William Chrisman

William Chrisman (November 23, 1822, near Lexington, Kentucky – January 27, 1897 in Independence, Missouri) was born to Joseph and Eleanor Chrisman. He attended Georgetown College and Center College in Kentucky where he received his degree in Law. In 1847 he was admitted to the bar and began practicing law in Danville, Kentucky.

On May 8 or May 10 1848, William Chrisman married Lucie A. Lee, a member of the distinguished Lee family of Virginia. That day, Mr. Chrisman and his bride set out for Independence, Missouri. Upon arrival, Chrisman was admitted to the bar in Missouri and began his law practice on the Independence Square. In 1850 he owned and traded slaves. He owned 3 slaves in 1850. In 1860 he owned 4 slaves.

Immediately an entrepreneur and community activist in addition to being a lawyer and banker, Mr. Chrisman soon managed "...the second largest tobacco plantation west of the Mississippi, and is the namesake of William Chrisman High School in Independence, Missouri...", A section of the 1877 book The Commonwealth of Missouri: A Centennial Record provides considerable information about William Chrisman. However, archaic syntax in the section initially gives a puzzling impression that William Chrisman (instead of his father, Joseph Chrisman) "...died in Clay County, Missouri in 1875".

In 1857, William Chrisman helped found the Chrisman-Sawyer Banking Company, which evolved directly from the already-established "Independence Savings Institution/Independence Savings Association". Over the years, with several changes in partners, the bank became Chrisman-Sawyer Banking Company. In 1995, the bank became known as Hillcrest Bank when Chrisman-Sawyer Bank merged with Hillcrest Bancshares company.

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