STODDARD COUNTY HISTORY
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      • Unit 14 - WWI & the 1920s
      • Unit 15 - The Great Depression
      • Unit 16 WWII
      • Unit 17 - The Cold War & 1950s
      • Unit 18 The Vietnam Era
      • 2nd Semester Final

Essex History 

General History 


State Representative Doc Richard Brydon

​Essex Citizen from 1908 - 1912 - Founder of Essex Leader Newspaper


Essex Leader

Doc Brydon was born in Hamilton County, Illinois on February 22, 1881.  His father, Benjamin F. Brydon, was originally a farmer from Kentucky before removing his family to Illinois in 1870.  In 1891 he moved the family to an uncut tract of bottomland near Aid and built a successful farm.  Benjamin married Doc's mother, Emily Oldham (born in Kentucky in 1840) and the two had ten children (one died at birth).  

Doc Brydon attended public school and after graduating from Bloomfield High School, began teaching for four years.  After teaching he moved to Puxico and bought the Puxico Index newspaper.  In 1902 he married Maud (Walker) of Bloomfield, daughter of Van W. Walker.  From 1903 to 1908 he was editor and publisher of the Puxico newspaper and served a stint as mayor, before moving to Essex in 1908 where he established the Essex Leader on May first of that year.  

He leased the Essex newspaper to George Cross in 1912. 
Doc Brydon was 29 years old when he ran and won a seat at the state assembly (Democrat) representing Stoddard County in 1910. 
Picture
Doc Brydon with wife Maud E. (Walker) and oldest son, Blan about 1904.
From 1910 to 1914 he served in the state legislature (where he became secretary of the Democratic State Committee), afterwards he was a clerk in the office of the State Auditor and in 1916 he announced his bid for secretary of the Senate. 

During his time in the state legislature, he sponsored legislation which resulted in the organization of drainage and levee districts in Southeast Missouri.  He was a ranking member of the committee on swamps, lands, and levees; a member of public schools committee and text books; a member of the state printing committee, and a member of the committee on eleemosynary (charitable) institutions.  He lived with his family when not in session in Jefferson City, four miles north of Bloomfield. 


Doc Richard Brydon

Picture
Published the Puxico Index, Essex Leader, and Bloomfield Vindicator.
In 1913, Brydon served on the textbook committee in the state legislature and pushed for uniform textbooks in Missouri schools. 
Picture
A young Doc Brydon.
He was appointed supervisor of  land reclamation in 1915 and served in that position until 1919 when he bought the Bloomfield Vindicator.  

​In 1927 Brydon along with his son, Blan, sold the Vindicator to Frank A. Brannock.  Brydon left the Vindicator to accept a position with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  At some point he moved to Bloomfield, and then in 1936, moved back to St. Louis. 

He made another bid and won a seat in the state legislature in 1950, but soon resigned because of his failing health.  He had three children, Bland Brydon of Jefferson City, Donald Brydon of Detroit (later NYC), and Miss Velva Brydon of St. Louis.  He passed away on September 18, 1951.  
Picture
Doc Brydon about 1950.
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  • Home
    • Southeast Mo to 1811
    • Southeast Mo 1820 - 1850
  • Communities
    • Dexter >
      • Castor St.
      • Stoddard St.
      • Walnut St.
      • North of Tracks
      • Locust St & S. Main
      • East Dexter
      • West Dexter
      • Vine Street
      • Poplar Street
      • Prominent Citizens
    • Aquilla
    • Swinton
    • Bloomfield >
      • Bloomfield People
      • Businesses
      • Churches
      • Courthouse
      • Fire - 1912
      • Poor Farm/County Home
      • School
      • Stock Show 1909
    • Buffington
    • Essex >
      • Essex History
    • Bernie
    • Ardeola
    • Bell City
    • Brownwood
    • Dudley
    • Leora
    • Puxico
    • Acorn Ridge
    • Advance
    • Powe
    • Penermon
    • Gray Ridge
    • Stoddard (Town)
    • Rural Stoddard County
    • Communities Outside Stoddard >
      • Butler County >
        • Ash Hill
        • Broseley
        • Fisk
        • Qulin
        • Poplar Bluff
        • Harviell
        • Neelyville
        • Rombauer
        • Lost Towns of Butler County >
          • Poplin
      • Cape County
      • Dunklin County >
        • Kennett
        • Malden
        • Clarkton
        • Wilhemina
      • Mississippi County >
        • Bird's Point
        • Charleston
        • Wyatt
      • New Madrid County >
        • Boekerton
        • Canalou
        • Conran
        • Gideon
        • Kewanee
        • Lilbourn
        • Marston
        • Morehouse
        • New Madrid (Town)
        • Parma
        • Portageville
        • Risco
      • Scott County >
        • Vanduser
        • Oran
        • Chaffee
      • Pemiscot County >
        • Hayti
        • Pascola
        • Caruthersville >
          • 1950 - 1985
      • Wayne County >
        • Piedmont
      • Carter County >
        • Ellsinore
        • Grandin
  • Civil War & Other Periods
    • Stoddard Rangers
    • Post Reconstruction >
      • Swamp Drainage
      • Small Pox Outbreak, 1895
      • Spanish Influenza
      • Yellow Fever Epidemic, 1905
      • Crime & Punishment >
        • Stoddard County Sheriffs
      • Spanish-American War
      • Civil Rights Southeast Missouri
    • Reconstruction Era
    • Pre Civil War >
      • Slavery
    • The Civil War >
      • Union Stoddard County >
        • 2nd Mo State Militia Cavalry
        • 3rd MSM Cavalry
        • 12th MSM Cavalry
      • 1st Division Missouri State Guard >
        • McDonald's Co. C Artillery
      • 2nd Missouri Cavalry
      • 4th Missouri Cavalry (CS)
      • 7th Missouri Cavalry
      • 8th Missouri Cavalry
      • 12th Missouri Cavalry
      • 1st Confederate Infantry Btn
      • 6th Cavalry (Phelan's Regiment)
      • 6th Missouri Infantry >
        • Roster of Company D
        • Stoddard Countians in Company D
        • Roster Company K
      • Pilot Knob
  • Other Categories
  • Sources
  • Mr. Arnold's Classroom
    • Nat'l History Day
    • 7th Grade World History >
      • Unit 1 Intro & Geography
      • Unit 2 Page
      • Unit 3 England's Colonies
      • Unit 4 Colonies To Revolution
      • Unit 5 American Revolution
      • Unit 6 New Nation
      • Unit 7 - Early Republic
      • Unit 8 - Emergence Of American Economy
      • Unit 9 Nat'l & Sect
      • Chapt 10 - The South
      • Unit 11 - The Gathering Storm
      • Unit 12 Civil War
      • Unit 13 - Reconstruction
      • Unit 14 - Bus. & Labor
      • Unit 15 - New South & West
      • Unit 16 - SEMO History
    • 8th Grade American History >
      • Unit 1 - Civil War Reconstruction
      • Unit 2 Bus & Labor
      • Unit 3 - New South
      • Unit 4 Gilded Age & Populism
      • Unit 5 - The Progressive Era
      • Unit 6 - WWI
      • Unit 7 - The 1920s
      • Unit 8 - The Great Depression
      • Unit 9 - WWII
      • Unit 10 Post WWII to Korea
      • Unit 11 The Cold War in the 50s
      • Unit 12 - Turbulent 1960s
      • Unit 13 - Nixon & Ford Years
      • Unit 14 - Conservative Revival
      • Unit 15 - The 90s
      • Unit 16 - 9/11 To Present
      • Unit 17 - Global War on Terror
    • 3rd Hour Gov't >
      • Introduction
      • Chapter 1 - Ideals of Democracy
      • Chapter 2 Types of Democracy
      • Chapter 3 The Constitution
      • Chapter 4 Principles of Constitution
      • Unit 5 - Civil Liberties & Civil Rights
      • Chpt 6 Civic Resp. & Civic Duty
      • Chpt 7 American Political Ideologies & Beliefs
      • Chpt 8 Spec Interest
      • Chpt 9 - EOC Economics
      • Chapter 10 Elections
    • 4th Hour Gov't >
      • Introduction
      • Chapter 1 - Ideals of Democracy
    • DC American History >
      • DC Unit 1 - Exploration/Colonization
      • Unit 2 - English Colonies
      • Unit 3 - F & I War To Revolution
      • Unit 4 - The Early Republic
      • Unit 5 - Age of Jackson
      • Unit 6 - Religion, Romanticism, & Reform
      • Unit 7 Westward Expansion
      • Unit 8 The Gathering Storm
      • Unit 9 The Civil War
      • Unit 10 - Reconstruction
      • Unit 11 The Industrial Era
      • Unit 12 - The New South and New West
      • Unit 13 - Imperialism & Reform
      • Unit 14 - WWI & the 1920s
      • Unit 15 - The Great Depression
      • Unit 16 WWII
      • Unit 17 - The Cold War & 1950s
      • Unit 18 The Vietnam Era
      • 2nd Semester Final