Lone Jack, Missouri

The first settlement, or the first cabin built in the territory now included in Van Buren, was built by Isaac Dunnaway in the spring of 1830. It was a short distance west of the present village of Lone Jack; on Sec. 23, Tp. 47, R. 30, on the farm and a short distance from the residence of George Griffith. The same spring Daniel Graham, a son of Nancy Graham, who had married Butterfield as above stated, built his cabin a short distance south of Dunnaway on the west half of the southeast quarter of Sec. 26, it being eighty acres that his wife had entered a short time before marriage, and only a short time before settlement. The same spring, also. Redden Crisp settled across the creek west of Dunnaway and Graham, on the Keersey farm, on the west half of southwest quarter of Sec. 27, which he entered the same day that Celia Edmundson did the tract on which Graham built, January 26th, 1 830. These three famihes were all that resided within the present Hmits of the township that year. Some others bought lands or made claims and did some work during the summer and autumn but did not move until the spring of 1831. Of this number were William Crawford, Charles Hopper (Big Charley) and Joshua Hitchcock. Crawford broke prairie and planted corn, with no fence, on the farm now owned by Wesley Yankee, Sec. 31, Tp. 47, R. 29. He gathered his corn in the fall, but the turkeys it is said, ate it up during the winter. Hopper selected his home a- short distance east of the lone tree, where John Shawhan now lives, on Sec. 18, and Hitchcock a little farther east, a part of the Miller Easley farm, same section.

Passage source: The History of Jackson County, Missouri, Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, Etc., Biographical Sketches of Its Citizens, Jackson County in the Late War... History of Missouri, Map of Jackson County .., published 1881.

In 1 83 1 and 1832, the Lone Jack settlement received an addition of several families among whom may be mentioned Warren P. Reavis, Charles Hopper, Jr., A. H. Helms, Thomas McKnight, David L. Cadle, Thomas Hamlin, Squire Bridges, George Larrison, William and Samuel English, John Beeler and James Noel. In the mean time a few families had settled in the northeastern part of the township, a short distance south of Oak Grove, and in and near the Round Prairie ; WilHam Cox, Elihu and Silas Cox, Parson McKinney, Jephtha Crawford, Robert, Stephen and Joseph Austin, Elijah Thompson, Thomas Sharp, Jacob and Abram Roger, some of the Webbs, and also John S. and Martin Corn. In the fall of 1833 the writer of these collections, a youth of nineteen, came with his father and father's family, and built a cabin where he now lives, on Sec. 29, Tp. 47, R. 29. It was while building that cabin that the Mormons were expelled from the county, and the great meteoric shower occurred, on the 13th of November, 1833. Settlers continued to come in 1834 and 1835, ^^^ ^' began to be said there was not room for many more. There not being woodland enough, it was thought to fence and supply many more farms with the needed timber ; and the making of farms away out on the large prairies, as has since been done, was not even dreamed of. In 1833 there was one house between Blue Springs and Lone Jack. Francis Prine had built a house and opened a farm on the Sni-a-bar creek, on Sec. 32, Tp. 48, R. 30, which a few years after he sold to Wilson Alexander. Since, it has been known as the Dr. Miller place. David Dealy had entered land and done some work on it in 1833, but did not move to the farm, on Sec. 3, Tp. 47, R. 30, till the spring of 1834. William Adams (Captain William) came with the writer from Tennessee in 1833, and located on Sec. 10, same township, where he died about the year 1859 or i860.

Passage source: The History of Jackson County, Missouri, Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, Etc., Biographical Sketches of Its Citizens, Jackson County in the Late War... History of Missouri, Map of Jackson County .., published 1881.

In addition to Cadle and wife, the following names are remembered as belonging to the church : Thomas Hamlin and Mary, his wife, William Butler, Sr., and wife, Wm. Butler, Jr., and wife, Jesse Butler, John Butler, Wm. Savage and wife, Hiram Savage and wife, Wm. B. Savage, William Warden and wife, Hezekiah Warden's wife, Catherine Bledsoe, Nancy Hopper and Artilla Hopper. The meetings were held at private houses - most commonly at the house of Thomas Hamlin, where George Rheem now lives. Sec. 25, Tp. 47, R. 30; or at the house of Wm. Butler, three miles east of Pleasant Hill. This continued until the year 1837 or 1838, when a log meeting house was built where the cemetery known as the Rheem Cemetery now is on the farm of Fred. Edmundson, Sec. 25. That house was built by the voluntary contributions and labors of the brethren and friends. In 1837 Wm. 'Ousley, a Baptist minister, moved into the vicinity, and after a time became pastor of the church. It prospered until the year 1841, when it numbered over 100 members. In that year and the year following the question of missions divided it. The Lone Jack Church (first called Basin Knob) and one called Bethel being constituted out of a part of its mem-

Passage source: The History of Jackson County, Missouri, Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, Etc., Biographical Sketches of Its Citizens, Jackson County in the Late War... History of Missouri, Map of Jackson County .., published 1881.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Van Buren Township - it names this place 18 more 18 times.