The starting of a blog………..

6/1/2014

I have never written a blog before, so here goes.
This is a great opportunity for me to start a blog regarding the St. Louis and Tennessee River Packet Co. It seems that there are a lot of people starting websites about steamboats and the companies and so to help complete the picture about this era I have decided to write some of the history of this company to help tie into all the other river traffic. My uncle, George Massengale is actually the expert on the history of our company and has written a very detailed and researched manuscript to help fill in the pieces of our own history. Frank Teuton wrote a small book about the history of the company entitled Steamboat Days on the Tennessee River. While he used his own research and personal experiences there are still several inaccuracies that only the family could fill in. There are lots of side stories also that are of interest and I'll fill them in as we go. Please feel free to contact us if you have some information on the company or are trying to find some info. My uncle is currently working on a history to be put on this website from his manuscript. He wanted it to be accurate but not be so detailed that it gets hard to read. So for now, keep checking back. Full Ahead.

11 Comments

Amy Mccarthy

4/18/2015 09:12:57 pm

My great grandfather was Frank Teuton. He wrote this, and many other books. His daughter (my grandmother) is still alive. I am also trying to build some historical records for my own children about their great-great grandfather. If you would like to contact me...I can provide some info. amccassoc@att.net

Rich Sievers

5/22/2015 03:11:30 am

Ah, the power of the Internet . . .

One of the nice things about being retired is that it allows me the opportunity to do things of seemingly little consequence. Like, search things on the internet. So it was a pleasant surprise that a recent Google search of "St. Louis and Tennessee River Packet Company" took me to your excellent web site and blog, and you'll soon see why.

My father was Raymond Morton Sievers, Jr., and his mother was Rebecca Massengale Sievers, daughter of John E. Massengale.

I have many fond memories of visiting my grandmother at her family home at 546 Lee Avenue, which had been built by John as a wedding gift to his daughter upon her marriage to my grandfather. My father was born in that house in 1910.

The Massengale family had a mini-enclave on that part of Lee Avenue after moving out of St. Louis proper (where, according to my grandmother, they lived close enough to see the lights of the 1904 World's Fair).

John bought the "big house" at 537 Lee Ave for himself and his (second) wife Harriet a.k.a. Hattie and the children, to excape the rigors of city life. He also purchased much of the then-vacant surrounding property, building houses across the street for son Rhea and daughter Rebecca, and on the west (but separated by a vacant lot) for George. All are still standing and can be seen on Google Street View. My understanding is that the "big house" at 537 Lee has been nicely restored.

My grandmother cherished her father and the steamboat business, and loved telling stories about them - including being aboard the St. Louis with my father the night it sank. She continued to live in her house at 546 Lee until a few month before her death circa 1980.

During my trips to visit her in the 1960s and 1970s, I had the opportunity to meet the remaining family members who are mentioned on your web site: Jane, Rhea Massengale's daughter whom the "Jane Rhea" was named for, and George (Senior) and his wife Emily - it's their son George, Jr., who is your uncle, and I met him once at his parents house in Warson Woods. (Jane had moved to Kirkwood by that time, leaving Rebecca as the last Massengale on Lee Avenue.)

My father, Raymond Morton, and my mother Muriel (Feagin) were married in St Louis in 1935 and moved to Southern California in 1946, where he was in the building aggregates business. He died in 1984.

I was born in Pasadena in 1953, and retired from a 42-year career in - dare I say it - the railroad industry, in 2013. I live in Alameda, in the SF Bay Area.

Dad remarried in 1961, and son Raymond Henry was born in 1963 and daughter Rebecca in 1969, continuing the use of traditional Massengale family names.

Thank you for creating the web site and blog, and I look forward to seeing updates and additions in the future.

David Massengale

7/3/2015 12:54:30 am

Hi Rich,
I've had to apologize to everyone for my delay in timely responses. I get to blame it on our 2 and half year old and our 11 month old boys who basically take up all of our evenings.

I remember your grandmother very well, mostly from trips in to St. Louis at Christmas. I only vaguely remembered the house. It was only recently that my grandfather George Pierce was elected into the Webster Groves HS Hall of Fame and so we went in to a ceremony at the school. The whole family went and we then went to visit Lee Avenue which we had never really spent any time at as adults. The current owners of a couple of the houses let us take pictures but we didn't go inside. Capt. Massengale's house is in very good shape and is still being added onto on the third floor. Your Grandmother's house is also in good shape and has a lot of trees and plants hiding the front of it. My dad said that she used to sleep on the back porch in all sorts of weather. Must be the secret to long life! It you would like a picture of it send me your email on the contact page of this website. I'm hoping to get the company history put together in book form so it can be shared a little more easily. Let us know if we can help you with anything and stay in touch.

David

Mike Dillon

6/7/2017 09:42:51 am

I knew your grandmother. I moved to 550 Lee Avenue in 1977. She was 90 when I moved in and still shoveled her own snow and raked her own leaves. I still have a Edgemont Cracker tin that they were throwing out when she moved out.
I'm researching our home and the Massengale family. Any information you have, would be appreciated.

7/5/2015 08:12:25 am

Very true! Rebecca's house at 546 Lee had a screened sleeping porch on the second floor across the back (south) side. It was designed for summer use and unheated (although storm glass was attached to the screens during winter - there's a family story about that, too!), but she slept out there year around for decades.

The second floor had two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a nursery/sewing room that was called "the little room" by the family. It was my dad's room until he left for Mizzou, probably in Fall 1928.

On the first floor was a screened sitting porch/front entry, a living room, dining room, and a kitchen across the back.

Rebecca Lillian Sievers

2/9/2016 03:16:48 pm

Hi All,

I am the daughter of Raymond Morton Sievers, Jr., and his mother was Rebecca Massengale Sievers, daughter of John E. Massengale. Being 15 years younger than my sibling Rich, I don't remember visiting "Nana" at 537 Lee Avenue. I do have pictures of me visiting when I was very little, probably around 3.
My memories are of the family gathering with Nana in Ventura, CA and lots of pictures all with Nana having a very stern face. My mom told me it was because she didn't like her teeth. You can tell I was very young.
I do have a very old photo album of my father with both his parents as a young boy. I'll dig it out sometime and post some photos. If I recall there are even photos of them vacationing in Havana Cuba.

Best regards,
Becky

David

2/17/2016 05:56:03 pm

Hi Becky, It's been great reconnecting with all sorts of family. I too was pretty young when I knew your grandmother. I just barely remember being in her house one time when we picked her up to take her over to my grandparents house. I think Rich said you were born in 69 and I was born in 67 so our memories are similar. Please stay in touch and hopefully I'll find the time to keep updating things here.
David

Trina Welker

8/18/2016 05:25:08 pm

Hello,
My 87 year old mother asked me to research her maternal grandfather, William St. John. She was told by her mother that he was either a captain or a pilot of a river boat. My grandmother remembered the family going on trips with him when she was a child. There is also a family story about his boat sinking, and the cook saving his life by insisting that he take the last life preserver. She drowned and he survived. Don't know if the story is true, but it is a family legend.
I saw a Paducah directory and the 1910 census today, and both list him as an engineer with this company. Any information that anyone can give me will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

6/7/2017 09:15:20 am

I was really excited to find your blog. My wife Jan and I live at 550 Lee Avenue. I recently retired and have more time to research for our homes Century Plaque. I've always been interested in the Massengale connection. Our home’s first residents were James Rhea Massengale and Eda Corwin Massengale. Captain John E. Massengale purchased the property on July 26, 1912 from Elizabeth McNulty. This property included the house at 540 (which he remodeled for his daughter Sara Massengale Tillman), and the lots which 546 (home of Rebecca Massengale Sievers) and 550 (home of James Rhea Massengale) were built. The homes at 546 and 550 construction began in later that year. The architect was Hedermeyer and the builder was John H Berg.

In the past several years we have done some remodeling. We put a wrap around porch on. When we were doing some demolition we found the signatures of some of the work men with the date October 25, 1912. While remodeling the kitchen, we tore off a kitchen cabinet and found the name which appears to be Mathmass or Mathmuss Massengale and a number WEB 943. Not sure what it means.

The Dolrenry family own the “big” house at 537, Kristen Leslie owns 540, George Schatz owns 546. The Schatz’s spend most of their time in New Jersey and the yard and not well maintained which is a shame. The rest of us love our homes and have done updates. If any family members are ever in St. Louis, we would love to have you come visit. I’m sure the Dolrenrys and Leslies’s would love to have you visit, too.

I would love to get any information that anyone has on our home or the Massengale family. I think I probably have enough information for the Century Plaque but still plan to research. I would also cherish any photos anyone may have of our home or the James Rhea Massengale family. Would enjoy displaying a photo of the family if can get one.

David: I think I met you when you were on your tour of Lee Avenue and we spoke about the Massengales. I believe you gave me you card at that time but I have misplaced it.

Rich, I remember your grandmother very well. I moved here in 1997 and she still lived next door. She was 90 years old and still raked her own leaves and shoveled her own snow (if I didn’t beat her to it.) I still have an Edgemont Cracker tin that they were throwing away when she was moving out displayed in our kitchen.

6/18/2017 07:09:27 pm

Hi Mike, Yes I was part of that mass of people parading up and down Lee Avenue taking pictures and hearing stories from my father about the houses. I only vaguely remember the house of Rebecca Massengale Sievers when she lived there and mostly from picking her up for Christmas Dinner at my Grandparents house in Whitehaven. I remember talking with you and it must have been my father that gave you a business card. That's really interesting what you found behind the kitchen cabinet. I'll have to pass that on to my father to see if that means anything to him. Unfortunately my Uncle George Massengale passed away at the beginning of December last year so his knowledge on it is gone. I've basically absorbed all the family history stuff and steamboat information with the hope of sorting it out and studying it just for my enlightenment. I'm sure I could get you a picture of the family. I'll do some digging and see what I can come up with. I did find an interesting article in the Waterways Journal online talking about James Rhea and John E. I'll try posting it here.

6/18/2017 07:47:37 pm

David, thank you for your response. If you remember anything about Mrs. Sievers house, it's probably the same. The couple who purchased it from her remodeled the kitchen but that's about all that's been done to the house.

I appears our house has gone through a few remodels. While we were remodeling the kitchen there were a couple doors that had been plastered over.

Which branch of the Massengale family is your family? James or George? Also, I'm interested in Whitehaven. There's a Ulysses S. Grant historical site near.

I was given the address of Edwin Stuessie who I believe is Jane Rhea Massengale Stuessie's son and Jame Rhea Massengale's grandson. I believe he may have lived in our home until he was 8 or 10. I sent him a copy of the Massengale name on the wall.

I would appreciate any information you could provide. If you'd like to email directly, my address is mwdillon@sbcglobal.net.

Thanks

The starting of a blog………..

Leave a Reply.

David Massengale

Archives

Categories