This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Payne Farm History in St Charles County Missouri
The Payne Farm near Machens in St Charles County was owned by Alfred Payne before the Civil War and later by Marvin Meyer after 1964. Payne added two stories in the 1890s turning the one story place into a multi level home with four rooms on the ground floor and a large hall, a summer kitchen, and an attic room on the third level. Payne died about 1900 leaving a widow and eight children John Ben Pearl Stella Mary Florida Cordelia Amanda. Ben Payne later ran the farm with his sisters, raised chickens and Hereford cattle, and kept many cats including a large black cat named Satan. Ben was known for his progress minded farming and fertilizer use. In 1964 Ben sold the farm and house to Meyer while reserving one acre for a modern ranch style home. The large old house was torn down after Payne’s death and a new house was built by Meyer. The above information came from an interview with Mr and Mrs Dallas Little.