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THE COMMUNITY OF THOMPSON, MO

Copied from THE MEXICO MISSOURI MESSAGE

November 27, 1913 page 1 cols 4 & 5

One of the most important communities in all Audrain is the Thompson community, six miles west of Mexico. It has been Thompson Station ever since the Civil War, but it has never received much publicity, and the community's importance has not been understood nor realized.

Thompson is all right. The little place ships more live stock than either Mexico or Centralia and some of the wealthiest men of the county live in those parts.

There are two general stores in Thompson. One is kept by H.E. Pearl, who has a fine trade. Mr Pearl is a nephew of Virgil Pearl of Mexico. He was raised in Mexico. His father is H.A. Pearl, a traveling man. His wife was Miss Ada Null, the daughter of Mr. C.M. Null of Mexico. Mr. and Mrs. Pearl have three interesting children--Ryland, Frank and Martha, each worth a million.

The other store belonged to R.S. Dennis until last week. He has traded his stock to J.H. Asbury of Mexico, who gets possession at once. Mr. and Mrs. Dennis expect to move to Montana in a few months. Mr. Dennis came here from Shelby county. His wife before her marriage was Miss Sallie James. She was raised at Thompson. Her father is J.W. James, who now lives at Stoutsville.

Willard M. Thompson is Thompson's blacksmith. He also keeps a good stock of hardware and farm implements, harness, oils, paints, etc. He also owns a 154 acre farm southeast of Thompson - a fine piece of dirt. Walter Weatherford is on the farm, caring for it. Mr. Thompson is a very active man in the community. He is clerk of the school board, is V.C. of the local M.W.A. and makes himself useful in other capacities. The community appreciates him and uses him.

T.J. Whiteside and wife and two daughters, Misses Dorothy and Viola, keep a boarding house. Mr. Whiteside owns a nice little 45 acre farm south of Thompson. He and his family seem contented and happy.

J.A. Childers is the road overseer. He is efficient and a hustler. He has a little 30 acre farm besides he has the care of the Thompson cemetery, one of the best kept burying grounds in the county.

Mrs. Martha Davis has a nice home in the little town. Her two daughters, Misses Frances and Dolly, make their home with her.

Wheeler Gant buys and sells grain and livestock and is a general hustler. He and his father, Henry Gant, have the Lee Shock farm of 320 acres leased and also the Pate Morris place of 400 acres. Thompson could not do without these two men.

Ed Grimsley is the agent for the C. & A. He has been in Thompson about six months. He has a wife and child.
 Miss Katie Saddler, whose home is in Centralia, is the agent for the Wabash.
Both Mr. Grimsley and Miss Saddler are careful and efficient in their work.

Joseph DuChesne is horseshoer and general assistant in W.M. Thompson's blacksmith shop. A few months ago Mr. DuChesne married Miss Virgie Green, daughter of Mr. "Pack" Green of Mexico. Mr. DuChesne is also caring for his aged father and mother. The father is 73, and was born in Havre, France; came to this country when but a boy, four or five years old.

Joe Considine owns about 900 acres of land adjacent to Thompson. His wife was a Miss Sims, the daughter of the late I.J. Sims. Mr. Considine owns the old Sims place and has one of the finest dwellings on it to be found in any rural community in Audrain. Mr. Considine's mother, Mrs. Eva Considine, makes her home with him. Joe Considine is one of the best known live stock men in this part of the State.

Judge Baker Barnes owns a section of land north of Thompson. His brother, Cy Barnes, owns a 320 acre farm in the same neighborhood. Both have well improved places and they also deal extensively in live stock.

Clark & Bledsoe are the biggest landowners in the community. They have three farms, containing in all about 2,000 acres. Each place is finely improved.

Wm. Zook, two miles northwest of Thompson, has a nice 160 acre stock farm. A.J. Hall in the same neighborhood, an old resident, owns a nice farm west of Thompson.

George Pool and sister, Miss Martha Pool, the latter, by the way, once a teacher in the Mexico schools, own a nice farm west of Thompson.

Perry Ridder, one mile east of Thompson, has a 192 acre farm, and his neighbor, Zell Fisher, just north of him, has a farm containing just 100 acres more--both nice places.

E. M. Morris, southwest of Thompson, has a 200 acre farm. Billy Blythe, W.H. Dempsey and R.L. and Edwin Davis each have good farms in the same locality. E.E. Jones, farther south, also has a fine tract of land.

Other farmers whom we might mention who own broad acres are as follows: W.R. Dudley, old settler, 170 acres; Wallace Bassford, a 52 acre orchard; the H.T. Brown heirs, 210 acres; Henry Tilger, of Moberly, 180 acres, occupied by Sumner Davis; George Myers, 120 acres--just completed a 10 room, new house, saw mill, and threshing machine man; Charlie Dickey, small farm, also sawmill and threshing machine man, just completed new 8-room house, Henry Stewart, carpenter. Mrs. L.C. Spencer owns two farms, 20 and 120 acres; her son, Ben, looks after the farms. Fred Long has a 120 acre farm, J.T. Davenport, a 40 acre farm, E.F. Davenport, 80 acres, "Bud" Ferguson, 40 acres, Mordecia Jones, 140 acres, and there are others--among them Will Plybon, Mrs. Neal, Phil Ecton and W.H. Harrel.

We heard the observation made that nearly every farmer in the vicinity of Thompson owns his place and but few owe any debts.

There is one church organization, Hopewell Baptist church. Rev. Steve Maxey of Centralia is the pastor. He holds services once a month. His deacons are Isaac Jesse, W.L. Griffin, Wm. Creasey and H.T. Brown. Frank Jesse is Sunday school superintendent, Roy Griffin, secretary, and Miss Lucy Brown, treasurer. Misses Mary Jesse and Lula Griffin serve as organists. The church is doing a good work.

Some are agitating for a central high school for Thompson. Besides the Thompson school, the districts lying adjacent are Hurdle, Daniels and Fox. If these four schools might unite it would bring the city high school right to the doors of the people.

J.T. Ware is on the ground and is organizing a Macabee Lodge in Thompson.

J.D. Pulis and Turner are the rural mail carriers out of Thompson. J.D. Pulis has the north route and Turner has the route out by way of Gant.

The Modern Woodmen Camp hold irregular meetings. W.M. Thompson is V.C.; H.E. Pearl, clerk; H.T. Gant, banker; Sumner Davis, adviser, and W.M. Thompson and John Kilgore, managers.

James Senor is section foreman for the C. & A. at Thompson and Charlie Spencer is foreman for the Wabash.

One of the biggest items we mention here is that Thompson is to have a new bank. About 65 per cent of the stock was subscribed last week and it is thought that the remainder of the stock will be taken within a few days. A new building will be erected and the bank will be open for business about the first of the year. Fred C. White, representing the Central States' Trust Co. of St. Louis, is working up the organization. The capital stock will be $10,000.

And lastly, we cannot overlook the public school. The directors of the district are Baker Barnes, president of the board; W. M. Thompson, clerk, and Perry Ridder. Miss Zola Beal is the teacher this term. She has an interesting little bunch of pupils--little ladies and gentlemen, they are; smart, courteous and each a worker. The Message thinks so well of them that we herewith give their names, the present full enrollment:

Ruth Barnes, Turner Barnes, John Dennis, Ruth Ecton, Earl Fisher, Frank Ferguson, Clay Ferguson, Nora Belle Ferguson, Letha Gant, Landon Gant, Jim Gant, Glen Gant, Pauline Harrelson, Katie Hoover, Ernest Monk, Russell McKeehan, Pearl Myer, Helen Myer, Frances Plybon, Jesse Plybon, Ryland Pearl, Lena Ridder, Florence Ridder, Fred Taylor, Loyd Taylor, Winnie Thompson, Hester Thompson, Gilbert Thompson, Katie Thompson, Richard Neal, Jack Neal, Mandy Neal.

Don't forget that Thompson is coming to the front; she is on the map. May she continue to grow in her commercial interests and may her church and school interests be pushed to the fore also. The Message will do what it can toward these ends.