History of southeast Missouri : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, Volume I, Part 16

Author: Douglass, Robert Sidney. 4n
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 844

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Of the daughters of Alexander Giboney, Arabella married John Jacobs; their descend- ants lived in Pemiscot county. Isabella be- came the wife of Doctor Ezekiel Fenwick and lived in the north part of Cape Girardeau county. Margaret Giboney married Lindsay De'Lashmutt.

Mrs. Louis Painter, who lived for many years in Jackson, was a niece of Andrew

Ramsay. Her father, John Ramsay, came to Cape Girardeau accompanied by a large num- her of relatives and friends, but later removed to Scott county. She was an intelligent and interesting woman.

Another family that came in early times to the district was the Byrd family. Amos Byrd, the head of the family, was a native of North Carolina. He was born in 1737 and lived for a time in Virginia and in Tennessee. In the latter state he located Byrd's Station on a fort on the frontier of Knox county. One of the neighboring families in Tennessee was that of the Gillespies. The acquaint- ance between these two families grew until no fewer than three sons of Amos Byrd had married into the Gillespie family. In 1799 Amos Byrd accompanied by his family came to Upper Louisiana and settled on Bryd's creek. He was, doubtless, attracted by the easy terms on which land could be secured from Spain. The spot chosen by him for the settlement was an exceedingly attractive one. The sons of the family were Abraham, Stephen, John, and Amos, Jr. With them came the daughters, Pollie, who had married William Russell, Clarissa who afterward married James Russell, and Sallie, who after- ward became the wife of George Hays. All of these settled on, or near, Byrd's creek. John Byrd conducted a mill, cotton gin, a still, and a blacksmith shop. Abraham and Stephen became prominent in political life after the transfer to the United States, both of them holding at various times important offices under the government. They both left large families and inter-married with the Birds of the New Madrid district and with the Horrels, Allens, Martins and Mintons.

William Russell, who became the husband of Pollie Byrd was a native of Scotland. Be- fore coming to Cape Girardeau he had lived

HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

for a time in Virginia and in Tennessee. It was in Tennessee that he became acquainted with the Byrd family. He was the father of Honorable James Russell at one time sheriff of Cape Girardeau county, and member of the state legislature. William Russell was a man of education, a teacher, and conducted the first school in the Byrd settlement.

The Rodney family was another prominent and influential one. They settled about two miles southwest of Gordonville. They were Germans, the original form of the name seems to have been Rodner. The head of the family in this country was Martin Rodney, who came about 1801 or 1802. One of his sons mar- ried a daughter of Louis Lorimier.

The first settlement of Randol creek was made in 1797 by Enos Randol. His family consisted of himself and ten children, seven sons and three daughters. Mrs. C. B. Houts who lived for a long time in Cape Girardeau was a daughter of Anthony Randol the eld- est son of Enos. Samuel Randol married Pollie Pierrpont. He was an influential man, one of the syndics under Louis Lori- mier. He built one of the first mills in the county. Medad was the second son, and for his second wife he married Thankful Stout, in Scott county. After his death she pur- chased a farm on Matthews Prairie, and be- came a part owner of the city of Charleston ; other members of the family continued to re- side in the county.

In 1797 the first settlement was made on Hubbell Creek. The creek was then known as Riviere Zenon, having been so named in honor of Zenon Trudeau, lieutenant governor of Upper Louisiana. This settlement was made by Ithamar Hubbell, where the town of Gordonville is now located. Hubbell had been a soldier in the Revolutionary army from New York. Andrew Sumners located near

the head waters of Hubbell creek and in 1800 Christopher Hays settled on a grant about eight miles north of Gordonville.

Cornelius Arent made an early settlement at the mouth of Indian creek. Joseph Chev- alier from Kaskaskia settled on the river north of Cape Girardeau in 1799, and south of Chevalier George Henderson settled in 1808.

William Denny, a native of Wales, came to Cape Girardeau from Tennessee in 1808. He settled near Gordonville. He was a gun- smith and a very fine workman. There were seven children in the family; these settled in Cape Girardeau, in Stoddard, Scott and New Madrid counties.

South of Jackson in 1798, there came the family of Daughertys. There were four brothers of them and they located on adjoin- ing farms. William Daugherty was the hus- band of Elizabeth Ramsay. He was an orig- inal abolutionist and would own no slaves of his own and controlled only those inherited by his wife. His son, Ralph Daugherty, was a son-in-law of George F. Bollinger.

The first settlement in Bollinger county was made by George Frederick Bollinger, a native of North Carolina, of Swiss descent. He came from North Carolina about 1796 or 97 and selected a location on Whitewater. Lorimier promised him a large tract of land on condition that he would bring a certain number of settlers to the district. In fulfil- ment of this agreement he made a trip back to North Carolina and on his return he was accompanied by twenty families. They crossed the Mississippi river at Ste. Gene- vieve on the first day of January, 1800, and later settled along Whitewater. Some of the men who came with him were Matthias, John, Henry, William, Daniel, and Phillip Bol- linger, Peter and Conrad Statler, Joseph

HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

Neiswanger, Peter Crites, Frederick Lim- baugh, Leonard Welker and Frederick Slink- ard. They were all Protestants, being mem- bers of the German Reformed church. In 1804 Colonel Bollinger induced Reverend Samuel Weiberg or Whybark, to come to the settlement and to become the minister of the colonists. Reverend Whybark remained un- til his death in 1833. He preached over very extensive districts in Illinois and Missouri.

Among these settlers Colonel Bollinger was a leader, and was appointed by Don Louis Lorimier as captain of the militia. He or- ganized a very effective company, which was said by Lorimier to be a model company. Bollinger erected a mill after his arrival, which was the only one in the section, and it served farmers for a long distance around.

Bollinger was a large and powerful man, of generous disposition and very popular. He was a member of the Territorial assembly, and after the admission of Missouri to the Union he became a member of the state senate in 1828, and was president of the state sen- ate, and a presidential elector in 1836. As was elsewhere stated, his only daughter, Sarah, became the wife of Ralph Daugherty. It is said that she was educated in North

Carolina and that she was a musician and the owner of the first piano brought to Cape Girardeau county.

The next settlement in Bollinger county seems to have been made in 1800 on Castor river near where Zalma now stands. Irvin Asherbramer was probably the first settler and he erected a water-mill at this place which is still in operation. Other early settlers in the same neighborhood were: Daniel Asher- bramer, Phillip and William Bollinger, Jo- seph Watkins, Robert Harper and Edward Hawthorn.

The first settlement in Wayne county was made in 1802; this was where the village of Patterson now stands and the settlers were: Joseph Parish, Thomas Ring, David, Charles and Robert A. Logan. Ephraim Stout receiv- ing a grant on the St. Francois, below the set- tlement made by the Logans, but removed in a few years to Iron county and was the first settler in Arcadia valley. Jacob Kelly was one of the wealthy and influential settlers and was the first justice of the peace. Others who are mentioned as having lived here in early times were: Tilman Smith, James Caldwell and Francis Clark.

CHAPTER VII

DISTRICT OF NEW MADRID

ITS BOUNDARIES-"L'ANSE A LA GRAISE"-THE LESIEURS-SITUATION OF NEW MADRID -- COLONEL GEORGE MORGAN-GRANT TO MORGAN-HIS EXPECTATION OF PROFIT - HIS DE- SCRIPTION OF THE SITE-THE SURVEY OF THE TOWN-OPPOSITION OF WILKINSON AND MIRO -NEW MADRID FALLS INTO HANDS OF MIRO-LETTER OF LA FORGE-THE COMMANDANTS OF THE POST-EMIGRANTS WHO CAME WITH MORGAN-THE LESIEUR FAMILY-THE LA FORGES-JOSEPH MICHEL-ROBERT MCCOY-RICHARD JONES WATERS-TARDIVEAU-OTHER SETTLERS-ROBERT GOAH WATSON-MILITARY COMPANIES-OTHER SETTLEMENTS IN NEW MADRID COUNTY-LITTLE PRAIRIE-SETTLEMENTS IN SCOTT COUNTY-TOWN NEAR SIKESTON -BENTON-JOSEPH HUNTER-TYWAPPITY BOTTOMS-MISSISSIPPI COUNTY SETTLEMENTS SPANISH LAND GRANTS-THE KING'S HIGHWAY.

As originally defined by the Spanish in the grant to Morgan, the District of New Madrid extended from the Cinqne Homme, south to the month of the St. Francois, and west a distance of ten or fifteen miles, though the western boundary was not exactly located. Out of the north part of this district was carved the District of Cape Girardeau and after this was done New Madrid District was bounded on the north by Tywappity Bot- toms. The exact line between Cape Girar- deau district and New Madrid district was, however, for a long time a matter of dispute. It was finally settled by the governor-general and located at a point about five miles south of the present town of Commerce. The west- ern boundary was left unsettled; however, the district was generally understood to ex- tend as far west as there were settlements. As we have seen in discussing the boundary of the District of Cape Girardeau, there was Vol. I-6

an attempt made by the commandants of New Madrid to extend their authority over all the territory west of the St. Francois river and to confine Cape Girardeau district be- tween the St. Francois and the Mississippi. The southern boundary of the District of New Madrid was generally understood as about the present southern boundary of the state. It was fixed not by any order or en- actment but by the fact that settlements ex- tended only about that far to the south.

The first settlement in this district was made in 1783 by Francois and Joseph Le- Sieur, two Canadian trappers and traders who had been accustomed to come to the ter- ritory about the present site of New Madrid for the purposes of hunting and trading with the Indians. Other hunters and traders also visited this place which is situated in a great bend of the river. Before any settle-

HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

ment existed there, while it was only a tem- porary trading post, it was called "L'Anse a la Graise." This name, which means the "cove of grease," was given it by those who came there to trade. Just what reason there was for the name is a question. Some have said that it came from the fact that stores of bear meat were kept there for sale to the passing boats; others said that it was named because of the fact that the hunters there killed an abundance of game, among which were many bears. A third suggestion is that the name was applied because of the richness of the soil.

Whatever the reason for the early name, the settlement was made by the LeSieurs. It was situated on the east bank of the Cha- poosa creek; this was the early name of St. John's Bayou. The situation was a splendid one for the town; the great ridge which ex- tends from the foot of the Scott county hills to the mouth of the St. Francois river is one of the most fertile and desirable parts of all of Southeast Missouri. This ridge touches the river at several places, among them New Madrid and Caruthersville. In early times it formed a most attractive place for settlers. It had immense quantities of timber of the finest sorts; within a short distance of New Madrid there was a lake of clear, limpid wa- ter; the woods swarmed with game; the cli- mate was mild; the soil was exceedingly rich and productive. Those who visited the place believed it to be the most attractive site along the whole course of the river. These advantages had not been overlooked in the early times. The whole country about New Madrid is dotted over with Indian mounds. There are so many of these that it has been conceived by those who believed the mounds to have been built by a race preceding the In-

dians, that New Madrid was perhaps the seat of government for the extensive empire which they believed to have been organized at that time. Whatever the truth may be about this, there can be no doubt that great numbers of people lived here at the time the mounds were being built. It was near this place, perhaps, that De Soto camped on his expedition. An Indian village was situated here at that time and even when the French began to come here to trade there seems to have been an In- dian village still in existence. Along this ridge was one of the great Indian roads which led from the crossing at Commerce to the south as far, perhaps, as the mouth of the St. Francois.

The LeSieurs lived and traded here for several years and other hunters and traders came, attracted by the advantages of the place, until there was quite a settlement. The most remarkable thing connected with its early history was the attempt of Colonel George Morgan to found a great city which should be the capital of a principality.

Morgan was an American; he was fond of the life of the woods; had an adventurous spirit ; was bold and daring and far-sighted. He visited the West about the time of the transfer from France to Spain, paddled up and down its rivers, selected promising sites for settlements, and doubtless dreamed of an empire which might be established in Upper Louisiana. He took part in the Revolution- ary war and was a man of considerable in- fluence and high position in the United States. However, he became indignant at the treatment accorded him by the government of the United States. He had acquired from the Indians a large tract of land. enough to make him independently wealthy. but the policy of the United States government was

HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

never to recognize the validity of an Indian transfer. In the view of the government, the Indians had no power or authority to alienate any lands. This invalidated Morgan's claims and he became practically penniless. He ap- plied to the congress of the United States for redress, but this was denied him. He then conceived the plan of founding a settlement within Spanish territory. IIe seems to have been moved by a desire for wealth, and partly by a desire to revenge himself on the United States by helping to build up the power of Spain. He came into correspond- ence with Don Diego Gardoqui the Spanish minister at Washington. He pointed out to the minister the immense importance to Spain of colonizing her territory west of the Missis- sippi river and of inducing settlers from America to emigrate there. His familiarity with the West and his real ability caught the fancy of Gardoqui who entered into his scheme. Under the arrangement entered into between these persons, Morgan was to receive a grant of land reaching from the Cinque Homne to the mouth of the St. Francois river, a distance of about three hundred miles. The grant was to extend some twelve or fifteen miles westward from the river and thus to include between twelve and fifteen million acres of land. Morgan pointed out .to the minister that if Americans were to be induced to settle on these lands certain things must be granted to them. It was accordingly agreed that Americans should be exempt from taxation and that they should have the right to self-government. In addition to these in- ducements Mr. Morgan held out to prospec- tive colonists cheap land for he expected to sell parts of his enormous holdings for very small sums.

It was a part of Morgan's scheme to induce Indians from east of the river to settle in

Spanish territory. This was to be done, in part, on account of trading with the Indians, and, in part, so that they might serve as a protection for the Spanish territory, espe- cially against the Osage Indians who lived on the Missouri river. He promised Gar- doqui that if the grant should be made on the terms agreed upon between them that within a very few years the population of the dis- triet should be at least one thousand persons. Morgan seems to have been deceived as to the authority of the minister to make the grant; he undoubtedly believed that he had secured from the Spanish government the grant of the lands mentioned. In the winter of 1789, he descended the Ohio river with a numerous party consisting of Americans and of Indians and selected for the site of his town the place now known as New Madrid. Ile was led to do this by the beauty of the situation and the probabilities that it would be a most desirable place for a prosperous trading village. Here he left a large part of the expedition while he, himself, in company with some other members of the party, made his way up the river to St. Louis to meet the lieutenant-governor of the district who resided there. The lieutenant-governor re- ceived him with great favor and entered into all of his schemes. He then returned and proceeded to carry out his plans for the set- tlement of the country.

Morgan's hope of wealth was founded on the expectation that a considerable trade would soon be developed at his post, which he named New Madrid, and that he would be able to dispose of large bodies of land. He evidently expected, also, to engage in the cul- tivation of the soil and in addition to this he had received a promise that if his scheme turned out successfully the Spanish govern- ment would grant him a pension in reward

HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

for his services. He proceeded to lay out the site of his village and to have the surround- ing lands surveyed. The surveyors who did this work were Col. Israel Shreve, Peter Light, and Col. Christopher Hays. It seems that his instructions to these surveyors was really the beginning of the present system of land survey, and that the United States gov- ernment adopted the method devised by Mr. Morgan, in a subsequent survey of the public lands.

* Morgan thus describes the site which he had chosen for his town of New Madrid : "We have unanimously resolved to establish our new city above-mentioned with the date (of this letter) some twelve leagues below the above-mentioned Ohio, at the place formerly called L'Ance la Graisse, below the mouth of the river called Chepousea or Sound river in Captain Hutchins's map. Here the banks of the Mississippi, for a considerable distance, are high, dry, and delicious, and the terri- tory west of the San Francisco river is of the most desirable quality for corn, tobacco, hemp, cotton, flax, and indigo, although ac- cording to the opinion of some, too rich for wheat, in such manner, that we truly believe that there is not a single arpent of uncultiv- able land, nor does it show any difference throughout the space of one thousand square miles. The country rises gradually from the Mississippi and is a fine, dry, agreeable, and healthful land, superior, we believe, in beauty and quality to those of any part of America.

"The limits of our new city of Madrid will extend about four miles south on the bank of the river, and two to the west of it, so that it is divided by a deep lake of the purest fresh water, 80 varas wide and many

leagues long, running north and south and empting by a constant and small current into the Mississippi after flowing through the center of the city. The banks of this lake, which is called Santa Anna, are high, beau- tiful and pleasant; its waters are deep, clear, and fresh; its bottom is of clean sand, with- out logs, grass, or other vegetables; and it abounds in fish.

"On each side of this fine lake, streets, one hundred feet broad, have been marked out, and a road of equal width about the same. Trees have been marked, which must be pre- served for the health and recreation of the citizens.

"Another street, one hundred and twenty feet wide, has been marked out on the bank of the Mississippi, and also the trees noted which must be kept for the above-mentioned objects.

"Twelve acres have been kept in the center of the city for the purpose of a public park, whose plan and adornment the magistrates of the city will look after; and forty lots of one and one-half acres apiece, have been consid- ered for those public works or uses which the citizens may request or the magistrate or chief order, and another twelve acres reserved for the disposition of the King. A ground- plot of one and one-half acres, and a lot of five acres, outside the city will be given to each one of the first six hundred settlers.

"Our surveyors are now working on the extensive plan and proving up the ground plots of the city and the outside lots, and measuring the lands into sections of 320 acres apiece, in addition to those which they choose for the settlement of the people who may come (here). These portions and the con- ditions of the settlements are also in accord- ance with a plan universally satisfactory,

* Houck, "History of Missouri," Vol. II, p. 64.

HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

which will avoid the interminable lawsuits which a different method has caused in other countries to the posterity of the first settlers. "We have constructed cabins and a store- house for provisions, etc., and we are making gardens and clearing one hundred acres of land in the most beautiful meadow in the world, in order to sow corn, hemp, flax, cot- ton, tobacco, and potatoes.

"The timber here is different in some kinds of trees from those in the central states of America. However, we have found white oak, high and straight, of extraordinary size, as well as black oak, mulberry, ash, white poplar, persimmon, and apples in abundance, and larger than those which we have hitherto seen. Also hickory, walnut, etc. The sassa- fras, very straight and of extraordinary size, is commonly 24 inches in diameter. The shrubs are principally cane and spice-wood.

"The timbers unknown to you gentlemen, are the cypress, pecan, coffee (sic), cucum- ber, and some others. The cypress grows on the lowlands at the edge of the river; its quality is equal to that of white cedar. We have a fine grove of these trees in our neigh- borhood which Colonel Morgan has had di- vided into shares of a suitable size, in order to assign them to each farm.

"We are satisfied with the climate, and we have reason to congratulate ourselves that we have at last found a country which conforms to our most ardent desires."

* Morgan gives this account of the way the town is laid out and the manner in which lots are to be disposed of: "The first six hun- dred persons applying for city and out lots, who shall build and reside thereon one whole year, or place a family who shall so reside, shall have one city lot of half an acre, and

* Houck, "Spanish Regime," Vol. I, p. 137.

one out lot of five acres, gratis; paying only one dollar for each patent. All other city and out lots shall be reserved for sale, to fu- ture applicants according to their value. In the choice of the city and out lots the first applicant shall have the first choice of each; the second applicant shall have the second, and so on. Forty lots of half an acre each shall be reserved for public uses, and shall be applied to such purposes as the citizens shall from time to time recommend, or the chief magistrate appoint; taking care that the same be so distributed in the different parts of the city that their uses may be general, and as equal as possible. There shall be two lots of twelve acres each laid out and reserved for- ever; viz .: one for the King, and one for pub- lic walks, to be ornamented, improved and regulated by or under the direction of the chief magistrate of the city, for the time be- ing, for the use and amusement of the citizens and strangers. So soon as these lots shall be laid off, the timber, trees and shrubs, now growing thereon, shall be religiously pre- served as sacred; and no part thereof shall be violated or cut down, but by the personal direction and inspection of the chief magis- trate for the time being, whose reputation must be answerable for an honorable and generous discharge of this trust, meant to promote the health and pleasure of the citi- zens. There shall be a reserve of one acre at each angle of every intersection of public roads or highways, throughout the whole ter- ritory, according to the plan laid down for settlement of the country; by which means, no farm house can be more than two miles and a half from one of these reserves, which are made forever for the following uses, viz .: one acre on the northeast angle or the use of a school ; one acre in the northwest angle for a church; one acre on the southwest angle

HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

for the use of the poor of the district, and the remaining angle in the southeast angle for the use of the King.

"In laying out the city, all streets shall be at right angles and four rods wide, includ- ing the foot-paths on each side, which shall be fifteen feet wide, and shall be raised twelve or fifteen inches above the wagon road. No person shall be allowed to encroach on the foot-paths, with either porch, cellar door, or other obstruction to passengers.

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History of southeast Missouri : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, Volume I, Part 16

Author: Douglass, Robert Sidney. 4n Publication date: 1912 Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 844

Author: Douglass, Robert Sidney. 4n
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 844