USA > Missouri > Grundy County > The History of Grundy County, Missouri : an encyclopedia of useful information, and a compendium of actual facts > Part 55
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" The letters shall express their number in fellowship, baptized, received by letter, dismissed, excluded and dead, since the last meeting of the associ- ation; the members thus chosen, when convened, to be denominated the North Missouri Association of Separate Baptists, who are to have no power to lord it over God's heritage, nor to have any ecclesiastical power over the churches. But if, in her opinion, any church or minister of her body be- comes disorderly or unscriptural, she may discontinue fellowship with such churches or ministers.
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
"New churches may be admitted into this association, who are to petition by letter and delegates, and if, on examination by the association, they are found orthodox and orderly, they may be admitted into this association.
"The churches comprising this association shall be entitled to equal repre- sentation, not exceeding five. The association, when convened, shall, after being called to order, proceed to choose a moderator and clerk, which shall be done by a private vote of the association.
" The moderator shall state all questions in order before the association for discussion, and no member shall speak more than twice on the same subjeet without leave of the association. Each member before speaking on any subject shall arise and address the moderator. The moderator may give instruction on any subject when necessary or called upon, but shall have no vote only in case of a tie; then his vote shall be final.
"A motion, when seconded, shall be put before the association by the moderator, unless withdrawn by the brother proposing the same."
SCHOOLS.
The first school in Marion township was taught by Judge Marshall Humphrys when he was a young man and a resident of Sullivan county. The building used was the first school-house erected in that region. It was erected in the year 1845, of hewn logs. Seats were made of split logs, win- dows simply holes with oiled paper for glass, fire-place to hold six foot wood, and chimney of mud and sticks. Here the youth of the day from the surrounding neighborhood, in both Grundy and Sullivan counties, were wont to assemble to become grounded in the rudiments of education. The school-house was built on the line between the two counties named, and was located one quarter of a mile north from Lindley. There are now seven school-houses in the township, in which from four to six months school is held every year. The school facilities will rank with any other township in the county. The Rural Dale school-house, which was built in 1864, is probably the oldest of the school buildings now in use. The brick school- house at Lindley was finished later in the same year, and is the first and only brick school building in the township.
AN ELOPEMENT.
It is an old story that "love laughs at locksmiths," and it is o'er true. The first instance of this kind occurring in Grundy county took place in 1844, and Marion township furnished the principals for this runaway mar- riage. Young John Holloway, one of the early settlers of the township, met and loved Miss Mary A., the fair daughter of John Merryman, Sr., then a resident of the same township, but since the formation of Wilson his farin became a part of that township. Miss Mary returned the affection of the sturdy young pioneer, but the "old folks" put in a strong parental objec-
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IIISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
tion, and young Holloway was given to understand that he must go else- where to woo. This had the effect of making the young couple more de- termined, and an elopement was planned. The appointed time arrived, and with it young Holloway riding one horse and leading another. The young lady was in readiness, and with a small bundle of clothing she left her home, sprang into the saddle and galloped away. They were married in the northern part of the county, and returned in a few days on their wed- ding tour. The marriage proved a happy one, and the couple have reached old age, reared a large family, and are still living on the old homestead, southwest of Lindley, respected by all who know them.
PREPARING FOR BATTLE.
From Mr. D. C. Smith, one of the " old pioneers," the following incidents were learned. The affair took place in Linn county, near the line of Grundy, and settlers of Marion and Wilson townships were engaged in it. It was in the fall of 1842 and reports were flying around thick and fast in regard to an uprising of the Indians. The rumors were generally found to be false, but still the settlers were on the alert and there was not a little ex- citement prevailing throughout the neighborhood, needing only a scintilla of reliable information to put the whites in arms. With this state of affairs existing the following incident happened. A settler living over the line in Linn county had cleared a small piece of woodland, put up his cabin and planted his corn. On the day in question he was away from home, but be- fore leaving had cautioned his wife to keep a sharp lookout for Indians .. She obeyed instructions, and before the day passed her worst fears were realized. Along in the afternoon she noticed an Indian, with rifle in hand, making a stealthy approach toward the cabin. She immediately caught up. her two small children under either arm and fled by the rear doorway to a neighbor's, three miles away, whom she informed that the redskins. were on the war-path. The alarm spread rapidly. The settlers hastily armed and concentrated on a central point, where temporary defenses were thrown up for the women and children. Sentinels were posted, three scouting parties were formed and sent out in as many directions to discover the whereabouts, number, etc., of the savages. The larger party set out for the spot where the Indian was discovered. Moving cautiously up on the clearing they found everything quiet, the cabin deserted and no Indians in sight. Fearing ambush, skirmishers were deployed and the woods scoured with no success until the remains of a deer which had been killed and dressed were found. This explained the matter at once. The Indian had. been hunting and wounded a deer, which had crossed the clearing, and the aborigine was in pursuit when spied by the settler's wife. But a short time had been spent in making these discoveries, and the party returned to the camp. The whole affair was quickly explained, and in honor of the happy
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
conclusion of the anticipated difficulty, a grand shooting-match was pro- posed. Targets were made by " blazing" trees and the shooting proceeded rapidly. In the meanwhile the two outstanding parties, finding no Indians and hearing the rapid firing, concluded that the savages had attacked the temporary fortress. Each party hastened to return, but the return was neces- sarily slow, due precautions being taken to prevent surprise, as it was sup- posed the woods were full of Indians. The two squads came up on opposite sides of the eamp after sunset. The firing still continued but it was hard for the parties to distinguish how matters stood. Judging from the shoot- ing it was decided that the fight was going on at short range and the In- dians were probably advaneing, calculating to charge the fort at dark. With this in mind rapid plans were formed for a daring rush to the resene. Orders were issued for the onset with instructions to reserve fire until the fort was gained. This was substantially the plan of both parties, and as the day waned the firing became more infrequent, and availing themselves of this opportunity each party dashed in on the unsuspecting marksmen with fierce yells and rifles ready for emergency. In the deepening gloom the firing party took the intruders for Indians. The opposing forces met in such close quarters that the rifles could not be used, and a wild rush was made by each party to take the fort, when it was discovered that uo In- dians were around. For a while things looked dangerous, and it was only the close quarters that saved several of the settlers from death. Explana- tions ensued and all returned home tired but good humored. Thus ended the Indian outbreak of 1842.
"THE GULLIVER WAR."
.
A contest bearing the above title was one of the events that broke the monotony of early pioneer life in Marion township, and is also badly mixed up with Linn county. Most of the participants lived near the county line, some in Linn and some in Grundy. There was a man in the neighborhood by the name of Fletcher L. Rutledge, who was most cordially detested by nearly all the settlers, and nieknamed " Gulliver " --- whether as a deserip- tive appellation of his large size overcome by small principles or not, is not known. It appears that the settlers without the fear of the law in their hearts, but with the natural instinet of economy, were in the habit of cut- ting government timber thus saving their own. Knowing this, Gulliver threatened to inform on them if they didn't stop it. Of course, no atten- tion was paid to this, and the resounding ring of the woodman's ax con- tinned to echo and receho through the forests of the government reserve. Gulliver returned to the attack and announced that he had received in- strnetions from headquarters to take the names of all who were appropriat- ing government timber, which he proposed to do. This added fuel to the already existing flames of enmity. A party of fourteen men called on Mr.
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
Gulliver, took him to the woods and gave him a terrible thrashing, when he was released and advised to make himself scarce in that community. Gul- liver was unable to leave, but a few of his friends went to Linneus and pro- cured a warrant for the perpetrators of the outrage. The constable, with a small posse, arrived on the ground and was met by a body of seventy men who had collected; this party defied the man of law, who was compelled to return to the county seat for assistance. The sheriff and eighty armed men next appeared upon the scene, but in the meantime the settlers recognizing that they had laid themselves liable to a severe penalty by resisting an offi- cer of the law, made haste to " skip out," nearly every one of them leaving the county for parts unknown. This was known as the Gulliver War. It was some years before the difficulty was finally settled. Some few returned and were fined for their participation in the affair. After matters cooled off others began to return, and even to this day they are still returning at odd intervals. For prudential reasons, as one of the returned ones remarked to the writer, the subject is very seldom mentioned, until another of the ab- sent ones makes his appearance and quietly settles down, just as still an- other drops in.
ASSASSINATED.
It was during the dark days of the civil war that occurred one of those cowardly deeds detested alike by all men, and the scene was in Marion township. Joseph Wright, a respectable citizen and faithful member of the Methodist Church, of which he was a class-leader, was shot while standing on his own threshold. Mr. Wright's farm was situated in section twenty-six. He had just returned from his day's work and was feeding his cows, his wife was milking near by, a little son held him by the hand, while his two other boys sat on the steps a few yards away, when there rang out a sharp report of a rifle, and the husband and father sank down in the agony of a mortal wound, in the midst of those he loved. 'Twas a fiend in human shape that blighted that fair domestic scene of peace and happiness. This was on the evening of the 10th of November, 1863, and ere the setting of another sun the wounded man sank into the cold embrace of death. The vile assassin was never found, but a desperate character by the name of Joseph Rooker, who had been lurking around the neighborhood, was ar- rested on suspicion, and although circumstances led to the belief that he was the guilty man, there was no proof, so he was released from custody.
DESCRIPTIVE.
Marion township is one of the largest in area, as she is in population, in the county. The township is bounded on the north by Liberty, on the east by Sullivan and Linn counties, on the south by Wilson township, and on the west by the township of Trenton. Within these boundary lines she has
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
an area of 26,880 acres of territory, and a population of 1,307, or the second in the county. The township is two-thirds fertile, undulating prairie, and the remainder timber, principally along the banks of Medicine River, Crooked and No creeks, which furnish the water facilities. The timber is of different varieties, mostly oak, elm, hickory, birch and cottonwood. The land is nearly all under cultivation and fine farms are the rule rather than the exception. In 1871 there were shipped from the township 2,500 hogs and 800 head of cattle, while the surplus of oats and barley was 25,000 bushels. Wheat, rye, flax, tobacco, beans and seed potatoes also showed a large aver- age. There has been constant improvement going on and the township now ranks in its products among the best in the county, both as to quality and quantity.
FIRST ELECTION.
The first election credited to Marion township never occurred within its present boundaries, but was held at the house of Hopkins Work, who, although a resident of Marion township, resided in that portion which has since been cut off and named Wilson. The Livingston county court or- dered an election for two justices of the peace to be held in Marion town- ship on the 1st day of June, 1839, at the house of Hopkins Work. This order was promulgated at the preceding May term of said court. Later an election was ordered to be held at the same place on the 19th of October, 1839, for an assessor of Marion township. These were the first elections held in what are now Marion and Wilson townships. After the organization of the county in 1872, following will be found a list of the officers who have served since the election which took place under the new order, April 16, 1873:
LIST OF OFFICERS.
1873-Samnel Rooks, chairman of the board: W. C. Fenner, trustee; Albert Dunlap, assessor; Andrew Beckner, clerk: John Barr, constable. Joab Holloway became trustee, vice Fenner resigned.
1874-Moses R. Metcalf, chairman; Samuel Rooks, Hezekiah Gregg, justices of the peace; Andrew Beckner, clerk.
1875-Hezekiahı Gregg and Daniel C. Bruce, justices of the peace; Philip Hill, trustee; William H. Rooks, assessor: John M. Robb, clerk.
1876-Daniel C. Brnce and Hezekiah Gregg, justices of the peace; Philip Hill, trustee; William H. Rooks, assessor; John M. Robb, clerk.
1877-S. R. Hill, assessor; Daniel C. Bruce and Moses R. Metcalf, jus- tices of the peace; John M. Robb, clerk.
1881-William C. Fenner, trustee; Daniel Kinsley and William Cox, justices of the peace; William R. Mock, collector; Samuel C. Barr, clerk; Harvey Elwood, constable.
1881-Resignations and appointments have changed the officers for the
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
above year as follows: William C. Fenner, trustee; William R. Mock, col- lector; Moses R. Metcalf and T. A. White, justices of the peace; S. C. Barr, clerk and assessor; William Madison, constable.
The first coffin used in Marion township was made in 1840. No tools were at hand to hew it out, so a wagon-box was cut up and served as the first burial casket.
Harriet Haley, an old negro woman living on the premises of Judge Marshall Humphrys, is the only colored person having residence in the township.
LINDLEY.
The town of Lindley is situated in the eastern part of Marion township, its corporate limits being the Sullivan county line on the east. It is sur- rounded by a productive and well settled region of country, and has a large, growing and flourishing trade. It has a population of two hundred and sixty-eight, and its people are thrifty, intelligent and social.
The land where the town now stands was entered in 1841 by Thomas Dobbins, who gave to John Austin one aere as an inducement to open a store. A log cabin was built for this purpose, and the establishment was opened to the general public in 1842, on the site where Allen's blacksmith shop now stands. A large and varied assortment of merchandise was kept constantly on hand, along with a liberal supply of ardent spirits. The new trading-point was called " Stringtown," from the fact that the cabins of the settlers were strung along nearly in a row for several miles in the neighbor- hood. The closest cabin was that of Thomas Dobbins, on the Sullivan county line. In 1845 the town was laid off and named, with appropriate ceremony, in honor of Hon. James J. Lindley, who had represented that district in Congress. John Austin held a monopoly in business during his stay, which was until 1847, when he was succeeded by James Winters, who conducted his establishment without competition until 1849, when the sec- ond store in Lindley was opened, dealing in the same line of goods as the first, by Samuel Rooks.
From this time on the town's growth was steadily increasing, and there were quite a number of residents in the place.
It is of record that the said Samuel Rooks, of Lindley, and Asa Boyce, were elected justices of the peace for Marion township in 1852.
In 1863 the " bushwhackers " raided the town and destroyed considerable property, besides taking away goods and horses. The store of N. A. Win- ters was among those robbed. The gang was led by a man named Hol- clough, from Howard county. There was no estimate of the value of the property lost by the raid.
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
· INCORPORATION.
The petition of the tax-payers of the town of Lindley, asking the County Court to have the same incorporated, was presented at the July term, 1876, on the 17th day thereof, and read as follows, the same having been placed of record in Book E, of the court record of Grundy county: " To the Honorable County Court of Grundy county, Missouri:
" We, the undersigned inhabitants of the town or village of Lindley, in Grundy county, Missouri, petition and pray your honorable body that we may be incorporated as a town and a body politie, under the name and description of the town of Lindley, whose metes and bounds shall be as fol- lows; to-wit, Including the southeast quarter of section number sixteen, in township number sixty-one, of range twenty-two, and that a police may be established for the local government, and for the preservation and regula- tion of any commons appertaining to said town. Believing that our prayer is reasonable and just, we pray you that our petition may be granted.
" Witness our signatures as taxable inhabitants of said town: John Bantz. Ellen McManus. W. C. Dye. W. D. Thomas.
G. T. Moberly.
Samuel Green.
A. B. Stanley.
W. J. Overman.
G. D. Bramhall.
W. N. McEpes.
J. W. Osborn.
C. H. Cook.
R. H. Cabell.
M. D. Cole.
G. W. Paton.
T. G. Jolinson.
O. P. Johnson.
A. G. Crouch.
J. L. Cole.
Warner Johnson.
Sarah Dillon.
W. H. Foster.
N. Johnson.
James Winters.
Shelby Lewis.
George Baugh.
Charles Bowman.
William Madison.
H. H. Wilson.
George Gay.
Josiah Kerr.
William Earl.
R. M. Dobson.
John Doty.
Thos. Gisman. Albert McDonald.
"The court granted the prayer and appointed the following trustees: C. H. Cook, T. G. Johnson, R. M. Dobson, H. H. Wilson and John Doty.
" Monday, July 17, 1876."
TOWN OFFICERS.
The new board of trustees appointed by the court met with all present; viz., C. H. Cook, T. G. Johnson, R. M. Dobson, H. HI. Wilson and John Doty. An organization was perfected by the election of H. H. Wilson,
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
chairman or mayor; C. H. Cook, treasurer, and the appointment of G. T. Moberly as clerk, and Henderson Foster as marshal.
At the April election, 1881, the following gentlemen were elected for the ensning year: H. H. Wilson, mayor; C. H. Cook, treasurer; J. D. Boyers, T. A. White, Jacob Osborne. Nathan Harty was appointed clerk, and William C. Woods, marshal.
The postal facilities inelnde a mail three times per week from Trenton, two mails weekly from Wheeling, and the same from Browning. The post- office is under the efficient charge of Mr. C. H. Cook.
Lindley has had two schools for the past three years, with two depart- ments, secondary and primary, which have had a large attendance, gradually increasing, until the past year one hundred and fifty pupils were enrolled. Under the excellent management of Mr. T. A. White and Miss C. E. Crouch, who have conducted the respective departments the past year, the schools have been numbered among the best in the county, and are the especial pride of the citizens of Lindley.
The only church building in nse in the town, is that of the Methodist Episcopal organization, under charge of Rev. A. Taylor. The old brick church erected by the members of the Christian organization still stands but is unused.
The Lindley cemetery is situated a short distance over the line in Sulli- van county.
BUSINESS HOUSES.
The flourishing trade of Lindley is catered to by the following list of mer- chants, representing the various branches of trade designated:
C. H. Cook, Marshall Humphrys, George T. Moberly, general merchan- dise; Jewett, Elwood & Co., C. H. Cook, drugs; O. P. Johnson, furniture; Doty & Cox, hardware; Cole & Dunlap, hardware and tinware; G. W. Paton, groceries and notions; Mrs. Philip Robinson, Mrs. Annie Clark, millinery; attorney, Nathan Harty; physicians, Drs. H. H. Wilson, R. M. Dobson, R. H. Cabell; Lewis & Crantz, William Allen, blacksmiths; Bantz & Overman, blacksmiths and wagon makers; John Osborne, barber; John A. Patterson, hotel; H. C. Flagg, boots and shoes, harness and sad- dles; Graham & Cook, flouring-mill; Samuel McCormick, mneat-market; S. L. Jewett, livery stable.
Recently considerable interest has been manifested in Lindley and vicinity over the discovery of water of undoubted mineral properties, which were said to possess rare medicinal qualities. These springs are located on land belonging to Mr. Thos. Dobbins, and the following in regard to them is a letter taken from the Trenton Republican, bearing date of August 29. The letter speaks for itself:
.
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
" MINERAL SPRINGS AT LINDLEY, " LINDLEY, Aug. 23, 1881.
"Since this is an age of discovery and invention, it is hard for one to tell what a day will bring forth. A few years ago, no one dreamed that there. were mineral springs in any part of these diggings, and I don't know that they have dreamed it yet; nevertheless, it is a fact. There have been springs. of unsurpassed medicinal qualities discovered on the premises of Thos. Dob- bins. The pasture in which these springs are found is a broken prairie tract of land having a deep, wide gulch running through it by which the water comes to the surface from some hidden fountain which cannot be found by man. We know some will say it is a hoax; we look for it, it is natural- there have been croakers in every age of the world. From the developments. made in mineral water in other parts of Missouri in the last few years, we cannot help but believe the hardest question to answer in regard to this State was the water question and I have heard it stated time and again that the only objection was having to use cistern water. But the last few years have de- monstrated the fact that living water can be found near the surface of every farm within the boundary of the State, if the owner will only look around and go after the hidden treasure. Some of our citizens have recuperated greatly since they have begun using the water from these springs. Mrs. O. D. Graham claims that she has been completely cured, having suffered from ill health for seven years. Mrs. D. C. Bruce has also been greatly benefited by using mineral water. There are others we might mention had. we space. Many cases of sore eyes have been cured by application of the- wonderful water. Men have examined the water and have passed very satisfactory comment. Rev. A. Taylor thinks them good as any springs he- has visited this summer in Iowa or Illinois; Rev. Dan'l McInturff thinks they are good. No chemical analysis of this water has been made yet but will. be soon when we expect to hear of the best spring in the State.
"D. N. CROUCH."
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
HENRY M. ANDERSON
Was born in Indiana, March 18, 1830. His father was a native of Ken- tucky and his mother of Indiana. While but a child, with his parents, he- moved to Morgan county, Illinois, where he lived until 1844, when he came to this county. Being an early settler in this country, he received only a limited education, frequently carrying his gun with him and killing game enough, while going to school, to keep his family in meat. He still has, in. good preservation, the first and only copy-book he ever used at school, and has a box that he keeps his papers and books in that he made when a boy ..
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
In early manhood he worked as a common laborer, but finally got an o. team, and for several years broke prairie, and in that way made money enough to buy a part of the farm on which he now lives, one of the largest and best located farms in the county, containing seven hundred and fifty- eight acres, all under fence. Farming and the growing of stock is his busi- ness, and he buys and ships as much stock, perhaps, as any other man in the county. He is also giving considerable attention to the growing of sheep, and has about five hundred head now on his farm, among them a stock of full blooded Spanish Merino.
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