Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/352

 292 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI is a very beautiful plot of ground laid out as a cemetery, and here are buried some of the pioneers of Southeast Missouri. The most prominent of these is Ben P. Hunter, a man well known in the early history of the state, and whose descendants are prominent in this section still. Doniphan, County Seat op Ripley The county seat of Ripley county was set- tled about the year 1847 aud was named for General Alexander William Doniphan, the hero of the Mexican war. Among the families who lived in Doniphan in its early days were Ponders, Dudleys, Daltons, Pulliams, O'Neals, Stringers, Kents, Lawsons, Wheelers and MulhoUauds ; most of these early families were from Tennessee. The census of 1850 shows that there were more native Tennesseeans in Ripley county than natives of all other states combined. In 1856-57 a number of Irish fam- ilies were located in a colony in this county by Father Hogan, a pastor from St. Louis. The earliest merchants in the town were Kitrell & Thaunish and W. P. Kreps. The town grew slowly at first and was not incorporated until after the close of the war. It was made the coimty seat of Ripley county when Carter county was organized in 1859. Previous to this time Van Buren had been the county seat and was then made the eoimty seat of Carter county. For many years the town was with- out railroad connections and it was so until 1883, when the Doniphan branch of the Iron Mountain was built from Naylor to Doniphan. This gave the town an impetus and it has had a steady growth since that time. There are now ten general stores, with other business interests of minor importance, an ice factory and a canning factory. The financial inter- ests of the town are cared for by the Ripley County Bank with a capital of $15,000, and the Doniphan State Bank whose capital is $15,000. The more important buildings in the town are the two bank buildings and ten brick business blocks. There are the usual church organizations, most of them having houses of worship, and a good system of public schools. The town has a modern system of water works and boasts that it has more concrete sidewalks than any other town of its size in the state. Doniphan is beautifully situated on the hills overlooking Current river, perhaps the most beautiful stream in the state. It is connected with the territory on the other side of Current river by a modern steel bridge, which was recently erected. Its population is now about 1,800 and it is one of the most pleasant resi- dence to^vns in this part of the state. It has two good weekly papers — The Prospect-Neirs, published by J. P. Campbell, and The Demo- crat, published by D. G. Cunningham. Both are Democratic in polities. PoPLAE Bluff, Butler County's Seat of Justice The following order appears on the record of the county court of Butler county, of the date August 13, 1850: "It is ordered that hereafter the courts of Butler county be held at a place known and designated as Poplar Bluff, and the sheriff give notice by putting up three hand bills." This record gives the selection of Poplar Bluff as the comity seat of Butler county. Prior to this time the courts had met at different places ; sometimes in Cane Creek to-iTiship. at the house of Solomon Kit- trell, and sometimes in Epps township, at the house of Daniel Epps. The county judges at this time were Jonathan Sandlin and S^olomon Kittrell. Jacob C. Bloimt was the clerk and Newton Wallace was the sheriff. On the 11th day of November, 1850, the