Early History, Walnut Grove Township, Greene County, Missouri >From "History of Greene County, Missouri," St. Louis: Western Historical Company, 1883. ********************************************************************** It is difficult at this late day to determine who was the very first bona fide settler of Walnut Grove Township. Allen Williams came in 1832 and located in section 21, but some time afterward removed to Texas. The same year came Michael Walsh and located on section 22. Walsh was an Irishman. It is stated that one William Mallory built the first cabin which stood on the farm of A. J. McElmore. On the head of Turkey creek and some of the tributaries of the Sae River, the first settlers were Hugh Leeper, from East Tennessee, who came in Oct- ober, 1834, and started a settlement on sections 21 and 28. The land was pre-empted at first, and in December, 1838 Mr. Leeper entered 520 acres, the south half of section 21 and the north half of section 28. Capt. John "Jack" Williamson came from Middle Tennessee, in 1836; then there were Wm. G. Sumners, from Middle Tennessee; Matthew Sims, from North Carolina, and Miles Carey, from Kentucky. In this settlement the first marriages remembered by Capt. Williamson were those of Wm. Acuff to Elizabeth Kelley and Stephen Blakey to Sarah Kelly, both of which occurred in 1842, but probably there was a marriage antedating these. The first white child born was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Miles Carey, and the date of its birth is believed to have been in 1837. The first death was that of Boone Chastine, of Kentucky, who died in 1838, and was buried at the present site of a saw mill. Dr. Constantine Perkins was the first physician; Rev. Hiram Savage, a Baptist minister, held the first religious services at the residence of Wm. G. Sumners; the first school was taught on the land of Mr. Sumners, and the first school house was of logs and built by the contributed labor of the settlers, the job being bossed by Allen Williams. Hugh Leeper was born in Hawkins County, East Tennessee, Sept. 14, 1783 and died on the old homestead March 3, 1851. His wife, Elizabeth Leeper, was born in Knox county, East Tennessee, Nov. 11, 1787 and died January 3, 1829. In another portion of the township, on and near Clear Creek, in the corner of section 1, in what is now Boone Township, the first settler was Wm. Killingsworth, who came from East Tennessee in 1839. His descendants now live further north. Mr. Killingsworth died in October, 1866. In Mr. Killingsworth's neighborhood the first marriage remembered was that of James Killingsworth and Susannah Kelly, December 24, 1846. Rev. John Gilmore performed the ceremony. A daughter of James and Susannah Killingsworth, named Eliza, was born August 29, 1848, and it is claimed that she was the first female child born in the community. Dr. A. S. Clinton was a pioneer physician, and Rev. Wm. Tatum a Bap[tist, held religious services at an early day at Mt. Pleasant church, on Cedar Creek. The nearest school house in early days was the Kelly school house, on section 15, near Walnut Grove. During the first few years of Mr. Killingsworth's settlement, game of all sorts was abundant, and it was but little trouble to go out and kill a deer or a number of turkeys at almost any time. Wolves, too were disagreeably plentiful, and ex- asperatingly bold. The latter animals were often hunted on horseback, and this was considered rare sport, and no doubt it was. Other early settlers of Walnut Grove Township are named, as Gibson A. Williams, who came from Tennessee in 1831; John and Andrew Bartleson, who arrived in 1832; Joseph Welch and his sons, John, Michael, and Charles, all Tenn- esseeans, who settled here in 1832 or 1833; Isaac Looney, who came from Tennessee and located in section 13 about the same time. The first preachers in Walnut Grove township were Bryant Nowlin and James Mitch- ell, Methodists, and Elijah Williams, a Baptist. Religious services were conducted at the house of Hugh Leeper, as early as the winter of 1834-5. The first school was taught by B. F. Walker in the summer and fall of 1836 or 1837, in a little log cabin that stood about one-fourth of a miles west of where Walnut Grove now stands. It was a long road to market and a hard one to travel in early days. The Leepers were accustomed to haul their wheat to Boonville, away up on the Missouri River, and with the proceeds of its sale purchase the family supplies. Mr. James Leeper, still living, has a vivid recollection of making such journeys. ==================================================================== 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. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Joe Miller Penny Harrell ====================================================================