USA > Missouri > History of southeast Missouri : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, Volume I > Part 14
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negro woman. The journey was made in a keel-boat down the Tennessee river and then up the Mississippi to Ste. Genevieve. It was a most arduous undertaking and it was only after very great difficulty and dangers that the party arrived at the settlement which came to be called Murphy's. Mrs. Murphy was a sister of David Barton, afterward United States senator from Missouri, and was a woman of great intelligence and force of character. She organized and taught the first Sunday school west of the Mississippi river. This was probably in the year 1807.
Some others who early settled in the vi- cinity were Michael Hart and his son Charles, his son-in-law Davis F. Marks, Isaac Mitehell, Isaac Burnham, James Cunningham and John Robinson.
The settlement which came to be called Cook's in the southeast part of St. Francois county, still bears the same name. The first settler here was Nathaniel Cook who came in the year 1800. Cook was a prominent and influential man, having been one of the first judges of the court of Quarter Sessions held at Ste. Genevieve and was also elected Lieu- tenant Governor of the state at the first elee- tion for state officers. Hle afterward resided in Madison county near Fredericktown. Others of the early settlers here were James Caldwell, William Holmes, Jesse Blackwell, Elliott Jackson, and James Davis.
The first people who came to Madison county were miners and their stay was ordi- narily transitory; the first men who came to settle on a farm within the county was John Callaway, who came from Kentucky in 1799, and obtained a grant on Saline creek near the head of the Little St. Francois about the same time the sons of Nicholas Lachance set- tled on Castor creek. Their father lived at
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New Bourbon in Ste. Genevieve county. Other early settlers were William Easum and James and Samuel Campbell, who at some time before 1803, built cabins near the St. Francois and cultivated the land. John Wal- ther came to the county in 1882 as did Chris- topher Anthony, John L. Pettit, Daniel Phil- lips and William and Thomas Crawford.
In 1800 the Spanish authorities granted four hundred arpents of land to thirteen in- dividuals, the land lying between Saline creek and the Little St. Francois. On the land so granted a settlement was soon made which was called St. Michael; it is now the town of Fredericktown. The early residents were Peter Chevalier, Paul, Andrew and Baptiste De Guire, four brothers, whose name was Caillot, called also Lachance, Ga- briel Nicollo, Pierre Variat and three others whose names are not known. These settlers all came from other settlements in this dis- trict. They engaged in farming and also in lead mining at Mine LaMotte which is only a few miles distant.
The first settlement in Washington county was made at Mine a Breton about 1763. Those who made this settlement were miners interested in working the mine discovered by Breton. Near the same time work was be- gun in the mines known as Old Mines and a little settlement of miners sprung up there. Most of the settlers at both these places came from Ste. Genevieve, New Bourbon and Kas- kaskia.
In 1799 the Spanish government made a grant of a large tract of land to Moses Aus- tin covering a part of Mine a Breton. On his part he was to erect a smelter for the re- duction of lead ores. By 1804 there were about twenty families living in the village on his grant. They mined and farmed but
had no grants from the government. They seemed to have been either squatters on gov- ernment land or else tenants of Austin. Aus- tin brought his family to Mine a Breton in June, 1799, and says of the country at that time that the whole number of inhabitants on Renault's fork of Grand river did not ex- ceed sixty-three or sixty-four persons. In 1802 fifteen French families settled at Old Mines and reopened the work there which had been suspended. One year later thirty- one residents of this place received from Gov. Delassus a graut of 400 arpents of land each. Other mines were opened in the county about the same time and a shifting and unstable population grew up around each of them.
Perhaps the first permanent settlement of persons intending to make the country their home and to engage in agriculture was made near the present town of Caledonia in 1798. In that year Ananias McCoy, Benjamin Crow, and Robert Reed, all from Tennessee, settled in the Bellevue valley about twelve miles south of Potosi. Others followed them and the settlement prospered. These men were farmers and the products of their soil were carried to Ste. Genevieve on horses or in carts. They soon built mills for themselves and became unusually prosperous. Their situation was very good and they enjoyed the advantages of fertile soil, plenty of water power and proximity to the mining region. By 1822 the county had a population of 2,769.
The first settler in Jefferson county was John Hildebrand, who was of French de- scent and who made a settlement on the Maramec near the farm of Isaac Sul- lens, in 1774. Hildebrand received a grant of a considerable tract of land from the Spanish government which was afterward confirmed by the United States.
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In 1778 this grant passed into the pos- session of Thomas Tyler, another of the early settlers of the county. In 1776 the King of Spain began the opening of a road to ex- tend from St. Louis to Ste. Genevieve and afterward to New Madrid; this road, which came to be called the King's highway, crossed the Maramec river not far from its mouth, passed near Kimswick, Sulphur Springs, Pevely, Horine, Rockfort Hill and on to Ste. Genevieve. In order to provide à ferry across the Maremec river a grant was made by the government to Jean Baptiste Gomache. In 1776 Gomache located 1,050 ar- pents of land at the mouth of the Maramec river and established a ferry about one mile above the mouth, which he operated for a number of years. In 1779 a settlement was made near Kimswick and in the same year one near Montesano Springs, the latter one was made for the purpose of obtaining salt. In 1786 Benito Vasquez located at the mouth of Saline creek.
By the close of the 18th century there were a number of settlers living along the Maramec river; west of the river near the settlement made by Hildebrand were John Boli, Benito Vasquez, John Cummins, Jac- ques Clamorgan, Antonio Soulard, John Charpenter, Levi Theel, John Seindre, John Romain, James Steward, Baptiste Raniller, August Gomache, Jean Baptiste Gomache and Hardy Ware; east of the river were William Boli, Gabriel Cerre, Joachim Roy, Pierre Tanot, Charles Jones, Joseph Ney- bour, Baptiste Riviere, Sophia Shafer and Phyllis Bocarie.
The first mill in Jefferson county was built in 1802 on Big river about three-quarters of a mile above Morse's mill, by Francis Wide- ner. Some of the logs in the old dam are still to be seen.
The first town laid out in the county was New Hartford, which was situated not far from Riverside on the Mississippi river, the settlers were Christian Witt and John HIoney, who in 1806 opened a store and built a shot tower on the site of their proposed town.
Other early settlers in the county besides those mentioned, were Peter McCormack who settled on the Plattin in 1802, James Head, who built a cabin near House's spring in 1805. A year later Head sold his cabin and claim to Adam House for whom the spring was afterward named; House was later bru- tally killed by some Indians during their raid. William Null settled Hematite in 1800 and John Boli on Romin's creek in 1788.
The first Protestant services within Jeffer- son county were held at Bates Rock on the Mississippi river in 1798 by John Clark, Clark was at that time an Independent Meth- odist preacher who lived in Illinois, he after- ward became a Baptist and preached for many years in Missouri and Illinois. The first church house was a log cabin erected by the Baptists on the land of John Boli at the headwaters of Saline creek; in what is now known as Maramec settlement, this was not far from the place located by John Hilde- brand. The date of the building of the first meeting house cannot now be determined but it was probably about 1825. In 1836 the Baptists built another log meeting house in Upper Sandy settlement and used it until 1840.
The oldest Catholic church in the county is the church of the Immaculate Conception at Maxville, and it was established in 1845.
A Lutheran church known as St. Johns was organized in Rock township in 1843; both these churches are still in existence.
Vol. I-5
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The settlements in Perry county were made in the Bois Brule Bottom opposite Kaskas- kia, along the Cinque Homme, the Saline, the Brazeau, the Aux Vases, on Establishment creek, and on Apple creek. The Bois Brule Bottom is one of the most fertile pieces of territory in the district of Ste. Genevieve. It was the fertility of this soil which at- tracted the early settlers. Some of these were John Baptist Barsaloux, who came in the year 1787, William Lowry, and on the Cinque Homme, Levy Wiggins, John Duval, William Boyce, Isadore Moore. Over on the Saline were a number of settlers from Ken- tucky. In memory of their Kentucky home they called the open territory on which they settled "The Barrens." Some of these set- tlers were Tuckers, Laytons, Moores, Hay- dens. Israel Dodge and his son who have been mentioned in connection with New Bourbon were operating a salt works at the mouth of the Saline in 1804. These salt works had been in operation more or less continuously for a long time, even at that early date; they probably were begun before the first permanent settlement in Upper Louis- iana. Others on this stream were Thomas Madden, Job Westover and John Hawkins.
Thomas Dodge was, perhaps, the first man who lived on the Aux Vases. Other claims have been located on this stream before his time, but he seems to have been the first actual settler. He bought his claim from De Guire.
The Fenwick settlement was made on Brazeau creek; this is not far from the pres- ent town of Wittenberg; the grant was made to Joseph Manning, but the first settler was
George A. Hamilton. General Harrison, who moved here from New Madrid, also had a grant on which is now located the town of Altenberg.
A little below the mouth of the Kaskaskia is a creek called the Saline entering on the west side a grant of a tract of land one league square made by the Spanish govern- ment in favor of a Frenchman named Pe- greau, the founder of the deserted town called New Bourbon. The tract included a valu- able brine spring near the mouth of the creek. The proprietor built a house near the bank of the Mississippi where he resided a long time and where he carried on the mann- facture of salt, but having occasion to go to France he rented his works to a man who for want of funds or for some other reason, failed to keep them in operation .*
Long sayst that when he visited Missouri, which was in 1819, that the important pop- ulous part of the section was the country immediately below the mouth of the Mis- sonri including the town of St. Louis and the villages of Florissant, Carondelet, Hercula- neum, Ste. Genevieve, Bainbridge, Cape Girardeau, Jackson, St. Michaels and the country in their immediate vicinity. The lead mine tract, including Mima, Berton, Potosi and Bellevue were also populous; be- sides these lie says there were a number of other settlements and small villages in this part of the territory. This visit to New Mad- rid was made in 1811 just before the earth- quake.
* "Long's Expedition," p. 99.
t "Long's Expedition," p. 126.
CHAPTER VI
CAPE GIRARDEAU DISTRICT
ITS LIMITS-LIFE OF LORIMIER-FIRST SETTLEMENT AT CAPE GIRARDEAU-INFLUENCE WITH THE INDIANS-GRANTS OF AUTHORITY AND LAND-LORIMIER'S TOMB-NAME OF CAPE GIR- ARDEAU-COUSIN-EARLY SETTLERS-THE TOWN LAID OFF-SOME OF THE EARLY BUILD- INGS-FIRST INCORPORATION, 1808-EARLY SETTLERS WITHIN THE DISTRICT-THE RAMSAYS -THE GIBONEYS-OTHER EARLY FAMILIES-SETTLEMENTS IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE DISTRICT.
The district of Cape Girardeau was estab- lished about the year 1793, but its bound- aries were not clearly defined. It was sup- posed to extend from Apple creek to Tywap- pity Bottoms. Its western boundary was not fixed. Considerable difficulty arose between commandants at Cape Girardeau and those at New Madrid concerning the boundary be- tween their respective districts. The com- mandant at New Madrid insisted that the Cape Girardeau district extended west only to the St. Francois river, and that his anthor- ity extended west of that stream. The south- ern boundary of the Cape Girardeau district was also in dispute for a number of years. The Governor General of Louisiana finally fixed this boundary at a point five miles be- low the present town of Commerce. This line was afterward surveyed by Anthony Soulard the Surveyor-General of Louisiana.
The first settlement within the district as thus marked ont was made early in the year 1793, by Lonis Lorimier.
Little is known of the early life of Lor- imier. For a long time it was not known where he was born. We now know that he
was born near the city of Montreal, Canada. Just before the breaking out of the Revolu- tionary war, a man whose name was spelt "Loromie" and also "Laramie" came from Canada to Shelby county, Ohio, and estab- lished a trading station between the Miami and the Manmee. This station was called Pickawilly. It was also called from its founder, Laramie Station. Here was carried on an extensive trade with the Indians. Fnrs were bought from them, and fire-arms, food, ammunition, and whiskey sold to them. The man, Loromie, was a Tory and his place in Ohio became the headquarters for plots against the Americans. The Indians were incited here to make raids against the Americans. Loromie had great influence with them, having married an Indian woman and being possessed of great in- sight into Indian character. So well known was the place as the headquarters for plots and raids that, in 1782, General Clark of the American army came up from Kentucky with a force and destroyed the place. The follow- ing account is taken from the history of Ohio :
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"At the time of the first settlement of Ken- tucky, a Canadian Frenchman, named Lo- ramie, established a store or trading station among the Indians. This man was a bitter enemy of the Americans, and it was for a long time the headquarters of mischief to- ward the settlers.
"The French had the faculty of endear- ing themselves to the Indians, and no doubt Loramie was in this respect fully equal to any of his countrymen, and gained great in- fluence over them. So much influence had Loramie with the Indians that, when Gen. Clark, from Kentucky, invaded the Miami valley in the autumn of 1782, his attention was attracted to the spot. He came on, burnt the Indian settlement there, and plundered and burnt the store of the Frenchman. Soon after this Loramie with a colony of the Shaw- nees immigrated to the Spanish territory west of the Mississippi and settled in the spot assigned them, at the junction of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, where the remaining part of the natives from Ohio have at dif- ferent times joined them."
This account agrees with the following from "Knapp's History of the Miami Valley:" "In 1769 a Canadian French trader, named Peter Loramie, established a store at Picka- willany, situated on the west side of the Great Miami river, at the mouth of Loramie's creek. He was a man of energy and a good hater of the Americans. For many years he exercised great influence among the Indians. After his arrival the place was called 'Loramie's Station.' During the Revolution Loramie was in full fellowship with the British. Many a savage incursion to the border was fitted out from his supply of war material. So noted had his place become as the headquar- ters of spies, emissaries, and savages, that
Gen. Clark, of Kentucky, resolved to pay it a visit, which he did with a large party of Kentuckians in the fall of 1782. The post was taken by surprise, and Loramie barely escaped being made a prisoner. His store was rifled of its contents, and burned to the ground, as were all the other habitations in the vicinity. Poor Loramie shortly after- ward removed with a party of Shawnese to a spot near the junction of the Kansas and Missouri rivers where he closed his days."
It will be seen that these two accounts agree in saying that this man, whose name is given as Peter Loramie, after the loss of his property in Ohio removed to Louisiana and settled on the Kansas and the Missouri. We find, however, that no Peter Loramie was known in Louisiana, and no man of that name lived at the junction of these two rivers. Doubtless these statements are erroneous, but they seem to refer to Louis Lorimier. The identity of Louis Lorimier with the man who had a trading post at Loramie's Station seems to be conclusively established by the following letter on file in Ste. Genevieve, in connection with the suit brought by Lorimier against a certain trading company :
"MIAMIS, 4th May, 1787 .- Dear Sir: We learn from common report that you had left Port St. Vincents, with an intention to seize Mr. Louis Lorimier's goods. We have re- ceived from him about eight packs, and on our arrival here Mr. Sharp went to see him, on purpose to know his reasons for leaving this country. His reasons appeared to him pretty good, and as he had no property along with him, on purpose to get his peltry and gain his good will, we were induced to ad- vance a few things, as he says, to assist him. A few days after Mr. Sharp left him, he got
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intelligence of your going to seize his goods, and he wrote a letter expressing his surprise at our duplicity.
"What we have to say on the subject is neither more nor less than this, that the Spaniards have invited the Delawares and Shawnese to their side of the Mississippi. With a tribe of the latter Mr. Lorimier goes, and expects the Spaniards will allow him to follow them. If this is the case and he well inclined, we think he may do better than was expected, and as the company means to have somebody there to do this business, it might in some measure atone for the loss of the Port Vincent's (Vincennes) trade, which will never be renewed.
"We wrote you yesterday at some length. You will be the best judge how to act in re- gard to Lorimier, but we think his intentions are honest.
"Sir, your very humble servants,
GEORGE SHARP. THOMAS SHEPHERD.
"To Hugh Heward, Mouth Illinois."
We are unable to give many of the details of Lorimier's life previous to his coming to Missouri, but after that time we have reason- able grounds for believing that we know most of events in his life. In 1787 he settled on the Saline in Ste. Genevieve county where he made his home for six years.
The Spanish authorities soon recognized him as a man having great influence with the Indians, resulting in part from his long life of trading with them, in part from the real power and energy which he possessed. They saw in him a fit agent for carrying out their plans, which were to induce the Indians to settle west of the river. They wanted these Indians here because Spain and France were engaged in war, and Spain feared very
greatly that the United States would take part in this war on the side of France. The Spanish officials hoped by securing the help of the Indians that they could use them to harass the Americans in such a way as to prevent their giving any assistance to the French and they further expected that their Indian allies would be very useful to them in securing information of hostile movements.
In 1792, the Spanish were in great fear of an invasion from across the river and Lori- mier was employed to concert with the Span- ish officials plans for defense. He was or- dered to New Madrid in that year to confer with Portelle the commandant of the post of New Madrid. Lorimier had had some un- pleasant experiences with Portelle arising over some of Lorimier's trading operations. He was reluctant to trust himself within Por- telle's power at New Madrid and it was dif- ficult to persuade him to do so. Finally he consented, however, and went to New Madrid where steps were taken to protect Spanish territory. He spent the fall and winter of that year engaged in these matters. He crossed the Mississippi, visited Indian chiefs, and induced many of them to come to this side. In all of this work he displayed great adaptability, energy, and loyalty. He was successful in his efforts with the Indians and large numbers of his friends, the Shawnees and Delawares came to Upper Louisiana.
In recognition of this service the following grant of authority was made to him, the text being a translation: "Baron of Carondelet, follower of the religion of St. John, Colonel of the royal armies, Governor, Intendant General, Vice-Regent of the Province of Louisiana and Western Florida, Inspector of the Army, etc.
"Know all men by these presents, that in consideration of the true and faithful serv-
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ices which Louis Lorimier has rendered to the state since he became a subject of her Catholic Majesty, we permit him to establish himself with the Delawares and Shawnese who are under his care, in such places as he may think proper in the province of Louisiana on the west bank of the Mississippi, from the Missouri to the River Arkansas, which may be unoccupied, with the right to hunt, and cultivate for the maintenance of their fam- ilies, nor shall any commandant, officer or other subject of the king hinder them, nor oc- cupy of the land for him and the said In- dians, sown, planted or laid out, so much as is judged necessary for their maintenance : and be it further understood that in case they should remove elsewhere, the said lands shall become vacant and as for the house, which the said Sir Louis Lorimier has built at Girardeau, it will remain in his posses- sion, nor can he be removed for any causes. except those of illicit trade or correspond- ence with the enemies of the State.
"In testimony of which we have given these presents, signed with our hand and the countersign of the secretary of the Gov- ernment, and caused to be affixed our official seal at New Orleans, the 4th of January, 1793.
"THE BARON OF CARONDELET.
"By order of the Governor, Andres Lopez Armesto."
This grant of authority was accompanied by the following letter from Zenon Trudeau the Lieutenant-Governor :
"ST. LOUIS, MO., May 1, 1793 .- The within is a permit which the Governor-General gives you to make your trade with the Delawares and the Shawnese, so extended that there may be nothing more to desire, without fear that you will be troubled by any officer of the
king as long as you do as you have heretofore done. He recommends you to maintain or- der among the savages, and to concentrate them, so that he may be sure that they will take position more on the frontier of our set- tlements in order to lend us help in case of a war with the whites, and they will thus also be opposite the Osages, against whom I shall declare war forthwith, a thing I have not yet done, because I have to take some precautions before that shall reach them. In- form the Delawares, Shawnese, Peorias, Potawattomies and the other nations which presented a memorial, last September, that it is on account of the bad treatment that they have suffered, that the Governor-General has determined upon the war, in order to procure quiet for our land; the Osages are at present deprived of aid and harassed by us and by them, they will surely be open to reason ; that consequently all the red na- tions must agree to lend a hand; it is their good which the Government seeks; and it is of that that you must convince them, so that the offended nations will take some steps toward the others to se- cure their aid, and particularly that the Iowas, Sacs and Foxes shall not consent to let the Osages come so far as to trade on the river Des Moines, and that still less shall they allow the English to introduce themselves by that river, which is a possibility.
"Protected by the Government, you owe it your services in closely watching over all that tends to its prosperity, and averting every- thing which is to its detriment. At this mo- ment we fear nothing from Congress, but from the ill-disposed which depend upon it, posted in advantageous places, to give advice of the least assemblage. I am confident that as soon as you are cognizant of it you will make it known to the commandants with
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whom you are connected, as much for our safety as for our defense.
"The Governor has approved of the dis- tribution of the twenty thousand beads which I have given the Delawares, and to which you have contributed. It has been my in- tention to reimburse you, and to-day I can do it with greater facility, because they have offered me the means without looking for them elsewhere, so you may draw on me at the rate of six per thousand, which the king has agreed for me to pay.
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