Early Pioneers
Early Pioneers and First Land Entries
The following information is from Goodspeed's History, published in 1889. Permanent Settlers-- Reuben Berry and William Pogue, who settled in 1827, the former on the Dry Auglaize and the latter on the Osage, are believed to have been the first settlers of the territory composing Camden County. Mr. Berry came from Kentucky. In 1830 Aaron Crain moved with his family from Virginia to Boone County, Mo., and in 1833 he moved with his family, and Sanders W., his son and family, and Andrew McQuitty, his son-in-law, and Samuel Ayers, another son-in-law, formerly of Tennessee, from Boone County, and settled on the Osage River, opposite the mouth of Big Niangua, where his son, William L. Crain still resides. At that time, March, 1833, the settlers who had preceded Mr. Crain and his relatives, and located along the several streams on lands now included within the county, were as follows: On the Osage (above and below the mouth of the Big Niangua), Mr. Walker two miles and Mr. Upton six miles above; two or three families by the name of Fitzhugh, about six miles above, on the south side; Keaton Murray, (who died there in winter of 1832-1833, before the Crains arrived) on the north side, about six miles above; William Porter, on the south side, eight miles above, L.C. Oder, formerly of Culpeper County, Va., on the south side, seven miles above; Daniel Purcell, from Kentucky, on the south side, about four miles below, and John Fryrear, also from Kentucky, on the opposite side; William Ray, on the north side, fifteen miles below, and Thomas Wallace, on the south side, twelve miles below. William Boyce, from Kentucky, settled on Little Niangua in 1832, and in 1834 he married Miss Frances Crain, daughter of Aaron Crain, and the next year, while this couple were fording the Osage on horseback at a place about half a mile above the residence of Mrs. Boyce's father, she was caught in the current of the stream, and, notwithstanding the efforts of her husband to save her, was drowned. Afterward Mr. Boyce married another daughter of Mr. Crain. A Mr. Wamsley also settled on Little Niangua prior to 1833. Those who settled on Big Niangua prior to March, 1833, were Josiah Dejarnett and Mr. Murray, and a Mr. Waggoner settled on Linn Creek before that date, at the point where the school-house, in the town of Linn Creek, now stands. Those who settled on the Dry Auglaize before the same date were Reuben Berry, William Young, James A. Davis and Ledwell L. Blanton, all from Kentucky, and Daniel Woolsey and Thomas H. Parrish; and those on the Wet Auglaize were John Cosely, John Thomas, Mr. Woodall, William Dotson, the latter two coming from Kentucky. Immediately or soon after the Crain family settled on the Osage, in March, 1833, the following named individuals settled at the places herein designated: George Carroll, from Kentucky, and Green C. Thornton, from Tennessee, on the Osage; Benjamin Caffee, from Tennessee, on the Osage, one mile above, and William Cox, from Indiana, one-half mile above Linn Creek; William Yandle, from Tennessee, on the south side of the Osage, two and one-half miles below Linn Creek; Williamson Foster, from Kentucky, on the north side of the Osage, about seven miles above Linn Creek; John M. Snider, from Tennessee, on the south side of the Osage, five miles below Linn Creek; Sidney R. Roberds, from Tennessee, on the south side of the Osage, one mile below Linn Creek; Carony Goodrich and David Woolfe, from Indiana, on the Big Niangua, two miles above its mouth; Willis Allison, from Tennessee, on Big Niangua, seven miles above; George Moulder, from Kentucky, on the same stream, eight miles above, and James G. Gunter, from Alabama, on the same stream, nine miles above its mouth; Pete Waggoner, from Tennessee, on Linn Creek, on the Roach place; Mr. Wright, from Tennessee, and Mr. Aikens, from Kentucky, on the same stream--the latter where Harrison Windes now lives; Jonas Brown, from Kentucky, and Daniel Foster, on the Little Niangua; Alfred Clinton, Alfred Garrison, Ousley Cliburn, John H. Robertson and Fielding Clark, near the head of the Dry Auglaize. First Land Entries: These are in addition to the ones already listed as first settlers. Township 36 north, Range 14 west: William Rigby, William Wilson, Simeon Traw, D.B. Murrell, Judge Reuben Riggs and David T. Bonnell. These persons entered lands between 1846 and 1858. Township 36 north, Range 14 west: Joseph J. Lane, Edward S. Ivey, Henry J. Evans and Hamilton J. Frost. Township 37 north, Range 14 west: John G. Estes, James Robinson, George Robinson, Laban Ivy, Littleton Ivy, Moses Norman, John Hobbs, Samuel Eaken, Henry Laughlin, John Salsman, Washington A. Dodge, Jesse L. Salsman and Benjamin Dresser. Township 37 north, Range 15 west: Richard Chitwood, Levi S. Harold, Harvey Westfall, Benjamin Clark, Thomas R. Lane, Judge John M. Cyrus, Felix G. Hammer and John D. Sweatt. The first entry in this township was made by Laban Ivy in 1844. Township 37 north, Range 16 west: William C. Black, Bennett J. C. Clinton, Isaac Webb, John F. Stone, Joseph Garrison, Benjamin Looney, Davis Holder, Sol. B. Holder, Willis A. J. Clinton and Henry Newman. The first entries in this township were made in 1840 by Ousley Cliburn and others. Township 37 north, Range 17 west: Samuel Crall, Joseph Crall (the Cralls settled about 1833), Henry C. Richardson and James E. Guest. Many tracts in this township along the Big Niangua were entered during the seventies, and over half the township is yet subject to entry. Township 37 north, Range 18 west: Allen M. Doyle, Isaac Meads, Jacob Meads, John Mills, John Rogers, Thomas C. Chapel, James C. Piles, Thomas Cummings and Simeon Garrison. Nearly one-half of the lands in this township are still subject to entry. Township 37 north, Range 19 west: Nathaniel W. Toby, John Q. A. Watson, James M. Whitworth, John Coatney, James Admires, Isa C. Marvin, Lewis Richards and Jesse Admires. About one-half of the lands in this township are yet open for entry. Township 38 north, Range 14 west: William Northrip, James Collyer, Daniel Meredith, Moral Holden, Lucy Dodson and Benjamin D. Dodson. Township 38 north, Range 15 west: William Kuykendall, David Shipman, David Robertson, Gholson Wilson, James Wilson, Lewis B. Hogue, William L. Duncan, William Wilson, Ewin Barnett, Felix Jeffries and Richard Popelwell. Township 38 north, Range 16 west: Preston Brown, William A. Windes, James A. Davis, Harrison Davis, Elisha B. Robinson, David Robertson and William E. Newberry. Township 38 north, Range 17 west: Valentine Moulder, Joshua Hightower, William Russell, Andrew A. Russell, Silas M. Moulder, Patrick L. Maxey, George W. Moulder and Thomas Yaden. Township 38 north, Range 18 west: John Hart, John D. Foster, John H. Bishop, Henry Hurst, Patterson C. Brumley, James W. McDaniel, John West, Winifred Jackson, Jeremiah West, Jr., and Joshua West. Fully one-half of this township is yet subject to entry. Township 38 north, Range 19 west: Frederick Kobb, Christopher Arnhold, Dudley Hix, Sol. P. Y. Howard, Benjamin B. Howard, Pollard W. Wisdom, Levi Green, William Green, Hugh Allison and James Creach. Township 39 north, Range 15 west: John Pope, George S. McNabb, James M. Jeffries, George Northrip, Martin B. Shipman and George W. Huddleston. Township 39 north, Range 16 west: Henry M. Stephens, Thomas Wallace, Samuel D. Miller, Willis Goodwin, Joseph Williams, Robert B. Williams, Isaac Little, Perry Coile and Jason Clark. Township 39 north, Range 17 west: Jacob B. Chism, James H. Haden, William Fulbright, John Fulbright, George W. White, John S. Townsend, William E. Williams, Thomas O. Witten, William Cartwright, Andrew Davidson, John Jones, Thomas M. Pollard and Hiram Baggerly. Township 39 north, Range 18 west: Joseph Bollinger, William H. Bollinger, Robert J. Wilson, Jacob Smith and Miles F. Alcorn. The first entries in this township were made in 1840. In 1871 Messrs. Candee and Campbell entered a large quantity of land in this township, near their iron works. Township 39 north, Range 19 west: A few early entries were made in the corner of this township where it is crossed by the Osage, and the balance have been made recently. Many tracts still remain vacant. Township 40 north, Range 16 west: Archibald and Nicholas Ownsbey, Stephen Howser, William R. Hicks, James Edwards, Zealy M. Wynn, Townsend Estes, Alex. W. Lamm, William Anderson, William Dennis, Luke E. Ray, Jesse Cassaday, William Buzan and Samuel D. Miller. All of these parties made their entries and settled near and along the Osage. (*Note: the first land entries in what is now Camden County were made along the Osage and Niangua Rivers, beginning in 1831, the first one observed being that of Nicholas Ownsbey.) Township 40 north, Range 17 west: Warner Howser, Delana H. Wallace and John C. Robertson. Township 40 north, Range 18 west: Peter Huff, E. M. Campbell, Robert J. Wilson, Robert A. Lyle, Henry Ivy and James and Benjamin McFarland. Township 40 north, Range 19 west: William N. and Seth R. Moore, William Brown, Daniel Morris and Thomas J. Flippin.
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