Early days in Benton County, MO, are recalled through a mixture of colorful tales and factual data in this booklet, compiled from excerpts from the rare 1889 book: History of Cole, Moniteau, Morgan, Benton, Miller, Maries and Osage Counties, Missouri, originally published by the Goodspeed Publishing Co., and Missouri, a Guide to the "Show Me" State, a 1930s WPA project. The spiral bound booklet, which measures 8.5 x 11", is printed on 60# paper. A vinyl sheet protects the front cover. (Booklets the other six counties are available in our eBay store.)
Communities in the county mentioned in the booklet include: Warsaw, Fairfield, Cole Camp, Lincoln, Shiptonsburg, Duroc, Fort Lyon, Mora, and Boeschenville.
The 1885 history covers the early development of this area, while the brief excerpt from the WPA book, gives a nostalgic glympse of the area from a 1939 vantage point, including interesting historical notes, especially as they relate to sightseeing possibilities. A small map of one of the area's major attractions is included, the Lake of the Ozarks.
Topics covered in the history of this rural county in central Missouri include: Physical Description, Geology, Topography, Streams, Soils, Caves, Minerals, Zinc, Springs, Prehistoric Remains, Resources, Transportation Facilities, Possibilities for better water power usage, Agriculture; Early Settlement, Indians, White Settlers, Early Land Entries by township, County organization, Location of the County Seat, Courts, Grand Jurors, the Howard-Newsome feud, involving such things as court cases, bigamy and bloodshed, a murder trial and a last minute reprieve; the bloody Turk-Jones feud, told in some detail; other murders and such; Names of Officers of the Courts; the Mexican War; Civil War , movements in the county including the "Cole Camp fight", and Military units, with some names; Fairfield, settled by "3 free negroes"; Warsaw and other Towns and Villages, including origin and growth, businesses, government, organizations like the Women's Relief Corps, with many names given; Newspapers; Educational Interests, Churches; The Wheel, a secret coop for farmers; Railroads; Elections and County Officials; and other bits of history and trivia.
Besides the many names mentioned in the history section of the booklet, there are a number of fairly detailed individual biographies of prominent residents. Surnames include: Baldwin, Berens, Bockelman, Boeschen, Bohling, Borchers, Bradley, Brauer, Brill, Caldwell, Carlin, Chastain, Cherrington, Clark, Cordes, Cunningham, Davis, Eastmann, Eckhoff, Eickhoff, Eoff, Fowler, Freund, Frisch, Fristoe, Fryback, Gallaher, Gist, Goetze, Grother, Gunn, Hackler, Hart, Harvey, Heimsoth, Heyne, Hockman, Holsten, Holtzen, Howery, Jagels, Junge, Kahl, Kieffer, Koenke, Kreisel, Kullmann, Lay, McLane, McMillian, Mabry, Mahnken, Michaelis, Monsees, Moore, Muller, Nixon, Orr, Patten, Payton, Priestley, Ranken, Reed, Rolstin, Rouse, Schroeder, Schwettmann, Shaver, Smith, Thomas, Thurston, Tiemeier, Tonjer, Weaver, Wenger, White, Wienberg, and Wright.
Wouldn't this make a unique gift? |