Grundy County, Missouri - Tayloe Township, 1881

Tayloe Township

When Organized - Old Zach - The Early Pioneers - The First Cabinet-shop in Grundtj 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 Eougli and Ready" hero of the Mexican War, Gen. Zachary Taylor. The official order of the court constituting Taylor a township, 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 portion is watered by Sugar Creek, Cat-tail and Coon Creeks, the first three flowing into the Thompson Kiver, and the hist two into Sugar Creek. TliO country is much diversified, with about tliree-fif'ths prairie, and two-fifthe timbered land. The land is generally good and there are many fine farms nnder cultivation.

Thk Tionkkrs

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 183S. He was followed by his brother, Thompson Grubbe, in the same year. They hailed from Washington county, Virginia. In the same year came W. W. McClelland. Milton Y. Thompson was the first arrival in 1839, and came from Madison township with his father, Dr. William P. Thompson, who moved to Grundy in 183S, when Milton Y. w'as 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, Benjamin 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 township. J. J. Hobbs settled in the northern jmrt of the township in 1844. He was from Lee county, Yirginia, but had located near the present town ot Edinburg, where he remained nntil 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 nearl}^ 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-sho]) in the county of Grundy was opened by Washington 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 M'as 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, a whip-saw, and from that date began to do fine work. Here he manufactured 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 coftins compared with the elegant and richly-finished burial caskets of the present time, they would j^roduce a smile; but they were fine affairs in their day.

The Silent Dead

Few were they who jonrneyed 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, cold and gray, marks the spot, and in letters rudely scratched thereon, is "Elizabeth Fulkerson, March 19, 1841" - that is all. The child's slight grave no -daisies deck, but there the wild weed makes it home.

This was the first burial-ground in Taylor township. Onl}^ 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 townshii). 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

Schools, Churches, Etc

In the year 1855 the first school-house within the limits of Taylor township 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, with puncheon floor, and clap-board roof. The chimney was composed of mud 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 curiosit}". It was made by j)utting 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 ecliool. This coiTi])leted the furniture of the scliool, and was tliought at tliat time to be quite a fine structure. Mr. Alj)heu8 Keys was the first to officiate as schoolmaster, and he still lives an honored citizen of the township.

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 places for religious worship and are used for that purpose, by the difterent denominations. Rev. Bnren, a Methodist minister, was the first to conduct services in the township. The early meetings were generally 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 neighbors, until the school-houses were built.

Atone time the plat of what was intended to be a flourishing town was laid and given the name of Grub town, but it soon sank into insignificance, and although the place is still known by its name, the town lots have been turned into farmings 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 7iow in her seventyseventh 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 uiother 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 i3art of the township.

The first officers of Taylor after it became a township in 1872, were Henry S. Lewis, trustee; Joshua 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 durins; the earlv settlement of this county as well as in the counties where the troubles occurred.

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 deficiencies in their possessions by levying upon the chattels, etc., of their neighbors, whom they spurned as "Gentiles." These depredations continued, and the horses, cattle, hogs, etc., belonging to the settlers were appropriated 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 invoked 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 tlie new disposition the Lord had made of his property in favor of the Mormons, coupled with the advice to leave that section of the country without 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 Mormons, 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 Livingston 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 organization 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 tlie hosts of the Lord that the Mormons 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 liad better attack the Mormons than to be attacked b}' them. About 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.

The 'Saints" were in the midst of a feast, ]oii<^ 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 nj)on the scene took them completely by surprise. They were ordered to suri-ender, but refused to do so, instead firing one shot at Col. Jennings, which did no damage." "This," said Mr. S|>lawn, "was the first shot that rang out upon the air, and everything reigned in breathless silence for about a minute. The settlers handled their flintlocks nervously, and awaited in uneasy 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 adv\anced upon the foe. It was two hundred and twelve against six hundred. It was rii^ht ajjainst mi<>;ht. 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 da3rs 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 depredations. jSTo 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 captured trophies of war. After the surrender everything was .quiet, except, perhaps, the trouble occasioned in the reclaiming 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 Kay and Livine-ston counties."

Mr. Splawn found his cabin occupied by a Mormon on his return, wha 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 better adapted to serve as a scarecrow. He was a good-hearted fellow, with eyes a few sizes smaller than saucers, and a moutli having the appearance of having been the result of a gash cut in his face by a broad-ax. These features Iiad always been a perpetual annoyance to Hatcher, but this time they served him well, for when the Mormons caught a glimpse of his countenance 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 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 daj'S, and for lack of a better place the balls for the artillery were placed in the gun and the muzzle 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.

" Jiust 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."