Cross Timbers Township

Cross Timbers Township

The original survey of this town was made in 1871 by Isaac R. Clark on the South West fourth of the South West quarter ot Section 22 Township 38 Range 21. The forty acres was entered by James D. Donnell July 29, 1853, but in 1871 it with other lands adjoining belonged to EUsha Kir by. As early as 1865, Mr. Kirby owned this forty acres and the farm now owned by Virgil S. WiUiams, and sold goods in the two story frame building just North of the town survey now the Williams Hotel. The store of Kirby was kept in the room which is now the dining room in this hotel. The other rooms in the building had not been ceiled or floored. Mr. Kirby and his family Uved in the log houses about fifty feet further West until about 1867. About the time Mr. Kirby had the town surveyed and platted he sold the farm and lands about town to Virgil S. Williams and built a residence on the town survey near where the residence of Mrs. W. H. Scruggs now stands. Mr. Kirby sold out and moved to the state of Texas about 1874. The plat of the survey of the town was recorded but the record was burned in the Court House January 6, 1881, and it has not been re-recorded, which makes it difficult to trace title to lots in the old survey or additions. The first store in the town was owned by John C. Brown and William S. Pickett, both of whom now live in the town. Later the firm was John C. Brown and John Winfrey, the store building was built by John C. Brown^ and stood about eighty feet West of where the new building now stands, recently built by the Bank of Cross Timbers. Dr. Campbell, of Warsaw, and a firm by the name of Brickey^ sold goods in a building built by Mr. Kirby just within the town survey South of Mr. Williams' barn lot, near the Northwest corner of Block 6. James Johnson and Mathias C. Jenkins in 1873, built a steam mill down North of town where the Warsaw and Buffalo road crosses Turkey creek, at or about where the mill of Charles H. Scruggs and Alanson H. Doak now stands. Thomas S. Heath's father, Callaway Heath, was also in the mercantile business at the Campbell-Brickey place about 1872-3. Perhaps it was Mr. Heath who brought the Campbell-Brickey store there. Thomas S. Heath who in past years did- an extensive mercantile business at Cross Timbers, Avery,. and Weaubleau, clerked in one or more of thoseold stores at the Campbell-Brickey stand. About 1874, Elisha T. Condley and Asa Johnson engaged in the mercantile business in a building now standing on the Northwest corner of the South halfof Block 5. They were followed by Mr. Condley and William Y. Bennett. Later came R. G. Mitchell, James Whillock, Heath-Noland & Co., Heath-Noland & Doak, Heath & Barnett. Heath & Spickart, Halbert & Manuel, Burris & Crudginton, George W. Crudginton, Condley & Halbert, John Spickert and others no doubt, forgotten by the author of this sketch. Mr. V. S. Williams has kept hotel at his present place since about 1872, and at one time had a very large trade, but of late years has about quit the business. Burdette L. Daniel kept hotel in a building that was rolled away from the place where the Grave's hotel now stands. . Mr. Francisco was also at one time in the hotel business at that place. The first blacksmith shop, . except one run by Mr. Kirby, was perhaps that of William Jenkins, an Indiana man, who came there about 1871. He had a shop on the Northwest corner of Block 5, about eighty feet West of J. M. Crawford's store building, just South of this in 1872-3, WllUam L. Duvall had a saloon. Up to about 1874 thechildren in and about town had to go to school in an old church known as the "Halbert," old church that stood at the edge of the timber near a. mile and a half North and West of town..

Amos F, Cossairt

About 1876 a reasonably good two story frame school house was built in the Southeast part of town near where the Christian church now stands. In 1905-6 the school district (mainly the town) built a magnificent two-story brick school house-the best in the county, on a piece of land purchased from Virgil S. Williams a short distance North of the Northwest corner of the town survey, the main rooms being 24x56 feet, and it fronts to the South, with a space cut off down stairs for cloak room, stairway etc., 28x14 feet. There are two entrances; the main entrance on the South, and one from the East. Two of the rooms in the building are large enough to make four school rooms if they be needed. The town had no church, until 1885, when the M. E. church. South, people procured an acre of land from Virgil S. WiUiams on the East side of the North West fourth of the South West quarter of Section 22, within less than a fourth of a mile of the town survey, and on this acre built a very handsome church, which later was moved up into town and now stands across the street near the Northeast corner of the pubUc square. More recently the members of the Christian church and others have erected a convenient and modern house of worship in the Southeast part of town. In 1895-6, William W. Graves built on the South side of the public square his well furnished three-story frame, 42 room hotel, much the best hotel in the county. The Bank of Cross Timbers was organized May 2, 1893, by George W. Crudginton, Joseph S. Hartman, William Bradshaw, WilUam McCracken, Hickory County Bank, then of Hermitage, John Crudginton, and J. Houston Childers. It was incorporated for 50 years with a capital stock of $10,000 three-fourths paid up, it grew and prospered, and in 1906 George W. Crudginton, President of the Bank, built a new building for the bank, where the old bank building stood across the street from the Southwest corner of the public square. The building is 42x66 feet, two stories, built of cement building blocks on the "Walton" system of hollow wall construction, which forms a continuous air space throughout the entire wall, making the wall fire-proof, frost-proof and moisture-proof. The main banking lobby is 20x36 feet, fitted with a modern fire-proof vault, 8x10 feet, and a "Mosler Patent Screw Door Bank Safe," with tripple time lock. The bank fixtures are made of quarter-sawed oak. The building fronts to the East, and the Presidents office is in the rear. The North room is occupied by Mitchell Bros., General store. The North half of the second story will be used as a Lodge room, and over the banking rooms will be cut into offices. There are about 130,000 pounds of cement in this building. The lower floors and walks around the building are laid on beds of pounded flint boulders covered heavily with cement. The Farmers and Merchants Bank was organized August 26, 1905, by John Spickart, Asa B. Wilson, Jacob E. Harvey, George A. Bliss, Fritz MuUer, L H. Davis, Henry G. BUss, Granville C. Smith. Eh S. Williams, Elijah Crawford, John C.Brown, C. T. Davis, W .H. Gallaher. Emory E. Lacey, W. S. Davis, Hoyt

E. Brown, William W. Graves, J. E. Scruggs, Herman Ritter, Herman Pfitzner and John Sally. It is incorporated for a term of 50 years with a capital stock of $10,000 half paid up. This is a safe, reliable and growing institution, and is located in a substantial frame building on the South side of the public square.

Grand Army of the Republic, Post No. 437, was organized under Charter of May 21, 1889, with the following as charter members: George N. Adams. Thomas A. Burton, T. H. Carlton, Norvel M. Dickerson, Samuel W. Davis, John H. Edwards, Edward B. Huffman, William Krudway, John C. Brown, Robert

F. Doak, James W. Dickerson, Burdette L. Daniel, Edmund Guier, John B. Godfrey, William J. Mawhinney, Thomas J. Mitchner, Thomas B. Malloy, Stephen A. Nix, James Palmer, Henry ShuU, George A. Smith, John H. Teague, David C. Moore, William H. Moore, Thomas Moore, William Prine, E. D. Pinkston. Paul Shreck, Francis M. Southard, and Joseph H. Nease. Capt. R. A. Vance the present Commander has served as Post Commander 16 years, and at the same time held other important Department offices. He was twice Aid-e-Camp to Department Commander, and Chief Mustering Officer of Department of Missouri. The present officers of the Post are: R. A. Vance, Commander, Wm. C. Hickman, Sr. V. C, Daniel Taylor, Jr. V. C. George W. McClure, Chaplain and Instructor, Alfred B. Cothren, Adjutant, Jesse F. D. Moore, Officer of the day, E. C. Farris, 0. G., Jesse Quick, Q. M., Charles Spencer, Sergt. Maj., George H. Roney, Bugler.

The Merchants of the town at this time are: Gregory & Thomas, General store, Joel B. Halbert, General store, Mitchell Bros., General store, James M. Crawford, General store, John T. Ihrig, Hardware and Farm Implements, J. E. Harvey, Groceries and Confectionery, T. H. Jenkins, Groceries and Restaurant, J. W. Newton, Furniture, A. C. Curl, Drugs, who is an eminent Physician and was one of the first to locate in the town.

Some of the resident Physicians have been: Alfred E. Ruby. A. C. Curl, George W. Griffin, M. G. Witter. George N. White, Johnson Williams, J. M. Havely, John W. Mowell, J. B. Harris, and H. C. McHaffiie.

Mr. Graves owned the first ^gstore in the town, built the first two-story after the town was surveyed, built his three-story hotel, and has since built the bank building in which the Farmers and Merchants' Bank of Cross Timbers is now doing business.

The lands on which this village stands have never been surveyed and platted as a town. The store building of Kelley & Williams is near the Northeast corner of the Northeast fourth of the Northeast quarter of Section 26, Township 36, Range 23, and all of the buildings on the West side of the road and South of that are on this forty acres. It was entered December 30, 1839, with the Northwest fourth of the Northwest quarter of Section 25, which lies East of it, by Samuel H. Arbuckles. There are a number of buildings on the East side of the road, all on the Northwest fourth of the Northwest quarter of Section

25. There are also buildings on the Southwest corner of the Southwest fourth of the Southwest quarter Section 24, which was entered by Archibald Blue, June 15, 1840, and on the Southeast corner of the Southeast fourth of the Southeast quarter of Section 23, which was entered by Edward S. Whitehead, March 28, 1839. James Brown a long time ago kept store something like a quarter of a mile North of the business part of the town on the West side of the pubUc road and afterwards moved up to near where the Kelley & Williams store building now is and sold goods there. The date when the first store building was built on the Northeast corner of Section

26, where the Kelley & Williams building now stands is not certainly known, but it was as early as 1865. Mr. Grimes had a store down further North as early as 1865. It probably stood where the Brown old store building stood. The first house on the town site was probably built by Dr. Archibald Blue. Alexander McFarland was there in business as early as 1854, and sold out to a man named Glazebrook who did business there. Joshua Hartzell was there in business in 1869-70, and James K. Estes in 1872-73, and he was succeeded by Frank V. B.

Thomas, who was succeeded by Judge William L. McCaslin in 1875, and he and Charles Czarlinsky, now a merchant at Wheatland, sold goods there in 1875-76. Mr. Czarlinsky drove over the country and bought furs. James Vaughn was there in business in the early 80's and as late as 1886. His brother, Sherman, followed him in business and remained there for quite a while, moving to Almon, and in these years Marion C. Rule and Marcellus B. McCracken were there in business. Mr. Rule bought the farm Northeast and North of town, improved the farm, and built a handsome residence North of town. Mr. Rule was followed by William C. Kelley and Samuel L. Williams, and that firm has been in business there since, except that the widow of Mr. Williams succeeded him, at his death, about four years ago. Lincoln Hackleman crme there from Cedar county in the 80's and did a Drug and Notion business and was succeeded by Dr. Charles V. and Andrew J. Steward, who are yet there in business. The village now has a good, roomy, frame school house, a Baptist church built in 1888, and good business firms and people, among whom are WilUam C. Kelly and his daughter Annis A. Williams, with a large stock oi General Merchandise, the Steward Bros., with a stock of Hardware and Farm Implements, and an up to date stock of Drugs, Cigars and Notions, J. Henry Bass, also has a full General Store and is doing a prosperous business. W. P. Blackwell, deals in Produce and Leonard McCracken has a nice stock of Groceries. WiUiam Walters and A. F. Hastain are the village blacksmiths. Mr. Hastain has been at and about Elkton for Isss than a hundred years. Samuel Emery keeps hotel for the accommodation of the traveUng pubUc.

Galmey is a trading point, not surveyed as a town, situated near the Northeast corner of the Northwest fourth of the Northwest quarter of Section 9, Township 36, Range 22. The first business there was a blacksmith shop run by William T. Bennett, who now has a shop in Hermitage. James A. Hooper, who now Uves near Pittsburg, put in a stock of goods there about nine years ago. Erasmus J. Kelly succeeded Mr. Hooper in the Mercantile business, and Elijah Parkhurst succeeded Mr.

Kelley. William W. Cowen is now selling goods there. H. Schoof succeeded Mr. Bennett, in the blacksmith business, and is there now. A Post Office was established there in 1888 and Erasmus J. Kelley was the first Postmaster. A concrete church building was built in 1901, and is a great convenience to the community for church services, or any other kind of respectable gatherings.