History of St. Charles, Montgomery, and Warren counties, Missouri, written and comp. from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri, Part 80

Author: National Historical Company (St. Louis, Mo.)
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: St. Louis, National Historical Company
Number of Pages: 1166

USA > Missouri > St Charles County > History of St. Charles, Montgomery, and Warren counties, Missouri, written and comp. from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri > Part 80
USA > Missouri > Montgomery County > History of St. Charles, Montgomery, and Warren counties, Missouri, written and comp. from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri > Part 80
USA > Missouri > Warren County > History of St. Charles, Montgomery, and Warren counties, Missouri, written and comp. from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri > Part 80

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).

When Hail Talbott came to Loutre island he brought with him a number of brood mares, and from these there had sprung a number of colts when the War of 1812 broke out. During the war, fearful of a successful Indian raid, he swam nearly all of his horses across the Missouri and pastured them until in 1816, when he returned them to the north side of the river.

A distressing incident happened on the upper end of Loutre island on a night in March, 1816, to Mr. Thos. Patton, son of Jacob Patton. A frenzied and rabid wolf sprang upon him and bit him savagely in the hand and on the shoulder. Five months afterward Mr. Patton was taken with all the symptoms of hydrophobia, and died August 16, 1816, at the age of 43 years.

VILLAGES OF LOUTRE TOWNSHIP - RHINELAND.

The village or hamlet of Rhineland is situated about two miles from the Missouri river, immediately under the bluff, in section 30, town- ship 46, range 5. Practically there is but one street, and at present two stores and a dozen or more houses. There is a public hall on the bluff in the western part of town.

More than 50 years ago a number of Germans settled across on the south side of the Missouri river, in Gasconade county. In about 1837 or '38 Gerhard Lensing crossed over to the Montgomery side and settled in the river bottom, south of where Rhineland now stands. Mr. Lensing was from Dusseldorf, Prussia. He died in his Missouri home not many years since. After him came a Mr. Westhoven, to the first farm west of Monnig's store. He died in New Orleans of yellow fever.

In 1846 there came to the little settlement six German families - those of Henry Groteveil, Wesley Thiesen, John Vendring, Henry Katemann, Frank Goesen and Gerhard Johnson. The latter remained but a short time. Henry Parrish settled the farm where Groteveil now lives.

In 1853 Andrew Rincheval came and laid out the small village which he then called and which still bears the name of Rhineland. He built a large double log store-house, and put up a horse mill. Hugo Monnig

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

was then here among the others named. Mr. Rincheval continued to live here, engaged in merchandising, until his murder by the bush- whackers in May, 1863. (See Chap. IX.)

Rhineland is situated on section 30, township 46, range 5, half a mile from the Missouri river and 13 miles south of Danville.

Attracted by the German settlement at Rhineland, numerous Ger- man families crossed the Missouri and located at various points in the lower part of this township prior to and since the Civil War. Those who were here were loyal to the Union during the war ; many of them enlisted in the regular Federal service, and Capt. Gensert's company of the enrolled militia was composed entirely of Germans from this township. Under Gen. Rosecrans' order in July, 1864, Capt. John Kendrick reorganized and commanded substantially Gensert's old company, and was stationed for some time in Rhineland. 5.

AMERICUS.

The village of-Americus is on Dry fork of Loutre, in section 2, township 46, range 6. The site is partly on the Joseph Barton farm and partly on the Henry P. Sharff farm. Mr. Sharff had a house on the village site some years before the war.

In 1865 Ambrose Bush and W. F. Wilson built a steam mill here, and in 1866 James Talbot put up a store-house and opened a stock of merchandise. Soon after a post-office was established called Dry Fork Mills, which was subsequently changed at the request of the citizens to Americus. The town was laid out by a Mr. Hines, sur- veyor, in 1869, and the same year came Joseph R. Dickey and opened the first blacksmith shop. He still resides in the place.

At present (fall of 1884) Americus contains one dry goods store, one drug store, two blacksmith shops, a wagon shop and an excellent steam saw and grist mill. Trinity Church, down the Dry fork a mile, is noticed elsewhere.

BLUFFTON.

In about 1844 settlements were made on and near the present site of Bluffton, and a dozen little houses were strung out along the river road in 1846. John Hill and Wm. Hill are said to have been the first or among the first settlers here. The village or hamlet was known as " Stringtown " for many years.

In 1866 the Bluffton Wine Co., Mr. Saml. Miller at the head, took charge of the town, laid it out and sold some lots, and engaged extensively in grape growing. In July, 1867, the editor of the

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

Farmers' Advertiser visited the place and made mention of the town in a most excellent newspaper article ; lack of space prevents its in- sertion here.

BIG SPRING.

The hamlet and post-office of Big Spring is located on the south- east corner of section 28, township 47, range 5, a mile east of Loutre creek, about eight miles, in a straight line, south-east of Danville. Where the old Cote sans Dessein and St. Charles road crosses Loutre, there is a dam and an old mill put up in 1846.

Originally, as noted elsewhere, the first post-office called Big Spring was at Jacob Groom's big spring, on the west side of Loutre, nearly three miles from the present site. The office was moved to the mill on Loutre, and then to the present location at the cross roads. Big Spring contains Neidegerke's store, which has been here since before the war, and has also a dozen other houses.

COUNTRY CHURCHES.

Trinity M. E. Church South. - On section 35, township 47, range 6 (Loutre township), is found the frame house of worship of this con- gregation, erected in 1872 at an expenditure of $1,200. It is one of the oldest bodies in this county, having been formed in 1830, at which time Peter Hunter, James Hunter, James P. Rigg, L. P. Rigg, James Moore, Sr., and family and John Moore comprised the membership, though it now numbers 114. Rev. J. M. Hoyle is the pastor in charge at this writing. B. S. Baker superintends the Sabbath-school of 35 pupils.

Bethany M. E. Church. - In 1879 this church, which had been or- ganized in 1870, commenced the erection of a frame house of wor- ship, which cost $700. It is located at Big Springs, in Loutre township. William and Anna Lichte, Henry Baur and his wife, Mr. Steiner and wife, and Emil Baur were among the charter members. This number has been added to until there are now 60 communicants. Revs. P. Hehner, F. R. Miller, F. R. Schumacher, William Schleiter, T. R. Rock, Henry Vosholl and Henry Miller have officiated as pastors here. A parsonage is connected with the church, purchased in the spring of 1881, at an expenditure of $400. The Sunday-school of 33 scholars finds an efficient superintendent in the person of Mr. H. Baur.

Liberty Missionary Baptist Church. - William H. Leavell, Muke B. Sneathan, Thomas Horton, John W. Freeland, Moses Ellis, Mrs. Jane Bridges, Caleb Anderson and others organized this church May

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

15, 1858, its location now being in Loutre township, on the south-east quarter of section 28. There are now 140 names on the church roll as members. A frame building, in which services are held, was com- pleted in 1869, at an expenditure of $1,000. This pulpit has been supplied at different times by Revs. T. T. Johnson, J. H. Tuttle, M. T. Bibb, D. W. Graves, Luther Bibb, J. W. Swift, J. D. Robnett, James F. Smith and A. G. Mitchell.

CATHOLIC CHURCH AND MONASTERY.

Three miles north-west of Rhineland, on the Americus road, is a fine stone Catholic Church building, adjoining which is a monastery, and adjacent thereto is a fine cemetery. In the monastery are at present six monks of the order of St. Francis, whose superior is Father Arsenius Fahle, a German monk, banished from Prussia by Bismarck.

A history of this church and monastery was promised for this his- tory, but was not given us. Enough is known, however, to state that the church organization has existed since before the Civil War, that the cemetery is as old, but that the church and monastery have been built long since. The membership is very large, embracing several hundred.

The church is finely decorated and well furnished, but greater improvements are contemplated. It already contains very fine images of some of the superior saints, as well as of the Virgin, while the altar is a superior piece of workmanship. A splendid pipe organ furnishes the music.

The Franciscan brothers are building a school-house adjoining the church.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

WARREN A. CROCKETT, M. D.

(Physician and Surgeon, and Dealer in General Merchandise, Americus).

Dr. Crockett was a grandson of Samuel Crockett, one of the early settlers of Missouri, who came to Boone county from Virginia in the territorial days of the country. Dr. Crockett's father, Dr. William W. Crockett, was in infancy, or about two years of age, when the family came to this State. He grew up and received an advanced general education. He also took a medical course and became a prac-

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

ticing physician, in which he was engaged with success for many years. He was likewise a minister of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Dr. Crockett, Sr., was a man of fine mental culture, one of the bright scholarly men of this section of the State, and a citizen whose citizenship was an honor to the community in which he lived. In early manhood he was married to Mrs. E. G. Allison (maiden name E. G. Smith), formerly of Kentucky, and they were blessed with nine children, of whom Dr. Warren A. Crockett was the seventh. The father died at Portland, in Callaway county, in 1880, and the mother at the same place two years later. Dr. Warren A. received his college training at Montgomery College, in Montgomery City. He studied medicine under his father and Dr. F. A. Hamilton. In 1874 he entered the American Medical College, of St. Louis, and was graduated with distinction three years later from the Missouri Medical College. He then located at Rhineland, in Montgomery county, where he began the practice of medicine. He continued the practice there with satisfactory success until the spring of 1883, when he came to Americus. Since coming to this place he has become in- terested in merchandising and now has an excellent general store, where he carries a good stock of goods in his line and is the recipient of a profitable and steadily increasing trade. On the 23d of Novem- ber, 1876, Dr. Crockett was married to Miss Kate Monnig, a daughter of Hugo and Caroline ( Quick) Monnig, of Rhineland ; her father, originally from Germany, but her mother was born and reared in Montgomery county. Mrs. Crockett was reared and educated at Rhineland. The Doctor and Mrs. C. have three children : Ollie, Car- rie and Ida. The Doctor is a member of the A. F. and A. M.

HENRY HOLTWICK

(Farmer and Stock-raiser, Post-office, Americus) .

Among the names of the substantial agriculturists of the southern part of the county must be mentioned that of the subject of the presentsketch, Mr. Holtwick. He is a native of Prussia, partly reared in the sov- ereign kingdom of the German Empire, and possesses most of the sterling qualities of his German lineage. By his own energy and thrift he has come to be one of the substantial men of the community of which he is a member, and now has a fine farm of 370 acres, well improved and well stocked. During the war Mr. Holtwick served his country faithfully in the Union army and for three years kept step with the music of the Union. He was born at Buckholt, in Prussia, March 21, 1837, and was a son of Herman and Adelaida ( Heisterkamp) Holtwick, whose ancestry on each side had long been settled in the land of the Nibelungen Lied. When he was about 10 years of age the family immigrated to America, and settled in Montgomery county, where the parents made their home until their deaths. Both were worthy and consistent members of the Catholic Church. The father was a sturdy farmer by occupation and to this pursuit Henry, the subject of this sketch, was brought up. He was the sixth in a family

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

of eight children, and on the 1st of January, 1861, was married to Miss Caroline Flucht, a daughter of John and Hannah ( Walters ) Flucht, also from Prussia. Mr. and Mrs. H. have four children : Herman, Hannah, Pauline and Caroline. Hannah is the wife of Lee Stewart, of this county. Mr. and Mrs. Holtwick are members of the Holy Catholic Church.

CHARLES T. MOORE.

(Farmer, Post-office, Americus),

Mr. Moore, one of the respected farmers and worthy citizens of Loutre township, is a native of Virginia, born in Campbell county, September 8, 1834, and a son of John G. and Elizabeth M. C. K. ( Wheeler ) Moore, who came to Missouri in 1838, and settled in Mont- gomery county, where the father, a farmer by occupation, died in 1875, at the advanced age of 82 years. The mother died at the age of 62, in 1869. Both were consistent and exemplary members of the M. E. Church South. Charles T. Moore was the fifth of ten chil- dren, six of whom are living, and was reared on his father's farm in Montgomery county. October 16, 1878, he was married to Miss Lydia, a daughter of Edward and Virginia (Moseley ) Bush, of this county, but formerly of Kentucky. Already Mr. Moore had engaged in farming for himself, and he continued in this occupation after his marriage. On the 5th of January, 1880, he had the misfortune to lose his first wife. She died of heart disease. To his present wife Mr. Moore was married on the 6th of September, nearly four years after his first wife's death. His present wife was a Miss Mollie J. Hunter, a daughter of Robert W. and Louisa (Leach ) Hunter, of this county, but she was formerly of Virginia. Mr. Moore has a neat farm in section 33, township 47, range 6, in this county, and is com- fortably situated on his place. He and wife are worthy members of the M. E. Church South.

CHAPTER XV.

DANVILLE TOWNSHIP.

Position and Description - Geology and Archeology - Early History - Pioneer Set- tlers and Settlements - Thos. Massey, Robt. Graham, Maj. Van Bibber, Daniel M. Boone and Others - Items of Early History - Country Churches - Danville - Founding of the Town - First Inhabitants - Miscellaneous History- Incorpora- tion - M. E. Church South - Masonic Lodge - New Florence - Origin and Early History - Miscellaneous Mention -The Cyclone of 1867 - Items - Newspapers - Creamery - Churches and Sunday-schools -- Secret Orders - Mineola - Early History - Maj. Van Bibber's Settlement -- Sketch of the Old Major - Sketch of Mineola Proper.

As at present constituted, Danville township is the largest munici- pal township in Montgomery county. It is twelve miles in length from east to west, by nine miles in width from north to south. Its boundaries are a line beginning at the north-east corner of section 1, township 48, range 5, running thence due west to the north-west of section 7, township 48, range 6, on the Callaway county line, thence due south to the south-west corner of section 19,township 47, range 6, thence east to the south-east corner of section 24, township 47, range 5, on the Warren county line, thence north to the beginning.

The township contains a variety of soil, and the topography is very irregular. Loutre creek runs through the western portion from north to south, and except the narrow valleys along the stream, the country on both sides is hilly, rough and stony. The western portion of the township affords a fine field of investigation for geologists. There is not only magnesian limestone in abundance, but frequently forma- tions of ferruginous sandstone as well. Near the residence of Mr. D. F. Graham, a mile north of Mineola (section 27, township 48, range 6), is to be seen the limestone with the sandstone covering it.

In some places, on the top of the bluff, the sandstone is worn by the water into pendants and miniature columns. The red sandstone is here 40 feet in thickness.

A few rods north of Mr Graham's residence is a huge boulder of limestone, 30 feet in diameter and 20 feet high, although irregular in shape. Fair sized trees grow upon it, but in time they become stunted and dwarfed, and fall to decay from the insufficiency of nourishment.

(762)

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

On Loutre prairie hard-pan is found in many places at a depth of 18 inches. The prairie clays are very compact and tenacious, and water lying on the surface does not easily penetrate them.

Archælogical remains are both numerous and interesting in this township. In the western part, along Loutre, must have been a favorite resort of the mysterious mound-builders. There are not only numerous sepulchral mounds in this quarter, but there are reasons for believing that in one instance - in the south-western por- tion of the township, a mile or more west of Loutre river -there is a sacrificial mound. East of this, toward the Loutre, near Mr. England's' residence, are numerous mounds of the sepulchral class. Some of these have been opened and human bones, teeth, etc., found. Fragments of pottery are scattered about in the field in which these mounds are, and in one place there could recently be seen pieces of mussel shells in considerable numbers, obtained no doubt from Loutre, half a mile distant.

West of Mineola, on the high hills, and indeed up and down the stream elsewhere, are scattered mounds, resting places of the dead of that mysterious race of whose coming and going into and out of this country no man now knows.

Mr. D. F. Graham has a valuable and interesting collection of archælogical specimens gathered in this township. His assortment of stone-axes, flint arrow-points and lance-heads, bone implements, etc., is both interesting and valuable. There are a few unimportant caves or caverns in the township. One, a few rods north of Mr. Gra- ham's, is interesting, because it shows the dip and inclination of the rock formation.

EARLY HISTORY.

Doubtless Thomas Massey, who located at the Loutre Lick in 1813, and whose settlement and misfortunes there are noted fully on other pages, was the first bona fide white settler within what is now Dan- ville township. Massey had a family of eleven children, and one of his daughters, now a Mrs. Patton, is yet living in the south-eastern part of this county, near Loutre Island, aged 85.

Next after Massey came Maj. Isaac Van Bibber to Loutre Lick (see Mineola ) with his numerous family. The major had ten children.

In the spring of 1816 Robert Graham came from Kentucky and settled on the north-east quarter of the south-west quarter of section 27, township 48, range 6, or a mile or more above Mineola, where now his son, D. F. Grabam, lives. He built a cabin under the hill,

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

a hundred yards from D. F.'s residence, and cleared off the field on the Loutre bottom adjacent. The land was purchased from Daniel M. Boone, the son of old Daniel Boone, and was a part of a Spanish grant to the latter.

Mr. Graham is called a physician by Rose, and some of the old settlers yet living call him " the old doctor," but he was not a regu- lar physician. A scarcity of physicians in this country when he came . here led him to be his own doctor, and he procured some medical works, which he easily mastered; and afterwards he bought a small stock of drugs, and gradually acquired an extensive practice, but not a very profitable one, for his services were uniformly given without money and without price.

When Graham first came he brought two slaves with him, " Billy" and Mildred, or " Milley." The latter is still living near Montgomery City. The three cleared off a " patch," and then Graham brought his family to Loutre Lick, June 1, 1816. He resided here until his death, September 29, 1855, aged 75. His wife died August 11, 1865, aged 76.

After Robert Graham perhaps the next settler was James Beatty, who came in 1818 and located on section 20, township 48, range 6, two miles west of Loutre Lick, and where D. P. Davis now lives.

Daniel Morgan Boone, son of the old pioneer, came to the south-east quarter of section 28, township 48, range 6, a mile or more north-west of Loutre Lick, on the west side of the stream, in 1819, and built a large cabin one-fourth of a mile east of the present residence of Alexander Graham. Col. Boone had several important positions under the government, and during the Indian Wars - 1812 to 1816 - was colonel of the militia. He made many government surveys in the present counties of St. Charles, Warren, Montgomery and Lincoln. He is said to have resembled his father more than any other of the children.

Col. Boone had a considerable family of slaves and children. He had married in St. Charles county a Miss Lewis, a beautiful and ac- complished lady, amiable, kind and charitable. They subsequently removed to what is now Jackson county, where, we believe, they lived the remainder of their lives. Col. Boone died in Jackson county, July 13, 1839, aged 71.

While he lived in Montgomery county Daniel M. Boone received frequent visits from his distinguished father. Alexander Graham and others saw him on these occasions.

James Davis came from Clark county, Ky., in the fall of 1820, to

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

section 29, township 48, range 6, a mile or so south of James Beatty's. He built a cabin, which is still standing, at the present residence of his son, Daniel B. Davis. James Davis had married Jemima Hays, a grand-daughter of Daniel Boone.

Col. David Craig, though unmarried at the time, was an early arrival in the Loutre Lick settlement. He came to the Lick in 1817, and made his home for two years with Maj. Van Bibber. Col. Craig was a soldier of the War of 1812, and served in Gen. McCarthy's division on the battle of Brownsville, Canada. He also was called out under Col. Nathan Boone, in 1832, during the Black Hawk War, and was elected colonel of the militia in 1834.

Perhaps the first settler in the eastern part of Danville township was Col. Amos Kibbe, who settled in 1823, " in a little prairie, 11 miles from Camp Branch, where the Boone's Lick and Cote sans Dessein roads forked." Here was where the town of Lewiston, the second county seat of the county, was laid out.

Hon. Nathaniel Dryden settled a few miles west of Lewiston, on the Boone's Lick road, in 1829. He came immediately from Wash- ington county, Va., which county he had represented in the State Legislature. After coming here he represented Montgomery county in the Missouri Legislature for several terms.

Mr. Dryden built a horse mill near Danville soon after his arrival in Montgomery county, which, being something unusual for those times, attracted a great deal of attention. It was situated on a high point of ground, where the wind had a fair sweep against it, and several persons came near freezing to death while grinding grain during cold weather ; its capacity for grinding was from three to five bushels per day.

John H. Dutton, Thos. T. Elton and Philip Glover, all Mary- landers, settled on North Bear creek in 1820 or 1821. Drury Clan- ton and Henry Clanton, Tennesseans, settled on "Pinch " branch, 1 about five miles south of Danville, in 1818. Drury Clanton was a Methodist minister, and it was at his house that the first Methodist congregation in Montgomery county was organized, in 1819, by him- self and Rev. Robert Baker. A Sunday-school was' also organized at the same time and place, and the first camp meeting in Montgomery county was held there, on what was called the Loutre camp ground.

The land in this township was surveyed about 1818.

1 So called because the people who lived on it were always in a " pinch " for some- thing to live upon.

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

ITEMS OF EARLY HISTORY.

The first ministers in Danville township were Drury Clanton and Robert Baker, Methodists, and William Coates, Dr. Hubbard, William Davis and James Barnes, Baptists.

Mr. Coates was a South Carolinian, but removed to Callaway county in 1817, and settled on the prairie which still bears his name.

Pioneer Families makes the following mention of Jabez Ham : " Jabez Ham, brother of John, was born in Madison county, Ky., in 1797, and came to Missouri in 1817. He had no education, and was of a roving disposition. His mind was naturally bright, and if he had been educated he would have made a remarkable man. Rev. Aley Snethen and Lewis Jones taught him the alphabet, and in 1824 he began to preach, having united with the Old or Hard Shell Baptist Church. In 1826 he organized a church of that denomination on Loutre creek and called it New Providence. He was a large, stout man, and often added emphasis to his opinions by the use of his fists."

Soon after the arrival of old Charles B. Harper in Montgomery county, in 1830, he went over to Callaway county one day to get a load of corn, and wore his usual every-day clothes, made of home- spun cloth. On his way back the road led him by a house where Jabe Ham was preaching, and he stopped to hear the sermon. During the service the minister called on the congregation to kneel in prayer, and all knelt except Mr. Harper, who leaned his head upon his hand, and remained in that position. Ham noticed him, and prayed the Lord would bless " that Virginia man who had on store clothes, and was afraid or too proud to get down on his knees."

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History of St. Charles, Montgomery, and Warren counties, Missouri, written and comp. from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri, Part 80

Author: National Historical Company (St. Louis, Mo.) Publication date: 1885 Publisher: St. Louis, National Historical Company Number of Pages: 1166

Author: National Historical Company (St. Louis, Mo.)
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: St. Louis, National Historical Company
Number of Pages: 1166