Knob Lick Historical Society

03/19/2026

This couple right here is Rev. Charles George Canterberry and Frances "Fannie" (McDuff) Canterberry. These are the people who brought the Canterberry name to our small town! Charles was born on April 18th, 1848 in Virigina, likely in Boone County as that is where the 1850 census places Charles as a two-year-old with his parents. Frances was born on February 18th, 1854 in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

By 1860, Charles along with his parents and siblings, made the move to Missouri and were living in Hubble, Cape Girardeau, Missouri. After marrying Frances in 1872, the couple would go on to have several children as Charles pursued life as a farmer. Charles was a farmer in the K**b Lick area for decades. In addition to agriculture, Charles was a beloved local preacher. The 1920 census tells us that the family was living at the time on Canterberry road, a road that still exists by that name in our little town today!

Frances passed away at home on February 4th, 1940, at the age of 85. Charles would live to the age of 97, passing away on August 26th, 1945. Both are buried in the K**b Lick Cemetery.

12/30/2025

Former Farmington educator and now turned author Jack Ward Skinner was a December 29, 2025 guest on...

12/19/2025

Hello friends and neighbors! I am excited to share the newest piece of K**b Lick history to my collection, another eBay score. This is a St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway Co. shipping slip stamped K**b Lick, MO and dated 12/10/1914!

12/14/2025

This dapper gentleman is Elbridge Byington. Elbridge was born in Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri to William Arnold Byington and Margaret Ann (Lassource) Byington. on August 29th, 1878. On June 29th, 1919, Ebridge married K**b Lick native, Grace Rosetta Hibbits. Grace was born on October 5th, 1885 to Robert A. Hibbits and Sarah Elizabeth (Williams) Hibbits.

The 1920 Census tells us that the young couple made the move to Omaha, Nebraska, where Elbridge was working as a machinist for a railway company. Although by 1930, the couple is back in the K**b Lick area, working as fruit farmers. The couple would live out the rest of their lives here, and it appears that they did not have any children.

Grace passed away on April 23rd, 1956 at the age of 70. Elbridge would follow on March 12th, 1961 at the age of 82. They are laid to rest together in the K**b Lick Cemetery. If anyone has any photos of Grace, I would love to add them.

12/09/2025

Hello friends and neighbors, we have some new (to us) photos to share with you! I would like to thank Ashley Marie Hicks, who reached out to share some K**b Lick memorabilia she inherited from her grandmother, Georgia (Kinney) Hicks! There is more where this came from, so stay tuned!

This photo is of the 1926-1927 school year at the K**b Lick School! I see lots of familiar last names, does anyone recognize a relative? This was taken almost 100 years ago!

12/06/2025

Pictured below is a man by the name of Thomas M. Marlen. Thomas was born in the year 1830 in Randolph County, Illinois. There he was raised and would wed Mary Jane Smith on April 5th, 1857. In 1860, the two were recorded to still be living in their native Randolph County, and by then had two children.

When the Civil War broke out, like many men throughout the United States, Thomas Marlen was off to war. Marlen joined the 80th Illinois Infantry, Company D on August 1st, 1862. He would serve three years fighting for the Union cause, ranking in as a private and ranking out as a sergeant. "Missouri, Madison Co., 1890 Civil War Census: Union Vets or Widows" reads that Marlen was taken prisoner in Virginia for a time during his service. Thankfully, he would survive the incident and muster out at Camp Harker, Tennessee on June 10th, 1865, just after the end of the war.

After the war's conclusion, Thomas returns home to Illinois to be with his family. They remain here for sometime, but census records show that sometime between 1880 and 1890, the family had made the move to our little town of K**b Lick, Missouri. Exactly why the Marlen's made the move after spending nearly their entire lives in Randolph County, Illinois is unclear, but we can assume it was likely one of many of K**b Lick's promising qualities that drew so many here from the east. Regardless of what their motive was, we're happy to have them.

Thomas M. Marlen died on March 23rd, 1891, presumably locally. Records for his wife were sadly hard to come by, and I currently don't have any further information on her to share. Thomas was buried in the K**b Lick Cemetery.

11/20/2025

Hello friends. It is much overdue that we talk about a very important figure when it comes to K**b Lick history, and that is a man by the name of William McDowell.

William McDowell was born on April 3rd, 1822 in McDowell County, North Carolina. He was only six years of age when he along with his family moved westward to Missouri, settling first in Bollinger County, then in Madison County. Census records tell us that William was living in Liberty Township, the K**b Lick area by 1840 at the age of about 18. This document also tells us that William was owner to one enslaved person at this time, who I could sadly find no further information on, and is not listed with the McDowell's in the 1850 census or any after. It does not appear that William owned any more enslaved people beyond this person.

William would go on to wed Miss Sarah Jacobs (1830-1893) on August 3rd, 1848 here in St. Francois County, Missouri. Together, the couple would have nine children. The McDowell family made the K**b Lick area, then called "Locust Ridge", their home as William worked as a farmer, as can be seen on the 1850 census. On March 11th, 1858, William McDowell acquired the land that would become the town of K**b Lick. McDowell divided the land into lots, laying out his village, and selling the lots to incoming settlers and businessmen. Through this process, K**b Lick, Missouri was born. By 1867, the town had grown enough to gain the attention of the St. Louis Iron Mountain and Southern Railway, granting K**b Lick a stop on the Belmont Branch. The line was completed in 1869, along with a formal survey of K**b Lick done by William McDowell himself.

Beyond farming, the McDowell's expanded business in K**b Lick by opening the McDowell Consolidated Store, which according to Ralph K. Hughes III in his book "K**b Lick, A History", sat on the west side of the railroad tracks in downtown K**b Lick. An example of a coin from McDowell's Consolidated Store was found by a local resident some years ago, which has been posted on this page previously!

The McDowell's would live out the rest of their lives here in K**b Lick, with Sarah passing away on October 30th, 1893 at the age of 63. William would live on just over another decade, passing away on December 16th, 1904 at the age of 82. Both William and Sarah are buried in the K**b Lick Cemetery.

With all that being said, I leave you with a question. Does anyone know if there is a photo of William McDowell? I have been unable to source one, besides a photo of McDowell's Consolidated Store that may feature the family, which can be found in Ralph's book mentioned earlier. With William's prominence in the area, and him living until 1904, I suspect he likely had a portrait taken within his lifetime. If it exists, we need your help to find it!

11/19/2025

He will be missed greatly by our community!

View Pastor Gary Craig Hall's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

10/28/2025

Photographed below are K**b Lick residents John and Martha Sikes. John Sikes (sometimes spelled Sykes) was born in Camden County, North Carolina on March 24th, 1824. Martha was born Martha Jane Snow in the Chattanooga, Tennessee area, (most sources imply Rhea County) on October 12th, 1827. It was in Rhea County, Tennessee that John Sikes and Martha Jane Snow would wed on February 5th, 1848.

After marrying, the two would embark to raise their family in Arkansas, where we see them on the 1850 and 1860 census. Though by the time the Civil War was in full swing, the family was living in Missouri, according to draft records. Together, the pair would have nine children. On the 1880 census, we see the family living locally in Polk Township in Madison County. By the 1900 census, they had made their home in the K**b Lick, Missouri area.

Seven years later, Martha would pass away on November 22nd, 1907, at age 80. She was buried in the K**b Lick Cemetery. John would live another handful of years, also ultimately passing away here in K**b Lick on January 29th, 1913 at age 88. He was laid to rest next to his wife in the K**b Lick Cemetery.

This couple, and family as a whole, are another of many who began their lives eastward, and made the journey west for a new life, ending up in K**b Lick. We can only imagine what their stories entail after the relentless, ruthless journey of hundreds of miles by wagon. Our community is built upon stories like these!

10/18/2025

It was wonderful to see everyone at the K**b Lick Homecoming today! Thank you to everyone who shared photos and stories! It’s a honor to talk to each and every one of you. Here are some of my favorite photos I saw today.

First, the Henson family in front of the store that still stands in town today! Melvin Henson, the infant in the photo, told me that this was taken in 1954! His family had 10 children and worked in logging and milling. He also shared that the dog in the photo was famous in K**b Lick, because she had 21 puppies! A big family, indeed!

The second group of photos are of a house in K**b Lick that no longer stands. It was one of the oldest in town, and Melvin shared that it sat on sand.

The third photo was taken at a previous K**b Lick Homecoming, likely sometime in the 1980s, at the K**b Lick School which is a private residence today.

Thank you to Melvin, Beth, and Lisa for talking with me and sharing these photos. I really enjoyed it! I am so eager to sit down and talk with anyone who wants to share about K**b Lick. Let’s dig out those photo boxes and albums. I want to hear those stories! Also if anyone has more detail to add about these photos, please feel free!

10/07/2025

A great video of our local Mennonite Market!

09/30/2025

One of many pillar families in K**b Lick's history undoubtedly includes the Arnold family. Patriarch John J. Arnold was born in 1836 in Henry County, Tennessee to James and Jane Arnold. The family migrated to Missouri, where on April 21st, 1859, John Arnold married Sarah J. Eaves. Born on August 30th, 1840, Sarah is a K**b Lick native, and a member of the Eaves family I have written about previously.

The young couple would only be wed for a short time before duty called. In 1861, the Civil War breaks out, and like several other men in our community, John was off to war. John Arnold served for the Union with the 47th Missouri Volunteer Infantry, Company F. Among other engagements, John participated in the locally famous Battle of Pilot K**b. Thankfully, he would survive the war and return home to his family after the conflict's end.

Back in K**b Lick, John worked as a farmer and quarryman for two decades. Sarah was a dedicated homemaker, and together, her and John had a brood of children. Ten in total, five boys and five girls. The Arnold children all grew to be respected members of the community in their own right, who I will most definitely be covering in the future!

Sadly, John passed away on September 1st, 1885, in a work-related accident. Records tell that John was working in a quarry near K**b Lick, when an explosion took place, in which he sustained fatal burns and injuries. He was buried the following day in Possum Hollow Cemetery. Sarah would live another 31 years as a widow, but the imprint she would leave on our town was anything but a sad one.

Sarah was known as a loving, gracious woman, treasured by her family and neighbors. She spent her entire life here in K**b Lick, caring for her loved ones and their homeplace. Sarah would join her husband on January 13th, 1916, at the age of 75. She battled illness for a time, but her primary cause of death was simply attributed to old age. She is buried at the K**b Lick Cemetery.

John and Sarah Arnold raised a strong, loving family, who's traces can still be found all over K**b Lick today. If you're from K**b Lick, you most likely know an Arnold or two, and we're sure glad you're here.