These newspapers are available at the State Historical Library of Missouri, Old Newspaper Library, 1020 Lowry St, Columbia, MO 65201.

Laclede Blade

13 February 1904

L.M. Goodrich and wife of Tuscumbia have just celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary. They were married in Morgan County, OH in 1842, moved to Miller County three years later. Goodrich was circuit clerk, county clerk and register of deeds during the war. Later he was county judge for 16 years.

Benjamin Huddleston died at his home in Eleven Points in Oregon County. He was 87 years old and for 82 years lived on the farm where he died. He has resided in three counties without moving. First, when the county was Wayne, then, Ripley, then Oregon. He was the father of 16 children and 74 grandchildren and 34 great-grandchildren.

Laclede Blade, (Linn County, MO) 10 February 1904

"Aunt" Nancy Mitchell, probably the oldest white woman in the state is dead at the home of her grandson, the city marshall of Fayette. Aunt Nancy was born near Knoxville, Tenn. and moved to Missouri with her husband more than 70 years ago.

One of the old-timers of Halt County . . . is Patrick Fitzmaurice of near Forest City . . . was born in Mayo County, Ireland in 1815. Came to U.S. in 1844 and settled at Baltimore, Fought under Gen. Scott throughout the Mexican War. He was discharged in 1848 and went to California where he worked two years in the gold mines. Returned to U.S. by Panama in 1851. Married a Baltimore woman in 1851 and in the spring of the next year set out for the West. They rode cars (train?) as far as St. Louis, then a steamboat to St. Joseph which when he saw it had 6 buildings. He bought his farm in the fall of 1852 and has lived there continuously (and) added several hundred acres to it.

Laclede Blade 27 February 1904

The tablet in the old Grace Episcopal Church, now being razed at Jefferson City will be presented to the members of the new congregation. It shows that it was the first Episcopal Church building erected West of the Mississippi. The cornerstone of the old building will be donated to the new, and it, the tablet, will be preserved as a valuable treasure.