Preservation of St. Joseph History at the Downtown Library

St. Joseph is a historic city, no question about that. And when questioned, most people can tell you a little about Joe Robidoux, Jesse James, and the Pony Express. But often that’s as far as it gets.

There is a lot more to St. Joe history than those three things and the Downtown Public Library is working hard to bring a greater awareness about our rich history through a number of projects. Historic St. Joseph Foundation members and Reference Librarians Jennifer Sanders-Tutt and Marina Trifan are emerging as some of the most knowledgeable folks in town on our diverse history.

Historic Cemeteries and the “Death Book”

Marina Trifan is the cemetery expert at the Library. This focus has emerged as a part of the genealogy collection at the Library as well as Marina’s own interest. Marina is working to create an index of all of the cemeteries and graveyards in Buchanan County, complete with coordinates, number of interments, and founding date. When she began on the project, she found that the list of cemeteries had not been updated in many years and that the locations for many were impossibly vague: 8 mi S of Rushville on E side of rd near large pine tree” or “near Cosby”. Worse than that, some simply have the township and range listed (which is a shockingly large area to search, particularly when you get out into the country).

As she was looking in the vault at the Library, Jennifer found what is being called the “Death Book.” This is a ledger containing an accounting of the deaths of St. Joseph residents between 1891 and 1909. This is a remarkable resource that fills a real need. The Missouri State Archives have put Missouri Death Certificates online, but that collection only covers deaths between 1910 and 1968. Marina and others at the Library are working to create a full index to the ledger including names, dates, cause of death, location, civil condition, age, and attending physician. This is a long-term project as there are over 16,000 names in the “Death Book.”

History Speaks

Jennifer Sanders-Tutt coordinates the History Speaks speaker series that is presented in conjunction with the First Saturdays in downtown. Each month a different speaker gives a lively presentation on an aspect of St. Joseph history that should be better known.

Sanders-Tutt has been organizing the series since 2015. Before her involvement, it was known as Local History Stage and took place at the Joyce Raye Patterson Center. It now takes place in the Owen Room at the Downtown Library.

Audiences for the series are steadily growing due to the fascinating topics that are featured. One presentation that sticks in Jennifer’s mind is one given by Chelsea Howlett on the Noyes Home for Children (formerly known as the Home for Little Wanderers). Everyone in town knows that it’s there, but few of us are aware of its fascinating history.

If you have suggestions for topics for the series, please contact Jennifer Sanders-Tutt at the Downtown Library.

Both women speak of how their work has changed the way that they look at St. Joseph and its history. They are acutely aware of the great number of stories that still need to be told. In the course of her research, Marina came across traces of a substantial Eastern European community in the Southside, which came as a surprise to her thus underscoring the need for more research concerning the immigration history of the City.

Information about all of these projects can be found on the St. Joseph Public Library webpage.