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Description
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William Tandy Christy (1803 – 1883) and Robert Kay Woods (1820 – 1874) owned a dry goods business named William T. Christy & Company in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. As their business began to grow too big for the small town of Murfreesboro, they moved their company to downtown St. Louis and renamed the business Woods, Christy, & Company while continuing to grow their dry goods business. After moving to St. Louis, Christy and his employees later discovered high quality fire-clay while digging on the family farm. In 1856, Christy began mining the clay and started a fire clay plant and formed the Christy Fire Clay Company. Additionally, Woods and Christy owned and assembled the lands that are now Rockwoods Reservation and Greensfelder Park in Pacific, Missouri. On this land, Christy and Woods formed a lumber company which logged the area, suggesting the land at Tyson which Christy and Woods owned in 1862 was potentially used for logging or clay mining to support their business.
Both Christy and Woods were enslavers. In 1830, Christy enslaved nine people in St. Louis. The 1840 census documents that he enslaved five people in St. Louis Ward 4, as well as in the 1845 city census in block 98. By 1850 Christy enslaved five people in Ward 4, and in 1860 Christy held seven people in slavery in St. Louis Ward 6 and twelve people in Carondelet. Woods held three people of slavery at block 126 of St. Louis in 1845, and two people in St. Louis Ward 3 in 1850. In 1860, Woods enslaved one person in Meramec and three people in St. Louis Ward 6.
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Bio
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William Tandy Christy (1803 – 1883) and Robert Kay Woods (1820 – 1874) owned a dry goods business named William T. Christy & Company in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. As their business began to grow too big for the small town of Murfreesboro, they moved their company to downtown St. Louis and renamed the business Woods, Christy, & Company while continuing to grow their dry goods business. After moving to St. Louis, Christy and his employees later discovered high quality fire-clay while digging on the family farm. In 1856, Christy began mining the clay and started a fire clay plant and formed the Christy Fire Clay Company. Additionally, Woods and Christy owned and assembled the lands that are now Rockwoods Reservation and Greensfelder Park in Pacific, Missouri. On this land, Christy and Woods formed a lumber company which logged the area, suggesting the land at Tyson which Christy and Woods owned in 1862 was potentially used for logging or clay mining to support their business.
Both Christy and Woods were enslavers. In 1830, Christy enslaved nine people in St. Louis. The 1840 census documents that he enslaved five people in St. Louis Ward 4, as well as in the 1845 city census in block 98. By 1850 Christy enslaved five people in Ward 4, and in 1860 Christy held seven people in slavery in St. Louis Ward 6 and twelve people in Carondelet. Woods held three people of slavery at block 126 of St. Louis in 1845, and two people in St. Louis Ward 3 in 1850. In 1860, Woods enslaved one person in Meramec and three people in St. Louis Ward 6.
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Keywords
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Tyson landowner
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Enslaver
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Christy 1830 census:
Girl age 0-9
Woman age 24-35
Woman age 24-35
Woman age 36-54
Boy age 0-9
Boy age 0-9
Man age 24-35
Man age 24-35
Man age 24-35
Christy 1840 census:
Girl age 0-9
Girl age 10-23
Girl age 10-23
Man age 24-35
Man age 24-35
Christy 1845 census:
Girl age 10-23
Girl age 10-23
Boy age 10-23
Boy age 10-23
Boy age 0-9
Christy 1850 census:
Girl age 8
Woman age 30
Woman age 35
Woman age 45
Man age 20
Man age 45
Christy 1860 census:
Man age 57
Woman age 54
Man age 28
Man age 20
Woman age 20
Woman age 19
Boy age <1
Man age 43
Man age 46
Woman age 36
Woman age 50
Woman age 58
Girl age 15
Girl age 7
Boy age 8
Girl age 6
Boy age 4
Girl age 2
Girl age 1
Woods 1845 census:
Girl age 10-23
Man age 36-54
Boy age 10-23
Woods 1850 census:
Man age 21
Woman age 22
Woods 1860 census:
Girl age 12
Man age 30
Man age 23
Woman age 40
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Learn more about the people Woods enslaved on SLIDE
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Learn more about the people Christy enslaved on SLIDE
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Dates of Tyson Land Ownership
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1862
