Monroe County Formed & Organized

During the years 1829-30 emigration came in rapidly. The inconvenience of being so remote from the county seat, New London, and the hope of more rapid settlement, induced the pioneers during, the latter part of the year 1830 to take steps to secure the organization of a new county.  The subject was laid before the General Assembly of the State, was favorably considered, and on January 6, 1831, the following act was passed creating a new county:  "All that portion of the territory within the county of Ralls lying, within the following boundaries, to wit: Beginning, on the township line between townships 52 and 53 at the first sectional line east of the range line between ranges 7 and 8, thence with said sectional line on a parallel -with said range north, to the southern boundary of the county of Marion thence west along, the Marion County line with the township line between townships 56 and 57, to the range line between 12 and 13, it being, the eastern boundary line of Randolph county, thence south with said range line to the township line between townships 52 and 53, thence east with said township line to the place of beginning, be and the same is hereby declared to be a separate and. distinct county, to be known and called by the name of  "Monroe county " (Laws of Missouri).  These boundaries have not been materially changed.

The same act appointed Hancock S. Jackson, of Randolph - Stephen Glascock, of Ralls, and Joseph Holliday of Pike, commissioners to select the seat of justice for the county.  These were men possessing integrity and purity of character.  Joseph Holliday afterwards removed to the county, where he lived and died, respected by all who knew him.  Hancock S. Jackson was afterward elected Lieutenant Governor of the State, and was one of the most highly respected men in the State.
The first entries of land were made by the following persons: Township 53, range 8, George Markham, in 1819 ; township 54, range 8, Bennet Goldsberry in 1818; township 54, range 8, John Hicklin, in 1819; township 54, range 8, Joseph Holliday, in 1818 township 54, range 8, Benton R. Gillett, in 1819; township 54, range 8, Andrew Rogers, in 1819 ; township 55, range 8, Daniel McCoy, in 1819 ; township 54, range 9, Joseph R. Pool, in 1819 ; township 55, range 9, James Adams, in 1819.

THE NAME

A great dramatist intimates that there is nothing in a name; but a name sometimes means a great deal.  In many instances, it indicates, in a measure, the character of the people who settle the country and have given to it its distinctive characteristics.  Names are sometimes given to towns and countries by accident; sometimes they originate in the childish caprice of some individual, whose dictate by reason of some real or imaginary superiority is law.  Whether the policy of naming counties after statesmen and generals be good or bad, the Missouri Legislature has followed the practice to such all extent, that fully three-fourths of the counties composing the State bear the names of men who are more or less distinguished in the history of the country.

THE NAMES OF PIONEERS

When we consider that more - than half a century has passed since the men whose names we append below, pitched their tents within the present limits of the county, it will be readily understood how difficult has been the task of collecting them.
ID placing, these names upon record we have doubtless made mistakes arid omissions, but feel confident that the errors will be overlooked, when it is remembered that we have spared no little effort to be accurate and perfect.
They who in the early dawn of Western civilization first 11 bearded the lion in his den, "opened a path through the wilderness, drove out the wild beasts and tamed the savage Indian, are entitled to one of the brightest pages in all the record of the past.
The old pioneers of Monroe county-the advance guard of civilization - have nearly all passed away; those remaining may be counted on the fingers of one hand.  A few more years of waiting and watching-, and they, too, will have joined- - -

"The innumerable caravan, that moves
To the pale realms of shade, where each shall take
His chamber in the silent halls of death."

Fresh hillocks in the cemetery will soon be all the marks that will be left of a race of giants who grappled nature in her fastness and made a triumphant conquest in the face of the greatest privations, disease and difficulty.  The shadows that fall upon their tombs as time recedes are like the smoky haze that enveloped the prairies in the early days, saddening the memory arid giving to dim distance only a faint and phantom outline, to which the future will often look back arid wonder at the hearts that lie hidden under the peaceful canopy.
These are the names of the old settlers:

ASHCRAFT

Henry

ABBOTT

George

ABERNATHY

J. R.

ACUFF

Chris C.

ADAMS

Ovid

ADAMS

Otho

ALFRED

James

ATTERBURY

William

AUSTIN

R. D.

BELCHER

Isam

BELL

Thomas

BELL

James

BILLINGTON

Ezekial

BLUBAUGH

Benjamin

BOGGS

Lawrence

BOZARTH

Elijah

BRADLEY

Benjamin

BRASHEARS

Thomas

BRINK

Ephraim

BURNES

Shadrack

BURTON

Jerry

BURTON

Reuben

BURTON

Elijah

BURTON

John

BUSH

Abraham

BYBEE

Dr. John

CALDWELL

Green V.

CAVE

Richard

CLAY

Charles

CLAY

Triposa

COLLISON

John G.

COLVIN

John R.

COMBS

A. B.

COPPEDGE

Isaac

COX

James

CREED

Elijah

CREED

Augustin

CREED

Samuel

CRIGLER

Jeremiah

CROW

Samuel

CURRY

John

CURTRIGHT

Samuel

DALE

John

DALE

James

DAMRELL

Edward

DAVIS

Thomas

DAVIS

Van

DAVIS

Reese

DELANEY

William

DELANEY

John

DICKSON

James

DONALDSON

William

DONALDSON

Robert

DONALDSON

Joseph

DRY

George

DUCKWORTH

Simon

DYE

Ramey

DYE

Phanty

DYE

Fauntleroy

EALES

Charles

EAST

Urban

EAST

Daniel

EDWARDS

Cornelius

FIKE

Hasting

FORD

Pleasant

FORD

Jacob

FORD

Daniel

FOREMAN

John

FOREMAN

Joseph

FOX

Ezra

FOX

J. C.

FRUIT

Enoch

GAY

Martin B.

GEE

John

GEORGE

Robert

GILLESPIE

Angyle

GILLETT

F.

GILMORE

James

GLASCOCK

Stephen

GLENN

Thomas M.

GLENN

George

GOFORTH

Wililam

GOODNIGHT

Edward

GORE

Jonathan

GOUGH

David

GRANT

William B.

GREEN

Leonard

GREEN

Clem

GREENING

Robert

GROGIN

Spencer

GROGIN

Bartholomew

GUNDY

Thomas

GWYN

Robert

HAGAN

Dr. Sylvester

HAGAN

Joseph

HANNA

Robert

HANNON

Esom

HARPER

Samuel

HARRIS

Robert

HATTON

John B.

HEREFORD

Paul

HERNDON

James

HICKMAN

Hugh A.

HICKS

Amos

HIGHTOWER

Hackney T.

HOCKER

John

HOLDEN

Edward M.

HOLLIDAY

Joseph

HORN

William

HOWARD

Henry

HOWE

John

HUBBARD

Asaph E.

HUMPHREY

Salmon

HUNT

Ezra

IVIE

John

JACKSON

James

JACKSON

Jeremiah

JETT

William

JOHNSON

Daniel H.

JOHNSON

John

JONES

Col. Gabriel

KEENAN

Dr.

KELLEY

Thomas

KELLEY

Marshall

KILGORE

Thomas

KINCAID

Lewis

KINOTE

Henry

KIPPER

George

KIPPER

William

KIPPER

John

KIPPER

Samuel

KIRBY

David

KIRKLAND

Abraham

MAGHAN

Payton

MANAMA

Hiram

MANSFIELD

R. C.

MAPPIN

James

MAPPIN

Matthew

MARTIN

Robert

MAXEY

Boaz

MCBRIDE

E. W.

MCGEE

John

MCGEE

James

MCGEE

John S.

MCGEE

William

MCGREW

Charles

MCKAMEY

John

MCKAMEY

D. E.

MCKAMEY

Joseph H.

MCSWAIN

William

MILLER

Henry

MILLIGAN

John C.

MOORE

Travis S.

MOTHERSHEAD

Benjamin

NESBIT

Samuel

NEWLAND

M.

NOEL

James

NOEL

Joel

NOEL

Garnet

OWENS

Elijah

OWNBY

Mrs.

PAVEY

Jesse

PENN

William N.

PERRY

Minor

PHELPS

Ezekiel

POAGE

Maj. James

POAGE

Thomas G.

POOL

Samuel

PORTER

John

POWERS

James

POWERS

Richard D.

PROCTOR

William H.

REAVIS

Jones

RHODES

Daniel

RICE

Archibald

RICE

Nathaniel

RICE

Nathaniel

RIGSBY

Joseph

RIGSBY

John

ROGERS

Aniel

ROGERS

Achilles

ROGERS

Andrew

ROUSE

George

RUNKLE

William

SALING

George

SALING

Rumsey

SALING

Richmond

SCOBEE

Stephen

SCOBEE

Robert

SCOTT

Davis

SHEARER

Cavil

SHOOTS

John

SHROPSHIRE

Edward

SIMPSON

Robert

SIMPSON

John

SLOAN

David F.

SMITH

William

SMITH

Joseph Sr.

SMITH

Alex W.

SMITH

Joseph Jr.

SMITH

Samuel H.

SMITH

John B.

SMITH

Ephraim

SMITHEY

Robert

SMIZER

George

SMIZER

Milton

SNIDER

Robert

SPARKS

Harrison

SPOTSWODD

Wilson S.

SPROUL

Joseph

STAMPER

Larken

STEPHENS

Joseph

STEPHENSON

William P.

STEWART

James

STICE

Peter

STUBBLEFIELD

George

SUMNER

Joseph J.

SUTTON

Samuel G.

SWINNEY

Harvey

SWINNEY

Robert

SWINNEY

Austin

TALLIAFERRO

Bostick

THOMAS

Jacob

THOMAS

Peter B.

THOMPSON

Thomas

THOMPSON

Alexander

THOMPSON

Hiram

THRELDKELD

Thomas

TROMBO

Michael

VAN ARSDELL

William K.

VAUGHN

James

WARREN

M. C.

WEATHERFORD

David

WELCH

Giles H.

WELDON

Joseph

WELDON

James

WHITE

Joseph

WHITE

George W.

WHITTENBURG

Andrew

WHITTENBURG

Daniel

WILCOXSON

William

WILKERSON

Milton

WILKERSON

William

WILLIAMS

Hiram

WILLIAMS

S. J.

WILLIAMS

Huron

WILLINGHAM

John

WITT

John

WOOD

Caleb

WOOD

Thomas

WOOD

Fielder

WOODS

James

WRIGHT

John

YATES

John

YATES

Vincent

YOUNG

Jacob

YOUNG

Benjamin

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