Constables persevered through many South Main Street floods

The house to the left in this photo, surrounded by flood water, was occupied for about 20 years by Thomas A. and Ida Constable. Two of their daughters were married in this house. Mr. and Mrs. Constable moved to Oakwood circa 1923. This photo was taken in 1947, and the house was still standing in the mid 1950s. The demolition date is unknown. The building at the forefront on the right is the old St. Louis and Hannibal Depot. Steve Chou collection.

MARY LOU MONTGOMERY

In 1902, Margaret Hurley, a widow, sold her home - where she also operated a boarding house - to Thomas A. Constable (born in 1858.) The house, located in Block 108, Lot 13, South Hannibal, was a two-story frame, and was directly across the street from Robert O’Donnell’s barber shop, along South Hannibal’s main thoroughfare. The consideration was $1,800.

The address of this house, at the time of the Constables’ initial ownership, was 119 Third Street, South Hannibal. (In 1912, it was assigned a new street name and number, 514 S. Main.)

During the ensuing years, inside of that dwelling, Thomas Constable’s wife, Ida, would care for her family, in addition to housing boarders. Mr. Constable, meanwhile, went to work as a blacksmith just two doors to the south. The Constables made their home in this house for some 20 years.

A highlight of those years was two weddings at this house, hosted by Ida and Thomas Constable for their daughters, Anna and Goldie.

On Oct. 9, 1903, Miss Anna Constable, 23, wearing a pretty tan cloth suit and carrying a bouquet of bird’s roses, was married to Mr. Milton Jackson. Jackson was employed at the time of his marriage as a salesman for Earnest Reimann’s grocery store, located at Seventh and Broadway.

Following the ceremony, the 40 invited guests were led into the dining room, where an elegant wedding supper awaited.

Milton Jackson had previously worked as a lineman for the Bluff City Telephone Company. Miss Constable was a seamstress for the Misses Leake dress making establishment, located upstairs over C. Albertson’s dry goods store, 110 N. Main.

On Nov. 17, 1909, Miss Goldie Constable, and Mr. Reuben R. Osborn, an employee of the Burlington Railroad, were married inside her parents’ Third Street home. A large luncheon was served following the ceremony.

Goldie was a 1905 graduate of Hannibal’s South School.

Fulton Avenue

In early March, 1907, Thomas Constable entered into partnership with his son-in-law, Milton Jackson, opening a grocery store at 1009 Fulton Ave. Constable and Jackson Grocers was located on the west side of the street just south of the intersection with Terrace Avenue. (The house where the grocery store was located may be the same building that is still in place at that address in 2026.)

In June 1907, T.A. Constable purchased a vacant lot in Wardlaw’s Addition, South Hannibal, from Calvin F. Bulkley, and made plans to build a five-room cottage on the lot. On Dec. 20, 1911, Constable sold this house to his second daughter, Goldie, and to her husband, R.R. Osborn. The address of this property, which is still standing in 2026, is 1015 Fulton Ave. By 1917, they had moved to St. Louis.

In 1908, Milton Jackson and his wife were living next door to the store, at 1111 Fulton. Ultimately, they sold part of lots 5 and 6, block 4, Wardlow’s addition (1111 Fulton Ave.) to Chris H. Horstmeyer and wife, consideration $1,550.

By 1909, Nora Wolfgram, widow of Henry, was operating a grocery where the Osborn grocery had previously been located, and in 1911, a grocery in that location was known as Sargent and Griffin Grocery, operated by H.E. Sargent and B.F. Griffin.

Across Bear Creek

After selling the Fulton Avenue grocery store, Milton Jackson and his father-in-law moved the grocery business to what was then known as the Scyoc building, located on the northeast corner of Third and Center.

Then, in November 1908, Thomas Constable sold his interest in the grocery business to his partner, Mr. Jackson. At that time the Jacksons were living at 313 Hill St.

In mid November 1910,  E.T. Cameron bought out the Jackson grocery business on North Third Street.

Feed store

In 1911, Milton Jackson was operating Jackson Feed Co., 204-206 N Third; then, in 1912, his business was located at 207 Front Street; and, in 1914, the flour, feed and grain business was located at at 112 Center St. By 1916, Jackson was operating a feed and grist mill at 112 Hill, later 114 Hill.

During their 20 year residency on South Main Street, the Mississippi River exceeded flood stage 13 years. Finally, circa 1923, Thomas and Ida Constable made the move to higher ground.

Mr. Constable moved from South Hannibal by 1923, and subsequently relocated his blacksmith shop to 215 Center.

They settled in Oakwood, at 3500 St. Charles St. Ida Constable died in this house during August 1934. Thomas A. Constable died in April 1942, at the age of 83. At the time of his death, he was living with his daughter, Mrs. Milton Jackson, at 1263 Lyon St.

Anna May Jackson died in January 1968, at the age of 87.

Goldie Osborn died in 1975.

Anna and Goldie also had two brothers, Fred Constable (1892-1984); and Harry Albert Constable, (1885-1947).

Boarders

In 1905, J.H. Imhoff, a machinist with the Burlington machine shops, was a boarder at the Constable house.

Other residents listed in the 1905 Hannibal City Directory:

Williams Clemmons and his wife Mollie, Williams worked for the Burlington;

Edward Roup, who worked for the Burlington;

and members of the Constable family.

Mary Lou Montgomery, Suburban Newspapers of America Editor of the Year, Dailies, 2010, retired as editor of the Hannibal, Mo., Courier-Post in 2014. She researches and writes narrative-style stories about the people who served as building blocks for this region’s foundation. Books available on amazon.com by this author include: “The Notorious Madam Shaw,” “Pioneers in Medicine from Northeast Missouri,” “Hannibal’s ‘West End,’” “Oakwood: West of Hannibal,” “St. Mary’s Avenue District,” and “Live, on stage in Hannibal 1879: ‘H.M.S. Pinafore.’” Montgomery can be reached at montgomery.editor@yahoo.com Her collective works can be found at www.maryloumontgomery.com