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THE ROHRBOUGH FAMILY IN HAMILTON - 1867 
THE SPRATTS OF CALDWELL COUNTY, MISSOURI 
THE McBRAYER LIVERY BARN 
FREDERICK GRAER - EARLY HAMILTON BLACKSMITH 
THE PICKELLS AND JORDAN FAMILIES IN HAMILTON IN SEVENTIES AND EIGHTIES 
THE GEE FAMILY IN HAMILTON IN THE SEVENTIES 
A.G. HOWARD - AN EARLY DRUGGIST IN HAMILTON, MISSOURI
THE OLD OR ROHRBOUGH CEMETERY 
EARLY BAPTIST CHURCH HISTORY IN HAMILTON 
WILLIAM H. GWYNN - BLACKSMITH 

THE ROHRBOUGH FAMILY IN HAMILTON - 1867 
Narrators: A Group of Old Timers in Hamilton

In 1867, the Rohrbough family came to Hamilton. There was
Anthony Rohrbough, his wife, Mary, the sons, George and John, and a
daughter who was to become Mrs. L.D. Moore. They opened a store in a
frame building on the present Penney store corner, and lived over the
store. About 1872, they leased this building to A.G. Davis and Gunby
and built a brick building on the former Kemper store corner, which
brick still is used by the Bram store. Here Rohrbough and Moore
(son-in-law) did a big business till they sold out to Anderson Bros.
(Wallace and Joseph) in 1879. The hall above was used for
entertainments and was called Rohrbough's Hall or "The Opera House."
At that time, the family lived in the present Ream home, one block
east of Martin's grocery, (or in older terms, three doors east of the
brick bank). Mr. Rohrbough was soon recognized as a good citizen, for
in 1868 he was a member of the first board of trustees. John, one
of the sons, was an expert piano player and it was quite a treat to
have him sit down at the piano. He was organist at the Methodist
church. He was one of the first from here to go to the State
University. Albert Davis (A.G. Davis' son) was another early M.U.
student. Both boys were gazed upon with awe on their return. The
Rohrbough family were strong Methodists and Anthony Rohrbough was
probably the largest giver that the Hamilton Methodist church has ever
had. When George married, he and his wife resided in the house on
south Broadway now owned by Mrs. Mary Kautz and his brother-in-law,
L.D. Moore, owned the corner house south (site of Houghton Funeral
Home). The Moore house was afterwards moved to the second lot on the
opposite side of the road by Kenney Dwight and is owned now by Ernest
Snape. There was a partnership well on the Moore-Rohrbough started in
1868 the Prairie Cemetery (see Paper) which was more usually called
the "Robough" Cemetery or the Old Cemetery. The older citizens almost
invariably mispronounced the family name as indicated. Mr.
Rohrbough the elder, at one time during the later 70's tried to beat
hard times by taking corn in return for dry goods. So many farmers
brought in corn that he built a very long shed on the north side of
the present Booth lots (then empty) to store his corn. Corn went down
and he is reported to have lost heavily (reported by W.J. McBrayer).
In general, however, the firm prospered and possibly made $100,000.00
from their store here. The family were of the better class of
citizens and helped Hamilton grow into a good town.

~~~~~~~~~~

THE SPRATTS OF CALDWELL COUNTY, MISSOURI 
Narrator: Wm.E. Spratt of St. Joseph, Missouri

John Fulkerson Spratt, son of William H. and Matilda Fulkerson
Spratt was born in Lexington Missouri on February 14, 1838. He
married Martha Jane Elliott of Estill, Howard County, Missouri on July
29, 1863. His wife died October 1st, 1869, leaving three children.
His second wife was Mary Amelia Cochran (pronounced Kaw'hern, not
Cock-ran) the daughter of A.C. Cochran of Zanesville, Ohio, whom he
married May 21, 1872. They had two children. Immediately after
the Civil War, the territory north of Richmond, extending all the way
up to the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad in the vicinity of Hamilton
was given considerable state-wide advertisement and publicity on
account of the fertile rich farm land. Many acres were purchased for
speculation to be held for a rise in price. William H. Spratt, of
Lexington Missouri was one of those to so invest. He purchased two
half sections of land, not expecting to reside on the land, but to
sell it later as a profit. One of the half sections was sold and
became in an early day the south one half of the George Larmor sheep
farm, situated a mile east of Hamilton on the Nettleton road. The
other half section William H. Spratt made a present to his son, John
F. Spratt, who in 1868 moved to Hamilton. This half section was
located one mile south of the town on the Kingston road and was in
1885 sold to J.B. Clough who extensively improved the farm by erecting
thereon many fine large stock barns and a very costly and beautiful
residence. When John F. Spratt first came to Hamilton, he took
his family to the Goodman Hotel, on the west side of Main Street, to
live while he was constructing a residence on his farm south of town.
For a while they boarded at the Hamilton House, a large frame building
south of the railroad tracks facing the depot. The new home was
finally completed and he moved into it in the fall of 1868. George H.
Lamson was in the lumber business and furnished the material out of
which the house was built. There was very little improved land
anywhere in that locality. Colonel J.W. Harper and his family lived
on their farm west of town. When the Spratts and the Harpers visited
they rode horseback, "cross country" from one house to the other with
no fences to bother. Newton G. Spratt was born on this farm and the
slats across the windows which kept him as a crawling baby from
falling out of the second story windows are there today after 65 years
on the old house which was moved across the road to the east side,
south of the big barn, to make room for the new Clough home. John
F. Spratt for a while ran a grocery store on Main Street, first door
south of the elevator, which Vic Walker operated later in the early
eighties. During the time of the Civil War and following it, it was
more the custom than otherwise to serve whisky freely, upon all social
and friendly occasions. It is said that at the opening of the Spratt
Store that one day there was a barrel of Whisky with tin cups handy
for all who wished to partake. A.C. Cochran owned and operated
the bank over on North Main Street by the public pump. Water was
free, but money cost interest. Mr. Cochran came into that locality a
well recommended stranger, without any relatives there, from Ohio.
His family consisted of his wife and daughter, Amelia, who on May the
21st 1872, after the death of his first wife married John Spratt. It
was soon after this that an agreement was made and the Spratt farm
south of town was traded or exchanged for the bank and Mr. Cochran
went back to Ohio to reside and it is not known that he ever again
returned to Missouri. He later resold the farm to Mr. Spratt who held
it and operated it until he sold it to the Cloughs. For a period
the bank was operated under the name of John F. Spratt, Banker. Then
later as the town grew, when more capital was needed, Robert B.
Houston was taken into partnership and the firm name was changed to "Houston and
Spratt." For many years the bank was the strongest financial
institution in the county. In 1892, the members of the firm
decided that they desired to quit business. They called for all
customers to come in and get their money. Some declined or neglected
to do it. The bank finally made a list of all unpaid depositors, and
went across the street, carried the money and placed it in the State
Savings Bank, and notified the owners where to go and get their cash.
That method of liquidation is in striking contrast to the costly
receiverships of later days. All of the members of that banking firm
have long since passed on to their reward, but they left a record
which would be well to emulate. 

The children of John F. Spratt were: 
Jemmie Elliott, married first to Herbert H. Taylor,who died, 
.....second to Edwin F. Willis, no children. 
William E. Spratt married Effie Cowgill, two children.
Newton G. Spratt married in California, no children. 
Mae Cochran married Frank Poteet, one child. 
Xema L. not married.

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THE McBRAYER LIVERY BARN 
Narrator: W.J. McBrayer of Hamilton

Excelsior Livery Barn 
Large Credit System with Banks

The McBrayer Excelsior livery barn was built 1875 by Samuel
McBrayer on Main Street, two blocks south of the depot. Mr. McBrayer
was born in Daviess County, his ancestors having come from North
Carolina. The barn was increased in size from time to time, the
pictures of it in 1885 showing a bigger building than the picture of
1875. Later on, Mr. McBrayer built a big sale barn farther south on
Main. The livery stable itself had about 30 horses for hire. In the
sale barn, often there would be from 150 to 300 horses kept. The
livery barn kept a corps of drivers hired to accommodate customers.
Some of these men were Sam and Jake Buster, Fred and Austin (Ott)
Farr, and Mr. Eggleston. The livery stable of the 70's and 80's
and 90's had two uses - 1) to supply horses and buggies for pleasure
drives. You could get for a Sunday afternoon drive a double rig, (two
horses and double covered carriages) for two dollars. However, on
some very important occasions like picnics or campaign speeches, the
cost was higher and you had to engage a rig several days ahead. The
other use was for commercial purposes. It gave transportation for
drummers or traveling men to inland towns. Drummers would get off
here at Hamilton with their four or five trunks, go to the livery man
and he would fix up the trip. First the trunks would be put into a
lumber wagon with a driver and the drummer with another driver drove
behind. They made Kingston, Polo, Knoxville, Taitsville, Dawn,
Russellville, and some towns which no longer exist, to sell goods to
the country store keeper. They might be gone a week or ten days, and
if the drummer's trip went east, they would go to Chillicothe where he
and his trunks got a train and the two drivers brought the vehicles
back to Hamilton. On such trips, the drummer paid all the expenses of
drivers and horses. This sort of thing went on in these parts till
the Milwaukee railroad, 1886, came to some of the above towns. The
grocery drummer never kept out a team as long as a dry goods drummer,
but he came more often. When asked if goats were a necessary part
of a livery stable to keep away disease, Mr. McBrayer said, "Nothing
to it" but they often had a goat as a pet for Claude, the youngest
son. Samuel McBrayer (usually called Sam) had a son, Wm.J.
(usually called Billy) the narrator of this story. He and his father
bought the old "Excelsior" livery stable from each other several
times. Wm.J. is a born horseman and still loves to talk about his
horse buying days. At one time, he employed ten to fifteen men in the
local barn and had about the same number of men in Kansas and Missouri
buying up horses and mules. Over eighty people were dependent on his
payroll. About thirty-five years ago, mules cost $300.00, and at one
deal one of his buyers bought one hundred mules, sending in a check of
$30,000.00 on W.J. Other buyers sent in enough checks to make his out
going checks $60,000.00 which he borrowed from three banks, showing
the strength of his credit. These things are of interest, because
business is not done that way now. He told how he happened to
trade with the old Savings Bank. He had had his money in the Houston
Spratt and Menefee Bank an old private bank of fine reputation here,
but small. He offered checks on this bank while buying horses in
Kansas. They would deliberate and then accept them saying "Why don't
you do business with a bank on the National list? This list does not
contain your bank but does have Hamilton Savings Bank." He came home
and took his money over to Dan Booth, cashier of the Savings Bank.

He recalled when be bought the old red bandwagon - a high long
wagon with a canopy top and seats running lengthwise. It held
twenty-two people and was the popular way to go to the Hamilton
Fairgrounds. He took it full of men to Gallatin to see the murderer,
Jump, hanged. They used to have public hangings in the eighties. On
that occasion, people travelled all night over the Gallatin road to
witness the death. Sometimes people would bring home pieces of the
rope as a keepsake from hangings. On the occasion of W.J. Bryan's
first race for the presidency, in the 16 to 1 days, he recalled that
fifty to seventy-five white horses were collected from here and
elsewhere to accommodate girls who were riding in Bryan's silver
procession. 

Interviewed March 1934.

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FREDERICK GRAER - EARLY HAMILTON BLACKSMITH 
Narrator: Lillie Graer of Hamilton, Missouri

The Trip From Kentucky 
Blacksmithing 
Indians

Miss Graer is the daughter of Frederick Graer who was born in
Germany, came to the United States at the age of fourteen to escape
military service and lived with a man in Virginia who was a well to do
farmer with a blacksmithing and wagon making shop on his place. To
him, young Graer apprenticed himself to learn the trade. However
he became a teacher being a student by nature and he taught in
Kentucky. As a relic of those school teaching days the Graer girls
have a note book nearly eighty years old which he wrote in methodical
hand writing for his pupils as a guide in holding the pen correctly
before the copy book. Then he married Miss Denny of Kentucky and
after three little girls came he decided to quite teaching and follow
Horace Greeley's idea of "go west, young man." In 1868 after
seeing Iowa and Kansas he came to Hamilton. On his way here he and
his family came by way of river as far as St. Louis; and on the boat
his wife for the first time saw white people serving meals. It seemed
terrible to her, and the sign of a "poor trash" country. When the
family came to Hamilton they boarded in the home of Captain Morton
till they got a home. Then Graer bought what is known now as the
Switzer farm but could make no money, not being a real farmer. Then
he went to his trade of a blacksmith. First he worked in Kidder, then
he bought a shop on Mill Street in Hamilton where he later built a
splendid brick blacksmith and wagon shop and many 1870-80 wagons had
his name on them. He bought a house of John Courter, a carpenter
here in the late sixties and early seventies and this became with
additions the present Graer home. Apparently the blacksmithing and
wagon making trade was a very lucrative one in the seventies and
eighties for he died a fairly rich man for this town. Their early
neighbors were Putnams, Tuttles, Nashes and O'Neils. When the
family first came here the Indians were still roaming through the
country. Miss Lillie recalls that when they boarded with Mrs. Morton
the Indians came to the house and Mrs. Graer in fright got her
children in a corner and stood in front of them with a shawl out
spread. The Indians came to towns to trade their Indian wares for
white man's things. After that Indian visit Mrs. Graer was still more
disgusted over the new country and pled with her husband to go back to
Kentucky; but he had already invested his money in the farm and could
not leave it. Then he said that if he could sell his farm he would go
to Kansas City where there was a call for blacksmiths, but she
objected to that since that would bring them still closer to more
Indians in Kansas. It really was hard for her to get used to life in
Hamilton where white women did manual work done by the blacks in
Kentucky, but she soon got accustomed to the life and liked it.

Interviewed February 1934.

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THE PICKELLS AND JORDAN FAMILIES IN HAMILTON IN SEVENTIES AND EIGHTIES 
Narrator: Mrs. Hattie Jordan, 79, of Hamilton, Missouri

Jordan the Piano and Organ Man 
The Old Phoenix Hotel

Mrs. Jordan is the widow of William Jordan, a Hamilton Merchant
over fifty years ago and the daughter of George Pickell and Rebecca
Miller of Lancaster County Pennsylvania. Her father was a brother of
Wm. Pickell and her mother was a sister of Mary Miller his wife. Thus
Mrs. Jordan is a double cousin of Wm. Pickell aged 88 of Hamilton.
Her father lived one half mile from Bart in Lancaster County
Pennsylvania and after his death the Mother and children moved to
Lancaster City. In 1872 the family came to Hamilton. Her brother
George was already here on a farm near Nettleton. Three brothers out
of five lived here - George, who later quit farming and became town
marshall; Wm., a produce dealer; and Ben, who was in a music store
with her husband. Her mother rented the last house on Bird Street
north side now owned by George Bretz and later bought the little house
east of Seth Young's house. Mrs. Jordon lived there till her
marriage. After she became the wife of Mr. Jordan, they lived in with
Aunty Smith (who used to be a well known Bible teacher here) in the
house still known at the Aunty Smith house. There her daughter Mrs.
Maud Turner was born. Mrs. Jordan was a Davy Ferguson pupil, in
the old north brick school. Some of her class mates were: Addie
(Martin) George, Wilda Rohrbough, Genoa and Mattie Claypool (Aunts of
Mrs. Mollie Wines). Her husband Wm. Jordan was a lawyer by study,
passing the Ohio Examinations 1878. But because of his health he came
to Hamilton in 1880 and began to sell pianos and organs. He and she
used to ride around the country and leave an organ in a home on trial
for a week or so in hopes of a sale. He had his own brand of organs,
The Jordan Organ. Mr. Jordan owned the old Phoenix Hotel on Main
Street and had his show rooms there for a while. This building was
the only three-story building ever erected in Hamilton. It was once
the Kelso building. In the late seventies Mr. Jordan rented the whole
building to the Harvey family who kept a Dry Goods Store on the ground
floor had their living rooms on the second floor and their sleeping
rooms on the third floor. Later the Harveys built a brick directly
across the street and lived above the store. This was about where the
Lindley building is. The Jordans owned quite a frontage on north
Main in the eighties, from the present McMasters through the site of
the Missouri Store. After her husbands death, Mrs. Jordan sold the
old buildings to Finis Martin who tore it down and built two houses in
town out of the lumber. 

Interviewed April 1934.

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THE GEE FAMILY IN HAMILTON IN THE SEVENTIES 
Narrator: Mrs. Chas. Anderson of Hamilton, Missouri

The Gee Homes 
Congregational Church History 
The Tuthill Family

Mrs. Anderson is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Tuthill
and the grand daughter of Israel Gee and Deborah Covert. Mr. and Mrs.
Gee came west 1868 on account of the health of his son. Their former
home was Cincinnatus New York. The family first stayed at the old
Hamilton House till he found a lot for sale. They used to tell how
the negro servants at this Hotel came into the dining room to see how
the Yankees ate (for Yankees were still a strange set to Missourians).
Mr. Gee bought a lot on south Broadway and built the house on it,
where now Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Anderson live. So great was the boom
here and the scarcity of homes that for a while three families lived
in that house (then much smaller). There was the family of Mrs. Julia
Holmes (his daughter) the Gee family and the R.D. Dwight family
consisting of Mr. Dwight the first Mrs. Dwight and their son Kenny.
In 1868 Mr. Gee planted the hard maples in front of the home which
still are there. He also owned the Gee (now Cahill) farm north west
of town, where he intended to live but his wife died soon after they
came here, so he turned the farm over to his son Henry Gee - a teacher
- farmer of the eighties and nineties. It was fitting that this
dignified New Yorker be elected to the board of trustees in the
village of Hamilton 1870 before the place was really a town. He was
Chairman of the Board, equivalent to the later title of Mayor. He
served several times as Justice of the Peace and his decisions were
never reversed in a higher court. He loved music, played a flute
(still in the Gee family) and for twenty years led a choir of sixty
voices back in New York by this flute. He was a smooth shaven man in
an era of beards and mustaches. At the time of the arrival of the
Gee family in Hamilton, the Congregationalists were trying to organize
a church. The Gees were of that faith in New York and helped in the
new move. Ten out of thirteen Charter members were Gees or related to
them in some way. Meetings were held in a room called the Chapel in
the Rev. Wilmot house, standing on Kingston street south of the park.
This room was built with Missionary funds and Mr. Wilmot was termed a
Missionary much to the dismay of some people who did not think
Hamiltonians were Missionary material. Moreover some people used to
say that during the week this "Chapel" was the Wilmot kitchen and so
they said they attended church in the Wilmot kitchen. Mr. Gee's
daughter Mrs. Theodore Tuthill and her husband came here 1868 stayed a
year then went back. They returned 1879 to spend their lives here.
Mrs. Tuthill was quite a musician and in 1868 was one of the early
music teachers, having as her piano pupils Mrs. James Collins (then
Miss Goodman). Mrs. Tuthill was among the first here to possess a
square piano. Mrs. and Mrs. Gee and son are buried in the old
(Rohrbough) cemetery on the west end of town. 

Interviewed February 1934.

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A.G. HOWARD - AN EARLY DRUGGIST IN HAMILTON, MISSOURI
Narrator: Alma Howard of Hamilton, Missouri

Why the Howards Came 
Early Drug Store Ways 
Men's Stylish Clothes

Mr. Howard came to Caldwell County 1868 from Wisconsin. He
served in the Union Army. While there he caught pneumonia and had an
abscess on the lung. He always declared that he owned his life to a
nurse who applied a boiled onion poultice to his chest. That bad lung
gave him his pension. At the close of the War, he got a bounty of
$1000 and wanted to invest it in land. He lived in Wisconsin and
heard of the good land bargains in north west Missouri, following the
opening of the Hannibal and St. Joseph railroad. So he and his fellow
townsmen C.C. Greene (brother-in-law) Jackson Edminister and Wm.
Everts all came down to look the country over. They went in together
and bought a big tract south of Hamilton, Mr. Howard's being the
Gillett farm. Mr. Howard stayed on his land a year and then sold it
out at a good profit. Then he bought a house and lot in Hamilton of
S.H. Swartz who owned two lots extending from Broadway to Kingston
street. While Swartz was building a new house on the south end which
he kept, he and his family lived on the second floor of the house they
had sold to Howards who lived on the first floor. Houses were scarce
here because Hamilton was having a boom. There was much doubling up
in houses. Howard bought a half interest in the drug store of Dr.
Ressigeau on Broadway, west side, south of the tracks, which was quite
a business section then. Opposite was the Broadway Hotel - afterwards
the Harvey House and O.O. Brown (always called Double O. Brown) the
Dry Goods Merchant. In a year Mr. Howard bought out the whole
Drug Store. He had previously gained from Dr. Ressigeau sufficient
knowledge to fill prescriptions. John Harrah worked for Howard,
practically for nothing to learn the trade and prescription work,
doing the sweeping etc. in return. At that time there was no law
requiring an examination in pharmacy. When that law came on Mr.
Howard was almost ready to retire. He sold much patent medicine; and
later sold jewelry and musical instruments. (He himself was a
fiddler.) He carried cigars, paints and oils. In fact at first he
sold about all the paints and oils used here. In his windows stood
two very large red and green bottles which were typical signs for a
Drug Store. In 1882 he moved to Main Street and these big bottles
were carefully carried there. Mr. Howard was a dressy man. He
wore white "boiled" shirts with stiff cuffs and bosoms that took much
skill and time to iron. They were polished with the heel of an iron
to shine like glass. No town then ever wore limp colored shirts or
soft collars. They were for farmers who fed hogs. He had a high silk
hat for every day wear and he kept handy a fine brush to make the nap
flat and shiny. Up town he would flick his silk handkerchief over it
every time he took it off. The old Howard house was replaced some
years ago with a modern one. The old store building he once owned on
Broadway and his second on Main have both burnt down. 

Interviewed February 6, 1934.

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THE OLD OR ROHRBOUGH CEMETERY 
Narrator: Hon. Seth Young, 78, of Hamilton, Missouri

Mr. Young is one of the few business men left in Hamilton of the
seventies and his own history is interesting apart from his memories.
He was reared on a farm west of town on the Cameron road, where his
father C.H. Young moved 1869. The young man studied law in the office
of Shanklin, Low, McDougal at Gallatin and was admitted to the bar
1876. He located at Hamilton 1878 and began in an office on south
Main east side where Chas. Burnett's barber shop stands. Several
years ago, he served as State Senator. He has held the job of Notary
Public fifty six years under sixteen Govenors. His parents and
several others in his family are buried in the Old Cemetery west of
town and his story concerns this burying ground. The plot is
described as east half of out lot (44) forty four railroad addition to
Hamilton. It was legally called the Prairie Cemetery as shown on the
old deed giving the plot to the City by Mr. and Mrs. Anthony
Rohrbough. Mr. Young now has this deed. In the sixties and seventies
every one called it the Rohrbough (or more often Robo) cemetery from
its owner. In 1868, Alston Bowman and Vincent Bowman circulated a
paper among the citizens for the purpose of buying ground for a
graveyard. Ben Langshore purchased the land from the Hannibal and St.
Joseph Railroad and sold the same to Anthony Rohrbough, he then called
A.G. Davis to survey the land and lay it out in lots, giving him as
pay several lots in the north west corner. The Davis lots are now
vacant because their dead are moved to the new or Highland Cemetery.
A plat is in existence made by Mr. Rohrbough which shows very careless
register of graves, at times the plot and tombstones left are in
conflict. In a few instances he marks a grave site - name lost - or
unknown - or sold. The charge were high: $8 for a lot, $15 for a
double lot, $3 or $2 for a single grave, much higher than the first
prices in the new cemetery - $3 for a regular lot. He is said to have
demanded pay before burial was made. There were no roads inside the
cemetery, only paths between lots. Coffins were carried by hand from
the public road. The Hamilton people became dissatisfied and wanted a
city-owned graveyard. After the new cemetery started 1876, Mr.
Rohrbough lost patronage because the new lots were cheaper, better
arranged and in a better site. Thus, the old cemetery with taxes
became a load on the owner and without profit. He tried to give it to
the City of Hamilton to hold as long as the premises should be used
for cemetery purposes. But Hamilton would not accept the gift.
Hamilton tried to make Rohrbough take it back, the case went into
court, even to the Supreme Court of the State with the result that
they declared that Rohrbough did not have to take it back and Hamilton
did not have to take it. Hence today it stands as No Man's Land, with
broken stones and unkept and untaxed. The last burial was that of
T.H. Hare, photographer 1916 in the old Hare lot with his wife and
children. On that day, cars drove to the graveside over sunken graves
and empty grave holes. 

Interviewed December 1933. 

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EARLY BAPTIST CHURCH HISTORY IN HAMILTON 
Narrator: Wm. M. Pickell, 88, of Hamilton, Missouri

Mr. Pickell was born in Lancaster County Pennsylvania. His
father was Wm. Pickell and his mothers maiden name Miller. Mr.
Pickell is a cousin of Ben, George, Wm. Pickell and Mrs. Hattie Jordan
all having lived here in Hamilton about forty years ago while Wm. M.
lived on a farm near by. Mr. Pickell is one of the few G.A.R. men
still left. He and his wife came to this country 1868 and settled on
the farm where they stayed till the children grew up. In 1876,
Mr. Pickell became sexton of the Hamilton Baptist church when that
body was using the old frame Presbyterian Church half time. He and
his wife Jane joined 1878. The Baptists had had quite a moving time
since their organization 1868 at the home of Elder Bennett Whitely.
First they met in his building - commonly called the Baptist Chapel -
east of park on the corner; the building later called the Windmill
School. They thought they had bought it, then they and Whitely fell
out about it and they went to McAdd's Hall 1869 and used all their
ready cash to buy eleven chairs to seat it. The Presbyterians used it
half time, and each paid $62.50 a year. In 1872 they met for
awhile in McCoy's Hall corner of Mill and Broadway. In 1875 they met
with the Presbyterians in the latter's church. In 1878 they built
their church on the present site which cost them $150. They called
their preachers Elders and their leading men Deacons, as Deacon Aaron
Edminister always so-called. They called each other Brother and
Sister in conversation. He recalled their early Elders were Bennett
Whitely, Elder Dalby, Elder Leavitt who stayed many years, and T.M.S.
Kenney. He believed he was present when the last two were ordained.
Those days sextons got $50 a year for sweeping the church and caring
for the fires; Elder Leavitt got $200 a year-half time (about 1880)
and often this might be slow pay. The Baptists were very strict
those days. Members were excluded or the hand of fellowship was
withdrawn from several members. Covenant meeting was held Saturday
afternoons, once a month, and such things came up. Some charges were:
dancing, covetousness and non-walk with God. Members voted on the
person and a majority bote was enough to "withdraw the hand."
Interviewed January 1934.

(These statements of old Mr. Pickell were verified by reference to a
book of old minutes of the First Baptist Church of Hamilton.
Interviewer's note.)

~~~~~~~~~~

WILLIAM H. GWYNN - BLACKSMITH 
Narrator: Mrs. Mary Keefe, 78, of Braymer, Missouri

Life at Hopewell and Hamilton 
Changes in Hamilton in his life

Mrs. Keefe is the daughter of Wm. Harrison Gwynn (1824-1907) and
Martha Ramsey both of whom lived in Cadiz, Harrison County and Noble
County Ohio before coming to Caldwell County in the western rush after
the Civil War. Mr. Gwynn was a blacksmith and wagon maker an
occupation much in demand those days. He first established a home and
a shop near the Hopewell Baptist Church - this county; the house built
in 1867 is still standing owned by the Taylor family. Then finding
out that many of his old friends from Ohio had located in Hamilton he
moved to Hamilton in 1868 to be near them. These Ohio friends were:
Prof. Davy Ferguson (see his paper) Alex Crow (killed in the Clark
Mill explosion) George Wilson (father of Dr. Clyde Wilson) Edward
Green (one of the leaders in the founding of the Presbyterian Church
here) Andy Harrah and Wm. Stewart. In 1874 he worked for Fred
Graer at the Mill Street blacksmith (see his paper) and then he put up
his own shop, east of the McBrayer livery barn on Mill street. His
family home was for years the house south of the present Scott house.
During Mr. Gwynns life the style of wagons changed as much as clothes.
The Conastoga of his boyhood, the linchpin, the stiff tongue, and the
limber tongue wagons followed one another and he saw them all. He
knew the ox-cart. He had seen Hamilton's streets changed from
platforms built of boards in front of each store to the beginning of
our concrete payments. When he came the streets were poorly lighted
at night by occasional street lamps and a man traveled around in the
afternoon with an oil can and lighted them. They burnt themselves out
my morning. When he died the electric lights were in town. In those
early days, doctors like Dr. Ressigieu (who lived on south Broadway in
the present Katherine Houghton home) maintained their own street
lights. There was a lamp before each church corner (all the churches
happened to be on one corner). It was a bad boy's trick those days
to throw stones at the street lamps to see the glass break.
During Mr. Gwynn's life here, the old "Ferguson" brick school on the
north side was built and he lived to see it out-moded and torn down.
The little old brown school on the south was replaced in his life by a
nice brick building. He truly saw Hamilton grow. Mrs. Keefe was
married 1876 to Eugene Keefe who after the Civil War settled on a farm
in Fairview township. Their trading point was still her old home in
Hamilton for Cowgill and Braymer did not come into existence till
after the Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad went through the southern
part of the county late in the eighties. 

Interviewed April 1934.

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This page was last updated September 24, 2006.