Missouri State University Libraries
Gillioz Family Collection
Volume: 3 cubic feet
Dates: 1881-2004
Provenance
The collection was donated in 2006 by Helen Reynaud and Mary Sue Fox, the daughter and granddaughter of M.E. Gillioz. Anita Roberts processed the collection in 2007.
Copyright
This collection may be protected from unauthorized copying by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code).Access
The collection is unrestricted. Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish material from the collection must be obtained from the Department of Special Collections and Archives. Citations should be as follows: Identification of the item, box and folder number, Gillioz Family Collection [M023], Department of Special Collections and Archives, Missouri State University.
Biographical/Historical Sketch
M.E. Gillioz may be best remembered for Springfield’s Gillioz Theatre, the only remaining building bearing his name. Known as a road and bridge contractor, Gillioz’s construction projects included various buildings, bridges, roads, and dams that continue to be utilized today. Many of Gillioz’s projects were built during the Depression Era. He managed to employ over 500 men during the 1930s when many people were losing their jobs.
Gillioz grew up on a farm outside of Rolla, Missouri, with his immigrant parents, Alfred and Josephine, and five siblings. He later joined a Santa Fe Railroad construction crew and advanced to foreman of a Frisco Railroad crew after twelve years. During this time, he married his childhood sweetheart, Esmerie Mary Moret, on April 24, 1898. They settled for a short time in St. Louis, where Alma Mignonne was born in 1899 and Blanche Ernestine arrived in 1901. The family later relocated to Rolla, where Marie Josephine and Helen Emma were born.
Gillioz started his construction business with the 1904 reconstruction of the St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Pierce City. He took on many projects in and around the Pierce City area, eventually branching into Monett. In 1914, he and his wife, Esmerie, moved to Monett, Missouri. He became a benefactor to the community. He donated property, equipment, man-hours, and financial investments to the city of Monett and became known as “The Man from Monett” and “Mr. Monett.” A few of his building projects in Monett included the Masonic Temple, City Hall, the Monett High School, the Park Casino, and the Vaisey-Bristol Shoe Factory. Eventually he owned seven businesses in Monett bearing his name, including the Gillioz Construction Company and the Monett Gillioz Theatre.
Throughout Missouri, Gillioz constructed miles of roads, hundreds of bridges, and several dams. Gillioz’s endeavors were not confined to Missouri, however. He completed sewer treatment plants in Kansas, turnpikes in Oklahoma, major highway systems in Mississippi, military bases in Georgia, a veteran’s hospital in Arkansas, and parts of the Skyline Drive in Virginia.
Gillioz was also very active with the Republican Party. He was a delegate at two National Conventions and was selected in 1932 to notify Herbert Hoover of his nomination for his second term as President of the United States. In 1953, he and Mrs. Gillioz attended the inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard M. Nixon, as President and Vice-President of the United States. He was personal friends with Missouri State Representative Dewey Short and President Hoover. In 1957, the Missouri State Senate passed resolution #55 honoring him on his forty-third year of road building in Missouri, with projects totaling more than $31,000,000.
M.E. Gillioz passed away in April 1962. The City of Monett erected a monument in his honor.
Related Collections:
Gillioz Theatre Collection, M024
Gillioz Theatre Collection, Labor Union Archives, LA 18
Scope and Content
The Gillioz Family Collection is a compilation of scrapbooks, newspapers, correspondence, and photographs which record M.E. Gillioz’s life. The collection was transferred from the descendents of M.E. Gillioz to the Archives by Special Collections and Archives student assistant, Anita Roberts. His daughter, Helen Reynaud, and granddaughter, Mary Sue Fox, had previously loaned the materials to the university’s English department for a graduate project. Then the family decided MSU would be the permanent home for the materials.
There are two large scrapbooks in the collection. One was compiled by Gillioz’s daughter, Blanche Gillioz, and spans from 1926 to 1962. It covers all aspects of M.E. Gillioz’s life, including political affiliations, business ventures, construction projects, legal activities, birthday celebrations, and charitable activities. There are newspaper clippings, telegrams, letters, photographs, and other memorabilia. The other scrapbook was compiled by Helen Reynaud, Gillioz’s youngest daughter. It contains numerous newspaper clippings from 1947 to 1957.
The collection also holds two family histories. One is the Gillioz Family History written by Naomi Ericson. The other is the Moret-Gillioz Family Tree written in 1972. There are eighty-seven photographs from the late 1800s to 1969. The collection also includes documents related to M.E. Gillioz’s birthday celebrations. These include letters, telegrams, drawings, guest lists, and invitations. Items related to other family members include Mrs. M.E. Gillioz’s 1881 birth certificate and her 1887 Certificate of Origination from when her family moved from Switzerland to France.
Numerous newspaper and magazine articles are included in the collection with a focus on the Gillioz Bank and Trust and the Gillioz Theatres in Monett and Springfield. Both theatres have programs from their opening nights, along with magazine and newspaper articles throughout the years. Springfield’s Gillioz Theatre, which was restored over a twenty-year period, has numerous newspaper articles documenting the process. The Gillioz Bank and Trust is further documented by items such as a grand-opening guest book, flyers, a money bag, newspaper articles, and many photographs.
Container List
The container list for this collection is available in PDF format. Adobe Reader is required to view the container list.
