USA > Missouri > Grundy County > The History of Grundy County, Missouri : an encyclopedia of useful information, and a compendium of actual facts > Part 26
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77
A casual observation of the foregoing statement will show that the city
240
HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
of Chillicothe failed to pay her subscription of $40,000 and which the people of Grundy county regarded, and at the time the city council refused to issue and deliver the bonds, charged as bad faith on the part of Chilli- cothe.
It may be added that the Chicago & Southwestern Railroad was a mere construction company backed up and indorsed by the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific which was the real party in interest and which was seeking an ontlet to the Missouri River at Leavenworth and the connection the Rock Island has since made at Atchison and Kansas City has made the road through Grundy a grand trunk line, between the east and the west.
The foregoing is a concise and snecinct des cription of the birth, growth and development of the first railroad built through the county, and is a sufficient statement, for this volume, of the public spirit of her citizens in voting aid for the construction of the road, as well as the public services, the zeal and determination manifested by some of her citizens who took a government official grant in the first successful railroad enterprise of the county.
The following bit of history will show the spirit of perseverance, which characterized the efforts of the citizens of Grundy county to secure railroad connections. In 1850 a proposition of $25,000 was voted to the aid of the construction of the Hannibal & St. Joe Railroad. $500 were expended by the County Court in 1866 in surveying routes through the county for the location of the Chillicothe & Des Moines Railroad.
A proposition to subscribe $200,000 to the Chillicothe & Des Moines Railroad was voted down at the November election in 1866, and the same was again voted down on the 8th of January, 1867, but was carried at a . special election on the 11th of April, 1868. At the July term of the County Court in 1869, orders were made submitting the question to the people of subscribing $150,000 to the Chicago & Southwestern Railroad Company and $150,000 to the Quincy, Missouri & Pacific Railroad Company and $50,000 to the Brookfield & Trenton Railroad Company but these propo- sitions all failed.
TOWNSHIP SUBSCRIPTIONS.
In May, 1870, the township of Madison voted down a proposition to vote $25,000 to the capital stock of the Chicago & Southwestern Railroad Com- pany. On the 20th of July, 1871, Marion township voted $50,000 to the capital stock of the Lexington & Utica Railroad Company. In the spring of 1873 Madison township voted down a proposition to subscribe $25,000 to the Quincy, Missouri & Pacific Railroad and Marion township carried a like proposition and Trenton township voted $50,000 to the Quincy, Mis- souri & Pacific Railroad at the same time. On the 22d of October, 1875, Marion township voted $15,000 more to the Quincy, Missouri & Pacific Railroad.
241
HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
CITY SUBSCRIPTIONS.
The city of Trenton voted $50,000 to the capital stock of the Chicago & Southwestern Railroad Company in the month of July, 1869, $50,000 to the Quiney, Missouri & Pacific Road in October, 1875, $50,000 to the Chil- licothe & Des Moines City Railroad Company in November, 1875, and $13,000 for the repair and machine-shops in 1871; all together out of the various propositions $528,000 of county, town and township subscriptions were carried by a two-third vote as the law required, and bonds by the county and city of Trenton to the amount of $263,000 were issued. The respective railroads to which the remainder of the subscriptions were voted never complied with the conditions of the subscriptions and hence the same were never paid in bonds. The last effort of the people of Trenton and vicinity made to secure further railroad connection was in July, 1880, which resulted in raising $40,000 by private subscriptions to the Quincy, Mis- souri & Pacific Road payable in one and two years on the condition that the road would be built through the corporate limits of Trenton by the first of July, 1881, so that the subscriptions, both public and private, amount to a lit- tle over $300,000 but in return for this the people of the county have secured railroad property of an assessed value of nearly $400,000.
ECONOMY.
The county judges still continued to hold to the policy of economy, and while allowing the probate judge $10 per month in excess of fees, knocked off' sixty dollars in a lump they had agreed to pay him. Judge Burke- holder made an application for a salary as probate judge, but the court was not in favor of any such extravagance and concluded that Judge Burke- holder could live on glory and such occasional fees as he could pick up, and this closes the year 1867, for that refusal was dated December 31, 1867.
The jail, however, is deserving of mention. It was ordered built in Jan- uary and completed June 4th. It was a building which for its beauty and strength particularly pleased the editor of the Trenton Republican, who took occasion to say: "The jail is completed. There are four cells below, and up stairs three rooms for the use of the sheriff and other officers. The plans were by Capt. Herrick; W. H. Smith was the builder." Of the cells the editor says that " they are well ventilated and strong enough to hold . the most accomplished unfortunate." This was June 9th, and on June 16th, the next issue, the editor felt constrained to remark, that " the jail was a good deal 'Fuller' the other day than it is now." The facts of the case were that a burglar by the name of Fuller was caught and locked up in one of those cells which were "strong enough to hold the most accom- plished unfortunate," and it didn't take bnt three days to get out, and he was resting about three-fourths of that time. The next week a couple of accused murderers were incarcerated, and they, too, left without bidding
242
IIISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
the sheriff good bye. The genial Rogers felt sick, and apologized to the " accomplished unfortunates" and admitted they knew more about jails than he did, and the next jail delivery he simply stated that another " ac- complished unfortunate " had left. The editor will confine his judgment to board fences in the future, if allowed to see the posts set.
The iron bridge across the river by the woolen mills cost $9,000 and was built by the Smith Truss Bridge Company. It was afterward decided to have iron piers and they were added at a cost of $1,800. The old railroad bridge across the Weldon fork, was rebuilt and this bridge cost $2,000. The railroad and the machine-shops brought a large number of families here and lumber was in demand.
Twenty saw-mills were in operation in the county in 1870, and then it took three lumber yards to fill the demand. The opening of the first rail- road, the Chicago Rock Island & Pacific, in the county, took place July 29th, 1871, and an excursion train and party from Chicago came over the line September 25th. The first shipment from the county was from Trenton, and in three days there were sent out twelve cars of stock and six car loads of grain. It will thus be seen that the farmers took prompt advantage of their opportunity.
In 1871 $150 which were asked for by the Agricultural and Mechanical Association as a donation was disallowed, but $800 were voted as a yearly compensation to the man who hield the office of treasurer.
In the matter of taxation of the railroad, the city of Trenton being a sub- scriber to the stock, called upon the county for a fair divide. The city's representatives met the County Court, and the basis of the compromise was that the county subscription amounted to $200,000 and the city's $64,- 200 and the taxation it was agreed to divide upon that basis.
NEW TOWNSHIPS.
The new township organization law which passed, and which so far as this county was concerned, by nearly a unanimous vote in its favor, was put in force in Grundy county, by the prompt act of the County Court. "At the November term of the County Court, 1872, the following members of the court being present; viz., G. Williams, James McCane, G. W. Moberly; clerk, W. H. Roberts and N. A. Winters, sheriff, the court proceeded to organize the township into municipal districts as required by the township organization law, at adjourned session of the 26th General Assembly of the state of Missouri, and adopted by the qualified voters of Grundy county at the election held on the 5th day of November, 1872. The township organ- ization law was carried in Grundy county by a vote of 1,205 in its favor, to 33 against it. The boundaries of the several townships were then made, and the county divided into thirteen municipal districts, in place of the original seven which had stood from 1845 to the date of the new districting. The names
243
HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
of the new metes and bounds of the several municipal divisions seemed to meet with general favor, and no opposition of moment was made against them. The new townships were given the following names:
Washington, Franklin, Myres, Liberty, Marion, Wilson, Jackson, Jeffer- son, Madison, Harrison, Taylor, Lincoln, Trenton. The order for their several jurisdictions was made by the County Court at the said November term and is of record as follows:
METES AND BOUNDS.
Wilson-It is ordered by the court that all of congressional township No. 60, of range No. 22, lying in Grundy county, Missouri and all that part of township No. 60, of range No. 23, lying east of sections 8, 17, 20, 29 and 32 be a municipal township and named and known as Wilson township.
Marion-Ordered that all the part of township No. 61, of range No. 22, lying in Grundy county, Missouri, and also all that part of township No. 61, range No. 23, lying east of sections No. 5, 8, 17, 20, 29, and 32 be the municipal township of Marion.
Liberty-Ordered that all that part of township No. 62, of range 22, in Grundy county and lying south of sections No. 4, 5 and 6, and all that part of township 62, of range 23, lying south of sections 1, 2, 3 and 4, and all that part lying east of sections 8, 17, 20, 29 and 32, be known as Liberty town- ship.
Myres-Ordered that all that part of township No. 63, of range No. 22, lying in Grundy county, Missouri, and sections No. 4, 5 and 6, of township No. 62, of range No. 22, and all of sections No. 1, 2, 3 and 4, of township. No. 62, of range No. 23, and all that part of township No. 63, of range No. 23, in Grundy county, Missouri, and east of sections No. 17, 20, 29 and 32, be known as Myres township.
Franklin -- Ordered that all of township No. 63, of range No. 24, lying in Grundy county, Missouri, sections No. 17, 18, 19, 20, 29, 30 and 32, of township No. 63, of range No. 23, be the municipal township of Franklin.
Lincoln -- Ordered that all of township No. 62, of range No. 24, and sec- tions No. 5, 6, 7, 8, 17, 18, 19, 20, 29, 30, 31, 32, of township 61, of range No. 23, be named and known as Lincoln township.
Trenton-Ordered that all of township. No. 61, of range No. 24, and sections No. 5, 6, 7, 8, 17, 18, 19, 20, 29, 30, 31 and 32 of township 61, of range 23, be known and named as Trenton township.
Jackson-Ordered by the court that all of township No. 60, of range No. 24, lying east of Grand River, and sections 7, 8, 17, 18, 19, 20, 29, 31 and 32, of township No. 60, of range No. 23, be named and known as Jackson township.
Jefferson-Ordered by the court that all of township No. 60, of range.
244
IIISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
No. 24, lying west of Grand River, and all of township No. 60, of range No. 25, be known as Jefferson township.
Madison-Ordered that all of township No. 61, of range No. 25, lying west of Grand River be known as Madison township.
Harrison-Ordered that all of township No. 61, of range No. 25, lying east of Grand River, and all of township No. 62, of range No. 25, lying cast of Grand River be known as Harrison township.
Washington-Ordered that all that part of township No. 63, of range No. 25, lying east of Grand River, and lying in Grundy county be known as Washington township.
Taylor-Ordered by the court that all that part of township No. 62, of range No. 25, lying west of Grand River, and all that part of township No. 63, of range No. 25, lying west of Grand River, and in Grundy county, Missouri, be known as Taylor township.
These townships with their present metes and bounds constitute the municipal divisions of Grundy connty and are correctly represented by a map made by B. F. Thomas, with the exception of the northeast corner of Madison township, which is north and east of Thompson River. This cor- ner, next to the Trenton township line, is a part of Harrison township, the Thompson Fork being the township line between Taylor and Madison, and Harrison. It has been thought by some that the County Court erred in not making the Grand River and East Fork the township line of both Madison and Harrison townships, as was and is that of Jefferson.
The two constitutional amendments were carried at the same time of the township organization-the first by 1,821 to 182, and the second 1,943 to 122 votes against. As the registration law was in force the county court appointed registers for the several townships, and the following gentlemen were appointed: Wilson, F. M. Lawhead; Marion, Geo. W. Payton; Lib- erty, S. J. Atkinson ; Myres, Lewis Meyers; Franklin, T. J. Wyatt; Lincoln, Edward Chambers; Trenton, J. M. Leedy: Jackson, Nathan Arnold; Jef- ferson, Robt. Laird; Madison, And." McClure; Taylor, Sparks McClure; Harrison, Isaac Veach; Washington, Wysom Fox.
Under this new township organization law five judges were to be elected instead of three-one to be elected at large, and the other four by districts. The election took place in May, 1873, and the question of license or no license was voted, on at the same election. The judges elected were: at large, Judge Valentine Briegel of Lincoln township, and in the districts as follows: first district, Clement A. Conrad; second district, Felix Wild; third district, Casy Tate; fourth district, Marshall Humphreys; Judge Briegel being president of the court, or presiding justice. There was to be a new county judge elected every year, and, therefore, the district judges drew for their respective terms: Judge Tate, one year; Judge Wild, two
245
HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
years; Judge Humphreys, three years, and Judge Conrad, four years; the judge at large holding for the full term of four years.
The liquor question was decided in favor of license by a vote of 714 in favor to 431 against. The spirit of the old pioneer still held sway, and a little for the stomach's sake was not voted a crime.
At the June term the County Court took up the question of license, as the same had been carried by a majority of 283 votes in a poll of about 1,150, and at the above term of the court license was put at the moderate sum of $600 to sell liquor. This was not relished by the saloon men, and they fought against the price vigorously, and viciously in some respects. They claimed that the vote was a majority sufficient to convince the court not only that the people favored license, but no extortionate rates should be de- manded. The six months' license having expired in November, that being the time for which licenses were granted, the County Court revised its charge and reduced it to $400, with $50 to the State.
The business of settlement with the collector was decided by the County Court at the October term, 1873, for a monthly settlement, and to further the honesty of both collector and treasurer it was ordered that all county warrants received for taxes, or redeemed at the treasury, should have in- dorsed on the back of each the amount of principal and interest paid, and the date of such payment.
The belief that the new township organization law would be a boon to the county was more than verified by a much closer collection of taxes, and with far less cost to the county. This was proven very gratifying to the people, and the ground-work of their faith was in the promptness of P. W. Bain, of Lincoln township, who was collector, the first under the new law.
From the Republican we find this compliment to not only a trustworthy officer, but an accommodating and genial gentleman. It says:
" Collector Bain made complete settlement of collections on 1873 tax-book with the court last week. He filed the smallest delinquent list that any collector has ever returned. On the personal list there were five hundred and ten names. The tax summed up as follows: State, $230.24; State in- terest, $397.28; county revenne, $460.40.
" On the land list he returned one thousand, four hundred and seventy traets with tax as follows: State tax, $454.81; State interest, $568.51; county revenue, $909.62.
" There was dne on settlement, after making all due credits: county rev- enue, $5,603.33; road fund, $1,492.04; railroad, $3,447.61; poor fund, $1,563.98; bridge fund, $1,625.37; asylum, $693.99; dram shop license, $2,165.4S.
246
HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
LOW ASSESSMENTS.
About this time a note of dissatisfaction was heard in regard to the assessed valuation of the railroad property in Grundy county. The vice- president of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Road had returned the val- nation of the road-bed and other property of the corporation in the county at the sum of $125,639, and divided the same as follows: Franklin township, $15,280; Lincoln township, $21,710; Trenton township, $54,505 (this in- cluded city of Trenton); Jackson township, $6,381, and Jefferson township at $27,763; which made the above total of $125,639. This was a deprecia- tion in value so unprecedented as to rather astonish the people and they gave expression to their views through the County Court, which appointed ap- praisers to appraise this property at a fair valuation for assessment. Grundy county had invested $200,000 in the road, Trenton $64,200, the railroad claimed they had invested in round-house, machine-shops, depots, reservoir, tools, etc., over $200,000 more, and this sum of actual expendi- ture of about $500,000 had got down to one-fourth its original value, when the general supposition was that the property could not be purchased with- out a considerable advance made on its original cost. The appraisers or committee appointed set to work, and at the next session of the County Court returned the following figures as the total assessed valuation within the county, $354,376. This seemed to be a fair assessment, being about half of the real value of the property. The next year, 1874, it was assessed at $354,572. The vice-president was somewhat astounded at this tremendu- ous valuation and there was for a time a disposition to kick, but better counsel prevailed and a full compromise was agreed upon. The road has cost the people of Grundy county a good deal of money, but no one would be willing to give up the property and wealth the railroad has brought to the county for what it cost. And then, again, it is not so much of the wealth and prosperity brought in that made the Rock Island Road so popu- lar with the people. It has given the people an outlet north and south, and has proven, as all railroads are known to be, the pioneer of progressive civil- ization. It does away with the slow travel of the wagon, it enlarges the crops of the agriculturist and makes transportation light, it causes the stock-raiser to increase the size of his ranch and the number of his cattle, it brings population, for there is an outlet, and when population increases we find schools and churches growing in number and in attendance. The railroads and the press may well be stamped as the true pioneers of progres- sive civilization. Without them the wilderness would not blossom like the rose in a century.
247
HISTORYY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
POOR-FARM.
The necessity of making provision for the poor of the county becoming apparent, the County Court at its March term, which opened on the 7th, 1871, ordered that twenty cents on the one hundred dollars be levied on all taxable property in the county, to be known as the poor-fund, to be used for the purchase and improvement of a poor farm. The court examined a piece of land, containing eighty-four aeres, three miles north of Trenton, purchased the same, and ordered suitable buildings to be erected. At the January term, 1872, Geo. W. Gibson was appointed by the court superin- tendent of the poor-farm for one year, commencing March 1st, 1872. One half acre of this farm was fenced off, in the southeast corner, as a burial- place for the pauper dead. The cost of a pauper burial outfit was fixed at ten dollars for a burial suit and five dollars for a coffin. This price was fixed in 1873. In 1874 bids to furnish coffins for the poor were received and opened by the court, and that of Yerian & McMullen was accepted, it being at the price of one dollar per lineal foot, and all over three feet in length to have raised lids. There was no record kept the first three years of those who had been received at the county house, but at the suggestion of the county physician, the County Court ordered a book of record, and all inmates have their full name entered and such faets as are of value for the identification of all who may be compelled by misfortune to accept a pauper living and fill a pauper's grave. Mr. David Wigle succeeded Mr. Gibson as superintendent of the poor-farm March 1st, 1873, and has con- tinued in office ever since, having proven himself to be the right man in the management of the farm and the poor intrusted to his eare. As high as one dollar and fifty cents per week has been allowed for board of those unable to work.
MISCELLANEOUS.
A sad accident occurred just beyond the city, on the Rock Island Road on August 5th, 1873, when a cow getting on the traek was run over, which . threw the train from the track, killing a young man named Morgan, fireman, and wounding severely four others.
The County Court, in 1874, took, temporarily, a new departure, and felt disposed to relax that economy which had been ehronie in its application to county affairs. They placed licenses for the State at ten dollars, and county, sixty dollars. They even went so far as to appropriate $150 to the agricul- tural and mechanical association, to be given as premiums at the fall fair of that year. The swamp land imbroglio, with the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad was also brought out that year, and an attempt to settle the differ- enee resulted at first in a failure. The court got its blood up, and gave the company ninety days to consider whether they would pay $2,000 for a quit- claim deed from the county, or the latter would take possession. This was
.
248
HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
in November, 1874. This had the desired effect of forcing a negotiation, and the railroad company offered $1,500 for the said deed. This was at last accepted, in April, 1875, and the great swamp land suit, in prospective, was summarily disposed of for all time.
Not much history has been made the past few years. In fact, the decade from 1870 to 1880 was barren of stirring incidents. Peace and prosperity hovered over the land. The crops of all kinds were good, advancing steadily in wealth and population, and a general state of good health pervaded the Grand River country. The wool crop of 1875 amounted to 64,270 pounds, and in 1879 this was increased to 105,500 pounds. The iron bridge was completed across Muddy Creek, on the Lindley road, at a cost of $500, in 1875, the old wooden structure having been carried away by a freshet. This year (1875) was also known as the grasshopper year. There were millions of them, and their stay was in the neighborhood of ten days in Grundy county. They came late, their stay was short, and the damage done so slight as not to be worth recording. The vote on the new State constitution was a feature of the political part of the year 1875, and it was carried by the handsome majority of 249. Or there was in its favor 373 votes, and against it 124.
TIIE CENTENNIAL YEAR.
The centennial year, 1876, opened with the same outlook of peace, pros- perity, and additional happiness over the promised centennial exhibit, at Philadelphia. Many citizens of Grundy county visited that famed exhibition, where was told, in deeds as well as words, the astounding progress in all that makes a country great and prosperous. The world itself stood with won- dering eyes, looking at the work a free people had wronght in one century of existence, which the effete monarchies of the old world had taken many centuries to perform. That year was a renewal of the patriotic fires which burned with such intense fierceness in the glorious days of 1776, and which culminated in the eloquence of a Henry, and that glorious and noble dec- laration which proclaimed a nation of freemen and a spirit to maintain that freedom with their life's blood. The fourth of July, 1876, was duly cele- brated by the people of Grundy, and in Trenton, on that day, gathered the sons and daughters of freedom to rejoice at the nation's prosperity and their own happiness. Hon. George H. Hubbell read a short but compre- hensive history of Grundy county, and Dr. Coles read a poem well worthy of the author's reputation, and the day was celebrated as no other fourth of July had been for years, because not only was it the fourth of July, but it was the centennial year of our national existence.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.