USA > Missouri > Linn County > The history of Linn county, Missouri. An encyclopedia of useful information > Part 68
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY
Linn county in 1874, where he has ever since resided and has been success- fully engaged in farming, as his well improved farm amply verifies.
R. J. WHEELER.
The successful and experienced business man whose name heads this. sketch is a native of Prince Edward county, Virginia, and was born on the thirtieth day of March, 1829. His parents were Drury N. and Susan E. Wheeler, both natives of Virginia, who moved to this State as early as 1831. They settled in Chariton county when the country was a wilderness, in- fested with the wild animals common to the unsettled sections of this lati- tude. There Mr. Wheeler grew up, acquiring such an education as the primitive schools of that early day afforded. In the spring of 1850 he left his parents and engaged in the worthy vocation of farming, and by close attention to business accumulated in course of time a handsome property, which became the nucleus of his subsequent possessions. In the spring of 1864 he sold his two farms and came to Bucklin, in Linn county, and early in the succeeding year engaged in the leaf-tobacco business, which, however, he sold out in the summer following, realizing a profit of $2,200 on his stock of tobacco. He then built a commodious store-house and engaged ex- tensively in the general merchandise business, which he continued till Sep- tember, 1880, when he sold out. During his business course as general merchant he also owned and operated a lumber yard, a flouring, saw, and carding-mill. For three years after coming to Bucklin Mr. Wheeler was engaged as express agent for the American Express Company. Mr. Wheeler took no active part in the great civil war of 1861 to 1865, though he was considered southern in sentiment. His neutrality of action made him the object of abuse of both parties, and he was frequently annoyed by having his property converted to the use of both Federals and Confeder- ates. He was once forced, in 1864, to open his store, which was robbed of large quantities of goods. His safe was also robbed of five hundred dollars in cash. Mr. Wheeler has frequently served his town and township in official capacities, and served two years as one of the judges of the County Court. At this writing he is engaged in handling farm machinery and shaved hoop-poles, and also in running a livery stable and dealing in horses, mules, and cattle; and occasionally discounting commercial paper and handling real estate. Though he has lost heavily in bad debts (his debtors. having gone to almost every State in the Union and some to Canada), he is still financially solid, his property aggregating nearly $100,000. He owns lands in Linn, Chariton, Macon and Sullivan counties, this State, and also- in Kansas, among which are some fine stock farms. Like all men who en- gage in extensive business enterprises, Judge Wheeler has had his ups and downs. In addition to robberies and losses by men he had credited, he was. twice burned out without insurance, aggregating losses to the amount of over-
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY.
$4,000. Judge Wheeler has been three times married. His first wife was Miss Louisa F. Brooks, and he was married to her October 17, 1850. She died March 4, 1852, and he was again married November 21, 1863, - Miss Martha Ann Brooks. This lady also died February 3, 1880, leaving him seven children, most of whom were grown. He was a third time married, on the fourth of January, 1881, to Mrs. Lizzie Nagel, widow o' James M. Nagel, a lady of intelligence and culture, who had two childre by her former marriage. Judge W. has done mnuch toward building up the town of Bucklin, and has erected quite a number of buildings. He has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and of the Masonic order for upwards of twenty years, and has always been noted as a liberal giver, donating freely to churches of all denominations, and charities of all kinds; aiding the individual needy, when he thought them worthy objects of charity. All his life long he has been a man of strict morals, firmness and sobriety, and Linn county may well be proud of such a citizen as Judge R. J. Wheeler.
JOHN L. WATSON.
The subject of this sketch is a native Missourian, having been born, raised and educated in Linn county. He is the son of Josiah and Rhoda Watson. His father was from Virginia and his mother from Kentucky. They came to Missouri when young people, were married in Chariton county, and came to this county in 1836. Mr. Watson now resides near Bucklin, and is engaged in farming. He is strictly a free man, never hav- ing been joined in matrimony, nor connected himself with any organization. He is a man of sterling integrity, and noted for honesty and truthfulness.
CHAPTER XXV.
YELLOW CREEK TOWNSHIP.
When Settled-Its Metes and Bounds-Topography-Land and Money-Early Settlers and Their Trials-Happenings-Agriculture-War Items-Dead Towns-St. Kate, Its Past and Present-Education and Religion-Death of W. H. Elliott, Founder of St. Catharine-Lodges and Societies-Its Present and Business Future-Accident-Biog- raphies.
This township, in name, was one of the three original townships which formed the municipal division of the county of Linn at the first session of the County Court, February 3, 1837. The boundary lines of the township are given in the general history. From time to time Yellow Creek, like Locust Creek and Parson Creek townships, was divided into others, of which Baker township was one, lying on its northern border. When Sulli-
670
HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY.
van territory became, in fact, a county, in 1845, Linn county was divided into seven municipal divisions, of which Yellow Creek was one, and occupied the southeast part of Linn county. Her dimensions were twelve miles north and south; on her southern border, eight miles east and west; and on the northern line, which was the township line dividing townships fifty- eight and fifty-nine, was ten miles east and west, the extra two miles extend- ing south from her northern border, three miles, this diagram being its shape:
Ten miles.
YELLOW CREEK TOWN- SHIP IN 1845.
Nine miles.
Twelve miles.
Eight miles.
But Yellow Creek township, which could once boast of covering one-third of the territory composing both Linn and Sullivan counties, has been sadly ravished of her fair proportions, and is to-day but a skeleton of her former self, being long and lank. Yellow Creek is not a pretty township to look at, but what there is left of her is pretty solid, even if she cannot boast of a metropolitan city within her borders.
METES AND BOUNDS-VALUATION.
The present boundary of Yellow Creek township is as follows: Com- mencing at the southeast corner of section thirty-one, township fifty-seven, range eighteen; thence west along the Chariton county line, four miles to the southwest corner of section thirty-four, township fifty-seven, of range nineteen; thence north on the section line dividing thirty-four and thirty- three, township and range as above, nine miles to the northwest corner of section twenty-two, township fifty-eight, of range nineteen; thence west one mile; thence north three miles to the northwest corner of section four, town- ship fifty-eight, range nineteen, and on township line dividing townships fifty- eight and fifty-nine; thence five miles on said township line to the northeast corner of section six, to the section line dividing sections six and five; thence south on said section line to the place of beginning. This gives a north . and south line of twelve miles on the east side, and four miles wide to the
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY.
extent of nine miles, and five miles wide the three remaining miles on the north part.
It has fifty-one square miles or an area of 32,640 acres of arable land. Its valuation of real and personal property for the year 1881 was $280,620. Yellow Creek township is fully three-fourths a beautiful undulating prairie - with fringes of timber lying along the banks of East Yellow Creek, and its branches in the southern part, and along the larger stream known as West Yellow Creek which runs through the northwest corner of the township. The part of the township lying between these two streams is a magnificent body of land, forming a ridge in the center and sloping both ways, showing not only a splendid view of the country but what is of more practical value giving it most perfect drainage, there being no resting place for miasmatic pools of stagnant water, or malarial fever-breeding ponds. It is a good grain-growing and stock-raising township and it is in every way one of the best townships in the county for its fruits, and the grape. In fact, Yellow Creek township, like all other parts of Linn county, is rich in soil, well watered, and has all the elements of a successful agricultural country. When it is well known that in soil, climate, health and production Linn county has no superior in the State, it is only necessary to metion that Yel- low Creek township is a part of the county, to establish its reputation as a home for those who wish to make farming their avocation, unsurpassed in the State. It has its beds of coal underlying its surface; it has building stone and brick clay. It has water in abundance and timber for all domes- tic purposes, and with these advantages Yellow Creek township, or what is left of her, is destined, in an agricultural point of view, to hold her own with her sisters.
EARLY SETTLERS.
Yellow Creek township when it represented one-third of the territory of Linn county was, next to Locust Creek township, the earliest settled, but part of that is mixed up with Bucklin on the east and Brookfield on the west, for, originally, West Yellow Creek was the western boundary of the . township. So Mordecai Lane and others who settled as early as 1836 in Yellow Creek township are now located elsewhere. Joseph Coulson set- tled on section nineteen, township fifty-eight, range nineteen, and came from Virginia, Charles Lewis came in March 1840, from Claiborne county, Tennessee, and located in section twenty three, township fifty-eight, range nineteen, and Thomas Purson who came the same year, built his cabin on section thirty-four, same township and range. Daniel Raritan came from Ohio in 1840; Montgomery Kinnaird in 1842, from middle Tennessee, and settled on the south half of the southwest quarter, section fourteen, township fifty-seven, range nineteen; Basley Steward, from Tennessee in 1843, and Peter Myers from Indiana in 1850. The Lewis-Coulson settlement was in
672
HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY.
township fifty-eight, range nineteen, on the streams of East and West Yel- low Creek, or rather between those streams. There were many more set- tlers who located within the township whose names will be recognized in the old settler's list, but not given here.
They had the usual troubles and trials incident to pioneer life and weath- ered the storms of adversity by a fortitude as strong as it was noble. Mill- ing facilities were few and until the Bott's mills started Keytesville was the leading milling point. Glasgow, however, got most of the trade from this section. Roasted pumpkins and squashes made good eating and were largely used as articles of food, while venison, turkeys and honey were had in abundance. Brunswick was not slighted and once in a while a trip to that point was made. Bott's mill, near Linneus, got most of the grinding from the north part of the township after it commenced work. There was a mill over on Chariton River which was also patronized to a considerable extent by those living in the south part of the township, and what is known as Bucklin township in the same part. Fishing parties used to go to the Char- iton River, also, but on these trips the rifle played an important part. Hunt- ing was the pastime of the settlers, and not only that but it gave them their annual supply of meat. Cattle and hogs being scarce it devolved upon the true eye and steady nerve of the hunter to supply the meat department of the household.
WHAT HAPPENED.
Among the first who wove cloth and carpets in this township were Mrs. Elizabeth Lewis and Mrs. Margaret Kinnaird. These ladies were noted for their skill in that line. There were many others who made up their own supply of clothing, and the spinning wheel especially was a household ne- cessity.
The first marriage of record was that of Eli Morris to Miss Paulina Lewis, which pleasant event took place March 29, 1841.
The first death was that of Mr. Thomas Peirson, who died in 1842, and was buried at the New Garden cemetery, on section three, township fifty- seven, range eighteen. .
The first birth was that of William H. Lewis, born November 11, 1840, the son of Charles and Elizabeth Lewis.
Among the early physicians were Dr. John Powers and Dr. Conrad Mc- Army. The latter was killed during the civil war.
Rev. William H. Lewis, Methodist, and Rev. Thomas Allen, Missionary Baptist, were the first ministers who resided in the township. The former held his first service at the house of Mr. Thomas Peirson, and the latter at an old log school-house. They were both earnest men, and were held in high regard by their friends.
Among the first schools taught in the township was one kept by Joseph
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY.
Watson, who taught at a private house. He got ten dollars for teaching three children three months. Another was kept later by Miss Julia A. Let. She had fifteen pupils and got one dollar per month each. She is yet living and is now Mrs. Hampton Green.
The first school-house is supposed to have been the one built on section thirty-four, of township fifty-eight, of range nineteen-the neighbors getting together and doing the work, the cash paid out being for nails, hinges, and latches, and they were not of a very expensive order. Another school- house was erected on section fourteen, township fifty-seven, of range nine- teen, but this was not put up until 1853. There were several others erected in the township about that time and soon after.
The township seemed to grow and prosper up to 1860. The Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad being completed, and passing through the center of the township north and south, gave quite an impetus to its settlement. The change in the boundary lines have been such that its increase of popula- tion cannot be told, but the census of 1880 gives the township 1,336, but does not give separate the capital city, St. Catharine. There are seven townships having a greater population, and five less. Agriculturally speaking Yel- low Creek has but few townships in the county that exceeds her, and two that the figures are the same. She ranks really as fourth in her farming population. The progress of the township is entirely, you might say, in the improvement of and settling up of her wild lands. There is no large city to attract capital, and no manufacturing interests to speak of, to call for labor. She must, therefore, depend upon those who seek a home and a farm life to increase her population. She has many inducements and advantages to offer to the immigrant to make a home within her limits, and not among the least is that rich and cheap lands can be purchased within her border.
WAR ITEMS. .
Quite an excitement was occasioned in 1861 by a farmer named James Maddox shooting a hole through the American flag, which had been raised at St. Catharine. W. E. Crandall denounced the act in vigorous terms and a threat to take it down or tear it down was met by an equal determination to stand by the old flag. Mr. Crandall afterwards took the flag down him- self amid pretty heavy threats that it should not be done, and amid a silence profound walked off with it. The same flag is said to do duty to this day when a flag is needed, the hole made by the ball of the Confederate Maddox being neatly patched, Mr. Crandall afterward raised a small flag over his own residence, and kept it there in spite of threats of tearing it down.
A company of State Guards was organized and drilled by Beverly Neece. Mr. Crandall was elected captain of a company of three-months Union men.
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY.
Dr. N. S. Hamlin was first lieutenant and Hirain Black second lieutenant. This was the first company of Union troops organized in the county. They did guard duty on the line of the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad. The company was discharged September 22, 1861. Captain Crandall and quite a number of his men, however, joined the gallant Twenty-third Missouri un- der the brave Colonel Tindall, of Grundy county, who gave his life to his- country's cause on the desperate and bloody-fought field of Shiloh. The Linn county company elected Captain Crandall as their captain and was named as Company G, of the Twenty-third Missouri. This company also took part in the campaign to Atlanta, Georgia.
AFTER THE DELUGE.
The war had brought every kind of improvement to a stand still, and Yel- low Creek township depending upon her agricultural resources more than the growth of towns was slow to improve. In fact, emigrants had taken the place of immigrants, and the change had not been productive of much good, but rather of a serious evil. To hold fast to what she had, and to once more bring in new settlers who would cultivate her waste places was the work of years. When the tide had turned, it was hard work to stem it, and still harder to turn it back, but it was done at last, and Yellow Creek is now in- creasing her population and largely extending the area of her cultivated fields. There was little to mark the history of the township outside of this- struggle to redeem the past, improve the present, and live in hope of a more prosperous future, for a number of years. Her capital city, though old, remained comparatively at a stand still for quite a number of years. In 1872, the new township organization law was passed by the General Assem - bly and the officers elected under it were, for supervisor, J. R. Greenbaugh; clerk, I. R. Crampton; assessor, Jonathan Harvey; collector, Thomas A. Swearinger; and for justices of the peace, L. Lineby and A. Batchelor. The first meeting of the township officers was at Strader's Hall, in the village.of St. Catharine. This law continued in force until 1877, when it was re- pealed, but was again reenacted by the General Assembly in the winter of 1880-81, and is now the law of the State, and as far as it has been tried has been found of practical value and a great improvement over the old law.
Under the new law passed as above stated only one election for township officers has been held, that of April, 1881. Yellow Creek township then elected the following officers: Trustee and treasurer, J. H. Readding; col- lector, F. S. Black; clerk and assessor, J. M. Scott; constable, J. J. Lane; justices of the peace, L. Lineby and A. Batchelor. Another set of officers may be elected ere this history goes to press, but not quite soon enough perhaps to have the result embodied in this work.
There are seven school districts in this township with good frame school- houses, and all the appliances necessary for the thorough education of the ยท
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY.
pupils in what is called a good English education. White school-house is located on section one, township fifty-eight, range nineteen; Hellenburg's, on section fourteen, township fifty-eight, range nineteen; Pennell's, on sec- tion thirty-four, township fifty-eight, range nineteen; St. Catharine, on sec- tion thirty-five, township fifty-eight, range nineteen; Gray's, on section eleven, township fifty-seven, range nineteen ; Stain's, on section twenty-seven, township fifty-seven, range nineteen; McGhee's, on section twenty-six, town- ship fifty seven, range nineteen. The schools are all well attended and com- petent teachers are engaged. These schools keep up an average of from five to seven months' schooling a year with a good average attendance of the children of school age.
DEAD TOWNS.
Yellow Creek has been unfortunate in its location of towns for there have been no less than three that once had a habitation and a name, but are now no more. Wyandotte was once the voting place instead of St. Catharine, to which latter place it was moved, and then nothing more is heard of Wyan- dotte. South of the railroad the town of Sherman was laid off, but August 2, 1869, that, too, ceased to exist, as it was vacated. Then away back in 1857, the year following the location of St. Kate, "Center Point " was laid out on section six, of township fifty-seven, range eighteen, but it, too, died and St. Catharine has been left alone to become the capital city of the town- ship.
The dividing of Yellow Creek township, which occurred January 5, 1866, caused these towns to cease to exist. On that day two voting precincts were given to Yellow Creek township, St. Catharine and Bucklin, and this action was but the forerunner of the division which made the east half into a separate municipal division, under the name of Bucklin. From 1870 Yellow Creek has retained its present proportions, and the towns of Wyan- dotte, Center Point, and Sherman, have ceased to exist. This brings our history to a description of the rise and progress of St. Catharine.
ST. CATHARINE.
St. Catharine is one of the oldest towns in the county, having been laid out on April 28th, 1856. The ground upon which it was located belonged to William and Catharine Elliott, and Caleb and Mary Farmer. The town 'was named Catharine, after Mrs. Catharine Elliott. Afterward the word Saint or " St." as it was written, was added to it as a sort of a joke, but as Mrs. Elliott remarked she had no objections to being canonized as a saint, the name became an established fact. The town was surveyed by W. S. McClanahan, then county surveyor, and was located on section thirty-five, of township fifty-eight, range nineteen, its southern line being the township line between townships fifty-seven and fifty-eight.
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY.
When the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad was located through the county St. Catharine, like Thayer, and a few other places, were in hopes of becoming the division station on that road, but Brookfield secured the prize, and St. Catharine, like Laclede, suffered by this act of the railroad authori- ties. As Brookfield was more central the railroad company intended to also secure the county seat for their division town, as they felt sore at Linneus and the north part of the county in withdrawing the county subscription of $25,000. But thus far it has failed. Yellow Creek township and St. Cath- arine have both voted to bring the county seat to Brookfield, and while such a removal would benefit the farmers of the central and southern part of the township, it would for ever ruin the town of St. Catharine, as within two years the town site would become a farm. A country store might make a living, but St. Catharine would follow Thayer, Sherman, and other towns to the realms of the departed. Bucklin and Brookfield would be the only townships and towns that could profitably be benefited by removal, while it would be death to Laclede and St. Catharine. Why the latter should seek death by its vote has not been satisfactorily explained. It is not prob- able that St. Kate will ever be a very large town, but it will grow and thrive if its citizens and business men prove wide awake and of the progressive order. Should it, however, feel like giving up its struggle and turning the town-plat into a corn field, it can do so by locating the county seat at Brook- field and moving over to the latter town in a body. In twelve months' time a cross-road store would do all its business, and trains would stop there only when flagged. The town of St. Catharine grew largely through the energy and progressive spirit of one of its founders, William H. Elliott. He had built a saw-mill in 1855, and on locating the town, or soon after, he erected what was known as the Elliott Woolen Mills, afterward called the Pioneer Flouring and Woolen Mills. These mills no doubt sustained St. Catharine in her position as a town to a considerable extent, and their destruction by fire in June, 1881, was a serious blow to her prosperity. At the time of the burn- ing they were the property of Mr. Joseph Reece. They were a total loss, there being no insurance. As early as 1860 there was a distillery, flouring- mill, and two carding machines comprising the works of the mill, and later machinery was added for the manufacture of cloth and yarn, and the mills soon became noted. They were specially exempted from seizure during the war, and guarded, and by legislative enactment were granted special privi- leges.
It is said that the first act of violence in Linn county was committed at St. Catharine.
There were two Confederate raids made on St. Catharine during the war. The first in August, 1862. The raiders were seven in number and robbed F. S. Black of about $1,000 in money and goods; W. T. Snow, of about $400; and Salisbury Brothers and others suffered to a limited extent. No
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