Johnson County, Missouri - Chapter 20: - Hazel Hill Township, 1918

DESCRIPTION. ORGANIZATION, NAMING - GKOGRAPHY AND SOILS - EARLY SETTLEMENTS - EARLY CHURCHES - EARLY CEMETERIES - EARLY SCHOOLS - TEACHERS - EARLY POSTOFFICE - JUSTICES OP THE PEACE - COUNTY OFFICERS - PERSONAL PROPERTY AND PRODUCTS - COUNTY ROAD IMPROVEMENTS - POPULATION-ORGANIZATIONS.

The territory composing Hazel Hill township, one of the northern tier of townships of the county, was originally a part of "Washington township. Hazel Hill township was organized June 10. 1856. and its boundaries practically remain the same as they were at that time, except that a strip ofif of the eastern side was added to Simpson township upon the organization of that township in 1875.

The early school at Fayetteville was built near a hill of hazel brush. A Sons of Temperance lodge was organized in 1884, met at the school house and named the lodge Hazel Hill, from this hill. The name was then applied in succession to the school house and the village. Today the village is commonly called Hazel Hill more than it is Fayetteville.

Geography and Soils. - Geographically, Hazel Hill township is an upland at the headwaters of five streams and their tributaries, all entering into Blackwater creek. According to the United States Department of Agriculture Soil Survey of 1914 Osage silt loam (bottom soil) lies next to the streams and next to it comes the silt of Boone silt loam ("sandy" soil), and next to it and constituting the main bodies of upland soil in the township come the Sunmiit silt loam ("black limestone" soil) in the north two-fifths of the townshi]) and Pettis silt loam ("mulatto" soil) in the south three-fifths.

The township has been noted for its numerous good springs. .\ sulphur spring east of Walker school house and west of Colbern branch in section 36, township 47, range 26, was regardeil as possessing important medicinal qualities by the early settlers. It is said to ha\e been ne\er failing and a fa\orite cam]Mng ground for the Indians.

Boone silt loam, upland, 40 per cent. This lies next to the bottom land at the head waters of the fi\e streams. Honey creek. Little Walnut. Black Jack, Flagstaft and creek.

Miscellaneous, upland, 2 per cent. This consists of an irregular patch of Crawford silt loam ( "red limestone"' ) soil, around Mt. Moriah church and small ])atches o\er the township of Boone fine sandy loam (with more sand than the Boone silt loam).

Of the foregoing Summit silt loam and Pettis silt loam are ranked as two of the best soils of the ordinary upland t\'pe in the county. The Boone silt loam is the common soil of sandstone origin.

Early Settlements. - The section now composing Hazel Hill township was one of the earliest settled parts of what is now Johnson county. This was due to the fact that it was one of the most northern sections of the county and earl\- immigration came from the direction of the Missouri river on the north. Richard and John Huntsman settled in this locality in 1829. Samuel Cornett located here in 1831 and William McMahan came the same \ear. Elijah A'oung came in 1836. He perhaps was one of the first to introduce fruit raising in the new country. He was an enterprising citizen and lixed to a ripe old age. Joseph Harrison, a native of Alabama, came here in 1832 and Joseph Hobson came from Tennessee then, also. George ^IclMahan, from Alabama: \\'illiam Adams, from Xorth Carolina: Jesse Harrison, from .Mabama : Judge Trapp, from Tennessee, came here in 1832. In 1834. Judge Robert Graham, from \"irginia. Henr\- Brooks from Indiana, and Jacob Parman from Tennessee established their homes here. LeRo}- Barton, a Kentuckian, joined the settlement the same year. John Markham and John Shackleford, both Kentuckians, cast their lots here in 1835.

Joel \\'alker came here in 1830. He was known as an industrious and frugal pioneer who contributed his part toward builrling up the new country. It is said that he improved three farms. Judge Harvey Harrison settled near the headwaters of the ^^'alnut in 1831. He served as iustice of the peace for twelve years. The Ii\-es of tlie pioneers of this section were not unlike the average frontiersmen's of those days. They cleared away and broke land and it was not long until many had built comfortable although not elaborate homes.

Early Churches. - Religious organizations were effected at an early day in Hazel Hill township. Liberty Baptist church was the first in the township. It was organized in May, I8.16, with ten members and about that time a log church building was erected on section 24 on the VVarrensburg and Lexington road near Liberty cemetery. The old church was built of hewn logs and puncheon floor with slab seats and was heated by two stoves. Amos Horn, Martin and Jonathan Gott were among the first to preach the gospel here. This old church building did ser\ice for about fort}- _\-ears. when the organization was changed to Fayette\-ille, where a frame Iniilding was erected in 1877. Some of the early pastors here were Da\id M. Johnson, M. Felly. R. H. Harris. A. Barton and James H. Carmichael. The early memliers of the organization were: J. A\'. \Vhite. J. Warner, William Simp'^nn. \'. Schilling. Sarah ^^'alker, Richard Huntsman, Alary, Xancy ami H. Huntsman. A\-illiam AI. Walker and Cynthia Walker.

The Christian church of Fayettexille was organized about 1842 and four vears later a frame building was erected which was dedicated by Elder Hiram Bledsoe. The early pastors of this church were Hiram Bleflsoe, James Randall. D. M. Grandheld, George A\'. Logan. William Jarrott. G. R. Hand, \Wlliam Roe, C. A. Hedrick and Samuel AI. AlcDaniel. This church was reorganized in 187Ci by [-"Idcr \\ illiani jarrott with the following members: William Tra])p, John Trapp, Jesse Trap]), AI. Tra]i]j, Thomas Collins. Elijah Young, joe Seigfield. Hiram KeUo, William Jones, William Lemon, Samuel (iuinslead and Noah Dyer.

The Alt. A-Ioriah church. Cumberland Presl)yierian, was organized here shortly after the close of the Civil War and about that time a frame church building was erected. This was located on section 21. .\mong the original members of this congregation we find William Stockton. \\illiam AIcAIahan. AX'illiam Brandmi and their familie-^. The first i)astor.s here were S. H. AIcElvaine and J. C. Littrell.

Early Cemeteries. - Regular cemeteries were established \ery early within the present borders of Hazel Hill townshii). Liberty cemetery was established on section 24. on the road between Warrensburg and Favette\ille. at an earlv da\-. Harrison cenietei-\- w;is e'^t;d)lished in

1844 and Thomas B. Harrison was the tirst to rest here. Hobson cemetery, another early bnrial place, is located on the northeast corner of section 15 and tlic remains of Mrs. F.lizaheth Brooks were the first to be interred here. 'Mt. Moriali cemetery, located on section 28. was another pioneer cemetery and Mrs. P. \'. Spring was the first to be buried here. Morgan Cockrell was the first to be interred in the Old Bethel cemetery, which was located on the western part of section 7.

Early Schools. - Up to 1838 schools were held in private residences generally bnt al.iout that time the log school house was established in the northern part of the township which became known as the Benton school and another one in the southern part which later liecame known as the Pettis school, 'jdiese were of the crude t\pe of buildings usualK' constructed for school purposes in those da\s and here su])Scription schools were conducted until the present state educational system w;is established, or rather the beginning of it.

Among the later school buildings, which were constructed liefore the war was the old McMahan log school house, built in 1853. This was replaced b}' a frame structure six years later, which was burned during the Ci\'il \\'ar and was not rebuilt until after the close of that conflict. Prior to the war. the old log school house |)re\-iously mentioned, to which the name Hazel Hill was early gi\-en. stood near the ])resent site of Fayetteville.

Teachers.^Among the early school teachers of the pioneer times in this part of the county, we find the names of Judge Robert (iraham. James Borthick. Judge William L. Hornbuckle. Henry Tarplev. William A\'. Sparks. John G. Gibbons. Jesse Trapp and A. ^larr.

Early Postoffice. - The first postoffice established in Hazel Hill township was at the residence of James Borthick, who w-as the first postmaster. This was long before the town of Fayetteville was known and the name of the postoffice was Air. Later, when the new village of Fayetteville sprang up, the post office was given the name of Eayetteville, although the village was also known as Hazel Hill. The first postmaster in the town was Ben E. Lemmon, who held the oftice until the Ci\'il War broke out. He recei\'ed his commission from President Franklin Pierce. Later postmasters of F'ayetteNdlle were A. B. Harrison, William Ciouch, John Hand, M. Seamonds, A. J. Morgan, John Matthews and Wesley Otis.

Fayetteville, the principal village in Hazel Hill township, is located about a mile east of the center of the township. The \illage took its name from Lafayette Collins, who was engaged in tlic mercantile l>usiness here in the early days. He went to Texas about tlie time of the Civil \\'ar, where he died in 1877. The land upon which tlie x'illage of Fayetteville stands was entered from tlie go\ernment September 17 . 1845, b)' John Huntsman. Ben E. Lemmon kept the first store here. Others wdio were engaged in the mercantile business here at difi'erent times in the early days were Lafayette Collins, A. B. Harrison, John Huntsman, William Couch, George T. Herndon and A. J. Redford.

Justices of the Peace of Hazel Hill township, as far back as the records go with the dates of their election, are: 1856, James P. Martin, Benjamin F. McCluny, William H. Narron, William L. Hornbuckle: 1860, John Newton, Atkins Powell, W. L. Hornbuckle, \\ illiam 11. Harris: 1862, Calvin S. Sullivan: 1870, G, W. Winston, John L. Trc!)p: 1878, William P. Greenlee, W. P. Glover: 1882, W . P. (irecnlee. Theodore Hyatt; 1886, William P. Greenlee. William McMahan: 1888. Theodore Hyatt: 1890, C. A. Harrison, W. P. (ireenlee: 1802. R. J. Matthews: 1894, J. IL Collins, PL P. McGraw: 1896. J. D. Dyer, L. C. Gore: l'H)i\ C. A. Harrison: 1902, J. D. Dyer, George Young: 1904. J. \. .\llworth:

County Officers. - The following- are the cuunty officers who have been elected from the township since 1S82, with the dates of their election :

Personal Property and Products. - .Xgricultur.il and jiersonal property statistics for Hazel Hill tnwnshii) as given by llic .Missouri state reports for 1877 and Johnson ctnmty assessors' lists for 1896 and 1916, are:

County Road Improvements made by the township, since this system was established in 1911. were up to January 1. 1918, twenty-three in number and aggregated $1,234.50, furnished l)y the citizens of the township, and $1,220 by the county. In the amount of this work Hazel Hill ranks sixth among the townshi])s of the county.

Organizations. - The following is a complete list of all organizations of every kind in Hazel Hill township. Full details of each organization are in separate chapters on the different organizations.