Every nation does not possess an authentic account of its origin, neither do all communities have the correct data whereby it is possible to accurately predicate the condition of their first beginnings. Nevertheless, to be intensely interested in such things is characteristic of the race, and it is particularly the province of the historian to deal with first causes. Should these facts be lost in the mythical tradition of the past, as is often the case, the chronicler invades the realm of the ideal, and compels his imagination to paint the missing picture. The patriotic Roman was not content until he had found the "first settlers," and then he was satisfied, although they were found in the very undesirable company of a wolf, and located on a drift, which the receding waters of the Tiber had permitted them to pre-empt.

One of the advantages pertaining to a residence in a new country, and one seldom appreciated, is the fact that we can go back to the first beginnings. We are thus enabled to not only trace results to their causes, but also to grasp the facts which have contributed to form and mould these causes. We observe that a state or county has attained a certain position, and we at once try to trace out the reasons for this position in its settlement and surroundings, in the class of men by whom it was peopled, and in the many chances and changes which have wrought out results in all the recorded deeds of mankind. In the history of Bates County, we may trace its early settlers to their homes in the Eastern States and in the countries of the Old World. We may follow the course of the hardy backwoodsman from the "Buckeye" or "Hoosier" State, and from Kentucky and Virginia on his way West, "to grow up with the country," trusting only to his strong arm and willing heart to work out his ambition of a home for himself and wife and a competence for his children. Again, we will see that others have been animated with the impulse to move on, after making themselves a part of the community, and have sought the newer parts of the extreme West, where civilization had not penetrated, or returned to their native soil. We shall find much of that distinctive New England character, which has contributed so many men and women to other portions of the West. We shall also find many an industrious native of Germany or the British Isles, a few of the energetic and economical French and many of the sons of the Emerald Isle -- all of whom have contributed to modify types of men already existing here. To those who have noted the career of the descendants of these brave, strong men in subduing the wilds and overcoming the obstacles and hardships of early times, can but admit that they are worthy sons of illustrious sires.

They who, in the early dawn of western civilization, bearded the lion in his den, so to speak, and with a resolve of heart and mind to surmount whatever came in their way, opened the path through the wilderness, drove out the wild beasts and tamed the savage, are entitled to one of the brightest pages in the record of the past.

In a matter of this kind it is proper to take our start from the beginning, and with that view we commence with a history of Harmony Mission, the earliest settlement that we have any knowledge of in this county, giving a detailed account of the missionary party's organization in the far east and their journey in keelboats to the landing at Harmony Mission, on the Osage, and the ultimate dissolution and separation.

During the early part of the present century the subject of propagating the Christian religion by establishing missions among the heathen engaged the attention of Christians in the United States to a much greater degree than before, and different organizations were formed for that purpose. Different points in Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands were selected, where missions were established. Some, thinking that a good field existed for such work in our own country, formed a society in New York City for the purpose of mission work among the Indians. This organization was soon consolidated with the A.B.C.F.M. of Boston, Massachusetts (American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions).

About the year 1820, a delegate from the Osage Indians being in Washington on business with the government, expressed a desire to have missionaries sent to his people, who were then occupying the southwestern portion of what is now known as Bates County. The A.B.C.F.M. determined to comply with this request, and in 1821 a party was made up for that purpose. Rev. N. B. Dodge was superintendent, Rev. William B. Montgomery, Rev. Mr. Pixley, D. H. Austin, a millwright by trade, Dr. Belcher, a physician, S. B. Bright, a farmer, Mr. Colby, blacksmith, and Amasa Jones. All the above were married men, and took their families with them. Amara Dodge joined in the capacity of teacher, and just before starting married Roxanna Sterns, of Ashburnham, Massachusetts. A Miss Ettress also went in the capacity of teacher, and there were others of the party whom our informant could not recollect.

Pittsburg was selected as the place of rendezvous, and in the spring of 1821 the party collected there with such supplies, tools, etc., as they thought necessary to make a settlement in the wilderness of the far west. They embarked for their long river voyage in two keelboats. These were covered flat-bottomed boats without sails. They floated down with the current, but going up stream were propelled with oars or poles. When in shallow water the boatmen, on each side in position in the bow, would thrust poles in the mud, and planting their shoulders against the end, walk to the stern, then returning, repeat the performance, thus propelling the boat at some speed, but requiring continuous hard labor. While floating down the Ohio, Mrs. Montgomery sickened and died, and was buried upon the river bank. Mrs. Jones taught a school on board, made up of the children of the party. They observed every Sabbath day by laying up and holding religious services. The floating down the current of the Ohio was followed by the slow process of rowing and poling up the Mississippi, Missouri and Osage Rivers. Frequently they would run aground upon sand bars, sometimes being thus detained a week at a time. Their flour and mess pork soured by the way and they suffered much from the want of suitable provisions. But all things must have an end, and at last, on the 9th day of August, they reached Rapid De Kaw, three miles below Papinville, having been six months on the way. They found at the Indian village, at what is now Papinville, some French and half-breed traders, but it is not known when they first located there. These Frenchmen and half-breeds were not permanent settlers. They were doubtless from St. Louis, and were buying furs and peltries from the Indians, and giving them in exchange blankets, gewgaws and such other goods and trinkets as the Indians wanted. Mrs. Sibley, the wife of an army officer, was there also. The party selected a location for their settlement, a spot one mile northwest of the Indian village, and pitching tents, lived in them until November. The effects of the hardships of the journey, the change of climate, exposure and lack of suitable food soon made most of the party sick, there being at times not well ones enough to take care of the sick. Several died. At last a row of hewed log cabins, roofed with clapboards, floored with puncheons and without window glass, were ready for use. These cabins were erected by Colonel Henry Renick, who was a native of Barren County, Kentucky, and who came to Lafayette County, Missouri, in 1819. He and his son, Burton, took the contract for preparing these buildings for occupancy. They resided at that time in Lafayette County. Mrs. Jones, who had been sick several weeks with typhoid fever, was the first one carried to a cabin. The bedstead was made by boring holes in the cabin logs and framing in poles, across which were laid clapboards covered with prairie hay, and that covered with blankets. She had been brought up surrounded with all the necessaries and many of the luxuries of life, yet such had been the privations and sufferings of the journey and of tent life that the cabin seemed to her like a spacious palace. Meetings were held during the winter and preaching to the Indians was done through an interpreter.

As soon as possible schools were established for the Indian children. Of course the Indians did nothing to help carry on the work, but thought the missionaries ought to pay them something for the privilege of having the children to teach. To cleanse these children from dirt and vermin, to clothe, board and teach them the English language, and then to teach the common branches of education and also how to work, was a work of such herculean proportions, that nothing short of the greatest patience and perseverance, and the feeling that they were working for a greater than an earthly reward, could ever have induced people to carry it on. But having consecrated their lives to the cause they pursued it unflinchingly.

The pupils were (a majority of them) Osages, but there were also Delawares, Omahas and Cherokees among them. Lying, stealing and cowardice were characteristic traits of their charges, but most of them were bright, and as capable of learning as white children. Many were converted to Christianity and made profession thereof, and while living at the Mission, lived consistently therewith, and some who died there, died rejoicing in the Christian faith. The design and hope was, that after being educated and christianized they would return to their people and lead them also to adopt their new ideas and new modes of living, and thus bring about a great change; but to the missionaries great regret upon returning to their tribes they all without exception, returned to their old habits and customs, and the labor seemed all lost. As a general rule also they lived but a short time after returning to their old method of life, the change seeming too great for their powers of endurance. The Indians often stole away their half grown children (the pupils) when a boy became worth something to hire out as a government teamster, or a girl could be traded off for a number of ponies to a French half-breed or an Indian chief for a wife. But the missionaries felt that they would continue in the performance of their duty and leave the result with God. As an illustration of the spirit and the faith by which they were sustained, it is related that when one of them was informed by the physician that he had but a few hours to live, he threw up his arms and joyfully exclaimed: "Can it be possible that in twelve hours I shall walk the streets of the New Jerusalem?"

During the first few years their goods and supplies were wagoned from Jefferson City, but after steamboats got to running to Independence, that became their post office and trading point. A missionary and one of the lady teachers were once on the way to Independence, and when near Grand River, the horses strayed and the lady was left alone in the wagon during the night. A pack of wolves gathered and serenaded her, and occasionally when one would try to climb into the wagon she would beat it with a hatchet, thus keeping her actively on the watch the whole night. It is also related that when sleeping in a tent a missionary's foot protruded from under the tent cloth, and a wolf seized it, when the foot was hastily withdrawn, leaving the sock in the wolf's mouth.

The millwright of the party being accustomed to building dams across the mountain streams in New England, tried the same course upon the Marais des Cygnes, but after having two or three dams washed away, recourse was had to a horse-mill.

The mission improved a large farm and raised an orchard, a few trees of which still remain. The A.B.C.F.M. furnished all supplies and paid all expenses, but paid the missionaries nothing else. They never had serious trouble with the Indians but once. Stock having been stolen and a party made up to pursue, a fight was had, in which three Indians and a Mr. Dodge, a son of the superintendent, were killed. Eight hundred militia were at once called down from Jackson County, but did more mischief in one week than the Indians did in twenty years. They also sometimes had serious trouble from prairie fires. The Mission was kept up till 1837, when the Indians having removed westward there was no further occasion for supporting it, and it was accordingly disbanded. Each mission family was allowed by the A.B.C.F.M. what little provisions, bedding, clothing, stock, etc., as was necessary to meet immediate pressing necessity. The rest of the personal property was sold at public auction. The government paid $8,000 for the improvements on the land, and all went to the A.B.C.F.M. The missionaries scattered to different localities. During the years of the Mission their physician left them, and Mr. Jones, compelled by the force of circumstances, supplied his place, thus becoming a doctor, and eventually a very successful one, and was always afterwards known by that title. He was also licensed to preach. He settled near Deep Water Creek, in Henry County, four miles northwest of the present site of Montrose.

Most of the missionaries were Congregationalists and were organized into a church of that order, but after settling in Henry County, Dr. Jones organized a Presbyterian Church, so as to form a connection with a synod of that order. He had only two children. The oldest, Mary Eliza, married James Allen, now living in California; the second, Jane M., married at the age of fifteen, John H. Austin, son of the millwright. He was a teacher of the mission school. They raised eleven children, eight of whom are now living. During the border war, Dr. Jones and Mr. Austin being from the North, were accused of being abolitionists, but standing their ground firmly, there was nothing done but to threaten them. Mr. Austin died in 1861. His widow now lives in Montrose. Dr. Jones survived to a good old age, universally respected and a valuable citizen. Died April 19, 1870.

The next settlements were made in Shawnee Township, by Elisha Evans, Lindsey T. Burke, and a man named Bradley. We here insert, in this connection, a letter from Thomas G. Cockerell, written November 3, 1882, from San Francisco, California, to N. A. Wade, editor of the Bates County Democrat, in reference to the early settlement of the county:

Dear Sir: -- As per request I will give you some of my early recollections of Bates County. I came to Bates in the spring of 1840 and located on the head of one of the Double branches, about seven miles south of Butler. At that time there was no settlement on the north nearer than Grand River; on the south, the nearest was Harmony Mission; on the east, R. Beaty on Deepwater; on the west Indian Territory. The first settlers that I remember that came after I had been there some time, were the Osborns on Double branches, John D. Myers on Panther Creek, Jack Rains, the Strattons, James Ridge, the Elevens, the Wix boys, Dick Elliott, the Deweeses, Levi Butel, Dan Kelley, Joseph Reeder, Nafus, Campbells, the Thomases, Colonel W. B. Hagans, John Hagans, Pat Dempsey, Phil. Stanford, a Mr. Coe at Lone Jack, John Clem; Major Glass, some where near where Butler is located. I have not given you the location of the different names I have mentioned as that would take too much space. There was no land fenced in the county when I got there. We had to send to the Missouri River for seed corn and meal until we could raise corn and then we had to beat the corn in a mortar or grate it for meal. I was then in my seventh year of age. Bates County was not then organized. In February 1841, the county was organized and an election held at Harmony Mission for the election of county officers; my father was elected a county judge, and also served as foreman of the first grand jury held in the county; he taught the first public school and drew the first public money; was elected captain of the first military company organized on Red Dirt; was the first justice of the peace in Pleasant Gap Township. My grandfather was the first postmaster at Pleasant Gap. My father helped survey the town of Papinville. The first store in Papinville was Eddy & Loring. The first hotel was built and run by Frank Eddy. Major Barrows was the first county clerk of Bates. There were many funny incidents connected with the early settling of Bates County. One I must relate, that occurred at Harmony Mission, between Pat Dempsey and Phil. Stanford. They had both been on a protracted spree and finally got into a row; the bystanders would not let them fight; it was finally arranged that they should fight a duel. The seconds were chosen, the weapons to be shot guns. All adjourned to the bank of the river, five paces were measured and each given a gun; the word was given, "fire!" when both blazed away and both fell, each supposing he had killed the other; the blood was seen running down their faces in a stream; but lo! and behold! the seconds had loaded the guns full to the muzzle with poke berries. The result was a big drunk all around.

I have seen hundreds of deer in droves like sheep. Game of all kinds was abundant. Wild turkeys were thick as geese. The Indians of various tribes were numerous. The different tribes that I remember were the Sacs, Foxes, the Delawares, Pattowotomies and Osages. As a general thing they were peaceable at that time.

Bates County Missouri MOGenWeb