One of the most influential of Wayne County’s public servants in the late 19th Century was a Russian immigrant who came to the U.S. with his father in 1849. Richard E. Buehler was born in Libau in the Russian empire on September 16, 1836. Libau lies in the independent country of Latvia today. His parents, Eduard and Hedwig Buehler, were Prussians who had resettled in Russia, where Eduard owned a book and stationary store.
Father and son immigrated from Europe through the port of Bremen, arriving in New York on April 27, 1849, on the ship Minna. From there, they booked passage to Albany, New York, on a steamer. A later biography recounted the steamer was the Swallow and that it sank en route with loss of around 200 people. However, the Swallow sank four years earlier, and it is more likely the pair survived the loss of the steamer Empress, which sank on May 20, 1849.
The Buehlers settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, where Eduard operated a business until 1856. Richard remained with his father until 1855, when he relocated to Covington, Kentucky, to open its first telegraph office. Two years later his skills in telegraphy took him to the Rocky Mountains for three years.
Upon the outbreak of the Civil War, Richard joined the U. S. Military Telegraphing Corps and served throughout the war. His activities with the corps took him to New Madrid, Patterson, and St. Louis in Missouri, and Fort Scott in Kansas.
He also met his future wife during this time, Mary E. English. Mary was born in Cape Girardeau County, but her parents moved to Patterson early in its settlement. The couple married in 1864 and became the parents of five children, four surviving to adulthood.
Buehler served at Fort Benton at Patterson when Price’s Raid occurred. He was captured during a surprise attack by Confederate soldiers commanded by General Jo Shelby on September 22, 1864. The sudden attack prevented Buehler from telegraphing for Union reinforcements, so soldiers in the garrison either fled or were captured. The Confederates captured Buehler and destroyed all his telegraphy equipment.
Buehler returned to Patterson after his discharge. He operated a mercantile business in Patterson until 1873, then moved to Piedmont to follow the same business until 1880. He relocated to the county seat of Greenville, where he lived the remainder of his life. His election as Circuit Court Clerk and Wayne County Recorder in 1882 began his public service. Voters elected him to two, four-year terms, but James B. McGhee defeated him in 1890, and he returned to the mercantile trade.
Buehler was active in the community, especially the masonic lodge. Johnson Lodge No. 158 at Greenville initiated him on March 23, 1867. In 1872, he helped establish Piedmont Lodge No. 449, and he later became a charter member of Williamsville Lodge No. 107 (which later became Greenville No. 107) in 1885. His other memberships in fraternal organizations included Greenville Lodge No. 217 of the International Order of Odd Fellows, and the Friendship Lodge, Knights of Pythias in Piedmont. He also purchased real estate, including purchase of an orange grove in Naranja, Miami-Dade County, Florida for investment purposes in 1890. The family spent winters on the property for a few years.
Richard Buehler fell ill in 1893 and died in St. Louis on August 10. Mary continued living in Greenville until her death in 1923, after selling Buehler Mercantile to her daughter and son-in-law.
