Joplin Globe, Joplin, Missouri, January 26, 1954 Blackwell, Mo. Sniffles, the deer that went to school, is dead. The young deer accompanied Blackwell's children to school and had become the mascot of this St. Francois County town of 100 population. Conservation officials destroyed Sniffles last week when they found the animal severely bitten, apparently by a pack of wild dogs. Sniffles would not have recovered from the attack, officials said.

Submitted by Christine Lembeck Edwardsville Intelligencer, Edwardsville, Illinois, June 2, 1951 Miss Onida Ann Boyer, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Boyer of Blackwell, Missouri, became the bride Wednesday of Frank Joseph Boyer, son of Mr. and Mrs. Willis Boyer, formerly of Edwardsville, who now reside in Tiff, Missouri. The Rev. Fr. A. Horrman performed the ceremony at 7:30 a.m. at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Tiff, Missouri. The bride was attended by Mrs. Aurelia Boyer of Tiff, who served as matron of honor. The groom chose Lawrence Pinson as best man. The bride wore a navy blue gabardine suit complemented with navy accessories. The matron of honor wore a gray gabardine suit, also complemented with navy accessories. Mr. Boyer, when a resident of Edwardsville, was employed with the Alton Brick Company, before he entered the armed forces. He is now stationed at Ft. Bragg, N.C. Edwardsville Intelligencer, Edwardsville, Illinois, February 15, 1955 Mrs. Rosa Boyer of Tiff, Missouri, 71, mother of Mrs. Carl Boyer of Edwardsville, died Sunday evening at 9 o'clock at her home. She is survived by her husband, Willis Boyer; one son, Frank Boyer of Tiff, Missouri; five daughters, Mrs. Joseph A. (Florence) Todd of Worden, Mrs. Carl (Margaret) Boyer of Edwardsville, Sister Mary Herman of Denver, Colorado, Mrs. Melvin (Cecelia) Coleman and Mrs. Aurelia Boyer, both of Tiff, Missouri. One brother, Carrick Boyer of Festus, Missouri, and one sister, Mrs. Carrie O'Shea of Festus, Missouri. Four brothers preceded her in death. Funeral services will be held Wednesday morning at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Tiff, Missouri, with Father Horrman officiating. Burial will be in Tiff.

Submitted by Christine Lembeck Great Bend Daily Tribune, Great Bend, Kansas, March 10, 1957 322 Acres in Washington County, Missouri, 70 acres of good bottom land. Rest in timber, oak and cedar, one mile. Guaranteed good fishing stream. 30 x 60 hay barn, silo, cribs and other buildings, two acre orchard, 20 x 30 and 12 x 30 poultry house, seven room house, basement, electricity, REA, three good springs, thirty cows, eighteen calves, four sows, 500 bushels corn, 450 bales hay, tractor, and farm machinery. Ill health, want to retire. $18,000 takes it all. If interested, write Charles F. Sansocie, Star Route, Blackwell, Missouri

Submitted by Christine Lembeck The Newark Advocate, Newark, Ohio, October 19, 1959 Potosi, MO A large scale search produced no today of a girl, missing all night in near freezing temperatures. Officers said there is some chance the child might have been kidnapped. Some 300 volunteers were reinforced early today by 150 soldiers from Ft. Leonard Wood and Weldon Spring, Missouri, in the search through a wooded area of the Clark National Forest near this eastern Missouri town. Donna Rulo, 3 1/2, disappeared from the parked car of her parents while they went for a 20 minute hike in the woods Sunday afternoon. Trooper Alvin Lubker of the Missouri Highway Patrol said it was his personal opinion the probabilities are greater that she was picked up by someone. The temperature dipped into the low 30's during the early morning hours. The child was wearing only a light summer dress. The missing child is the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Harry Rulo of near Potosi, parents of 10 other young children. The Newark Advocate, Newark, Ohio, June 23, 1951 Alert Newark policemen Friday night arrested a man wanted by Missouri authorities for passing bad checks and suspicion of burglary and larceny. Police departments in Ohio were asked Wednesday to be on the lookout for Ernest Thompson, 42, of Potosi, Missouri, who was believed to be headed east in a 1940 Hudson with a Missouri license. The radio message was relayed to members of the city police force. Friday night a vehicle answering the description was spotted by patrolmen and Thompson was apprehended. The Zanesville Signal, Zanesville, Ohio, May 15, 1958 The Inland Telephone Company of Caledonia, Missouri, is a one man affair. President of the company is Robert Wilcox who also is business manager, installation and repair man and switchboard operator. He has 370 customers.

Bennington Evening Banner, Bennington Vermont, July 8, 1956 Potosi, MO Della Mae Miller, 18, had a dancing date with someone else the night of July 4, but an admirer, Donald Merceal, 24, asked to take her home. She refused. A shotgun blast rang out shortly afterward and Miss Miller fell dead. Police summoned to the scene began a hunt for Merceal which ended yesterday. He was found dead in a wooded area near here by state troopers. He had used a shotgun to kill himself, they said.

The Chillicothe Constitution Tribune, Chillicothe, Missouri, May 14, 1952 Potosi, MO – May 14 Three men and two women, believed by the highway patrol to be the same persons who held up the Willis Freeman store at Banner, near Ironton, last Thursday night, obtained $850 and considerable merchandise in two holdups at Fletcher, a small farming community, near here early today. Patrolmen said all the men were armed and were traveling in an old model, faded maroon colored automobile. They robbed the Fletcher general store of $800 and some merchandise then went across the street and entered another store taking an additional $50 and clothing valued at $140, terrorizing the merchants during the robbery. The Chillicothe Constitution Tribune, Chillicothe, Missouri, December 4, 1952 The mother of John Baker of Chillicothe died at her home in Potosi, Missouri, Wednesday morning. Funeral services will be held Friday in Potosi. The Bakers, who reside here at 416 Third street, are now in Potosi.

Submitted by Christine Lembeck Joplin Globe, Joplin, Missouri, October 10, 1954 Potosi, MO – Oct. 9 Mrs. Mae N. Burford, R.N. of Potosi has been named "Missouri Nurse of 1954" as a part of the observance of the first National Nurse week, October 11-16. Miss Marjorie Elmore, executive secretary of the Missouri State Nurses' Association announce yesterday. Mrs. Burford, who is Washington County's public health nurse was selected because of her unselfish devotion to her duty. "Riding horseback during floods to safeguard the health of flood victims and still answering midnight calls to homes where she is needed. Mrs. Burford spends each Saturday in her office, where she is available to a large group of rural people. She serves them not only in the capacity of a nurse, but also as a friend and counselor." Several times, Mrs. Burford has relinquished the opportunity to accept supervisory employment to remain among her own people. She has devoted much time to the recruitment of nurses and is an active leader in the "Career Day" held in Washington County, when high school girls are informed as to the opportunities that a nursing career affords them. She entered nursing from the field of education and received her training from the Missouri Baptist School of Nursing in St. Louis. She has a certicated in public health nursing from Peabody College, Nashville, Tennessee. She is a member of the American Nurses' Association, and has a seat on the board of directors of the latter group. She also is president of disctrict 12 of the state association. Mrs. Burford was nominated for the honor by citizens of her county. A judging committee surveyed numerous nominees from all sections of Missouri. The committee consisted of four St. Louisans, they were Miss Leona Gamble, Mrs. Max Meyer, Mrs. Howard Stark and Mrs. Howard F. Baer. Edwardsville Intelligencer, Edwardsville, Illinois, June 2, 1959 Final rites for Mrs. Thelma Juanita Thomas, 42, of Edwardsville, Rte. 4, Glen Carbon Rd., who died about 1:20 a.m. Monday at St. Mary's Hospital, Clayton, Missouri, will be held Wednesday afternoon at 2 o'clock from the Second Baptist Church, 2100 Illinois Avenue, Granite City, The Rev. Showers, church pastor, will officiate and burial will be in Sunset Hill Cemetery, Edwardsville. Friends may call at the Mercer funeral home. The deceased was born in July 1916 at Potosi, Missouri, a daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Leonard Turnbull. Surviving in addition to her parents of Granite City, are her husband, Carl; two sons and a daughter, Larry A. Thomas, a student at the University of Illinois, John Paul and Karen Thomas, both at home. Mrs. Thomas was active in Girl Scout work and other civic activities.

The Chillicothe Constitution Tribune, Chillicothe, Missouri, May 26, 1956 Potosi – A two car collision last night killed a St. louis County man, his wife and mother and injured three other members of the family. The victims wree George C. Scaggs, 32, of St. louis County, driver of one of the cars; his wife, Virginia, 29 years old, expectant mother; and his mother, Mrs. Bessie Edith Scaggs, 60, of Piedmont, Missouri. Injured and taken to a Bonne Terre, Missouri, hospital were a daughter, Linda, 11, who suffered head injuries, a son Ray, 9, back injuries and a sister of the driver, Miss Virginia Bessie Scaggs, 19, head injuries. Elmer George Smith, 45, of Cadet, Missouri, suffered fractures of both legs and head injuries in the collision on State Highway 21, three miles north of Potosi. He was driving the other car. The Missouri Highway Patrol said Smith's northbound car was passing a truck near the top of a hill and collided with the Scaggs auto.

Joplin Globe, Joplin, Missouri, September 30, 1950 Potosi, MO – September 29 A beaver and a truck driven by Jim Moore of Richwoods happened to get in each other's way recently and the beaver got the worst end of the deal. In fact, he was killed. It happened this way, according to Conservation Agent William J. Fowler. Moore was called from his home at 1 a.m. to help a neighbor whose car was stuck in the mud. To reach the neighbor Moore had to cross Little Indian Creek. The creek was swollen so Moore shifted into low gear and hit it hard in order to get across. The truck struck some obstruction in the middle of the ford and there was much splashing and flopping. The object turned out to be a 32 pound beaver.

Potosi Newspaper, undated, 1953 New 1953 Chevrolets Are Delivered To Happy Owners Keys to three new Chevrolet cars and one new pickup truck are being delivered to the owners, Mrs. Jesse Sparks, Miss Virginia Casey and her sister Mrs. Lucille Blount, Bernard Courtois and Harry Hale at the showing of the Beautiful new 1953 Chevrolet at Livingston - Casey Chevrolet Co. Saturday in Potosi. Huge crowds visited the show rooms to see the new cars.

Return to the 'Tidbits' page

Return to the Washington County homepage