Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/364

 304 PIISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI of Scott county were not satisfied with Com- merce as the county seat, since it was on one side of the county, in fact, almost in the northeast corner, and in 1878 the seat of jus- tice was returned to Beuton, where the pres- ent court house, costing $11,000, was erected in 1883. The present townships are Sandy- land, Kelso, Sylvania, Tywappity, Commerce, ilorley, IMoreland and Richland. Organization and Settlement of Stoddard County The general assembly passed an act in the year 1829 which defined the boundaries of a new county to be erected out of a part of Wayne county. It was to be named Stoddard, in honor of Captain Amos Stoddard, the agent of the United States government who received the transfer of the Louisiana territor}^ At this time, however, the county was attached to Cape Girardeau county and the court of that county divided the territory into two townships. That part of Stoddard county east of Castor river was called Pipe township and the part to the north and west Castor township. The first justices of the peace were Joseph Chapman and Thomas Wylie in Pike township, and Thomas Neale and John Eaker in Castor. Joel Ramsay and William Hardin were appointed constables in Pike and Castor townships, respectively. Stoddard countj- remained under the juris- diction of Cape Girardeau officials until Jan- uary 2nd, 1835. At that time the legislature passed an act to organize a county govern- ment. The territory of the new county lay between St. Francois and Little rivers and to the south of ilingo, the Big Swamp. The commissioners for fixing the seat of government selected the site of the present town of Bloomfield and the first meeting of the countv court was held at the house of A. B. Bailey in the southwest part of the town. This was February 9, 1835. The court was composed of Jacob Taylor, Field Bradshaw and John Eaker, and Jonas Eaker was the clerk of the court. Within a short time the court arranged for the erection of a small brick building to be used as a court house. This was placed on the public square and a log jail was built southeast of the square ; both of these buildings were used un- til 1856. At that time $10,000.00 was set aside for the erection of a new court house. It was constructed under the .supervision of Solomon G. Kitchen. The county court, at one of its earliest meetings, divided the county into four town- ships: Castor, Pike, St. Francois and Lib- erty. In 1850 Duck Creek township was cre- ated, and shortly afterward four more town- ships were laid out. The.y were named Prai- rie, Clay, Benton and Filmore. In 1853 the county was re-divided, owing to the fact that it had been considerabh' reduced in size. Only five townships were made, under these names : Liberty, Richland, Duck Creek, Castor and Pike. A little later New Lisbon was created. The circuit court in Stoddard county was organized at the house of A. B. Bailey by John D. Cook, on March 21st, 1836. At this sitting of the court a grand jury was im- paneled and consisted of the following men: Samuel Lesley, Andrew Neale, Benjamin Tay- lor, Frederick Varner, Ephraim Snider, Jacob Crites, "William V. Carlock, George Slinkard, Frederick Slinkard, Peter Proffer, Levy Baker, Henry Miller, Henry Asherbranner, W. AV. Hicks, Daniel Bollinger, Samuel Jloore, Thomas Neale and Horatio Laurence. This court house was burned during Price 'a raid in 1864. It was one of a number of court houses destroyed about the time of the Civil war, but unlike most of the other cases.