Home to Main Page

Washington, Clay, & Woodlawn Townships

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP.

Washington township is the largest of the northern tier and contains about 74 square miles. Its water advantages are excellent and supply almost every portion of the township. Among the principal streams are the North fork of the Salt river, Brush, Clear and Crooked creeks. About one-third of the township is prairie, and somewhat broken along the streams. For farming purposes it is about an average township.

EARLY SETTLERS

Early settlers here were J. M. Dean, Caleb Wood, J. T. Martin, W. A. Saunders, Albert Saunders, William Henniger, W. T. Adams, Preston Adams, Fountain C. Sparks, James T. Hart, Ignatius Coombs, Clifton G. Maupin, David Henniger, T. P. Sharp, Robert Price, James Cox, Cornelius Edwards, Russell Moss, James Ragland, D. M. Dulaney, Willis Buford, Milton Crutcher, Charles Crutcher, Owen Gerry, Gabriel Penn, A White, John Henniger, Hiram Dooley, Calvin Shearer, Francis Harrison, Angel Gillespie, Gabriel Jones, Edward Shropshire, Barney Worland and Jesse White. Mr. White was in the Indian War, and while fighting was separated from his companions and cut off from a bridge. He ran up the banks of the stream 12 miles before he could cross, and then returned the same distance to where his comrades were. The Indians chased him, and when they would get near enough to him he would present his gun and they would hide behind trees, he doing the same thing when they would attempt to shoot at him. Mr. White ever afterwards seemed to be upon the alert, and would constantly look about him, especially when traveling. His neighbors say that so vigilant was he that no man could slip up on him in the woods.

CLINTON.

It was laid The above town is known as Sumerset post-office. out by George Glenn, Samuel Bryant and S. S. Williams in 1836. These gentlemen built the first store and first mill that were opened and operated in the town. Jacob Kirkland was the pioneer blacksmith. Greenlee Hays and Major William Howell were once merchants in the town. After the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad was built through that section of the country and the towns of Shelbina and Hunnewell sprang into existence, the business of Clinton was withdrawn from that place and given to the newer and more enterprising railroad towns mentioned above. About all there is left of the ancient and once ambitious little village of Clinton are a blacksmith shop and two potteries. George Leach is the proprietor of one of these potteries, and James Turner is the proprietor of the other. at one time a flourishing Catholic church located at Clinton, but this, like the town, is now a thing of the past.

JONESBURG.

Jonesburg, the rival town of Clinton, was divided from the latter merely by an alley. It was laid out by Col. Gabriel Jones in 1836. Greenlee Hays opened the first store. James Coombs, Benedict Gough, Blakey and Lasley were early merchants. The town went down when Clinton did. North Fork post-office is located one mile north-west of Clinton, at the residence of Samuel McDowell, who is postmaster. The first church in the township was located at Clinton and was built by the M. E. Church South.

Among the constituent members of this church were William Fowler, wife and two sons; John Strayer and wife; Adam Hickart and wife; William Henniger and wife and Henry Ashcraft and wife. The Christian Church bought Greenlee Hay's house at an early day and made a church of it. Among the first members of this church were James M. Dean and wife; John and Drury Ragsdale and Robert Nesbit. These churches were discontinued years ago. The Methodists, however, built another church one mile east of Clinton which is still in existence. John Couch was one of the first school teachers in the township and taught at Deer Creek school-house. Among the large farmers in Washington township are C. A. Hamilton, George Gough, Jacob Crow, Thomas Hart, Fountain Sparks, W. T. Adams, James Hawkins and Joihn Hager.

CLAY TOWNSHIP.

Clay township embraces an area of nearly 50 square miles, and is one of the north-western tier of townships bordering upon Shelby county. About two-thirds of the township is prairie. It is a fair, average township for farming purposes, the northern and southern portions being the best. It is watered by Crooked and Otter creeks, and also by the Middle fork of Salt river, which passes through sections 26, 27 and 28 in the southern part of the township. It contains seven school-houses, located as follows: One in section 31, one in section 15, one in section 26, one in section 18, one in section 6, one in section 2, and one in section 14; and two churches-one in section 31, and one in section 12, the former a Baptist and the latter a Methodist church. Among the important farmers of this township are M. D. Blakey, W. A. Sparks, W. T. Fields, William Powell, M. D. Maddox and Henry S. Sparks.

OLD SETTLERS.

Charles S. Clay (after whom the township takes its name), Robinson Hanger, Isaac and Samuel Stalcups, G. M. Buckner, Samuel Henniger, William Stalcups, Jacob Sidner, Taylor Barton, John C. Kipper, Anderson McBroom, James P. Shropshire, Larkin Packwood, Morgan Sherman, Ben C. Johnson, Lucy Wilcox, Elijah Sparks, Daniel Barton, Robert Gains, De Witt C. Caldwell, Francis Herron, Hezekiah King, Robert T. Garrison, Henry Gibson, Isaac E. Webdell, Richard Hubbard, William Arnold, Sr., Sarah Shotwell, Caleb Stone, John Cash, Thomas Cash, Jr., William Biggs, Emily Arnold and Simeon Sparks were early settlers here.

GRANVILLE.

The first house in Granville was built by John T. Parker, who also opened the first store. Samuel A. Rawlings was also an early merchant. The town now contains three general stores, two blacksmith shops, a Christian and a. Methodist church.

WOODLAWN TOWNSHIP

Constitutes an area of country a little larger than Monroe township, and is situated in the north-western portion of the country. The Middle fork of Salt river forms its southern boundary; Otter creek with its tributaries penetrates the northern part of the township. About one-fourth of the township is timber. The soil is good.

OLD SETTLERS.

Thomas J. Wise, William Smiley, Johnson and Perry Whiles, Thomas Jennings, Nicholas Rea, Allen Phillips, William P. D. Claybrook, Thomas Stephens, Gabriel G. Rice, Asbury Broadwell, Elizabeth Coolidge, Benjamin Byers, Peter J. Sowers, Elisha Hyatt, John A. Martin, Joshua Ginnings, Travis Million, Milton Robinson, Thomas J. Palmer, William S. Brown, Lucy A. Dye, Esom Faris, John A. Johnson, Elijah Atteberry, Eglantine Hill, Isaac Atteberry, and James King were early settlers in this township.

WOODLAWN

In the north-western portion of Monroe county, 18 miles from Paris, in Woodlawn township, is situated the village of Woodlawn. This village is surrounded by as good a farming country as can be found in any other portion of the county, and taking population into consideration, has more energetic farmers than any other township in the county. Several farmers in the immediate vicinity of Woodlawn are extensive stock dealers, and should this township ever have railroad facilities, it would, in a short time, be the banner township of the county. The village of Woodlawn has two stores, one dry goods and grocery, the other drug and grocery.

DUNCAN'S BRIDGE.

Duncan's Bridge, or " Leesburg " as it is familiarly called, is situated in the western portion of Monroe county, in Woodlawn township, 20 miles from Paris, 10 miles from Madison. The village is surrounded by a prosperous farming community, and the village itself can boast of superior business qualifications and enterprise as will be shown by the growth and prosperity of the place. Eight years ago there was only one business house and one saw-mill; to-day there are three dry goods and grocery stores, one drug store, two saw and grist mills, one furniture store, two blacksmith shops, one wagon shop, one carding machine run by steam. All are in prosperous condition, and at no distant day Duncan's Bridge, though a thriving village now, will reach an epoch when it will be known as one of the important towns of Monroe county.