First Settlers, Springfield, Greene County, Missouri >From "History of Greene County, Missouri," St. Louis: Western Historical Company, 1883. ********************************************************************** The first settlers on the town site of Springfield were Wm. Fulbright, John Fulbright, A. J. Burnett, John P. Campbell and Joseph Miller, in February and March, 1830. The first house was a little pole cabin, built by A. J. Burnett, in January or February, 1830. It stood on the hill a little south of the old "natural well," and a little northwest of the present brick public school building, on Jefferson street. In size this cabin was 12 x 15 feet. The first white male child born in the city was Harvey Fulbright, a son of John Fulbright, and the date of his birth was in 1831. The maiden name of his mother was Kirkendall, and she was from West Tennessee. She was a sister to the first wife of Levi Fulbright. Harvey Fulbright now lives in Laclede county, and the place of his birth was on or near the ground (now 1883) occupied as the residence of Capt. G. M. Jones. The first white female child born within the present city limits was Mary Frances Campbell, a daughter of John P. Campbell, the founder of the town. This is the child referred to in the chapter on the early history of the county as "Kickapoo, My Beautiful." She was born in 1831, on the hill south of the old "nat- ural well." She married Dr. S. M. Sproul, and died soon after her marriage, at Greenfield, Dade county, leaving no children. Mrs. John P. Campbell brought with her to Springfield from Tennessee, a child, then an infant in arms, named Talitha Campbell, who afterwards became the mother of the wife of Frank Sheppard, Esq. A little later in the year 1831, Frank Miller, a son of Joseph Miller, was born in a house which also stood near the old well. He is now residing at San Diego, California. It is claimed, for these children, that they were the first whites born in Greene county. The first death was that of a child of Joseph Miller, in 1831. The body was buried under a large oak tree, near the Miller spring. The first marriage in the neighbor- hood was that of Lawson Fulbright and a daughter of David Roper, living four miles east, in 1831. Junius Rountree married Martha Miller, a daughter of Joseph Miller, then living about one and a half southwest of Springfield. These are believed to have been the first marriages within the present limits of Greene county. The first meeting house or house of divine worship was built of oak logs, in 1833, at a spring in the woods north of the creek, and was occupied by the Methodists and Cumberland Presbyterians. Dr. James H. Slavens, of Warren county, who came in 1831 was the first Methodist minister to hold services, not only in the town, but in the county. The first school house was built in 1832. It was of small logs and stood where is now the old Christian church (used at present as a private residence), on the north side of College street, a little west of Main, and near where Gen. Lyon's general headquarters were, and where his dead body lay. But the first school house attended by children who then lived on the present site was built in 1831, and was also of small logs. Of this school house, John H. Miller says it stood a mile and a quarter west of town, and the first teacher was old uncle Joe Rountree; the pupils were Henry Ful- bright and some of his younger brothers, the Rountree boys, John Miller, J. J. Weaver, and his two older sisters, Louisiana, late wife of Col. C. A. Haden, and Jane, mother of Joe Farrier, and a few others. The school house had a good dirt floor, and one log cut out for a window, no door or shutter. Mr. Miller says the old school house on College street had a loose plank floor, a door shutter, a mud and stick chimney and then the builders thought that in the matter of school house archi- tecture they had nearly reached the top round of the ladder of civili- zation, and the Ruskins of that day were greatly delighted with the beautiful effect produced. The first merchant was Junius T. Campbell, a young man only 19 years of age, who in 1831 started in trade in a little log hut near the present site of the public school building. The first blacksmith was James Carter, who came in 1834. The first frame house was built by Benj. Cannefax, in 1836. Previous to that all were constructed of logs. Up to the close of the year 1835 there was not a sawed plank in the county of Greene. The substitute was, as in most new places of the West, split or hewed slabs. In 1837, the first brick were burned here, and soon after a chimney was built of brick and mortar, which attracted vast attention and interest. The whole population, superintended the erection of that structure. The first post office was established in the fall of 1834, and Junius T. Campbell, then just 22 years of age, was the first postmaster. Mail was brought twice a month by horseback from Harrison's store, at the mouth of Little Piney. This is believed to be the most reliable account, although the following from the Springfield Express, of Feb. 17, 1882, is worthy of attention: Springfield has the honor of the first post office that was established in Southwest Missouri, the same being done in the year 1833, at which time the mail was brought on horseback, once in each month, from Harrison's on the Little Piney river. The title of Postmaster was con- ferred upon Mr. Junius T. Campbell, and the office was kept in a hewed log house one story high, the logs of which now constitute the walls of a room on the northwest corner of Jefferson and East Walnut streets, which belong to Dr. L. T. Watson. They are of oak timber and still in a good state of preservation, which speaks volumes for the salubrity of the atmosphere in these favored regions of the Ozark mountains. ==================================================================== 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 ====================================================================