29 March 2000 MO-Abstracts Read-Only List Today we welcome Kathleen to the posting staff. She will post, as often as her schedule permits, either through me or directly to the list. She has much to offer, and I am grateful that she is so willing to share. THANK YOU, Kathleen. ~~Leslie (Bridges) Kohler ---- Source: "History of Gentry and Worth Counties Missouri" National History Company St. Joseph, Missouri 1882 Chapter VII, pp 119-122 Athens Township Early Settlers. Among the early settlers of Athens Township are the following: J. B. Kingsborough, Iri Orton, Alfred Orton, Robert Dubois and William Green, all from Richland county, Ohio. In 1836, two of these parties passed through this section, seeking a location and had selected a mill-site near the town of Gentryville, in Gentry County. Being highly pleased with this western country, they teturned to Ohio, where they remained until the spring of 1838; when they again left their homes in the east, in company with Dubois, Green and Kingsborough above mentioned. Orton and Kingsborough came through on horseback to Peoria, Illinois, where they were rejoined by the others, who had traveled by water. Here they purchased an outfit, coming the balance of the way by land, in a two-horse wagon. These men were all young and single, except Dubois, who was married, but left his family in Ohio. They reached the neighborhood of Gentryville, on the evening of June 12th, 1838, stopping with William Martin, one of the earliest pioneers of the county. Here they sojourned during the summer, rented a few acres of ground rom Martin and planted it in corn. They afterwards located in Athens Twonship one and a half miles north of Albany, or where the town of Athens was located---Kingsborough opening a farm on section 7, 63, 30, and the others settling near him. The Ortons are now living in Oregon. Dubois went to Kansas. Green still resides in Athens Township and Kingsborough in Albany. Michael Maltsberger came from Tennessee, before the county was organized, and located three miles southeast of Albany, where he continued to reside until his removal to Texas. Maltsberger was commissioned by the Governor one of the first county court justices, and was one of the three persons elected to that position at the election of 1846, the first election held in the county. It was at his suggestion that the county seat was called Athens, for the town of Athens, in McMinn County, Tennessee. George K. and Benjamin Culp came from Kentucky in the spring of 1835, and located on and near John Miller's place, two miles west of Albany. They came to Clay county, Missouri, where they remained about one year, and came from that county to Gentry, bringing all their worldly goods on a horse. Kelse and David Culp came about the same time, settling also near Albany. Levi Baldock, another Kentuckian, settled one mile south of Albany. Daniel Saunders, from North Carolina, located two miles south of Albany, at Sandville, which was named after him. The county Court of Gentry County met for the first time at his cabin, and organized in may, 1846. Daniel Saunders was the first postmaster in the county, being appointed to that position about the year 1838. James, Simon and Stephen Leverich, from Virginia, were among the early settlers, stopping in the neighborhood of Sandville. Henry P. Miller was also from Virginia, and opened a farm, adjoining the town site of Albany, where his widow now resides. George and John G. Smith, Kentuckians, located in Athens Township, the former one and a half miles east of Albany, and the latter half a mile north, near the farm of Dr. William G. Williams. Mr. George Smith, in an interview with the writer, said when he and his brother came to Gentry County, the Indians were here in large numbers, for two or three years, and that wild game was in great abundance in every portion of the county. He killed a large deer on the spot where the courthouse now stands. John Q. Smith, from Kentucky, located about one mile northeast of the town. Andrew J. Bulla, from Virginia, settled two miles, northeast, and Thomas Peery, also a Virginian three miles northeast of Albany. Samuel McKillen, from Scotland, Gideon Wright, from Clay County, James B. Hunter from New York and Ohio, Benjamin and Joseph Twedell from Illinois, and Charles Rund from Austria, all located in the township at an early day, and near the town of Athens, as it was then called. Allen Meek, from Clay County, and at one time, a soldier in the United States Regular Army, was an early settler. Daniel Spainhower came from Casey County, Kentucky, in 1844, settling about five miles northeast of Albany, on what was known as the Hardin farm, where he remained until 1852, when he moved on to a farm ten miles north of Albany, where he continued to reside till 1874, when he came to Albany. Caleb S. Canaday emigrated from Casey County, Kentucky, in 1828 to Illinois, to Morgan and Montgomery Counties, thence to Gentry County, Athens Township, in 1844, locating six miles northeast of Albany, where he lived until 1872, when he became a resident of Albany. He was probate judge of the county in 1872. Elisha Cameron came among the earlies. He was a prominent and influential citizen of the county, and filled numerous positions of honor and trust, among which were the offices of commissioner of the seat of justice, county commissioner and sheriff. Among others, were Robert Carter, Walter Savate, William Childers, Peter Vesser, Jink Vesser, Jesse Martin, James Marrs, Jesse Gay, William G. Williams (who was the first representative from the County of Gentry in the legislature, and is now (1882) the probate judge of the county.), Henry P. Miller, Miles Orton, George Brown, John Brown, John W. Canaday, James L. Canaday, George W. Birch, Samuel Irvin, Charles M. Claggett, Mason Claggett, Thomas E. Peery, William A. Peery, John B. Hundley, Jacob Newman, James Thompson, Nathaniel Thompson, John Handy, Edward McCart, William McCart, George C. Needles, William Steel, Joseph Siddons, James B. Hunter, Eli P. Hardin, David O'Brien, Christopher Barley, William Rice, David Prunty, Zachariah Spriggs, William Ward, Jr., Henry Ward, John Fox, Josiah Fox, Willim Fox, Charles F. Rund, William Brooks, John Riley, William Crants, Willis B. Sampson, Warren Leftwich, Hiram Warner and William Glendenning.