To be truthful, this column is somewhat of a repeat, due to the instance of history connected to the Ray family.
Bear with me!
About this time of the year, 150 years ago, my great grandfather started the Cassville Democrat. Dr. John Ray was a local physician who, in those days, had gone through virtually a self-taught medical course with another doctor, which was not an unusual situation back in that era.
Born of Scottish and Irish decent in Glasgow, Barren County, Ky., in 1828, he attended district schools about 16 months. Reared on a farm, he studied medicine first by reading, mostly at night. After leaving home he taught school, still studying for a possible career in medicine.
His first practice was in Pineville, before later moving to Corsicana in eastern Barry County. Descriptions of his business were rated as “flourishing.”
Dr. Ray, because of his convictions, and probably to increase his source of income, instead of trading chickens or whatever for house or office calls, started publishing the Democrat in mid-October in 1872.
Civil war
During Cassville’s history of the Civil War, Dr. Ray was conscripted by Union forces to run their hospital which was located in the old Barry Hotel. He had little choice in the matter, although he had never declared his sympathies between the North and the South. If leaning in any direction, it would have been with the Yankees. There were plenty in Cassville with feelings toward both sides at that time.
One of his experiences, noted in the margin of his History of Barry and Lawrence Counties, tells of an incident of a Bushwacker who had been captured by Union Soldiers and apparently convicted to death being taken up to the area of Little Troublesome, just west of town, for execution.
Sentence was carried out by firing squad with Dr. Ray’s presence required to pronounce the man dead. His words in the margin, “I had to witness this.”
Medical pract
In addition to his choice to enter the field of journalism, his medical practice was quite extensive, family history telling of his making house calls in Corsicana, which was a thriving community in those days, and sometimes going as far as Pierce City.
Still in our possession are his saddle bags, made for a doctor with small bottles for medicine in one compartment. On the other side there was room for other necessities for his profession, including a flap that made a covered area, under which was a .32 caliber Derringer and a partial box of shells.
It would appear some of the distance covered by the horseback travel might have been hazardous! However, there never was any mention of his being involved in an incident.
Politically
Dr. Ray served two years as an appointed circuit and county clerk of Barry County through 1864. In 1875 he was named by the people of his Senatorial District to attend Missouri’s Constitutional Convention.
Testimonials at the time of his death left little doubt of his political leanings. He was said to have been one of 18 people in Barry County who voted for George McClellan for president in 1864.
Seniority
Previously recognized by the American Newspaper Association as one of nation’s most senior family newspapers, which was before Sue and I sold the paper in 1995, the Cassville Democrat remains one of the oldest continuous newspapers in the State of Missouri. Until that change in ownership, the Democrat held the recognition of being the longest tenure of ownership by one family in the state of Missouri, and it can now be recognized as having three owners since the Ray family.
The publication, although having three homes since its existence, holds the recognition as the oldest business in Cassville!
Office location
During the disastrous Cassville fire, the paper was located upstairs about midway in the west side of the square. The paper was destroyed, as was most of that location. In order to meet constant publication requirements for newspapers, the publication sent a small, 5×7-inch account of the fire that week.
The next location was on the south side of the square in the Cary Hill building where it remained until a new building was constructed at Sixth and Main on property owned by the family, purchased by Kathryn Mitchell and myself.
The location had housed Doc Kisler’s Café, the dental office of Dr. Glenn Horine and a service station owned by Jimmy Turner.
Through its history, the paper went through transitions of handset letterpress sheet fed printing, to web press production to offset printing both newspaper and commercial printing (first in Cassville) and from hot type to complete computer composition, a process that was updated at least three times.
Publishers
To be absolutely vain about it, here is a list of publishers during family ownership of the Democrat: Dr. John Ray 1872-1888; Charles Ray 1888-1926; Mrs. Jennie Ray 1926-1945; Mrs. Kathryn Mitchell, 1946-1995; and editors, John P. Ray 1912-1954; Charles Means Ray, 1940-1965; and Bob Mitchell, 1953 to 1995.
Bob Mitchell is the former editor and publisher of the Cassville Democrat.
He is a 2017 inductee to both the Missouri Press Association Hall of Fame and Missouri Southern State University’s Regional Media Hall of Fame.
