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_SRCT:
_FIELD: TX-AUTHOR
Text: Marion J. "Jim" Laughlin and Julia Laughlin
_FIELD: DT-PUBLICATION_DATE
Date: 1992
_FIELD: TX-TITLE
Text: Descendants of John Laughlin and Tabitha Trimble
_FIELD: TX-PUBLISHER
Text: self-published
_FIELD: TX-REFERENCE
Text: Dillard 1
_FIELD: RP-REPOSITORY
Repository:
_AUTO: 0
[S1395] Laughlin/Trimble Book page Dillard 1
Dillard
excerpts from "History of Cooper County Missouri" by St. Louis National Historical Society, 1883
Cooper County was organized 17 Dec 1818. Among those who settled in Boonville was William Dillard.
The permanent settlement of Howard & Cooper Co. was about 1808 when William Christy and John J. Heath came from St. Louis and manufactured salt in what is now Blackwater Township. In 1811 Hannah and Stephen Cole came with Col. Ben Cooper to Howard Co. Hannah, a widow with 9 children settled 1 1/2 miles east of Boonville. Seventeen people made one permanent settlement (now East Boonville) on the bluff overlooking the river. They came in wagons on the north side of the Missouri River, canoed goods and chattel across, swimming the horses after them. There were no paths, they had to get through the timber wherever there was an opening. Two years later, the winter of 1811 and spring of 1812, other adventurous people came.
Then there was the War of 1812. The first fort in Cooper Co. was built by Stephen Cole in 1812 and called "Cole's Fort" 1 1/2 miles east of Boonville.
The first Territorial Court was in 1817 by William Gibson. Cooper County was organized 17 Dec 1818.
Blackwater Township is a peninsula, almost surrounded by Lamine & Blackwater Rivers. The first settler was James Broak in 1816. David Shelleron iin the spring of 1816 planted an acre of cotton which yielded very well. Clarks Fork first settler came 1813, others who followed were Clayton Hurt, William Drinkwater, William Shipley, and Acrey Hurt. The first assessor was George Crawford.
In Kelly Twp. the teacher at the first school was Joseph Sanderson. In Lamine Twp. William Reid came after 1812, and in Clear Creek Twp. James Tayler was among the first to settle, he and his three sons were from Georgia. They were in the earth quakes of 1817. Charles Berry, Isaac Ellis, Hugh and Alexander Brown were among the oldest citizens. Later came William and Willis Ellis. The greatest of the population were Germans, industrious and thrifty.
Many of the first settlers came from Madison and Estill counties in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. The area was full of Indians and forts were built. Settlers lived in log cabins, clustered around a clearing for protection. They cleared patches of ground to plant crops, fish from the rivers and wild game was plentiful.
Before 1816 the settlers made and executed their own law. Taxes in 1816 were: 1 horse, mare, or ass, 3 years or older taxed 25 cents; cattle 3 years and up taxed 66 cents; a negro 16 years up to 45 years fifty cents; a bulliard table $25; a man 21 years or older if he had less than $200 was taxed fifty cents.
In 1819 large numbers of immigrants came by wagon and carriage from Kentucky, Tennessee, and other states. About 3000 people came in October.
Our Dillard ancestors came to Missouri and settled in Cooper County between 1816 and 1820. We find them in Township 47 Range 19 West, Section 21:
James Dillard and Margaret (Major) with their children: Joseph, Mary Ann, Marjorie, William, Abraham, Nancy, Stephen, Phoebe, Sarah, Anna M.
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