FOR CONSTABLE OF WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP. Anson McCracken received. . SAMUEL C. OWENS, Clerk. JOHN R. SWEARENGEN, Justices of the Peace." The following ancient document was handed us by Mr. R. Wallace, which we publish without comment, further than to state that Mr. Jacob Gregg, of Snia-bar township, is the only man now living whose name is mentioned in the document referred to. Here it is: "COUNTY OF JACKSON, TO-WIT : "The State of Missouri, to the sheriff of Jackson County, greeting:-You are hereby commanded to cause to be empannelled and come before the judge of our circuit court of our said county of Jackson, on the first day of our next November term, at the court house, in the town of Independence, a grand jury of good and lawful men, not less than sixteen nor more than twenty-three, housekeepers of said county, who are then and there upon their oaths, to enquire into and present all such offences as may have been committed within the body of said county, and that you make due return of the names of said jury and this writ: Witness: Samuel C. Owens, clerk of our said court, at office, Seal. this 15th day of September, A. D. 1828, with my private seal, (there being no seal of office provided). SAM'L C. OWENS, Clerk." Private { } "Following is the grand jury summoned in accordance with the above order: "I, Joseph R. Walker, sheriff of Jackson County, do certify that the foregoing named persons were summoned as grand jurors for November term, 1828. J. R. WALKER, Sheriff." JACOB GREGG, Deputy Sheriff." Westport was the next place to become settled after the town of Independence and vicinity; and after the Santa Fe trade had found its chief starting point at Independence, for several years it gradually transferred a portion of it to Westport. J. C. McCoy, who now resides in Johnson county, Kansas, laid out the town, and was one of its principal settlers for some time. Robert Johnson was another early settler there; James McGee and sons, John Harris, Jacob Ragan, William Matney, Johnston Lykens, and many more, were among the early settlers in the vicinity of Westport. Before Kansas City became of any commercial importance Westport was a flourishing town, with a large Santa Fe trade. Perhaps the next settlement was made at Lone Jack, where families had clustered in the vicinity, and became very much attached to the place. Lone Jack was thus named from a large jack oak tree, which stood alone there in the prairie. It has since been a post-village of considerable importance. Among the early settlers in the vicinity we mention the names of Warham Easley, Galen Cabe, John Snow, Stephen Easley and John Daniel. This was the principal settlement in the southeastern portion of the county, and here their township elections were held. Kansas City was not settled for a long time after Sibley, Independence and Westport. As late as 1839 wild deer, wolves and wild turkeys inhabited those bluffs and valleys, where Kansas City now stands, undisturbed by man; there were large trees and thick underbrush, which made it most emphatically a wilderness. In the month of December, 1839, Mr. H. G. Rees, who now lives at Independence, crossed the river from Kansas City to Harlem, at a point just below the present great railroad bridge, and when about to step upon the ferry boat a large flock of wild turkeys came from the opposite shore, sailing over his head, and alighted only a few yards distant. When the turkeys saw the men they ran up the bluff into the unsettled wilderness, where the business portion of Kansas City is now located. Mr. Rees had remained over night in an old log hut among the trees, on the south side of the river, in which Thomas Smart then lived. Blankets were nailed upon the inside of the cabin, to break the wind from those endeavoring to keep warm within; the chinks between the logs had not been plastered with mud, and it was difficult to keep warm. It was They New Santa Fe was also an early but not very important settlement. on the direct route of travel for those starting from Independence engaged in the Santa Fe trade, situated near the southwest corner of the county on the Kansas State line. There were only a few houses here and at the present time scarcely more, but some of the early inhabitants in that locality were John Bartleson, William Gray, John Whitsett, Edward Gray, Richard Kirby, John Fitzhugh, George Fitzhugh, John B. Lucas, John Self, Linzey Lewis. Most of the early settlers in this section went to Independence and Westport for supplies. usually lived in the timber and ate hominy and potatoes, frequently having no bread. At or near Stony Point, near the south boundary of Sni a-bar Township, there were several early settlers. Near the present site of the little village of Blue Springs was the early home of the Smiths, Clarks, Burrises, Dailies, Judge R. D. Stanley and others. The first prairie broken in Jackson county was done here by David Dailey near the East Fork of the Little Blue. The work was accomplished with a "barshear plow," which consisted of a beam to which was fastened the coulter or "shear," as it was called, to cut the tough sod, with wooden mouldboard. When Mr. Daily undertook to cultivate or cross plow his field the tough sod collected in a huge pile in front of the plow, necessitating an abandonment of the work till the turf became dead and decayed. When it became apparent that he could not mellow the sod he took his ax and cut holes in the obdurate turf, dropped therein his corn and with another stroke of the ax covered the seed. In this way he planted and raised a good crop the first year. At that time there were no weeds and grasses, such as the fox-tail and other species, which at the present time so obstinately resist the labors of the husbandman. When they plowed the prairie they attached to the plow six or eight yoke of oxen and opened a much larger and deeper furrow than at the present time. Mr. Dailey lived here a long time and finally sold out to a wealthy Virginian by the name of Frank Coward, Dailey moving further southeast in Van Buren. When Mr. Dailey first came to this State he landed at St. Louis and obtained hats for his dozen boys. We have never heard of a man who by one and the same wife had so large a family as Mr. Dailey afterward reared. They had twentyseven children. The anecdote told of him on landing at St. Louis is this: "When he applied for a dozen hats for his boys the merchant was surprised and told him if he would bring twelve of his own boys into the store he would give each a hat. Mr. Dailey, delighted with the promise as his money was very scarce at that time, went down to the river landing and took his boys back to the merchant who provided each with a good new hat." David Dailey was a very industrious man and possessed an iron constitution. No neighbors lived near and wild turkeys came to the house and ate feed with the hogs in the trough; wolves howled about and often destroyed the pigs and sheep of early settlers. He built a grist-mill and ground for customers who came from long distances. The mill was run by horses on a tread wheel, corn and wheat being the principal grain. He also had a distillery to manufacture whisky, and it may be well to note in this connection that it found a ready market in the immediate neighborhood. The old man died about five years ago at the advanced age of ninety. It may be interesting to read a few entries found in the account book of Henry Chiles: Sept. 20, 1833. George Rider, Dr., to writing two bonds. Wm. I. Cayton, Dr., to writing mortgage to Shepherd Jan. 10, 1834. Amos Ridley, Dr., to hog about 100 pounds. 3.00 Jan. 24, 1834. 1.00 Feb. 6, 1834. 4.79 4.79 Feb. 6, 1834. 15.00 Sept. 28, 1834. 1.00 .50 July 22, 1835. John Parker, Dr., to oxen and wagon part of one day J. H. Flournoy, Dr., to taking depositions, three days in Wm. I. Baugh, Dr., to deed from Franklin to Gregg. CHAPTER V. ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY. St. Louis County included what is now the eastern part of Jackson in 1813-Then Howard County -Then Cooper-Then Lillard-Then Lafayette-And then Jackson-Jackson County organized December 15, 1826, and included what is now Cass and Bates counties-First County Court-County and Township system— Government Surveys—Organization of townships- Three townships at first, Blue, Ft. Osage and Kaw-Location of roads-Harmony Township-Boone Township-Sni-a-bar Township-Washington Township Van Buren Township-Prairie Township--Westport Township-Brooking Township. The territory which now bears the name of Jackson county, Missouri, was first embraced in the county of St. Louis except the western part which belonged to the Osage Indians. The eastern boundary of the Osages at that time commenced at a point on the Missouri River near the mouth of the Little Blue and thence ran directly south. The boundaries of St. Louis county fixed by an act of the Territorial Legislature of Missouri, December 31, 1813, included a strip of land lying south of the Missouri River and containing about twenty-five counties as at present organized. The boundaries as fixed by the aforesaid act were as follows: "All that portion of the territory bounded north by the south line of the county of St. Charles, east by the main channel of the river Mississippi, south by a line to commence in the main channel of the Mississippi immediately opposite to the upper line of a tract of land owned by Augustus Chouteau which is about half way between the mouths of the Plattin and Joachim rivers; thence running in a direct line to a point on the dividing ridge between those waters where Wright's road fails into the road leading from the town of Herculaneum to the Mine a Burton; thence along said road to a point thereon immediately opposite a noted spring called the "Dripping Spring," which spring is situated about two hundred yards south of said road; thence on a direct course to the mouth of Mineral Fork of Grand River, thence such a course as shall leave all the persons now settled in that settlement, usually known by the name of the Richwood_ settlement to the south of said course or line in the county of Washington, thence southwest to the western boundary line of the Osage purchase; thence northwardly on said line to the river Missouri, thence down said river Missouri in the main channel of the same to the southwest corner of the county of St. Charles shall compose one county and shall be called and known by the county of St. Louis." This territory remained as St. Louis county till the act of January 23, 1816, which constituted Howard county as follows: "All that part of the county of St. Louis and all that part of the county of St. Charles and bounded as follows, to wit: Beginning at the mouth of the Great Osage River, thence up said river and in the middle of the main channel thereof unto the Osage boundary line thence north with said boundary line to the river Missouri, thence up the river Missouri and in the middle of the main channel thereof to a point opposite the mouth of the Kansas River, thence with the Indian boundary line (as described in a proclamation of the governor issued on the ninth day of March, 1815) northwardly one hundred and forty miles, thence eastward with said line to the main dividing ridge of high ground between the rivers Mississippi and Missouri, thence with said ridge of high ground to the main fork of the river Cedar, thence down said river to the Missouri, thence down the river Missouri and in the middle of the main channel thereof to the mouth of the Great Osage river, the place of beginning is hereby laid off and erected into a separate and distinct county, which shall be called and known by the name of Howard county. William Head, Benjamin Estill, David Jones, David Kincaide and Stephen Cole, be and are hereby appointed commissioners with full powers and authority to point out and fix upon the most suitable place in said county whereon to erect a court house and jail and the place whereon they or a majority of them shall agree, shall be and is hereby declared to be the permanent seat of justice for said county of Howard." Howard county remained with the above described boundaries from January 23, 1816, to December 17, 1818, when a part of it was laid off and named Cooper. The act entitled "An act establishing a part of the county of Howard into a separate and distinct county by the name of Cooper county, was as follows: "Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Territory of Missouri, that all that part of the county of Howard bounded as follows, to wit: beginning at a point in the middle of the main channel of the Missouri River opposite the middle of the main channel of the Osage River at its mouth, and running thence to the middle of the main channel of the Osage River at its mouth; thence up the Osage River along the middle of the main channel thereof to the Osage boundary line; thence north with said boundary line to the middle of the main channel of the Missouri River; thence down the middle of the main channel of said last named river to the beginning, is hereby laid off and established into a separate and distinct county, which shall be called and known by the name of Cooper county. William Weir, Luke Williams, Julius Emmons, Abel Owen and Charles Canole be, and they are hereby appointed, commissioners of the said county of Cooper, with full power and authority to point out and fix upon the most suitable place in the said county of Cooper whereon to erect a court house and jail for said county of Cooper. Approved December 17, 1818." From December 17, 1818, to November 16, 1820, the boundaries of Cooper remained unchanged, but at the latter named date a county called "Lillard," in honor of a State Senator by that name, was laid off, including the territory now included within the present counties of Lafayette, Johnson, Henry, part of St. Clair, Bates, Cass and Jackson. An act establishing the county of Lillard: "Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri that, all that part of the county of Cooper lying and being within the following bounds, to wit: beginning at a point in the middle of the main channel of the Missouri River opposite the range line between ranges twenty three and twenty-four; thence with said line to the termination thereof; thence due south to the middle of the main channel of the Osage River; thence up said river in the middle of the main channel thereof to the western boundary line of the State, and thence north with said boundary line to the middle of the main channel of the Missouri River; thence down said river in the middle of the main channel thereof to the place of beginning, shall be, and the same is hereby laid off and erected into a separate and distinct county, which shall be known and called by the name of Lillard. John Duston, James Bounds, Senr., David McClilland, James Dillard and David Ward, be, and are hereby appointed, commissioners with full power and authority to select the most suitable place in said county whereon to erect a court house and jail, and the place which they, or a majority of them, shall agree to erect a court house and jail on, as aforesaid, shall be, and is hereby declared to be, the seat of justice of Lillard By the act of the Legislature February 16, 1825, the name of Lillard was changed to Lafayette, and the western boundary thereof was the middle of range |