Macon County, Missouri - Chapter 2, 1910

Tur Pionrers - James Loe - WiLLiíAw BraAckwELL - CAPTAIN WILLIAM GRIFFIN - CAPTAIN WILLIAM Smira - Squire HoLMAN - ATTACKED By Worves - Savep BY BLasr FROM A Horn - Magor JoserH D. Burter - Levi Cox - ABSENT FROM Home Twenty-one YEARS - R. L. SHACKLEFORD - BILL TO Run STEAMBOATS UP ÜHARITON River - Cuever Exvecrion Ruse - FREDERICK RowLaND - ENCOUNTER WITH Inpians - WirLiam Morrow - RoBERT Gipson, OLbesT Man IN Unrreo Stares - Mrs. Potty BASKETT.

The section which afterwards became known as Macon county began settiing up about ten years before the county was organized. Indians were yet numerous in these parts and there were frequently skirmishes between them and the whites.

The first white man to erect a cabin home in what is now Macon county was James Loe. Mr. Loe was a Kentuckian. He immigrated from that state in 1820 and came to Missouri, locating in Howard county. He remained there until 1827, when he moved northward and built his cabin south of the present town of Callao, in section 13, township 57, range 16. For a long while after the arrival of Mr. Loe's family they saw no human being save the Indians. During the hunting season the Sioux passed the eabin almost every day, and frequently camped on the Chariton river with a retinue.

William Blackwell, one of the most noted pioneers of Macon county, was born in Madison county, Kentucky, January 13, 1797, four years after the Reign of Terror in France. He came to Missouri at the same tine Mr. Loe moved up into Macon county, in 1827, locating first in Boone county, and later moved to Howard county. Mr. Blackwell made a final move on April 12, 1831, when he came to Macon county and settled six miles north of where Macon is now. He was a vigorous, ambitious man and soon a little settlement clustered about him which became known as the ** Blackwell Settlement." When he came here, Mr. Blackweli reealls the following as being residents of Macon county at that time: Major William J. Morrow, Joseph Morrow, Jeff Morrow, afterwards sheriff and collector of Macon county; John and Jesse Morrow, Archibald Chambers, Andrew Millsaps and the Loes, the real pioneers.

At that period the Randolph authorities were taking care of the state's business clear up to the Iowa line, which then extended further north than it does now.

Captain William Griffin was born in Lincoln county, Kentucky, May 28, 1797, the same year Mr. Blackwell was born. He was married to Susan Buster in September, 1821, in Pulaski county, Kentucky. In 1828 he came to Missouri, settling in Ralls county near New London. A year later he moved to Marion county, close to Hannibal. At that time all the houses of Hannibal were of log. There was but one twostory structure in the place. That was the tavern of Joseph Brazier. Captain Griffin came to Macon county in 1839, two years after the county was organized, and located in Ten Mile township near La Porte. He says at that period the county was without roads, churches, schools, mills or blacksmith-shops.

Captain William Smith, referred to in a previous chapter, was born in Clark county, Kentucky, May 4, 1817, and came to Missouri in March, 1839. He was one of the most enthusiastic of the Kentuckians. Right from the start he had faith in this country and showed it by his earnest attempts to make his fellow Kentuckians feel at home. He died March 18, 1909, full of years and usefulness to his fellow-man.

Squire Holman was born in Madison county, Kentucky, October 31, 1807, and with his father's family came to Missouri in 1817. They first settled near Franklin in Howard county, but in the following spring they moved to Silver Springs, Randolph county. Squire Holman, William Holman, Joseph Dysart and Joseph Holman were the first settlers of Randolph county. Long before Macon county was Mr. Holman went to the Loe settlement and raised hogs there, selecting the place because of the abundance of mast. Hog raising was then the principle industry of the pioneer and he was always on the lookout for timber sections where his product would thrive well. The early court e abounded in trials of parties charged with hog stealing and with m z hogs. In those days the crime was.regarded almost as serious as was horse-stealing on the frontier in later years.

Another danger to the owners of hog ranches was the wolves, whieh were very numerous. One night, while making a journey to look after his stock, Mr. Holman stopped at a deserted log cabin. He was almost instantly surrounded by a great herd of snarling, snapping wolves. He had no arms of any sort with him; nothing with whieh to build a fire and was practically defenseless. The wolves were kept at bay for a while by the barking of Mr. Holman's dog, but they were hungry and getting bolder and bolder all the time. Then Mr. Holman thought of his hunter's horn which he carried about his girdle. He seized it and blew several sharp blasts, and was tremendously surprised as well as relieved to see his dangerous enemies take to their heels.

Major Joseph D. Butler was born in Prince William county, Virginia, September 2, 1792. His father's family moved to Fayette county, Kentucky, when he was in his thirteenth year. Kentucky was in a fever of excitement during the war with Great Britain, in 1812. Mr. Butler promptly responded to the government's call for volunteers. He became a member of Captain John McKee's company, 4th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry. Colonel Robert Paine was commander. After a number of movements his regiment received orders to join General Winchester on the Maumee, but before reinforcements could arrive General Winchester was disastrously defeated at the River Raisin, and was captured, together with a large number of his soldiers. Many of these were inhumanly butchered by the Indians, the acknowledged allies of the British. This repulse caused great grief throughout Kentucky, as some of its best blood was in General Winchester's army. Mr. Butler's regiment was moved about to various forts and posts and finally disbanded at Lebanon, Ohio. For his services Mr. Butler received a land warrant giving him 160 acres. He was married to Ellenor Hayden in Nicholas county, Kentucky, January 18, 1818, and remained in that county until 1835, when he moved to Missouri and settled in Marion county, six miles north of Palmyra. In 1839 he came to Macon county and settled on a farm, where he long resided. He entered land at Fayette in 1836. While there entering his land, the polls being open, he voted for Van Buren for president.

Levi Cox was born with the nineteenth century in North Carolina, on March 22. His parents first moved to Kentucky and there Mr. Cox was married in 1828 to Miss Elizabeth Wade. Mrs. Cox died in 1835 and in 1838 Mr. Cox married Miss Luey Wine. In 1842 Mr. Cox moved from Kentucky to Macon county. There were only one or two schools in the county then, and but few mills and churches. Here and there was a subscription school. The people depended on circuit riders for preaching and in pleasant weather services were held in groves. On April 16, 1850, Mr. Cox, Joseph Snodgrass, Oliver Stewart and a Mr. Gee took the overland trail for California in quest of gold. The journey was made in 120 days. Mr. Cox's luck was varied. Sometimes he was a few thousand dollars ahead and he would think of returning home. Then his luck would change and his little horde of gold dust disappear. He kept at it this way for twenty-one years. His little family baek in Missouri gave him up as dead. He had written home several times, but his mail seemed to have been miscarried. Nor did he receive the letters his wife wrote to him. Finally at the end of the twenty-one years Mr. Cox decided to eome back. The journey out, whieh had required four months, was made back in eight days, the Pacifie railroad having been constructed while he was in the far west. When Mr. Cox left Macon county it was yet in the primeval stage. 'The town of Macon was yet eight years in the future. Neither the Northern Missouri or the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad had been built. La Plata, Callao, Bevier, New Cambria and Atlanta were not even on the threshold of life. Naturally, when Mr. Cox returned twenty-one years later he found himself in a strange land; there were railroads, thriving towns and busy farms where he had only seen boundless prairies and forests. He felt more like a stranger than he did when he had arrived in California. He didn't know where to get off the train, and was carried by his old home place to Clarence. There he astonished a man by asking him where Levi Cox lived. Mrs. Cox was found in the same log eabin where he had left her. She had worked hard, and from the history of the first interview with the prodigal, didn't seem to be over excited, for she greeted him with these words:

Mr. Cox did not remember his children. They were small boys and girls when he left there and now they were grown up young men and women. It was soon noised about the neighborhood that the California miner had returned and quite a erowd gathered at his house that night. They had an old-fashioned house warming. It was good to be at home, and Mr. Cox's reunion with his family, he declared, was the happiest event of his life.

Roderick Lyne Shackleford who was destined to become one of Macon county's most famous characters, was born in King and Queen county, Virginia, June 13, 1805. He was married to Miss Mary Tilley of Bloomington, on September 21, 1843. A. L. Gilstrap, who at that time was justice of the peace and later on became an editor of Bloomington's first paper, performed the eeremony. Mr. Shackleford's marriage occurred two years after his coming to Bloomington. He had been sent there by his brothers to take charge of a store of goods. The brothers then resided at Hannibal. In 1844 Mr. Shackleford was eleeted to the legislature on the Whig ticket by a majority of 15. The Democrats claimed the county by a majority running from 175 to 200. How Mr. Shackleford broke this majority is one of the most interesting features of early day politics. His opponents were Capt. William Griffin and Judge Frederick Rowland. The law provided a three days' election. The voting was done on the first day in the townships and on the other days in the court house at Bloomington. It was in Bloomington where the exeitement developed. The race became so elose that Captain Griffin withdrew on the second day so as not to embarras his friend Rowland. But even that did not save the Democratie candidate.

Before the election the opponent of Shackleford undertook to put him out of the race by stating that he was in favor of a Don Quixote scheme of making the Chariton river navigable for steamboats. It was thought that the idea would be so ridienlous to the people that they would laugh Shackleford out of the race. But it happened that there were a whole lot of folks over on the other side of the river who believed in steamboats and wanted them to come from St. Louis into Macon county. When he became aware of the trend of the sentiment of these people, Shaekleford boldly admitted the charge and said if they sent him to the legislature he would certainly have something done along the Chariton river by the **government." Then Shackleford's main lieutenant, John Blankenship, put in execution a scheme which clinched the eleetion for his man and won him the vietory. The Chariton river was a raging flood; the people to the west eould not get aeross to hear the candidates. Blankenship had a large black horse, an animal that could swim the worst flood that ever came down the valley. He tendered it to Shackleford in order to make a spectaeular campaign play. Shaekleford was game. Blankenship sent a man over on a raft to drum up the people to the water's edge, and when Shackleford and his fiery steed plunged into the river they were given an ovation by the voters on the other side. Enough votes were changed by this performance to give Shackleford the victory.

Mr. Rowland, Shackleford's main opponent in that race, came to Macon county in 1829 and located in the southern part of the county near Woodville. He was born in Chatham county, North Carolina, March 2, 1805. Mr. Rowland became famous as a hunter and a man of courage. The hunting grounds were almost without limit. In the very early days Missouri extended up to the Des Moines river and frequently the nimrods would go that far for their game. One night a gang of Indian brawlers came to Mr. Rowland's cabin, announcing the honor by a blood-eurdling war-whoop. There were no doors to the cabin and the only barrier to keep the red men out was Mr. Rowland, who stood in the doorway with a musket in one hand and a butcher knife in the other. His wife and children stood trembling behind. The Indians started in, and the leader felt the cold steel of the musket against his breast. He looked into the eyes of Mr. Rowland and saw that the pioneer meant death. The Indian decided he didn't want to die and instead of reaching for his tomahawk he held out his hand for a shake. He used some words in Indian lingo intended to convey the impression of himself and other members of his tribe that Mr. Rowland was a good warrior. The Indians on that occasion robbed every family in the neighborhood save that of Mr. Rowland's.

Mr. Rowland was elected justice of the peace in 1847. He was one of the county judges. In 1850 he was elected to the Lower House of the General Assembly and was re-eleeted for one or two succeeeding terms. In 1854 he was elected to the State Senate and in 1861, the first year of the Civil war, he was elected delegate to the state convention. Mr. Rowland's great strength and popularity lay in the fact that he was a fair minded, honorable and sensible man. Although defeated on one occasion by Mr. Shackleford, yet he always retained his influence in the county, and his opinion on polities and things in general was accepted with the authority of a court decision.

Among the leading settlers of Macon county was William Morrow. He came from Clay county, Kentucky, to Missouri in 1819, and located within a few miles of Glasgow, Howard county. Three years later he moved to Marion county, Tennessee, and stayed there six years. Then he returned to Missouri, settling in Randolph county. And a year later, in 1831, he came to Macon county and located on the southeast quarter of section 2, township 56, range 16, Chariton township.

"established the pioneer blacksmith shop. His neighborhood became known as the Morrow Settlement. Maj. William J. Morrow and Jefferson Morrow, Sr. were his sons. Jefferson Morrow enjoyed the distinetion of being Macon county's first sheriff. His name will be noted frequently in the early court records. He died March 17, 1900. Mr. Morrow would have been 87 years of age had he lived until the 13th of October of that year.

Jefferson Morrow served as sheriff of Macon county from 1837 to 1842. The first Cireuit Court was held, as appears in another part of this history, in the home of Dabney C. Garth, with Judge Thomas Reynolds on the bench. The cases for trial were suits over debts and four state cases for gambling. Sheriff Morrow's fees for the first term of court amounted to $9.00. Mr. Morrow was also tax colleetor and rode over the county on horseback, carrying his collections in his saddle bags. To him belongs the honor of naming the town of Bloomington, Macon eounty's first capital. Many a term of court, during the early days, was held under trees, the judge sitting on a box or a bench. Oceasionally court would adjourn to enable the judge to help the landlord of the tavern get a mess of venison for supper, deer being plentiful then, and the Court was said to be a good hunter. Sheriff Morrow and his wife, who was Miss Minerva Summers, lived in one house for 62 years. They moved to that habitation in a sled drawn by one horse. Sheriff Morrow was best known during his later years as ** Uncle Jeff," and he loved to relate ineidents of early days. Every Macon county citizen who knew him speaks of him in the terms of highest respect.

The three important settlements of Macon county were known as "The Morrow Settlement," the ''Blackwell Settlement," and the *Owenby Settlement." The Owenby Settlement afterwards became known as the town of Bloomington where the county seat was located by commissioners. Joseph Owenby, for whom the settlement was named, was one of the first members of the county court.

Robert Gipson, a noted Macon county pioneer, is claimed to have been the oldest man in the United States at the time of his death, a statement which seems to be borne out by the records. He died at his home in Chariton township at the age of 119, in 1884, having been born in Randolph county, North Carolina, December 25, 1765.

Mr. Gipson, was the son of Stephen and Mollie Gipson. He grew to manhood in North Carolina, without the advantage of even a good school education. At that early day, anterior to the war of the Revolution, schools were few in number and far apart. When 30 years of age Mr. Gipson married Miss Gracie Smith. After the birth of his first two children, Mr. Gipson and his family moved to Wayne county, Kentucky, in eompany with his father's family. Here they lived until Mr. Gipson was 55 years of age, when he eame to Randolph eounty, Missouri. He resided there a few years and then made his final change, coming to Macon county, and locating in the southwestern part near College Mound.

In the war of 1812 Mr. Gipson was mustered into the service, but as he was then beyond the age limit he did not remain long. His first wife died in 1844, and in 1851 Mr. Gipson married Mrs. Hester Howe of Macon county. There were sixteen children by the first wife. Mr. Gipson's last child was born to him when he was 71 years of age. He

By oceupation Mr. Gipson was a farmer, making a regular hand in the field until he was 108 years of age. He would perhaps have continued but for an accident. While riding on horseback one day he collided with the limb of a tree injuring his shoulder and leg.

This remarkable citizen was five feet four inches in height, had dark brown eyes and brown hair which later became as white as snow, and weighed only 125 pounds. He was very active during the first half century of his lifetime and in wrestling eould throw any man in his regiment. He claimed he had never met a man who could best him in wrestling.

Mr. Gipson never smoked tobacco, but chewed for 50 years. Occasionally, following the custom of the pioneer, he would take a drink, but was never intoxieated and was of good and regular habits. He was a member of the Christian church for 60 years, and although he could not read or write he had delivered many sermons to the home-spun eonstitueney about his place, taking the text from memory.

Prior to the Civil war Mr. Gipson was a Democrat, but ever after he voted with the Republieans at every eleetion, except when Hancock was the nominee for president in 1880. A large number of Mr. Gipson's descendants are now settled in northern Missouri.

One of his sons, Smith Gipson, took a great deal after his father in many respects. He was a man of sturdy, rugged character, disregarding the red-tape of the courts and the folderol of the conventionalities. He made a will which excited attention throughout United States because of its peculiar features. The will was written in Smith Gipson's own hand, and was designed to convey his property in such a way that his heirs would never be bothered by the lawyers. He claimed for his will extreme lucidity, stating with pride that there was not a single ''aforesaid'' or ''whereas'' in it from beginning to end. A verbatim transcript of the will will be found in this history among the court records.

Next to Mr. Gipson in point of long life was Mrs. Polly Baskett of Callao, who was born May 27, 1800, and died May 28, 1901. As she neared the close of the century, Mrs. Baskett became intensely anxious to live out the hundred years, and she prayed to her Master that this might happen. Her prayer was granted and one year and a day added.

Mrs. Baskett was born in Madison county, Kentucky. The date is authenticated in a family Bible printed in 1700, which Mrs. Baskett had in her possession at the time of her death. Aside from its length, Mrs. Baskett's life was unusual in several respects. There devolved upon her during her young womanhood the care of an invalid mother, and later on the rearing of the younger sisters. She had many offers of marriage, it is said, but refused all of them until her sisters were settled in life. At the age of 54 she was married to Jesse Kingsbury of Howard county, Missouri. Ten years later she was left a widow. Her widowhood lasted thirteen years; then she was married to Robert Baskett, a veteran of the Mexican war. Mr. Baskett was then 87 years old. He died many years before his good wife passed away.

Every year, on the Sunday in May next her birthday, the Baptist minister of Callao preached a sermon upon Aunt Polly and her praiseworthy Christian life. Her birthday anniversary in Callao was something like Christmas, New Year's Day or the Fourth of July. Children in those parts were born and grew to maturity with the idea in their minds that Aunt Polly's birthday was a universal holiday. No business was transaeted in the village on that day except matters of great urgeney. The exercises generally consisted of songs, recitations, tableaux and the mayor or some other dignitary of the place would read a biographieal sketeh of Aunt Polly's life.

Mrs. Baskett was related to some of Missouri's most famous men. The late Col. F. W. Switzler of Columbia, the state's historian and a journalist of over 60 years' experience, was her nephew. Luthier T. Collier, a well-known lawyer of Kansas City, and M. C. Tracy, a literary man of Macon, were closely related to her.