Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1883-12-14
OLD TIMES.
ssne lacilests d tAs Early settle
ue1t Of A6alr Coanty.

Ssne locllents O tAe Early Settle-
ue1t Of l6air Ce1nty.
The Macon Tine Demo1af is pub.
fishing series Of sketches including
the hives ola number Of the early set.
tiers Of North Missouri. The follow.
ing will be Of special interest to many
ofour readers in this county.
ROBERT MYERS.
Robert Myers was bonn in Hardin
county, Kentucky, in 1909, and with
his Asher. e,nigrated to Missouri in
1919, while Missouri was a territory.
His father settled in Howard county,
about ten miles from where FAye:te is
now located. He remembers the
election of Nick Burkhart and BENZ.
H. Rivers. as members, of the State
convention to make q constitution
preparatory to the admission of Mis-
sour as . state in the Union, and
something of the trouble and agita-
ton growing our Of her admission, and
the compromise Of Henry Clay on the
slavery question.
In August, 1899, Robert Myers was
married to Martha Lynch, the daug h.
ter of Henry Lynch, soldier of the
Revolution of 1916.
Mr.. Myers in 1895, moved and set
tied two miles south Of where Kinks
vile is now situated, on Bear Creek.
His neighbors we're Jesse Walker,
James Myers and the Adkins who
lived some FIVE miles off, and Nat.
Floyd. who lived seven miles and John
Cain, wtp lived about eight miles.
These we're all the heads Of families
that then lived in the present county
limits of Adair county. Adair, Macon
and Schuyler. all then belonged to
Randolph county, when 1t was organ
lied into a county, which was in 1871
or I842.
The first Circuit Judge was James
A. Clark, and David James was Clerk.
He does not remember the Sheriff.
The first Representative was Johnson
Wright who once represented Macon
and Adar counties. Adair then run
north 10 Iowa.
The first county Justices were Joseph
Ringo, Samuel Easton and John Nor.
row. The first Court was held in a log
school house, about two miles south
Of kirksville, and near the residence
of Mr.. Myers. The "Court" and "Bar"
stopped with him. There was great
trouble in getting juries. The settlers
would take their guns and 60 to the
brush frequently to keep out of court.
Mr.. Myers fed the court and lawyers
on venlson, honey and corn dodger
made of corn ground on a hand mill.
He fed Judge Clark, Gen. John B.
Clark. and other prominent men, who
were glad to get fed. We had to go
to Huntsville, sixty miles. to mill, until
We got our hand mills in operation.
We had frequently TO pound our corn
in mortars for bread.
Kirksville was laid off in 1S41 or
1872, and named after Joseph Kirk,
who lived there. the courts were
held in room IN the house of Mr..
Kirk. Afterwards small brick house
was built for court house.
The Indians gave a good deal Of
trouble at times, 1nterruptipg the crops
and stock. The settlers had to fire.
quently drive them away. These In
dams were the Sioux and Iowas, and
lived about the present State line, and
were under the lead of Big Neck and
Pumpkin, who had left the great Chief
Keokuk.
During the Mexican war, in 1S47,
Mr.. Myers went to Howard county,
and started as assistant Wagon Mas
ter, to carry provisions to General
Price in New Mexico
In 1927 Mr.. Myers. in company with
Charles Littrell, killed a bear on the
ground on which Macon City is now
built, somewhere between the North
Missouri Hotel and Judge Fox's. They
carried the bear down to Sim. Cannon's
now Excello Post-ofice, and skinned
and ate portion of it.
At that time there was but one set
Element between Cannon's and Kinks
vile. Mr.. Myers, in company with
Others, has taken as much as twenty
barrels OF honey in one trip.
In the following account of William
Blackwell of the Indian fight west of
Kmksviile, it will be seen that Robert
Myers took a prominent part. Squire
John Myers, who was killed, was his
father; and James and John Myers IT,,
were his brothers.
On the 18th of July, 1929, Robert
Myers, who now lives near Atlanta,
came to Mr.. BlackwelPs house in How
ard county. to inform him that the In
dams were killing the STOCK and threat
ening the lives Of the settlers on the
Grand Charlton, west ofwhere Kinks
vile Is now located. That Jas. Myers,
his brother, had sent word to his father
to raise some men to come up there
and protect the settlers, viz. James
Myers, Nathan Richardson, Isaac
Gross and Reuben Myrtle. On the
18th about IS men. which number was
afterwards increased, started. The
first night they encamped at the Grand
Nanows. where Sim. Cannon after
wards lived. There the company
choose Fields Trammel for Captain
md VIM. Guess first Lieutenant: On
the roth they took up their line Of
march. and that NIGHT they reached the