History of Caldwell and Livingston counties, Missouri, written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri; a reliable and detailed history of Caldwell and Livingston counties--their pioneer record, resources, biographical sketches of prominent citizens; general and local statistics of great value; incidents and reminiscences, Part 17

Author: Pease, Ora Merle Hawk, 1890-
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: St. Louis, National Historical Company
Number of Pages: 1260

USA > Missouri > Livingston County > History of Caldwell and Livingston counties, Missouri, written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri; a reliable and detailed history of Caldwell and Livingston counties--their pioneer record, resources, biographical sketches of prominent citizens; general and local statistics of great value; incidents and reminiscences > Part 17
USA > Missouri > Caldwell County > History of Caldwell and Livingston counties, Missouri, written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri; a reliable and detailed history of Caldwell and Livingston counties--their pioneer record, resources, biographical sketches of prominent citizens; general and local statistics of great value; incidents and reminiscences > Part 17

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Mr. Chas. Ross says a Mormon named Huntsman was one of the killed, but the Mormon records do not contain his name, and Mr. G. Huntsman of Fillmore City, Utah, says that although three of the Huntsmans, his ancestors, were at the mill the day of the massacre, none of them were hurt.

Two or three days after the Haun's mill affair, Col. Jennings started with his battalion to join the State forces at Far West. His route lay through the northern part of Caldwell county. He had not proceeded far when he met a messenger who informed him that the Mormons there had surrendered, and giving him orders to move to Daviess county and join the forces under Gen. Wilson, operating against the Mormons at Diamon. The battalion was present at the surrender at Diamon, and in a day or so Capt. Comstock's company was ordered to Haun's Mill, where it remained in camp some weeks, watching the widows and orphans of those slain in the massacre, and taking care that no outbreak should occur.

While in camp at the mill, according to the statements to the writer of two members of the company ( Robt. White and James Trosper ), .the militia lived off the country, and " lived fat too." The Mormon cattle and hogs had been turned into the fields and were fat and fine, the mill furnished plenty of breadstuffs, and there were other articles of provisions to be had for the taking. The company remained at the mill until peace was entirely restored.

CHAPTER V.

LEADING INCIDENTS FROM 1832 TO 1860.

The Black Hawk War -The " Heatherly War " - Mormon Claims - Dissenting Mor- mons- A Land Shark - Reminiscences of an Old Settler-Miscellaneous Inci- dents -Two Noted Tragedies of Early Times- Building of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad -- The " Yankees " - Murder of Samuel Stonum.

DURING THE BLACK HAWK WAR.

Upon the breaking out of the Black Hawk War, in the summer of 1832 (see p. 53), there was great alarm and uneasiness among the settlers in the Shoal creek country. The alarm was given that the Indians were moving down from the Iowa country upon the defense- less settlements of Northern Missouri, and it is believed that all of the settlers then living in Caldwell got ready at once to leave. Nearly all went down to Ray county for shelter and protection. Some took with them all their movable property, but a majority fastened up their cabins and took only their families and a portion of their stock, making occasional return trips to look after their household goods and the growing crops in the truck patches. Two or three families never returned. Old Jesse Mann's, the first in the county, was one of these. He settled in Ray, near Knoxville, and made there his per- manent home.

After remaining in Ray county a week, Jesse M. Mann and his wife concluded to brave the supposed dangers and return to their cabin home on Shoal creek, so that Mr. Mann could plow his corn and attend to his crops generally. They did so, and for more than two weeks it is believed they were the only inhabitants of the county. During this time the only human beings they saw besides themselves were two Indians, hunters, who came to their cabin on one occasion. The nearest white people lived fifteen miles distant, in Ray county.

To the westward, in Clay county, Col. Shubael Allen took a hat- talion of volunteers and marched northward nearly to the Iowa line, thence eastward to Grand river, scouting the country thoroughly to see that no Indians were on the war path in that direction or descend- ing upon the settlements in this quarter. No hostiles were encoun- tered and Allen soon returned to Liberty.

(160)

161

HISTORY OF CALDWELL COUNTY.

THE "HEATHERLY WAR."

During the " Heatherly War" (see History of Livingston County ) there was really more of uneasiness and alarm in Caldwell county than during the Black Hawk War. The lying, sensational reports of the Heatherly gang found ready credence among the settlers, and many expected a sudden and bloody savage invasion. The Mormons, then in the county in considerable numbers, agreed to unite with their Gentile neighbors in defending the settlements against the expected raid. There was some mustering at Far West and Salem, and quite a number of the county militia accompanied Gen. Ben Thompson's troops, of Ray and Carroll, on their march into the upper Grand river country.

When the truth was learned, as it was in a few days, the alarm of the people was changed to disgust, and their uneasiness to ridicule and merriment. A good lesson was learned from the " war," however, and thereafter the people were very slow to believe cock-and-bull stories about Indian raids, and felt more confidence in their situation and fewer fears for their safety.

" MORMON CLAIMS."

After the departure of the banished Mormons June 10, 1839, the population of Caldwell county was considerably increased by the ad- vent of parties who had purchased Mormon claims and lands at ridic- ulously low prices, and now sought to make out of them all that could be made. The Mormons' abandoned cabins were occupied by Gentile settlers here and there throughout the county, who in many instances completed the improvements on the farms which the Mormons had begun. Very many, indeed, were the " Mormon Claims," so-called in this county in 1839-40-41.

DISSENTING MORMONS.

Quite a number of those who came to the county with the Mormons and as Mormons, abandoned the church while here and became dis- senters or "renegades." There were two classes of these. One class still embraced the Mormon faith, but refused to be governed by the then authorities of the church, and to follow them to Illinois. To this class the Whitmers and others belonged. The other class com- prised those who renounced entirely both the faith and practices of the church, alleging that they had been deluded and deceived, but that

162

HISTORY OF CALDWELL COUNTY.

now their eyes were opened to the true character of Mormonism, which they charged to be a humbug upheld and covered over by a few unserupulous men who sought their own temporal and personal wel- fare alone. Many of the latter became permanent residents of this and other counties, and in time all recollection and knowledge that they had once been " Mormonites " had passed away, especially after they themselves had passed away. There are many persons yet in this quarter of the State, good orthodox Christians too, who would be astonished to learn that their ancestors at one time believed that there was one God, and that Joe Smith was His true Prophet.

Many tracts of land in this county were entered and patents obtained by the location of land warrants given to the soldiers of the War of 1812. Many of these were bought from the soldiers by speculators and sold to and located by other parties. The sixteenth section of every congressional township was set aside to be sold for the benefit of the public school fund, and could only be offered for sale on petition of a majority of the inhabitants of said township. The county court had jurisdiction over the matter. Some of the sixteenth sections were sold prior to 1850.

A LAND SHARK.

A few years after the Mormons had left there came into the eastern portion of the county a man named Oliver B. Craig, a Kentuckian, from Lexington, who had in his possession a large number of Govern- ment patents for land in this county, on which many settlers were living in undisputed possession, as they thought. Craig had obtained these patents from the Mormons who had originally entered the lands cov- ered by them, and many settlers paid him handsomely to secure pos- session of the initial and only missing links in their chains of title. Others who had deeds of some sort or other from the Mormons whom they had bought out, refused to be blackmailed by this sharper, and old Charley Ross drew a knife on him and by a fervent promise to cut his heart out if he should try to collect a cent from him, induced Mr. Craig to forego the attempt. It is said that the land shark was after- wards sent to the penitentiary from Lexington for horse stealing.

" Smoked titles " came to be known to the people in time, and existed even after the Civil War. These were forged and fraudulent titles and deeds to lands written on paper which had been held in a current of smoke until it turned to a yellowish color, giving it the appearance of age. Certain unscrupulous parties ascertained the numbers of lands on which they knew parties were residing without

163

HISTORY OF CALDWELL COUNTY.

perfect titles to what they claimed to possess, and forging deeds there- to on smoked paper, presented them and demanded either possession of the land for which they called ora cash compromise. A profitable arrangement for the sharpers was usually effected.

REMINISCENCES OF AN OLD SETTLER.

Judge John Brown, a resident of the county since 1839, furnishes the following reminiscences of early days in Caldwell: -

My father, Lowden Brown, settled in this county on the last day of February, 1839. He located on a tract of new land, two and a half miles southwest of where Kingston now stands. He was born in Virginia, in 1790; removed to Pulaski county, Ky., in 1817 or 1818, and to Lafayette county, Mo., in 1838, where he lived until he came to Caldwell, where he purchased 400 acres of land from the Mormons.

The Mormons entered about all the land that was worth entering, and some that was not. There was a cabin on nearly every 40 acres of timbered land. Those who were not able to buy were fur- nished land by the church. They seemed to care for the poor and furnished them homes and kept them at work. They did a great deal of work, all among themselves, especially in building. There were many excellent mechanics among them, but they had not made many public improvements. They built one large school-house near Far West, which was moved before it was quite finished into the town and completed and used as a court-house as long as the county seat was at Far West.

The county seat was removed to Kingston in 1843 and the stakes were stuck where the court-house now stands, where then was a little field in cultivation about as large as the present public square. All around was thick brush. A small road passed east and west a little south of the public square, leading from Far West to Salem, two miles east of Kingston.

At this time there but three water mills in the county, all on Shoal creek - two in the eastern part of the county ( Haun's and White's ), and one north of Far West (Fugitt's). There was a good horse mill north of Far West. It was owned by a Mormon named Gardner, who stayed here some years after the Mormons left.

After the Mormons were driven out, this county was settled by citizens of various States. Although strangers to each other at first, all soon became acquainted, and helped one another as if they all be- longed to one family. The settlers labored under many disadvantages. Every man invested his money in land. The country was new and

164

HISTORY OF CALDWELL COUNTY.

this land had to be put in cultivation and the people supported from it. Very slow progress was made. There was but very little money in circulation ; all had been invested in land.

Very good crops were raised. Wheat was very fine, but it could not be sold for cash; it was hauled to Lexington and bartered for groceries. All the money that the farmers seemed to want was enough to pay their taxes. Dressed pork was worth $1.25 per hundred weight ; milch cows, $10 each ; good horses, $40 - all in trade. Those were hard times, but the people did not complain and seemed to enjoy life. The people had confidence in one another, and every man ad- vised and counseled his neighbor for the best - especially how to keep out of debt. No property was mortgaged to secure a debt; a simple note of hand was sufficient.

Taxes were very low - about 25 cents on the $100. There were very few men whose taxes amounted to $5. Land was not taxed until about 1842. Under the law then, land was not taxed until five years after it had been entered.

The first murder in the county was that of Beatty, by Capt. Saml. Bogart, at Far West, in November, 1839. (Mentioned elsewhere. )

Some of the settlers were Christians, and it was not long after the first settlement until preaching was had in their log cabin homes. I think the first sermon after the Mormons left was preached in my father's house in June, 1839, by Dr. Rainwater, a local Methodist preacher, then of Knoxville, Ray county, and now of St. Louis. People came from all parts of the county to the meeting. The next year the conference sent a traveling preacher up from Richmond. He preached and organized a class at my father's house, and another at Far West; he also preached at the house of Ed. Jones in the western part of the county.

The Old School Baptists held services on Log creek in about 1842, and the Methodists had meetings in Kingston as soon as there was a suitable house to preach in. I believe that the first church house in the county was built by the Presbyterians at Mirabile in 1854 [see history of Mirabile township], and the next by the members of the M. E. South, at Kingston, in 1860, but the latter was not completed until after the close of the war, and was then sold to the Christian Church, as there was no class then of the Southern Methodists.

A minister named Wooster [Worcester?] was killed by lightning in Kingston, in about 1848. He lived near the Elk Grove, south of Breckinridge. He came into town one Saturday evening to have his large prairie plow mended, and left his buggy standing on the north-

165

HISTORY OF CALDWELL COUNTY.

east corner of the square, and sought shelter from an approaching storm in the house, put up by Mr. Doak, the first in the place - still standing. He was standing in front of the fireplace, in the east room, when a thunderbolt struck the chimney and passing through the wall, came down and tore to pieces a clock that stood on the mantel over the fireplace and killed the minister instantly. Some persons believed one of the clock weights struck him and killed him.

MISCELLANEOUS INCIDENTS.

The Presidential campaign of 1840, which was of such general in- terest throughout the country, and is yet memorable as the " Log Cabin Campaign," was the first through which Caldwell county passed after it became a county. There was some excitement among the political partisans and a Democratic or Van Buren meeting was held at Far West, and addressed by Hon. Austin A. King. A small Whig meeting at the same place in the interest of Gen. Harrison, was ad- dressed by James H. Birch, as is best remembered. The Democrats carried the county by a small majority.

In 1843 the county seat was removed from Far West to the newly laid out capital of the county at Kingston. (See chapter on the local history of Kingston. ) Commissioner C. J. Hughes attended to the sale of lots, the erection of the court-house, etc., in an efficient manner, and no complications or difficulties resulted from imperfect conveyances or illegal action. The population of the county at this time was less than 2,000, and of course but little public business was transacted. In 1840 the total population was but 1,458.

Militia musters formed interesting episodes in the life of the people up to the repeal of the militia law in 1846. The able-bodied male population of the county between the ages of 18 and 45 constituted the militia. This force, according to its numbers, was divided into companies, battalions; regiments, brigades and divisions. Sixty men made a company, three companies a battalion, two battalions a regiment, and certain counties comprised a brigade or division district. Some counties had two or more regiments ; Caldwell had but one. Of this Col. Thos. N. O. Butts was colonel ; he was elected by his regiment and commissioned by the Governor.

Under the law the militia were required to meet at stated times for drill and instruction. The members who absented themselves with- out good excuse were liable to fine and imprisonment. The first bat- talion musters were held at Salem, in 1841. Regimental musters were held on the ground where Bonanza now is and at Kingston.

166

HISTORY OF CALDWELL COUNTY.

In 1844 the first tax sales were held in the county. Prior to this time they had been at Jefferson City. The change was of great convenience to the people.

During the Mexican War but few men from this county enlisted and their names are not now recalled. In the eastern part of the county an attempt was made at one time to form a company, but soon abandoned. Two or three men from that quarter joined Capt. Slack's company of Livingston. ( See History of Livingston county. )

But the Mexican War made a market for some of the products of the county, and the ill wind that raised the war clouds blew some- thing of good to the people. Horses and the corn to feed them were in demand at Ft. Leavenworth, the chief depot of the Army of the West. Bacon and flour for the soldiers were wanted, and nearly all of the farmers of Northwest Missouri had something of the kind to sell and disposed of it at good prices. Leavenworth was a nearer and better market then than St. Louis, for the Government uniformly paid gold and silver for what it purchased.

Upon the breaking out of the California " gold fever" in 1849, many of the people of this county caught the infection and were " carried off" by it. In nearly every neighborhood in the county there were victims, although many were not seized with the fever until the following year. It is estimated that during the years 1849 and 1850 more than 100 men left the county for California. Some took the northern route crossing the river at St Joseph ; others crossed at Weston and Leavenworth.

TWO NOTED TRAGEDIES OF EARLY DAYS - THE FIRST MURDER.

The first homicide in the county after the departure of the Mormons was the killing of a man named Beatty, by Capt. Samuel Bogart, at Far West, in November, 1839. Capt. Bogart was the same who commanded a Ray county company in the Mormon war, and is mentioned elsewhere. At the time of the killing of Beatty, however, he lived four miles west of Kingston, south of Goose creek, on a farm which came down to the Plattsburg road. His house was nearly a mile north of the road. Beatty was a young man, and a nephew of Wesley Hines, between whom and Bogart there was a quarrel.

On the day of the homicide there was a special election in the county to fill a vacancy which had occurred in the county court. Capt. Bogart was a candidate, and was that day elected. Far West was a voting place, and the Captain was present, as was Beatty. The

167

HISTORY OF CALDWELL COUNTY.

latter took up the quarrel of his uncle, and accosted Bogart, and the two were quarreling when Beatty advanced upon Bogart in a threat- ening manner. " Stand back," demanded Bogart, " and don't press me." Turning to a Mr. Walters, he said : " Walters, take notice that I have warned him not to press me." Beatty continued to advance, when Bogart, quick as a flash, jerked out a single-barreled pistol and shot him dead.

Immediately afterward Capt. Bogart left for his home. Selecting his best horse he set out at once in an attempt to leave the country and escape the penalty of the law, of which he seemed greatly afraid. Striking southward he rode in the direction of Richmond. It was a rainy season, and all the streams were bank full. Reaching Crooked river, at Dale's mill, after nightfall, he found the stream " booming" high, but dismounting he drove his horse into the water, and seizing its tail was towed across in safety. Arriving at Richmond he called up Wiley C. Williams and informed him he was on his way to the land office at Lexington to enter a very valuable tract of land in this county ; that other parties wanted the same land, and would start for the land office the next morning to enter it, and he must go ahead of them, and that was the reason why he stood before them, all wet and dripping and splashed with mud, and the reason he had called him up at so late an hour was that he wanted to borrow $200 in gold to enter his land. The money was given him, and again he sped away into the night, taking the road to Lexington. Reaching the river he roused the ferryman, and telling him the land story prevailed on him, by paying him a $20 gold piece, not only to ferry him across the river immediately, but to keep his boat on the south side until nearly noon the next day, and on no account to cross any person or persons from the north bank until that time.

Capt. Bogart's cunning but plausible story and his good horse carried him out of danger, and he made his way in safety to that haven of refuge for fugitive criminals in those days - the new Re- public of Texas - where he attained considerable prominence aft- erward, making the country his permanent home. He sent for his family and sold out his property in Caldwell, paid all his debts, and lived a reputable life ever afterward. He was indicted for the murder by the grand jury at Far West not long after its perpetration, but never arrested.

KILLING OF OSTER BY WM. TAYLOR.

In 1847 occurred the murder of a citizen of the county named Oster, who lived in what is now Fairview township, half a mile

168

HISTORY OF CALDWELL COUNTY.

northeast of Elk Grove. He was killed by his son-in-law, Wmn. Tay- lor, who was assisted by his father, younger brother, and Henry Gist.

Wm. Taylor had married Oster's daughter, and the couple had afterward separated, owing, it is said, to Taylor's ill-treatment of his wife, who had returned with her oue child to her father's. The Tay- lors lived in Gentry county. Wm. Taylor had tried repeatedly to get possession of the child then in custody of its mother. At last, one Sunday, when the old man Oster and the most of the older members of his family were at church at Elk Grove, he and his father and brother and Gist raided upon the premises and, after some controversy and struggling, succeeded in getting possession of the child.

The alarm was given by one of the younger members of the family, and Mr. Oster ran home before the kidnapers had left. In some sort of encounter Taylor shot his father-in-law down and rode away, bearing the child before him on a horse. Meeting some parties in the road, he coolly informed them that he had killed " old Oster as dead as a nit," and did not want " any more trouble about it, either !"

All four of the kidnapers were arrested. Wm. Taylor, the principal, was confined in the Buchanan county jail, but escaped therefrom and was never recaptured. Henry Gist burned off the jail door at Platts- burg, where he was confined, came home and was not rearrested, or at least not tried or reimprisoned. Old man Taylor was tried, con- victed, sentenced to the penitentiary for two years, but pardoned out ; the younger Taylor was not tried, the case against him being dismissed.

BUILDING OF THE HANNIBAL AND ST. JOSEPH RAILROAD.

The building of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad through the county, from east to west, in the year 1858, was an event of much importance and consequence to our people. It not only put them in communication with the outside world, but it raised the value of their lands, enhanced that of others, and caused to be built four new towns, whose existence is of so much advantage to the county to-day, and will be for all time. Thousands of people were brought in by the road, new homes were made, and it may truthfully be said that Cald- well county dates the beginning of her really prosperous career from the completion of the Hannibal and St. Joe Railroad.

At first it was contemplated to build the road through the county by way of Kingston, and in such event the county court promised to make a subscription to the stock of the road, amounting to $50,000. A survey was made up Shoal creek, but it is not probable that the

169

HISTORY OF CALDWELL COUNTY.

authorities of the road ever seriously contemplated building it along that line. But there was one compensation for the building of the road through the northern part of the county - there was no large public subscription to pay. The only subscriptions were private, and there were not many of these. The lands granted the road along the line in this county, and the average ease with which the road-bed was constructed, compensated the management for the location. The private subscriptions did not aggregate a very large sum, for at that day the people had but moderate means, and there were not many people either.

As there was no public subscription in Caldwell to the railroad, there was no tedious and expensive litigation over disputed bonds, no break- ing of the public faith, and no fraud or robbery on the part of the railroad.

" THE YANKEES."

After the building of the railroad, settlers came in, as stated, very rapidly. The majority were from the Northern or Eastern States, and were for the most part thrifty, intelligent and. enterprising. These did not confine themselves to any particular portion, but chose loca- tions everywhere. They were especially numerous in the eastern part of the county, and in the northwestern. They brought with them their native " Yankee " industry and tact, and did much towards the development of the county, and in laying the foundations of its present prosperity.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Author: Pease, Ora Merle Hawk, 1890- Publication date: 1886 Publisher: St. Louis, National Historical Company Number of Pages: 1260

Author: Pease, Ora Merle Hawk, 1890-
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: St. Louis, National Historical Company
Number of Pages: 1260