Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/368

 308 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI as that of John P. Taylor, Judge Hodges, Henry James, J. M. Waltrip, A. B. Douglass, James Oxley, H. A. Applegate, William H. Shelton, R. W. Stokes, John Wright, I. A. Waltrip, G. M. White and E. C. White. Among the early settlers were also Daniel Harkey, Brannon Marshall, Enoch Shelton, Humphrey Donaldson, A. C. Austin, W. M. Satterfield, Moses Farrar, C. N. Lasley, David Rice and James A. Smyth. All these men who came to the coimty in its early years have passed through the usual ex- periences of the pioneer days. The country was very different then from what it now is. ]Ian}^ of the pioneers made their living largely from hunting. Two of these men were Nathan- iel Baker and Joseph Pelts. Baker was the son of James Baker, who settled on Buffalo Island in 1833 and later removed to Cotton Plant. Pelts came to the county about 1,840 and there made his home the rest of his life. Both of these men were typical pioneers ; they farmed but were also fond of hunting. Riley Clarkson. who came with his father to the covuity in 1834, lived on Horse Island. He was a famous himter and helped to kill some of the last buffalo in the eoimty. Buf- falo Island was named from the fact that it was the home of a great many buffalo. Mr. Clarkson was also a great bear himter, hav- ing killed as many as fifty bear in a single season. He and his familj' passed through all the experiences of pioneer life, at the time of their coming there being not a single physi- cian, church or school or postofSce in the en- tire county. One of the prominent and influential men in the early history of the county was Judge Donaldson, who came to the county in 1855. He was a man of education and became a well knowTi and highly respected citizen of the county. He was a Tennesseean by birth, hut thoroughly identified himself with all the interests of his adopted home and was elected to public office, being for a time a member of the countj' court of Dunklin comty. His family are still prominent in county offices, his son was a well known citizen and one of his grandsons is now a practicing lawyer at Kennett. In 1854 David Finley came with his family to Dunklin county, opening a farm not far from the present site of Cotton Plant. He was a typical pioneer, having interests in farming and in himting and in all the affairs of the county. One of the large and iuHuential families in the south pai-t of Dunklin county was the Harkey family, who were descendants of Dan- iel D. Harkey a native of North Carolina, who came to Dimklin county in 1853, settling on the land near Nesbit, where the family continues to reside. Among the members of this family were Judge J. H. Harkey, Wilbur D. Harkey and W. M. Harkey. They were sons of the founder of the family and their descendants are both numerous and influen- tial at this time. Perhaps the man who made the greatest impression on the life of his day in the county was Edwin J. Langdon, who was born August 7, 1819, at Middlebury, Vermont. The family was of Scotch descent and this son seems to have inherited the great qualities which dis- tinguish the Scotch. Before coming to Dunk- lin county, E. J. Langdon received a good common school education and for a time taught school. In 1839 he made his home in Dimklin county near Cotton Plant; he soon formed a partnership with Isaiah Jones and together they conducted a carriage and black- smith shop. In 1847 he was married to Sarah A. Gla.sscock, the daughter of Robert L. Glass- cock, also one of the pioneers of the county.