Greene County, Missouri Genealogical Records Information

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Greene County History and Information

Greene County Facts

Greene County was organized January 2, 1833, from Crawford and Wayne counties and named for Nathaniel Greene, Revolutionary War general. The County Seat is Springfield. Courthouse burned in 1861. See also County History or Courthouse History for more historical details.

Greene County has records of genealogical interest available: Recorder of Deeds: Index to deeds, 1833-1886; Deed records, 1833-1947; Marriage records, 1833-1916. Clerk of the County Court: Register of births and stillbirths, 1883-1901; Permanent record of births, 1884-1889; Permanent record of deaths, 1883-1895; Register of deaths, 1883-1902. Clerk of the Circuit Court: Circuit court records, 1833-1885. Clerk of the Probate Court: Probate records, 1830-1 885; Administrator’s/executor’s letters, bonds and records, 1882-1895; Inventories, appraisements and sale bills, 1865-1873; Settlement records, 1847-1881; Guardian’s/curator’s records, 1834-1881; Will records, 1840-1916. The Health Department has Birth & Death Records from 1910-Present. See Court Records for more details on whats available from the courthouse.

Counties adjacent to Greene County are Polk County (north), Dallas County (northeast), Webster County (east), Christian County (south), Lawrence County (southwest), Dade County (northwest). Cities and Towns include Ash Grove, Battlefield, Bois D'Arc, Brookline, Ebenzer, Fair Grove, Logan, Nogo, Oak Grove Heights, Plano, Republic, Rogersville, Springfield, Strafford, Turners, Walnut Grove, Willard.

Since its organization in 1833, the number and boundaries of the various Greene County Townships have changed as the size of Greene County was reduced to form other counties. The present Greene County Townships are: Boone, Brookline, Campbell, Cass, Center, Clay, Franklin, Jackson, Murray, Pond Creek, Taylor, Walnut Grove, Washington, Wilson

Greene County, Missouri History Books at Amazon.com
Family History Library - The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.

There are free downloadable and printable forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms, U.K. Census Extraction Forms, Research Calendar, Ancestral Chart, Research Extract, Correspondence Record , Family Group Sheet , Source Summary Form.

Greene County Court Records

See Also Missouri Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.
A fire that destroyed the Courthouse on October 28, 1861

All Departments below are in the Greene County Courthouse located at 940 Boonville Ave., Springfield, MO 65802; Telephone: (417) 868-4000 , unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://www.greenecountymo.org/web/ . See also Courthouse History. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Greene County Clerk of the Court has Birth & Death Records from 1883-1903. County Clerk has state census for 1844 and 1876
In this office in each county is located an index to common pleas, records of all extant proceedings, chancery minute books, records of births and deaths, county court records, right-of-way and road records, as well as surveyor's records (including field notes and plats made by the county surveyor). This office usually holds the county treasurer's notes, bonds and commissions, records of marks and brands, wolf scalps, stray notices, real estate assessments, and tax books. In some counties, early terms for this court included “Chancery” or the “Court of Common Pleas.”

Greene Register of Deeds / Recorder has Marriage Records from 1833 and Land Records from 1833.
The Office of Recorder of Deeds records and files instruments of writing affecting real property or personal property, subdivision plats, federal and state tax liens, and other instruments of writing. Also, the Recorder’s Office issues marriage licenses, and in accordance with the Uniform Commercial Code files termination statements. All recorded instruments are available for public research.

Greene County Probate Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1830 .
In the smaller counties, probate matters are handled in the same office as the associate circuit court office. (In larger counties, there will be a separate probate court clerk's office and separate probate judges/commissioners).

Greene County Circuit Court Clerk has Court Records from 1833.
This office holds the direct index to records such as divorces, debt, dissolution of partnerships, adoptions, judgment, and tax fee books including direct and indirect indexes. They also retain the index to criminal records and criminal files of the circuit court. Adoptions are under the jurisdiction of the circuit court. Naturalization records, including petitions, declarations of intention, certificates, and certificates of allegiance, and granting of citizenship are also located in the clerk's office, as well as an index to civil case files. Some naturalization records have been found with the deeds.

There are a few online databases for Court, Land and Probate Records which include:Missouri Marriages, 1766-1983, Missouri Marriages to 1850, Missouri Marriages, 1851-1900. You may also search the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or Land Patents: 1831 - 1969. Many pioneers and settelers bought land from the government instead of individuals.

Click Here to Search Missouri Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records! - Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

Below is a list of online resources for Greene County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Greene County Court Records by clicking the link below:

Greene County, Missouri Court Books at Amazon.com
Missouri Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.

Greene County Vital Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

The Missouri Historical Society has some original tax records; others can be found in the Western Historical Manuscript Collection at the University of Missouri, but most extant records remain in the office of the clerk of the county court. The Missouri State Archives has microfilmed some tax records for the counties of Boone, Callaway, Cape Girardeau, Chariton, Clay, Cooper, Franklin, Howard, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, St. Charles, St. Francois, and Ste. Genevieve.

Prior to 1850, purchasers of the federal lands in Missouri were exempt from land taxes for five years after purchase. If one finds an ancestor on a Missouri tax list with livestock, etc., but no land being taxed, the individual may have purchased his land from the government within the preceding five years.
Some early delinquent tax lists were sent to the state auditor's office and are now located in the Capitol Fire Documents held by the Missouri State Archives

Below is a list of online resources for Greene County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Greene County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

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Greene County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Missouri Genealogical Addresses

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Greene County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Greene County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

Greene County Historical Society, P.O. Box 3466, Springfield, MO 65808; Phone: (417) 881-6147, [EMAIL
Fair Grove Historical and Preservation Society, P.O. Box 93, Fair Grove, MO 65648; Phone: (417) 833-3467
History Museum for Springfield-Greene County , 830 Boonville Avenue, Springfield, MO 65802; Phone: (417) 864-1976
Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center Assemblies of God Archives, 1445 Boonville Avenue, Springfield, MO 65802; Phone: (417) 862-1447, ext. 4400, E-mail: archives@ag.org
Ozarks Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 3945, 534 West Catalpa, Springfield, MO 65808; Phone: (417) 831-2773 [EMAIL]
German-Austrian-Swiss Historical-Heritage Society of the Ozarks
2214 East Cherryvale, Springfield, MO 65804-4524; Phone: (417) 883-8396
General Sweeny’s Civil War Museum, 5228 South State Highway ZZ, Republic, MO 65738; Phone: (417) 732-1224
White River Valley Historical Society, P.O. Box 555, Point Lookout, MO 65726
Local Missouri Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
Missouri State Archives, Missouri State Information Center, [EMAIL]
P.O. Box 1747, 600 West Main Str, Jefferson City, MO 65102; Phone:(573) 751-3280, Fax: (573) 526-7333
State Historical Society of Missouri, 1020 Lowry Str., Columbia, MO 65201-7298; (573) 882-7083, [EMAIL]
Missouri State Genealogical Association, P.O. Box 833, Columbia, MO 65205-0833
Missouri Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
See the Society page for more statewide Societies and archives
Missouri Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com

Greene County Church & Cemeteries

Click Here to Search Missouri Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

There are many churches and cemeteries in Greene County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Greene County Tombstone Transcription Project.

The Missouri State Archives has published A Brief Guide to Church Records on Microfilm which is a county by county listing, but it is currently out of print. The available church records can be located by using the Archives' Manuscript Register. Church microfilm rolls are not available for purchase, without written consent of the individual church, and must otherwise be used at the Missouri State Archives. The Western Historical Manuscript Collection on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus holds some church records. These can be located by using their descriptive catalogue or microfiche guide. Most church records in Missouri are scattered and remain in private hands

There is no central registry for cemeteries located in Missouri. The following national cemeteries are located in Missouri:

Springfield National Cemetery, 1702 E. Seminole Street, Springfield, Missouri 65804. All known soldiers buried there, including those transferred from towns throughout southwest Missouri were published in Ozar'kin
Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, 101 Memorial Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63125. There is a card file reference to persons interred there. Inquiries may be made by phone or mail.
Jefferson City National Cemetery, 1024 E. McCarty Street, Jefferson City, Missouri 65101. The researcher may phone or write the Jefferson Barracks for information.

Below is a list of online resources for Greene County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Greene County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

Missouri Bible Records, Volume 1: The database is the first volume in a series of Bible records that includes such information as births, marriages, probate information, and deaths of individuals who settled in Missouri.
Greene County, Missouri Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
Greene County, Missouri Church Books at Amazon.com

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Click Here to Search Missouri Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Greene County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Greene County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Sites on USGenweb: [ Greene County ] [ Missouri ] [ Main Page ]
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Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
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Missouri Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
Greene County, Missouri Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

Even before Missouri became a state on August 10, 1821, settlers were arriving in southwest Missouri. Claims by the Delaware, Kickapoo, and Osage Indians, however, prevented any type of permanent settlement. It was not until after 1830, the date of the Indian removal, that the future Greene County was opened for settlement.

The county itself, named for Revolutionary War hero, Nathanael Greene, was officially established on January 2, 1833. Its boundaries encompassed most of southwest Missouri, having previously been a part of Wayne County. Its present boundaries were finalized in 1858. As the county prospered and increased in population, small villages arose, particularly along the Frisco Railroad, with names such names as Bois D'Arc, Brookline, Ash Grove, Fair Grove, Republic, Strafford, Walnut Grove, Willard, and Battlefield.

The largest community in Greene County is Springfield, founded by John Polk Campbell, a settler from Maury County, Tennessee. He arrived with his brother, Madison, in 1829, and upon finding a "natural well,” its water flowing into a small stream at the foot of a wooded hill, carved his initials on an ash tree to establish his claim. (The site of the spring is on present-day Water Street, between North Jefferson and North Robberson.) Campbell returned to Tennessee for his family and returned to the Ozarks in March 1830. Other settlers arrived almost daily and it was not long before a rather sizable log cabin settlement developed along with stores, mills, a school, post office, land office and other necessary businesses to service a growing community.

The date for the "birth" of Springfield has not been firmly established. It was incorporated in 1838, but the town site was plated in 1835 when Campbell deeded 50 acres of land for the county seat. There was a post office as early as 1834 for "Springfield" and the first permanent courthouse, a two story brick structure, was constructed in the middle of the public square in 1837. In any event, Springfield grew and prospered and since at least as early as 1878 has been known as the Queen City of the Ozarks.

Additional information on the townships can be found by following the links above. Below are township histories compiled from Illustrated Historical Atlas of Greene County, Missouri. Originally published in 1876 by Brink, McDonough & Company, this volume was reprinted in 1988 by the Ozarks Genealogical Society. (Note that some information on individual towns was not transcribed for this website.)

Jackson Township

Jackson township occupies the northeastern part of Greene County, and comprises the portion of congressional township thirty-one, range twenty, included in Greene County; township thirty, range twenty, and one-half of the upper tier of sections of township twenty-nine, rang twenty. Andrew Bass came to the county at the close of the year 1829, and settled half a mile west of Strafford . In the same neighborhood (section three) Jeremiah Pierson was an early resident and one of the first settlers of the county. He lived at the Danforth farm, on the Springfield and Marshfield road, a farm which Josiah F. Danforth purchased of Jeremiah Pierson in 1834, and where he lived for many years. Danforth was from Tennessee, and was the father of James, Joseph and William Danforth.

In the year 1830, Andrew Bass put about nine acres of land under cultivation at the place where he first settled, and at the close of the year moved about six miles north to section four, township thirty, range twenty, to the farm now owned and occupied by his son, Sampson Bass. The remains of the old pioneer and his wife now repose on the farm where he lived for many years. Alpheus Huff the same year, 1830, moved from Franklin County Missouri, and settled near the line between sections four and five of the same township. Huff was a native of the State of New York. He and Bass were the first settlers of Congressional township thirty, range twenty. Alexander Chadwick was the next arrival. He came from Tennessee, and settled in section seven of the same township in 1831. No settlements of any account were then made for two or three years. In township thirty-one, range twenty, among the first settlers were Thomas Potter, William Potter, John Adams, Robert Small, James Donnell, and Capt. John Ramey ; and in township thirty, range twenty, William Price, George Kepley , Nathan Webb, and Bennett Thrower.

The first church organized in Jackson township was the Bethsadia Methodist Church, built of logs, which stood on section seven, of township thirty, range twenty. Within a mile and a half was afterward built the Elm Spring Methodist Church, erected after old Bethsadia had ceased to exist. One of the first preachers in the township was the Rev. Mr. Joplin, a traveling Methodist preacher, who preached from house to house throughout that part of the county. The first Methodist Society was organized at the Widow Price's, in section four of township thirty, range twenty. The first white child born in the township was probably James Boss, the son of Andrew Boss. Among the old residents of the township now are the Bosses, the Huffs, John Harkness , who came to the township in 1843, and R. B. Wommack , who came from Tennessee to Missouri in 1839, settled at Land Springs, in Webster county, and moved on the Pomme de Terre, in Jackson county in 1852. There are several families of the Wommacks in the township, all old residents. Esquire Murrell has been an old resident, and a leading and influential citizen.

The Pomme de Terre creeks flow through the township. In July 1876, this stream was extraordinarily full on account of freshets from heavy rains, and did widespread damage to the farms along its banks, overflowing fields, and sweeping away fences and crops. The height to which it rose was between three and four feet higher than it was ever known to have reached before.

Franklin Township

Franklin township had as one of its first settlers, James K. Alsup, who came from Tennessee in 1831 and settled on the Little Sac. An old gentleman by the name of Daniel Johnson came the same year, and settled in section seven, where J.R. James now lives. Samuel Scroggins came also in 1831, and made an improvement on the Little Sac, where Jonathan Hunt now lives. In the fall of 1832, John Headlee arrived from Maury county, Tennessee, and put up his first cabin on section ten, near the line between that and section nine. At the same time with Headlee came Benjamin Johnson and James Dryden, and settler on section nine. The widow Simms, the mother-in-law of Mr. Headlee , also came at the same time with him, and made her home in the township. Larkin DeWitt came the same year (1832) and settled on the opposite side of the creek from where Thomas J. Whittock now lives. Robert Ross lived farther east of the creek.

Thomas J. Whittock emigrated from Tennessee in 1832, and reached the Kickapoo prairie on the fifteenth of December of that year. He soon afterward settled on the south side of the Sac in the near vicinity of his present residence. He was born in Surrey county North Carolina, but came to Missouri from Tennessee. Thomas James, the father of J. R. James, was an early settler of the township. He was born in North Carolina, afterward removed to Tennessee, and came to Greene county in 1835, and settled where his son now lives. Caleb Headlee , the father of the Hon. Samuel W. Headlee, emigrated from Maury county, Tennessee in 1836, and settled in the township. In the fall of 1834, David H. Bedell came from North Carolina and made a settlement in section five where he died in April, 1860. Nearly all the early settlers of the township were from Tennessee, but a great part had originally come from North Carolina before reaching Tennessee. The Headlee and Bedell families trace their ancestry back to New Jersey. Mr. Dysart has been one of the oldest and best citizens of the township.

After 1832, settlers began to come in quite rapidly. In 1835 a large panther was killed within a hundred yards of where James Wheeler now lives. The panther was pursued by dogs and found refuge on a black jack tree, where he was shot by Benjamin Johnson, whose name has been mentioned among the pioneers. Johnson was a great hunter, in common with a large proportion of the old settlers, and his trusty rifle had brought down multitudes of deer.

Hickory Barrens is a post office on the Sac, in this township, eight miles northeast from Springfield.

Robberson Township

The Robbersons, Mullingses, Evans, Headlees and others were among the first settlers of this part of the county. A man named Paynter settled Ebenezar in 1831. The same year Samuel Lasley came from Tennessee and settled in the forks of the Sac, on the road leading from Springfield to Ebenezar. Thomas Wilson came to the county in the fall of 1834, and settled on the place formerly occupied by Paynter and Ebenezer, where William H. Payne now lives. The widow Robberson and family arrived from Maury county, Tennessee, and located at the northern end of the prairie which now bears the family name.. Her sons were William, Bennett, Allen, John, Edwin, Russell and Rufus. They settled here in 1832. Thomas Stokes, a son-in-law of Mrs. Robberson came at the same time and lived also in the northern end of the prairie. John and Robert Wills came at the same time with Thomas Wilson, of whom they were connections, and settled east of Ebenezer at Col. Reed's place. All these were from Tennessee. William Ross, who was originally from South Carolina, but who had lived some time in the northern part of the State, settled on the Sac, where the widow Wilson now lives, in the year 1832.

Hosea Mullings, still an old and honored citizen of the township, became a resident of the township in the fall of 1834. In the southeastern corner of Robberson township not far from Fulbright's Mill, a family by the name of Bandfield settled in 1835. Elisha Headlee, who has been one of the prominent citizens of the township and has been called by his fellow citizens to fill several public offices, arrived in 1836, and began the improvement of the place which has been his home from that day to the present.

In congressional township thirty-one, range twenty-two, which forms the northern part of Robberson township, a family by the name of Alsop were settlers at an early date, and lived west of the State road at the place now occupied by William Pressley. John Jones came about 1834, and lived where William Tuck now lives, in section fifteen. The log cabin which first occupied the spot where Jones settled was built by a man named House. William Tuck came from McMahon county, East Tennessee, in the fall of 1837, and settled where House and Jones had formerly lived, and still resides there at the age of seventy-two, one of the oldest and most respected citizens in this part of the county. Simeon Bird came from Tennessee in 1837 and settled on the Dry Sac in the neighborhood of Tuck. The farm is now owned by his two sons. About the same time several families came to this part of Missouri from Tennessee, but settled in what is now Polk county, adjacent to this township. In the fall of 1838 or 1839 Thomas Swadley, from East Tennessee, settled on the Dry Sac about a mile above the Tuck and Bird settlement. The sons of the old man still reside at the same place.

The Bolivar road which runs north through Robberson township is said to have been the first road regularly laid out in Greene county. It was laid out by the State, and ran from Boonville on the Missouri river to Fayetteville in Arkansas. A post-office was formerly kept where James Headlee now lives, which was called Richland, but it is several years since it has been in existence.

Cass Township

Settlements were made in Cass township at an early date on the Whittenburg Prairie. Peter Whittenburg was one of the pioneers, and from him the prairie received its name. Wm. Johnson was also one of the first settlers, and so was Jesse Kelley. John Richardson made a settlement on the prairie as early as 1834, and Charles L. Peck came in 1835. William Killingsworth came to the prairie in 1839, and Charles McClure, now living in Brookline township, in the same year. William McClure, in 1837, came from East Tennessee, and settled his present farm on the prairie in section thirty-one, township thirty-one, range twenty-three, where he is still living in the enjoyment of a hale old age.

Isaac Julian, father of Isaac P. and S.H. Julian, arrived in 1837, and made a settlement on section thirty-four of township thirty-one range twenty-three. He was a native of North Carolina, but came to Missouri from Tennessee, and his sons have been prominent and influential citizens. The place where Isaac Julian first settled was improved by a man named Payne. Archibald Morris was an early resident of the eastern end of the prairie. At Cave Spring John Grigsby was an early resident. His location was immediately at the spring. The farm of Dr. L.T. Watson was first improved by John Dillard, an East Tennessean. Thomas Fanon, from East Tennessee also, lived at the present residence of Spencer Watson. Isaac Hastings, likewise an emigrant from East Tennessee, settled about a mile east of Cave Spring about 1835, and occupied the farm now owned by William Thompson.

Esquire John W. Wadlow came to Greene County from old Virginia in 1837, and settled on section fourteen, of township thirty, range twenty-three, and has since lived in that immediate neighborhood. John Evans, now a prosperous farmer of Cass Township, was born in North Carolina, and came to the county in 1840, first settled on Robberson Prairie, and has been living in Cass Township since 1850. S.G. Appleby, now one of the leading residents of the township, first came to this part of the county in 1843. James B. and John McElhanen, both of whom are now living in Cass township, are both old settlers of the county. They came from Bedford county, Tennessee, to Missouri, in 1833, and settled first at Springfield. In 1835, John McElhanon moved to Boone township, and James B. in 1840, and both recently have come to Cass township.

Isaac Cook, about 1835, came from Tennessee and settled on section thirty-six, township thirty, range twenty-three. Where Mr. Biggs now lives on the Melville Road, William Parrish made a settlement in 1837. He was a Kentuckian, and the last general musters were the scenes of considerable excitement, and brought together people from all parts of the country. Three of these musters were held yearly--the company, battalion, and regimental musters. The two former were commonly held in the spring, and the regimental muster, the grandest occasion of all, came off in the autumn, and was a time long to be remembered. After the muster at Uncle Billy Parrish's, the militia disbanded and never assembled together again on muster day.

James Gilmore came from East Tennessee, in 1834, and is still living in Cass township on the place where he first settled, and is one of the oldest men in the county. W.L.B. Lay, an East Tennessean, but who lived in Indiana, settled on Clear Creek in the southwest part of Cass township in 1837, and after living there ten years removed to Centre township.

Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, on Clear creek in the southwestern part of the township, was one of the earliest Baptist Churches in that country. It was founded by William Tatum and Elijah Williams, and for many years was the only church in that neighborhood, and was attended by people for many miles around. The first Presbyterian Church organized in all southwest Missouri was the Mount Zion Church at Cave Spring. It was instituted by the Rev. Ephraim P. Noel, on the nineteenth of October, 1839. Mr. Noel was pastor until 1842, and was then succeeded by the Rev. G.A.M. Renshaw, who was pastor till his death in 1857.

Walnut Grove Township

Walnut Grove township is the smallest civil township in the county. A grove principally composed of walnut timber was known as the Walnut Grove from a very early period. Hugh Leeper was one of the earliest settlers. He made an improvement two miles and a half southwest of the town of Walnut Grove. Allen Williams came to the township in 1832, settled in section twenty-one, but afterward moved to Texas. Michael Walsh located on section twenty-two the same year. William Mallory built the first cabin, which stood on the farm of A.J. McElmore. Joseph Moss settled where the town of Walnut Grove now is, but an improvement had been made there previous to his coming, which Moss purchased. Jack Williamson, now living in the southern part of the township, was an old settler, and was formerly Captain of the militia in the old days when able-bodied citizens of the county were obliged to muster. Williamson came to the county in 1836. Moss was from Kentucky.

In the town of Walnut Grove, William H. Cook was one of the first settlers, and had a blacksmith shop where now stands the town. S.A. Edmonson was likewise one of the early residents. Nelson Montgomery opened the first store. Dr. A.C. Sloan, now practicing medicine at Walnut Grove, came to this part of Missouri with his father in 1831, and lived in the part of Greene County afterward taken off to form Polk. Mr. Longerier has been an old resident in the neighborhood of the town, and came from Pennsylvania.

There are other old settlers in the township, including the Leepers, Looneys, and others who have been good citizens, and identified with the progress of this part of the county. Beside the church at Walnut Grove there is a Cumberland Presbyterian Church on the Whittenberg Prairie, and a Baptist church in the western part of the township.

Boone Township

Nathan Boone, son of Daniel Boone, the old Kentucky pioneer, was one of the first settlers of Boone township, and located in the heart of the ash grove--a large grove of timber lying mostly in sections nine and sixteen, in which the principle timber is ash and walnut. Nathan Boone's sons were James, John, Benjamin and Howard; and James Boone is still living in the township. Willis and Thomas Caulfield and Alfred Horseman were also early pioneers in the township in 1834. Josiah Burney, who is yet living in Springfield, came from North Carolina, and at an early date settled in this township. He is the father of W.J. Burney and Joseph Burney. William G. Sumners came to the township from North Carolina in the fall of 1834, and, after settling in the walnut grove, came to what is now Boone township and settled in section fifteen, where his daughter, Mrs. Andrew M. Appleby, now lives. A man by the name of Constantine Perkins settled on Clear creek, in section four, and had a mill there, probably the first mill in the township, long known as McElhanen's & Perkins' mill. Perkins went to California on the breaking out of the gold fever in 1850, and died there the same year. The second mill put up in the township was on the Sac, about the year 1848. Silas Grantham was an early settler. Several families by the name of Johnson lived on the eastern edge of the Leeper Prairie. R.K. Boyd, John Rush, and James Cox lived on the west side of the ash grove. James Dunn settled the place on Clear creek, in section eleven, now occupied by John Kirk. Michael Welsh was an old settler on Clear creek, in section three. Peter Ooley lived in section five.

Jesse Mason, a Hardshell Calvinistic Baptist preacher, came to the township before 1840, settled on the Sac, and was one of the first preachers living in the township. The first Baptist Church organized in the township was what was known as the Ash Grove Church. It was first organized at the Elm Spring School House. The first regular pastor was Thomas J. Kelley. A sort of shed was put up for the purpose of holding meetings and stood near the present Ash Grove Church. The Ash Grove Church is the only building in the township devoted exclusively to church service, although there are several societies of Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians. There is a Union Church at Ash Grove. The Rev. J.E.B. Justice came from Kentucky in the year 1843. He lived in section fourteen two years and then came to his present farm. William Conrad and Lewis Horspers settled the place where the Rev. Mr. Justice now lives about 1840. They were the pioneer German settlers of that part of the county, and erected a distillery, a small stream still, on what is still known as the Dutch Branch. Peter J. Nicholson, in 1842 came to Greene county from Washington county, Indiana, and settled in the southern part of Boone township. In 1835, John McElhanon, who two years previously had come to Springfield from Bedford county Tennessee, settled in Boone township. He was one of the earliest settlers of Ash Grove. His brother, James B. McElhanon , moved to the township in 1840, and both are still living at the present time in Cass township.

Centre Township

At the head of Leeper prairie, Hugh Leeper was one of the first settlers, and the prairie was so called from that family. William Tatum came from Logan county, Kentucky, 1837, first settled on the Leeper prairie, and in 1839 came to the head of Clear Creek in section four of township twenty-nine, range twenty-three. He had twelve children, of whom four are now living in Centre township. James Wilson came to the township in 1837, and settled on section three of township twenty-nine, range twenty-three, on the farm now occupied by Mrs. Matilda Jones. Isaac N. Jones is now one of the oldest residents of the township, and is a man well known throughout the county. E.D. Ripplin has resided in the county for some years. His wife was Susan A. Wallace, the daughter of David Wallace, one of the old pioneer citizens of the Wilson township. Henry Paulsell lived in the township for many years. John Yeakley moved from East Tennessee the fall of 1839, then moved to Polk County, and in March 1840, located in Centre township. His son, Thomas Yeakley, is a well- known citizen of the township. Robert Batson, father of Nathaniel Batson, came to the county in the fall of 1840, and located in Pond Creek township. Since 1847 Nathaniel Batson has been living in Centre township. James Hughs came from Ray county, Tennessee in 1844, and settled in section nineteen, township twenty-nine, range twenty-three. Several other old pioneers and settlers are living in the township.

Lead mines have been recently opened up in sections thirty-three and thirty-four, township twenty-nine, range twenty-four, and the prospects so far are encouraging. The former county farm is situated near the headwaters of the Sac, but in recent years has been removed to the neighborhood of Springfield.

Campbell Township

Campbell township embraces the settlement of the Campbells, the Rountrees, the Fulbrights, and other pioneers in the neighborhood of Springfield. William Fulbright,