Celebrating National Historic Districts & Places That Matter

In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day,

Historic Murphysburg Preservation honors Mr. Thomas Connor (1847-1907) and Mr. Patrick Murphy, Joplin’s most famous Irishmen.

THOMAS CONNOR & PATRICK MURPHY

Thomas Connor

A lot has been written about Thomas Connor and his prominent role in advancing the city of Joplin and his philanthropic endeavors. He became a millionaire in the mining business, buying acreage that contained enormous lead and zinc deposits, of which he leased to prospectors. He was elected to the Missouri Senate in 1907 but passed away before taking office. He is most notably known for building Joplin’s most iconic landmarks of its time— the Connor Hotel at Fourth and Main Street. Tom passed away before seeing the hotel’s
completion in 1908. In the forward of the book “Joplin’s Connor Hotel,” Brad Belk said, “No building in Joplin, Missouri, stood grander than the Connor Hotel. This once-proud landmark was a civic monument—a center of communal life where a lifetime of special memories were nostalgically savored.” The Connor was razed in 1978.

Patrick Murphy

Patrick Murphy’s story began in County Monaghan, Ireland, where he was born on January 6, 1839 to Michael and Margaret Murphy.  Tragically, in 1845, Ireland was struck by the Great Famine, a catastrophic event that led to the death of a million people and forced another million to emigrate, primarily to the United States.  The Murphy family, which included five surviving children, was among those who left Ireland, arriving in Philadelphia following a six-week voyage.  

The family settled in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in 1849 where Patrick engaged in agricultural pursuits and attended the common schools.  His education was largely acquired from experience and hence is of a practical nature.  In 1859 he left Pennsylvania and acquired even more experience throughout the United States before coming to the Joplin area.

Thomas Connor

Tom married Melissa Wilcox (also spelled Milissa, Malissa, and Malassa) in 1874 or 1873.
She was born on April 12, 1851, in Ohio and died in 1928. She and Tom had no biological
children. Her story is very unique and can be read in Chad Stebbin’s book—see footnote.
Some of Tom’s philanthropic legacies that continue today include:


* $5,000 to the Handy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church at 311 W. 4 th Street
to replace their dilapidated frame structure with brick. His name is still engraved above
the front door.
* $20,000 toward building St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, 812 S. Pearl Avenue.
Tom never lived to see its completion.
* Bequeathed $100,000 to the City of Joplin to help the poor. Every year the city
transfers the interest income earned to the Health Department. In 2019, the earnings
were $5,198.
* Tom’s nephew and business associate, Thomas Connor Nolan received $10,000 (worth
$358,624 today) as a wedding present when he married Margaret Lawder in 1902. It
is believed that it was used to either build and or furnish the house that proudly stands
today at 106 S. Moffet Avenue in the Murphysburg Historic District.

St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church
Nolan House
Nolan House
The Handy AME Chapel

Mr. Connor died on March 29, 1907 at Dr. Moody’s Sanitarium in San Antonio, Texas after becoming ill in early November. Supposedly, Tom went to Texas to recover from his ailments by seeking a warmer climate than Missouri could offer. He and Melissa are buried next to each other in Tiffin, Ohio.

Below are excerpts from the book *“Tom Connor: Joplin’s Millionaire Zinc King” by Chad
Stebbins that focus on Mr. Connor’s Irish background.

Although born in Ireland, Thomas Connor lived the classic American rags-to riches story. Described as a “self-made man,” he seemed to have the Midas touch – especially when it came to buying acreage that contained enormous rich lead and zine deposits.

Born to James and Katherine O’Connor on August 10, 1847, on a five-acre tenant farm in County Kerry, Ireland, he was the youngest of four children. The three-room tenement cottage, although fairly large by contemporary standards, was stretched beyond capacity with 14 other occupants. Had Tom’s birth not come in the middle of the Irish Potato Famine, Joplin might never have had its famous [Connor] Hotel.


The potato blight brought untold misery to the country. One million died of starvation or the diseases associated with the famine, and another million emigrated to North America or parts of England. Between 1846 and 1850, the population of Ireland dropped by 25 percent. In the O’Connor household, where it was a “ceaseless, heartless, remorseless grind, with never a beam of light piercing through the dismal clouds in promise of a better day.”


In 1851, the O’Connor family left Cork City, Ireland and landed in New York City on May 27, and then settled in Tiffin, Ohio. Tom’s father died two [or possibly six or seven] years later. Although opportunities for women were rare in those days, his mother managed to find enough odd jobs to keep her family fed. Sitting around the kitchen stove, she would entertain the children with stories about their old home in Kerry while she sewed, darned, or patched various articles of clothing. Tom, in particular was fascinated by these tales of Irish folklore, the ancient round towers, Druid priests, Celtic kings and castles, witches and goblins, and the great Irish political leader Daniel O’Connell. And yet, which his 1914 biographer found “surprisingly strange,” Tom could never be persuaded years later to pay a visit to his native Ireland.


…Tom met General Patrick Edward Connor, who, like Tom, had been born in County Kerry, Ireland. Tom as thrilled to meet a countryman, let alone a hero of the Mexican-American War and the American Indian Wars. It was after encountering Connor that Tom decided to drop the O from O’Connor – just as the general had done years before to seem more American. In Irish names, O means “coming from” or “the family of.” [Tom’s relatives did not drop the O from their names.]

*HMP thanks author and fellow historian Chad Stebbins for letting us share Tom Connor’s Irish roots via two of his books published in 2021. “Tom Connor: Joplin’s Millionaire Zinc King” along with the companion book, “Joplin’s Connor Hotel” are available for sale at Joplin Walgreen stores.

Patrick Murphy

The Murphy family settled in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in 1849 where Patrick engaged in agricultural pursuits and attended the common schools.  His education was largely acquired from experience and hence is of a practical nature.  In 1859 he left Pennsylvania and acquired even more experience throughout the United States before coming to the Joplin area.

In July 1871 John C. Cox laid out a town east of Joplin Creek and named it “Joplin” after Reverend Harris Joplin who settled in the area.  On September 4, 1871 a 40-acre tract west of Joplin Creek was platted by Patrick Murphy and others and they named it “Murphysburg.”  On March 23, 1873 the two cities merged and incorporated under the name of Joplin.  The Missouri Governor appointed Elliot R. Moffet to serve as mayor.  

Mr. Murphy was a merchant, mine operator, businessman, and capitalist.  His accomplishments are the result of Joplin becoming a formidable, organized city.  He established a newspaper, banks, hotels, the city waterworks, woolen mills, railway systems, lead & zinc mining companies, and much more. He was Joplin’s fourth mayor.  

The public held Mr. Murphy in such high regard that when he died, the entire community was in mourning and many institutions closed.  The cortege consisted of a band, a hearse drawn by four black horses, 100 marching pioneers, the Knights Templar in uniform, the Elks Club, and many citizens in carriages.  Originally he was buried at Fairview Cemetery, but later when Mount Hope Cemetery was completed, he and his mother were moved to the Founders Circle at Mt. Hope.

Patrick Murphy
Murphy Mansion 4th & Wall

Patrick was married to Isabel “Belle” Workizer Murphy (1847-1904) and they had five children that lived to adulthood. 
Some of this information was taken from “The History of Jasper County, Missouri”   

Baby in the Bushes

FOR WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH, WE PRESENT A MYSTERY IN MURPHYSBURG

In honor of March as Women’s History Month, we bring forward a true unsolved mystery set in Joplin’s Murphysburg Historic District.

It was a dry 71-degree summer night on July 11, 1945 at 10:20 p.m. in what is now Joplin’s Murphysburg Historic District.  World War II in Europe had just ended with Germany surrendering on May 8, 1945.  The conflict in the Pacific (Ocean) Theater would soon end when Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945.  

On this particular Wednesday night, Mrs. Jennie Potlitzer was at her home at 219 South Sergeant Avenue with her sister, Mrs. Ruth Weil, and a nurse, Mrs. Don Sanford.  Jennie had suffered with a heart condition since 1933, which could explain the presence of a nurse at such a late hour.  Jennie’s husband, George had passed away 14 months earlier.  The Potlitzer’s daughter, Mildred was living in St. Louis, and son, Sidney was living here at the home.  

Ruth was also believed to be widowed sometime between 1935 and 1939 and was visiting Jennie on this fateful night.  Ruth’s son, Edward Weil, Jr. was in the army and would not rejoin his mother in Joplin until his discharge in January 1946.  But surely a nurse and two loving mothers were perfectly capable of managing the situation that was about to unfold.

Mrs. Sanford heard a child crying outside, so the three ladies went to investigate.  They found a blue-eyed, red-haired baby girl, not more than eight weeks old, hidden in the shrubbery!  The child was well bundled and at its side were clothing, baby powder, oil, and other needs for its care.  Most likely the baby would have been shielded from view of passing traffic due to the jagged-top, three-foot high stone wall that surrounded the property.

Baby Abandoned in the Bushes

Of course, the police were summoned.  City Detectives W. D. Holladay and Roy Isgrigg took the baby to Dr. V. E. Kenney, the city health commissioner.  He determined the baby was healthy in all respects.  The baby was then taken to the home of Reverend William Kelley, the county juvenile and probation officer, who would decide, along with Juvenile Judge Woodson Oldham, what to do with her.  Mrs. Kelley looked after the care of the child.  Dr. C. C. Coats, the city physician, also examined the infant and said she appeared to be a perfectly normal baby.

The next day more than 50 Joplin families offered to adopt the abandoned baby—telephone calls bombarded the juvenile office and the Kelley’s home.  However, Reverend Kelley remained hopeful that the mother would change her mind and claim the child, which he believed would be the best solution.                                

The Joplin Globe’s headline on July 13th was “Clew to Identity of Baby Obtained.”  (see sidebar) The first rumor investigated by the county probation office was that the baby could belong to a 15-year-old Webb City girl—but that soon fizzled out. The Joplin Globe’s headline on July 14th was “Police Work on New Clew to Identity of Baby Abandoned Here.”  The second rumor was provided by a Neosho physician claiming

to have delivered a baby girl to a 17-year-old McDonald County girl seven weeks earlier.  Police Chief Henry Vermillion and Newton County Sheriff Cline visited the mother of the girl, who said her daughter had taken the baby and left July 3 to visit her father in California.  On July 14th, via a telegram from California authorities, the red-headed baby in question was found to be safe with the suspected young mother in California. Headline reads, “Message from West Voids Baby Case Clew.”

On September 5, 1945 the Joplin Globe reported “Abandoned Baby Redhead” to be thriving, healthy, happy, and growing at the home of her foster parents.  The baby was to remain a legal ward of the juvenile court for at least two years unless the real parents appeared and could establish parenthood to the satisfaction of the court.  After that, she could be legally adopted, probably into the foster home where she had been placed. 

The foster family identity was never revealed in newspaper reports or even the first name that eventually was given to the baby.  The baby was assigned a birthdate of June 1, 1945.

The Joplin Children’s Home cared for many orphaned and otherwise unfortunate children between 1905 and 1957.  However, while researching this story, the orphanage was never mentioned in local news articles as an option for the baby.

Background

George and Jennie Potlitzer were very well known in the Joplin community due to their activities in welfare and civic affairs.  George and his father owned Potlitzer’s store specializing in women’s wear at 419 and later 418 S. Main Street in Joplin.  George and Jennie lived at 219 S. Sergeant for about ten years.  George was president of the United Hebrew Congregation and the Jewish Welfare Board for many years.  He was involved with the Joplin USO Council, Joplin War Dad’s Club, Salvation Army, the Shrine, United Cities Lodge, B’nai B’rith, Joplin Elks, and World War II bond and Community Chest campaigns.  George was born in Germany in 1878 and came to Joplin with his parents when he was two years old.   He died on May 22, 1944 at the age of 66.  His will stipulated a bequest to the Joplin Children’s Home and numerous other charities.  George married Jennie in Carthage in 1904 and they had one daughter, Mildred and one Son, Sidney.  Sidney was a manager for the Potlitzer’s store.

Jennie was born in Neosho.  She was a member of the United Hebrew Congregation of Joplin and the Temple Aid Sisterhood, Joplin League of Women Voters, and the Joplin Woman’s Club.  In 1932 she was chair of the Council of Jewish Women unit that was part of the Red Cross sewing committee which made clothing for impoverished families from cloth furnished by the government.  This small portion of her life is interesting since the Potlitzer’s livelihood was based on ready-to-wear retail clothing stores.

Jennie died on June 4, 1958 at the age of 75.  Jennie and George are buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Webb City.  

Theories & Timelines

  • Is it possible that Jennie or her guests did know who the baby belonged to but chose to keep it a secret?
  • Assuming the baby was full term, she would have been conceived sometime in September or October 1944 during World War II.
  • Did the baby’s mother know the father’s identity?  Was the baby’s biological father a defense worker or a Word War II serviceman who passed through Joplin or Camp Crowder in Neosho?  The Joplin USO Council operated at 310 S. Wall Avenue (extant) from September 27, 1942 to June 30, 1946.  The Negro Service Council of Joplin operated at 221 S. Main Street (non-extant) from February 6, 1944 to September 1946.  The Neosho USO Clubhouse on Park Drive was opened on February 22, 1943.
  • Did the baby’s mother become pregnant elsewhere and chose to abandon her baby in Joplin?
  • Was Jennie’s son, Sidney Potlitzer the father?  He would have been around 37 years old at the time and single, having married Louise Newman on September 1, 1946.  Was Ruth’s son, Edward Weil, Jr., the father?  He would have been around 20 years old at the time and single.
  • The baby’s mother/father/family may have been familiar with the neighborhood, the Potlitzer & Weil families, and or the fact that there was a nurse on duty at the house. 
  • Is it possible that the baby’s mother/father/family wanted to leave the baby specifically with a Jewish family? 

Better Options Today Borrowed From History

Many states have adopted legal and safe procedures for a parent to give up their baby.  The Missouri Safe Haven Laws were set up so that infants, 45 days old or younger, can be handed over to an employee at a police station, hospital, fire station, maternity home, or pregnancy resource center.  If the baby has not been neglected or abused, parents will face no prosecution.  For complete anonymity, many states have recently installed “Safe Haven Baby Boxes.”  Baby Boxes are currently installed at Joplin Fire Station No. 7 and Carthage Fire Station No. 2.

 

 If you wish to donate, make checks out to Safe Haven Baby Boxes-Local 59 and mail to Local 59, P.O. Box 1712, Joplin, MO 64802 or drop off at Fire Station No. 1 at 303 East 3rd Street, Joplin. 

But the drop-off box is not a new idea.  The concept can be traced back to the Middle Ages and has existed in many countries throughout the world.  There are many names for the box such as Baby Hatch, Foundling Wheel, Stork’s Cradle, and Turning Cradle. 

Conclusion  

Did the baby ever learn about her biological family and situation?  She would now be close to 80 years old and possibly still living in the Joplin area.  Hopefully she had a safe, loving, and a happy life. While we respect the sensitive situation for all concerned and the possible need for confidentiality and privacy, we would appreciate knowing how this story began and ended.  By state law, juvenile records are closed and even records for old cases such as this one could not be disclosed. If you have any information regarding this Mystery in Murphysburg, please contact Historic Murphysburg Preservation, Inc. at [email protected].

ARCHITECTURE AND HISTORY OF THE LENNAN HOUSE

The house is named for the first owners, Thomas and Charlotte Gregg Lennan.  This stately home was built in 1917 and was designed in the Colonial Revival style by renowned Joplin architect Austin Allen.  He designed many structures that still exist in Joplin such as the current Joplin City Hall at 6th and Main, formerly Newman’s Department Store.  Austin also designed the United Hebrew Congregation Temple at 7th and Sergeant Avenue and Joplin Elk’s Club at 4th and Pearl Avenue; both of which were within walking distance and handy since George was an active member in both organizations.  

The most unique features of the house are the massive exterior brick chimneys, pierced with windows.  Gabled wings project from the north and south sides of the house.  Inset arched dormers rise on the top floor front roof.  The central mass of the primary elevation has five symmetrical bays.  The center bay has a historic wood panel door with multi-light sidelights, a carved frame with Doric columns, and a segmental arched wood transom with curved pediments. 

In 1893 Judge Oliver Hazard Picher owned the entire block of Moffet and Sergeant between Second and Third Streets.  He landscaped it as a private park surrounded by a stone wall.  Picher’s mansion was located at 206 S. Moffet.  Eventually, the block was divided into five properties.  During the Great Depression (1929-1930s) the owner of the house lost all his money and the bank foreclosed on the property.  Rather than find a new owner, the bank demolished the venerable old house.  Amazingly, the stone wall around the block remains to this day—the very wall that protected the blue-eyed, red-haired baby in the bushes.

  EVOLUTION OF CLEW TO CLUE

In Greek mythology, Theseus unraveled a ball of thread as he went into a labyrinth and used the thread to trace his way back out after slaying a half-man and half-bull creature named Minotaur.  The idea of using a ball of thread (clew) came from a woman named Ariadne.  

Clew is from Old English cliwen and cleowen, meaning a ball formed by winding yard, twine or thread and is still one of the meanings of clew. 

As the original image of a ball of thread used in the labyrinth, clew was gradually forgotten, and the literal sense of clew became obscured.  The word eventually took the modern meaning of something that helps to solve a problem or unravel a mystery, its prevalent form/spelling being clue.

Although the “clue” spelling is now the prevailing one for this situation, the old spelling of “clew” can still be found in American newspapers from as recently as the 1970s.

To Recognize International Holocaust Remembrance Day – January 27, 2024

HENRI & HORST TAUCHER

HMP is honored to present the true story of two Jewish brothers that survived Nazi terrorism in Berlin, Germany during World War II and found a new life at 204 South Jackson Avenue in Joplin.

The brothers’ survival of atrocities and how they made their way to Joplin as orphans, is told in part in the book, “Saved by the Enemy…The True Story of Fred and Henry Taucher: Survival Amidst Nazi Terrorism in Berlin.” Published in 2011, the book is still available as an e-book. The author, Craig A. Ledbetter, is a stepson of one of the boys that sought refuge in Joplin.

According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz- Birkenau—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The annual commemoration honors the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazism and to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides.

True Story of Fred and
Henry Taucher: Survival Amidst Nazi Terrorism in Berlin.”

.

BACKGROUND ON HENRI & HORST TAUCHER

Julius Taucher was born in the United States, but for unknown reason, moved back to Germany in 1910 with his parents.  He met and married Therese and soon she gave birth to their son, Henri (known in the U.S. as Henry or Hank) in the comfort and safety of a hospital on January 3, 1932.  But as Therese approached the birth of her second son, Jewish babies were no longer allowed to be born in Berlin hospitals.  Therese’s employer recommended a mid-wife, Fraulein Gertrude Nolting, to help bring Horst (known in the U.S. as Fred) into the world on January 29, 1933.  The very next day, Adolf Hitler would become Chancellor of Germany and conditions for Jewish residents would become increasingly worse and life threatening.

The fact that Gertrude took the chance of assisting in the birth of a Jewish child was puzzling because she was a member of the Nazi party!  Gertrude’s life partner and housemate, Fraulein Traute Holina, was an official photographer for the Nazi Protection Squads.  Together the women were well off and even had a second house on the outskirts of town. After the boys’ father was sent to Auschwitz and killed, the boys and their mother went into hiding and assumed the names of people who had perished during previous air raids on Berlin.  Curiously, they found help from Gertrude and Traute, or in other words…were saved by the enemy.

Before the end of the war on April 15, 1945, Horst was forcibly placed on a train destined for Dauchu, but the train never arrived due to artillery exchange. Horst escaped wearing a “Hitler Youth Uniform” that he removed from a corpse. He was then picked up by Nazi officers. Once again…saved by the enemy! Horst returned to Berlin and met his brother and mother at a pre-selected location.

Therese was later shot and killed in crossfire between German and Russian troops in Berlin. The boys hid in the underground tunnels. Once the war was over in May 1945, and for a short while, the boys became guides for Soviet soldiers.

They found their way to Gertrude’s house and lived there and returned to reopened Berlin public schools and English language classes while waiting for their American visas. This was very difficult due to having no documentation of who they were or the situation of how they came to be orphans. Although the boys were Jewish, Gertrude still hung on to the belief that Hitler’s plan was ideal. She would say, “Boys, you can’t go to America. Americans are our enemies!”

Eventually they went in search of an American army installation and befriended Werner Nathan, and Lieutenant Kowalski, both American Jewish soldiers stationed in Berlin. The soldiers arranged for the boys to immigrate to the U.S. in 1946. The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the American Occupied Zone facilitated the boys’ immigration to the U.S.

The British Army took the boys in an ambulance type Jeep to catch a U.S. military transport plane, but there was no room on the plane. So, the boys boarded a ship at the nearby port. The JDC and USCC paid for the tickets. Years later, the boys learned that the plane they were originally scheduled for was “lost” over the Atlantic Ocean.

Ten days later, the boys arrived in New York, were processed, then sent to an orphanage. The JDC started looking for the boys’ two male American cousins who might be named Felix and Alfred. An advertisement was placed in a worldwide newspaper printed in German. The cousins did not subscribe to the paper—but friends did—in fact, friends in Joplin.

But because there was not a female in the household, the boys were sent to a foster home in Kansas City, Missouri. Now known as Fred and Hank, they were enrolled in eighth grade.

Alfred would take the Greyhound bus to Kansas City to visit the boys every other weekend with the goal of bringing them to Joplin. Eventually an aunt living in Israel was found and thankfully she wanted to move to the U.S. She was more than willing to be the “woman of the house” and make a comfortable home for the boys in Joplin. Henry and Fred entered Joplin schools as sophomores, graduating from Joplin High School in 1951. Both were active in R.O.T.C. Henry had a love for the piano, learning from Alfred.

Fred Taucher, Joplin High School

After graduation both boys were hired at Newman Department Store in entry- level positions. Henry had planned to attend college but was drafted into the Army in 1952. Henry made the Army his career, retiring as a major. Henry continued to play the piano and settled in Southern California. He married Moira Bell at the age of 36.

Henry Taucher, Joplin High School

Fred applied to Southeast Missouri State in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, but was denied because he did too well on the English portion of the test and was accused of cheating! He took his citizenship test in Rolla. Fred enlisted in the US Army in 1951 and learned the early stages of the IBM office automation. He returned to Joplin, but after six weeks and not finding any Joplin businesses using the new IBM equipment, he moved to the Pacific Northwest. Fred eventually became president and CEO of Corporate
Management, Inc. and Corporate Computer, Inc. While living in Everett, Washington, he became active in world-wide Holocaust education.

BACKSTORY ON FELIX & ALFRED TAUCHER
Felix was born in Breslau, Germany in 1912 and Alfred in 1915. Hitler’s German forces invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. By 1940, the brothers were living at the Joplin Y.M.C.A. Both men registered for the US Selective Service Draft of World War II, but never served.

Once in Joplin, Felix went to work at Miller Manufacturing at 928 Virginia in Joplin.  It was a clothing manufacturer that started in 1934 owned and managed by two local Jewish families.  He remained until he retired in 1973.  He married Dana Webb, a co-worker, in 1964.  Felix died in 1982 and is buried in Galena, Kansas.   


Alfred was injured while still living in Germany causing him to have a “hunchback.”  Unfortunately, the Nazi Party prevented him from receiving the medical help he needed.  Alfred was a music teacher and taught piano to pupils in his home.  His newspaper advertisements said he was certified by the State Department of Education and graduated from the European Conservatory of Music.  He was also an employee of Newman’s Department Store.  Newman’s was also owned by a local Jewish family.  He received his US citizenship in June 1948.  Alfred never married, died in 1967, and is buried at Mount Hope Cemetery. Both men were members of the Joplin United Hebrew Congregation (702 S. Sergeant) and B’nai B’rith.

Taucher Home 2nd & South Jackson Avenue

During World War II, Joplin residents participated in fund raising activities through the following relief organizations:
Joplin Jewish Welfare Federation,
United Jewish Appeal, Joint Distribution Committee, United Palestine Appeal, National Refugee Service

In reference to a fund raiser at the Joplin Jewish Welfare Federation’s annual dinner meeting in June 1941, George Potlitzer said that, “the whole Tri-State area is requested to join in this campaign so that by the material help and the moral support of their non-Jewish neighbors, our small group of Jewish citizens in this district may be heartened in the humanitarian effort in which we are engaged.” At the time, Mr. Potlitzer and his family lived at 219 S. Sergeant which is now inside the Murphysburg Historic District.

SIDEBAR
As a young child growing up next door to Felix and Alfred Taucher, Carole King recently told HMP that they were wonderful neighbors. Ms. King explained, “The Tauchers kept their house in pristine condition. They kept to themselves but were always friendly. Alfred was a wonderful pianist and a strict piano teacher. My mother was also an accomplished pianist and a strict teacher. Both Mr. Taucher and my mom taught students from their home studios; they were over-the-fence colleagues in music.”

David Castle Tandy

Born 1823 | Died 1875 | Physician | Land Speculator

So, just who was Mr. David Castleman Tandy and what was his connection to our area?

If you own land in the Murphysburg Historic Residential District, specifically in Section 3, or land in other Joplin Sections 7, 10, 11 or 14, you might have seen the name of David C. Tandy on your abstract as the “original” owner of the land.  The abstract may also read, “Copy of Patent or Special Warranty Deed with dates of 1851, 1859, 1864, and “Consideration – Military Service”. Current landowners may assume that Mr. Tandy served in the military.

Self-proclaimed amateur history detectives Mary Anne Phillips and Paula Callihan decided to find out what branch of service and which war Mr. Tandy served in.  With the assistance of the Jasper County Records Department’s staff and volunteers, they discovered that the 1860 U.S. Census revealed David Tandy lived at 123 Olive in St. Louis and was married to Anna Cabell Castleman.  Mr. Tandy never resided in Joplin. According to the Bureau of Land Management’s website, Mr. Tandy acquired land all over the state of Missouri, not just in Joplin.

Continued research uncovered Mr. Tandy on the U.S. Civil War Draft Registration records from 1863-1865. The document revealed that he was a physician, that had been born in Kentucky and still lived on Olive Street in St. Louis. In the “remark” column, it revealed that Donald Cameron was hired as Tandy’s military “substitute” on November 16, 1864.  Cameron’s Civil War service was in the Eighteenth Regiment of the Missouri Infantry and was listed as a Private.

So, the question still remains—how did Tandy acquire land in Joplin? The answer lies in the Bounty-Land Warrants for Military Service, 1775-1855 Congressional Acts.  Starting in 1775, the United States granted bounty-land warrants for military service, including volunteer militias primarily to encourage volunteer enlistments. They also rewarded veterans for service during the Revolutionary War, The War of 1812, the Mexican War, a variety of Indian wars, Indian removals and other military actions during the 1850’s.

During that time the area was sparsly populated, the early Joplin pioneers, John Chandler Cox, Solomon Rothenberger, Reverend Harris Joplin and William Tingle civilized the area by forming a town.

Many veterans who received bounty-land did not take possession but sold them to another party.  The land that was granted was “public land” and the authority was granted through the “Scrip Warrant Act of 1855″.  U.S. land acquisition from Native Americans, Louisiana Purchase, etc. is a conversation for another day.

According to Joplin Title Company, the information on the actual signed Warrant has all of the necessary information going back to the land grant via the General Land Office in Springfield, Missouri. The abstract has “abbreviated” information and in this case, only shows Mr. Tandy. 

Following are some details on the original Joplin warranty deeds:

Section Three (Includes Murphysburg)           

A Fractional Quarter

  • President Millard Fillmore caused the letters to be made Patent
  • The US Government gave the land to William Cabell, a private in Captain Owen’s Company,of the Fourth Regiment of Kentucky Volunteers,
  • Land was transferred to John Chandler Cox, an assignee of  William Cabell on September 1, 1851                                                      

Southeast Quarter

  • President James Buchanan caused the letters to be made Patent
  • US Government gave the land  to John Ozman a private in Captain Bryan’s Company, Maryland Militia, War 1812
  • Ozman assigned the land to David C. Tandy on June 10, 1859

Did David Tandy buy the land grants from Ozman or did   he get them as an heir of his great-great grandfatherColonel William Cabell for his military service that includes:

  • Colonel William Cabell (1699- 1774) 
  • Graduated at the Royal College of Physicians of London
  • Surgeon in the Royal Navy, then emigrated to Virginia about 1723, where he obtained extensive grants of land along the James River
  • Appointed under Sherriff of Henrico 1726,
  • Justice of the first Goochland County Court, 1728-9
  • One of the first Justices of the first Court of Albermarle Co,.1744-1745
  • Capitan in the Indian Wars, 1726
  • First presiding Justice for the United States after the Declaration of Independence,
  • Chosen first Senator from the eighth district
  • Member of the Committee that prepared the Declaration of Rights             

Other sections of Joplin that David Tandy received or bought from heirs are:

Parts of Section Eleven

  • President James Buchanan caused the letters to be made Patent
  • The US Government gave the land to George Houck, Seaman, United States Ship Germantown, United States Navy, Mexican War
  • Houck assigned the land to David C. Tandy on June 10, 1859

Parts of Section Seven 

  • President James Buchanan caused the letters to be made Patent
  • The US Government gave the land to James Gould, Private, Captain Lynch’s Company, Maryland Militia, War 1812
  • Houck assigned the land to David C. Tandy on June 10, 1859

Parts of Sections Ten, Eleven, and Fourteen

  • President Abraham Lincoln caused the letters to be made Patent
  • The US Government gave the land to Benjamin Harding, a private in Captain Leigh’s Company, Virginia Militia, War 1812
  • Harding assigns the land to David C. Tandy on December 1, 1864

Yeats later,  tracts of land were laid out in town lots and sold to such notable people as Oliver H. Pitcher, Oliver S. Pitcher (early spelling for Picher), Mrs. Adelia Moffet, William Sergeant and W. P Davis, Patrick Murphy’s business partner.

As most history chasers would say that the more answers we find, the more questions we have. Colonel William Cabell was the great-great grandfather to both David and his wife Anna Cabell Castleman Tandy.

Sources: 

  • Archives of HMP, Inc.
  • Bureau of Land Management website
  • U. S. Census website captured on October 2, 2012
  • Civil War Registration
  • Congressional Acts – Bounty Land Warrants for Military Service 1775-1855
  • National Archives and Records Administration’s website http://www.archivs.gov
  • Find-A-Grave
  • Ancestry 

The Tale of Joplin’s Two United Service Organizations (USO) during World War II

HMP’s philosophy is to look at historical facts with a neutral eye.  In this spirit, HMP does not honor the practice of segregation, but rather recognizes the history that shaped our nation, state, city, and the armed services, plus those who gave of themselves.

The multi-level building at 306-312 South Wall Avenue borders the Historic Murphysburg Residential District on the east side of Pearl. In the late 1920’s  it was Farmer Motor Company and several mining and smelting companies. In the 1930’s and early 40’s it was the Quality Motors car dealership. Through the years the building was many different businesses such as manufacturing companies, optical laboratory, an insurance company, a wholesale supplier, and more. During World War II, the building housed the United Service Organization (USO) offices and recreation center.   

Because Joplin was a WWII hub for six defense centers and was within close proximity to Camp Crowder in Neosho, Missouri, the United Service Organization designated Joplin for a local USO site.  On March 3, 1942 the USO opened for soldiers, sailors, and 30,000 to 40,000 defense workers!

Mary Anne Phillips and husband James D. Scott have owned the building at 306-312 South Wall Avenue since 2000.  Jim’s business, Scott Electronic Systems, Inc. has operated out of the building since 1979.  Jim says it is a sturdy structure with six metal I-beams that span 40 feet to support the second floor.  Special features on the second floor include a mezzanine surrounded by offices, a large skylight, and transoms above the office doors. Mary Anne believes that many artifacts remained with the building through the years such as chairs, a glass display case, and draperies because they are depicted in a postcard the couple acquired from Paula Callihan.

Pictured here is a 1940’s postcard of the interior of the USO at 310 South Wall Avenue. The other is photo a fabric found years later in the building.  The current owners discovered from the postcard that the fabric they found was a remnant of the draperies used for the USO.

But that is not the end of the story. According to minutes of the Joplin USO Council, 1941-1946, (courtesy of the Joplin History & Mineral Museum), it was not long before the USO Council faced an unforeseen dilemma.  Some “colored troops,” 2000 in number, were scheduled to arrive at Camp Crowder.  Joplin officials questioned how to accommodate them, since the black population in Joplin was small, only 854.

Committee member W. H. Maher made a passionate plea, declaring “Those men are wearing the uniform of the United States…We are talking about American soldiers…and we owe the duty (USO services) to the colored soldiers as much as…the white soldiers.  I believe there should be no racial or religious distinction.”  He did, however, suggest that, “The negroes preferred to have their own group.”

On February 6, 1944 with much ceremony by white and black dignitaries, the Main Street (Negro) USO Club opened in an old building at 221 South Main Street. Less than a year after its opening, due to the reduction in black troops at Camp Crowder, the club was ordered shut down.  An appeal was made to the USO executive in Kansas City to retain the facility.  The colored soldiers stationed at Camp Crowder stated they were appreciative of the Joplin facility and it is better than any they had found elsewhere.

QUICK FACTS

The Wall Street USO closed its doors on June 30, 1946.  The Main Street USO remained in operation for another three months until all of the black soldiers had left the camp.

Over one million soldiers passed through Joplin’s USO clubs during the war years.

While the building that housed the Wall Street USO is still in use today, the Main Street USO building is gone and is now the site of Commerce Bank.

Additional Resources

Click here to learn more about the United Services Organization, Inc., or write  P. O. Box 9680, Washington, D. C. 20077- 7677

Sources:

  • James D. Scott Family Archives
  • Brad Belk, David Cunningham, Andy Ostmeyer, and Leslie Simpson  Joplin Souvenir Album,  St.  Louis, Missouri: G. Bradley Publishing, Inc., 2001. Pages 16-17.
  • Callihan Postcard collection