(Undated article from collection of Dennis Stephens and submitted by Lisa Perry. The Baptist Church in Ash was built by her great-grandfather, William Franklin Dailey, in 1888 and the photos are from her collection.)

"Earl Haden, now of Moberly, formerly of the vicinity of the village of Ash, northwest of Madison, has written an article for the Appeal entitled "What I Remember About Ash". It is reproduced below.

The editor recalls a visit he made in his early days to Ash, with his late uncle, Sidney Utterback, who was on a stock buying trip, and one of his usual humorous statements. Passing by an extremely steep hill where a farm barn and feed lot stood at the crest. Utterback remarked that "when feeding hogs the owner ties the corn to stakes so it won’t roll away from them". That’s one of the lasting recollections we have about Ash.

The Haden story follows:

Baptist Church in Ash built by W.F. Dailey in 1888

The first church built in western Monroe County was seven miles east of Cairo at the first crossroads in Monroe County. The church was made of logs with logs to sit on, called the Hickory Grove Church. In 1888, there was a frame building built just south of the old church in a grove of hickory trees of which several still stand. Some of the early preachers were Smith, Lynn, Colborn (W)hite, Neeley, Alex Jones, (W)are, Coleman White, Green. The last minister was Klinken(b)org. There were services held regularly until 1972. The church is in good repair. The leaders in the church back in the eighties were J.W. Cosby, (W).H. Bennett, Billy Steele, John (H)enley, Wallace Pollard, Louise Bennet George and Molly Smith and W.G. Alexander. It is now called the Hickory Grove Baptist Church. (??)r settlers located around (??) and the village was called Ash.

Baptist Church in Ash built by W.F. Dailey in 1888

Town of Ash

There was a church built 7 miles (of the) first crossroads in Monroe County east of Cairo.

Just east of the church, Paul Houston and W.H. Bennett built a general store. A short time later the store was purchased by W.P. Ash. He sold leather boots, knee top like the men and boys wear. No buckles nor laces. There were no overshoes at that time. All dry goods sold by the yard. He bought from other people feathers, as most everyone raised geese and they plucked them every six weeks. He also bought cured meat, lard, eggs, chickens, ducks and turkeys. He built a large pen out of 1x2 slats and put a roof on it. He bought turkeys by the head and confined them in this pen til he bought several. They then walked and drove this bunch of turkeys to Shelbina about 35 miles. It took three men two days to make the trip.

Other businesses came there, harness shop, drug store, blacksmith shop, woodworking shop where they made coffins as there were no undertakers at that time, a grist mill where they ground corn to make their corn bread. There also was a saw mill. There was another church built which was a Christian Church.

A doctor settled there by the name of Dr. W.E. Johnson practiced there until the late 1890’s (when he sold his business to) Dr. O. O. Ash, son of W.P. Ash. The only way of getting a doctor, as we had no phone, no transportation, only heavy farm wagons, was to ride a horse or walk.

Mr. Ash’s store burned in the late 1890’s. The post office was moved to Madison. Dr. Ash sold his business to Dr. Gaines and went to Moberly and other businesses moved away. Other stores following J.J. Patrick, Jo(h)n Hendricks, Urb Brown, Louis and Claude Stephens, I. Newton Haden and sons, Horace and Earl, G.A. Beamer, Albert Kirgan, Lem Walkup, Harvey Davis, Bryan Alexander, Johnnie Pollard ran the last general store and Orville Luntsford the last grist mill.

Forrest Dailey and Dr. Gaines (right)

The village got a post office which had to have a name as there was another town named Hickory Grove in the state. They then called it Ash, Mo. All that’s left to show where Ash was is the church (Baptist) and cemetery known as Hickory Grove. One house and the crossroads church built i(n) 1888 which now stands."

Submitter’s Notes:

From Physicians of Randolph County: Moberly - OTTIS ORVILLE ASH b. 1869. Graduated 1892 from Beaumont Hospital Medical College, St. Louis (MO)(now St. Louis Univ School of Medicine). Graduated 1893 from Washington Univ School of Medicine. Licensed in MO: 1892. 120 Clark St., Off: 2201/2 W. Reed St., hrs: 9-12, 3-5. Affiliated with AMA. (Information submitted to Randolph County MOGENWEB by Helen Bremmer)

Urb Querry Brown: Son of Armestead and Zerelda (Alexander) Brown; born 20 Jul 1875, died 2 Aug 1954 and buried at the Ash/Hickory Grove Cemetery.