USA > Missouri > Cooper County > A history of Cooper County, Missouri, from the first visit by white men in February, 1804, to the fifth day of July, 1876 > Part 12
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"Samuel Wear, Sr., lived where Wesley Cook now lives, and sold a large farm there to Samuel Burke, late of this county.
"Alexander Sloan was from Kentucky, and settled the place now owned by Peter Spillers. He was the father of William Sloan, who died at Otterville several years ago, and also of the Rev. Robert Sloan, who was an eminent minister of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, and who married a daughter of the Rev. Finis Ewing.
"Robert Kirkpatrick was a Kentuckian, and lived near the New Lebanon graveyard. He died many years ago.
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He was a Revolutionary soldier, and had a son named Da- vid, who was an able minister of the Cumberland church. David met his death by accident; he was thrown from a carriage, severely wounded, and afterwards died from the amputation of his leg.
"Colin C. Stoneman was from Kentucky, and lived at the old cabin still to be seen standing near Andrew Foster's place. He was a practitioner of medicine of the Thomsonian school, and died many years ago.
"William Stone was a Kentuckian, a plain old farmer, and lived on the farm now owned by the Rev. Minor Neale. He was a good man, and died at an advanced age.
"Rev. Frederick Casteel was a minister of the gospel of the Methodist church, and lived near the place now owned by Mrs. Abram Amick.
"Reuben A. Ewing, and his brother Irving Ewing, were Kentuckians, and lived east of Lebanon. The former was a successful farmer, a good man, and died at an advanced age, honored and respected.
"James Berry was also a Kentuckian, and one of the oldest settlers of this new colony. He lived where his son Finis E. Berry, now lives.
"Thomas Rubey was from Kentucky, and lived at Pleasant Green. Henry Small lived at the Vincent Walker place.
"Mr. Smiley was also a Kentuckian, and settled where Mr. Thomas Alexander now lives. Rev. Laird Burns was a Cumberland Presbyterian preacher, and lived where Mr. John P. Downs now lives, in what is known as the Ellis neighborhood.
"John Burns was his brother and lived close to New Lebanon. He was a soldier in the war with Great Britain, was present at the battle of New Orleans, and would often talk with pride about that great event ; of the fearful roar-
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ing of the cannon, of the sharp whistling of the bullets, and the thrilling echoes of martial music, which stirred the hearts of the soldiers to deeds of valor, and enabled the brave army of General Jackson to achieve the glorious victory which ended the war with ' Old England.
"Rev. John Reid was also another minister of the Cum- berland Presbyterian church, a Kentuckian ; he first lived on Honey creek, and afterwards at so many different places, that for want of space in this brief sketch I dare not under- take to enumerate them. Suffice it to say, that he settled more new places in the neighborhood than any half dozen pioneers of the infant colony. He was a very eccentric character in his younger days, would fight at the "drop of a hat," and was never known to meet his match in a hand to hand combat. The writer of this sketch was intimately ac- quainted with him for many years, during the latter period of his life however, and can truly say he never knew a man of steadier habits, nor one more remarkable for strict recti- tude of conduct, or exemplary piety. An anecdote is re- lated of him and the Rev. Finis Ewing, which occurred in his younger days. It was told to me by Mr. Samuel Wear.
"Reid was driving a team for some man who was mov- ing to this county with Mr. Ewing, who had ear bells on his six horse team. The young man liked the jingle of these bells so much that he begged Mr. Ewing to allow his team- ster to divide with him, in order that he might share the music ; but Mr. Ewing ' could not see it' and refused to make the division as requested. Whereupon Reed bought a num- ber of old cow bells and hung one on each horse in his team, which soon had the effect of bringing the preacher to terms. He was so much annoyed with the discord produced by these coarse bells, that he soon proposed a compromise
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by giving Reid his sleigh bells, provided he would stop the cow bell part of the concert.
"Silas Thomas was another Kentuckian, and lived on Honey Creek, near where Lampton's saw mill stood a few years ago.
"James Taylor, better known as 'Old Corn Taylor,' lived in an old log cabin which may be still seen standing a short distance west of the Anthony Walker place. He was another remarkably eccentric character. He had a host of mules and negroes ; always rode with a rope bridle, and raised more corn, and kept it longer than any half- dozen men in Cooper county. This he hoarded away in pens and cribs with as much care as though every ear had been a silver dollar, in anticipation of a famine, which, for many years he had predicted, but which, happily, never came, though the neighborhood was several times visited with great scarcity of that valuable commodity. Although he was miserly in this respect, yet during these times of scarcity, he would generally unlock his granaries, and, like Joseph of old, deal it out to his starving brethren, whether they were able to pay for it or not; that is, if he thought a man was industrious, he would furnish him with what corn he considered necessary ; but tradition informs us that he invairiably refused the required boon to a man, who was found, on examination, to wear "patched breeches," especially if the patch happened to be in a particular local- ity, which indicated laziness.
"Hugh Wear was from Kentucky, and lived in the Ellis neighborhood. He was the father of the Rev. Wm. Bennett Wear, another Cumberland Presbyterian of con- siderable distinction. When his father, who was a Rev- olutionary soldier, enlisted, Hugh, although too young to enter the army, was permitted to accompany his father, and served, during the war, as a soldier, notwithstanding be
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was under the age prescribed for military duty. This was done to prevent his falling into the hands of the tories.
"Rev. William Kavanaugh was a Kentuckian, and an- other Cumberland Presbyterian minister of considerable note. It was said of him, that he could preach louder and longer than any of these old worthies.
"William Bryant was a Kentuckian, and was with Gen. Jackson at the battle of New Orleans. He first settled at New Lebanon, at the place which he afterwards sold to Finis Ewing ; the old brick house where Mr. Kemp now lives. He then moved to the farm now occupied by Wm. B. Harlan.
"Samuel Miller was from Kentucky, and settled on the place now owned by Green Walker. He was a farmer, and afterwards moved to Cold Neck.
"There yet remains but one other man to notice who be- longed to New Lebanon. He was a member of the nu- merous family of Smith, whose christian name I cannot now recall. He settled at a very early period on what is known as the Cedar Bluff, at a nice, cool, clear spring, not far from the place where Mrs. John Wilkerson now lives. Here he erected what was then called a .band mill,' a spe- cies of old fashioned horse mill, so common in those days. It was connected with a small distillery at which he manu- factured a kind of .Aqua mirabilis,' with which the old folks in those days cheered the drooping spirits in times of great scarcity. But Mr. Smith never 'ran crooked.' He paid no license, and sold or gave away his delicious bever- age without molestation from revenue agents, just as he deemed fit and convenient. Revenue stamps and revenue agents were unknown then, and good whisky (there was none bad then,) was not only considered harmless, but drinking hot toddies, eggnog and mint julips was regarded as a respectable, as well as a pleasant and innocent kind of amusement, and quite conducive to health.
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I have thus briefly glanced at the early settlement in the vicinity of New Lebanon, and come now to treat of the colony which was planted south and west of the Lamine, and which was peopled at a subsequent period, known as Otterville township, and which will perhaps embrace a portion of the adjoining territory, included within the limits of Morgan and Pettis counties.
"Thomas Parsons was born in the State of Virginia in the year 1793; moved to Franklin, the county seat of Simpson county, Kentucky, about the year 1819, emigrated to this county in the fall of 1826, and settled at the place now owned by James H. Cline, northwest of Otterville. About the last of October of that year Parsons sold his pre-emption right to Absalom Cline, the father of James H. Cline. In 1826, at the time Mr. Parsons came to this neighborhood, there were only three families living west of the Lamine in this vicinity. These were James G. Wilker- son, William Reed, and William Sloan.
"Mr. Parsons established the first hatter's shop south of Boonville, and was an excellent workman in that line. He was an honest, upright citizen, lived to a ripe old age, and was gathered to his fathers, honored and respected by all who knew him. At the time of his death, on the 7th day of September 1875, he was the oldest free mason in Cooper county, having belonged to that institution nearly three score years.
".William Reed mentioned above, was, perhaps, the first white man who settled in this neighborhood. He was a Tennesseean, and lived near the old camp ground, a little west of what was then known as the 'camp ground spring,' in the old field now owned by George W. Smith, a short distance southwest of the old graveyard. He was the grandfather of A. M. Reed, now of Otterville. He was remarkable for his strict integrity and exemplary piety.
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"James G. Wilkerson was from Kentucky, and settled the farm now owned by George W. Smith, one mile west of Otterville. The old mansion stands, though almost in a complete state of dilapidation, to remind the passer by of the perishable character of all human labor. He sleeps with several other members of his once numerous family, on a gentle eminence a few yards south of the decayed and tottering tenement in which he spent many years of honest toil.
"William Sloan was the son of Alexander Sloan, men- tioned in the notes pertaining to New Lebanon, was the last of the three mentioned above. He first settled the place where Charles E. Rice now lives, in IS26, but after- wards lived, until his death, at the place now owned by Joseph Minteer. He was always remarkable for his scru- . pulous honesty and piety.
"Elijah Hook was from Tennessee, and settled near where Henry Bender now lives, in 1827. He was a hunter and trapper, and obtained a subsistence for his family after the manner of Nimrod, his ancient predecessor, mentioned in the Bible as .the mighty hunter."
"James Brown was a Kentuckian, a farmer, a hard working man, and settled where T. C. Cranmer lives, in IS27. He also was a Nimrod,' and hunted with Daniel Boone.
"James Davis was a Tennesseean, and settled the place now known as the McCulloch farm, in 1827. He was an industrious farmer, and a great rail splitter.
"James Birney was a Kentuckian, and married the daughter of Alexander Sloan, of New Lebanon. He was a farmer, and a man of some note. He settled, in 1827. the farm where John Harlan now lives. He had a grand- son, Alexander Birney, who was formerly a lawyer at Otterville.
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"Frederick Shurley, the mightiest hunter in all the land round about Otterville, in 1827, settled the place now owned by his son Robert Shurley, southeast of Otterville. He was with General Jackson in the Creek war, and was present at the memorable battle of the Horse Shoe Bend, where the Indians, by the direction of their prophets, had made their last stand. He used to recount, with deep in- terest, the thrilling incidents connected with this muzzle to muzzle contest, in which over half a thousand red-skins were sent, by Jackson and Coffee, to their happy hunting grounds.
"Nathan Neal was a Kentuckian, and settled the old place near the Lamine, two miles north of Otterville, in 1827. He was an orderly, upright and industrious citizen.
"George Cranmer was born in the State of Delaware in ISOI, moved to near Paris, Kentucky, while young, and to Boonville, Missouri, in the year IS28. He was a mill- wright and a very ingenious and skillful mechanic. He settled at Clifton in about 1832, and shortly afterwards he and James H. Glasgow, now living on the Petite Saline Creek, built what was known as Cranmer's, afterwards Corum's mill, precisely where the M. K. & T. railroad now crosses the Lamine. Cranmer named the place 'Clifton.' The principal mechanics who helped to build this mill were Ben Gilbert, Jim Kirkpatrick, Nat Garten, son-in-law of William Steele, Esq., a blacksmith named John Toole, Noah Graham and the renowned 'Bill' Rubey, known to almost all the old settlers south of the Missouri river. Cran- mer lived first at the mill, and afterwards at what was long known as the John Caton place, where Thomas C. Cran- mer was born in 1836. The old log cabin is still standing, as one of the very few old land marks yet visible, to remind us of the distant past. Cranmer died at Michigan Bluff's, California, in 1853.
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"Another man will perhaps be remembered by some of our old citizens. He was crazy, and though harmless, used to wander about to the great terror of the children of those days. His name was John Hatwood.
"Clifton was once a place of memorable notoriety. In those early days it was not unfrequently called the Devil's Half Acre.' There was a grocery kept there. after the people began to manufacture poisoned whisky, which had the effect very often of producing little skirmishes among those who congregated there. It was not uncommon for those fracases to end in a bloody nose, a black eye, or a broken head. Happily, however, these broils were gener- ally confined to a few notorious outlaws, whom the order- loving people would have rejoiced to know had met the fate of the cats of Kilkenny.
"There are many amusing incidents connected with the history of the place, but space forbids allusion to only one or two. A man by the name of Cox, who was a celebrated hunter and trapper in this neighborhood, was known as a dealer in tales, connected with his avocation, of a fabulous and munchausen character. There is a very high bluff just below the old mill ; perhaps it is nearly five hundred feet high. During one of his numerous hunting excur- sions, Matthew met with a large bear, which, being slightly wounded, became terribly enraged, and attacked the hunter with his ugly grip before he had time to reload his rifle. This formidable contest between Bruin and Matthew occurred just on the verge of the fearful precipice above described, and every struggle brought them nearer and nearer, until they both took the awful leap, striking and bounding against the projecting erings every few feet. until they reached the bottom of the terrible abyss. You will now naturally say, "Farewell, Matthew !" but strange to relate, he escaped with a few slight scratches. The bear
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had, fortunately for Matthew, been on the under side every time they struck, till they reached the bottom, when he loosed his hold of the hunter and closed his eyes in death.
"Matthew Cox's tales were generally much like this, al- most always terminating favorably to himself, and fatally to his adversaries. This anecdote gave the name of 'Mat- thew's Bluff,' well known to everybody in this neighborhood.
"Some time during the year 1832, the people of this neighborhood became terribly alarmed by the report that the Osage Indians were about to attack and massacre all the settlers in this vicinity. This report started first, by some means at old Luke William's on Cold Camp Creek. The people became almost wild with excitement. They left their plows in the fields, and fled precipitately in the direction of the other settlements towards Boonville. Some of them took refuge in a fort at Vincent Walker's, some at Sam Forbes', and others at Collin Stoneman's and Finis Ewing's. Hats and caps, shoes and stockings, pillows, baskets and bonnets might have been seen along the old military road to Boonville, lying scattered about in beauti- ful confusion all that day and the next, until the excitement had ceased. Fortunately the scare did not last long, as it was soon ascertained that the alarm was false, and that the Osage Indians had not only not contemplated a raid on the white settlements, but that they had actually become fright- ened themselves, and fled south of the Osage river. But the panic was complete and exceedingly frightful while it lasted. A fellow by the name of Mike Chism lived near the Bidstrup Place. Mike had a wife and two children. They were already preparing for flight. Mike's wife was on horseback and had one child in her lap and one behind her, and Mike was on foot.
"Ai this moment, a horseman came galloping up in great trepidation, and informed the little family that the Indians
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were coming by the thousands, and that they were already this side of Flat Creek. On receiving this intelligence, Mike, in great terror, said to his wife, 'My God! Sallie, I can't wait for you any longer,' and suiting his actions to his words, he took to his scrapers in such hot haste that at the first frantic jump he made, he fell at full length, bleed- ing and trembling on the rocks. But the poor fellow did not take time to rise to his feet again. He scrambled off on 'all fours' into the brush like some wild animal, leaving his wife and children to take care of themselves as best they could. He evidently acted upon the principle, that It is better to be a live coward, than a dead hero.'
"Reuben B. Harris was from Kentucky. He was a country lawyer : had no education, but was a man of good natural ability. He settled the place where Montraville Ross now lives, on Flat Creek. He settled here in IS27. He was also a great hunter.
"Hugh Morrison was a Kentuckian. In 1827 he settled the place where the widow of Henderson Finley now lives.
"John Gabriel was also from Kentucky. Settled at Rich- land, at a place two and a half miles east of Florence. He moved there at a very early period in IS19 or 1820. He had a still house, made whisky and sold it to the Indians. He was a rough, miserly character, but honest in his deal- ings. He was murdered for his money, in his horse lot. on his own plantation. He was killed by a negro man be- longing to Reuben B. Harris. The negro was condemned and hung at Boonville. Before his execution, this negro confessed that he had killed Gabriel, but declared that he had been employed to commit the murder by Gabriel's own son-in-law, a man named Abner Weaver. This villain escaped punishment for the reason that the negro's testi- mony was then, by the laws of the United States, excluded as inadmissible. Justice, however, overtook him at last.
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His crime did not stop at the instigation of Gabriel's mur- der. He was afterwards found in possession of four stolen horses somewhere in Texas. In endeavoring to make his escape, he was shot from one of these horses, and thus ended his villainy.
"The first church erected in this neighborhood was built by the Cumberland Presbyterians. It was of logs, and stood near the old grave yard. It was built about the year 1835. Here, for many years, this denomination annually held the old fashioned camp-meetings, at which large numbers of the old citizens were wont to congregate, and here many of them would sometimes remain for days, and even weeks, on the ground in camps and tents, engaged in earnest devotion. But this order of things and this manner of worship have long since gone into disuse. Not a hawk's eye could now discern a single mourner's track, and every vestige of the old church and camp have vanished like the mist before the morning sun, and the primitive religious customs have been entirely abandoned.
"In the foregoing sketches I have briefly glanced at the lives and characters of most, in fact, nearly all of the older citizens who figured in the history of New Lebanon settle- ment, which then comprised our own township, and included the country between the Lamine and Flat Creek. Most of them belonged to a class of men which have passed away.
"It is not my purpose to make inviduous comparisons between them and those of the present day. It is but jus- tice, however, to say, that with few exceptions, they were men of great moral worth, true and tried patriotism, and scrupulous integrity.
"I come now to take a brief survey of matters connected with a later date. The town of Otterville was first called Elkton. It was laid out by Gideon R. Thompson, in the year 1837. The first house built, stood where Judge
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Butler's house now stands. The public square occupied the space of ground now lying between Butler's and Geo. W. Smith's, extending east to a line running north and south, near the place where Frank Arni's house formerly stood. William G. Wear entered the forty acres on which Elkton was built, in the year 1836. and sold it to Thomp- son in 1837. About that time Thompson built the first house as before stated, and he and George Wear built a storehouse directly east of Thompson's dwelling, and little George Wear built a dwelling house on the present site of Colburn's house. James Allcorn built on the north side of the square about the same time. . Long George Wear built the first house within the present limits of Otterville proper. where W. G. Wear's house now stands.
'The town of Otterville was regularly laid out by W. G. Wear in 1854, though several houses had been built pre- vious to that time within its present limits.
".There was no postoffice at Otterville until about r84S. The mail for this neighborhood was supplied from Arator postoffice kept by General Hogan, where Van Tromp Chil- ton now lives. W. G. Wear was the first post master. He held the office until 1851, when the writer of these sketches was appointed, who held the office about ten years. The mail route was a special one from Arator, and was carried on horse back. W. R. Butler was the first contractor, and employed James II. Wear, son of W. G. Wear, to carry the mail twice a week. The mail carrier-then a small boy-now one of the leading merchants of St. Louis, made the trip twice a week . riding a small grey pony called . Tom." which had been bought of Tom Milam, who was then a well known character of the neighborhood. About the time the town was first established, several houses were built on or near the public square.
"Among these were the Masonic hall ; the dwelling House
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built by George W. Embree, north of the hall; one by Samuel Wear, now occupied by John D. Strain ; one by Harrison Homan, in which he now lives; and about this time Robert M. Taylor built an addition to the 'Taylor House.' The brick storehouse known as the 'Cannon & Zollinger' storehouse, was not built until about the year 1856.
"The Masonic Lodge, called ' Pleasant Grove Lodge No. 142, A. F. & A. M.,' was established on the 15th day of July, A. D. 1854, A. L. 5854. The dispensation was granted by the M. W. G. M., of Missouri, L. S. Corn- well, on the 6th day of November, 1854. This dispensa- tion was granted to the following named persons : Wm. E. Combs, Harrison Homan, S. H. Saunders, Wm. Devine, Tarleton T. Cox, Strawther O'Rourk, Moses B. Small, Aaron Hupp, Wm. A. Reed, Wm. R. Butler, Robt. M. Taylor and Geo. W. Embree. The charter was granted May 31st, 1855, and signed by L. S. Cornwell, G. M. ; Oscar F. Potter, D. G. M .; J. W. Chenoweth, D. G. W. ; Henry E. Van Odell, J. G. W. The first officers were as follows: S. H. Saunders, W. M .; Aaron Hupp, S. W .; H Homan, J. W. ; R. M. Taylor, Treasurer ; W. R. But- ler, Secretary, George W. Embree, S. D .; Strother O'Rourk, J. W., and R. J. Buchanan, Tyler.
"The Odd Fellows Lodge was established in October, 1856, under the name of Otterville Lodge, No. 102, I. O. O. F.
"The first officers were as follows : W. G. Wear, Noble Grand; H. A. B. Johnston, Vice Grand ; Samuel M. Homan, Secretary, and John S. Johnston, Treasurer.
"The present Cumberland Presbyterian church was built by Milton Starke, in the year 1857.
"The old Presbyterian church was built by John D. Strain, in 1866, and is now owned by the Baptists.
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"The Methodist and Christian churches were built about the same time in the year 1872. The former was built by M. C. White, and the latter by T. C. Cranmer and T. M. Travillian. They are both neat brick buildings, and orna- ments to our village.
"The public school building was erected in 1869, costing $6,000.
"The Pacific railroad was completed to Otterville from St. Louis in 1860, and this place for a short time became the terminus. Whilst the road remained here, and in fact for a long time previous, Otterville commanded quite a brisk trade, presented a very active and business like ap- pearance, and indeed for a time it flourished like a "green bay tree." But it was not destined to enjoy this prosperity long. The railroad company soon pulled up stakes and transferred the terminus to the then insignificant village of Sedalia, which, at that time, being in its infancy, had scarcely been christened, but, though young, it soon rose like magic, from the bosom of the beautiful prairie, and in a few years Sedalia has become the county seat of one of the richest counties in the State, and a great railroad centre, while truth compeis me to say that Otterville has sunk back into its original obscurity.
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