Palestine Township

Palestine Township

William Moore and Joseph Stephens were the first settlers of Palestine township. Wm. Moore emigrated from North Carolina, and settled about eight miles south of Boonville, in the timber close by a good spring, north of and adjoining the farm where Jenus White, Esq., now resides. His family consisted of Geo. W., Wm. H., James, Andrew, John, Thomas, Robert and Joseph H. Moore, and Margaret, Sallie and Mary Moore ; seven sons and three daughters. Margaret married Judge Lawrence C Stephens, in 1818. Sallie married Col. John H. Hutchison, and Mary married Harvey Bunce. Col. Hutchison was Sheriff of this county for four years, and Representative for two years. Judge Stephens was Representative for four years, and County Judge for one term, and Harvey Bunce was Sheriff for eight years. Representative for two years, and a member of the State Convention in 1865. There are only two of the Moore children now living, viz: Joseph H. Moore, and Margaret Stephens, widow of the late Judge L. C. Stephens.

Mrs. Margaret Stephens says that in the fall of 1816, after her father settled in this county, she went to Boonville, with her uncle, a Mr. McFarland, and on their arrival, she asked her uncle where Boonville was, thinking she was coanng^to something of a town. Her uncle pointed to

Robadeaux's store, a round lo^ cabin, with the bark on the logs, and said, "There's Boonville." They then alighted from their horses, and after making some purchases, they returned home. That store-house was the only building which she then saw at Boonville. It is also certain, from other good evidence, that the place on which Boonville now stands, was called "Boonville," before any town was built or located here.

Mrs. Stephens also tells of the first church she attended in the neighborhood, which was held at the house of one of the settlers. Luke Williams, the preacher, was dressed in a complete suit of buckskin, and a great many of his audience were dressed in the same style. She was so dissatisfied with the appearance of the state of things, in this backwoods county, that she cried during the whole of the services ; but she soon became accustomed to the new order of things, and was well contented- , At that meeting, grease from the bear meat, stored in the loft, above the congregation, dripped down and spoiled her nice Sunday shawl, which was a fine one, brought from North Carolina, and which could not be replaced in this backwoods country.

Joseph Stephens, Sen., was the next settler of what is now called Palestme township. He emigrated from Kentucky, and stopped one and one-half years, near Winchester, East Tennessee, in the fall of 1817 ; he, in company with several others, started for Cooper county, and landed at Boonville on the 15th day of November, 1817.

Before they arrived here, they had bought land in what is now Palestine township. They remained at the place called "Boonville," and were piloted to their new home by Maj. Stephen Cole. They crossed the Petite Saline Creek at the McFarland ford, at the place where Rankin's mill is now situated. The only persons at that time, living in that part of the county, were William and Jacob McFarland on the north, and John Glover on the south side of the creek. After crossinij the creek they soon entered the Lone Elm prairie, and on the evening of the same day, they arrived at their new home where they camped for the night.

A hunter by the name of Landers, had made his camp in the bottom, near the present residence of Joseph Stephens, jr., and had an acre of growing corn and 15 hogs, which were purchased by Joseph Stephens, Sr. Mr. Landers then "pulled up stakes" and moved farther west. The next spring James D. Campbell settled on the hill, south of Bunceton, Peter Stephens, one half of a mile north of Old Palestine, and William Stephens and John Kelley three and one-half miles southeast of Joseph Stephens, near the Moniteau creek. These men were the sons and the sons-inlaw of Joseph Stephens, Sen., and emigrated to Cooper county with him. ^

The next year, 1S18, Samuel Peters settled about two miles north of Joseph Stephens, at a place now called Petersburg, on the Osage Valley and Southern Kansas railroad. He also had a large family of boys and girls ; Samuel and Newton C. Peters were his sons. One of his daughters married Mr. McFarland, one James Hill, who was Sheriff of this county for eight years ; one Harvey Harper ; one Katie Peters, Thomas Patrick, and afterwards, Samuel Cole ; and Sallie, the younger, James Gallagher.

When Samuel Peters raised his dwellinor, he invited his neighbors to come and help him, stating that he would, on that occasion, kill a hog and have it for dinner. As this was the tirst hog ever butchered in this part of the State, and as very few of the setders had ever tasted pork, it was no little inducement to them to be present and assist in disposing of such rare and delicious food, for the setders, previous to that time, had subsisted entirely upon wild game. All8o HISTORY OF COOPER COUNTY.

In the winter of iSi8, Miss Rhoda, the daughter of Jos. Stephens, Sr., was married to Dr. B. W. Levens,- the ceremony being performed^ by the Rev. Luke WilHams. On the same evening Miss Elizabeth, the daughter of Samuel Peters, and James Hill were united in marriage by the same minister. The two last mentioned had been engaged for some time, yet did not expect to be married so soon. But Mr. Peters declared that if they intended to marry, they must do so that night or never. So the parson immediately went down to Mr. Peter's house, and in accordance with the statutes in such cases made and provid(^d, pronounced them husband and wife.

Col. Andrew and Judge John Briscoe settled in the same township in 1818. They were both very prominent men, and prominent leaders in their respective parties, Andrew being a Whig, and John a Democrat.

Some of the other early settlers were Henry, Hiram, Heli and Harden Corum. Mr. Tevis, the father of Capt. Simeon Tevis, Thomas Collins, Jacob Summers, Michael, James and William Son, John and Joseph Cathey, James David, and John H. Hutchison, Nathaniel Leonard, John and Andrew Wallace, Henry Woolery, Holbert and Samuel Cole, James Bridges, James Simms, Russell Smallwood, Thomas Best, Greenberry Allison, Wm. C. Lowery, Anthony F. Read, and others not recollected. No better citizens than those mentioned above ever settled in any community.

Mr. Greenberry Allison dug the first cistern in the county, which proved to be a great success, and caused many of his neighbors to imitate his example, as they had, previous to that time, been compelled to depend for water upon springs and wells.

Palestine township, from the beginning, took the lead in education. The first schools were taught by Lawrence C. Stephens, Dr. William H. Moore, and a young man from Virginia by the name of William H. Moore, who was considered the best scholar in hi^ day, in this part of the country. The teachers of a later day were Mr. Huff, Green White, Josiah Adams, now residing in California, Missouri, and Philip A. Tutt. The first grammar school was kept by a Mr. Rodgers, at the residence of John Wallace.

The first dancing school was opened in 1832, at the residence of B. W. Levens, about one-quarter of a mile east of the present site of Bunceton, by a gentleman named Gibson. He was a polished gentleman, and an excellent teacher, and w^as the first to introduce "cotillions," which were, until that time, unknown in this part of the country. Mr. Gibson at that time had two other schools ; one at Boonville, and the other at Arrow Rock, and he taught, during the week, two days at each place.

The names of a few of the dancers who attended the school at B. W. Levens' residence who are at present remembered, are as follows : Newton C. Peters, David Hutchison, Andrew B. Moore, John M. Briscoe, Mr. Huft", Daniel Ogle, Thomas and Bonaparte Patrick, Thomas and Luther Smith, James Corum, Joseph S. Anderson, Green White, Andrew Collins, and Tobe Briscoe. Misses Margaret and Elizabeth Hutchison, daughters of James Hutchison; Elmira Ann and Sarah Ardell Hutchison, daughters of John H. Hutchison ; Zerilda and Emarine Levens, Mary and Patsy Briscoe, Katie and Sallie Peters, Susan and Rhoda Campbell, Parthena Kelly, Julia Collins, Annie Best, and a Miss Ramsey.

Most of the persons mentioned above have been dead many years. Among the gentlemen, Mr. Huft' was alive a few 3^ears ago, though he may be dead at this time, as he has not been heard from for some time. So far as is known none of the other gentlemen are alive. Of the ladies, Margaret, Elmira Ann and Sarah Ardell Hutchison, Margaret Stephens, Zerilda Levens, Patsy Briscoe, Katie and Sallie Peters, and Rhod| Campbell, are still alive - the others are all dead.

On the first day of January, 1845, Henry C. Levens was employed at Lone Elm, John D. Stephens in Palestine district, Joseph L. Stephens in the Harrison district, in the Bunceton neighborhood, and George H. Stephens in the Round Grove district, to teach the respective schools for three months. All these districts are now in school township 47, range 17. These teachers found that the people were not sufficiently aroused on the great importance of of giving their children a good education, and for some time had been studying to discover some plan by which to arouse the patrons of the school to a full knowledge of their responsibility.

They had found that the parents could not be forced to perceive the vast importance of education, by merely telling them of its benefits ; but that in order to produce this change, inducements must be placed direcdy before both parents and pupils; something tangible, sufficiently inviting to arouse them from their lethargy. They thought that they must determine upon some plan to create and keep up an excitement,^ so as to induce the patrons to continue their schools for a longer period than three months, thereby benefitting both teachers and pupils.

They finally agreed upon the plan of offering a banner to the school, which, taking all of the classes into consideration, had made the most progress at the close of the school. The examination for the awarding of the banner was to take place at Old Palestine. On the first day Arithmetic, Geography and Grammar were to be examined, and on the

The above named teachers, in accordance with an agreement among themselves on the opening day of their schools, placed the whole subject before the scholars, and gave them until the next day to decide whether they were willing to enter the contest or not ; and the members of each school unanimously voted in favor of their teacher's proposition.

This produced a greater excitement than was contemplated or wished for by the teachers, so much so, that it was more difficult to control than to create. All classes of the people took a deep interest in the progress of the schools, and they received frequent visits from trustees, parents and others.

On the days of the examination at Old Palestine, the scholars of the different schools marched in double file to the place of examination, with music and banners, with appropriate mottoes, in advance. The girls of each school were dressed in the same colored dresses, and the boys wore badges of the same color as the dresses of the girls of the school to which they belonged. On each day there was a very large attendance to witness the examination and exhibition.

The exciitment became so great that the teachers instructed the judges not to make any award, particularly, as the scholars of all four schools had acquitted themselves so well, that it would have been almost impossible to decide between them. After it had became known, that because of the general excellence of the schools, no award would be made, the excitement attending the contest soon quieted down. The examination and exhibition gave universal satisfaction, and although when the schools closed it was spring and the busiest time of the year, all four of the teachers were offered schools again at the same places*

Although the object of these teachers was partly selfish, in that they wished to procure constant employment, they conferred innumberable blessings upon that and following generations, by creating among the settlers a desire to give their children every opportunity of acquiring a good education.