison, Mo. She is the daughter of Frank and Julia (Rappwood) Wilson, natives of Kentucky who were among the earliest settlers of this state as her father was one of the first men to erect a gristmill in this section, which was known as the Wilson Mill.
Doctor Ash attended the district school near his home and while yet a young boy began to clerk in his father's store. In 1877 he entered the high school at Moberly, finished there and then took a two year course at the State Normal School at Warrensburg, Mo. Following this, he taught school one year in the district school of Salt River township, Ran- dolph County, but as he had determined upon a professional career, re- signed in the spring and early in the fall of 1890 entered Beaumont Hos-
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pital College. Two years later he was granted a degree of Doctor of Medicine and entered the Medical Department of Washington University, St. Louis, to take a higher course in his profession, graduating there in 1894. He returned to his home and began practice at the town of Ash, Monroe County, which had been named after his father who started the postoffice of the village. Doctor Ash remained in this location for ten years, building up a good practice. He gained the esteem and good will of all the residents over a large radius of the country as he was never too busy or too tired to respond to the call of the suffering. His sympa- thetic manner, kind heart and abilities won him many life long friends.
In 1902, Doctor Ash took a post graduate course and a year later came to Moberly and began practice as he desired a wider field for his efforts and has met with uniform success and has an extensive practice. He is a close student of his profession, has a fine medical library and a high reputation for skill and ability.
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