User:I hope this username is available./Missouri Edison Electric Company Articles Of Incorporation Transcript

I am currently researching the history of Ameren Corporation with the intent to verify and improve as necessary that article and related articles. To that end, this is a work-in-progress transcript of the articles of incorporation for the Missouri Edison Electric Company. MEEC is apparently one of the predecessors of Union Electric prior to its incorporation as Union Electric Company. Reading scanned cursive from the 1800s is hard!

I'm also looking up the individuals mentioned:

Charles L. Merrill is probably https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/143893675/charles-langdon-merrill per 1900 census and findagrave.

The URL for the document is https://bsd.sos.mo.gov/Common/CorrespondenceItemViewHandler.ashx?IsTIFF=true&filedDocumentid=8578011&version=1.

I hope this username is available. (talk)

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He whose names are hereto subscribed, being all residents of the State Missouri so hereby associate ourselvesto together for the purpose of forming a corporation under the laws of the State of Missouri and more particularly under the provisions of the Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri Chapter Forty Two Article VIII and do hereby agree, state and certify as follows:

First: The name of this corporation shall be the Missouri Edison Electric Company.

Second. Said corporation shall be located in the City of St. Louis in the State of Missouri.

Third. The stock of this corporation shall be Four Million Dollars divided into Forty Thousand Shares of the par value of One Hundred Dollars each, all of which stock has been bonafide subscribed[?] and fully and actually paid up in xxxx money of the United States and is in the custody of the persons hereinafter named as the first Board of Directors of this Company. And of the said Four Million Dollars of Capital then thus divided into Forty Thousand Shares of One Hundred Dollars each. Two Million Dollars divided into Twenty Thousand Shares of One Hundred Dollars each shall be Preferred Stock so that there shall be Two Million Dollars of Preferred Stock and Two Million Dollars of Common Stock and said Preferred Stock shall be Cumulative Five Per Best First Preferred Stock: that is to say each share of the Preferred Stock shall entitle the holder thereof to an annual dividend on the farnatis thereof of Five Per Cent if earned and if not earned and paid in any given year then all aarrears on this account must be paid before any dividend is declared or paid on the Common Stock. And the Commemorative First Preferred Stock of this corporation shall not be increased of eigturith the account of the holders at least Three Fourths of said Preferred Stock which has then been actually issued

Fourth. The names and places of residences of the several shareholders and the number of shares of Preferred and Common Stock suboribed by each is as follows to wit:

Fifth. The business of this corporation shall be managed by a Board of Directors composed of Five Directors and the following named shareholders shall constitute the first Board of Directors of this corporation for the first year. XX A. D. Brown, William F. Reed. Isaac H. Orr, E. L. Adreon and Charles L. Merrill all of whom are Citizens of the State of Missouri and residents of the City of St. Louis in said State except said Charles L. Merrill who is a resident of Webster in said State of Missouri.

Sixth. This corporation shall continue for a span [?] of Fifty years.

Seventh. The purposes for which this corporation is formed are as follows. To manufacture, vend and distribute electricity for light heat and power in the City of St. Louis, Missouri and in the County of St. Louis Missouri.

Eighth. The first meeting of this corporation shall be held on the Sixth day of October, 1897 at the hour of Four [?] O' Clock at the Northeast corner (first floor [?]) of Olive Street and Broadway in the City of St. Louis, Missouri.

In Testimony of all which we the undersigned corporation have hereunto set our hands and seals this Second day of October 1897.

A. D. Brown (Seal) Charles L. Merrill (Seal) William F. Reed (Seal) Isaac H. Orr (Seal) E. L. Adreon (Seal)

State of Missouri City of St. Louis

On this Second day of October 1897, before one personally appeared A. D. Brown, William F. Reed, Isaac H. Orr, E. L. Adreon and Charles L. Merrill to me personally known to be the persons described in and who executed the foregoing instrument of uniting as parties thereto and severally acknowledged the same to be their free act and deed for the purposes therein [?] of:

G. D[?]. Kerney Notary Public City of St. Louis Mo.

In Testimony thereof, I have hereunto set my name and affixed my official seal this 2d day of October, 1897. My term[?] as Notary Public expires on the 16th day of July, 1900. My Commission expires July 16, 1900.

G[?]. P[?]. Kerney[?] Notary Public

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Filed and Recorded October 2nd 1897 at 10:12[?] A.M. M. D. Luvis[?] Recorder

State of Missouri City of St. Louis

I the undersigned Recorder of Deeds for said City and State do hereby certify the foregoing to be a live[?] copy of the Articles of Incorporation of the Missouri "Edison Electric Company." together with the acknowledgement and date of filing and recording thereof as the same remains of record in my office in Book of Corporations 18 Page 177.

In Witness thereof I hereunto set my hand and official seal this 2nd day of October A.D. 1897.

M. D. Leurs[?] Recorder

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9659

Articles of Association of the Missouri Edison Electric Company ? ?. Laiu's[?] Capital. $4,000,000\00

FILED AND CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION ISSUED

OCT 4 - 1897 A. A. Lesueur[?] SECRETARY OF STATE

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THE STATE OF MISSOURI. ? 9659. CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION.

Whereas, An association organized under the name of

Missouri Edison Electric Company,

has filed in the office of the Secretary of State Articles of Association of Agreement in writing, as provided by law, and has in all respects complied with the requirments of law governing the formation of Private Corporations for

MANUFACTURING AND BUSINESS PURPOSES;

Now, Therefore, I, ALEXANDER A. LESUEUR, Secretary of State of the State of Missouri, in virtue and by authority of law, do hereby certify that said association has, on the date hereof, become a body corporate, duly organized, under the name of

Missouri Edison Electric Company

and is entitled to all the rights and privileges granted to Manufacturing and Business Corporations under the laws of this State for a term of fifty years; And that the amount of the Capital Stock of said corporation is Four Million -- Dollars.

[SEAL]

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I hereunto set my hand and affix the Great Seal of the State of Missouri. Done at the City of Jefferson, this Fourth day of October A. D. eighteen hundred and ninety seven.

A. A. Lesueur. Secretary of State.