Reuben and Sarah Pew were the first home owners at 321 North Main street.
Reuben Camp Pew was the son of Anderson S. and Anna Bethurum Pew. He was born September 15, 1830 in Crabapple, Rockcastle, Kentucky. His parents moved their family to Montgomery County in 1836. Both parents died in 1844 leaving him homeless and penniless at the young age of fourteen. “RC” as he was called made his new home Louisiana, where he started his new life.
“With an energy and a self reliance that few boys of that age possess, he went to work at whatever there was to do and his after career as day laborer, mechanic, merchant, banker, and public official shows the results of his early faith in himself, and in all the positions of honor and trust to which he was called by his fellow-men he measured fully up to the standard of honesty and efficiency.” 1
October 22, 1856 Pew married Sarah Alexander daughter of William and Mary Jane Kenady Alexander. She was born May 4, 1835 and died at her Eolia home on June 16, 1889. Reuben and Sarah’s children were William Emmet Pew (1857-1915), Ida Mae (1859-1925) wife of Perry Parker, James Logan (1861-1865), Elizabeth (1864-1929) wife of Frank Maloy, and Clarence Logan (1866-1948) husband of Alta Pledge and Sadie E. Perkins.
Reuben served his community in several capacities, first as mayor of Louisiana from March 3, 1868 to March 7, 1870. “In 1872 he was elected sheriff and collector of Pike county and served two terms and was afterward appointed sheriff by Gov. Crittenden to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Sheriff Thomas B. Ford, and in the discharge of these duties he was a courageous and an efficient officer. He also served a term as U.S. Marshall for the St. Louis court of appeals when his old friend and fellow-Piker, Judge Wm. H. Biggs, was on the bench.” 1
For many years he was in the livery business. In 1875 he was associated with John T Bell as Bell & Pew livery and feed stable located on the southeast corner of 3rd and Tennessee streets as well as William Parker & Company with William Parker and David P Dyer livery and feed stable on the southwest corner of Main and Tennessee streets.
Sometime between 1875 and 1892 Pew bought a farm near Eolia and became a successful farmer. In 1899 he moved to Cando, North Dakota to be with his daughter and son.
Before the 1892 Louisiana city directory was printed David and Ellen Flagg moved into the home at 321 North Main street.
“David Stevens Flagg, lumber merchant, of Louisiana City, is a native of Massachusetts. He was born at Middleton, Middlesex County, May 20, 1845. He was educated in the public schools, and in the scientific and literary school of New London, New Hampshire. At the age of sixteen he left home and went to Boston, Massachusetts, where he was employed by Joel Parker to work on his place in the suburbs of the city, for nearly a year, when the same gentleman procured him a situation as a clerk in a wholesale and retail furniture establishment in the city, where he remained until 1864, when he became desirous to try his fortune in the west, and that year he came to Chicago, Illinois, and soon after his arrival there he was employed by the United States government as a member of a pioneer corps, and was sent to Tennessee. The duty of his corps was to go in advance of the Federal troops and rebuild bridges destroyed by the Confederates, and he was many times placed in hazardous and dangerous positions, and in the battles of Johnsonville and Nashville took part as a private soldier, that being a contingent requirement of his corps. After the close of the war, in the fall of 1865, he made a short visit at his home in Massachusetts, and in the spring of 1866 he came to Missouri and located at Centralia, Boone county, where he was variously employed for a time, when, having acquired some knowledge of carpentering while in the army, he began to contract in building, which he followed nearly a year, when, on account of failing health, the result of exposure while in the army, he returned to Massachusetts and farmed his father’s farm one year. In the spring of 1869 he returned to Centralia, Missouri, and resumed the business of building and contracting, and in the following year added to it dealing in lumber. His lumber trade rapidly increasing he abandoned that of building and devoted himself exclusively to the lumber business. In 1875 he established a general yard at Louisiana, and supplied his yards at Centralia and one he had established at Miami, Missouri, which were conducted by managers up to 1878, when he discontinued his branch yards and concentrated them at Louisiana, where he is now doing an extensive business. Mr. Flagg’s success is an exemplification that doing well whatever is found to do leads to success. He came west with no capital, excepting a determined and resolute will, and by hard work and persevering energy has secured for himself a pleasant and lucrative business footing. September 22, 1880, he married Miss Ella Nora, daughter of Joseph Pollock, of Louisiana city.” 2
“Louisiana Loses One of Her Prominent Citizens” is stated across the top of D.S. Flagg’s obituary. “Our citizens were greatly shocked Monday morning on learning of the death f Hon. D.S. Flagg one of our prominent and public-spirited citizens. He died Monday morning at his residence on North Main street at 2:25. There is a difference of opinion as to the cause of his death. One physician pronounced it apoplexy and another heart trouble. At 2 o’clock Monday morning Mr. Flagg aroused his wife and complained of an intense pain in his head. Dr. J. D. Davis was immediately summoned, but when he grew no better Drs. Dreyfus and Crewdson were called. However nothing could be done to relieve him and he spirit took its flight at 2:25. Mr. Flagg had been complaining some of not being well for several weeks and during the past few days had often said he was dizzy and felt as if he were going to fall, but he attended to his duties at the lumber yard and even his closest friends didn’t suspect that his condition was alarming, and he himself probably didn’t realize that the nature of his ailment was serious. Sunday afternoon he walked down to his place of business and when he returned he stopped in at Fry’s drug store and complained of being very cold and dizzy. However, he went home, ate a hearty supper and retired apparently feeling as well as usual. ……………………. From 1892 to 1896 he was a member of the republican state committee and again from 1898 to 1900. In 1898 he received the republican nomination for state senator from this senatorial district and in 1900 was nominated for congress from the Ninth congressional district. He was 57 years of age and was recognized as being a man ever ready to lend a helping hand to further the interests of his home town, even if necessary to neglect hiss pwn business. At his death he was president of the Louisiana Building and Loan association and also president of the Business Men’s association. “ 3
David (Daniel) Stevens Flagg was the second child of Abel and Eliza Lapham of Littleton, MA. He was born May 20, 1845 and died January 12, 1903 in Louisiana, Missouri. He married Ella Nora Pollock daughter of Joseph and Mary Jane Hicks Pollock born August 22, 1859 in Clarksville, Missouri. She passed away 16 years after D.S. on September 13, 1919. Ella was still living in the home she and David raised their family in at 321 N. Main Street. Their children were Myrtle (1884-1969), Howard (1888-1956), Daniel Steven (1891-1945) and Sibyl (1899 – ?).
- Susan Fregeau of 1401 Georgia Street found wood flooring stamped with D.S. Flagg Lumber on the back when renovating her home.