Boonville Township

Boonville Township

BooNViLLE, the count}^ seat of Cooper county, is located on the south bank of the Missouri river, about 230 miles west of St. Louis by water, and 187 miles by rail. It is surrounded by a beautiful and fertile country, inhabited by an intelligent, enterprising and tnrifty population, and it has a very good local trade. It is celebrated for its educational advantages, its healthy location and its *'vine clad hills." It has a large and commodious public school building and grounds, costing about $40,000, where the public school has been in successful operation for the last ten years. Also a good colored school, taught in a separate building. It has two male and two female schools where the higher branches of education are taught with commendable success. There are, besides, a good Catholic school and several other select schools for smaller children. Here children can obtain a good education and moral training without the expense of going away from home.

The Missouri, Kansas & Texas railway crosses the river here, on the great iron, bridge, putting the city in direct communication with the lakes at Chicago, and the Gulf of Mexico at Galveston, Texas. And the Osage Valley & Southern Kansas railroad connects Boonville with the Missouri Pacific railroad at Tipton.

It was surveyed by William Ross. The first lots were sold in 1819. A donation of fifty acres was made by Morgan and Lucus to Cooper county, was accepted by the commissioners, and the county seat located thereon. The first donation lots were sold in 1821.

The Early History Of Boonville

Mrs. Hannah Cole, mother of Capt. Samuel Cole, made the first settlement on a part of the land on which Boonville is located, in the year 1810, and took a pre-emption, which she sold to Bird Lockhart and Henry Carroll, January 25th, 1819, for a trifle. The first settler in the old limits of Boonville was Gilliard Roupe, who built his residence on the lot now owned and occupied by Capt. James Thompson, on the south side of Spring street, near the cement factory. (This information was obtained from Samuel Cole, William Gibson and Judge McFarland.) The stream in the western portion of the ''old town" was called from his name, "Roupe's Branch." The next was a ferry house, built by Roupe, at the mouth of the above branch, where he had a ferry landing. The first ferry was kept by the widow Cole's boys. There were several houses built on the flat below the branch, extending south as far as the corner of Morgan and Second streets, before the town was located.

A Frenchman named Reubadeaux kept the first store in Boonville, in a cabin built of poles. Shortly afterwards a man named Nolin kept a grocery on the fiat, at the mouth of the branch ; Mrs. Reavis and William Bartlett kept boarding houses in the same locality ; and Thomas Rogers built a house on the corner of High and Second streets, and used it as a residence, hotel and store.

brick houses still standing on Morgan street, one east of the jail, and the other east of and near the Central National bank, built by Asa Morgan. Some other old houses, now standing, are Dr. Triggs, on Morgan street, and a log house on the north side of High street, on the corner of Seventh street, o^ccupied by a colored woman by the name of Carter ; also a brick house on High street, northeast of court house, built by Hon. R. P. Clark, and now owned by Joseph and William Williams.

The next merchants after Reubedeaux, were Jacob Wj-an and Archie Kavanaugh, who had a store and residence^ north of the court house square. The other early merchants were McKenzie, Bonsfield, Col. Thornton, Mrs. Dobbins, Thomas M. Campbell, and Judge C H. Smith. The next hotel was built b}^ Justinian Williams, afterwards sold to John Dade. It is still standing, and used as a hotel, Mr. Secoagost being the present proprietor. There was also a hotel on the lot north of the jail, now occupied by the residence of C. W. Sombart.

Among the earlier lawyers were, Peyton R. Hay den, Wm. S. Brickey, John B. Clark and Littleberry Hendricks. Robert P. Clark was the first post master. He was also Circuit and County Clerk, County Treasurer, School Commissioner and Executor, Administrator and Guardian of a number of estates ; and last, but not least, a delegate to the Barton Convention, in 1820. All these offices he held at the same time, which the records will show, and they would not much more than support himself and family at that time.

Divine service was held then in private and school houses, having no churches. The first church built was the Methodist, about 183 1 ; then the Presbyterian, both of them still standing. The first school house was a brick house, built near the residence of Dr. M. McCoy ; and there was a populous graveyard near the same place. The remains of most of the dead were removed to other cemeteries. The early school teachers were Judge Abiel Leonard, Wm. H. Moore, Dr. Edward Lawton, and others. The ministers were Luke Williams, a Baptist ; Justinian Williams, a Methodist; and Chamberlain, a Presbyterian.

James Bruffy was the first blacksmith. He made a cannon of wrought iron for the celebration of the 4th day of Jul}' , 1820, which was held in front of the present residence of Jesse Homan, on an old Indian mound still standing in his front yard. Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Homan were present at the time, and from them we have received the full particulars of the celebration, but there is not room enough to insert at this place. They also gave the details of a fight on Christmas day 1819, between the young men of Old Franklin and the Boonville boys. The former crossed the river on the ice for the express purpose as they termed it, "of cleaning out Boonville." The fight was a bloody one and lasted a long time. The old men of Boonville had to come to the rescue of their young men, and the contest for some time remained in doubt; but at last Boonville had to give way. to superior numbers, there being but few inhabitants here then. There was no one killed or mortall}^ wounded. But where is old Frank-lin now? Then the metropolis of Western Missouri. The seat of commerce, wealth, fashion and power, swept away by the turbulent waters of the Missouri river. The only house left is now owned by Mr. Wm. Smith, built in the suburbs of that once populous city. If the present generation were to go over there now, there would be nobody left to tell of the her former greatness and grandeur. The most of them have left this world of trouble, strife and turmoil, and gone, it is hoped, to a brighter and better world beyond the vale. Alas, time will tell. It waits for no man. Peace to their

Some of the fashions worn by the gentlemen, were high stiff coat collars, padded with buckram, reaching half way up the back of the head, and five &v six cravats covering the neck, and tall stove pipe hats, wide at the top tapering downwards. And the ladies wore large leghorn, and long sun bonnets, projecting about ten inches in front of their faces, so that you could not see a lady's fiice without placing yourself immediately in front of her, securel}^ protecting their delicate faces from sunburn, and large tortoise shell combs, making a semi-circle on the back part of the head. They wore very long hair of their own growth, generally reaching half way down from the head to the ground. From five to six yards of calico were sufficient for a dress.

In the winter of 1818, while Dr. Hutchison and Mrs. Kelly (then Miss Lawless) .were crossing from Old Franklin to Boonville on foot, when half way across, the ice broke and thev both fell in. Another vouno- gentleman close by helped her out, and the Doctor got out himself. Their condition was so perilous that the occurrence still lives in the memory of Mrs. Kelly, the only witness now living to w^hat might have ended seriousl}' .

Before the Missouri Pacific railroad was built, Boonville com.manded the wholesale trade, and was the principal shipping point of Southwest Missouri, and Northern Arkansas - and Boonville is now no doubt, the best point for the location of manufactories in the West, having an abundance of timber suited for makino- furniture, farminof im-

Boonville has a very large furniture factor}-, not now in operation, sufficient for the employment of fift}- hands ; also two furniture stores, and a cement factory. It has three potteries making large quantities of stone and earthenware. One of them has been in successful operation for many years. It has a large and extensive tobacco factory, manufacturing the very best chewing and smoking tobacco. These wares and tobacco are sold by vv-holesale, extending their trade over the west, half way across the continent, and down south into Arkansas and Texas. A woolen factory with an extensive trade ; a glass factory, a machine shop, two gun smith shops, three flour mills, a foundry. not now in operation, several shoe shops, and stores, two cigar stores, five clothing stores, three tin stores, two jewelery stores, four drug stores, three breweries, ten dram shops, two dry goods stores, a large number of grocery and staple dr}- goods stores, four bakeries, six confectioneries, two restaurants, four notion stores, large number of bonnet and dress makers, one marble yard, three lumber yards., six carpenter shops, four brick yards, four w^agon and two carriage shops, four plow manufactories, one agricultural store, about ten blacksmith shops, two abstractof titles, one saw mill, two banks, one National and one State. An excellent steam ferry across the Missouri river at Boonville. About twentv school teachers, about six music teachers, ten physicians, fifteen lawyers, eleven ministers uf the gospel. The United States land oflice for this district of Missouri is located here. The public buildings are the court house, Thespian hall, City hall, a Masonic and Odd Fellows hall, county jail, city calaboose and workhouse. The Thespian hall is one of the largest and most substantial public build- ings west of St. Louis. It has eleven churches : Methodist South, Presbyterian, Baptist, German Methodist, Cathohc, Lutheran, Episcopal, Methodist colored, and two Baptist colored. The grape is cultivated very extensively. It has about seven wine gardens. Boonville is notedfor its graded and macadamized streets, its extensive paved sidewalks, its orchards, gardens, shade trees and beautiful front yards, decorated with flowers and evergreens, and last, but not least, its substantial buildings and its solid wealth. It has never had a mushroom growth, but has slowly and steadily increased in population and wealth, and has never taken a step backwards. She has lavished her money for internal and local improvement, and has always promptly paid her honest debts even before thev became due.

Her bonds are now at a premium and her debt is only $69,000, which was contracted in honesty and good faith, and will be promptly and fully paid. Rate of taxation in 1875 ^^'^s only $1.20 on the $100.

But if in the course of human events our city should go down amidst the general crash of financial ruin, we will bury her decently without a stain of dishonor on her children ; and if they should inherit no fortune from us, we

Before closing the history of Boonville, we deem it our duty to say something to her people on the subject of man^ ufactories. We frequently hear our citizens wonder why Poonville does not increase more in population and wealthy being the most beautiful and healthy city in the State, or perhaps in the West. And it has the M. H. & T. railway extending from the lakes in the North, to the gulf in the South, and the branch road connecting Boonville with the Missouri Pacific at Tipton ; and the Missouri river vvhicfh will always give cheap transportation to and from Boonville. Then she has coal, timber, and cement rock in the immediate neighborhood of the best quality in great abundance,~ and an inexhaustible supply of water from the Missouri river, and two small streams on each side of the city. Then, why does not Boonville improve? We answer that it is for the want of manufactories. That before railroads were constructed in our State, BoonvH'e was a great commercial point. Every depot is now a commercial point. You can no longer depend upon commerce to build up this or any other city. The secret now in building a town is to create something for laboring men to do that will pay both the employer and employee. You will thereby have a population, and prosperity in proportion thereto. You must establish and maintain in your city manufactories. That is the only hope for the prosperity of this cit}^ or any other. The day is past for building cities by commerce alone. If Boonville had work for 20,000 people, she would have them here in one month, and the whole community would prosper. And bear in mind that it 16 labor that makes the town and country. But you will answer how are we to do this? Have we not tried and failed more than once? We know that is true, but try again ^ keep trying, and you will succeed. Don't give up the ship as long as a plank is left. If others succeed why not you? You must start right, and have men of experience, energy and honesty at the head of affairs. The trouble is that you are waiting for capitalists to come and build up your town. Let us tell you that you will wait forever. You must first put your own shoulders to the wheel. How can 3'oa expect strangers to invest their capital in something that you are afraid of yourselves. Providence is always on the side of those having pluck and energy enough to help themselves. These remarks will apply to Otterville, Bunceton, Pilot Grove and other towns. If they will follow this advice and Boonville lies still, they will soon find themselves ahead of her. We have tried old fogyism long enough to be fully satisfied with it. Now let us try something else, and if a stranger comes among us to locate, let us take him by the hand and welcome him in his new home, and he will write back to his old home telling his friends what a fine country and clever people he has found, and they will also be induced to cast their lots among us.

As an extensive history of the City of Boonville has already been given, it is exceedingly difficult to give a separate history of the township without a repetition of something which has appeared in the history of the city. The first settlers of the township were Stephen and Hannah Cole, who settled there in the year 1810.

The settlers who arrived previous to the year 1815, were Giliad Rupe, Muke Box, Delany Bowlin, William Savage, James Savage, John Savage, and Walter Burress ; and in 1815, Umphrey and William Gibson.

There were, no doubt, many others not mentioned above, who resided in this township between the above years, but their names are unknown, and perhaps some few of those mentioned above resided in some other township. The above list was taken from the poll books of the township for 1820, and of course those who lived there at that time, but did not record their votes, are not included in the same.

From the best information that can be obtained, all the persons mentioned in the foregoing list of early settlers are dead, except William Gibson, John S. and Jesse McFarland, Lewis Edgar, Jonathan Reavis and Jessie Homan.

Mr. John Kelly and Mrs. Tibitha Kelly were there frequently between 1818 and 1820. They then resided in Old Franklin, but are now living in Boonville. Of the ladies now living who resided in Boonville township previous 1820, are Mrs. Jesse Homan, Mrs. Frederick Houx, Miss Mary Reavis, Mrs. B. F. Plickox, Mrs. Jennie Wadley and Mrs. Dikie Dallas, the two last mentioned being- the sisters of Samuel Cole.

Wm. McFarland, the first Sheriff of Cooper county, was born in Buncome county. North Carolina, in the year 1778. He emigrated to St. Genevieve, now St. Francis county, Missouri, in 181 1, and from thence to Cooper county, and on the i6th day of October, 1816, he settled on the north side of the Petite Saline Creek, where Joseph Byler now resides. He had two neighbors living on the south side of the creek whose names were John Glover and Warden. He had no other neiohbors nearer than the immediate neio-hborhood of Boonville. He was in 1818 or 1819 a member of the Territorial Leoislature from the southern district of Howard county, which included that part of the county lying south of the Missouri river. He was a farmer, a man of great energy, an aflectionate husband and father and a good neighbor. Fie died in the year 1834.

Benjamin F. Hickox was born in the State of New York, and emigrated to this country at an early day. He was elected a member of the Legislature from Cooper county in 1822, 1824 and 183S, and County Court Justice from Sept. 24, 1844, to Nov. 2, 1846. He was also one of the Commissioners to superintend the building of the first court house at Boonville. He was a successful farmer, an affectionate husband and father, an honest, upright man, an excellent neighbor, and very charitable to the poor, never turning them away from his door without relieving their wants. He died about twenty 3'ears ago, beloved and respected by all who knew him.

Luke Williams, a Baptist preacher, was a farmer, and resided about five miles west of Boonville. He is celebrated as being the first preacher in Cooper county, having located there several years before the county was organized.

Justinian Williams was born in Bath county, Virginia, and while young emigrated to Kentucky and there married. He then moved to Howard county, Missouri, from thence to Cooper county, and settled at Boonville in the year 1818. In this year he located the first Methodist church in Cooper county. He was a cabinet maker by trade, and followed that business for several years, preaching and organizing churches at intervals. He was also the local preacher at Boonville for several years. In the year 1834 he built a steam boat called the "Far West," about two miles above the mouth of the Bonne Femme Creek, in Howard county, and was the commander of the same for some time. During that year he emigrated to Tennessee, where he died.

Marcus Williams, the first mayor of the City of Boonville, was born in Bath county, Virginia, and when 3^oung moved to Kentuck\^ ; from thence to Boonville, Cooper county, Missouri. He was a brick mason by trade, and manufactured the first bricks ever made in Cooper county, having opened a lime kiln in the w^estern part of Boonville. At the "Vollrath" Place in 1840, he made the first stoneware ever manufactured in western Missouri. He emigrated to California at the time of the gold excitement in 1849, ^^^^ settled at San Jose, where he died about the year i860.

This township at the time of its first settlement was partly prairie, in the west and southwest, but after the lapse of many years, the prairie became timbered land. Great fears were entertained by the early settlers about the scareit}^ of timber, but it is believed that there is at the present

This was the first township of the county which was settled, and for many years few ventured outside, or at most, far from its boundaries. The early settlers believed that the prairie land was only suited for grazing and not fit for cultivation. In the year 1830, a few persons ventured to cultivate prairie land, and finding it so productive, many other farmers settled on the prairies, and at this time nearly all of the prairie land is under fence, and is covered with the most valuable farms in the county.

Persons in the early history of the township settled near the river, that afibrding the only means by which they could ship their surplus productions to market. But the building of railroads has revolutionized everything. Land near the river has become less valuable, and that on the prairies, which a few years ago was considered almost worthless, has now become more valuable. Timbered land is still preferred by many farmers, for the reason that it is much better for the growing of wheat, and equally as good, if not better, for other productions.

The soil of this township is very productive, and is especially excellent for growing fruit. It has also large quantities of coal of a good quality, which could be shipped at large profit.

From the best information that can be obtained, John Glover was the first settler of this township, he having located there in the year 1813. He built a round log cabin on the south bank of the Petite Saline Creek, and cleared a few acres of ground near where Rankin's mill now stands, but nothing is known of his history.

I4S History Of Cooper County

of the founder of the City of Rochester, New York, who having lost a princely fortune by having to pay a large security debt, sought seclusion by emigrating to this country and the society of the people, who required nothing, save honesty and industr}^ to admit a person into their social circles. He married Miss Sally Kelly, a beautiful and accomplished lady, the daughter of James Kelly, who was an honored soldier of the Revolution. He was well educated, considering the times, and his occupation was that of a farmer. He died in the township many years ago. Mr. Bell was also a farmer, a good citizen, and an honest man. He has been dead manv vears.

Some of the other old citizens were Joshua H. Berry, William Read, William and Reuben George, Clayton Hurt, Samuel Carpenter, Edward, x\ndrew and Charles Robertson, James, Robert and John Johnston, Samuel, Robert and William Drinkwater, Gabriel Fitsworth, William Shipley, Acrey Hurt, Peter Carpenter, George Crawford, George W. Weight and Martin Jennings.

Geo. Crawford was the first Assessor of Cooper county, which office he filled for many years ; he was also a member of the Legislature from this county. Judge George W. Weight was born in Dutchess county, New York, on the 22nd day of February, 1784. When quite young, having been, by the death of his parents, left alone in the world, he emigrated to West Virginia, and from thence to Ross county, Ohio, where he married Miss Elizabeth Williams. In 1820, he Vv'ith his familv moved to Howard county, Missouri. In 1822 he settled in Clark's Fork township. Cooper county, and lived there until his death, which occurred on the 29th day of January, 1857. He taught school in West Virginia, Ohio and Cooper county ; he was a good violinist, and in his early days taught dancing school. He was Judge of tlie County Court and County

It will be observed that some of theoM settlers mentioned above, really lived in that part of Clark's Fork township, which was lately annexed to Boonville township. The Petite Saline Creek w^as formerly the dividing line between the townships above mentioned, and but little information, as to the location of the old settlers, in respect to this dividing line could be obtained ; therefore the writers in placing those above mentioned in this township, were compelled mainly to rely upon their own knowledge, which may, in some cases, prove to be inaccurate.

It may be safely stated, that the average farming land within this township is equally as productive as that of any other in the county. There is a little poor land in the township, and the farmers are generally prosperous. There is no town located within its limits.