History of Saline County, Missouri, Part 54

Author: Missouri Historical Company, St. Louis, pub
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: St. Louis, Missouri historical company
Number of Pages: 1008

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ROSE VALLEY CHURCH (M. E. SOUTH).

This church was constituted in the spring of '79. The original members were J. A. Sink, Mrs. J. C. Sink, Dorsey Sink, Wm. Rothrock, Mrs. Ellen Rothrock, L. Ezell, Mrs. Sarah Ezell and B. F. Bufford. A frame church, costing $900, was built in the fall of 1880. The pastor's name is H. C. Wells; J. A. Sink and Hiram Rothrock are stewards; J. A. Sink, Wm. Rothrock, Richard Wall, and Philip Land are trustees. Number of members at present, 45.

HERNDON CHURCHES

Bethel Church, M. E., South, at Herndon, was organized in 1866. The original members were R. P. Wall, W. G. Boatright, James Ashman, Mrs. R. P. Wall, Mrs. W. G. Boatright, Mrs. Crawford, Mrs. Barzilla Riggins, Al. Hudson and wife, Mrs. Jackson, and Mrs. Marshall. The organization was effected at the school house one mile and a quarter west of Herndon. A frame church, 30x40 in size, was built in 1868, at a cost of about $1,200. It was dedicated in 1878, by M. M. Pue. The first pastor was A. M. Rader, and since him have been Josiah Godbey, Jno. R. Peo- ples, M. Durand, and the present pastor, Wells. Present member- ship, about ninety; it has numbered 120. Adjoining the church grounds is a fine cemetery. By invitation of the Methodist society, the Cumber-

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HISTORY OF SALINE COUNTY. .

land Presbyterians have organized a church and worship in the M. E. Church building.

HAZEL GROVE CHURCH.

This church was organized September 17, 1869. The first members were Jesse M. Clark, Nancy J. Clark, Wm. L. Corum, Virginia E. Corum, Jno. G. Herndon, Florence Herndon, Edward S. Herndon, Mollie S. Corum, Wm. A. Huff, Edmond Huff, Wm. M. Taylor, Matilda J. Taylor, Mrs. M. J. Hansborough, Sarah J. Clark, Margaret J. Clark, Wm. P. Claycomb, Josephine Claycomb, Eliza Buck, and Susan F. Short. The congregation holds services in the M. E. Church building near Herndon. Revs. S. M. McCorkle and James Robinson organized the congregation. The pastors have been James Martin, James Logan, J. T. Jopling, O. Guthrie. The present pastor is James Martin. Present membership, about, sixty. With the exception of one year the church has had regular services since the organization. As many as 120 have been in the con- gregation.

SOCIETIES. MASONIC.

Herndon Lodge, No. 487, A. F. and A. M., was organized October 15, 1874, by Xenophon Ryland. The charter members were: Wm. L. Crain, Thos. H. Ferguson, Oscar D. Page, and several others. The first officers were: Wm. L. Crain, W. M .; Thos. H. Ferguson, S. W .; Oscar D. Page, J. W. The present officers are: Will Trigg, W. M .; John S. Crain, S. W .; Wm. M. J. Hall, J. W .; Will H. Fenwick, secretary; E. S. Herndon, treasurer; Hardin Witcher, tiler. A frame hall is used by the lodge, which was built by the Masons and Odd Fellows, at a cost of $400. The present number of members is forty. The secretary states that the lodge first commenced work under a dispensation in 1872, when it was set to work by Jno. P. Strother, of Marshall, acting under authority of the G. M. of the state of Missouri, and the brethren have ever since manifested a great interest in the good work. The lodge is situated in the pleasant village of Herndon, in a beautiful portion of Saline county, and in a society unsurpassed anywhere.

ODD FELLOWS.

Herndon Lodge, No. 278, I. O. O. F., was was organized July 2, 1872, by G. W. Otte. The charter members were: D. P. Finley, J. M. Clark, S. J. Marshall, S. D. Short, W. M. Taylor, Samuel J. Clark, and others. The first officers were: R. P. Wall, N. G .; L. D. Short, V. G .; D. P. Finley, secretary; H. Witcher, treasurer; W. H. Fenwick, L. S. N. G .; J. T. Taylor, R. S. V. G. The present officers are: Z. F. Taylor, N. G .; W. A. Vest, V. G .; H. Witcher, treasurer: E. S. Herndon, permanent secretary; W. M. Taylor, recording secretary; J. M. Sensibaugh, warden.

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HISTORY OF SALINE COUNTY.

Present membership, thirty-eight. A frame hall was built in 1872, by the Masons and Odd Fellows. The lodge has not missed a regular meeting since its organization, except in the severe winter of 1881, when, on account of the severe weather and deep snows, there were two meet- ings missed. There has been a gradual increase of membership since the organization. Only one brother has been lost by death.

GOOD TEMPLARS.

Hazel Grove Lodge, No. 30, I. O. G. T., was organized November 10, 1879, by T. J. Hutchinson. The charter members were J. W. Mitchell, Wm. M. Taylor, Sr., J. M. Riggins, T. F. Huston, Cora Riggins, Susie Clark, George Fisher, Miss M. J. Taylor, J. H. Clark, W. H. Durham, H. A. Taylor, W. H. Montgomery, Z. F. Taylor, Miss M. J. Taylor. William M. Taylor was the first W. C. T., and the other leading offices were filled by J. W. Mitchell, M. L. Kennedy, T. F. Huston, W. H. Durand and George Fisher. Those holding the present principal offices are W. H. Montgomery, Zilla Huston, J. F. White (secretary), Annie E. White, Wm. M. Taylor, Sr., Martha J. Chaney, Henry Taylor. Number of members, 78. Meetings are held in a frame hall, which is rented. This is a live, active lodge. It is progressive, and keeps up an interest in the temperance work, and has been the chief cause of the suppression of intemperance in this part of the county, and especially in the town of Herndon.

SALT POND TOWNSHIP.

This township is in the extreme southwest corner of the county. It contains the famous sweet springs (described and illustrated elsewhere), and also the salt springs, so valuable to the early settlers of the country, and contributing toward the derivation of the name of this county.

The first county seal adopted, impressions of which are yet to be found on many of the early papers and records in the county offices, was designed by Benj. Chambers and Gen. T. H. Smith, and represented two men boiling salt in such a furnace as was often used in this township at an early day.

Before the civil war, Salt Pond township was known as the stronghold of the whig party in Saline county, and was always relied upon to offset the heavy democratic vote of Arrow Rock. It was always visited by the speakers of both sides.

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HISTORY OF SALINE COUNTY.

EARLY SETTLERS AND SETTLEMENTS.

The first settlers in this township* were Edward Reavis, who came in 1817, from Barren county, Kentucky; entered 700 acres of land, and also bought it in St. Louis for $2.50 per acre, he being the highest bidder. It is claimed that this was the first land' sale in this part of the state. Eighty acres of this tract have never been transferred. The next was Benjamin Prigmore, who came from Virginia in 1818. Then there were John Logsdon, Duke Prigmore, Jacob Spotts, J. Reed, Felix Bradley, Isaac Van Meter, Thomas Miller, James L. Bailey, Dr. Thomas Parks, Bev- erly Cary, Dr. J. L. Yantis, Isaac King, William Kincaid, John Prewitt, - Smelser, and others.

The first marriage in the township was that of Warren P. Reavis and Margaret Smelser, in 1820, east of Brownsville, the ceremony being per- formed by Rev. Isham Reavis. Probably the next was Isaiah Prigmore and Miss Pinnel, April 11, 1834, by Elder Duke Young.

The first birth of a male child was that of a son of Edward and Zylpha Reavis, in the year 1820. George Wentworth, son of Stephen G. and Eliza, was born in November, 1839; but, doubtless, there were others born in the township before he was. The first female child was Elizabeth Reavis. A daughter of Hickinson and Mary J. Berry was born, September, 1838.

The first death was that of an infant son of W. P. and Margaret Reavis, who was burncd to death in the year 1821, and buried on the land of Edd Reavis. An infant child of Hick. and Mary J. Berry died in 1838, and Mrs. John Berry died the same year, both being buried in what is now the town cemetery.

The first physicians were Nathan Ostrander, of New York, who went to Oregon; Thomas Parks, now of Elmwood; John Sappington and George Penn.

The very first minister was Isham Reavis, an old school Baptist, and the first religious services were held at the house of Edward Reavis, in 1820. Then there were Daniel Buie and Henry Weedin, Cumberland Presbyterians, who held services in the house of Jacob Spotts. Then there was " Old Jake" Montgomery, the famous old negro Presbyterian, who preached as often as and whenever circumstances permitted. Dr. Yantis, the founder of the academy at Brownsville, a Presbyterian, was a favorite minister in the last of the '30s.

The first school was taught, one and a half miles east of Brownsville, by Warren P. Reavis, in the '20s. He had only five or six pupils. He finally died in Arkansas. Then Rev. John Hood taught in the same locality, and James A. Gaines taught about twenty scholars, in a house

* See first portion of this volume, " Early Settlements."

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HISTORY OF SALINE COUNTY.

built by Thos. Miller, on his premises, for $1 per month per scholar. The first school house built, was where W. P. Reevis taught school, and was erected in 1821, by Benjamin Prigmore, Ed. Reavis and Smel- ser. It did not cost a cent of actual cash. The first public school houses were built one mile east of Brownsville, in 1836, and on the farm of Thos. Miller, date not given. The latter cost $150.

Mrs. Zylpha Reavis put up the first loom and did the first weaving. In early days, every household did its own weaving. One family wove car- pets and foot-mats out of the inner bark of the linden tree.

In early days there were no mills. The settlers used hand-mills. Trad- ing was done at Old Franklin, and what little mail there was came to that point first. Finley's mill, on Salt Fork, was the first. The first postoffice in the county was Jonesboro, the old county seat, about twenty-five miles away. A letter cost twenty-five cents, payable on delivery. Milling was done also at Grinstead's mill, on Heth's creek, and it took four days to make the trip to mill; this was in Pettis county, and was an old "horse mill." Coffee and sugar were at first bought at Jonesboro and at Dover, the latter in Lafayette county. Coffee was twenty-five cents per pound; sugar, ten cents.

"Hog and hominy" were the chief articles of the bill of fare at the early settlers' table. Venison, wild turkey, and all the other kinds of wild game were always to be had. Wild honey was abundant and very excel- lent. The choicest could be bought for four cents per pound.

The first accidental death that occurred in the settlement was the drowning of Old Nelson, a negro slave, in a mill-dam on Blackwater. The first murder case reported was the killing of Jack Logsdon by Aaron McMillan, in the year 1847.

The prairie fires often caused serious loss of property where farmers neglected to plow or burn around their farms. The fencing around a farm would take fire and burn up in an hour or so, leaving the crops exposed. When a casualty like this occurred, the neighbors would come to the rescue, gather the crop, and re-fence the field.

The first settlers were all hunters, as well as farmers or salt makers. They dressed in buckskin suits for every day wear, and their "Sunday clothes" were of jeans. Game of all kinds abounded. There were buf- falo, elk, bear, panther, deer, wolves, and other species of game, quite enough to satisfy the most exacting hunter. Absalom Womack once had a fight with a bear, which circumstance was long the talk of the settle- ment.

Old "Natty" (Nathaniel) Walker hunted in these parts, and had enough adventures to furnish the groundwork for a book of considerable size. He was a singular character, as well as a great hunter. He wore moc- casins when he covered his feet at all, but oftener went barefoot. His

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prescription for the ague was a very disgusting and repulsive one, cer- tainly, but it is averred that he often administered it to himself. It con- sisted of three of those insects commonly trapped with a fine-tooth comb, swallowed before breakfast!

EARLY DAYS IN SALT POND.

Mr. Prigmore landed at Booneville in 1818. There was only one store in the place at the time, owned by a Mr. Wyan, in a small log house. Prigmore moved from there to Buffalo Prairie, at the mouth of Black- water; lived there two years, then moved to the mouth of South Fork, near Brownsville. At that time there were two families of Mayes' (John and Mat.), living at the McAllister Spring; two families of Reavis' (Ed. and Isham). These four, and Mr. Prigmore's, making five, were the only white settlers in the neighborhood. The Mayes both moved in a short time, and Messrs. John and Robert Owens moved on to their places. This was about the year 1824 or 1825. Some two or three years after this, on account of troubles with Indians on the north side of the Missouri river, all of the settlers left, all going to Howard county, except Mr. Prigmore, who went to Lafayette, then called Lillard. Before the summer was over Mr. Reavis moved back. All the settlers moved back the next spring, except the Messrs. Owens, who remained in Lafayette. Parsons, Pennill and Hays moved in about this time, and Mr. Owens came back about this time also. The Osages, Kaws, Kickapoos, Sacs, Delawares, and a few Shawnees, were the Indian tribes that frequented this part of the country, at that time. They were perfectly friendly and honest. The settlers traded, hunted, run horse and foot races and wrestled with the Indians in perfect peace. This was the hunting ground of the different tribes at that time. All of the settlers were farmers, except Mr. Reavis, who farmed and made salt. They were all from Kentucky, ex- cepting Parsons and Pennill, who were from Virginia.

The nearest mill was a horse mill, owned by Mr. McFarland, about forty-five miles off, southwest of Booneville. They would take a wagon load at a time, once or twice a year. That was so much trouble that Prigmore bought a small pair of mill-stones and fixed them up for hand- power. The bed-stone was fixed on four posts; the runner was placed on the bed-stone, on a pivot, on a small piece of iron, raised by a lever, as runners are now. It was fed by a few grains of corn at a time, thrown in by the hand. A free negro man also owned one at about this time. Edward Reavis had what they called a mortar made in this way. The · mortar was a log, adzed out, so as to make a basin that would hold about one-half bushel. The pestle was a timber four or five inches in diameter and six or seven feet long, with an iron in the head of it, similar to an iron wedge. A pole was then fastened by one end to the ground, and then a

On Walker

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HISTORY OF SALINE COUNTY.

post was put in the ground so that the pole would rest on it at the spring. The pole was then fastened to the post and on the end of the pole was attached the pestle, and a pin put through it to work it by. At every house there was a grater. Their clothing was made from cotton and flax, which they raised, carded and spun.

Mr. Isham Reavis was an old regular Baptist preacher who preached once a month regularly, and sometimes every Sunday, as long as he lived. He also taught school in the winter months at from ten to twelve dollars a month. Messrs. Trapp and Young, of the old Christian Church, came once a month and preached through the summer months. In a short time a Methodist preacher came and preached once a month at Mr. Par- sons'. Occasionally a traveling preacher would come along and let it be known that he would preach. They would put a boy on a horse and have him a good congregation.

At this time, on the headwaters of Blackwater, there was plenty of buf- falo, bears, elk, deer, panthers, wolves, wild-cats or catamounts, turkeys and bees. The bears, panthers and wolves were very destructive to stock, especially hogs. Bear was hunted when snow was on the ground, with dogs; deer and such game with rifles, without dogs; wolves with steel traps principally. If any one was so fortunate as to get a new gun, the rest had a sort of spite at him, until they beat the gun shooting at a target. At a house-raising all of the neighbors from eight to ten miles would go with their guns. If a deer was not wanted they would shoot at a mark some 60 or 100 yards for awhile and go home. If any of them wanted a deer they would go after it, and get it. Rifles were used alto- gether.

A camp-meeting was held once a year where Dover now stands, and everybody went. They were held by the Cumberland Christians.

As the country settled a little, once a year they would select two cap- tains and the two companies would see which could capture the most wolf scalps in a year. They would meet a few days before the Fourth of July and count wolf scalps. The captain that got beaten would give a barbecue on the Fourth of July. If there were any politicians on the grounds they would have some speeches, and the declaration of inde- pendence read. The declaration would be read anyway. The militia had two company musters a year, one battalion, one regimental, and one drill muster. The timber was such as we have now-no undergrowth; burnt out every fall. Soil same as now. Streams and springs the same as now. Salt was made, until the steamboats commenced to bring it up; that made it so cheap that they stopped making it.

In 1824 or '25, the first steamboat came up the river with supplies and $150,000 in silver. It struck a snag just above the mouth of the Lamine, 32

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HISTORY OF SALINE COUNTY.

and sunk. It raised a big commotion among the settlers. Before this, supplies were brought up in keel-boats and wagons from St. Louis. It was a long time after the sinking of this boat before any others came up.

STATEMENT OF EDWARD REAVIS, JR.

Mr. Edward Reavis, Jr., states: My father was the first settler in Salt Pond township. His name was Edward Reavis. He settled in the fall of 1817; he came in a flat boat from the mouth of the Lamine river, up Blackwater to this neighborhood. His family at that time consisted of fourteen members, about one-half of the number being negro servants or slaves. He settled at the Salt Springs, two miles east of Brownsville, and made a business of making salt for some fifteen years; he probably made all the salt that was used in this part of the country. There was no tim- ber then in this country, except strips on the wet places along the water courses. The country was full of Indians; they were peaceful, however. There was plenty of game of all kinds-black bear, buffalo, wolves, pan- thers, catamounts, elk, deer, wild turkeys, and prairie chickens. I know of white bears having been killed here, but they were not natives of this country. (Mr. R. probably has reference to to grizzly bears). There was an abundance of fish in these streams. The soil was more produc- tive than now. Cotton grew well here at that time; wheat and corn yielded better than now.

My oldest brother taught the first school that was ever taught in this township-about the year 1820. His name was Warren P. Reavis. The first sermon was by Isham Reavis, an Old School Baptist. The first jus- tice of the peace in the township was Warren P. Reavis, about the year 1823 or 1824. The school house was built of logs and used for a church a number of years.

The first house built on the site of Brownsville, was of logs, and put up by Asa B. Pennington, about the year 1834.

It was customary for the men to dress in buckskin suits, and the ladies in homespun cotton dresses. The ladies would go bare-footed until they got nearly to church, when they would put on their shoes, in order to save them; shoes were hard to get. I have known persons to come to church with the fresh blood on their hunting shirts from a deer or some other game which had been killed on the way; and once a minister got up and preached in that garb. It made no difference to the ministers that this was done on Sunday. The preachers allowed us to kill game whenever we could. One reason for this was, that it was almost impossible for us to raise hogs, on account of the bears, and we had to depend entirely on wild meat; and if we could not get it on week days, we got it when we could. Wild honey was abundant. I have gone into the woods and cut and carried in a barrel in one day.

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HISTORY OF SALINE COUNTY.

The country at this time, in a word, was an earthly paradise. Men stood upon their honor and women upon their virtue; in fact no other classes of people were allowed to live with us. We made our meal and flour first in hand-mills, and with mortars and pestles. When we went to mill we had to go to Turley's mill, near Booneville; that was a " horse mill." At first no coffee or sugar was used; afterward we sent off our beeswax, tallow and furs to St. Louis, and bought little articles that we needed. We always paid our taxes with wolf-scalps, and had no use for money. My father owned 1,280 acres of land, and at first there was not more than $1.50 of tax on the whole tract.

There was no trouble among the Indians after I came here (1817), although my father built his house in the shape of a fort, with port-holes to shoot out of. His was the first house built in this township.

HUNTING STORIES-BY AN OLD HUNTER.

STORY NUMBER ONE.

Old Uncle James B., an old Virginian, was extremely fond of deer hunting. His deer-gun was a large-bore, flint-lock, long-barreled shot- gun, chambering five No. 2 buck-shot; twenty and sometimes twenty- five shot made a load. She was an awful "kicker"; his shoulders were always black and blue.

One fine summer's evening he went to watch his favorite deer " lick," a place where deer would come to lick the salty earth. His " hide " or " stand" was chosen on a horizontal limb of a large burr-oak tree that stood near. In due time a deer made its appearance. Knowing the propensity of his gun for kicking, he had acquired the habit of leaning forward, in order that his gun might kick him to his proper perpendicu- lar again; but this time his calculation was wrong. His gun snapped, -and down came hunter, gun, and all, in a pile. The deer escaped.

STORY NUMBER TWO.

The same old hunter was out on another occasion, and his dogs started up a deer, and the old man, in his hurry to get a " stand," where he thought the deer would pass, ran to a log which lay across a stream, to get his coveted position. But just as he was half way across the stream, the deer passed, and he must shoot then or miss his chance, so he fired, and over he went backward into the stream, and up to his neck in cold water. The bath was a chilly one, but he said he didn't care-"I just everlastingly fetched that deer."

STORY NUMBER THREE.

A party of hunters came over from Howard county to take a hunt with my father, one fall. On evening, while they were there, W. B. Kincaid, now of Brownsville, called to stay all night. During the conversation

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that evening, he boasted somewhat of his manner of killing deer, which he said was invariably to shoot them in the head or neck. I listened to him for some time, and then proposed to carry home all the dear he shot in the head or neck. So it was arranged that he and I were to get up and take a hunt before breakfast. Having gone about a mile, I observed him aim his gun and fire. I saw a deer fall. On going up to it, I saw that, sure enough, he had shot the animal through the neck, and I made my prom- ise good by carrying the deer home.

STORY NUMBER FOUR.

My first experience in hunting in this country was rather rough. I went to a neighbor's and borrowed his flint-lock rifle. He said it had long been loaded, and he did not believe it would fire. On my return I had a chance to try it on a fine buck. At the third pulling of the trigger it fired clear; the deer bounded off. I hitched my horse and thought I would examine on foot for blood. I had gone but a few steps when I came suddenly upon it, not five feet away. Oh, horrors! It rose up, pointed its horns at me, and stood with protruding eyes and its hair all turned the wrong way, glaring at me. That was enough. I started on double-quick through the thickest brush I could find, and knowing that it (the brushwood) would slap behind me, I hoped that it might impede the animal's progress and enable me to escape. I ran until I came to the road, crossed it and hid. After gathering my senses, I examined myself. I had lost my hat and my old shoes; my face and hands were bleeding; my pants were badly snagged and "busted;" my shirt was in ribbons; in short, I was the most dilapidated, panic-stricken, demoralized specimen of green hunter that was ever seen in any country. I took the trail back to my horse, found my gun, and mounted. I now wondered why I had dis- mounted. I rode carefully around, at a safe distance, until I came where I had last seen the deer. And there he lay, dead! He had never moved from where I left him when I started on my retreat. I now took the trail I had made, picking up my lost property; but one shoe I never did find. On arriving at home, one of my sisters, when she saw me, exclaimed: " Why, brother! What have you been fighting-bears, wolves, or what?" I only answered, "Wild cats." But soon the true story came out, and it was many days before I heard the last of my "wild cat" scrape, and almost as long before I recovered from its effects.

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History of Saline County, Missouri, Part 54

Author: Missouri Historical Company, St. Louis, pub Publication date: 1881 Publisher: St. Louis, Missouri historical company Number of Pages: 1008

Author: Missouri Historical Company, St. Louis, pub
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: St. Louis, Missouri historical company
Number of Pages: 1008