Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/165

 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 105 to resort to dissipation, to take a glass of grog or smoke a cigar more than I did then. My general habits, if good or bad, are the same now, to which a long residence in the country and a general acquaintance with those now settled in the country, can testify. My friends who knew me, and I never deceived them, came forward to my assistance and re- lief ; to them 1 owe the means I am in jjosses- sion of. The staple of this country from 180") to 1812 was cotton. The average yield of an acre was from 1000 to 1200 pounds of seed cotton. Since 1812 there has been a great change in our climate : tlie winters have grown colder and the other seasons more changeable. The raising of cotton has been entirely abandoned for the last thirty-five years; our staple, now, has been principally corn. Prejudices to some extent exist now in some of the states against this country. At an early period they had some grounds to speak rather lightly of this country, it being sickly and visited by earthquakes : inhabited by counterfeiters and horse thieves and l)ut few inhabitants in the country. To a cer- tain extent our country has been overlooked and misrepresented. Things have changed since then. The country has become healthy, our soil the best in the United States. It cannot be surpassed. Doctor Samuel Dorsay, a native of Mary- land, was appointed .surgeon of the military post at New Madrid, a position which he held until the transfer to the ITnitcd States. The position had attached to it a salary of $30.00 a month. On January 17, 1795, Dr. Dorsay was married to Marie J. Bonneau, a native of Indiana. He was afterward married to a daughter of Jeremiah Thompson of Cape Girardeau district. Joseph Story, of ^[assachusetts, was one of the surveyors brought by Morgan to New Madrid, he assisted Morgan in laying off the city. He married a daughter of Jacob Beck in 1794. Andrew Wilson, a native of Scotland, and a minister in the Presbyterian church, was also one of the early settlers. He seems to liave given up his ministerial work before coming to New Madrid. His son, George W., was the first sheriff of the district. Some of the other early settlers were John Summers, Joseph and Louis Vandenbenden. These brothers were merchants, and the widow of Louis afterward married Richard Jones Waters. Jacob Meyers, Joseph McCourtney, David Gray and John La Valle were other of the early settlers. La Valle was the last com- mandant under the Spanish government ; his descendants still live in New Madrid county. Doctor Robert D. Dawson, who was a na- tive of Maryland, came to New Madrid at an early date and engaged in the practice of medicine. He was, for a number of years, the leading physician of the town, and was a very popular nmn. His activities were not confined to the practice of his profession, but he had a great interest in politics. For a number of years he represented New ]ladrid county in the general assembly of the terri- tory, and was elected a member of the Con- stitutional convention. During the Spanish regime there were three military organizations in New Madrid. Two of these were companies of militia and the other was a dragoon company. One of the militia companies had for its officers La Valle as captain. La Forge as lieutenant, and Charpentier as ensign. The other militia company was officered by Captain ^McCoy, Lieutenant Joseph Hunot, and Ensign John Hart. Ricliard Jones Waters was captain of