Progress Notes

In the Progress Notes of December 5, 2011 a few weeks ago I referred to Elwood and Nadine Hachler on whose farm the annual Osage River Antique Power Association show is held (photo 01).

01 Elwood and Nadine Hachler

I thought readers might be interested in a short follow-up story regarding Nadine. A few years ago Nadine sent us a photo of her grandparents, Andrew and Millie Boan Armstrong in front of their log cabin home which was located about three fourths mile south of Highway 52 on Hall’s Store Road (photo 02).

02 Armstrong Cabin

The photo was taken in 1904. From left to right in the photo are three children of the Armstrongs: Pearl M. Armstrong Davenport, Ernest Armstrong, and Lilly Armstrong DeMott. The picture was taken before any of the three children were married. Andrew married his wife Millie M. Boan in Miller County on November 27, 1884. The marriage was performed by Ludwell Bacon, a Justice of the Peace in Saline Township (photo 02a).

02a Ludwell Bacon and Wife

The cabin no longer is standing having burned years ago. Nadine says she spent many days with her grandparents. They had a typical small Ozark farm with a big garden, a dug well and chickens running free in the yard. Her grandfather had a team of horses he used to plant some crops and make a garden. In the garden he raised tame blackberries.

A.J. Armstrong was credited with having laid out the town of West Aurora. The Missouri Pacific railroad station was located about a half mile southwest of Aurora Springs and it was here the town of West Aurora sprang up. It was laid out by Armstrong in 1882.

Andrew’s biography is recounted in his obituary notice, December, 19, 1929:

Armstrong, Andrew J.
December 19, 1929 Autogram

FALLS DEAD WHILE ASSISTING HIS WIFE WITH MILKING; INJURY TO HIS SHOULDER WHILE MOUNTING HORSE THOUGHT RESPONSIBLE FOR DEMISE.

Andrew J Armstrong, one of our county's best and most honored citizens, died very suddenly Thursday. He and Mrs. Armstrong had gone to the barn to feed and milk. She was preparing the feed in the troughs when he fell over and expired in a few seconds. Mr. Armstrong injured his shoulder on the day of the Tuscumbia Community and Homecoming Picnic. As he attempted to mount his horse at home he struck his shoulder on the saddle. He never realized until a few days before his death that his shoulder was broken. He was advised of this when an x-ray picture was taken. The physician bound his arm in a sling, hoping that the bone would knit, but it failed to do so, and inflammation continued to grow worse. His arm was in the sling when he fell dead.

Mr. Armstrong was born April 23, 1857, in Green County, Illinois, moving to Miller County at the age of 15.

He was united in marriage to Millie M. Boan November 27, 1884. To this union four children were born--Ernest, of Lees Summit; Mrs. Edmond (Pearl) Davenport of Eldon, Mrs. Elmer (Lillie) DeMott of Pratt, Kansas, and Rosa, who preceded him in death at the age of 18 years. Besides the three children and the wife, others left to mourn his death are 11 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren and one sister of Lee's Summit, besides a host of other relatives and friend.

He united with the M. E. Church at Harmony about 35 years ago. About two years ago, he moved his membership to Eldon as the home church was too weak to continue. He was a faithful member in good standing. Mr. Armstrong was a kind and loving husband, father and grandfather. He took an active part in the community's welfare and was loved and respected by all who knew him. He enjoyed the company of his friends and neighbors. All of whom will join with the family in their grief.

Funeral Services were conducted Saturday at the home by Rev. Grey, pastor of the Eldon M. E. church, and burial was made in the family lot at Woods Cemetery where his daughter was buried.

(They are buried at the Tol Wood Cemetery just off Highway 54 between Eldon and Bagnell.)

A short distance west from the Armstrong home were located the farms of two other early Miller County natives, the Heldstab brothers, Peter and Reinhardt. If you look at these two scans of T40N R14W you will find the farms in Section 8 (photos 03 and 04).

03 T40N - R14W
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04 Section 8

They were sons of John Henry Heldstab (photo 05).

05 John Henry Heldstab

John Henry Heldstab was born in Klosters Switzerland July 18, 1819 and died of cancer January 16, 1900 in Miller County. He was buried at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery (photo 06).

06 John Henry Heldstab Tombstone

John came to the United States at the age of 19 years. His grandfather in Switzerland was Hans Heldstab born in 1765 and his father was Martin Heldstab born in 1790. John Henry Heldstab had ten children two of which were Rhinehart (born 1856) and John Peter (born 1848) (photo 07). These two were the owners of the farms in section 8 of T40N R14W noted above.

07 Peter and Rhinehart Heldstab

Another son of John Henry Heldstab was John Adolph Heldstab who lived at various places in the county. I was told by his grandson, Fred Eugene Myer, that John Adolph and his wife were cooks for awhile on the J.R. Wells steamboat (photo 08).

08 Fred Eugene Myer

Lucille Heldstab Cotten was told an interesting history about her great grandfather, John Henry Heldstab, which she reports was given her by a person named Lou Livings:

John Henry Heldstab was born on July 18, 1819 at Klosters Switzerland and died January 16, 1900. He was buried at Mt. Pleasant Missouri. He spoke the German language and was schooled in pastries, cakes, and candies. John Henry was a Freeman when he left Switzerland for the United States. He eventually came to St. Louis, Missouri where he married his wife, Katherine Aust, in 1846.

Note: As noted above they had ten children. Also, note that sometimes the spelling is Katherine and sometimes Catherine (photo 09).

09 Catherine (Aust) Heldstab

Later the couple moved to Jefferson City where he unloaded riverboats until the railroad arrived. John then moved to Calloway County and then to a farm in Morgan County. Eventually, they moved to Miller County near the Saline Creek (now the Joe Shackleford property).

John and Katherine ran a Boarding House and commissary for the miners at the diggins’ in that area. They later returned to farming. Katherine’s family lived in the Alps of Switzerland. They owned the largest cheese production operation in the area. The cows in their village were taken to pasture outside the village for the summer season. The cows were always crowned with a circlet of daisies as the “leading cheese producers.”

Katherine was well educated in the German language and schooled in the trade of silk. She was a weaver, made ribbons and fine lace. She was known as a “Bonds Woman.” I was told by a German lady that this means Katherine’s parents told a neighbor that when Katherine grew up she would marry their son.

Here is the short obituary for John Henry Heldstab found in the Heldstab Family History located in our museum library:

John Henry Heldstab was born in Germany July 18, 1819 and died of cancer, January 16, 1900. Mr. Heldstab came to the United States at the age of 19 years; he united with the Presbyterian church when very young; when he came to Miller County there being no Presbyterian church he cast in his lot with the United Brethren. He was an honest, respected citizen, a faithful husband and loving father. He leaves a wife and eight children, three sons and five daughters, and a host of friends. Funeral services were conducted by the writer.

Driver

I don’t know who the person named “Driver” would have been. Could he have been William W. Driver, a black minister who was widely known in central Missouri during the early 20th century?

Here is the obituary for John Henry’s wife, Katherine, also found in the Heldstab Family history of our library (Note that her middle name has a spelling variation):

Katherine Eust, was born in Meinfeld, Switzerland April 12, 1827, and was baptized the same day in the church at Meinfeld, came to America with her parents when about 18 years old and located in St. Louis where she was married to John Henry Heldstab, June 12, 1846 where she resided for many years. She was the mother of 11 children, 24 grandchildren and 38 great grandchildren. The oldest great grandchild being 27 years of age. The children living are Pete Heldstab, Tuscumbia; Martha Rauschelbach, Mokane; Rhine Heldstab, Tuscumbia; Mary Hollenbeck, Eldon; Emma Gartin, Etterville; Nettie Carrender, Eldon. Funeral services were conducted at the home of J.J. Carrender by J.H. Browning and the remains were laid to rest in the Mount Pleasant cemetery.

One of the Heldstab family very well known in the Tuscumbia area was John Wesley Heldstab, son of Rhinehart. John Wesley was commonly known as “Wes.” His fiftieth wedding anniversary was recorded in an article of the Autogram newspaper. I have a clipping of the occasion but not the date:

Lifetime Miller Countians to Note Golden Anniversary (photo 10)

10 Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Heldstab

Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Heldstab of Tuscumbia will celebrate their golden wedding anniversary Sunday, September 9. They are lifetime residents of Miller County.

Mrs. Heldstab (Minnie) is the daughter of the late George H. and Ethel (Odom) Wood. She was born at Bagnell and later the family moved to Eldon where her father was a carpenter and cabinet maker.

Mr. Heldstab, known as Wes to his friends, is the son of the late Rhinehart and Susan Frances (Cooper) Heldstab. He was born on the family farm three miles southwest of Tuscumbia on Gum Creek. It was on this farm that the couple spent the greater part of the past 50 years. They were married in Tuscumbia September 9, 1923, at the bride’s home by the Reverend Charles E. Hederick.

In 1924 their first child, Lucille, was born. In 1928 another daughter, Ila Mae, was born. During the depression Mr. Heldstab went to get a job. He left his wife and daughters on the farm with his parents. In Kansas City he got a job with Cudahay Packing Company with a wage of 30 cents an hour and was soon able to move his family to the city.

In 1934 they moved back to the farm where the elder Mrs. Heldstab died later in the year and the elder Mr. Heldstab in 1935.

In December, 1935, a son was born and was named Henry (Hank) Lee.

Mr. Heldstab worked for Union Electric on the construction of Bagnell Dam in the 1930’s. In the 1940’s he did construction work at Fort Leonard Wood. His last job was with the Kraft Cheese Company in Eldon until the plant closed. Since that time he has been a farmer.

In April, 1973, Mr. and Mrs. Heldstab purchased a home in Tuscumbia and retired there. They still visit the farm each day but plan to sell it in the future.

Their daughter, Lucille and husband, Everett Cotton, have a 21 acre piece of the farm and plan to remain there. They have four children.

Their other daughter, Ila Mae, is married to Charles (Chuck) Arnold of Eldon. Mrs. Arnold has one daughter.

The couple’s son, Henry Lee, is married to the former Billie Pryor and they have two children. They live in Defiance, near St. Louis.

Mr. and Mrs. Heldstab have seven grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. They have been members of the Flatwood Baptist Church since their youth and are still actively engaged in the church’s work. Their son in law, Mr. Cotten, is pastor there (photo 11).

11 Flatwoods Baptist Church

An open house honoring Mr. and Mrs. Heldstab will be held in the Community room of the Citizens Bank of Eldon Sunday, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Friends and relatives are invited to attend. The family does not expect anyone to bring a gift.

Wes Heldstab’s son, Henry Lee, commonly known as Hank, married my cousin, Billie Pryor (photo 12).

12 Billie and Hank Heldstab

Hank donated to our museum some very interesting documents his grandfather Rhinehart and surrounding neighbors signed to obtain funding for the one room school’s expenses in their district. In those days, farmers and other residents utilized mortgages and other instruments to fund the cost of the local school using the school and its acreage as the security. You can peruse these documents if you wish (photos 13 - 28):

13 Quit Claim Deed 1
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14 Quit Claim Deed 2
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15 Quit Claim Deed 3
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16 Quit Claim Deed 4
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17 School Mortgage 5
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18 School Fund Bond 1
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19 School Fund Bond 2
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20 School Fund Bond 3
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21 School Fund Bond 4
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22 School Mortgage
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23 School Mortgage
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24 School Mortgage
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25 School Mortgage
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26 School Mortgage
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27 School Mortgage
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28 School Mortgage
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Quite a number of Heldstab descendents still live in the county; most, except Peter and Rhinehart, settled in the Eldon area.

I received some photos of relatives of the Miller County Heldstabs now living in Kloster Switzerland sent me by Ed Tieman. I am not sure of the exact lineage but believe they are relatives of our Miller County Heldstabs due to the common origin in Switzerland (photos 28a - 28d):

28a Heldstab Home in Switzerland

28b Heldstab Home in Switzerland

28c Heldstab Home in Switzerland

28d Heldstab Home in Switzerland

The following is the narrative for the President’s message I wrote for our Miller County Society’s winter newsletter:

The end of the year is always a time for reflection and review. I’d like to summarize some of the Miller County Historical Society’s 2011 milestones and achievements.

The creation of the MCHS Foundation, Inc. continues to be a highlight. We cleared all the legal hurdles required by the state and federal governments and received official notification from the IRS in August confirming our tax exempt status under section 501 (c)(3). The Foundation was established through the generous gift of Waldo S. and Alice Steen. Its primary purpose is to support the work of the Miller County Historical Society in perpetuity. Through planned giving, we can assure that resources will be available to fund the Society’s present programs as well as those that may be needed in the future. All lifetime membership fees, memorial gifts and bequests made through wills and estate planning methods, as well as designated contributions will be placed in this Foundation. A separate Board of Directors will ensure prudent financial management of the funds with a goal of 5% of total assets distributed annually to the Miller County Historical Society. Our hope is that the Foundation will provide the Society a degree of financial security over the coming years regarding its annual budget as well as continuing the ongoing program of enhancing and improving the museum.

Our museum volunteer staff continues to grow in number as well as enthusiasm. Meeting every Monday throughout the year the staff performs many helpful services including organization of files and records, improving and creating museum displays, and assisting the board members with maintenance work to keep our building and grounds from deteriorating. I have featured several of the volunteer staff in my Progress Notes on our website, including Harold and Joy Flaugher, Diane Berkbigler, Karen Smith, Catherine Ponder, Doris Wiggins and Jody Newman.

Our website continues to attract readers increasingly every year. At the end of this year we will have had nearly 50,000 unique ‘hits’ to the site since its inauguration in April of 2007. Every week we average about 200 to 250 unique ‘hits’ from Internet readers. Most are from the USA but a few readers each week are attracted to the site from various locations around the world. The website is quite complete regarding Miller County’s history and is especially attractive due to the large number of high quality photographs taken years ago of early settlers, political leaders and other important figures who contributed to the establishment and growth of the county. If you haven’t looked up the website you can find it at this URL: www.millercountymuseum.org. I write a weekly historical narrative titled ‘Progress Notes’ which are found on the President’s Page. Our noted Miller County historian, Peggy Hake, provides more information than any other resource for the website through her ‘Window to the Past’ articles and many biographies.

We are very grateful to the Miller County community as well as former Miller Countians who now live far away for their support of the museum and the Historical Society. If you have not visited our museum you should make that a #1 priority next year, when, if past history is any indication, the museum will offer more new displays and historical resources than ever before.

Here is the complete newsletter (photo 29):

29 MCHS Winter 2011 Newsletter
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That’s all for this week.

Joe Pryor

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