Conception, Missouri

Silas Best, at an early day, emigrated from Washington Township, and with four sons, took a claim on the east side of the Platte River, in the edge of the timber. He built a house on the northeast corner of section 14, township 63, range 34, and increased his possessions until he owned over a thousand acres of land. He died in the year 1875.

Passage source: The History of Nodaway County, Missouri, Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, Etc., Biographical Sketches of Its Citizens, published 1882.

Father James Powers came from Reading, Pennsylvania, in the year 1856, and entered the land where the town of Conception is now located, in behalf of a company of which he was a member. The company was composed of Father Powers, Owen Reilly, and Anthony Felix, as above mentioned. They selected 20,000 acres of land in Nodaway and Gentry Counties. Father Powers and William Brady laid out the town of Conception in i860. On June 9, i860, the colony house and chapel were finished and dedicated. There were forty acres laid out and platted as a town site, described as the southwest quarter of section 24, township 63, range 34. The first lot was sold to Mr. Saul for $1.00, who put up a store for general merchandise, the second building in the town. A blacksmith shop was erected by Joseph Heffner, who also built a dwelling. Mr. A. Blyley put up the next house for a dwelling, and moved into it, and he also erected another building for a dwelling. Soon afterward, Frank Enos built a blacksmith shop and a dwelling, and Father Tuerk erected a house for a dwelling. In the year 1870, Ignatius Richlin put up a dwelling and moved into it. In 1871, he put on an addition to Mr. Saul's store building and opened a stock of general merchandise. In 1871, Henry Mclntire erected a dwelling, and Augustus Enos put up a dwelling the same year. A store and a dwelling were soon afterward built by Joseph Wonderly. He moved into the dwelling and commenced keeping store, opening a general stock of merchandise. About this time a dwelling was erected by Gerhard Arens, and another one by John B. Krotch. Dwelling houses were also erected by the Sisters, Mr. Terriso Ikleman, Mrs. Elizabeth Koons, Mrs. Elizabeth Myers, Mrs. Margeret Smith, Mr. Barnard Nathan, and Dr. James Bickett. Joseph Sholze erected a dwelling and drug store combined. Dwellings were also erected by Joseph Wonderly and Anthony Match. Nicholas Burns put up a saloon, and Christian Voelker erected a dwelling and shoe shop.

Passage source: The History of Nodaway County, Missouri, Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, Etc., Biographical Sketches of Its Citizens, published 1882.

In the year 1880, a Monastery was erected in Conception, but during the present year it has been elevated to the dignity of an Abbey, and called Benedictine Abbey New Englberg. The portion completed is 33x140 feet with ell 40x60 feet, four stories high with stone basement and attic. There are 46 rooms and 5 halls. On the north end of the present building the new church will be built, and will be 80x208, 66 feet in height. It will run east and west and will be one of the most magnificent structures of the kind in the United States. It will be surmounted by three grand towers reaching some 140 feet in the air from the ground. At the southeast corner of the church another wing similar to the one now completed will be built and extended to the southeast corner of the present building, making the total building in size 208 X208 feet square, covering over one acre of ground. It is to be built of cut stone and pressed brick. The material for the buildings is mostly obtained on their farm. The whole structure will be built in pure Roman style with court in the center, and will cost some $250,000. It will require upwards of 3,000,000 brick to complete the building.

Passage source: The History of Nodaway County, Missouri, Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, Etc., Biographical Sketches of Its Citizens, published 1882.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Jefferson Township - it names this place 14 more 14 times.