History of Cooper County, Missouri, Part 22

Author: Johnson, William Foreman, b. 1861
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: Topeka : Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1464

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The cause which gave rise to the establishment of the branch of the Presbyterian church was, that the mother church required her ministers to possess a classical education before ordination, which was by the new church not regarded as absolutely indispensable, though its ministers were required to cultivate a knowledge of the elementary branches of the Eng- lish language.

At New Lebanon these early pioneers pitched their tents, and soon began the erection of a rude building as a sanctuary, which, when com- pleted, they called New Lebanon, in condistiction to the house in which they had sung and worshipped in the state from which they had formerly emigrated. It was built of hewed logs, and the settlers of this little colony united in the project of building, each furnishing his proportionate quota of the logs requisite to complete the building. These logs were double ; that is, each log was twenty-four feet in length, being joined in the middle of the house by means of an upright post, into which the ends were mortised, thus making the entire length of the church forty-eight feet, by thirty feet in width. This building served as a place of worship for many years, until about the time of the war, when the new and neat brick church of the present day was erected on the site of the old one, which was torn away.

The members of this church constituted the prevailing religion of the neighborhood for many years, and most of the characters portrayed herein were connected with this denomination.

The Rev. James L. Wear was also for many years a Cumberland Presbyterian preacher. He was a good man, and lived close to New Lebanon, where Frank Asberry now lives. He died at the old mansion in about 1868. He was a brother of John Wear, who first lived at New Lebanon at the place now owned by Mr. Majors and afterwards at Otter-

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ville where Mr. Anson Hemenway now lives. The first school taught in Otterville, or in Otterville township, was taught by his son, known by the sobriquet of Long 'George.' They were originally from Kentucky, moved to Howard County in 1817, and afterwards to New Lebanon at the date above indicated.

Samuel Wear, Sr. and James H. Wear were brothers, and came from Tennessee, the latter being the father of William G. and Samuel Wear, Jr., as before stated, and lived in the place now occupied by William Walker. He was a successful farmer and died in good circumstances.

Samuel Wear, Sr., lived where Wesley Cook now lives and sold a large farm there to Samuel Burk, 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 Leb- anon graveyard. He died many years ago. He was a revolutionary soldier, and had a son named David, 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 ampu- tation 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 a good 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 Grove. 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

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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 Britain, was present at the battle of New Orleans and would often with pride talk about that great event, of the fearful roaring of the cannon, of the sharp whistling of the bullets and the thrill- ing 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 Cumberland Presby- terian church, a Kentuckian; he first lived at Honey Creek and afterwards at so many different places, that for want of space in this brief sketch I dare not undertake to enumerate them. Suffice it to say, that he set- tled 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 acquainted 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 rectitude of conduct, or exemplary piety.

Reid was driving a team for some man who was moving 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 well that he begged Mr. Ewing to allow his teamster 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 re- quested. Whereupon Reid bought a number of cow bells and hung one on each horse of 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 by giving Reid his sleigh bells, provided he would stop the cow bell part of the concert.

Silas Thompson 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 still be seen standing a short distance west of the Anthony 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 if every ear had been a silver dollar, in anticipation of a famine, which.

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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 tradi- tion inform us that he invariably refused the required boon to a man who was found, on examination, to wear 'patched breeches', especially if the patch happened in a particular locality, 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 considerable distinction. When his father, who was a Revolutionary 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 he was under the age prescribed for military duty. This was done to prevent his falling into the hands of the tories.

Rev. Wm. Kavanaugh was a Kentuckian and another Cumberland Presbyterian preacher of considerable note. It was said of him, that he could preach louder and longer than any of these old worthie's.

William Bryant was a Kentuckian and was with General Jackson at the battle of New Orleans. He first settled at New Lebanon, on 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 William 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 belonged to New Lebanon. He was a member of the numerous family of Smith, whose Christian name I cannot now recall. He settled at a very early period on what is known as 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 species of old fashioned horse mill, so com- mon in those days. It was connected with a small distillery at which he manufactured 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 beverage without molestation from revenue agents, just as he

PATRIOTIC PARADE. BUNCETON, MO.

BELL AIR RURAL HIGH SCHOOL

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deemed fit and convenient. Revenue stamps and revnue agents were un- known then, and good whiskey (there was none bad then) was not only considered harmless, but drinking hot toddies, eggnog and mint juleps was regarded as respectable, as well as a pleasant and innocent kind of amusement, and quite conducive to good health."

Otterville Township .- "I have thus briefly glanced at the early settle- ment 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 the 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 of Simpson, Kentucky, about 1819, emi- grated 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 Absolom Cline, the father of James H. Cline. In 1826, the time Mr. Parsons came into this neighborhood, there were only three families living west of the Lamine in this vicinity. These were James G. Wilkerson, William Reed and Wil- liam 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, which occurred on the 7th day of Sept., 1768, 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.

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, although almost in a complete state of dilapidation, to remind the passer of the perishable quality of all human labor. He sleeps, with sev-

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eral 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, the son of Alexander Sloan (mentioned 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 1826, but afterwards lived, until his death, at the place now owned by Joseph Minter. He was always noted for his scrupulous honor 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 like Nirmod, 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 1827. He was also a 'Nimrod', and hunted with Daniel Boone.

James Davis was a Tennesseean and settled the place now known as the Mccullough farm, in 1827. He was an industrious farmer and a great rail splitter.

James Birney was a Kentuckian and married the daughter of Alex- ander 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 grandson, Alexander, who was formerly a lawyer at Otterville.

Frederick Shurley, the mightiest hunter in all the land round about Otterville, in 1827, settled the place now owned by his son, Robert Shur- ley, southeast of Otterville. He was with General Jackson in the Creek War, and was present at the memorable battle of Horse Shoe Bend, where the Indians, by the direction of their prophet, had made their last stand. He used to recount with deep interest, the thrilling incidents connected with this muzzle to muzzle contest, in which over half a thousand redskins were sent by Jackson and Coffee to their happy hunting grounds.

Nathan Neal was a Kentuckian and settled the old place near 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 1801, moved to near Paris, Kentucky, while young, and Boonville, Missouri, in the year 1828. He was a millwright and a very ingenious and skilful 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 then

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known as Cranmer's, afterwards Corum's mill, precisely where the Mis- souri, Kansas and Texas railroad now crosses the Lamine. Cranmer named the place Clifton. The principal mechanics who helped to build this mill were Benjamin Gilbert, James Kirkpatrick, Nathan Garten, son- in-law of William Steele, Esquire, a blacksmith named John Toole, Noah Graham, and the renowned 'Bill' Rubey, known to almost all the old settlers south of the Missouri River. Cranmer lived first at the mill, and after- wards at what was known as the John Caton place, where Thomas C. Cranmer was born in 1836. The old log cabin is still standing, as one of the few old landmarks yet visible, to remind us of the distant past. Cran- mer died at Michigan Bluffs, California, in 1853.

Another man will perhaps be remembered by some of our old citizens. He was crazy and although 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 remarkable notoriety. In those early days it was not unfrequently called the 'Devil's Half Acre.' There was a grocery store kept there, after the people began to manufacture poisoned whiskey, which had the effect of often 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 generally 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 num- erous hunting excursions, 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 con- test 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 crags every few feet, until they reached the bottom of the terrible abyss. You will naturally say, 'Farewell, Matthew,' but strange to relate, he escaped with a few slight scratches. The bear had, fortun- ately for Matthew, been on the under side every time they struck, till they

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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, almost always terminating favorably to himself, and fatally to his adversaries. This anecdote gave rise to the name 'Matthew's Bluff, well known to everybody in this neighborhood.

Sometime during the year 1832, the people of this neighborhood became 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 Williams 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 Boon- ville. 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 beautiful confusion all that day and the next, until the excitement had ceased. Fortunately the scare did not last long, as it was soon ascer- tained 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 frightened 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 a flight. Mike's wife was on horseback and had one child in her lap and one behind her and Mike was on foot.

At this moment, a horseman came galloping up in great trepidation, and informed the little family that the Indians were coming by the thou- sands and that they were already on 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, took to his scrapers in such hot haste that at the first frantic jump he made, he fell at full length, bleeding 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,

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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 1827. 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 and settled at Richland, at a place two and one-half miles east of Florence. He moved there at a very carly period, in 1819, or 1820. He had a distillery, made whiskey and sold it to the Indians. He was a rough, miserly character, but honest in his dealings. He was murdered for his money in his horse lot, on his own plantation. He was killed by a negro man belonging 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 testimony was then, by the laws of the United States, excluded as inadmissible. Justice, however, overtook him at last. His crime did not stop at the instigation of Gabriel's murder. He was after- ward 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 Cum- berland Presbyterians. It was of logs, and stood near the old graveyard. It was built about the year 1835. Here, for many years, this denom- ination 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 discern a single mourners 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 characters of most, in fact, nearly all of the older citizens who figured in the history of New Lebanon settlement, 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 since passed away.

It is not my purpose to make invidious comparisons between them and those of the present day. It is but justice, however, to say, that with

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few exceptions, they were men of great moral worth, of true and tried patriotism and scrupulous integrity."

Otterville .- "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 1837. The first house built, stood where Judge Butler's now stands. The public square occupied the space 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 Thompson in 1837. About that time, H. Thompson built the first house as before stated, and he and George Wear built a storehouse directly east of Thompson's dwell- ing, and little George Wear built a dwelling house on the present site of Colburn's house. James Alcorn 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 previous to that time within its present limits.

There was no postoffice at Otterville until about 1848. The mail for this neighborhood was supplied from Arator postoffice, kept by General Hogan, where Van Tromp Chilton now lives. W. G. Wear was the first postmaster. He held the office until 1851, when the writer of these sketches was appointed, who held office about ten years. The mail route was a special one from Arator and was carried on horseback. W. R. But- ler was the first contractor and employed James H. 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 Milham, 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 built by George 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

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History of Cooper County, Missouri, Part 22

Author: Johnson, William Foreman, b. 1861 Publication date: 1919 Publisher: Topeka : Historical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1464

Author: Johnson, William Foreman, b. 1861
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: Topeka : Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1464