Seligman, Missouri - People-Named Places on Waymarking.com

Seligman was not quite a town during the Civil War -- it had not attained that prestige yet. It was known as Roller Ridge or Roller's Ridge. After the Civil War a post office was established in the settlement, and it was named Herdsville, after another family of settlers in the area. In 1880 the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad built down from the line at Pierce City to Herdsville. Later, another railroad was established from Neosho, through Herdsville (using some trackage rights of the A&P) to Eureka Springs, AR (and eventually on to Helena, AR). This second railroad was financed to some degree by wealthy Joseph Seligman of New York, who passed away in 1880. Later that year the town was platted and incorporated using the name of their benefactor, Seligman. (Unfortunately, Joseph Seligman never got to see this town that was named after him.)

The Person
Joseph Seligman was born in Germany. After moving to America, he was a great help to the Union during the Civil War by his handling of bond issues. Being Jewish, he was the unfortunate victim of an antisemitic action, one of the first major such actions, in 1877 when he and his family was denied entry to a hotel in New York. In spite of such disadvantages, he and his brother William invested in many worthwhile ventures, including the railroad that came through the settlement, soon-to-be town that would bear his name, Seligman. In fact, the small settlement of Seligman Arizona is also named after the brothers. Ironically, that second railroad through Seligman, financed by Joseph, is long gone.

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