The Great Heart of the Republic
By Adam Arenson
People Mentioned in the Book
Buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery, St. Louis, MO
Information extracted from “Find A Grave” website
Adolph Abeles
Birth: Apr. 3, 1817
Death: Nov. 1, 1855
Disaster Victim. Was one of 34 people who were killed at the Gasconade Bridge train disaster. Hundreds of St. Louisans prepared for the excursion marking the opening of the Pacific Railroad from St. Louis to Jefferson City, Missouri on November 1, 1855. In addition to the people killed, about 100 were injured when the Gasconade Bridge trestle collapsed as the 15 wooden railway cars reached the first pier. Nine of the cars sank at the edge of the Gasconade River and dragged three other cars off the track. Washington King, mayor of St. Louis, was among those injured. The president of the St. Louis city council and the chief engineer were killed. Abeles was married to the sister of James Taussig, a lawyer and uncle of Charles Taussig and the mentor of young Justice Louis Brandeis. Adolph and Charles developed a vertically integrated business around the Pacific Railroad supplying land, timber and capitol for its development. Adolph was elected state representative to the Missouri General Assembly in 1850 and served two years. Among other things, he promoted the Pacific Railroad's incorporation, which ultimately led to his death. (bio by: Connie Nisinger)
Plot: Block 93, Lot 54
Thomas "Tom" Allen
Birth: Apr., 1840
Death: Apr. 5, 1903
Professional Boxer. Standing at 5 feet, 11 inches, he was the first international bare-knuckle heavy-weight boxing champion of the world, winning championships in England and the United States.
Plot: Block 9, Lot 27-706
John Richard Anderson
Birth: 1818
Death: 1863
Anderson was an indentured servant until he gained his freedom in 1830. He worked as a newspaper carrier, learning to read while he did his work. By 1837 he was working for Elijah Lovejoy as a typesetter on the antislavery Alton Observer & was an unwilling witness to Lovejoy's murder by a proslavery mob. After Lovejoy's death he returned to St. Louis to become the pastor of the Second African Baptist Church. Harriet Scott, wife of Dred Scott, was a member of Reverend Anderson's church. (bio by: Connie Nisinger)
Plot: Block 116, Lot 410
Edward Bates
Birth: Sep. 4, 1793
Death: Mar. 28, 1869
Attorney General, U.S.A. When the state government was organized in 1820, he was appointed Missouri's first attorney general. In the next 15 years, Bates served in the Missouri House of Representatives, the U.S. House of Representatives, & the Missouri Senate. After Lincoln's election, Bates accepted the President's offer to become attorney general of the U.S. Thus, he became the first cabinet officer from west of the Mississippi River, as well as the oldest member of Lincoln's 1st cabinet. Failing to receive Lincoln's nomination for the position of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1864, Bates resigned & returned to St. Louis. (bio by: Connie Nisinger)
Plot: Block 222/223, Lot 1315
August H. Becker
Birth: Feb. 13, 1840
Death: Oct. 3, 1903
Becker was a noted artist, best known for his paintings of Indian genre, animals & portraits. In 1888, he restored the murals (lunettes) originally painted by Carl Wimar in the St. Louis Old Courthouse, site of the famous Dred Scott trial. (bio by: Connie Nisinger)
Plot: Block 107, Lot 3577
Thomas Hart Benton
Birth: Mar. 14, 1782
Death: Apr. 10, 1858
US Senator.
THOMAS HART BENTON. Nicknamed * (see NOTE) "Old Bullion", he was a staunch advocate of westward expansion of the United States.
Missouri Senate years of service 1821 to 1851. His party affiliation was Democratic Republican; Jacksonian; Democrat
Family history: father in law of John C. Fremont; brother-in-law of James McDowell (1795-1851), a great uncle of Maecenas Eason Benton (1848-1924). Thomas H. Benton was a Senator and a Representative from Missouri. He was born at Hart's Mill, North Carolina, near Hillsboro on March 14, 1782. Attracted by the opportunities in the West, the young Benton moved the family to a 40,000 acre holding near Nashville, Tennessee. Here he established a plantation with accompanying schools, churches, and mills. His experience as a pioneer instilled a devotion to Jeffersonian democracy which continued through his political career; Attended Chapel Hill College (now the University of North Carolina); was admitted to the bar at Nashville, Tennessee in 1806 and began practice in Franklin, Williamson County, Tennessee; member, State senate 1809-1811; He served as aide-de-camp to General Andrew Jackson; was AA colonel of a regiment of Tennessee volunteers War of 1812-1813; Lieutenant colonel of the Thirty-ninth United States Infantry from 1813-1815; After the war, in 1815, Benton moved his estate to the newly-opened Missouri Territory. As a Tennesseean, he was under Jackson's shadow; in Missouri, he could be a big fish in the as yet small pond. He settled in St. Louis where he practiced law and edited the, the Missouri INQUIRER, the second major newspaper west of the Mississippi River, and continued his law practice, and upon the admission of Missouri as a State into the Union in 1821, was elected as a Democratic Republican (later Jacksonian and Democrat) to the United States Senate; Being re-elected in the years 1827, 1833,1839 and 1845 and served from August 10, 1821 to March 3, 1851; He was chairman, on the Committee on Indian Affairs (18th through 20th Congresses), on the committee of Military Affairs (20th through 26th and 29th and 30th Congresses), Committee on Foreign Relations (30th Congress); author of the resolution to expunge from the Senate Journal and the resolution of censure on Andrew Jackson; was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election to the Senate in 1850; censure proceedings were initiated against Benton in 1850 arising from an incident of disorderly conduct on the Chamber floor, but the Senate took no action; elected as a Democrat to the 33rd Congress (March 4, 1853- March 3, 1855); chairman, Committee on Military Affairs (33rd Congress); and was an unsuccessful candidate to re-election in 1854 to the 34th Congress and for Governor of Missouri in 1856; He engaged in literary pursuits in Washington, D. C. Until his death there on April 10, 1858; Benton was the author of the first Homestead Acts, which encouraged settlement by giving land grants to anyone willing to work the soil. He pushed for greater exploration of the West, including support for his son-in-law John C. Frémont's numerous treks. He pushed hard for public support of the intercontinental railway and advocated greater use of the telegraph for long-distance communication. He was also a staunch advocate of the disenfranchisement and displacement of Native Americans in favor of European settlers
*NOTE: Benton was an unflagging advocate for "hard money," that is gold coin (specie) or bullion as money—as opposed to paper money "backed" by gold as in a "gold standard." "Soft" (I.e. Paper or credit) currency, in his opinion, favored rich urban Easterners at the expense of the small farmers and tradespeople of the West. He proposed a law requiring payment for federal land in hard currency only, which was defeated in Congress but later enshrined in an executive order, the Specie Circular, by Jackson (1836). His position on currency earned him the nickname Old Bullion. (bio by: I remember when. . .)
Plot: Block 40, Lot 173
Francis Preston Blair, Jr
Birth: Feb. 19, 1821
Death: Jul. 8, 1875
After graduating from Princeton & law school, Blair took up practice with his brother in St. Louis in 1842. He was elected to Congress in 1856 & again in 1860. His organizational ability in creating the Union Party in Missouri, his active opposition to Governor Jackson & other southern sympathizers, & his family's political influence were instrumental in holding Missouri for the union. Blair was appointed a brigadier general of volunteers after successfully organizing seven Union regiments. He was promoted to major general as a result. By the end of his career, he had led both the XV & XVII Corps of Sherman's army in Georgia & the Carolinas. He spent his entire fortune in support of the Union & then reentered Missouri politics with limited success. He served as U.S. Senator from Missouri to fill an unexpired term & retired because of poor health. (bio by: Connie Nisinger)
Plot: Block 13, Lot 298
Henry Taylor Blow
Birth: Jul. 15, 1817
Death: Sep. 11, 1875
US Congressman.
Plot: Block 60/61/69/70, Lot 240
Minerva Grimsley Blow
Birth: Jul. 4, 1821Death: Jun. 29, 1870
Removed from Plot 240 on November 19, 1877 - located next to Elizabeth Taylor Blow - no dates per plot map 240 and 2465 in hand -
**********
Added June 2009:
Minerva Grimsley Blow (1821–1870)
Minerva Grimsley was born on July 5, 1821. She was the daughter of Colonel Thornton Grimsley (1798–1861) and Susan Stark (1799–1861). She was married to Henry Taylor Blow. Her children were Susan Elizabeth Blow, Ella L. Blow, Peter Blow, John G. Blow, Minina Blow, and Lizzie Blow. She died in St. Louis on June 29, 1870.
Earl Fischer Database of St. Louisans : Thornton Grimsley. St. Louis Genealogical Society, St. Louis, © 1999.
Plot: 2465 Block 78-87 grave 5
Taylor Blow
Birth: Mar. 26, 1820
Huntsville
Alabama, USA
Death: Aug. 20, 1869
Saint Louis
Missouri, USA
Freed slave Dred Scott. Southern sympathizer but signed Dred Scott's bond as security, after trial Scott's rights transferred to him. He emancipated Scott on May 26,1857. Brother of Henry Taylor Blow (q.v.)
Plot: Block 60/61/69/70, Lot 240
Hudson E. Bridge
Birth: May 17, 1810
Death: Feb. 25, 1875
James Overton Broadhead
Birth: May 29, 1819
Charlottesville
Charlottesville City
Virginia, USA
Death: Aug. 7, 1898
Saint Louis
St. Louis City
Missouri, USA
Broadhead was a partner in the law firm of Broadhead, Slayback & Haeussler in St. Louis, Missouri. Alonzo Slayback criticized the conduct of Broadhead in an editorial in the Post Dispatch, a leading St. Louis newspaper. Nine years later, Broadhead was selected to be a candidate for Congress by the same interests that the Post Dispatch had long fought. The affair escalated into a personal feud between editor John Cockerill & partner Slayback, resulting in Slayback being shot in the law office by Cockerill. (bio by: Connie Nisinger)
Plot: Block 283, Lot 4118
Henry Conrad Brokmeyer
Birth: Aug. 12, 1818
Death: Jul. 26, 1906
Lieutenant Governor of Missouri. After moving to St. Louis he became the center of a group of young St. Louisans who gathered for social and political discussions and the study of German philosophy. He brought into existence a unique school in the United States, emphasizing society rather than the individual. He early translated larger Logic, which was the Bible of the St. Louis group. In 1866 the members organized the St. Louis Philosophical Society with Brokmeyer as president. He enlisted in the Union army and was a captain and then a lieutenant colonel. Later arrested and imprisoned, he was released and elected to the legislature as representative from Warren County in 1862. He was elected to the St. Louis board of aldermen in 1866, to the state senate in 1870, and was lieutenant governor of Missouri from 1877 to 1881. His knowledge of political economy profoundly influenced the constitutional convention of 1875 to which he was a delegate. Failing to attain the office of United States senator, he went to live among the Indians of Oklahoma. After ten years he returned to St. Louis to complete a final revision of his translation of Larger Logic, but he died before his manuscript was published. (bio by: Connie Nisinger)
Plot: Block 49, Lot 1234
Artemas Bullard
Birth: Jun. 3, 1802
Death: Nov. 1, 1855
Bullard, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, was among the 34 people who were killed at the Gasconade Bridge train disaster. Hundreds of St. Louisans prepared for the excursion marking the opening of the Pacific Railroad from St. Louis to Jefferson City, Missouri on November 1, 1855. In addition to the people killed, about 100 were injured when the Gasconade Bridge trestle collapsed as the 15 wooden railway cars reached the first pier. Nine of the cars sank at the edge of the Gasconade River & dragged three other cars off the track. Washington King, mayor of St. Louis, was among those injured. The president of the St. Louis city council & the chief engineer were killed. (bio by: Connie Nisinger)
Plot: Block 40, Lot 764
Isidor Bush
Birth: Jan. 15, 1822
Death: Aug. 5, 1898
Bush was a journalist, a businessman, a civic leader and an abolitionist. He was considered the most prominent Jew in Missouri during the 19th century. At the age of 15 he became involved in the printing business and began the study of foreign languages. He soon became part owner of Schmid & Bush, which became one of Vienna's largest publishers. After moving to America in 1848, Bush opened a small stationery and bookstore in New York. His weekly journal Israel's Herold failed after only three months and he moved to St. Louis, where he opened a general store while continuing to write articles for various journals. In 1870 he organized the firm of Isidor Bush & Company, which became one of the most successful wine and liquor enterprises in St. Louis. He also became the general passenger agent and auditor for the St. Louis & Iron Mountain Railroad Company and served as president of Peoples' Savings Bank in St. Louis. Bush was closely associated with B'nai B'rith and helped to develop the B'nai B'rith Cleveland Orphans Home as well as developing several national insurance and endowment programs for the organization. Bush served as secretary to General John Fremont during the Civil War and also served on the St. Louis Board of Education and the City Council. He attended several state conventions during the Civil War period as a delegate from St. Louis and was a strong opponent to slavery. (bio by: Connie Nisinger)
Plot: Block 82, Lot 1268
Mann Butler
Birth: unknown
Death: Nov. 1, 1855
Disaster Victim. He was among the 34 people who were killed at the Gasconade Bridge train disaster. Hundreds of St. Louisans prepared for the excursion marking the opening of the Pacific Railroad from St. Louis to Jefferson City, Missouri on November 1, 1855. In addition to the people killed, about 100 were injured when the Gasconade Bridge trestle collapsed as the 15 wooden railway cars reached the first pier. Nine of the cars sank at the edge of the Gasconade River & dragged three other cars off the track. Washington King, mayor of St. Louis, was among those injured. The president of the St. Louis city council & the chief engineer were killed. (bio by: Connie Nisinger)
Plot: Block 78, Lot 286
Robert Campbell
Birth: Feb. 12, 1804
Death: Oct. 19, 1879
Businessman. A Native of Northern Ireland, he came to St. Louis in 1824, and joined Gen. William Ashley's expedition to the fur trading country. He eventually became partner in the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, and founded Fort Laramie, Wyoming.
Plot: Block 60/61, Lot 257
Calvin Case
Birth: 1804
Death: Nov. 1, 1855
Accident Vicitim. He was a partner of James Eads, who built the first steel bridge across the Mississippi River, and of Erastus Wells, who developed the first horse-drawn bus system. He was among the 34 people who were killed at the Gasconade Bridge train disaster. Hundreds of St. Louisans had prepared for the excursion marking the opening of the Pacific Railroad from St. Louis to Jefferson City, Missouri on November 1, 1855. When the 15 wooden railway cars reached the first pier, the Gasconade Bridge trestle collapsed. Nine of the cars sank at the edge of the Gasconade River, dragging three other cars off the track. The president of St. Louis City Council and the Chief Engineer were among those killed. Washington King, mayor of St. Louis, was among the about 100 people who were injured. (bio by: Connie Nisinger)
Plot: Block 69, Lot 172
Joseph Charless
Birth: Jul. 16, 1772
Death: Jul. 28, 1834
Established the Missouri Gazette, the first newspaper west of the Mississippi.
Plot: Block 60/61/69/70, Lot 240
Nathan Cole
Birth: Jul. 26, 1825
Death: Mar. 4, 1904
Cole served as the mayor of St. Louis, Missouri from 1869-1871 & was a U.S. Representative from Missouri 1877-1879. He was a director of the Bank of Commerce for 43 years, most of which he was vice-president. (bio by: Connie Nisinger)
Plot: Block 85, Lot 429
Wayman Crow
Birth: Mar. 7, 1808
Death: May 10, 1885
Crow began an apprenticeship in a dry goods business at the age of 12. When the company expanded years later, Wayman was given control & interest in a new branch. After moving to St. Louis, Crow established a wholesale dry goods business known as Crow, Hargadine & Company. He was president of the Chamber of Commerce & was later a State Senator. He drafted a charter that established Washington University in 1853. (bio by: Connie Nisinger)
Plot: Block 125/126, Lot 189
Samuel Cupples
Birth: Sep. 13, 1831
Death: Jan. 6, 1912
Philanthropist, multimillionaire and manufacturer. At the age of 15 he went to Cincinnati, Ohio and entered the employ of one the pioneer woodenware merchants of the West. In a few years, he had mastered the details of the business was sent to St. Louis to establish a branch woodenware house there. Known as Samuel Cupples & Company, he purchased the interests of his associates in 1856 and conducted business alone until 1858 when he and Thomas Marston became associated under the name of Cupples & Marston. After a dozen years, the firm was dissolved and was succeeded by the firm of Samuel Cupples & Company. This firm was succeeded by the Samuel Cupples Woodenware Company, of which Mr. Cupples became president. The establishment was the largest of its kind in the United States; the annual volume of its trade was equal to that of all other woodenware houses in the country combined. The St. Louis Terminal Cupples Station & Property Company, the Samuel Cupples Paper Bag Company and the Samuel Cupples Envelope Company soon followed and all contributed to a great degree to the growth and prosperity of St. Louis. The process of making paper out of wood pulp was unheard of in St. Louis until the advent of his idea. He was always ready to give of his time and means to promote the public welfare through the upbuilding of religious, education and charitable institutions, but was especially interested in the development and improvement of the public school system of St. Louis. For many years he served as a member of the City School Board. He also was responsible for the Manual Training School, after which all other manual training schools in the U.S. were modeled. After maintaining the school for five years, he turned it over to Washington University. Another of his great charities was the St. Louis Provident Association, which supplied the fundamental basic needs of starving and destitute people. Over the years, he gave away millions of dollars in the cause of charity and education. Shortly after the death of his wife, he built the Methodist Orphans' Home in St. Louis and presented it to the church in her memory. (bio by: Connie Nisinger)
Plot: Block 338
Eliza Kercheval Dean
Birth: 1846
Death: 1928
Wife of William B Dean. Daughter of John Kercheval and Ann Block.
Charles Daniel Drake
Birth: Apr. 10, 1811
Death: Apr. 1, 1892
US Senator, Author, Constitutionalist. After serving for 3 years as a midshipman in the U.S. Navy, he was admitted to the bar in 1833. In 1850 he was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives and became well-known for his opposition to the secession movement. He was instrumental in passing measures for the better observance of the Sabbath in cities & for the abolition of a certain class of "concert saloons," prohibiting the employment of females in such establishments. In 1864 he was a presidential elector on the Lincoln ticket. He was a member and vice-president of the Constitutional Convention of 1863, as well as the author of the several clauses of the organic law it enacted requiring the test oath of loyalty as a qualification for jurors, voters, school teachers, lawyers & ministers. He was elected a U.S. Senator in 1867, and served on the committees on naval affairs, Pacific Railroad, contingent expenses and ordnance. During his term he caused an amendment to an appropriation bill declaring that no payment for damages sustained in the Civil War should be made unless the claimant had filed an oath that he had never been in rebellion against the U.S. government, which clause was afterward invalidated by the Supreme Court. In 1871 he was appointed Chief Justice of the United states Court of Claims by President Ulysses Grant. (bio by: Connie
Block 50, Lot 191
James B. Eads
Birth: May 23, 1820
Death: Mar. 8, 1887
Built the first bridge of steel construction to span the Mississippi River, linking east & west. The Eads Bridge is now a National Monument. Eads' iron-clad gunboats helped General Grant accomplish the siege of Vickburg. He also built a diving bell for salvaging boats submerged in the rivers.
Plot: Block 59, Lot 217
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