Bacon Chapel Neighborhood
14 March 1902
Editor: Shelbina TORCHLIGHT
Mr. Colvert was a native of old
Mr. Colvert’s
land extended south to the railroad, and south of the railroad were thousands
of acres of fine grazing land, which he grazed his cattle on during the grazing
season. Mr. Colvert
would buy his cattle from different parties and put them in the herd, feed them
on hay and fodder and some corn during the winter and in the spring they were
put in the care of a man who would turn them on this prairie to graze and he
would stay with them till in the latter part of the day he would fasten them
for the night. Mr. Colvert
did not stall feed as feeders do now he fed through the winter and grazed in
summer till his cattle were three and four years old. When they had become very fat, he would
select the fat ones and ship them to market, and buy others to take their places
in the herd.
Mr. Colvert
was the first man in the county to teach the railroad company to respect the
rights of the people. The road was not
fenced in those days and a great many stock were killed by the trains. On day an animal was killed by the cars west
of Mr. Colvert’s farm and the section hands skinned
it and threw the hide on the hand car and hauled it to Shelbina. A portion of the hide dragged on the end of
the ties. In the evening when the herder
came in with his cattle to pen them for the night, the pen being on the
opposite side of the track and the cattle having to cross over, they smelled
the fresh blood, and the herder lost control of them. In the meantime a freight train came in sight
but it failed to scare the cattle off the track. The train stopped, and the train men tried to
assist the herder, but to no purpose.
The engineer backed his train for some distance, then starting forward,
putting on a full head of steam, he plowed a road
through the herd killing nineteen head.
The company refused to pay for the cattle. Mr. Colvert brought
suit in circuit court, and gained the suit, the company then appealed to the
supreme court of the state, he won in this court and the company then appealed
to the United States Supreme court. This
court confirmed the decision of the lower courts. This victory of Mr. Colvert’s
did much for the farmers of this part of the county in after years. Mr. Colvert raised
a family of ten children, five sons and five daughters. He was a Democrat, and member of Bacon
Chapel. Mr. John R. Colvert
was one of the useful men of the neighborhood.
This is the eldest son of John R. Colvert. James Colvert was
born and raised on the farm. He attended
the district schools and also the private
The second son was born and raised
on the farm. He, too, attended the
district schools in winter and assisted in the farm work. In the crop season he was one of the
principal hands in the field. Soon after
he became of age he married and settled on a farm. In a short time he moved to Saline county, but not being satisfied, in a short time came back
to
A third son was born and raised on the old homestead in
Is a fourth son of Mr. John R. Colvert. Enoch was born on the farm west of Shelbina,
where he grew up, assisting in all the farm work. His education was obtained in the public
schools. When his father moved to Saline
county, Enoch was just verging into manhood. He adopted farming as his profession, and has
been successful in his calling. Enoch Colvert is a Democrat, and is a worthy member of his
adopted county.
This is the fifth, and youngest
son of Mr. John R. Colvert. Henry Colvert was
born on the farm above spoken of, where he lived till, with his father’s
family, he settled on a farm in Saline county. Being of a more delicate constitution than
his older brothers, he left the farm in early manhood, and located in