USA > Missouri > A history of Missouri from the earliest explorations and settlements until the admission of the state into the union, Volume II > Part 20
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66 German, native of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, son of Jacob Myers and Helen Ventricle ; in 1804 married Rebecca Patterson, native of New Brunswick, daugh- ter of Benjamin Patterson and Betsy Safford.
157
BIG PRAIRIE
north, Augustine Trudell lived in 1794, but afterwards sold his place to Jean Baptiste Barsaloux (1796) and removed to the Arkansas dis- trict, where he secured a concession from Francisco Casso y Luengo, commandant of the Arkansas post in 1802. Sojourner bought from Barsaloux and lived on this place in 1804. In 1802 Richard and Daniel Hazel lived ten miles north of New Madrid, and Robert Quimby, a blacksmith of Tywappity in 1801, opened a farm at the foot of the hills, now in Scott county, in 1803. His nearest neighbors were John, Charles, and Jacob Friend.
Three miles northwest of New Madrid, and west of this lake St. Marys, Jean Baptiste Racine, dit L'Empeigne,67 lived on lake St. Isidore in 1793. He was a native of France. Benjamin Patterson settled on a grant on lake St. Isidore in 1797. Jean Baptiste Gobeau, an interpreter, in 1797, was on this lake; he married Rosalie Lafond, daughter of Dr. Jean Baptiste Lafond.68 Edward Robertson, a trader and a merchant, removed from the Cape Girardeau district to Big Prairie in 1798, and was made syndic of this settlement; owned slaves, and was also authorized "to sell and put off liquor at his place." He had served in the Revolutionary war, and came to the Spanish possessions in 1795, settling first in the Cape Girardeau district, adjoining Andrew Ramsay, but sold out his claim there to him. In 1800 he sold his property in Big Prairie to John McCoulkin, including orchard, horse-mill, and distillery.69 It is not known where he died. Peter Egains or Higgens, native of Pennsylvania, county of York, in 1798, was a resident of this prairie; for a time he made his home with Benjamin Demint on bayou St. Thomas, and seems to have been a man of considerable property. Daniel Barton in 1799 bought property in this prairie where he had a mill and other buildings.70
On bayou St. Thomas, a stream west of the waters of bayou St.
67 Probably the same L'Empeigne who was courier and spy in the employ of the Spanish authorities in 1793-1794, when Genet's filibustering enterprise threatened upper Louisiana. See Lorimier's Journal,p. 8 et seq.
68 Also lived in the village of New Madrid. His children were, Marie, Louise, François, Celeste, Pierre and Auguste Samuel.
69 Joel Bennett was another resident on this lake as early as 1796; Joseph Lewis (1796) Robert McCoy going with him to the commandant as interpreter; Benjamin Douglas (1802) lived with this Joseph Lewis, or on his land; James Macee (or Massey) (1796).
70 Married Catherine Medard, and his daughter married Moses Hurley. In 1802 he boarded with Andrew Scott, paying $10 per month, including sewing and washing; he made a trip to South Carolina; on his return did work in connection with cotton-mill of Christopher Winsor, who was to pay him in ginned cotton packed and inspected, at 25 piastres per hundred, agreeable to the rules of the district.
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HISTORY OF MISSOURI
John and about six miles north of New Madrid, one of the oldest settlements in the country was made. Here Joseph La Plante, dit Thitant, Thisant or Thifault, a merchant of New Madrid in 1791, opened a farm in 1792. La Plante came from Kaskaskia where he had rendered military service, having emigrated to Kaskaskia from Vincennes. 71 The first farm in Brushy Prairie, about eight miles north of New Madrid, was opened by Louis Sojourner in 1802, who bought property from Elisha Jackson on Big Prairie for a horse and rifle. Andrew Burns, in 1803, had a farm here; and George Hacker opened a plantation about the same year. Jean Baptiste Peltier, from Kaskaskia, where in 1790 he served in the militia, was on bayou Carondelet in 1801. Pierre 72 and Jean Baptiste Perron, brothers, and both residents of New Madrid for a time, also cultivated land on this bayou.73 On what was known as lake Eulalie, John Garton
71 Son of Jacques Laplante, of parish St. Magaline, Quebec; married Gen- evieve Thibault, a sister of Nicolas Thibault; their son Isidore was baptised in 1804 at New Madrid. Other settlers were John Baptiste Thibault (1795) was a resident on Big Prairie, and on Prairie des Peches; he was a son of Nicolas; François Hudson (1799) from Richmond, Virginia, was an iron worker and locksmith, married a daughter of General Benjamin Harrison, native of New Hampshire or New York, was also a resident of New Madrid; Peter Cline (1799); Antoine and Bernardo Lafond (1799) "creole des los Illinois", also found on lake St. John and Isidore; John Lovell (1799); Peter Lovell (1799) ; Andrew Ramsay (1799); Nathaniel Shaver (1799) probably the same who was in the St. Louis district; Elizabeth McCardele (1799); Zachariah Thorpe (1799); Thomas and Elisha Windsor (1799) also on bayou St. Henry, Elisha seems to have done considerable work on the plantation of Pierre Higgins, and in 1804 was justice of the peace; Jacob and Conrad Wheat (1799); Solomon Armstrong (1800); Upton C. Butler; David Heaton (or Hatten) (1801); Peter Neal (or Oneal) (1802) in this prairie on lake St. Mary; John Brooks (1802) on the big road; Andrew Robertson (1802), his daughter Elizabeth in 1805 married John Friend; Andrew Robert- son, junior, also here; James Riley (1802); Moses Vanses (or Vance); James Douglas, and on lake St. John; John Hawthorn (1802); Jonathan Hurley, on bayou St. Thomas; Francois Millette.
72 Native of Vincennes, Pierre Riche Perron married Therese Laviolette, (who afterwards married Joseph Riendeau) their son, Pierre, junior, in 1804 married Marie Ann St. Marie (daughter of Francois Xavier St. Marie and Marie Ann Boyer) natives of Vincennes.
73 Others who were on this bayou and in the neighborhood were: Ben- jamin Green (1795) and on lake St. Henry; James or Joseph Demint (1796); Sampson Archer (1797), married Catalina McDowell, and both died prior to 1799, the children mentioned in the inventory were, William, born 1787, Dorcas (1789), Singleton (1796), Thomson (1792), in 1800, property at a place called New Hampshire was sold as belonging to this estate, fronting on lake St. Thomas; John Moore (1797) from Ireland; Mathew McCormick (1795); James Bingston (1798) in 1804 sold to his son Holman, and in 1800 transferred property to his son Henry fronting on lake Antoine, another son Daniel owned property here in 1799, and adjacent; Thomas Twentyman (spelled"Tuintiman" in the census of 1796) who afterwards moved to what is now Cooper county, was a member of the first grand jury there after the county was organized in 1820; François Stockley (1792), in 1795 sold out by Portelle for debt; Thomas Neely, from
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I59
LITTLE PRAIRIE
lived in 1792. Another small settlement existed on lake Le Sieur.74 John Wall, a carpenter, was the first settler on lake Ricardo75 in 1793, but removed to the Red River country in 1796; married Nancy Archer, a daughter of Capt. Sampson Archer.76
South of New Madrid, in what is now Pemiscot county, near where the city of Caruthersville stands, François Le Sieur established a trading post, known as Little Prairie in 1794. He was a lieutenant of the militia, and as such exercised control over the post as civil and military commandant until 1797, although not regularly appointed.77 He was the leading and controlling spirit of the settlement. DeLassus says, that he could not write, but his signature to some documents shows that he could at least write his name. The village of Little Prairie was regularly laid out by Joseph Story, surveyor of the New Madrid district, according to plans suggested by Pierre Antoine La Forge, representing the commandant of New Madrid, sometime after Le Sieur made a settlement. The lots each contained one ar- pen. A fort called San Fernando was constructed on the Mississippi, but both this fort and the site of the original village have long since been carried away by the abrasions of the river. In 1800, Le Sieur erected a horse-mill here, the first industrial establishment of the town. A number of old residents of New Madrid moved to Little Prairie78 from time to time after the village was established. It was a prosperous settlement until the earthquakes of 1811.
Tennessee, a relative of William Neely (1797), son-in-law of Anthony Bledsoe; Louis Coignard (1798) of St. Louis, officer of militia, in 1800 bought property in New Madrid where he engaged in business as a merchant, married Julia Benito, their son Charles Napoleon was baptised in 1804; (Is this not the Coignard that gave Carondelet anxiety as a leader of the St. Louis sans-culotte ?); Pierre Chevalier; Jesse Pendergrast (1801); Adestine Rogers (1800) on Dry Run near this lake; Robert Trotter (1802); Abraham Keeny (1803), also on bayou St. John; Joseph McAlpine (1798).
74 Here resided George Lail, probably George Lail, junior, who in 1800 inherited property from his father George Lail, residing in Bourbon county, Kentucky, prior to 1797; John Hodgens (1802); Dennis Laverture in the militia As early as 1796 Jean Baptiste Dupuys resided on this lake, but removed to Iberville parish, Louisiana, where he lived in 1803; John Watkins (1802) may be Dr. John Watkins, also found at St. Louis a year later and in 1805 at New Orleans.
75 Others on this lake were : Patrick McDuff (1801); John Masters (1802), his sons were Richard, Samuel, Henry, Robert, and Lemuel, Henry afterwards was justice of the peace; William Wiley (or Whylee) (1801); Jennie Pendegrass (1801).
76 From Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, in 1792, Captain of the 2d Company of the 2d Batallion of the Westmoreland Regiment.
17 See letter of DeLassus to Stoddard, in Billon's Annals of St. Louis, vol. 1, p. 370.
18 Among the early inhabitants of Little Prairie we find : John Gallaher (1801), habitant of Washington county, Pennsylvania, on river Pemiscot near the
160
HISTORY OF MISSOURI
North of Little Prairie on Pemiscot (then called Pemiscon) bayou, Hypolite Tirard or Tirart was an early settler.79 Rangon (Ransom) Thacker in 1801 had a grant to establish a flour-mill, and Captain George Ruddle, an inhabitant of Little Prairie, who served in the militia as lieutenant and captain, both before and after the purchase of Louisiana, in 1796 opened a farm on this bayou. His family, when he settled in the Spanish possessions, consisted of a wife and six children. He was a slave owner, and a man of substance. Caronde- let made a grant of land directly to him. Abraham Ruddle also settled on Pemiscot bayou. They were both sons of Isaac Ruddle, of Ruddle's Station, Kentucky. When Ruddle's Station was captured by the Indians and the English under Colonel Bird, the family of Isaac Ruddle was taken to Ohio and divided among the Indians. Thus Abraham and Stephen, then young boys, came to be assigned to the Shawnees and were taken to Piqua where they were adopted and raised by the Indians. As boys they were playmates of Tecumseh.
village; Hyacinth Gayon (1801); Jean Derlac (1801) in the prairie near the village; Peter Nobless (1801) at Grand Côte; François Ouelette (1791) native of L'Islet parish of Notre Dame, Quebec, Canada, son of François Ouelette and Marie Reine Caron, and either he or his son François married Archange Peltier of Vincennes, daughter of Andrew Peltier; Charles L. Onion (or L'Onion) (1801); Joseph Peigne, (1801) English, also spelled Peignel (or Payne); John Ruddell (or Ruddle or Rudole) (1801) in the prairie on river Pemiscot, his daughter Fanny married François Jervais in 1805; Andrew Summers (1801), also in Cape Girardeau district, a native of Glasgow, Scotland, married Elizabeth, a daughter of George Ruddle; James Simpson (1801), also at Big Prairie, mar- ried Pegne (or Peggy) Lovel; Robert Simpson (1794) a resident at one time of Redbanks, Kentucky; Madame Michel-Lacourse (1801); Ebenezer Folson (or Folsom) (1802); Joseph Genereux (1802), probably same who in 1796 was in St. Charles district; Jean Baptiste Hebert dit Fournier (1802), also owned property on rivers Gayoso and St. François; Richard Jicaye (1802); Firman LeSieur (1802); James Martain, in the prairie on river St. Francois; John Oqueny (1802) near the village; Abraham Smith (1802); Jesse Taylor (1802) on Mississippi near the village; John Watkins (1802) in the prairie near the mill of Mr. Ruddle; Richard Lecoy (or Leroy) (1802); Noel Burke (1803) in prairie on river St. Francois; Eloy Dejarlais; Baptiste Ernard near the village; Amable Gayon (or Guion) slave owner; Thomas Harris, in the prairie; Richard Sicay; Pierre Grimard on the Mississippi in Little Prairie, resident of Big Lake and New Madrid.
7º James Clemens (1801), slave owner, had a plantation on this Pemiscot bayou; Benjamin Chaviron (1800); Peter Louis (1801); Absalom Hicklin (1801); Alexander Roy (1802); William Thacker (1802); Abraham Ruddle (1802) ; Wilson Cummins (or Cummings) (1802) ; also John and Robert Cummins, on fork of the Pemiscon; Jean Culberson (1802) on this stream near Little Prairie, also lake Gayoso and lake Lesieur; James Canaway (1802), on the south fork of this river; Joseph Jacobs (1802) on north and south fork of Pem- iscon; Francois Michel (1802) slave owner, seems to have been in territory in 1793; Alexander Sommerville, on the north fork of Pemiscon; Benjamin Lewis VanAmburg, slave owner, also resident of town; William and Jeremiah Cana- way (or Conway); Hezekiah Day of north fork of Pemiscon, and Mississippi.
161
PORTAGE BAY
Abraham Ruddle was six feet one inch high, spare and bony, and in his conversation betrayed that he had been raised by the Indians. 80 He died in about 1830, on Lake Gayoso. Only a short distance from Little Prairie a number of settlers also received concessions. 81
The most important settlement, south of New Madrid, was at the big Portage of the St. François, as it was designated at that time, near what is now Portageville in New Madrid county. At this point, from a very early period in the history of the country, a portage had been established between the waters of the St. François and the Mississippi. Here canoes and pirogues, came up the St. François and Little rivers through Portage Bay, and cargoes, were carried across the land to waters connecting with the Mississippi. Among the French-Canadian voyageurs who lived here and secured grants, we note Joseph Hunot, who was lieutenant in the militia, and an early resident of New Madrid. His name is signed as witness to many documents from 1791 to 1799. Toussaint Godair or Goder, who at one time resided in the Cape Girardeau district, and after- ward in New Madrid, had a concession here. 82
On Open Lake near Portage Bay, and connecting with it, Major Jean Baptiste Olive made a settlement in 1797. He was a native of France, and one of the few emigrants residing in upper Louisiana who directly immigrated to the country from France. He first settled at New Madrid, where he was sub-lieutenant of militia, and baker in the army ; was also a merchant, and in 1805 a justice of the peace ;
do Draper's Notes, vol. 22, No. 45. Isaac Ruddle married Elizabeth Bowman, in Kentucky, in 1779, daughter of Colonel Bowman of the Illinois Regiment. He settled at Ruddle's Station with several families, in 1780, where they were captured. Captain Isaac Ruddle and wife were released through influence of Major Lenoult of the English army who found Captain Ruddle was a fellow-Mason; but the two boys who had been given to the Shawnee Indians could not be found. After they escaped they were much engaged in the Indian wars of the time, and at one time Abraham was again captured by the Indians and in great danger of being killed.
81 Among others farming on lake Gayoso were: Antoine Poriere (1801); François Trenchard (1802) and John Montmenia (or Monmirel), the last two named at one time resided at New Madrid; François DeLisle (1802), in 1806 married Cesell Gilbeaugh; Charles Loignon (1802); Pierre Robert (1802), son of deceased Pierre Robert and Therese St. Aubin, natives of Detroit, married Jeanne Riendeau, daughter of Joseph Riendeau and Therese Raphiante, or Monmirel, Vincennes; A. P. D. Robert also here; Alexander Jackson (1802); Steward Cummings (1802); Joseph Coupneau (or Coussineau) (1803); Joseph Ferland (1803).
82 He married Elizabeth Chapart, and lived for a time at Vincennes; their son Toussaint, junior, in 1800 married Marie Victoire Hunot, native of Vin- cennes, daughter of Joseph Hunot, senior. A cousin-german Andrew Goder, was present at this wedding.
162
HISTORY OF MISSOURI
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his wife, Anne Victoire Auguste, owned a number of tracts of land in this section. 83 Benoni Patterson opened the first farm on the road between Little Prairie and New Madrid. John Patterson, from Kas- kaskia, in 1802, and Hiram Patterson lived in the neighborhood at the same time.
The extensive bottom on the west bank of the Mississippi, opposite the mouth of the Ohio, from the Scott county hills on the north, to St. James bayou (then called St. Jacobs bayou) on the south, and extend- ing westward to Little river, was then and is still known as Tywappity bottom, the word being variously spelled, "Theouapita," "Tiwap- paty." It was in this bottom of the river that Major Hamtramck wrote that in 1788 a village by the name of "Ze-wa-pe-ta" was formed, thirty miles above the mouth of the Ohio, likely not far from the present town of Commerce, which he says in the summer of that year consisted of 30 to 50 families, 84 the settlers all being Ameri- cans and induced by the Spanish officials to come over the river by liberal land grants.85 The soil of this Tywappity bottom is of
83 Probably the first residents on this lake and river were: Jean Baptiste and François Dubois, residents in 1791 ; Louis Dubois was another early resident, native of Montreal, Canada, in 1797 married Madalaine Hunot (widow of Antoine Gamelin) whose parents were also natives of Canada; Robert Upham (1796); Daniel T. Vaughn (1797); Michel Lacourse (1797), married Josephe Desjarlais, sold property on this lake to Joseph Tremblay, a native seem- ingly of Canada; Thompson Crawford (1802); Philip Lady (1802); Jean Baptiste Maisonville (1800), also François Maisonville, the same who for a time lived among the Shawnee Indians on Apple creek, and there married a sister of Tecumseh; Etienne St. Marie, junior, son of Etienne residing in the village of New Madrid as early as 1792; Louis Legrand (1803) also at Ste. Genevieve; Henry Goder (Godair) (1795) of Vincennes, brother of Andrew; John Benoist, (or Benoit) (1803); Jean Baptiste Chatillon (1803), also seems to be spelled Chandillon; John Dany (1803), between Big and Small Bay of Portage; Thomas Graves (1803); Pierre Lausson; Labruissier (Labuxiere); Joseph Perez, formerly a soldier; Antoine and Michel Bonneau; Etienne Boveau; Ignace Belon; Joseph Badeau; William Crafford (or Crawford) may be the same also found on the)St. François in New Madrid district; Joseph Dumay, laborer, west of this river; Eustache De Lisle, on small Bay of portage; William Doyle, on this river and Cypress creek; Joseph Lapointe.
84 See Harmer Papers, vol. 2, pp. 50 et seq.
85 Probably the earliest settler in this bottom was William Smith, who came, from Kentucky and settled on the Mississippi in 1797, and built an establish- ment for the convenience of strangers opposite Wolf island, evidently a sort of tavern, in 1800 sold to John Johnson; John Bannister (1800); Lemon China (1800); Frankie (or Franklin) and James Bradburn (1801); Moses Burnet (1801) who married Elsie Bowie; Jesse Blanks (1801) and in prairie on Brushy pond; John Clemings (or Clemons) (1801), afterward moved to New Madrid; John Clement (1801); Jesse Clauck (or Clark) (1801); Isaac Devore (1801); Charles Demos (1801); William Doss (1801), sold in 1802 to John Tucker; Daniel Freiseu (or Frazer); Elisha Friend (1801); Richard Green (1801); William Gibson (1801), also in New Madrid; Thomas Hoff (or Hoss), senior and junior (1801) owned slaves; Etienne and Stephen Jones (1801) slave owners;
163
REAZON BOWIE
wonderful fertility. It was then covered with great forests, inter- spersed with small prairies, numerous lakes, (the remnants of former beds of the Ohio and Mississippi), and many sluggish streams called bayous flowed throughit. Partof this bottomproduced rushes eightfeet high, so large and thick that it was difficult for a man to make his way among them. On one of the lakes, Marais des Peches (Fish Lake), Reazon Bowie of Georgia, and famous as the inventor of the bowie- knife, settled prior to 1800. He was appointed syndic of the Tywap- pity settlement. With him came his son David Reazon, Junior, and his brother John. Reazon Bowie was a brother of James Bowie, who died with Crockett and others in the defense of the Alamo, and whose name has thus been apotheosized. The Bowies were slave owners; their sister, Elsie, who came with them, married Moses Burnet, of whom mention has already been made. About 1802 Reazon Bowie and his family moved to Bushley's bayou in what was then known as Rapides parish, lower Louisiana, settling near the Catahoula prairie, and here the name became famous in the annals of western Louisiana and Texas.86 On the Marais des Peches also settled John Robertson, with his son John Robertson, Junior, who Phoebe Jones (1801) widow, owned three slaves; Emsley Jones (1801) in this bottom on the Mississippi, expelled from the Cape Girardeau district and afterwards hung at Kaskaskia, (Reynolds' Histroy of Illinois, page 254); Mirab Jones (1801); Caleb Malachi and Richard Jones (1802) all owned slaves; Robert Lane (1801) on the Mississippi; Benjamin Laugherty (1801); Josiah Quimby (1801); Stephen Quinly (or Quimby) (1801); Nicholas Revely (or Revillee) (1801) of Cape Girardeau district; Nicholas Rabley (1801); John Smith (1801); John Wilburn (or Welborn) (1801); James Currins (or Curry) (1802), on the Missis- sippi, owned nine slaves; Thomas Bruce (or Cruce) (1802), slave owner; Henry Canon (1802); Henry Cockerham (1800) on the Mississippi; Thomas Clark (1802); Jesse Bouding (1802) from Kentucky, one slave; François Beardin (1802) leased to Daniel Stringer for three years; Silas Fletcher (1802) had a grant with David Haten, but abandoned by them; Louis Miller Fullwood (1802); William Hacker (1802); Samuel Kenyon (1802); Agnew Massey (1802); Charles Lucas (1802) in Cape Girardeau militia company in 1802; John Lloyd at Cypress swamp; Alexander Milegin (or Millikin) (1802); John L. Norrisses (or Norris) (1802)at head of this bottom; James Norris (1802); George Stringer; Daniel Sexton, on Mississippi and Brushy pond, Reese Shelby, farmer, son of David; Mary Smith (1802) widow; Joshua Sexton (1802); Daniel Stringer (1802) married Eliza McCollack; Daniel Stringer, junior, in 1802 on Big Prairie; widow Tash (1803); Josiah Vicery (1802), on the Mississippi; Brous- saille (1803) fronting on Lake Broussaille; Peter Laflin; John Nicholas Shrum (1803) at a place ten and one half miles above the mouth of the Ohio, called "Shrum's Point".
86 In 1831 Reazon Bowie and eight others on the San Saba resisted success- fully an attack of one hundred and sixty Commanche Indians, killing twenty- one of them, among whom was the chief. This exploit at the time attracted great attention, and was fully reported by Colonel James Bowie, his brother. (Brown's History of Texas, vol. I, p. 170.) By mistake usually the invention of the Bowie-knife was attributed to James Bowie, when in reality Reazon Bowie first made this knife out of an old iron wheel-tire.
164
HISTORY OF MISSOURI
married Polly Friend, in 1805, daughter of Charles Friend.87 North of Fish Lake was Bayou de Bœuf, 88 and a few miles west of the lake, the prairie where the city of Charleston, in Mississippi county, is now situated. This prairie was known during the Spanish occupancy as "Prairie Carlos," but afterwards among the American settlers became known as "Mathew's Prairie." It was a favorite pasture of buffalo, and in 1781, when Fort Jefferson was besieged by the Indians Jospeh Hunter crossing the river, hunted and killed buffalo here, and carrying the meat to the river thus supplied the starving garrison. The first pioneer settler was Charles Finley, in 1800. He sold his claim to Abram Bird, Senior. Edward Mathews came to this prairie in the same year; so also Edward, Junior, Joseph and Charles Mathews.89 Abraham Bird in 1798 received a grant from De Lassus on the Mississippi-opposite the north of the Ohio and which thus became known as "Bird's Point". He and his brother Thompson were related to the "Byrds" of the Cape Girardeau district, although spelling their names differently. The original grant has long since been carried away by the Mississippi and much other land belonging to the family. It would lead us too far to mention here the numerous other settlers,90 but in a sub-
87 Others found on this lake were: James and David Trotter (1801). David in 1802 seems to have been murdered by the Mascoux Indians; Jean Tanhill prior to 1802 settled on this lake; Charles Hogens (1802); James Jameson (1802), near Prairie des Peches, and in 1804 at Lake St. Mary; boarded five months with William Deakins, and after his death in 1804 his property sold to pay board; Spencer Adams.
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