Tidbits of Lincoln County History
Last updated: update: 4 Dec 1999

From the book A History of Missouri, by Edward Houck, published in 1908 by R.R. Donelly & Sons:

Lincoln County was formed in 1818 from St. Charles County.

Perhaps the first white men to camp in what is now Lincoln County, were members of La Sueur's expedition . They camped on the Cuivre River, which after killing a buffalo bull and cow, they called the "Riviere aux Boeufs."

About the year 1800, there was a small settlement in the "Forks of the Cuivre" where the North fork joins the West fork, in about the center of Lincoln County. The first settlers there were James MACKAY, Richard TAYLOR, and James LEWIS who had a flour mill there in 1799.

Some early residents of what is now Lincoln County, and where they served in the Revolutionary war:

Joseph BROWN of the Virginia Continentals.
William BUTLER of the Virginia State Troops.
James CANNON of the South Carolina Militia.
Thomas GRAVES of the Virginia Militia.
Thomas HAMPTON of the Maryland Militia.
Hezekiah MURPHY of the Maryland Militia.
Robert McNAIR of the Pennsylvania Militia.
Adam ZUMWALT of the Virginia State Troops.
John BASCO of the North Carolina Continentals.
John CHAMBERS of the Virginia Continentals.

In May of 1820, Malcolm HENRY was elected as delegate from Lincoln County to the State Constitutional convention, held in St. Louis in June, 1820. Malcolm HENRY was of Scotch parentage, and born in York County, S.C. He moved to Lincoln County, near Troy in 1817.

From the book Map of Lincoln County Missouri, first published in 1860 by Edmund Ellis, reproduced in Atlas Form by the Lincoln County Genealogical Society, 1993:

Some of the first families in Millwood, then known as "Forks of the Quivre," were the JAMESONs, COTTLEs, HAMMONDs, SITTONs, PARKs, and HUSTONs. In the 1820s, the WOMMACKs, GILMOREs, CLAREs, KINIONs, HALLs, WILLIAMS, STEPHENS, KIMLERs, RICKS, HENRYs, YOUNGs and others arrived. In the 1830s many families came from Virginia, Maryland, and Kentucky, including the MUDDS, PORTERS, SANDS, and DYERS. Later immigrants included the BLACKS, BAUERS, STANEKS, NORTONS, PEASELS, HORAS, HAVLICKS, KUMBERAS, and others.  

The first families in Monroe, the oldest town in Lincoln County, were those of Ira and Almond COTTLE. The COTTLES and Nathaniel SIMONDS donated 50 acres of land for the county seat to be organized there.

Ninevah was founded in 1855 by Joseph S. WELLS. Ninevah later became Olney.

Troy was formally laid out in Sept. of 1819 by Joseph COTTLE, Lee F. T. COTTLE and Zadock WOODS, Son in law of "Deacon" Joseph COTTLE.

Louisville was laid out in 1831 by Hannible MARSHALL, Enoch EMERSON, and Dayton CRIDER. Other early residents were Col. Meredith COX, a Mr. SCROGGINS, and a Mr. BROWN.

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