USA > Missouri > Grundy County > The History of Grundy County, Missouri : an encyclopedia of useful information, and a compendium of actual facts > Part 69
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656
HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
J. P'. THOMAS, M. D.
James P. Thomas was born in Chariton county, Missouri, September 22, 1842. His parents, William and Rachel Thomas, were both natives of Ken- tucky, and moved to Howard county when he was an infant. There he was reared upon a farm, and educated in the common schools of the county. When nineteen years old he came to Grundy county, and at the age of twenty-one engaged in the drug business, which he followed for ten years. Ardently desiring to practice medieine, he, at the age of thirty-five, began studies at the university at Keokuk, Iowa, where he studied during the years of 1876, '77, '78 and '79, and graduated from that institution, and began the practice of his profession at Alpha, and has been a close student and a successful practitioner. October 20, 1868, Dr. Thomas was united in marriage to Mrs. Catherine Yager, widow of Jacob Yager. Her maiden name was Mangold and she was born March 21st, 1845 in Columbus, Ohio. She married Jacob Yager in March, 1863, and he died October 30, 1864. Dr. and Mrs. Thomas have seven children; named, respectively, Elizabeth, born Angust 15, 1868, died October 20, 1869; Frank, born May 12, 1870; Harry, born December 22, 1871; Charles, born June 9, 1874; Peter, born March 12, 1876; William, born April 22, 1878; J. P., born April 29, 1881.
CHAPTER XXIV.
TAYLOR TOWNSHIP.
When Organized-Old Zack-The Early Pioneers-The First Cabinet-shop in Grundy County -- The Silent Dead-Schools and Churches-Old Mrs. Duncan-Its First Officers -The Mormon Troubles-Dark Deeds and Darker Crimes-Biographies.
Taylor became a township under the new organization law of 1872, having been a portion of Madison township previous to that date. It was named in honor of the "Old Rough and Ready" hero of the Mexican War, Gen. Zachary Taylor. The official order of the court constituting Taylor a town- ship, reads as follows:
" It is ordered by the court that all that part of township No. 62 of range No. 25, lying west of Grand River, and all that part of township No. 63 of range No. 25, lying west of Grand River in Grundy county, Missouri, be known as Taylor township.
Taylor township is bounded on the north and east by the Thompson Fork of Grand River, on the south by Madison township and on the west by Daviess and Harrison counties. Cat Creek crosses the northern portion of the township, Furnace Creek crosses the central portion, and the southern
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
portion is watered by Sugar Creek, Cat-tail and Coon Creeks, the first three flowing into the Thompson River, and the last two into Sugar Creek. The country is much diversified, with about three-fifths prairie, and two-fifthis timbered land. The land is generally good and there are many fine farms under cultivation.
THE PIONEERS.
The first white man to make a habitation and a home within the present limits of Taylor township, was Washington B. Grubbe, who staked off a claim on section 20, township 62, range 25, in the year 1838. He was fol- lowed by his brother, Thompson Grubbe, in the same year. They hailed from Washington county, Virginia. In the same year came W. W. McClel- land. Milton V. Thompson was the first arrival in 1839, and came from Madison township with his father, Dr. William P. Thompson, who moved to Grundy in 1838, when Milton V. was seven years old. He has since lived in Taylor, and at Edinburg, Madison township, and owns numerous large tracts of land in the former township. The same year, 1839, Ben- jamin F. Fulkerson, John Scott, and Harvey Meek, the two latter having lived in Madison township since 1834, were numbered among the settlers of Taylor. After this the new-comers arrived more slowly, and it is not until 1843, that another settler makes his appearance in the person of Henry Willis, who came from England. He is at present a resident of Washington town- ship. J. J. Hobbs settled in the northern part of the township in 1844. He was from Lee county, Virginia, but had located near the present town of Edinburg, where he remained until his removal to Taylor. A ford across Thompson River bears his name to this day. There were no other arrivals until along in 1850-54, when J. S. Miller, David Etter and Thomas Hutton located in the township, and in the fall of 1855 Isaac Splawn, one of the early pioneers of Daviess county, removed to Grundy and became a citizen of Taylor township, where he has since lived. This closes the list of early settlers. Since that date the arrivals have been numerous and steady, of an industrious, well-to-do class, until the year 1881 finds a total population in the township of Taylor of nearly or quite five hundred, the exact number in 1880, according to the census, being four hundred and seventy-nine.
FIRST CABINET-SHOP.
The first cabinet-shop in the county of Grundy was opened by Washing- ton B. Grubbe in Taylor township. The whole concern was of the most primitive pattern, but in this establishment most of the cabinet work of the county was executed. The principal tool was a broad-ax, and with this rude implement Mr. Grubbe made many of the coffins used in the early days. Trees were felled and split, and the planks were hewn to the requisite thickness with the broad-ax. In 1840 he secured, at considerable expense,
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
a whip-saw, and from that date began to do fine work. Here he manufac- tured the first window-sash and blinds in the county, and the excellent finish of the work was the admiration of the neighbors for miles around. Yet, were these rude, rough-hewn coffins compared with the elegant and richly-finished burial caskets of the present time, they would produce a smile; but they were fine affairs in their day.
THIE SILENT DEAD.
Few were they who journeyed to that far away " bourne from whence no traveler returns," in the early days of Taylor township. It was when the harsh winds of winter blew rough and cold that little Elizabeth, the sweet five year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin F. Fulkerson, breathed her last and her soul winged its flight to the realms where angels live. On the Fulkerson farm (in section 32, township 62, range 25) there stands to-day a small enclosure, the fencing stained and mildewed with time, and within is a tiny grave, all overgrown with tangled undergrowth, and here sleeps the remains of little Elizabeth. A tablet of sandstone, eold and gray, marks the spot, and in letters rudely scratched thereon, is " Eliza- beth Fulkerson, March 19, 1841"-that is all. The child's slight grave no daisies deek, but there the wild weed makes it home.
This was the first burial-ground in Taylor township. Only one other grave appears in the small enclosure. The " Ward Cemetery " is now used. This was laid off in 1863 by Henry Willis, on land in section 8, township 62, range 25. And a strange coincidence is that the first tomb within its solemn bounds bears the date of March 17, 1863, the same month and nearly the same day that marks the first grave in the township. It is the tomb of Mrs. Henry Willis, and she was laid tenderly away in the new burying-place where the cool winds of the early days of winter made a sad requiem, and
" Passed over that first mound The storm tide's ebb and flow."
SCIIOOLS, CHURCHES, ETC.
In the year 1855 the first school-house within the limits of Taylor town- ship was erected, about one mile and a half northwest of the " Grubtown bridge" over Furnace Creek. The building was of white oak logs, 18x20 feet, withi puncheon floor, and clap-board roof. The chimney was com- posed of mnd and sticks, while the windows were made by taking out one log the entire length of the house and inserting "lights" of glass 8x10 inches in size, until the space was closed. Seats were made by slabs, hewed or sawed, with pins for legs. The writing desk was a curiosity. It was made by putting pegs in the wall with the desired downward slant, upon which was placed a broad plank, and the desk was ready for use by the whole
659
HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
school. This completed the furniture of the school, and was thought at that time to be quite a fine structure. Mr. Alphens Keys was the first to officiate as schoolmaster, and he still lives an honored citizen of the town- ship.
There are now four school districts in the township, each supplied with comfortable frame school buildings in which school is held at least six months in each year.
There are no church edifices in the township, but the school-houses furnish convenient places for religious worship and are used for that purpose, by the different denominations. Rev. Buren, a Methodist minister, was the first to conduct services in the township. The early meetings were gen- erally held in the groves, "God's first temples," where the sturdy settlers and their families, the rich and poor alike, met on a common level to offer praise to their Creator. Then services were held at the houses of the neigh- bors, until the school-houses were built.
At one time the plat of what was intended to be a flourishing town was laid off and given the name of Grubtown, but it soon sank into insignificance, and although the place is still known by its name, the town lots have been turned into farming land.
.It is worthy of mention that two old ladies who have trod the thorny paths of pioneer life beyond the alloted three score and ten years, still live in a green old age. These are Mrs. Phoebe Duncan, who lives with her son in the southern part of the township, and Mrs. Sebrina Goodman. Mrs. Goodman is a native of Chariton county and now in her seventy- seventh year. She has been married twice, her first husband, Samuel Riggs, having been one of the earliest settlers of Ray and Daviess counties. Her second husband was Peter Goodman and they came to Grundy county in 1856. She is the mother of eight children most of whom are now dead, but she is still hale and hearty and lives with her grandchildren around her, on the farm of her brother, Isaac Splawn, in the western part of the township.
The first officers of Taylor after it became a township in 1872, were Henry S. Lewis, trustee; Joshna Fulkerson, collector; Jas. W. Macley, assessor; justices, Solomon Cole and Jacob McClure; John Ward, clerk .. The first meetings were held at the Knightstown school-house.
The present township officers are Henry S. Lewis and Asa Dent, justices of the peace; E. Wirt Fulkerson, trustee; Joshua Fulkerson, collector; A. L. Hudson, clerk and assessor; George S. Connell, constable.
THE MORMON TROUBLES.
Mr. Isaac Splawn, one of the oldest settlers of Grundy county, and of Taylor township, gives the following interesting account of the Mormon troubles which caused considerable excitement during the early settlement of this connty as well as in the counties where the troubles occurred.
660
HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
In the early part of the year 1838, when the troubles with Mormons first began, Mr. Splawn was living on Muddy Creek, east of Gallatin, in Daviess county. The settlers at that early period were few and far between, and not overburdened with wealth. The Mormons, on the contrary, were pretty well supplied, and felt no conscientious scruples against making up any de- ficiencies in their possessions by levying upon the chattels, etc., of their neighbors, whom they spurned as "Gentiles." These depredations con- tinued, and the horses, cattle, hogs, etc., belonging to the settlers were ap- propriated with clock-like regularity. The Mormons made no attempts to conceal the plunder of these raids, but justified their acts by asserting that the property was consecrated to them by the Lord. This state of affairs existed until the patience of the settlers ceased to be a virtue, and they in- voked the aid of the law, but justice was an unknown quantity after the Mormon witnesses got through swearing. At last the Mormons received information that the land was theirs-that the Lord had also consecrated the ground to their sole use and behoof. As soon as they became thoroughly imbued with this idea, they organized themselves into delegations of fifty or more and called upon each settler and informed him of the new disposi- tion the Lord had made of his property in favor of the Mormons, coupled with the advice to leave that section of the country withont unnecessary delay, or, if they did not, their lives and possessions would pay the penalty of their disobedience to the Lord's commands. As they always took the property anyway, the settlers, who were few when compared to the Mor- mons, hurriedly moved out, some going to Ray and others to Livingston county. Among the latter was Mr. Splawn, who had lost a horse in one of these raids. "In the fall of 1838 a meeting was held at Spring Hill, in Liv- ingston county, by the Gentiles, or settlers, and a company of two hundred and twelve men was organized. Mr. Jennings was elected colonel, and John Comer captain. At this time the Mormons had formed an organiza- tion under the name of 'Danites,' with six hundred members, all sworn to fight to the death and die like patriots in the cause of the Lord. They were under the command of a disciple of Joe Smith, named Lyman White, who was a firm believer in the truth of their doctrines as inspired by the Lord. This White sent word at three different times to the 'usurping Gentiles ' that if they did not come out and meet the hosts of the Lord that the Mor- mons would fall upon them at Spring Hill and wipe them from the face of the earth.
"The settlers carefully studied the matter, and finally concluded that they had better attack the Mormons than to be attacked by them. Abont the latter part of October, Col. Jennings mustered his forces and marched to Honn's Mill, in Daviess county, the Mormon headquarters. The pioneer force was divided in three detachments, and were deployed upon the right, left and center of the Mormon position, coming upon them from the north.
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
The 'Saints' were in the midst of a feast, long tables were sitting in the shade of trees loaded with edibles, and everything was in readiness for a season of enjoyment, when the appearance of the 'Gentile' pioneers upon the scene took them completely by surprise. They were ordered to surren- der, but refused to do so, instead firing one shot at Col. Jennings, which did no damage." "This," said Mr. Splawn, " was the first shot that rang out upon the air, and everything reigned in breathless silence for about a min- ute. The settlers handled their flintlocks nervously, and awaited in uncasy expectancy. The Mormons made good use of their time, and were, in a measure, prepared for the onslaught which followed the interval of silence. The settlers advanced upon the foe. It was two hundred and twelve against six hundred. It was right against might. The gallant two hundred and twelve staked their all upon the result. It was for the lives of themselves and their families that they battled, and their homes. The odds were great, but every man carried his flintlock and fired with an unerring aim born of a desperation never called for before. The struggle was short. It was about sundown, and for about ten minutes the battle raged with unabated fury, when the Mormons were put to flight. By dark the casualties of the fight were found to be thirty-seven Mormons killed upon the field, and a number supposed to have been wounded, who escaped. The settlers lost none, but seven men were severely wounded. The dead Mormons were thrown into an old well, nearly filling it. The settlers then returned to Spring Hill, and two days after the battle of Honn's Mill, joined the forces under Gen. Lucas, who had been ordered out by Gov. Boggs to put a stop to the Mormon dep- redations. No further collisions took place between the opposing commands, the Mormons surrendering at Far West, a Mormon town northwest of Kingston, county seat of what is now Caldwell county. A large force also surrendered at Diamond, at which place Mr. Splawn recovered his horse from one of the 'Saints.' At this latter place a cannon was among the cap- tured trophies of war. After the surrender everything was .quiet, except, perhaps, the trouble occasioned in the reelaiming of stolen property, when the settlers returned to their homes in Daviess county. Soon after this the settlers brought their families, with some few exceptions, from Ray and Livingston counties."
Mr. Splawn found his cabin occupied by a Mormon on his return, who informed him that he was taking care of things while the owner was absent -a kindness not appreciated by Mr. Splawn. Mr. S. still possesses his old flintlock rifle, and could not be induced to part with it.
" In one of the skirmishes with the Mormons previous to their surrender, Dick Hatcher and Ira Glaze, two of the Gentiles, as the Mormons called them, were captured along with a twelve-pound cannon. Hatcher was a man not at all celebrated for his facial beauty, but on the contrary, was bet- ter adapted to serve as a scarecrow. He was a good-hearted fellow, with
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
eyes a few sizes smaller than saucers, and a mouth having the appearance of having been the result of a gash cut in his face by a broad-ax. These feat- ures had always been a perpetual annoyance to Hatcher, but this time they served him well, for when the Mormons caught a glimpse of his counte- nance they told him to ' move out of that' in double-quick time, and if the Lord would forgive them for having had such an unsightly mortal in their company they would feel more than compensated for his immediate absence. Hatcher left with an accelerated speed born of true thankfulness.
" Glaze was taken along, and was allowed to ride on the captured cannon. Ammunition for twelve-pounders was scarce in those days, and for lack of a better place the balls for the artillery were placed in the gun and the muz- zle plugged to keep them in. Glaze observed this and when they crossed the first creek he quietly removed the plug, allowing the balls to roll out of it with a splash, splash into the water. The loss was not discovered until the next day and was then supposed to have been an accident occasioned by the joltings in traveling over rough country. Glaze afterward escaped.
" Just before the surrender at Far West, Joe Smith prophesied that Gen. Lucas and his army would drop dead when they crossed a certain small branch in the neighborhood, and the Mormons all awaited the event as an assured certainty. One old lady watched them as they crossed in safety and exclaimed in an anguished voice, 'My God! they have crossed the hollow and are not dead yet!' This weakened the faith of a few, but had no good effect.
" The Mormons went to Nauvoo, Illinois, from Daviess county. At this time," continued Mr. Splawn, " there are very few old settlers living to tell of their participation in that short but eventful Mormon war."
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
P. C. BOORAN
Was born in Jefferson county, Missouri, July 7, 1844; son of Z, B., and Ruth (Amsbury) Booran, both were natives of West Virginia and came to Missouri in the year 1839, and settled in Jefferson county, and in 1848 moved to Grundy county and located in Madison township. He made his home with his parents till nearly twenty-eight years of age, then on May 9th, 1872, married Miss Mary E. Brown, a native of Daviess county, and a daughter of Moses and Elizabeth Brown, nee Miles. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Booran; viz., Mindora Ann, December 10, 1873, a bright and intelligent girl; and Moses V., January 3, 1876, died July 18, 1878. He moved on his farm in Taylor township in 1872, and owns one hundred and sixty acres of land, ninety of which are well improved, At
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
the age of twenty years he enlisted as a member of the Forty-fourth Mis- sonri volunteer infantry and served till the close of the war; was with the regiment in many engagements; was taken sick and sent to the hospital, in February, 1865, and remained there till discharged, July 15, 1865. He has often served his township as school director. Mr. and Mrs. Booran are members of the Missionary Baptist Church.
HENRY DUSKIN,
Son of Daniel and Margaret Duskin, nee Cesco, was born in Tazewell county, Virginia, March 23, 1820. His parents had a family of thirteen chil- dren and all lived to be married and have families; the parents died in Taze- well county, Virginia, at a very advanced age. Mr. Duskin was married, October 12, 1843, to Miss Rissa Harper, a native of Tazewell county, Vir- ginia, born March 29, 1826. She was a daughter of Leonard and Polly Harper, nee Folin. The parents of Mrs. Duskin came to Missouri with the family of Mr. Duskin; her father died in January, 1864, and her mother in March, 1881. When Mr. Duskin and wife were married they began farm- ing, but had so little to start with that it was slow work. They remained in Tazewell county till 1857, then came to Missouri, and when they arrived in Grundy county had only seventy-five cents left, but now they have a nice home and forty acres of land. Seven children have been the issue of this marriage, three of whom are living; viz., Amanda, born November 13, 1854, now the wife of Henry Cheeny; Harvey, born August 6, 1859; and Mar- garet born January 31, 1862. The four dead were named as follows: Thomas, born December 17, 1844; Leonard, born June 13, 1847; Wilkson, born January 25, 1850; and Polly, April 2, 1852.
W. B. GRUBBE.
The subject of this sketch stands in the front rank of the pioneers of Grundy county, and located upon the farm now occupied by him March 4, 1838. He was born in Washington county, Virginia, December 15, 1812; a son of George N. and Amelia Grubbe, nee Keys. His father was a native of Maryland, but reared and educated in Pennsylvania, and was General Jackson's chief clerk during the War of 1812. His mother was born in Tennessee, and first married a man by the name of Meek and, after becom- ing a widow, became the wife of George N. Grubbe, the father of the sub- ject of our sketch. In the year 1822 his parents moved to Missouri and settled in Ray county; there the father died in 1825. The family continued to live there till 1830, then became scattered and settled in various parts of the State, and his mother lived in various places with her children till she died, in 1842. On March 3d, 1834, he was united in marriage to Miss Amanda Keys, a native of Virginia born March 19, 1816. She was a daughter of Francis and Polly Keys, nee Meek. Her parents died in Ray
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
county, Missouri. After getting married Mr. Grubbe worked at his trade, as a cabinet-maker, in Richmond, Ray county, for about three years, then moved to Daviess county and, in the spring of 1838, to Grundy county, where he still lives. Here he commenced to open a farm in what was then a vast wilderness with but few settlers within a radius of twenty miles. He also started a cabinet-shop, and had to split out lumber and dress it with a broad-ax. After a time he was able to buy a whip-saw, and with that he sawed out the finishing for quite a number of honses. He says he often split two hundred and fifty rails in one day and then at night would work in his shop and make a set of window sash. The first window sash used in this county were of his manufacture.
By his first marriage nine children were born; viz., John Quincy, Mary Elizabeth, Amelia Jestin, William Francis, Thomas Nelson, Alpheus Jack- son, and three who died when quite young, Jeannette Ann, George Washing- ton, Charles Preston. His first wife died in 1858, and he was again mar- ried, May 10, 1860, to Mrs. Phoebe A. Stephenson, widow of Washington Stephenson. Her maiden name was Husted. She was a native of Ohio, a daughter of Moses Husted, a soldier of 1812, and Elizabeth Stanley Husted, sister of General Stanley, of the War of 1812. Eleven chil- dren have been born by this second marriage: James Henry, Eliza Ann, Henry W., Beatrice B., Benjamin T., Martha E., Minnie W., Fannie E., Robert R., Charlotte, and John F. Mr. Grubbe has done much towards the development of Grundy county. Always active and public spirited, he is a man universally beloved by his great circle of friends. He owns two hundred and fifty acres of land and has given to each of his children, as they became of age, a good home. He rendered valuable ser- vices to his country as an officer in the Union army during the war. As a soldier of the Cross he has worked as a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church for nearly one-half a century.
A. L. HUDSON,
Son of Rev. Thomas H. and Sidney Hudson, nee Elliott,. was born in Mon- roe county, Ohio, May 1, 1854. His parents were both natives of Penn- sylvania, but moved to Ohio at an early day, and from there to Missouri in the year 1866. Here his father died, September 15, 1873. He was a min- ister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and had been an active laborer in the church and sabbath-school during his entire life, and by his death the church lost a faithful worker, society a useful and honored citizen, and the family a kind and loving husband and father. His mother is still living, with the subject of our sketch. A. L. Hudson attended the commercial schools of St. Joe and there obtained a fine business education. He mar- ried, August 29, 1878, Miss Bessie Weldon, a native of Harrison county, Missouri, born June 23, 1859. She is a danghter of Washington and Mary
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