A history of Jasper County, Missouri
VOLUME I
In presenting this volume to the public, the writer begs leave to make the following introductory announcements and explanations.
In gathering the data for the history, a vast amount of interesting matter was collected, and had we utilized it all, a book would have been created twice the size of the one offered. It was thought, therefore, that a more condensed history giving a sufficient number of stories in each of the several periods to correctly represent the habits, manners and customs of the people during each of the epochs and the events which helped to mold the destinies of the county, would be most appreciated by the public. It was difficult at times to determine just which facts to include and which to omit, and some events which we desired to mention at length were omitted because we were unable to secure accurate and complete data for their narration.
The matter for the history has been obtained from the following sources: Personal interviews with old-time citizens of the county; replies to letters addressed to different well informed citizens; scrap books saved by lovers of historic information and the newspaper files that were preserved.
To each and all who have so kindly given us data for the work, we wish to here return our most sincere and heartful thanks. We are especially indebted to the following: To John Nelson, of Carl Junction, for the loan of a file of the Weekly Carthage Banner covering the period of the later sixties^ the seventies and the early eighties; to the Carthage Press and the Joplin Daily News-Herald, whose editors both kindly placed their valuable files at our disposal; to the Joplin Public Library for the loan of the early files of the Daily Herald covering the later seventies and the eighties; to Charles Ebert, of Los Angeles, California, who forwarded to us from the far golden west, a most excellent and (systematically kept scrap book of Webb City and Carterville events which happened during the eighties and early nineties. We found this information invaluable for the reason that the early files of the Webb City and Carterville papers had not been preserved.
There is one feature of our work which is not as complete as we had originally intended it to be, to-wit: the lodge and church chapters. In view of this we deem it proper to make a special explanation relative to these two important parts of the history. The statement briefly made is this: In May, 1911, we mailed out something like fifty letters to the pastors of different churches in the county, asking them to assist the author in collecting the historic material for the church story. To these letters less than one-half replied and not having access to the records, we could not make as complete a church story as we had hoped to do. In like manner, some of the lodges of the county failed to provide us with desired information and mention of them was necessarily abbreviated. However, we did not neglect the important part of the history, but obtained much information regarding the societies that did not respond to our request from the newspapers, mention being made of their several organizations.
We believe that the information herein contained is authentic, — at least, we have used every effort to make it so, and if inaccuracies have crept into the book, it is because we have been misinformed.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER I
COUNTY TAKING FORM 3
CHAPTER II
CIVIL AND POLITICAL 14
CHAPTER III
PIONEER SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES 22
CHAPTER IV
VARIOUS PIONEER EVENTS 31
CHAPTER V
PRECEDING ACTUAL WARFARE 45
CHAPTER VI
THE WAR IN JASPER COUNTY 51
CHAPTER VII
THE WAR CONTINUED 58
CHAPTER VIII
REORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY 67
CHAPTER IX
OF GENERAL COUNTY MOMENT 77
CHAPTER X
CARTHAGE HISTORY 83
CHAPTER XI
POLITICS AND RAILROADS 89
CHAPTER XII
EDUCATIONAL MATTERS 96
CHAPTER XIII
COUNTY SOCIETIES 109
CHAPTER XIV
MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS 115
CHAPTER XV
CARTHAGE IN THE 'SEVENTIES 120
CHAPTER XVI
CHURCHES AND SOCIETIES 132
CHAPTER XVII
FOUNDING OF JOPLIN 141
CHAPTER XVIII
JOPLIN IN 1873 165
CHAPTER XIX
JOPLIN IN THE MIDDLE 'SEVENTIES 174
CHAPTER XX
IN THE LATER 'SEVENTIES 199
CHAPTER XXI
COUNTY POLITICS 225
CHAPTER XXII
CITY OF CARTHAGE 233
CHAPTER XXIII
JOPLIN, CIVIC AND BUSINESS 255
CHAPTER XXIV
JOPLIN, RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL 273
CHAPTER XXV
MILITARY AND SPECTACULAR 285
CHAPTER XXVI
WEBB CITY 297
CHAPTER XXVII
CARTERVILLE and OTHER MATTERS 307
CHAPTER XXVIII
COUNTY AT LARGE 319
CHAPTER XXIX
MINES AND MINING 336
CHAPTER XXX
MILITARY MATTERS 340
CHAPTER XXXI
CARTHAGE IN THE 'NINETIES 350
CHAPTER XXXII
LODGE AND SOCIAL EVENTS 356
CHAPTER XXXIII
JOPLIN IN THE 'NINETIES 363
CHAPTER XXXIV
JOPLIN EDUCATIONAL TOPICS 375
CHAPTER XXXV
SOCIAL, BENEVOLENT AND CHARITABLE 386
CHAPTER XXXVI
MUNICIPAL AND MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS 399
CHAPTER XXXVII
WEBB CITY 415
CHAPTER XXXVIII
Newspapers — The Cabterville Bank — Public Schools — Churches — Among the Lodges — Carterville Bands — Carl Junction — Sarcoxie — Oronogo — Asbury 424
CHAPTER XXXIX
GENERAL COUNTY TOPICS 437
CHAPTER XL
MINING AND BANKING 449
CHAPTER XLI
OLD-TIMERS FROM EVERYWHERE 455
CHAPTER XLII
GENERAL JOPLIN MATTERS 464
CHAPTER XLIII
EDUCATIONAL AND RELIGIOUS 474
CHAPTER XLIV
THE NEGRO LYNCHING AND THE RIOT 496
CHAPTER XLV
JOPLIN'S FRATERNITIES 503
CHAPTER XLVI
GENERAL CLUB AND SOCIAL LIFE 522
CHAPTER XLVII
CITY OF CARTHAGE 533
CHAPTER XLVIII
WEBB CITY AND CARTERVILLE 551
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The history of Jasper county covers five distinct periods of growth — the pioneer period, the county duping the Civil war, the reconstruction days, the reopening of the mines after the war and the subsequent development of the county's resources.
It is full of exciting incidents and is important because it tells a story of progress, and in perpetuating the names and deeds which have helped to mold the destinies of the great middle west, we serve the future generations by holding high the lamp of experience which has guided an active and energetic people along the pathway of success.
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