Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/367

 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 307 Dunklin county for many years. Mrs. Horner was for a number of years preceding her deatli the oldest citizen in the county. Besides these whom we have mentioned, there came to the county in the early times Jacob Taylor and his family. He located close to the stream which is known is Taylor slough, named for Jacob Taylor. Branum, Taylor and Rice came in the same year and were assisted over the country and in the selection of places of settlement bj^ the Indian chief, Chilletecaux. In 1831 Moses Norman settled on West Prairie and in 1832 Thomas Neel, Sr., and his father-in-law, Ray, came to the county and located near Hornersville. While moving to their destination, Mr. Ray was killed by being thrown from his cart and was buried at the old Hornersville burying ground near Hornersville and is said to have been the first white person buried in the county. In 1833 James Baker and Riley Clarkson settled on Buffalo island and in the same year Russell and William H. Horner made a set- tlement at the place afterwards called Hor- nersville. The home of Evan Evans was just in front of a row of cottonwood trees on the public road four miles south of Kennett. MeCul- lough and Lafayette Sexton came to the county in early times, also. Adam Bamhart settled on the old Baker place. Among his neighbors were Hugh Shipley, the families of Suter, Shultz and Jackson. Frank Lee lived three miles north of Hornersville. In the north end of the county Dr. Given Owen located a claim on Rush creek in 1841 ; in 1844 A. D. Bridges settled on a creek near Four Mile; Jordan Lacey. John Holtzhouser, James Faughn and William Greer were other early settlers in the north part of the county. Somewhat later, Dr. Allen and Thomas Hat- ley located near Maiden. In the vicinity of Clarkton, about the same time, were John Gunnells, Jesse Long, Mrs. Floyd Montgom- ery, John Mcilasters and Dick Skaggs. Among the settlers on West Prairie were Ephraim Thornberry and James Harris. Some settlers also came to Holcomb Island about the same time, among them families named Barnes, HoUoways, Lewis Holcomb, Millers, Dr. Bozark, John Lowery, H. D. Flowers, Hiram Langdon, John Scott and Price. Johnson's Island, south of Kennett, was named for William Johnson, who was one of the early settlers there. In the neigh- borhood of Caruth the families were those of A. Thompson, Mrs. Welch, C. B. Bancroft, H. Spencer, Whitney, Joseph Pelts and Rob- ert L. Glascock. Besides these, Riley Clark- son, James McGrew, Joseph Langdon and David Harkey had begun to open farms in the neighborhood of Cotton Plant. Just west of Hornersville the settlers were James P. Neal, J. McDaniel, John B. Walker and James Williamson. All these that we have mentioned came to the county before 1850. Within the next decade a large number of families, later prominent in the history of the county, moved within its bounds. It is not possible to give a complete list of these fam- ilies, but the names of some of them as its pioneer settlers will be of interest. On the hills west of Maiden, Dr. Jacob Snider set- tled in 1850 ; with him were Charles Vincent, William Cross and Mrs. Skaggs. About the same time in Clay township there were the families of A. T. Douglass, E. J. Langdon, Edward Spencer, Lewis Chan- dler, Isaiah Jones, John Marsh, James Brad- ley, John Dougherty, Richard Cook, James Herrman, Absolom Farris, A. B. Williams and David Finley. In the north end of the county there were such well known families