First Settlers, Dallas County, Missouri >From "History of Laclede, Camden, Dallas, Webster, Wright, Texas, Pulaski, Phelps and Dent Counties, Missouri" The Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1889. ********************************************************************** From the best information obtainable it is evident that Mark Reynolds, father of R. D. Reynolds, deceased, and grandfather of M. L. Reynolds, proprietor of the Buffalo Nurseries, was the first settler of the territory now embraced in Dallas county. In the year 1831 Mr. Reynolds moved with his family from a place near Nashville, Tenn., and settled on a claim on the Pome-de-Terre River, some two miles north of the pre- sent village of Pleasant Hope, in what is now Polk County, Mo. He lived there one year, then moved onto Buffalo Head Prairie, and settled and improved a claim northwest of the Blue Mounds, near A. Shephard's pre- sent farm. After living here one year he sold his claim to Bracket Davidson, grandfather of Judge J. H. Davidson, and moved upon, settled and improved the farm, three miles west of Buffalo, which afterward became the homestead of the late R. D. Reynolds, and which is now known as the Buffalo Nurseries, owned by M. L. Reynolds. This latter settle- ment, made in 1833, was the first one in what is now Dallas county. In an extended section of country, embracing what is now Dallas and Polk counties, only four settlers preceded Mark Reynolds, and they all settled in the territory of Polk County, as follows: Bazel Rose, on a place south of Halfway, at or near where Mr. Redd now lives; William Owens, on the south side of the prairie, on the Reeves Cowden farm; Robert Barclay, on the place where Robert Summers now lives, and Richard Brown, on the Judge Plummer place, on Hominy Creek. The first settlers immediately succeeding Mr. Reynolds cannot now be named in the order of their arrivals, but among them were the Evans, Randleman and Williams families, from Kentucky. In October, 1837, Richard Wilkinson, Sr., and his family, consisting of five sons and five daughters, toget- her with the Wives of his sons John and Ezekiel, and his son-in-law, David Wright, came in wagons from Hocking county, Ohio. The father settled about three miles west, the sons, John and Ezekiel, seven miles southwest, and the son-in-law, David Wright, four miles west-southwest of the present site of Buffalo. Following is a list of the names and locations of nearly all of the settlers of the territory of Dallas county upon or soon after the arrival of the Wilkinson family, in 1837: William E. Williams lived on the William L. Morrow place, one and a half miles north of Buffalo. Martin Randleman lived where Richard Wilkinson, Jr., now lives, in the suburbs of Buffalo, and had previous- ly built a portion of the house in which Mr. Wilkinson now resides. Michael Randleman lived where A. A. Ramsey now lives, one-half mile north of Buffalo, and Jacob Randleman one mile south, on the Bennett place. The Randlemans were brothers. John F. Norton lived where Israel Olinger now lives, and Joseph Wilcox where William Barnes resides, the former two and the latter one and a half miles northwest from Buffalo. William Montgomery and family lived where his son John now resides, on the Little Niangua, near the north line of the county. Hardin Paine lived about fourteen miles north and Frank Wisdom seven miles north of the site of Buffalo. Elijah Yeager, a pioneer Methodist minister, who preached extensively to the early settlers, lived on Fifteen Mile Prairie. John Brashear lived on Linley Creek; James Jump six to eight miles northwest of the site of Buffalo, and Mr. Carter on the northwest corner of Buffalo Head Prairie. Mark Reynolds lived on the place where he settled, before mentioned. Peter Self and Eaton Tatum, sons-in-law of Reynolds, both lived in the same neighborhood, the latter on the place bought of him, and settled by Richard Wilkinson Sr. Bracket Davidson lived seven miles south of Buffalo, and Dr. Pritchard in the same neighborhood. Grant McDowell lived on what is now known as the Widow Johnson place, five or six miles southwest of Buffalo. Charles Davis and brothers lived about fifteen and George W. Atterberry twelve miles south of the site of Buffalo. The Jamison family, Moses Bennett, Nathaniel Wollard (or Woolard), William and Samuel Latimer and Thomas and William Marlin all lived on the upper Big Niangua. Thomas and Jacob Riddles also lived on the Big Niangua, near the Riddle Mill, about eight miles southeast of Buffalo. Jesse Engle and Cornelius Snead lived on the same stream, about five miles southeast of Buffalo. William Gore and Elias Williams lived on Greasy Creek, southeast of the site of Buffalo. A brother of the latter kept a small store where the Williamses settled, about one and a half miles from Buffalo. Jason Lemmons lived nearly a miles and John Evans two miles south of Buffalo. A Mr. Sweeney lived on the lower Big Niangua about five miles from the site of Buffalo, and Abram Stow still lower down the river. Peter Bennett also lived on the lower Big Niangua, near the famous Bennett's Spring. All of the foregoing, as well as others whose names and locations cannot now be conveniently obtained, settled between the time that Reynolds made the first settlement within the present county limits and the arrival of the Wilkinson family, in the fall of 1837, or perhaps a little later. Nearly all of these settlers, aside from the Wilkinson family and connections, came from the states of Tennessee and Kentucky. In 1838 enough families to form a respectable colony followed the Wilkinsons from Ohio, and then immi- grants began to arrive from several other Eastern and Southeastern states. Among those coming from Ohio were the Haines, Cox, Gregg and Vanderford families. Asa Vanderford, and his father, Eli, in the fall of 1838, settled on the place where he has ever since resided, two miles southwest of Buffalo. In the fall of the same year, or spring of the following, William Stanley and his family, including his sons, James B., Robert R., and Albert S., and his brother, Archibald Stanley, and his family, came in wagons from Indiana, and settled near Buffalo, which then contained only two little log cabins, one on the east and the other on the west side of what is now the public square. Also in 1838 George Davidson came from Maury county, Tenn., and settled in that part of the county now known as Benton Township, and afterward moved to Jackson township. He was a physician, and practiced his pro- fession until his death in 1887. In 1839 A. C. Austin and family came from North Carolina, and settled in what is now Jackson Township, in Dallas county. In the year 1840 James Jones came from Sangamon county, Ill., and settled on the farm now owned by John T. Jones. The same year Thomas H. Fullerton and family moved from Polk county, Mo., to the territory now embraced in Dallas county, and remained until his death, which occurred in 1862. He was formerly from Tennessee. Also that year John Haymes came from Virginia, and settled in that part of the county now known as Washington township, and afterward moved to Laclede county. The following year James W. George and family came from Tenn., and settled in the same part of the county. In 1842 Robert Cowden and family came from Georgia, and settled on the farm where his son, William A. Cowden, now lives. In 1846 Daniel Beckner and family came from Virginia, and settled near the present village of Long Lane. In 1844 William Lovan and family moved from Tenn., to Greene county, Mo., and in September, 1847, he removed with his family to Buffalo, in Dallas county. He was the father of the Lovan brothers, saddle and harness merchants, now of Buffalo. Many other settlers came in during the forties and fifties, and at this writing they still continue to come. Dr. John McCall, a native of South Carolina, settled on Four Mile Prairie in 1851. He has practiced medicine over sixty years, and is the oldest physician in Dallas county. ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. 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