Family History Writing Challenge Day 24

In addition to selling off some of the old Murdoch Farm to the Archdiocese of St. Louis in 1895, the Shrewsbury Park and Land and Improvement Company was having incredible success with individual lot sales as well. The following appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on August 11, 1895:

"The demand for suburban property continues. Farrar & Tate reported Saturday that during the past four weeks they had sold 300 lots in Shrewsbury Park. At present thirty new residences are being erected in this beautiful sub-division."

The 300 lots had an average price of $100 each, reflecting sales of $30,000 in a one month time period for the firm. Another article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on November 24, 1895 indicated that Farrar & Tate sold multiple lots the previous week totaling $5,425. This was despite what the newspaper described as, "Inclement weather during the week preventing agents from showing property to prospective buyers to good advantage..."

The Shrewsbury Park Land and Improvement Company had tried to make it easy for people to get to the community by spending $5,000 to build their own station with a beautiful park nearby, filled with shade trees, shrubs, flowers, arbors and benches. As an additional enticement, they handed out free train tickets to those who would come and take a tour of the area.

Shrewsbury Station

Shrewsbury Station Park

booklet cover

A booklet about the community was put together to give to prospective   buyers. It included many sketches of the area and some of the houses that were being built. It also contained a map of Shrewsbury Park, shown below with the property delineated in black. That is roughly the same land once owned by John Murdoch. The booklet outlined all the positives of living in the country - fresh air, no smoke, soot or dust, less disease, fewer crimes, less noise and crowds, local farmers to deliver fresh milk, eggs and cheese, a property tax rate of $1 on every hundred dollars worth of personal  property versus a rate of $2.50 in the City of St. Louis, and no additional  special taxes.

Shrewsbury Park map

The Shrewsbury Park Land and Improvement Company made it convenient to build once a lot was purchased by putting in a switch on the St. Louis and San Francisco railway line to get construction materials to Shrewsbury Park. They also had a stone quarry. Property owners were furnished with building stone at just what it cost to quarry the stone and deliver it to the building site. The Souvenir Shrewsbury booklet did its job by getting interested parties out to Shrewsbury Park. But the development done by the company and the quality of the houses that were constructed helped to make the sales.

Birds Eye View of Shrewsbury Park

Family History Writing Challenge Day 23

St. Michael's Church 1897

The Shrewsbury Park Land and Improvement Company sold off a portion of what was once Murdoch Farm on May 31, 1895 to Henry Muehlsiepen, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. The sale included seventeen and a half 50' x 150' lots, including the land where Murdoch mansion was located. The price of the sale was $10,000. On this land St. Michael the Archangel parish was established for the German immigrants who wanted a church where Mass would be said in German. The mansion was used for services and a residence for the priest, and the first Mass was said on July 28, 1895. Construction on a church began immediately, and a new frame church was dedicated by Monsignor Muehlsiepen on October 17, 1897. The church, which sat 160 people, cost $1,800 to build.

Ursuline nuns started a parochial school and on September 2, 1895, the first classes were conducted for 46 students in the old slave quarters and wash house. Kindergarten and first grades took place at one end of the wash house while the nuns did laundry at the other end.  A rectory was built for the priest in 1909, and the nuns (by this time Notre Dame Sisters) moved into the mansion. Attendance at the parochial school was now 75 students, and classes were conducted in two rooms, one located in the mansion and the other in one of the slave quarters. A brick building containing four classrooms was built in 1915. Unfortunately, on June 21, 1920, lightning struck and destroyed the old stone Sisters' house. Murdoch mansion - circa 1855 - was no more.

Murdoch mansion 1895

Family History Writing Challenge Day 22

Isaiah Williamson, owner of Murdoch Farm from 1878 until he sold it to James Farrar in 1888, died in Philadelphia on March 7, 1889 at the age of 86. He left an estate valued at over $10 million, which was primarily distributed to charities, though he did bequeath some cash to his siblings, nieces and nephews as he had no wife or children of his own. Part of the estate taken into consideration was the loan he had issued to Charles T. Farrar for the purchase of Murdoch Farm from James Farrar.

Charles T. Farrar

Charles Farrar was still involved in real estate, now owning the firm of Farrar & Tate with Frank R. Tate. Charles Farrar established the Shrewsbury Park Land and Improvement Company for the purpose of developing the land once belonging to John Murdoch. Farrar served as President, Frank R. Tate as Secretary, and Seddon & Blair as attorneys. Later Tate was named Vice President, and Joseph E. Gorman joined the firm as Secretary.

Murdoch Farm was renamed Shrewsbury Park by the company, which quickly expended $25,000 in grading the streets, putting in sidewalks, and planting trees and shrubs. The May 29, 1888 St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the "location is well elevated on the 'Frisco, between Harlem Heights and Old Orchard, at an altitude that affords an extended view of the surrounding country."

On May 22, 1889 Charles Farrar and his wife, Nancy Gorman Farrar, sold the land they had purchased from James Farrar in 1888 to the Shrewsbury Park Land and Improvement Company for $79,800. The first subdivision of Shrewsbury Park was platted on June 17, 1889 and subdivided into lots measuring 50' x 150', with the second, third and fourth subdivisions quickly following. Farrar and Tate were busy urging St. Louis residents who could pay $10 down and $10 a month to avoid "all the discomforts of the city, viz.: excessive taxation, noise, smoke, soot, heat in the summer, crowds, bad odors and infectious diseases" by moving to "the country", and specifically to the Shrewsbury Park subdivision laid out on the Murdoch Farm. The cost of each lot was $100. When the fourth subdivision was ready to be sold, the pricing was set at $5 down and $5 per month for the lots were that were located within the St. Louis City limits because they were subject to "excessive city taxes." Additionally,  Shrewsbury Park Land and Improvement Company paid the taxes for two years on the city lots.

Shrewsbury Train Depot

The real estate developers, Farrar and Tate, placed ads in the newspaper to entice city dwellers to come and visit Shrewsbury Park. The two men even commissioned Carroll F. Mulkey to compose music to charm the visitors. The result was the Shrewsbury Waltz. People from the city read the news releases supplied by Farrar & Tate, and they road the commuter trains for a first hand look at the property. There were fifty-six commuter trains each day, with a fare of six cents. The development company made the trip convenient by having a station built right in Shrewsbury Park. The Shrewsbury Train Depot was on the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company line.

St. Louis Exposition & Music Hall

Farrar and Tate were looking for ways to promote Shrewsbury Park, and they found an opportunity in the St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall Association which held an annual exposition showcasing the achievements of the St. Louis area. Taking place in a building constructed in 1884 at a cost of $750,000, the autumn fair was very popular with locals and tourists alike. For their display in 1889, they created an exact reproduction miniature of Shrewsbury Park.

Shrewsbury Park miniature

Perhaps the exhibition paid off for them. On September 22, 1889 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, reported the sale of lots in Shrewsbury Park. Many transactions had taken place during the month, with sales totaling nearly $12,000.

Family History Writing Challenge Day 21

The estate of Charles K. Dickson was settled in 1890, and James Eads and Barton Bates were discharged as executors of the estate. The final settlement indicated that they were owed over $46,000, and there is nothing showing that they were ever paid for their services. The estate of Murdoch & Dickson was still open as of 1914, forty-three years following the death of Dickson, which necessitated the dissolution of the firm.

Isaiah Williamson

But what happened to Murdoch Farm, the 226-acre property that John Murdoch lost on the courthouse steps in 1878 due to his inability to pay the loan he took out against the property? Isaiah Williamson bought the farm at auction on Wednesday, May 22, 1878 for $23,000. Williamson, the man to whom Murdoch owed the money on the loan, was a Philadelphia businessman who began investing his money in real estate and promising enterprises. By 1880 he was one of the wealthiest men in Philadelphia. Perhaps that is why he could hold onto property in the St. Louis area for the amount of time that he did. It is possible that he hired people to farm the lands in the meantime. Because it wasn't until April 2, 1888 - nearly ten years after he bought the farm - that he sold 222 and 577/1000 acres of the property to James S. Farrar through a Deed of Record at a price of $66,000. The remaining acres were exempt, with three acres going to the St. Louis & San Francisco Railway Co., and 1/2 acre going to a Mrs. Bluitt because Murdoch had given the land to her. (It would be interesting to know if she was once one of the slaves that he owned.)

On that same day, a Deed of Trust indicates that James S. Farrar sold the property to Charles T. Farrar and James T. Blair as parties of the second part, with Isaiah Williamson as party of the third part. James S. Farrar was for a number of years a judge in the St. Louis County court system. In 1875 he then went into business with Charles T. Farrar, forming Farrar & Co. The business specialized in buying and selling real estate, collecting rents, and negotiating loans secured by real property.

Charles T. Farrar had big plans for the old Murdoch Farm.

Family History Writing Challenge Day 13

As assignee of the estate of Murdoch and Dickson, John Priest was required by Missouri law to appoint a day, within six months after the date of his assignment (October 14, 1873), and a place where he would proceed to adjust and allow the demands against the estate. He was then required to give notice of the time and place through an announcement published in a newspaper in the county where the business and its inventory was located. The notice had to be published for three months prior to the date that Priest would be meeting with creditors. Below is the April 25, 1874 listing that was placed in the St. Louis Republican by John Priest. (He didn't quite make the six month deadline, but apparently no one challenged him on it.)

Assignee's Notice for Murdoch & Dickson

In essence, the notice was advising the creditors of the firm that they had three days to present evidence of money owed to them - April 28, April 29, and April 30, 1874 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Any claims made after that date would be "precluded from the benefit of said estate." It is important to note that the notice is accepting demands against the "estate of John J. Murdoch" as well as the "partnership estate of Murdoch & Dickson." 

Dickson's personal estate was not at risk here, which raises an interesting question. Partners are personally liable for the business obligations of the partnership. If the partnership cannot pay its debts, then the creditors can go after the partners' personal assets to satisfy them. So why was Murdoch's personal property at stake and not Dickson's? In fact, James Eads and Barton Bates filed a claim against the estate of Murdoch & Dickson on behalf of Charles Dickson's estate because the firm owed Dickson money at the time of his death. That claim was later disallowed by Priest "on the ground that a member of an insolvent firm cannot himself be a creditor of the Estate of the partnership in conflict with the interests of the general creditors." Normally a debt does not go away simply because the person who incurred the debt has died. Did Dickson structure his personal estate in such a way as to avoid any liability of the partnership?

As 1874 progressed there were more signs that John Murdoch was not recovering from the financial situation the insolvency of Murdoch & Dickson had placed him in. Here is part of an ad from the October 12, 1874 St. Louis Republican. The same ad was repeated in November 3, 1874.

Notice of sale of Murdoch Farm

The Murdoch Farm was to be auctioned off to the highest bidder on the courthouse stairs on November 3, 1874 between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The ad goes on to describe the 226 acres of land, stating the the sale includes the house where the Murdochs currently reside and the outbuildings on the property. 

St. Louis Courthouse circa 1870

How must that have felt? To know that you were about to lose the one thing people hold most dear - their home? And to have it done in the most public way possible?

Family History Writing Challenge Day 9

The portion of the Pitzman's 1868 map of St. Louis pictured below shows some of the property in St. Louis County that was owned by John Murdoch, as well as a piece of land held by Murdoch & Dickson.

Murdoch Farm 1868

Murdoch's Farm was described in John Thomas Scharf's book, History of St. Louis City and County as containing orchards in addition to farmland, and Murdoch himself was mentioned in the section of the book discussing Richard J. Lockwood, who lived near Murdoch.

John Murdoch

Despite his apparent skills in business and farming, in 1869 Murdoch had his land surveyed and platted his farm. On April 28, 1869 an ad appeared in the real estate section of the Missouri Democrat offering the 350 acres of Murdoch Farm, divided into about five acres each, for sale at auction on May 10th. The ad read, in part, "This property is that high and beautiful ground south of Laclede Station by the property of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart....Is all under fence and mostly in cultivation and is the well known farm of John J Murdock. The mansion and the fifty acres of ground will be reserved and the balance sold to the highest bidder."

While some of the acreage sold, the vast majority of it did not, at least in 1869. The 1870 census indicated that John Murdoch, at age 55, was still living in St. Louis County with his 34-year-old wife, Julia. They had the following children: John age 11, Mary age 8, Emma age 6, George age 4, William age 2, and Joseph age 3 months. There are also four female servants listed, but no laborers. Murdoch's profession was listed as merchant, with real estate valued at $125,000 and $4,060 in his personal estate.

The firm of Murdoch and Dickson was still listed in the 1870 Edwards St. Louis Directory as being located at 204 & 206 N Main, and Murdoch was shown residing at Laclede Station Road P.R.R., reinforcing that he was still living on the farm.

On May 20, 26 & 30, 1870 postings appeared in the Missouri Republican advertising the sale of lots at Murdoch Farm. The number of available acres listed is 260, down from the originally advertised 350.

May 20th ad

May 20th ad continued

May 26th ad

May 30th ad

It is interesting to note that in the May 30th ad, the real estate auctioneers were serving lunch to anyone who came to look at the property. By September, lots were still be sold as indicated in this listing of Real Estate Transfers in September 26, 1870 Missouri Republican.

September 26, 1870

These two lots contain over 7 acres, and sold for $928. This transfer did not fall within the confines of the advertisements, which indicated that lots would be sold in 5 acre increments. These lots were located just south of what appears to be the actual farm land on the 1869 plat, so perhaps that is the explanation for the variance of acres sold.

Little by little, the life's work of John Murdoch was being whittled away. In 1871 he would lose something much more important to him and his family than the land they were living on.