Montgomery Township

State Senators

The county has beeen honored since 1864 by the election of the following State Senators: WilUam L. Snidow, William Q. Paxton, Ernest P. Baldwin, and J. Houston Childers.

Of those now living, are the following: Joseph Whitaker, Weaubleau; Ephriam Dent, Wheatland; George S. Selvidge, Meade, Kansas; Alanson H. Dent, Osceola; E. Madden Kerr, Elkton; F. Marion Wilson, Hermitage; John W. Campbell, Stockton; John Whitaker, Weaubleau; and J. Houston Childers, Muskogee, Oklahoma. Later:-Since the copy for this book was written Hon. E. Madden Kerr, was again elected to to the Legislature and died during the 1909 session, and Hons. Joseph and John Whitaker have both died in Weaubleau.

Circuit Court

The records of this court from the organization of the county to 1858, were destroyed by the burning of the Court Houses in 1860 and 1881, but from parts of old Minute Books, old Index Books, and Court Dockets, and information received from old settlers the statements here given are beUeved to be very nearly correct. The first term of the Circuit Court was convened at the residence of Thomas Davis, probably in September 1845, anyhow it was warm, pleasant weather. But little business was transacted. The meeting of the court and officers was at the residence of Thomas Davis, then County Treasurer, near the Southeast corner of the original survey of the town of Hermitage; and was in the buildings now standing near the Northwest corner of the South East one fourth of the South East quarter of Section 23, Township 37, Range 22, known as the Davis- Woodrum-Liggett place. Foster P. Wright was Judge of the court, Alfred H. Foster Clerk, and John S. Williams Sheriff. A grand jury was summoned, and met and transacted its business out among the spreading oaks. One old gentleman who was a member of that grand jury told the author of this httle book, a few years ago that some of the meetings were held under a white oak tree that stood in the alley about 40 feet East of the Southwest corner of Block One of the original survey of the town of Hermitage. The tree was dead in 1872, but stood there until about 1875. This information was received from James Lindsey, an old and highly respected citizen who died only a few years ago, and John C. Dollarhide, who is yet living at a ripe old age, having lived in the county since 1840. WWle there was strife and contention between the East and West sides of the county as to the location of the county seat, Circuit Court was never held anywhere in the county only in and about the town of Hermitage, probably because the Wilson County Tennessee people largely iita the offices and used their "pull" for Hermitage. Foster P. Wright continued to be Circuit Judge until 1850. Waldo P. Johnson, who was afterwards United States Senator from Missouri, a Senator in the Confederate Congress, and in 1875 President of the Convention that made the present Constitution of the State of Missouri, was Judge from 1851-53, DeWitt C. Ballou 1854-58, Foster P. Wright 1859-61, Burr H. Emerson 1862-71, David McGaughey 1871, Robert W. Fyan 1872-82,

Fyan elected to Congress November 1882, and Ben V. Alton appointed for 1883-84. Washington I. Wallace was elected in November 1884, and served until January 1, 1893, when he was succeeded by Argus Cox, of Mountain Grove, Wright County, Missouri, who is the present incumbent. Judge Wallace last signed the record November 19, 1892, and Judge Cox first convened court here on May 8, 1893.

The oldest circuit court record preserved from the fire in the court house is of Monday morning September 13, 1858. Present: DeWitt C. Ballon, Judge of the court; Thomas W. Freeman, Circuit Attorney; WiUiam Paxton, Clerk; and William Young Evans, Sheriff. The names of Grand and Petit Jurors were as follows: Grand Jurors, H. H. Jamison, Foreman, William Park, John T. Thomas, David McGee, Benjamin F. Sims, Peter L. Yoast, James G. Wallace, Lewis Parker, G. W. Webb, James Stephens, Ephraim Dent, Thomas Pentecost, Jacob Reser, Abraham Charlton, William H. Gregory, and Thomas Lawrence. Petit Jurors: Samuel Tillery, WiUiam H. Hendricks, Nathan Glasscock, Gideon Creed, Manuel Mashburn, John Pitts, Charles F. Shook, Isaac T. Dorris, James Lindsey, A. W. Kennedy, John Stark, D. A. Boaz, Edward Lucas, John Miller, Joseph Edde, James Stephens, Amasa Curtis, Richard

D. A. Whitlaw, Squire L. Pine, A. C. Ritchey, A. G. Black, Levi Breshears, William F. Bradley, Green B. Stephens, Elisha Estes. John Starkey, Lewis Parker, Preston Richardson, and Horatio N. Cooper. Court adjourned September 13, 1860, and did not meet again until September 14, 1863, when the court was presided over by Burr H. Emerson, Circuit Judge.

This county was always managed so that it never had a bonded debt. All of our neighbor counties, except Camden, became involved in fraudulent railroad bonded debts in the 70's through the actions of their County Courts, and nearly all the leading men in and about Hermitage and Wheatland w^ere over anxious at the time for our County Court to involve our county in the same way. But at that time we had as two members of the county court John Lawrence and John A. Pare, both of Green township. Judge Lawrence was absolutely immovable in the direction of issueing bonds, and Judge Pare, while he would perhaps under the strong pressure of sentiment, have consented to the issue, was not favorable to it. Judge Lawrence was nicknamed and abused for what was said to be his stubbornness, but was afterwards re-elected because of the stand he took on this bond question. The ravages and devastation of the country by the Civil War, building a new jail, and repairs on the court house, with perhaps some unnoticed extravagance, had gotten the county into a county warrant debt by 1875, that amounted to about eight or nine thousand dollars. At the time of the adoption of the present Constitution of the state, (November 30, 1875,) it was provided that all such back indebtedness should be provided for by a levy of taxes at the the May term 1876, sufficient to pay it off and cancel all old outstanding county warrants, A levy was made at the May term 1876 by the county court, and again in 1878 and 1879, but because of a desire not to raise a hue and cry about higher taxes, enough was never levied to pay off the old warrant debt, and about $2,000 of it is not out of the way yet. County warrants were continuously at a discount from 1864 to 1903. In 1889 they were discouted at the Hickory County Bank, then doing business in Hermitage, 15 cents on the dollar. In 1885, the Prosecuting Attorney, in view of the condition of the county finances and a decision of the Supreme court rendered by Judge Thomas A. Sherwood in a Douglas county case involving the payment of fees, advised the county court to make an extra levy of 20 cents on the $100 valuation of the property in the county, over and above the 50 cent, maximum rate fixed by the Constitution of the state. The levy was made at the May term of the county court 1885, amounting to about $3,4.50 and as no county warrants were issued against it about $3,250 of it was collected and outstanding county warrants paid with it. Had the levy been continued for three years all outstanding county warrants would have been paid and thousands of dollars in interest and discount on county warrants saved to the people. But the people raised a storm about higher taxation, for political effect, the Sherwood decision was overruled, and our county court made no more such levies and the people continued to be taxed to the fullest extent allowed by the Constitution of the State to pay current expenses and interest on outstanding warrants, and speculators had a pic-nic discounting warrants until 1903. It would take several days to ascertain the amount of interest that has been paid on county warrants, but it will probably reach $10,000. In 1903, the Hermatage Bank, with Joseph S. Hartman as President and WillUam L. Pitts, Cashier, decided that that institution would carry all county warrants brought to the bank, at par, and since that time all warrants have been worth one hundred cents on the dollar, and speculators in warrants who received 6 per cent interest on them, and discounted them when they bought them from 5 to 15 per cent have gone out of fashion.

Permanent School Funds

These funds were derived from the sale* of 16th Section lands, Swamp lands, and fines and forfeitures. By the Act of Congress admitting the state into the Union every 16th Section in the state was given for school purposes. The proceeds of the sales of these lands are the Township school funds. At a later date Congress gave the state for school purposes all lands in the state where more than half of a forty acres was swampy or frequently overflowed, for school purposes, and these lands were patented by the state to the counties in 1869, and they were sold and the proceeds became a part of the county school fund. Prior to the selection of these lands as Swamp lands many persons had been allowed to enter such lands at the Government Land Offices, and they appeared to be lost to the counties, but in 1882, the county court of this county through George S. Selvidge and WilUam McCracken procured an adjustment of this matter with the Government and the county school fund received $2,327 and about 640 acres in Land Scrip which was located on some of the best tracts of then vacant Government land in this county in 1884, by Patrick Chancellor and F. Marion Wilson, and the lands have now all been sold and the proceeds are now a part of the county school fund. The criminal laws of the state have been fairly well enforced in the county since its organization, and numerous fines have been collected, and with a few collections made on forfeited recognizances all has been turned into the county school fund principal. These funds have all of the time been loaned out to the citizens of the county, for a great many years at 10 per cent interest, but of late years at 8 per cent, that being the highest rate of interest allowed by the law. The interest collected on these funds is distributed annually among the school districts of the county, together with moneys received from the state arising from an appropriation of one-third of the state revenue and interest collected from the state on a loan of the state school fund to the state, and the levies in the several school districts for teachers fund, and all these can only be used in paying teachers in the district schools. The moneys needed for building or incidental purposes must be raised by levies on the taxable property of the several school districts. The county school fund and township school funds in this county now (1907) amount to about $32,000, although quite a large amount has been lost on bad loans, especially as a result of the war of 1861-65 and the burning of Bonds and Mortgages in the Court House that were evidence of loans. The amount apportioned to each child within school age for the year 1906, from all of these sources was on an average among the districts of about $2.10, some school Townships having a Uttle larger Township fund than others. There are sixty-five school districts in the county two of which, Wheatland and Weaubleau, are special, separate districts. These have six directors and a Treasurer, independent of the County Treasurer, who receives and pays out their moneys. Nearly all of these districts have at least six months school in each year, and several of them have seven or eight months. These schools employ over seventy teachers. Of the Christian College at Weaubleau we shall speak when giving a history of that town. We have had no such officer as County Superintendent of PubUc Schools since 1874, and no institution can progress as well without a head-man as with him. But County School Commissioners we have had since 1874, have all been active and enthusiastic school men, and although, only receiving very small pay for their services have been of great benefit to the schools. Since 1874, the law has permitted this or any other county in the state to have a county Superintendent of Schools, if a majority would vote in favor of such a proposition, but a lack of interest and a penny-wise and a pound-fooUsh sentiment have kept the schools in their present situation on that matter.

And Road And Canal Fund

These funds were both donated to the counties by the general government through the state government. The Internal Improvement Fund was derived from the sale of 500,000 acres of public lands, donated by the general government, the proceeds to be used for making internal improvements in the counties, such as canals, ditches, roads etc., but not including county buildings. The Road and Canal Fund was derived from three percent of all sales or entries of government land in the state and the same Act of congress is still in force. That is, if the general government receives $50. for 40 acres of land $1.50 goes into the Road and Canal Fund. As soon as Hickory County was organized it began to draw from these two funds annually, and drew the same amount as any other county in the state. The first draw made by the county from the Road and Canal Fund was November 4, 1845, $189.78 and the first received from the Internal Improvement Fund was March 29, 1847, when $181.95 was received. Our County Treasurer continued to receive money from the Internal Improvement Fund until August 10, 1860, when $8,444.12 had been received. Money continued to be received from the Road and Canal Fund until November 17, 1859 when it appears that the county then had on hands $2,195.30. No more appears to have been drawn from the Internal Improvement Fund after August 10, 1860, although some of that 500,000 acres of land given by the general government was not sold by the state until 1866. The next drawn from the Road and Canal Fund was in August 1872, when $271.66 was drawn. The Road and Canal Fund money has been drawn by the county regularly since 1872, and probably will continue to be drawn as long as there is vacant government land in the state to be taken by cash entry. There is evidently due the county some balance from the Internal Improvement and the Road and Canal Funds from 1860 to August 1872. We have already stated that the balance of the money belonging to these funds in 1890 has been invested in bridges.

Religious Denominations

An attempt to give an early history of the church organizations and church buildings of the county would be a failure, but all the leading Christian denominations were represented long before the organization of the county. The first organization that we have any record of was the "Old Baptist" organization Northwest of Cross Timbers, that has already been mentioned. The earliest organization of the Christian church in the county was in the neighborhood of Antioch church Southwest of Pittsburg, where those people have recently erected a commodious and handsome building, and the church organization is in prosperous condition. A church was first organized there in 1843, a rather early date for that church in the West, for it had only been about eleven years, since Rev. Alexander Campbell had disagreed with the Missionary Baptist churches in Virginia, and organized this separate organization of Christians in that state. There is perhaps, but one organization of the "Old Baptists" now in the county, and that is in the Dooley Bend neighborhood, about five miles Southwest of Hermitage. The Missionary Baptist people are much more numerous than any other Christians, At an early date they had a strong organization near Elkton, their church standing Northwest from where the town now is, and at this time they have a strong organization at their church in the town. The Missionary Baptist church at Macedonia, four miles North of where Wheatland now is, probably the strongest church organization in the county. It was organized in 1874, by Elder Landrine J. Tatum assisted by Elder George M. Alexander, and has a roomy and convenient church building. Half a mile North of Pittsburg, is a church building belonging to these people. About 1871 a church was built, but was replaced about 1889, by a larger and better one. The church organization was had there October, 9, 1869, by the following members:-Wm. Samples, Geo. R. King, A. L. Kirkpatrick, James Kirkpatrick. John Kirkpatrick, Edward N. Taylor, WiUiam Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth Kirkpatrick, Syntha Kirkpatrick, Phebe Samples, Rinda Duncan, S. B. King. Rev. G W. Kelly was Moderator, and Geo. R. King Clerk. These people have a church building about a mile Southwest of Almon, and numerous members, an account of which is given in connection with the history of Almon.

The people who came here from Sweden in the early 70's who were Baptists erected a church building about 1877, about six miles East of Cross Timbers, and have built a new and better church since that time near the same place. These people about 1882, also built a church building about four -miles Southeast of Hermitage, and both organizations grew and prospered. Another good church building stands on a ridge about three-fourths of a mile Northeast from Galmey, in Dooley Bend, where the Baptist church has a strong following, led by Elder Landrine J. Tatum, an enterprising, able and devout old christian gentleman. The Christian church people also have a church building at this place, and have quite a goodly number of members in this neighborhood. The Baptists also have a good, roomy church building at Nemo and a strong congregation. We have elsewhere mentioned numerous churches in the towns. The Presbyterians are not very numerous in the county, but up to the Civil War they had a church and numerous following in the neighborhood of what is now the town of Cross Timbers. The church building was known as the Halbert church, and stood at the edge of the woods, about a mile and a half North and a few degrees West of the town of Cross Timbers. Before the division of the Methodist Episcopal church in 1845, it appears that there were quite a number of Methodist people here, but the division of the church and later the Civil War very much retarded the progress of the church. The preachers and members had very decided opinions on the question of slavery, and the issues of the war. But both churches had congregations when the war came on, but the members ot the M. E. church, South were most numerous. Since the war neither of these churches have built up fast, but the M. E. church, South is now stronger than the M. E. church. The latter church having only one country church building in the country, that being Prospect church in the Southeast corner of the county. A church building for the M. E. church. South was erected in 1883, about two and a half miles South of Hermitage. As we mention elsewhere both of these churches have church buildings in the towns. There are organizations of the Christian church at Quincy and Preston but they have no church buildings. The Menonites, a very devout people, have three church buildings on the Wheatland prairie, and hold regular services in their churches, and have quite a following among our German-American citizens.

Elders representing the "Latter Day Saints," came into tjie county about ten years ago and preached to the people and organized a church consisting of quite a number of members, among whom are some of our best citizens. These people ^bout five years ago erected a substantial house of worship about four miles North of Wheatland.

Attorneys Who Have Been

Burr H. Emerson, who was afterwards Judge of the Circuit Court and died at Bohvar, Missouri, several years ago, James D. Perkins, who was killed by guerrillas at Warsaw Missouri, in 1864, Henry H. McKee, who moved to Joplin Missouri, and lived there a few years ago, Charles Kroff, who resides at Brownington, Missouri, and is practicing law, J. Edgar Kenton, who, when last heard of was in some of the Southern counties of Missouri below Springfield, Sidney Wilson, who left here in 1875 and died in Arkansas, William R. Hudson, who is President of the Bank of Humansville, Humansville Missouri, Amos S. Smith, who came here from Maryland in 1868, died in Wheatland Missouri in July 1890 and is hurried in Hermitage Cemetery, Ernest P. Baldwin, who came here from Baltimore Maryland about 1869, was State Senator from this District, appointed First Auditor of the National Treasury by President Cleveland and died in 1897 at Atlantic City New, Jersey, as a result of an operation for appendicitis, F. Marion Wilson, who lives in Hermitage Missouri and is practicing law, Russell G. Pendleton, who lives at Aztec New Mexico and practices law, Thomas M. Nesmith, last heard of in Iowa, Alexander W. Brownlee, who died in Hermitage in 1889, L. F. Nafftziger, who is now in the banking business in Kansas, Charles E. Robson, who was a wanderer, William L. Pitts, retired banker, now living in Hermitage, Charles S. Essex, who is now Judge of the Circuit Court in Colorado, John H. Davidson, now at Eldorado Springs, Mo., engaged in the practice of law, Willis G. Robertson, now at Muskogee Okla., engaged in the practice of law, George S. Selvidge, sometimes at Meade Kan., and at other times at his farm near Wheatland Mo., has accumulated considerable property and is taking care of it, Robert A. Vance, who lives at Cross Timbers Mo., Ralph W. Emerson, son of late Burr H. Emerson is somewhere in Kansas, J. Houston Childers, who resides at Muskogee Okla., and is engaged in the practice of law, Lewis F. Hart, somewhere in the West, S. Harrison White, resides at Pueblo Colo., and is engaged in the practice of law, David M. McKinney, died in the state of Arkansas, Austin J. Pickett, died near Weaubleau Mo., a fevy years ago, William D. Harryman, resides at Wheatland Mo., practices law, engaged in the Milling Business and is Post Master, William

N. Carpenter, resides in DeWitt Ark., and is engaged in the practice of law, William M. Holland, resides in Dade County Mo., and is Ptobate Judge of that county, James J. Ramsey, resides at Elbert Colo., and is engaged in the practice of law, John B. Triplett-we have lost, Don J. Irwin, resides at Buffalo Mo., and is engaged in the practice of law, John D. Irvine, is at present City Attorney of some Kansas town, John A. Woodford, is Principal of the school at Cabool Mo., John W. Robertson and Hazen Green, are residents of Eufalla Okla., and are engaged in the practice of law, Luther J. Slavens, resides at Aztec New Mexico, Lillard E. Brown, resides near Cross Timbers Mo., on his farm, practices law and deals in cattle, Charles N. Simmons resides on a farm Northeast of Cross Timbers Mo., Lycurgus F. lindsey, retired from a four year term as Judge of the Probate Court of Dallas County Mo., and is now at his mother's home about four miles Northwest of Urbana Mo., William A. DoUarhide, resides in Hermitage and is engaged in the practice of law, Theodore Pruett, resides at Anadarko Okla., and is engaged in the practice of law, R. M. livesay, resides in Morgan County Mo., Abner Jones, now a resident of Unionville Mo., Robert F. Tyree, residence unknown, John W. Montgomery, Prosecuting Attorney of the county.

Since 1867

As late as the year 1867, the lands out in the open prairies of the county contained, comparatively few settlements. The farms of William Bradshaw, James M. Wright, Charles Huffman, George W. Woods, John C. Brown, Wm. S. Pickett, James M. Mitchell, Henry G. Bliss, George A. Bliss, J. N. Hickman, the Edward B. Huffman farm, the farm once belonging to WilUamH. Scott, the William M. Jenkins, farm and others on North Prairie, in the neighborhood of Cross Timbers, were all coated with prairie grass as late as 1867, and a large amount of this land five or six years later. All the land in the town of Cross Timbers, East of the Public Square was covered with prairie grass as late at 1871. The farms on Fifteen Mile Prairie, in the neighborhood of Preston, belonging to Thomas Hartnett, Jacob M. Green, Pleasant Wilson, Asa B. Wilson, the greater part of the farms of Nathan Edde, Wash F. Reser, J. C. Edde, (Shisler,) Samuel B. Selby, John J. Lindsey, Calvin H. Franklin, Nathan K. Pope, Lizzie Edde, Charles Bandel, George W. Wilson, Pleasant E. Robbins, Joseph Riddle, and the farms of William Whillock, Leopold and August Bandel, William J. Edde, Alletha Edde, Amos F. Hayes, Rufus B. Green, Alfred L. Green, the Ben F. Simmons old place, the James A. Robertson farm, the farms of John Morgan, Achilles Morgan, Hulett Shumate, Joe T. Edde, and perhaps others on that prairie were made since 1867, by fencing, and turning the prairie sod.

Most of the soil on which Cross Timbers, Wheatland and Weaubleau, now stand had a coat of prairie grass as late as 1870. Only a few farms had been opened up out in the Twenty-five mile Prairie, West, Southwest and Northwest of Wheatland. The Thompson Blair farm, and Stout B. Davidson, William Parks place, and the Kirkpatrick place. The splendid, beautiful, and broad farms out in that prairie have nearly all been made since 1870. Thomas and Joseph Whitaker, Uriah Proctor, and a few others ventured out into Yv^eaubleau Prairie, but settlers in the open prairie were not numerous. As we have suggested elsewhere, the early settlers preferred timbered lands rather than prairie, because most of them came from timbered countries, but these old people probably, soon discovered another good reason why they did not want prairie lands. Farming prairie lands fifty years ago was not a success. Rfty years ago the prairie lands of this county would scarcely produce crops of any kind like they produce now, to the extent of being worth the work of farming, and those who settled the timbered lands made no mistake at the time in their selection of lands to till. But from causes which we do not understand the prairie lands, not extensively manured, have gradually improved in fertility until they now produce perhaps more valuable crops than the same number of acres of timbered lands. We do not attempt an explanation, but farmers who have noticed prairie crops in this qounty for the last forty years know that it is a fact that prairie farms produce much better crops than they did forty years ago.

There is an abundance of lead and zinc, and perhaps other metals in this county. In the pioneer days men who wanted lead bullets to hunt with, did not need to buy pig or bar lead if they would take time and heat a furnace hot enough to melt lead ore. Lead has probably been found in a hundred places in the county. Tons of it have been taken from the ground in Sections 17, 18, and 19, in Township 38, Range 21, Northwest of the town of Cross Timbers, and within a radius of two miles of Hermitage it is found most anywhere, but most plentiful in the hills of Crane creek, South and Southeast of town. Up in and about Dooley Bend five miles Southwest of Hermitage both lead and zinc are in sight in many places. In and about Pittsburg, ten miles Southeast, mining has been in progress at intervals for ten years, and car loads of cleaned zinc have been hauled from there to the railroad about fifteen miles away and shipped to market. Car loads of zinc have been dug, cleaned, hauled and shipped from the mines in Section 18, Township 36, Range 22, Northeast of Elkton, about two miles, and in Section 13, Township 36, Range 23, North of Elkton a good body of lead has been discovered. Down in the neighborhood of Quincy most anywhere in the Northwest part of the county lead and zinc are found, and there are strong evidences of oil being easily accessible, but the value of the minerals of the county will never be fully known and realized until railroad facilities are such that it will not take two car loads of mineral to dig, clean and ship two loads. Men now fifty years of age will, perhaps, never know the immense amount of wealth that lies hidden under the surface of the hills and valleys of the county. Treat this as a dream, as you may, but the mineral is here and will be brought to the surface, whenever there are railroads near enough to it to haul it away. No section of the country with mineral sticking out at every pore, ever failed to produce great wealth when it was developed. The mining regions of Jasper county contained no more evidences of their hidden millions of underground wealth fifty years ago than do the hills and valleys of our county.

Almon.'

This village is not laid out and platted as a town. It is in the North East quarter of Section 14 Township 37 Range 20, on Little Niangua creek. The land on which it is situated was entered August 9, 1853. The first men who sold goods there were George C. Dunn and George W. Mabary, about 1870. Afterwards Daniel J. Parks, Alexander Gregory, Dock Burris, Sherman Vaughn, Samuel P. Gregory, George Cook, Allen Hall, George W. McDowell & Co., and G. W. Pennell. The present merchants are Henry R. McCain & Sons, James K. Parks, and Martha Pennell. A water mill was built about 1854, by either William or Amos Paxton. It passed into the hands of Asa Johnson and was repaired or rebuilt about 1856. Has been operated by Daniel J. Parks, Ceborn Bennett, and <ieorge C. Dunn, John D. Young and Herbert K. Porter, N. M. and Daniel R. Jones, and Peter Gillispie, and is owned at the present time by Wilham Mitchell and Marshall Green. A Post Office was established in 1868, with Daniel J. Parks as Postmaster and the name given to it was "Goose Neck." Postmasters there have been since then: Alexander Gregory, Dock Burris, Sherman Vaughn, Samuel P. Gregory, George Cook, and Charles Green. The present Postmaster is Henry R. McCain. The Missionary Baptist church has a strong following in the neighborhood. A church organization was effected in 1858, or earlier, called "Little Niangua Baptist Church." Some of the leaders were Alexander Mc Huffman and George P. Epley. They first built a church about 1870. Previous to this they had held meetings at private residences and in green groves. In 1888, a more commodious church building was built about a mile Southwest of the business part of the village.

Avery

This village is situated on the Une between the counties of Hickory and Benton in Section 9, Township 38, Range 22. The first stock of goods brought there was brought by Wright & Rash, February 10, 1890. This store was opened in one room of George W. Wright's residence, about one mile East of the present site of the village. Sometime in the summer of 1889, a Post Office at the residence of John M. Breshears, was established and he was the first Postmaster. This was on the Benton county side of the county line. It was kept there about a year, when George W. Wright was appointed Postmaster, and the office was moved over into Hickory county to Mr. Wright's store. John A. Breshears was later appointed Postmaster, and moved the office over into Benton county. About 1897, William A. Byrum built the first store building on the present site, and was appointed Postmaster, and the Post Office was again moved into Hickory county. A little later Thomas S. Heath, then doing business at Cross Timbers, built a store house a little over in Benton. He put in a stock of goods with John A. Jones as manager, which later was burned. One store is all there has ever been on this site on the Hickory county side. Five or six years ago Andrew Breshears put in a store on the Benton county side of the line, and has since built a roomy building and has done a good business. There is another store there now owned by Josiah Ketchum, and he is doing a prosperous business. A. B. Butler has a blacksmith shop there and is doing a great deal of work.