Pleasant Ridge School

Sparta, which was the name of the first county seat, exists on the map only, the ground being now a part of the McCauley farm. Sparta had a brief existence of six years. It was platted in 1840 ancL its streets were named Hazel, Prune, Olive, Vine, Market, Chestnut, Cedar, Cherry, Walnut, Main and Harrison. There was the log court house, a tavern, kept Ijy Robert Duncan, several general stores, a saloon and wagon and blacksmith shops. It was only a small town when at the height of its prosperity. During the struggle between Sparta and St. Joseph over the county seat, a newspaper called The Rooster, was published at Sparta. When the county seat was moved to St. Joseph, Sparta faded out of existence.

Passage source: History of Buchanan County and the City of St. Joseph and Representative Citizens : 1826 to 1904, published 1904.

farmer and stock raiser, section 5, postoffice St. Joseph, was born March 14, 18 18, in Livingston County, New York. His parents were natives of Connecticut, and moved to New York State about 1800. Norton spent his boyhood days on a farm and received a common school education. When thirteen years of age he moved with his parents to Sandusky County, Ohio, resided there two years, and then emigrated to DeKalb County, Indiana, where he remained thirty years engaged in agricultural pursuits. During the late war he assisted in organizing the Thirtieth and Forty-fourth Regiments, and Company H of the Eightyeighth Indiana Infantry; also Company M of the Second Indiana Cavalry; his brother became captain of this company. Norton was appointed wagon master of the commissary department, but his health failing he was compelled to resign this position. His only son, Judson, became a member of the Second Indiana Cavalry, and had his right shoulder shattered while fighting against John Morgan in Tennessee. He came home and remained a few months, when he re-enlisted in the lEighth Illinois Cavalry and served until the close of the war, serving with General Sheridan. In 1863, our subject took a trip west, and visited St. Joseph, Atchison, Topeka and other places. During 1864 he worked at the carpenter trade in Chicago, and held the position of foreman of the West Side Street Car Company. Emigrated to Andrew County, Missouri, in 1865, and from there to St. Joseph in 1867. He remained there three years and then moved to his present location. He owns a fine 'farm of 165 acres, which is very highly improved. The outbuildings are well arranged and everything around his place denotes neatness and a successful farmer. He has about fifteen hundred fruit trees and a small vineyard. He has been twice married. First, March 9, 1843, to Miss H. A. Holmes, a native of Seneca County, Ohio, born May 21, 1826; she died in November, 1863, leaving three children: Judson, born March 22, 1844; Lucy E., born April 27, 1846; G. J., born August 4, 1850, now Mrs. William Bealey. Was again married, December 18, 1866, to Miss Mary Thompson, a resident of St. Joseph, born March 21, 1839, ^^ County Tire, Ireland. They have had one child, Sarah I., now Mrs. Robert I. Young. Mrs. B. is a member of the Westminster Church of St. Joseph. Mr. B. is a member of the Masonic fraternity and ihekjiigs to King Hill Lx^dge.

Passage source: The History of Buchanan County, Missouri : Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, Etc., Biographical Sketches of Its Citizens, Buchanan County in the Late War, General and Local Statisics, Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men, History of Missouri, Map of Buchanan County, Etc., Etc, 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 Center Township - 9,459 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.