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Monroe
County Appeal
August
13, 1931
Centennial
edition
Part
II
Surnames
in this section of the newspaper: Poage,
Powers Stewart, Damrell, Violette, Ward,
Smith, Adams, Fufts, Hernbuckle, Gholson
Here
is the Best Pioneer Letter
Dr.
George R. Poage comments as follows on the
letter Richard D. Powers wrote from Monroe
county in 1931:
Probably
the most comprehensive account of Monroe
County at the time of its organization is
contained in the following letter of Richard
D. Powers to his father, James Power, of
Greenup County, Kentucky.
The original is in the property of O.
G. Powers.
The persons referred to, besides the
writer, are his wife, Harriet; her brother
Thomas Poage; Poage’s wife, Polly, who was
also Power’s sister; John Stewart and Edmund
Damrell, brothers-in-law of Poage and Mrs.
Powers, the latter being the grandfather of
the late M.A. Violette and one of the first
elected county judges; Simon and George,
apparently slaves and father and son.
Damrell and another brother, Cyrus
Poage, were in St. Louis at the time of
writing, held up by the closing of navigation
on the upper river, joining their relatives in
the spring.
The whole group settled about midway
between Paris and Florida.
As written the letter is entirely
without punctuation, which has been supplied
to facilitate reading.
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It
was as follows:
January the 1st, 1831
Dear
parents,
By
the time your patience has been wearied with
the expectation of a letter from us; but the
time being taken up with other concerns, we
have not before taken an opportunity.
We through mercy are all at this time
enjoying good health. As to our travels and
what happened to us on the road, you have been
informed by Polly’s letter; though it is
enough to say such scenes is seldom witnessed.
The last time the teams ran away, I was
driving for Thomas, whose team ran, upset the
wagon, and threw my right elbow out of joint,
since which time I have been but little better
than a cripple.
It mends very slow, but I am in hopes
it will get tolerably strong again.
Harriet and Polly, I believe, complains
but little now of their hurts.
We
reached (New) London, which is about thirty
miles from where we are now, in thirty-two
days from the time we started; and staid there
ten days, during which time I purchased and
got to the place where we are now—I may say,
home—one the eighteenth of November.
So much for our travels.
I
bought one half quarter section for three
hundred dollars with a good cabin on it, a
loom house, stable, good cribs, and about
eighteen acres cleared and under a good fence.
I also purchased another piece of the
same size adjoining for two hundred and fifty
dollars; and have since entered one hundred
and sixty acres adjoining at one dollar and
twenty-five cents per acre, making it all
three hundred and twenty acres, sixty or
eighty of which is prairie.
All the other is woodland and the
greater part of a good quality, being composed
of oak, black walnut, honeylocust, elm and
cherry, sugartree, blueash, hackberry—and of
each of these a large quantity.
As for the quality of the land, you nor
no other person, I think, would ask land any
richer. The
soil is very black, loose and strong, and
generally of a considerable depth.
There
is yet large portions of land of this
description here yet to enter, besides many
places offered for sale second handed at about
the same rate that I purchased for.
I would particularly speak of one piece
of a hundred and sixty acres belonging to a
Mr. Smith of this neighborhood, which he
offers for four hundred dollars, which in
point of soil nothing can exceed.
The reason why so many are willing to
sell, is that they may get money enough to
enter two or three times as much as they sell.
They frequently have other land in view
of the neighborhood, and as soon as they
pocket the money they are off to Palmyra to
the landoffice.
The
best land is lighter timbered; therefore a
farm is very easy made.
How much the land will produce per
acre, I am not prepared to say, but I am well
assured the different kinds of grain will grow
here abundantly.
As for grass, I do not expect there is
a tame grass meadow in this neighborhood; but
some miles from where I staid all night at the
house of a gentleman who told me that he had
sown about four acres of prairie in timothy,
and at one mowing he believed he mowed from it
twelve tons of good hay.
In
all that I say about the country, I wish to
avoid speaking extravagantly; therefore, I
hope you will do me the justice to believe me
sincere in all, as I am well aware to whom I
am writing.
Then let me candidly tell you this
country, with what I already possess in it,
with its future prospects and advantages, I
believe fully repays me for all the trouble
and expense I have been at in getting to it.
This
country is not very well watered.
There is some good springs, but water
can generally be got by digging fifteen or
twenty feet.
Tis a limestone country.
The chance for milling here is already
better than you have in Greenup.
The mill is about five miles from me by
a very good road.
Another is building and expects to
grind this winter within each well fixt for
business.
As
for health, we have every reason, from the
looks of the people here and from the
situation of the country, from our own
observation besides the information we get
from the oldest settlers here, to believe it
to be as healthy no doubt as Greenup or
perhaps any other country.
I suppose within the compass of five
miles around me there is no doubt forty
families, actual settlers; and on inquiring I
have been informed that amongst them there has
not been more than four or five deaths this
year, which is said by the oldest settlers to
be the sickliest year of the last ten years.
This
is said to be, and I believe is, a fine
country for wheat, which is about four miles,
with a sawmill to worth fifty cents per
bushel. Corn
is worth one dollar per barrel.
Pork sells for two dollars per hundred.
There are cash articles.
Salt is one dollar per bushel.
Horses are worth so little here that I
would advise any person coming to this country
to come by water and buy their horses here for
farming use.
A horse that will sell for sixty
dollars with you, will not here bring more
than thirty in cash.
As
for society, we cannot complain; and there is
Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists, a few
of each, but of the latter I believe
considerably the greatest number.
There is a Presbyterian Church
constituted, I am told, within a few miles of
us, consisting of eight or ten members.
Indeed most of the people here seem to
be sober, moral, and orderly.
We are all pleased with them.
Thomas
lives about one mile and a half from here.
He bought a place improved and has as
much land as I have.
J. Stewart, about two miles off, also
bough an improved place and has two hundred
and forty acres.
Each farm is partly prairie and all
excellent land, though before we got it we had
to experience some of what is called ups and
downs for the want of someone to show us land
and give us the numbers.
Myself and Thomas road at least
one-hundred miles before we got any
satisfaction about it for want of some
acquaintance who would show us.
On the night of the twenty-first
November, on my way home from Palmyra, in one
arm of the Grand Prairie, I got lost and lay
out all night.
I believe it was five miles from my
house, and cold.
Thomas on the night of the twelfth
December lay out also in a prairie.
But
we are here ready to assist you or any of our
old neighbors and friends who may think proper
to put it in our power to do so.
Harriet sends her best respects to both
of you, also to Salley, Mrs. Ward, Mrs. Smith,
Mrs. Adams, Mr. Fufts, Mrs. Hernbuckle, and
without distinction all and every one of her
old neighbors, and desires to be the same to
them again here in Masoura.
Harriet
is quite hearty and is several pounds heavier
than when we started.
My piece of paper is too small, or I
should write to you much more.
We all live in Ralls County, between
the north and middle forks of Salt River, and
about thirty miles from Palmyra, which is ten
miles from Hannibal, the nearest public
landing to us.
When you write to us, direct to the
Mount Prairie post office, Ralls County,
Masoura.
I shall write to Mr. Gholson; please
let him read this letter, and I will request
the same of him for you.
And with due respect must remain,
yours.
R.D. Powers
Tell
Simon that his wife and children are well, and
that George has got him a wife.
If
this should reach you before Edmund starts,
tell him I want him to bring my old dog and
two or three more good ones.
If he should stay until fall, tell him
to write soon, as I shall want him to bring me
several articles, such as farming tools,
etc--.
R.D.P.
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