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OLD SETTLERS OF
PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP
JOHN HAMILTON
JAMES MARTIN
R P MARTIN
MRS CHISAM
WM BUTLER
JOEL HUBBARD
RICE ALEXANDER
HUGH C COLLINS
DR PRESLEY T
OLIVER
JACKSON DICKERSON
JOSEPH DAVIS
MOSES KIMBROUGH
AARON KIMBROUGH
THOMAS KIMBROUGH
A HENDRIX
BENJAMIN HARDIN
ASA K HUBBARD
PRESLY SHIRLEY
JEREMIAH BUNNEL
THOMAS STOCKTON
W S CHRISTIAN
GRANDERSON
BROOKS
ARCHIBALD GOIN
MAY BURTON
JOHN SORRELL
HENRY BURNHAM
WM CROSSWHITE
JOHN KIMBROUGH
BLUFORD ROBINSON
WILEY MARSHALL
A W LANE
DURETT BRUCE
REUBEN SAMUEL
JOSEPH WILCOX
NEARLY ALL OF THE
ABOVE WERE FROM KENTUCKY,
AND MANY OF THE
MEN WERE GREAT HUNTERS.
NOTABLY SO WERE
DURETT BRUCE,JOE DAVIS,CY DAVIS,
URIAH DAVIS,H C
COLLINS,JOHN SORRELL,AND
JAMES MARTIN.THE
LATTER IN HIS EARLY
MANHOOD WAS VERY
ATHLETIC AND IS PROBABLY
THE ONLY MAN WHO
EVER CAUGHT AN UNWOUNDED
DEER BY RUNNING
AFTER IT ON FOOT,AND AN UNWOUNDED
TURKEY BY
CLIMBING A TREE.
DURETT BRUCE WHO
CAME TO THE TOWNSHIP IN 1837
IS THE OLDEST MAN
NOW LIVING IN RANDOLPH
COUNTY (1884).HE
WAS BORN IN FAYETTE COUNTY
KENTUCKY EIGHT
MILES SOUTH OF LEXINGTON,
MARCH 1ST 1789 AND
WAS THEREFORE 95 YEARS
OLD MARCH 1ST
1884.HIS FATHERS NAME WAS
BENJAMIN BRUCE,HE
WAS A NATIVE OF SCOTLAND
AND A KINSMAN OF
ROBERT BRUCE ONE OF THE
SCOTTISH CHIEFS
WHOSE DEEDS OF BRAVERY AND
FEATS OF MANHOOD
HAVE BEEN IMMORTALIZED BY
THE INCOMPARABLE
PEN OF JANE PORTER.MR BRUCE
MARRIED MISS
DARAH STEPHENS DAUGHTER OF
COL STEPHENS APRIL
13 1813.IN 1834 OCTOBER 10TH
HE CAME TO BOONE
COUNTY MISSOURI AND AFTER
RAISING TWO CROPS
HE SETTLED IN RANDOLPH COUNTY.
HEARING THAT
WOLVES WERE NUMEROUS AND VERY DESTRUCTIVE
TO SHEEP HE
BROUGHT WITH HIM TO THE COUNTY
15 SHEEP,18
HOUNDS,AND A CUR DOG,AND WAS NEVER
ANNOYED BY
WOLVES AFTER HIS ARRIVAL.HE WAS IN THE
WAR OF 1812 AND
SERVED UNDER GEN WM H HARRISON
SIX MONTHS AND
GEN MCARTHUR FOUR MONTHS NEAR LAKE
SUPERIOR.IN EARLY
LIFE MR BRUCE WAS APPRENTICED
TO THE TRADE OF
LOCKSMITH,A PURSUIT WHICH HE
NOW FOLLOWS
NOTWITHSTANDING HE HAS NEARLY REACHED
THE NINETY FIFTH
MILESTONE IN HIS JOURNEY OF
LIFE.IN 1869 HE
LOCATED IN THE NEW TOWN OF
MOBERLY WHERE HE
HAS SINCE RESIDED.
THE FIRST MILL WAS
OWNED BY JESSE JONES AND
WAS LOCATED
ABOUT THREE MILES SW OF RENICK.
THE FIRST CHURCH
EDIFICE IN THE TOWNSHIP
WAS CALLED DOVER
CHURCH,AND WAS OCCUPIED
BY DIFFERENT
DENOMINATIONS.
THE FIRST SCHOOL
WAS TAUGHT BY COL JOHN
M BEAN,A
KENTUCKIAN AT A PLACE CALLED
OAK POINT.
LYNCH TURNER WAS
THE FIRST OFFICIATING
MINISTER OF THE
GOSPEL.
ELLIOTT ABOUT 2
MILES WEST OF RENICK IS
A MINING TOWN
CONTAINING ABOUT 200
INHABITANTS.IT HAS
A POST OFFICE,STORE,ETC.
(THIS TOWN NO
LONGER EXISTS)
SHAFTON ABOUT 2
MILES SOUTH OF RENICK
ON THE CHICAGO
AND ALTON RR IS ALSO A
MINING TOWN AND
HAS A POPULATION OF
ABOUT 200 (THIS
TOWN NO LONGER EXISTS)
CLARKS SWITCH
ABOUT SIX MILES EAST OF
RENICK AT THE
CROSSING OF THE ST LOUIS,
KANSAS CITY,AND
NORTHERN RR AND THE
CHICAGO AND ALTON
RR HAS A POST OFFICE,
BLACKSMITH
SHOP,STORE,AND OTHER ESTABLISHMENTS.
RENICK WAS
LOCATED IN 1856 AFTER THE
NORTH MISSOURI RR
HAD BECOME AN
ESTABLISHED
INSTITUTION.NINE GENERAL STORES,
ONE WAGON
SHOP,ONE LUMBER YARD,ONE HARNESS SHOP,
ONE HOTEL,ONE
LIVERY STABLE TWO SALOONS,AND
TWO BUTCHERS
SHOPS ARE IN RENICK.
CLAY THOMPSON
WHO CAME FROM KENTUCKY ABOUT
THE YEAR 1856
ERECTED THE FIRDT HOUSE IN
THE TOWN,HE ALSO
OPENED THE FIRST BUSINESS
HOUSE AND HOTEL.
WM H MARSHALL
WAS THE FIRST BLACKSMITH
PETER HOEMAN THE
FIRST SHOEMAKER
WM B MCLEAN WAS
THE FIRST PHYSICIAN IN
THAT REGION OF THE
COUNTRY. |