AN INTRODUCTION TO MOBERLY, MISSOURI

________________________________________________________________________
 
The land on which the principal part of the original town of Moberly was located, as entered by William Roberts on July 19, 1841 and patent for same was issued to Mr. Roberts on April 1, 1843. On July 4, 1860, William Roberts gave to the Chariton & Randolph County Railroad Company his bond binding himself for the consideration of $15.00 per acre to convey to this railroad company the land owned by him, as shown in the first map of the town, illustrated in this book.

 The town was named for Col. Wm. Moberly, who, as president of the Chariton & Randolph County Railroad Company, transferred all interest to the North Missouri Railroad Company, April 28, 1864, and its first lot sale was held September 27th, 1866.

On the golden jubilee of Moberly, Missouri, in taking a backward look, the town can be gratified with a youth well spent. In the towns earliest infancy she was hand fed by a Board of Trustees, consisting of, A. T. Franklin, President; Chas. Tisue, L. Brandt, Asa Bennett and Wm. Seelen. Other officials were: Marshal, S. L. Austin; Justice of the Peace, E. Sidner; Constable, Chas. Featherston: Notary Public, W. E. Grimes; Postmaster, Chas. Tisue.

After the village was incorporated under a special charter as a town, in 1873, an election was held, resulting as follows: Mayor, T. P. White; Councilman at Large, C. P. Apgar; First Ward, H. C. Moss; Second Ward, Wm. Seelen; Third Ward, D. E. Fitch and B. R. White. Clerk C. B. Rodes.

Since the regime of these men, the town has been carefully nursed by worthy successors, who have nourished her growth by constant additions to her population and acquisitions to her industries. The first big move toward this end was the securing of the old North Missouri Railroad shops, now known as the Wabash shops, which with their terminals cover twenty-five acres, gave employment. in the shops, to 1050; in yards, forty-five; in offices, seventy-five; in maintenance of ways department 130; in running men, 475.

As early as 1870, Wm. Seelen, under the direction of the town board, investigated the matter of fire protection and reported prices for securing equipment for a hook and ladder company, which was later purchased. In that same year the Board authorized the purchase of twenty-nine acres of ground to be used as a cemetery, now known as the older part of Oakland. The first burial was of Abe Doughty, who, in slave days, was foreman for Tunce 
Coates. The last body laid to rest, before this goes to press, was that of Phil Hartman, who for years was foreman of the Wabash foundry. Number of graves in cemetery now, 3890. 




Colonel William E. MOBERLY:

The man for whom this city was named.  At that time he was a resident of Brunswick and president of the Chariton and Randolph County railroad. This was afterwards the Wabash railroad.  The picture here shown was taken in 1862 when he was forty years old.  Mr Moberly was of the self made type of a man beginning rustling for himself at the age of twelve. A native of Kentucky, he came to Bloomington, Mo., and laid the foundation
of his fortune as a dealer in general merchandise.  Although he seemed to have the Midas touch in that everything he handled returned to him in money, instead of being of a grasping disposition he was warm and charitable.  Having no children of his own he adopted six children to whom he left his estate at the time of his death in St. Louis in 1883.



The 100th Anniversary History of Moberly, Missouri contained the following:

"Col. William E. Moberly -  This city was named for the first president of the Charlton and Randolph Company Railroad, Col. Wm. E. Moberly.  The picture here was taken in 1862 when he was forty years old.  He was warm and charitable; having no children of his own, he adopted six children to whom he left his estate at the time of his death in St. Louis in 1863."

" Between time and eternity stand many important dates.  This book revolves about one... September 27, 1866.  For one hundred years ago, on September 27, 1866, Moberly existed for the first time even though on paper.  

"This in itself was, however, a significant advancement; for, in the world's beginning, Moberly was claimed only be nature.  As time progressed, the Iowa, Sauk, and Fox Indians would be claimants.  The first Europeans to possess the area were French with the missionaries Marquette and Joliet claiming all the Mississippi and its tributaries for Louis XIV.  Following the French, the Castilian flag of the Spanish symbolized Spain's ownership for over fifty years.  In the Nepleonic era the French returned, only to be replaced by the Stars and Stripes as a result of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.  Along with the Stars and Stripes the flag of Missouri was the next to fly, coming in 1821 after admission to the Union.

"The county, state and nation progressed until all was in readiness for the eventful day.  One of the big steps that brought the day was in 1858 when the Charlton & Randolph Company was granted a charter, with authority to build a railroad from a point in Randolph County to Brunswick in Chariton County.  To tap the North Missouri road at the most convenient point, the company decided upon the site which was to be Moberly.  Two of the most prominent men in this company were Col. William E. Moberly of Brunswick and Judge Lucius Salsbury.

"On July 4, 1860, William Roberts entered into an agreement to deed forty acres of his land to the Chariton & Randolph Railroad Company.  Later Elijah William's, great, great, grandfather of Mrs. Leah Williams Lowe, sold twenty-five acres.  The company paid both men fifteen dollars per acre. The company agreed to construct a railroad running west from the place where his land was intersected by the North Missouri Railroad and to lay out and plot a town site at the junction of the two roads.  The town lots were to be partitioned between the Chariton and Randolph Railroad Company and Mr. Roberts and his heirs.  The company's lots were to be placed on the market to induce investors to become interested in the new town.

" At this time the only station within reach of the proposed junction was old Allen, with a few homes and a post station located where the North Missouri crossed the old stage line plank road between Glasgow and Paris.  In the summer of 1861 the Chariton and Randolph Railroad Company offered to all residents of Allen who would move to the new site the same amount of land they owned and occupied in Allen.

"Only Patrick Lynch, an Irish man, accepted the offer.  He and his neighbors placed two long timbers under his small frame house.  One end of each timber lay on the ground while the other end rested upon the axle of the detached front wheels of an ox-wagon.  After hitching ten yoke of oxen to each pair of wheels, the driver cracked their whips and moved the house northward.  Mr. Lynch lived, with his wife and six children, at the southeast corner of what is now Reed and Clark Street, through the Civil War days.

"On April 28, 1864, the Chariton and Randolph Railroad Company had sold our "boots, breeches, and baggage" to the North Missouri Railroad Company.  

"On Thursday, September 27th, 1866, the North Missouri Railroad held the lot sale, which was the birth of Moberly.  Great preparations were made for the lot sale. However, comparatively few lots were sold that day.

"Moberly was named for Col. William E. Moberly, who was a resident of Brunswick.  He was the first president of the Chariton and Randolph Railroad Company.  For many years, according to W. A. Rothwell, the pronunciation of the name of the new town was an uncertain and debatable quantity, the public being about equally divided upon the question of pronouncing the "o" short or long.  Weight of authority was upon the side of the former method, as Col. Moberly so pronounced his name.  But usage finally overcame precedent and the long "o" pronunciation gradually gained.

"On May 25, 1868, the Randolph County court organized and incorporated the town of Moberly."
C:\genfiles\CITY-MOB.DOC		3