Lafayette County, Missouri - Chapter 3: Organization of the County, 1910

Chapter 3: Organization of the County

The Territory of Missouri was divided into five voting precincts in October, 1812. The districts of St. Charles embraced all north of the Missouri river ; the district of St. Louis all south of the river, except the old settlements of St. Genevieve, Cape Girardeau and New Madrid, on the Mississippi river. Therefore the territory now embraced in Lafayette county was at that date a part of what was called St. Louis parish or district ; however, as early as the first territorial election in October, 18 12, the districts were officially called "counties."

The next change in territorial bounds of these counties was on January 23, 18 1 6, when all the country lying north and west of the Osage river, on the south side of the Missouri river and west of Cedar creek (opposite Jefferson City) , and west of the dividing ridge between the streams flowing east to the Mississippi and those flowing southward into the Missouri, on the north side of the river, was organized under the name of Howard county, named in honor of Gen. Benjamin Howard, of Kentucky, who was appointed governor of the Territory of Missouri in 1810. The county seat was located at Cole's Fort, just below present Boonville, but was removed in 1816 to old Franklin, opposite Boonville.

Following the above mentioned divisions of county line, came the change in 1 81 8 when all that portion of Howard county lying south of the Missouri river and north and west of the Osage river was organized into a new county called Cooper, named for Capt. Sarshall Cooper, who, with ten others of the same name, his sons or near kin-folk, were early pioneers and celebrated Indian fighters in the "Boone's Lick country." Captain Cooper was killed in 1 8 14. The county seat of Cooper county was located at Boonville.

Lafayette county was among the number of new counties created by an act of the Missouri State Legislature November 16, 1820, hence really Lafayette county, as a distinct organization, never saw a territorial form of government, only as it was grouped with other sections of Missouri. The county was bounded and defined as "all that territory between the Missouri river on the north and the Osage river on the south," and received the name of Lillard, after James Lillard, the earliest member of the Legislature from this part of the Territory of Missouri and who presented the bill for the sub-division of several counties. Mt. Vernon was fixed as the county seat of Lillard county. This place was but a small settlement near the mouth of the Tabo creek, about eight miles east of Lexington. After Mr. Lillard removed to his old home in Kentucky the name was changed to Lafayette, in honor of the great Frenchman of Revolutionary fame, Gen. Marquis de Lafayette.

No other changes were effected in the territory of this county until December 15, 1826, when Jackson county was formed, its eastern boundary being the present west line of Lafayette county. Another change was made December 13, 1834, when Johnson county was laid off by an act of the Missouri Legislature, its northern boundary line being the same as the southern line of Lafayette county. This was the last change in the territorial lines of this county.

The present townships of Lafayette county were organized as follows : Sniabar township, April 24, 182 1; Lexington township, May 4, 1824; Clay township, November 7, 1825; Davis township, May 3, 1830; Freedom township, June 11, 1832; Dover township, February 5, 1836; Washington township, August 2, 1836; Middleton township, July 7, 1845.

For a detailed history of these eight town'ships constituting the county, the reader is referred to the chapters on township history, found elsewhere in this volume.

It should be stated, in passing, that the early records are either absent entirely or silent in relation to the change of the name of Lillard to Lafayette county, as well as to many other quite important proceedings which must necessarily have been done in the organization of this county. It is learned, however, from record, that on March 12, 1822, John Duston, James Bounds and James Lillard gave bonds as commissioners of the county, to select suitable places for the erection of a court house and jail and to let contracts for the construction of the same. The same day, the same three gentlemen were appointed to select a townsite for the county seat and to let contracts for county buildings. They finally selected the site and laid out the town of Lexington (old town).

On August 6, 1822, the county court examined and adopted a county seal which bore the figure of a plow, with the words, "Missouri, Lillard County."

The first circuit court in this county was held at Lexington, commencing November 24, 1825. Governor McNair appointed David Todd to be judge of the district, hence he held the first term of court within the county.

The first county court was held at the house of Samuel Weston, a justice of the peace (then within Cooper county), and the date of the term was January 2, 1821.

In passing, it may be said of Lafayette's first seat of justice that "Mt. Vernon," the spot designated, was never a platted place and is now gone from memory. It was a mere irregular shaped group of log cabins on the southwest quarter of section 23, township 51, range 26, on the high bluff a mile east of Tabo creek, three-fourths of a mile from the Missouri river. It was a place where three or four tribes of Indians used to congregate to smoke the pipe of peace, and barter with the French traders. Terre Bonne, "good land," or "good place," or "no fight place," was what the French had taught the Indians to say. But the American settlement called it Mt. Vernon, as a token of respect for General Washington, whose home was at Mt. Vernon, Virginia. The county court held its first court session at Mt. Vernon in November, 1822. Its next term was at Lexington, February 3, 1823, in Doctor Buck's house, the first house erected in the place.

First Circuit Court

February 12, 1821, was the date of opening the first circuit court in Lillard county (now Lafayette). Judge David Todd, with Hamilton P. Gamble, circuit attorney, Young Ewing, clerk, and W. R. Cole, as sheriff, were the court officials. The place of holding this pioneer court was at the house of Adam Lightner, in Mt. Vernon. The attorneys, besides the circuit attorney, were Messrs. Peyton R. Hayden and John McKinney. The reader will find the names of some early settlers, not already mentioned, in the list of grand jurors, which is as follows: William and John Lillard, John J. Heard, William F. Simmons, Thomas and James Linwell, David Jennings, Jesse Cox, James Bounds, Jr., Isaac Clark, William Wallace, Chris Mulkey, Jacob Catron, John Bowman, George Parkinson, Thomas Hopper, John Robinson, Thomas Fristoe, William and Samuel Fox.

A "true bill' was found against one John Salady, for trespass, assault and battery. At the next term of court the man plead guilty and was fined the sum of five dollars.

Bates City was platted on the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section 36, township 49, range 29, September 3, 1878, by Theodore Bates and wife.

Chapel Hill was platted March 26, 1857, on the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section 31, township 48, range 28, by B. D. Hudson.

Concordia, on the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 4, township 48, range 24, by George P. Gordon, H. Westerhouse and H. Detort. The date was August 26, 1869.

Corder (once called Mitchell) was platted on the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section 26, township 50, range 25, February 12, 1879, by George W. Corder and Bettie Corder.

Edward's Mill (Hodge Station) was originally platted on the southwest quarter of section 11 and the northwest quarter of section 14, township 51, range 25, March 31, 1888, by W. C. Morris, proprietor.

Higginsville was platted on the west half of the northwest quarter of section 6, township 49, range 25, and in section 1, township 49, range 26, by Henry and Carrie Higgins, August 14, 1869.

May view was platted originally on sections 18 and 13, township 49, range 27, by George Houx, John P. Herr and Wentworth & Morrison, December 2, 1867.

Odessa was platted by John Kirkpatrick, Sarah Kirkpatrick and Alex. R. Patterson, on section 36, township 49, range 28, and section 1, township 48, range 28, on September 17, 1878.

"Old Town" of Lexington (original platting) was made by the county commission appointed for locating the county seat, etc., April 8, 1822 (see City of Lexington chapter).

Page City was platted after the railroad was built southeast from Lexington. It is situated in section 13, township 50, range 24, in Dover township. The lands were owned by Joseph Page.

Wellington was platted on the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 15, township 50, range 28, May 8, 1837, by Messrs. Wolfe, Bledsoe and Littlejohn.