Carroll County Genealogy Trails
Hon. John F. Tandy.
J. F. Tandy, son of J. P., and Elizabeth (Parnell) Tandy, was born in
Carroll county, Kentucky, March 21, 1838. That was also the birth place of
his parents. He came with his father to Lewis County, Missouri, in 1850, and
has lived in this state ever since. When he was a boy school facilities, as
well as lights, were meager, and his education was acquired by 3 months’
attendance of the district school, and the balance at home by the light of
hickory bark fires. He was married to Miss M. H. Townsend of Knox County,
August 20, 1860. She bore him 6 children, 5 of whom are living, then died,
November 4, 1891. July 23, 1893, he and Mrs. Susan M. Moore of Osceola, St.
Clair
County, were married which union was blessed with one little girl.
Mr. Tandy began his official career in February, 1878, when
he was appointed by Governor Phelps, as presiding Judge of the county court
of St. Clair County to fill a vacancy. That fall he was elected to that
office, thus serving three years. In 1886 he was again elected to that
office which he held the ensuing 4 years. Those were stormy times in St.
Clair County on account of the attempt to enforce the collection of railroad
bonds that had been issued several years before but no road ever built.
Judge Tandy believing the bonds were fraudulent, refused to levy a tax for
their collection, for which he was incarcerated in the Federal jail at
Jefferson City for 7 months, beginning November, 1887. He endured the
imprisonment but never made the levy.
He came to McDonald County in Sept. 1893 and owns a good farm
on Patterson Creek. In 1894 he was nominated by the Populist for
representative, and ran 100 votes ahead of his ticket. In 1896 he was
nominated by both Democrats and Populists, and elected by a majority of 621.
He is a man of fine appearance, an eloquent speaker and his services to the
state legislature have been credible to himself, and for what he considered
the best interest of his constituents. He is a minister in the Christian
Church to which he devotes much of his time.
(Source: History of McDonald County, Missouri, by Judge J. A. Sturges, 1897; Transcribed by Linda Rodriguez, July 2010)
WILLIAM THOMAS BAIRD, banker, and one of the most prominent citizens of Kirksville, Missouri, was born in Carroll County, Kentucky, January 19, 1835, son of Barzilla Adams and Mary M (Scanland) Baird. His father was born in Paris, Bourbon County Kentucky, in 1803, was a farmer, and a son of Thomas Baird, of North Carolina. The father of Thomas Baird was a native of Scotland, and in company with six brothers emigrated to the United States prior to the War of the Revolution. All settled in different parts of the country. W.T. Baird was reared on his father's farm and was recognized as a first-class hand in every kind of farm work, excelling in cradling wheat and splitting rails, two vocations in the old husbandry that have passed away. During the winter months he attended the district school. He taught school for a short time in Grant County, Kentucky; then in company with his bosom friend and teacher, W.P. Nason, he came to Missouri, and with the intention of passing through the state of Kansas, to make that his permanent home. Landing at La Grange he started west, but when he reached Kirksville, found the roads so nearly impassable that he abandoned the journey there--a step which neither he nor Kirksville has ever had occasion to regret. He arrived in Kirksville {Mo} March 21, 1857, and for some time engaged in teaching school, associated with Prof. Nason, in Kirksville, who was County School Commissioner. Mr. Baird married Martha C Hannah, daughter of Matthew P Hannah, August 24, 1858. Soon after he accepted a position as clerk for J.C. Thatcher at fifteen dollars per month, and when his wages were raised to twenty dollars, thought he was doing fine. They have four children: Frank H, now a resident of Kirksville, Missouri (In 1880 he married Miss Helen T Hunt, daughter of N. Hunt, of Macon, Missouri. After her death he married Mrs. Mary Ellen Rush, of Washington D.C.); Ella, who died at the age of two years; Aggie Myrtle, who died when two months old; Alta Melone. Alta Melone was educated in Missouri Valley College, and graduated from the Academy and School of Music in Marshall. She was married to E.L. Belshe, of Chicago, in 1899. They have two sons and two daughters. In 1859, when the Branch of the Bank of St. Louis was being organized, Judge B.G. Barrow said to W.T. Baird, "You better take one share of stock in the Bank, and you might get to be clerk." He said he had no money. Judge Barrow said it would only take $10.00 to secure some stock and then $40.00 more at the time of the opening the bank. So as he had just $10.00 he took the stock, and then borrowed $50.00 from his father in Kentucky, and he was elected clerk of the Bank, and this was the beginning of his banking career. The first Board of Directors were David A Ely, W.P. Linder, M.P. Hannah, I.B. Dodson, M.G. Clem, John T. Smith, John Thomas, B.G. Barrow, and T.C. Wilson. Officers were D.A. Ely, President; W.P. Linder, Cashier; W.T. Baird, Clerk, and B.G. Barrow, Attorney. President's salary, $500; Cashier, $1,500; Clerk, $700; Attorney, $300. The majority of the Directors borrowed the money from a bank in Palmyra to pay their stock, and when the bank opened for business, they borrowed the money from their own bank and paid it back. The first public statement was published in the "Missouri Republican," now "St. Louis Republic," June 30, 1860, and showed capital $61,636.00; circulation $120,000.00; deposits, $8,609.00; loans, $81,533.00; cash, $109,664.00; liability of President and Directors, $57,213.00. On the 6th day of August 1862, the day of the battle, they had about $78,000.00 in cash in the little iron safe. The cashier was gone and Mr. Baird was alone. The citizens were ordered out of town, and great was Mr. Baird's joy when he returned next day to find all the money safe and secure. Of all the parties connected with the organization officially, Mr. Baird is the only one now living. The bank was allowed under the State law to issue circulation bank notes in double the amount of the capital. In 1859 Mr. Baird was employed to make out the tax books for Adair County, and the same fall, when a branch of the bank of St. Louis was organized here, he was made clerk, doing all the janitor work as well. He was appointed cashier of the bank in 1863, and continued to hold that position until the bank closed up its business in compliance with an act of the legislature. In 1866 he took charge of the bank of Stebbins and Porter, and a year later, in partnership with S. reed, bought out the bank. After a year his partner disposed of his interest to Melone and Epperson, and the name of the bank was changed to Baird, Melone & Company, W.T. Baird, cashier. It commanded the public confidence and for ten years did an extensive business, passing safely through the crisis of 1873, and exhibiting proofs of prudent management, which increased its hold on the public. In 1878 Mr. Baird bought out the interests of the partners, and conducted the business under the name of the Exchange Bank of W.T. Baird. In 1882 he organized the First National Bank of Kirksville, he being cashier, manager and principal owner. In 1901 the Baird National Bank of Kirksville, successor to the First National Bank, and First International, was organized under the National Bank act, with capital stock of $65,000.00, and he became connected with it in the same relation as above mentioned. But later he became President of the Baird National, and his son Frank Baird was made Cashier. After forty-seven years of successful service in the banking business, from janitor to President, he sold out and retired from the business of banking. He has served in many public offices in Kirksville, having been a member of the Board of Education of the Kirksville public schools, treasurer of the State Normal School twenty-five years, for four years acting county treasurer of Adair County, and treasurer of the city. He was acting School Commissioner of Adair County one year during Mr. Nason's absence. Mr. Baird is a member of the Presbyterian church; is treasurer of the Synod of Missouri; was a member of the Board of Publication of the Cumberland Presbyterian church for a number of years; superintendent of the Sunday School for forty-five years, up to the time of the union of the two Presbyterian churches in Kirksville, in 1907; clerk and treasurer of the church for forty-four years; Ruling Elder since 1866; is a life member of the American Bible Society; and was Moderator of the Synod of Missouri Cumberland Presbyterian church, at the time of the union of the two church several times. He is President of the Board of Trustees of Missouri Valley College, chairman of the Finance Committee in charge of Endowment funds, and has contributed $16,000.00 to that college. After his donation of the first $10,000.00 to the college he was requested, by action of the Board of Trustees, to nominate one of the chairs. In compliance with this request, he gave the name of Baird-Mitchell to the chair of Greek, associating with himself in that permanent honor, Rev. J.B. Mitchell, D.D., the faithful pastor under whose ministrations he sat for eighteen years. A literary society in the Missouri Valley College bears the name "Bairdean" in honor of him. Mr. Baird is a Democrat in politics, and is a member of the Kirksville Lodge, No. 105, A.F. and A.M. [Source: "A History of Adair County Missouri" by E.M. Violette (1911); Submitted by Desiree Burrell Rodcay]
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