Life in Perry County through the Eyes of Joseph C. Killian
Joseph C. Killian was a lawyer of German descent who was born in Perry County, Missouri, on October 15, 1821. I visited the State Historical Society of Missouri and researched his life by looking at various archival objects. The object I decided to focus my research on was his diary from 1869. Killian’s diary provides useful information on what life was like for German Americans living in Perry County during the post-Civil War era of the 1800s. His journal had daily entries from January 1-August 7. It’s a shame he didn’t complete the entire year of entries, but I understand the difficulty of committing to something for that long.
One topic discussed by Killian in his diary was the state of public education in Missouri. After visiting an elementary school, he reflects on the fact that it seems that children are not taking their education seriously enough. A Perry County newspaper written during that same time reaffirms that in many places, not enough attention was being given to education. However, it does end by saying that the situation is improving slowly but surely. Perry County was an agriculturally based economy which may have impacted the way education was viewed. Cities and more industrialized parts of the US generally had more developed educational systems.
Another relevant issue in the 1860s was the Sunday question. Drinking was a large part of German culture, but many Americans viewed it as unreligious and disrespectful to be drunk on a Sunday. In 1869, Independence Day happened to fall on a Sunday. A Missouri newspaper advocates for the celebration of the holiday to occur on the following day to avoid drinking and socializing on a Sunday. Killian writes in his diary that many people still chose to celebrate Independence Day on that Sunday. Even though the Germans drinking enraged some, they still tried to be respectful by marching silently to avoid disturbing church services and celebrating outside the city.
A final theme of Killian’s diary specific to Perry County is the state of crops and farming. Farming was a significant part of their economy, but farmers had been struggling for the last few years. Killian wrote about how the failed wheat crop had made money scarce for everyone in the area, not just the farmers. A newspaper article published in Perry County in 1869 boasts optimistic predictions about that year’s harvest. I found it very interesting to cross-analyze these sources and read Killian’s later entry proving that the predictions came true, and the wheat crop ended up being bountiful that season.
After researching and comparing various sources, I was able to discern where Killian’s views aligned with the rest of society and where they differed. For instance, I found it surprising that despite his German and Lutheran heritage, he did not seem as religious as the rest of Perry County (Perry County had a large population of Saxon Lutheran immigrants). It made sense that he took a passionate stance on the topic of public education due to his background as a lawyer. If you know how to read cursive, I recommend reading through parts of Killian’s diary as it provides insight into German American life in Perry County during the late 1800s.
