USA > Missouri > Randolph County > History of Randolph County, Missouri > Part 7
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1.25
Allowed by law for collecting
20.20
1
1
I
$21.45
Leaving a balance of two hundred and thirty-two dollars and fifteen cents in his hands, together with the sum of two dollars and ninety- nine cents, received by him on licenses, which is ordered to be paid to the county treasurer.
In August, 1830, the county court made the following order:
The clerk is ordered to procure a seal for the county court, with the emblem of the American Eagle, provided the same can be had on reason- able terms.
Robert Wilson was appointed commissioner of the county seat. William Goggin and Nancy, his wife, and Gideon Wright and Rebecca, his wife, Daniel Hunt and wife, and Henry Winburn and wife all made deeds without compensation, conveying land to the county for the seat of justice. Each gave twelve and a half acres, aggregating 50 acres. Reuben Samuel was appointed superintendent of public buildings.
The first guardian appointed by the county court of Randolph county was John Harvey, who was appointed guardian of Drucilla Wheldon, minor child of John Wheldon, deceased. Davis and Currin were granted the first license to keep a tavern; their stand was at the house of Wil- liam Goggin. The license for the same cost them $10. John Taylor was the second tavern keeper.
The first bridge of any importance, constructed in the county, was built over the east fork of the Chariton river, on the first high bank above Baker's ford, in 1829. The citizens paid half of the cost by sub- scription, and the county court subscribed the other half. Henry B. Owen was the contractor, and received $1.65 for building half of the bridge. In 1830 Nicholas Dysart was allowed the sum of $56 for assess- ing the county.
The early records of the circuit court and recorder's office, espe- cially the record of deeds in the latter office, were destroyed by fire in 1882, at the time the court-house was burned; consequently we are forever precluded from knowing just exactly what they contained.
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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
The first circuit court within and for the county of Randolph, was held at the residence of William Goggin in 1829. The Hon. David Todd, of Boone county, was the presiding judge; Robert Wilson was the clerk, Hancock Jackson, sheriff, and James Gordon, prosecuting attorney. The following persons composed the first grand jury: George Burckhartt, foreman ; Peter Culp, Ambrose Medley, William Baker, Lawrence Evans, Terry Bradley, Edwin T. Hickman, Francis K. Collins, Levi Moore, Jere- miah Summers, Robert Boucher, Richard Blue, Henry Martin, Thomas Kimbrough, Moses Kimbrough, James Davis, John Bagby, John Dunn, William Upton, Robert Dysart, John Martin, William Pattin, Isaac Harris. They closed their labors on the second day of the term, having found two indictments,-one against John Moore for "assault and battery," and one against John Cooley, for resisting legal process.
The following attorneys were in attendance upon this court: Robert W. Wells, attorney-general; John F. Ryland, Gen. John B. Clark, Joseph Davis, Thomas Reynolds and Samuel Moore. Each one of the above named attorneys, excepting Moore, afterwards occupied honorable posi- tions in the councils of the state. Wilson and Gen. Clark were in the congress of the United States, the former being a senator.
This second grand jury was made up of John Dysart, foreman; James Davis, John Owens, David Turner, William Mathis, Thomas Prather, William Kerby, Jacob Epperly, Nicholas Tuttle, Robert Elliott, George W. Green, Thorett Rose, Elisha McDaniels, John D. Reed, John Gross, James Cooley, John McCully, Dr. William Fort, Nathaniel Floyd, David Floyd.
CHAPTER XI
EARLY WARS.
BEFORE WAR OF 1812-INDIANS IN WAR OF 1812-FORTS CONSTRUCTED IN BOONS- LICK COUNTRY-INDIAN WARFARE-SETTLERS KILLED BY INDIANS-CAP- TAIN COOPER ASSASSINATED -CAPTAIN SARSHALL COOPER'S COMPANY- MEXICAN WAR-COMPANY ORGANIZED IN RANDOLPH COUNTY-CIVIL WAR.
Doubtless before the War of 1812 began, the Missouri Indians were at heart hostile. They were idle, shiftless and treacherous, from the white man's viewpoint. In the presence of the settler, they were apparently frank, accommodating and kind. Yet they knew by experience that the white man coveted their lands, hence was their enemy, and that eventually they would be dispossessed of their hunting grounds, all of which subsequently came to pass.
Immediately upon the breaking out of hostilities the settlers in the Boonslick country began to erect forts in every neighborhood. Four were constructed north of the Missouri river and two south.
The largest, Coopers fort, a stockade flanked by log houses, was erected in the bottom south of Glasgow and near the Missouri river. A common field of 250 acres lying between the fort and said river was worked by all of its inhabitants. Some twenty or more families and a number of young men took refuge therein.
McLeans fort, or Fort Hempstead, was situated on a high hill near Sulphur creek, about a mile west of New Franklin.
Fort Kincaid was near the river about a mile and a half from the present site of old Franklin.
Heads fort was four miles from Rocheport on the "Big Hill" near the old Boonslick trail. It was the most easterly fort of the settlement.
South of the river was Coles fort, a mile and a half east of the pres- ent site of Boonville.
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HIGH SCHOOL, MOBERLY, MO.
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WOODLAND HOSPITAL, MOBERLY. MO.
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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
In 1814, the Hannah Cole fort was erected on a bluff overlooking the Misosuri river not far from Boonville. The settlers of these several neighborhoods took refuge in these forts and so remained until peace was declared. Thus situated, co-operation, so vitally necessary for the safety of all, was rendered difficult. They made common cause of their danger, however, and stood together and extended to each other armed aid. And when on one occasion the settlers in Cole's fort, south of the river were threatened with extermination and escaped across the river to Fort Kincaid, they found not only a refuge, but an indefinite right of hospitality.
There were no phones in those days whereby one fort could com- municate with the other in safety. When danger appeared, some daring man or woman if need be, must take his life in hand and bear the mes- sage in person.
Beside these imprisoned women and children and men as well must be fed and the woods was their larder. The hunter must go forth, other- wise a famine. The hunters went at duty's call, sometimes he did not return, for the Indian was a "bushwhacker," the first of the kind.
Fair play and no favors was no part of his war creed, nor is it now among so-called enlightened nations, as it once was in the days of chiv- alry. The Indian preferred to lie in wait and slay his enemy from am- bush. The redmen were not cowards, but they went on the warpath to kill, not to be killed. A scalp counted, whether obtained by a shot from the bush or in open fight, and he preferred to shoot when concealed; it was safer. Indians were seldom reckless in battle, but if need be they knew no fear. Today full blood Indians who served with the Amer- ican forces in France in the late World War, are wearing "decorations" awarded them for efficient and daring service, unsurpassed by any sol- dier of any nationality. The Indian as a foe was cruel and vengeful, but what about the white race in this last great war. Waged as it was by enlightened nations that claim to be Christian countries as well. Every damnable device that inventor could design or chemist discover was used to cruelly and effectually destroy life and future health. Thou- sands of hopeless invalids may today be found in the countries engaged with lungs burned beyond repair by poison gas, who must suffer until life ends.
Thus it has come to pass that the savage Indian of more than a century ago has been so far outdistanced in cold-blooded war cruelty, as to make the redman of that time appear comparatively humane.
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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
During the war of 1812 it is definitely known that the Indians took the lives of ten of these early settlers, two south of the river, and eight north, in the Boonslick country.
In 1812. two men from Cole's fort went hunting, Smith and Savage, and were cut off by hostile Indians. Savage escaped, but Smith was slain.
Later, in 1814, William Gregg, while feeding hogs, was shot and killed from ambush by Indians. This took place above Arrow Rock, and both these killings were south of the Missouri river.
Early in the year 1812, Jonathan Todd and Thomas Smith, while looking for land upon which to settle were set upon by Indians near the Boone County line. They bravely resisted and killed several Indians, but in the end paid the forfeit with their lives.
In July, 1812, a man named Campbell and Adam McCord went to Campbell's home from Fort Kincaid to do some work. Campbell was killed from ambush and McCord escaped.
Braxton Cooper, Jr., was killed in September, 1813, two miles north of New Franklin while cutting logs to build a house. He was armed with a rifle and a hunting knife, and fought to the end. When his body, lying face downwards, was found, his gun lay by his side and in his clenched right hand was his knife bloody to the hilt. He was a young man of superior physical strength and courage and the trampled ground and broken bushes about bore evidence that he had fought des- perately. He was not scalped nor mutilated, positive evidence that the Indians were put to flight while he was yet capable of resistance.
Joseph Still and Stephen Cooper, a youth of sixteen, both rangers from Fort Cooper, while scouting, came in contact with a band of one hundred Indians twenty miles from the fort. The Indians barred the way, so the two rangers rode full speed at the Indians' line with cocked rifles. Both fired with effect. Cooper killed an Indian and Still shot and wounded another. Still was shot from his horse at the Indian line and killed, while the boy Cooper went through and escaped to the fort. This was in October, 1813.
About the same time, October, 1813, William McLean was killed near Fayette. He with several other men went to select a piece of land upon which someone of them desired to settle. They were attacked by a large party of Indians and McLean was shot in the head and fell dead. The others escaped to McLean's fort.
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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
A negro named Joe, belonging to Samuel Brown, was killed by In- dians near Burckhartt's farm, three-quarters of a mile from Estill Sta- tion. Several other men belonging to Cooper's fort also lost their lives during the war period, but no record of their names remain.
One of the most lamentable events of this war was the taking off of Captain Sarshall Cooper on the night of April 14, 1814. The night was exceedingly dark and a storm was raging. Captain Cooper and family lived in one of the angles of Fort Cooper. A single warrior crept up to the fort and made a hole in the clay between the logs, large enough to admit the muzzle of his gun. Captain Cooper was sitting before the fire, his youngest child in his lap, his wife nearby, was sewing. The Indian fired and Sarshall Cooper fell lifeless to the floor in the midst of his family.
Captain Cooper was a born leader. He was five feet and ten inches in height, fine physique, a superb horseman and was cool, deliberate and courageous. Cooper County was afterward named for him.
The musterroll of Captain Sarshall Coopers' company, dated April, 1812, is not without interest, and gives the names of the following offi- cers and men :
William McLean, first lieutenant; David McQuilty, second lieutenant ; John Monroe, third lieutenant ; Ben Cooper, ensign; John McMurray, first sergeant; Sam McMahan, second sergeant: Adam Woods, third ser- geant; David Todd, fourth sergeant; John Mathews, fifth sergeant; An- drew Smith, corporal; Thomas Vaugn, corporal; James McMahan, cor- poral; John Busby, corporal; James Barnes, corporal. Privates Jesse Ashcraft, Jesse Cox, Sam Perry, Solomon Cox, Henry Ferrill, Harmon Gregg, Robert Cooper, William Gregg, John Wasson, Josiah Higgins, David Gregg, Gray Byrum, David Cooper, Abbott Hancock, William Thorp, William Cooper, John Cooper, Joseph Cooper, Stephen Cooper, William Read, Stephen Turley, Thomas McMahan, James Anderson, Wil- liam Anderson. Stephen Jackson, John Hancock, Robert Irvin, Francis Cooper, Benoni Sappington, James Cooley, Nathan Teague, James Doug- lass, John Sneathan, William Cresson, Joseph Cooley, William McLane, James Turner, Ervin M. McLane, William Baxter, Peter Creason, David Burns, Price Arnold, John Smith, John Stephenson, Alfred Head, Gilliard Roop. Daniel Durbin, James Cockrill, Jesse Tresner, Mitchell Poage, Town- send Brown, John Arnold, Robert Poage, Francis Berry, Lindsay Car- son, David Boggs, Jesse Richardson, Robert Brown, John Peak, John
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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
Elliot, Joseph Beggs, Andrew Carson, John Colley, Reuben Fugitt, Seibert Hubbard, John Berry, William Brown, Francis Woods, William Allen, Robert Wells, Joseph Moody, Joseph Alexander, Amos Barnes, Daniel Hubbard, Harris Jamison, Abraham Barnes, William Ridgeway, Enoch Taylor, Mathee Kinkead, John Barnes, Henry Waedon, Otto Ashcraft, John Pursley, William Monroe, Isaac Thornton, Stephen Feils, Dan Monroe, Giles Williams, Henry Barnes, William Savage, Thomas Chandler, John Jokley, Stephen Cole, William Robertson, William Bolen, Mixe Box, Sabert Scott; John Savage, James Cole, Stephen Cole, Jr., John Ferrill, Delaney Bolen. James Savage, Joseph McMahan, Braxton Cooper, Robert Hancock.
Every enlisted man furnished his own equipment and an order was promulgated so the "citizen soldiers may not be ignorant of the manner in which the law requires him to be equipped; he is reminded that it is his duty to provide himself with a good musket, with bayonet and belt or fusil, two spare flints and a knapsack pouch with a box thereon to contain not less than twenty-four cartridges, or a good rifle, knapsack, powder horn and pouch, with twenty balls and one-quarter of a pound of powder."
It is not within the province of this work to go further into the details of this war period. They are intensely interesting, however. At that time the now Randolph County was a part of the Boonslick country, but as yet no white settler had reared his cabin within its boundaries, hence Randolph County had no part in this struggle.
No doubt descendants of some of these pioneers who took an active part in this struggle may be found in Randolph County at this time, but the writer of this work cannot so state positively, nor give names.
In July, 1846, upon the call of the president of the United States, a company of men was organized in Randolph County for the Mexican War. The company consisted of about 100 men, and left Huntsville on the first Monday in August, 1846. Before leaving the company was presented with a beautiful silk flag, made by the ladies of Randolph County. This flag was carried by the men through all their long marches and engagements, and when they returned home, in November, 1847, with a list of the names of the men, stored away in the courthouse for safe keeping, and, unfortunately, destroyed by fire when the courthouse was burned. This list, being thus destroyed, we are unable to give all the names of the men who made up the company; the list, however, is as complete as we can make it:
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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
Hancock Jackson, captain; Clair Oxley, first lieutenant; R. G. Gil- man, second lieutenant ; W. R. Samuel, third lieutenant; William Ketchum, first sergeant, died in the army; W. L. Fletcher, first sergeant; L. W. T. Allin, second sergeant, died in the army ; Eldridge Cross, second sergeant; Vincent Barnes, fourth, died in the army; Isaac Larrick, fourth sergeant, died in the army; Thomas L. Gorham, first corporal; Robert C. Reed, third corporal; E. C. Montgomery, fourth corporal; R. M. Proffit, first bugler: W. C. Ho.man, second bugler; Harrigan Barnett, A. Bradigan, blacksmith, N. B. Briswell, W. P. Baker, John W. Burris, James H. Brown, Francis Condon, George R. Caton, Jeremiah Clarkston, Asa K. Collett, James Cole, Lewis R. Collier, William Embree, O. N. P. Flagett, David A. Gray, Samuel P. Gray, William N. Gist, Benjamin F. Heaton, Lewis Hag- gard, James Heaton, A. O. John, N. T. Johnson, F. M. Morris, John F. Miller, Daniel C. Moore, E. A. Matney, James N. Marshall, William Murley, Monroe Mullion, John F. McDavitt, died in the army, O. P. Magee, A. McDonald, John O. Oxby, F. E. W. Patton, James Phillips, M. H. Parker, E. W. Parsels, John Roberts, H. H. Richardson, John W. Richardson, W. T. Redd, W. G. Riley, S. D. Richardson, Martin Riddle, P. M. Richardson, John W. Latta, Harvey C. Ray, James Ramy, James G. Smith, W. R. Slater, Paul Shirley, E. K. Wilson, G. H. Wilson, William H. Wilson, O. H. P. Fizell, William Roberts and A. M. C. Donald.
This company belonged to the Second Regiment, Missouri Mounted Volunteers, and was under the command of Gen. Sterling Price, and Lieut .- Col. D. D. Mitchell, two as brave and gallant officers as ever commanded a regiment in any war.
The men were in two small engagements, one at Taos, and the other in the Moreau Valley, and like the American forces generally, came out victorious.
The young men from Randolph County joined the army away from home. Their names were Clinton B. Samuel and his cousin, Edmond T. Taylor. The former joined Capt. O. P. Moss' company, Doniphan's regi- ment, and the latter Captain Barber's company, of Linn County. They were true-hearted and brave; one died with the consumption (Samuel), and the other (Taylor) died from an attack of measles, and was buried far away from home and friends, on the top of a lonely mountain in New Mexico.
Randolph County, as did the state of Missouri generally, suffered much during the Civil War. Her territory was nearly all the time occupied by
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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
either one or the other antagonistic elements, and her citizens were called upon to contribute to the support of first one side and then the other.
Among those who commanded companies which were partially or entirely raised from Randolph County for the southern army were Col. H. T. Fort, Col. John A. Poindexter, Capt. Frank Davis, Capt. John W. Bagby, Capt. Benjamin E. Guthrie and Col. C. J. Perkins. Some of the above named officers were from adjoining counties, but recruited portions of their companies from Randolph county.
Among those who raised companies for the Union army were Capts. T. B. Reed, C. F. Mayo, W. T. Austin, N. S. Burckhartt, W. A. Skinner, M. S. Durham and Alexander Denny. The number of men entering each army was about the same-numbering between 600 and 900.
During the war a few non-combatants were killed in the county : James Harris, Martin Green, James K. Carter, Andrew J. Herndon, and two or three colored men were shot to death at their homes or in the county.
CHAPTER XII
PHYSICAL FEATURES AND NATURAL RESOURCES.
LOCATION-AREA GRAND DIVIDE-RIVERS, CREEKS AND STREAMS-TIMBER- COAL-TOPOGRAPHY-SOILS.
Randolph County is a north Missouri county. Its southern boundary is from twenty-two to twenty-five miles north of the Missouri river at Rocheport and at Boonville. It is approximately seventy miles south of the Iowa state line and is one of the central counties from east and west. It contains 307,677 acres. Randolph County is bounded on the north by Macon and Shelby Counties ; on the east by Monroe and Audrain ; on the south by Howard and Boone and on the west by Chariton County.
The grand divide between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, begin- ning in St. Charles County, runs northwest into Randolph County, thence turns north through the counties of Macon, Adair and Schuyler into Iowa and thence northwesterly, parallelling the Des Moines river beyond its source, thence northwesterly to a point northwest of Big Stone Lake, where it joins the continental divide running east and west from the Atlantic to the Pacific, dividing the waters running south from those running into the Hudson Bay. About one-fourth of Randolph County is on the east slope of this divide and from this part of the county the water flows into the Mississippi, and on the other hand the waters from the west and south side of the divide flow into the Missouri. The towns of Clark, Renick, Moberly, Cairo and Jacksonville are situated on this divide, Moberly being the highest point between Hannibal and Bruns- wick. This divide is a prairie from the eastern part of Montgomery County throughout its length and is of unequal width, varying from one to five or six miles, and was known in the early days as the Grand Prairie.
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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
The slopes of this divide to the east are gentle, but as the smaller streams come together and form larger ones, the land along the water courses that flow from these slopes grow more undulating and hilly along the streams. From the west and southwest side of the divide flow the Perche, Moniteau, Silver Creek, Sweet Springs, Sugar Creek and Locust Creek and other smaller streams. All of these streams, except the Perche and Moniteau, which flow south directly to the Missouri river, empty into the east fork of the Chariton river. The eastern fork of the Chariton has its source in north Missouri and enters Randolph County from the north, about the center of the county, flows thence southwest until it empties into the Chariton river a few miles above the mouth of that stream west of Glasgow. Six miles east of the western line of the county the middle fork of the Chariton enters the county, flows south by Thomas Hill in Chariton township, thence southwest into Chariton County, passing Salis- bury east of that town and forms a junction with east fork a few miles north of Forest Green, and the streams so combined flow into the Chari- ton as we have seen. From the southeast corner of the county west, the land slopes gently to the south and west for several miles, becom- ing broken and hilly along the Perche and Moniteau for a few miles north of the county line. An arm of the grand prairie stretches out to the south- west from a point two miles south of Moberly for several miles, extend- ing to within a mile of Higbee when it becomes wooded, and thence ex- tends into the northern part of Howard County. From this divide the waters flow directly south from the south side, and into Silver Creek and Sweet Spring from the northern side. The land situated on this divide is first class farming and grazing land. The western part of the county was mostly timber land, interspersed, however, with rich prairie, and is of superior productive qualities. The timber was principally elm, shell-bark hickory, linden and burr, swamp, red, white and black oak, sycamore and sugar maple. There are some large bodies of very rich land in different portions of the county. The bottoms of the east and middle forks of the Chariton and Sweet Spring creeks are very flat, but have generally been sufficiently drained to be cultivated, and are very productive.
There are several prairies in the county which contain very superior land for agricultural purposes. The creek bottoms are wonderfully rich, and where not too flat, or being flat have been drained, they produce remarkable crops of the cereals and grasses. About one-half of the coun- try is prairie.
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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
Practically all of Randolph County rests upon coal beds of varying thickness lying in strata at different depths.
From the edge of the prairie that crown the grand divide, westward a vein of coal from three and a half to four feet in thickness underlies the county practically to its western border. From Jacksonville west these coal measures extend to and beyond the county limits. In the south- western corner they may be somewhat curtailed. Coal mines have been opened and successfully operated at and south of Renick, at and on all sides of Higbee, and west thereof to Yates. Also at and around Hunts- ville to within a mile of the machine shops at Moberly and west of Jack- sonville. This great coal field underlies all of the rough timbered lands, valuable now for grazing purposes, but vastly more valuable by reason of their mineral wealth, when transportation for the coal that underlies them can be had. This coal is a soft, bituminous coal and unexcelled for steam purposes. As yet only a few hundred acres of this great coal field has been mined and this vast wealth lies safely stored underground to enrich a future generation.
The eastern half of the county, generally speaking, is what we know as the Putnam silt loam or level prairie, although, of course, this is cut into by streams in many places and timber land results. This timber land is mostly what we know as the Lindley loam. This soil is found princi- pally, however, in the belt running north and southwest of Moberly, prac- tically across the county and five to eight miles wide.
West of Huntsville the land is mainly what we know as the Shelby loam in the northern two-thirds of the county, while in the southwest corner there is some soil that is classed as the Marshall silt loam. This is the best land in the county outside of the bottoms. The Lindley loam is commonly known as the white oak ridge land and is best adapted to grass and timber. There are, of course, many intermediate types in the county, but these represent the principal soils.
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