Sketch of Francis Skinner, Montgomery County, Missouri

>From "A History of the Pioneer Families of Missouri, with numerous
sketches, anecdotes, adventures, etc., relating to Early Days in 
Missouri" by William S. Bryan and Robert Rose, Published by Bryan,
Brand & Co., St. Louis Missouri, 1876.
**********************************************************************

	Among the few old pioneers of Missouri who are still left to 
bring up memories of the past, is Mr. Francis Skinner, of Jonesburg, 
Montgomery County.  He was born in 1794, and is now more than 82 years 
old, but still vigorous and active.  It has not been very long since he 
was seen, while riding at full gallop, to stoop and pick his hat up 
from the ground, a feat which very few young men of the present day can
accomplish.
	John Skinner, the father of Francis, was born in the Highlands
of Scotland, in 1757.  He remained among the hills and mountains of his
native country until he was twenty years of age, and then, in 1777, he
came to America, which at that time was rent and torn by civil war and
seemed to be in the death struggle of its national existence.
	The young Scotchman settled in Virginia, where he witnessed the
final dawn of peace after the dark and bloody night of war, and lived 
to see the new republic in its grandest and purest era.  He was married
in 1785, in Culpepper County, VA., to a daughter of John and Nancy 
Story, who were among the first English families to come to America 
after the revolution.  Mr. Skinner and his wife had ten children, eight
sons and two daughters, all of whom lived to be grown, and all but one,
the eldest, who died in Virginia, came to Missouri.
	Two of the sons, Francis and Hugh, married sisters, daughters 
of Robert Jasper, and came to Missouri in 1820, their object being to
obtain cheap lands for their rising families.  They came by land and
water to St. Louis, crossing the river at the latter place on a ferry
boat propelled by horse power.  They found the place to be nothing more
than a French village, built principally along one street, called Main
street.  They camped near the old market on Broadway, which at that 
time was a forest of young timber.  About one hundred Indians were cam-
ped near them, and as they had never seen any red men before, they
slept but little that night.  Just north of the old market there was a
steep, rocky bluff, with a cabin built of cedar logs on the summit. The
cabin remained there until about twenty years afterward, when the bluff
was quarried away, and the stone used in building warehouses.
	After leaving St. Louis they proceeded to St. Charles, and they
found the river so covered with driftwood, on account of the June rise,
that they were afraid to attempt to cross it.  They delayed several
days, and then having become more accustomed to the river, and less 
afraid of its angry appearance, they crossed their families and horses
over on a boat made by lashing a platform on the top of two canoes, 
which ran parallel with each other, at the distance of several feet
apart.  Their wagons had to be conveyed across in a large flat-boat,
which was so clumsy and unwieldy that it floated down the river about
four hundred yards while they were pushing it across the stream.
	They all crossed in safety, and resumed their march westward
until they reached Camp Branch in Montgomery County, where they located.
In St. Louis they had met with an old friend, Colonel George Strother,
who was receiver at the land office, and he introduced them to Mr.
Thomas Rector, who had surveyed a great deal of land in the region of
country north of the river, and who gave them much valuable information
in regard to surveys, etc.  They bought their first land under his in-
structions, and did well by so doing.  Government lands were sold then
at $2 per acre, one-fourth of which was paid at the time of purchase,
and the balance in three equal installments, with interest.  Many of 
the early settlers burdened themselves with heavy debts in endeavoring
to buy large tracts of land, and at the session of Congress of 1820-21
a law was passed for their relief, which permitted them to hold in fee
simple the one-fourth for which they had paid and relinquish the rest.
These relinquished lands were placed in the market again at the end of
five years, and rapidly sold.  Mr. Skinner bought all he could, and he
still owns the first eighty acres that he ever purchased.  Since then
he and his children have bought, and still own 2,600 acres, being the
most choice land in the region of country where they live, as it was
purchased when there was no competition.  Mr. Skinner holds in own name
892 acres, divided into three farms, which aggregate 500 acres in cul-
tivation.  He now lives in Jonesburg, a town of five hundred inhabit-
ants, the site of which, for years after he came to Montgomery County,
was an uninhabited waste.
	When he first settled in Montgomery County, the population was
so thin that they frequently had to go ten to fourteen miles to help
their neighbors raise their cabins.  A great many built cabins and
"squatted" on government lands, without making any effort to obtain
titles to them; and they were generally unmolested by land hunters, who
could obtain plenty of the best without disturbing them.
	Wolves and other wild animals abounded in those days, and it 
required the most careful attention to protect sheep, pigs and poultry
from their ravages.  Mr. Skinner still has a trap from which he and his
sons have taken sixty three wolves, and they killed many more with their
rifles.
	On November 15, 1820, snow fell to the depth of about ten in-
ches, rendering it an excellent season for hunting.  Mr. Skinner and
one of his brothers shouldered their rifles and started out on a deer
hunt, but found the deer scarce.  They soon, however, heard some heavy
animal running through the brush, and hastening forward they discovered
fresh tracks of a huge bear.  Knowing it would be useless to pursue him
on foot, and being inexperienced hunters, they repaired to the house of
a neighbor for instructions.  Acting under his advice, they procured
horses and dogs and started in pursuit.  The excitement was so great
that Mr. Skinner's aged father, who was eighty two years old, determin-
ed to go with them.  They obtained the services of a youth as a guide,
and followed rapidly on in the direction the bear had taken, the youth
constantly cautioning them not to make a noise, lest the bear should
get frightened and run away.  But they soon came up with him, and upon
the first sight of his shaggy hide all the dogs but one took to their
heels and scampered away.  The one that was brave enough to remain ran
to the bear and snapped him first on one side and then on the other,
making him jump about and break the brush and young sapplings, which
were loaded down with snow.  Seeing that he could make no progress in
the timber, he started for the prairie, which was only a short distance
away.  Mr. Skinner observed his tactics, and hastily examining the 
flint and priming of his gun, he spurred his horse to the edge of the
prairie, where he dismounted and made ready; and as the bear came crash-
ing out of the brush, still pursued by the faithful dog, he sent a ball
through his heart and killed him in his tracks.  At the sound of the 
gun the other dogs all came running up as bold as lions, and seemed
brave enough to eat poor bruin on the spot.
	The hunters were highly elated with their success, and made the
woods ring with their cheers.  The bear proved to be a fine one, weigh-
ing 400 pounds net, with four inches of fat on his ribs, and they had
bear bacon in abundance for sometime afterward.
	Having trained their dogs, they started on another hunt among
the mountains that border on Loutre Creek, in the southern part of 
Montgomery County.  Soon after reaching the hunting grounds they came
upon a large bear track that measured nearly seven inches broad at the
toe, and observing the course of the trail, they started around through
the woods to head it off.  They had not gone far when, looking up at 
the top of a bluff under which they were riding, they observed a large
bear reared up on his haunches and quietly looking down at them.  Mr.
Skinner, Miles Price and John Ferguson immediately turned their horses
into a ravine that led to the top of the bluff, and started in pursuit
of the bear, making as little noise as possible.  When they reached the
place where they had seen the bear he had fled, but the dogs struck the
trail and started in hot pursuit.  They came up with him about half a
mile distant, and a battle ensued between them.  When the hunters came
up they found one of their best dogs badly wounded, and the others
fighting with great fury.  The bear observing their approach, started
again to run, but they overhauled him as he began to ascend the next
hill.  He had mounted upon a log that lay along the side of the hill,
for the purpose of facilitating his progress, and Mr. Skinner, riding
to the opposite end of the log, discharged his gun at him, and gave him
a desperate wound in the hip, the ball passing nearly through his body.
The dogs now closed in upon him and fought with increased courage, the
bear resisting their attacks as well as he could in his wounded condi-
tion.  One of the dogs got a slap from his jaw and started to run, and
at the same instant one of the hunters discharged his gun and accident-
ally killed the dog.  The bear now made off up the side of the hill,
regardless of the dogs, but fell dead in about four hundred yards.  He
weighed 500 pounds and had four inches of fat on his ribs.
	The hunters had neglected to bring their tomahawks with them,
and consequently had some trouble in getting the meat divided so they
could carry it conveniently.  But they succeeded finally in dividing it
with their knives and a sharp rock.  They obtained half a bushel of fat
and were at a loss how to carry it to their camp, until a happy thought
struck Mr. Skinner.  Removing his buckskin drawers he tied up the bot-
toms of the legs with stout strings, and loaded the fat into them he
had no difficulty in carrying it to camp thrown across his horse. When
they arrived in camp he and his horse and saddle were well greased with
bear's oil.
	About the middle of February, 1828, Mr. Skinner and several of
his neighbors went on another bear hunt among the Loutre hills, and
soon after they had arrived on the hunting grounds they observed a very
large bear on the opposite side of a creek.  Bruin discovered them 
about the same time, and made off as fast as his legs could carry him.
	The hunters had to descend a hill, cross the creek and climb a
high bluff on the opposite side, by which time the bear had obtained a
good start.  But the dogs caught the scent of the trail and sped away
like lightning, with Mr. Skinner, Miles Price, John Ferguson and Sam
Grubbs after them as fast as they could ride.  Now and then they could
see the bear through an opening in the trees or rocks, and away they
would go with wild shouts and renewed energy.  After running about five
miles the bear came to his den, and disappeared in it, followed by one
of the boldest dogs, which was soon crushed to death in the embrace of
his huge antagonist.
	When the hunters came up they built a fire at the mouth of the
cave and kept it burning until they felt confident that the bear was
suffocated by the smoke, when, night being near at hand and the weather
having grown very cold, they started in the direction of a sugar camp,
not far distant, to find comfortable quarters for the night.  They 
found the camp without much difficulty, received a hearty welcome from
the sugar makers, and early the next morning they started in quest of
their game.  As they were descending a steep bluff on the way to the
cave, they arrived suddenly on the verge of a precipice some twelve
feet high, and which was rendered more precipitous by the steep slant
of the bluff below its base.  To retreat was impossible, for their
horses could not climb the hill that lay behind them, and their only
recourse was to go over the precipice and trust to luck.  So seating
themselves firmly in their saddles they spurred their horses forward
and landed safely at the bottom, the earth giving away some distance
around them and breaking the force of their fall.
	Upon arriving at the cave where the bear lay, a discussion 
arose as to which of them should go in, for it was a dangerous venture
and no one was anxious to undertake it.  It finally fell to Mr. Skin-
ner's lot to perform the dangerous duty, and preparing himself with a
torch, and carefully examining his gun, he cautiously made his way into
the depths of the cavern.  He soon reached the bear, which lay dead and
cold, with their dead dog lying under him.  Attaching a rope around the
carcass, Mr. Skinner called to his comrades on the outside, and they 
quickly drew both him and the bear out of the cave.  They divided their
game with the sugar makers who had entertained them so hospitably the
previous night, and then returned home, having had fun enough for one
time.
	Some time after this, Mr. Skinner and another party went on a
deer hunt.  One morning he had fine luck and killed two fat deer, which
he conveyed to camp, and there found his brother awaiting his arrival
to go with him after a large buck that he had wounded.  They started
immediately, and arriving upon the ground soon found traces of blood,
which were pointed out to the dogs, and they started in pursuit.  The
trail was cold, and they followed slowly, but finally came upon the
buck where he was lying down in a thicket.  As soon as he discovered
them he sprang up and started toward them with a vious look in his
eyes.  One of the dogs ran up and caught hold of him, but the buck,
turning a somersault, broke his hold and then pinned him to the earth
with his horns.  In the meantime Mr. Skinner had run up and caught the
buck by the hind-legs, but having his gloves on he could not hold tight
and the deer kicked loose.  He took one jump away, and then, turning
sharply around darted upon the now helpless hunter, with his horns low-
ered and fire flashing from his eyes.  The prongs of his horns passed
on either side of Mr. Skinner's thigh, ripping his buckskin pants and
graining the skin on both sides, but doing no other damage.  Quickly
stooping he caught the infuriated animal by the fore-legs, and held him
tight, while the dogs worried him behind.  He also called to his bro-
ther to draw his knife from its scabbard and stab the deer, but he was
so excited that it took him some time to do so.  He finally succeeded
in getting the knife, and stabbed the buck to the heart.  The fight was
soon over then, and after resting a while they shouldered their game
and returned to camp, with something more than an ordinary hunting ad-
venture to relate to their comrades.
	This closes the account of the hunting experiences of "Uncle
Frank" Skinner, as he is familiarly called.  He had many others, but
those just related were the most important, and we have no room for
more.
	Uncle Frank is a stone and brick mason by trade, and all the
work that he ever did stood firm without cracking or breaking.  He 
built the cellar wall and foundation of the first brick house erected
in Danville, which is now occupied by Mr. Samuel A. Wheeler, and though
it has stood forty years, there is not a crack or flaw in the wall.
	Mr. Skinner's father was a Baptist preacher, but he never gave
much thought to religous matters until his children were all about 
grown.  Then through the illness of one of his sons, whom he loved
dearly, he was led to seek religion, and united with the Christian
Church, since which time he has been a faithful and consistent member.
He and his son, with a little aid from their neighbors, built the brick
church at Jonesburg, which is occupied by the Christian congregation.
	And now, having passed beyond the allotted time of man's dura-
tion upon the earth, and having performed his life's work well, he
quietly and serenely awaits the summons to "come up higher," and enjoy
the rewards that are in store for the faithful servant. 


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