The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1891-02-26
8 n. Lamkin.

/ VI NiNN III AhNlbbNNN hltl liz
was very young, and soon after his
death, in 1917, Gen. Jonathan Ram.
scy conceived the idea of emigrating
TO Missouri +; (he was brothcr.in-law
to Mr.. Lamkin's mother) she, it
seems, had four children, including
the subject Of this sketch. and all
small. Gen. Ramsey was not only q
man Of considerable means but he had
friends in the community Were he
lived, some Of whom had so much
confidence in him that they decided
to band together, form themselves
into a sort OF colony, remove to The
then territory Of Missouri, get homes
near each other and continue to be
friends and ~neighbors. There being no
steamboats, ploughing the turbid
waters of the Missouri at that time,
they resorted to the e~Xpedicnt of
procuring keel boats, in which all
their families, household furniture,
ETC., could be brought along. All their
cattle, horses, ETC., were to be col.
lected in n herd, enough men were
to 90 along with them TO drive them
and enough retained on the boats to
man and run them. phoy oontem-
plated going to some point up the
Missouri river, either in what was
then known as the Boonslick country
or a little further up 10 some Of the
rich lands and prairies that now lie
in Saline, Lafayette or johnson coun.
ties. 1t was arranged for Mrs. Lam.
kin and her little ones to be made
part Of this emigrating company,
come out TO the new country and
grow up with it. These arrangements
being perfected the two divisions of
this invading army or occupation took
their departure according 10 program.
All seems TO have gone along smooth
ly and nicely We have no informa.
ton of any causaltics, delays or dis.
appointments till some time in the
month of October, after the stock
had crossed the Missouri river at st.
Charles and were being driven
through the high prairies what would
now he called q blizzard, met them.
A cold northwest wind came sweep
ing down through these prairies,
striking them %squarely in the face il
seemed to them that winter had set in.
Gen. Ramsey, who was with them.
became fearful that the river would
freeze up or become 50 full of ice
that the boats would have to tie up
and winter at some inaccessible 10.
cality, and under these circumstan-
ces he was induced to make an en-
tire change of his plan of movements
and this it will be hereafter seen
changed the destiny of this entire
colony it resulted eventually in their
locating in what is now Galloway
county, and the subject of this sketch
spending part of his youth and all Of
his manhood in Cole county. 1t seems
that Gen. Ramsey had some knowl-
edge of tie country he knew that
the town Of Cote Sans Dcsein was
quite q tiourishing village and trad
ing post on the bank of the Missouri
river nearly opposite the mouth of
the Usage. All the country south of
the Missouri river was then occupied
by Indians who, with the hunters and
trappers that went out among them,
had to come to this place with their
furs and pelts to trade and barter
with the merchants who had come up
there from st. Louis and supplied
them with TOBACCO, powder and lead.
and such other things as Indians and
hunters needed. He knew that lust
above this place was a large Island
grown up full Of rushes, in which the
stock could be sheltered and fed.
and even fatten ca the rushes. So he
turned out from his route in the
prairie, drove the stock down and on
to this island and waited for the ar.
rival of the keel boats, which put in
their appearance in due time and
they prepared themselves to go into
winter quarters; they built houses
for their families out of logs, called
cabins, in those days, moved their
furniture and families into them out
Of the boats and made themselves as
comfortable as possible under the
circumstances. l had it from the lips
of Gen. Ramsey himself that they
Don found that winter had not set
in; the cold wind that struck them
upon tae prairies soon ceased and it
became warm again. Gen. Ramsey, |
it is TO be presumed, as he was an
old hunter, and game was plentiful,
did not stay in his cabin while this
fine weather lasted. He said that he
o. began TO observe what fire land
the Missouri river bottom was, the
earth was as black as soil could be
amo.g the trees were many black
walnuts which he regarded us an in.
dication of rich soil, so that it was
not long before he and his comrades
made up their minds TO locate here.
1t seems that he had provided him
self before he started, with q lot of
New Madrid certificates, which we're
a kind of floating land warrants that
the U. S. government had issued, |
each calling for a gwen number of
acres of land which the holder could, |
by goiug 10 u u. S. land officer locate
upon and become the owner Of any
land that was subject to purchase
from the government, so he said he
put these warrants into the hands of