JUSTICE’S COURT
As far as our records show, the first civil case ever tried before a justice of the peace in this county was the case of Henry Elliott & Son against Robert Hinkson, which was a suit on a judgement rendered by a justice of the peace of Ste. Genevieve county. This suit was filed on January 22, 1821, and John Slack (the grandfather of Miss Pearle Mitchell) was the justice. Mr. Slack then lived on a farm about three miles southwest of the present postoffice of Hinton, and on a stream known as “Slack’s Branch.” The summons commanded the constable to notify the defendant to appear before the justice at the dwelling house of said justice in Smithton township. The words “Roche Perche township” were first written in this summons, and then aline was drawn through them, and the words”Smithton township” added. In this summons, the words “Territory of Missouri” were first written, and then the work “Territory” erased and the word “State” was interlined. The justice also forgot that Boone county was no longer part of Howard, for he wrote “County of Howard”, and then scratched Howard and wrote Boone. Robert Hinkson was the man for whom Hinkson Creek was named. He lived on a farm east of Columbia, near that stream. At the trial of this case before the magistrate, Hinkson lost; but he was successful on appeal to the circuit court.
In November, 1820, Governor McNair commissioned the first justices of the peace of Boone county; they were John Slack and John Henderson, of Smithton township; Tyre G. Harris and John Gray of Monitor township; Tyre Martin, of Cedar township; and John Anderson, of Roche Perche township. In a821, Governor McNair commissioned Richard Cave and Harrison Jamison, of Columbia township; James Cunningham, of Cedar township; and Silas Riggs, of Rock Fork township. The commission of each justice recites that he had been appointed by the general assembly of the state. In 1822, Governor McNair commissioned Jas. R. Abanathy and William Shields justices for Rock Fork and Cedar townships respectively; and their commissions recite that they had been appointed by the county court. In 1821, there were only five townships in Boone county, Smithton, Monitor, Rocky Fork, Cedar and Roche Perche. Smithton township consisted of the present [as of 1916] township of Columbia and two miles off of the east part of the present township of Missouri, and four sections of land in the southeast corner of the present township of Perche. Monitor township consisted of what is now Missouri township, except two miles off of the east part thereof. Roche Perche township consisted of the present township of Perche, less the four sections in the southeast corner thereof. Rocky Fork township consisted of the present townships of Rocky Fork, Centralia and Bourbon. Later, in the year 1821, the name of Smithton township was change to Columbia, and the name of Monitor township was changed to Missouri; and the lines between Columbia, Missouri and Perche townships were established as they are now [1916]. In June, 1854, Bourbon township was organized by an order of the county court, and it included what I now Bourbon and Centralia townships, and a small part of Perche township. In July, 1874, Centralia township was organized by an order of the county court. Hence some of the justices of Rocky Fork township, and two fo the justices of Bourbon township were afterwards justices of Centralia township.
By referring to the list of justices, it will be seen that Boone county has been singularly fortunate in the selection of them. One justice became county clerk, three circuit clerk, three prosecuting attorney, one circuit attorney, two county surveyor, and three state senators. Dr. T.S. Sneed was a physician, while Dr. A.J. Harris and Dr. Paul Hubbard were dentists. Walter C. Maupin, R.H. Bullard, M.P. Baldwin, Jackson T. Burnham and Wm. H. Jeffries were ministers. Eight justices were merchants, three real estate agents and thirty-nine were lawyers. Frank D. Evans was a banker, John T. McCauley a miller, Fenton P. Griffin an editor, and C.V. Bicknell a carpenter. The others were farmers.
In 1845, the justices of Columbia township had the first and fourth Mondays in every other month for law days; the justices of Cedar township had the fourth Saturdays in every other month for law days; the justices of Rocky Fork township had the third Fridays in every other month for law days; the justices of Missouri township had the third Thursdays in every other month for law days; and the justices of Perche township had the second Saturdays in every other month for law days. These dates were duly advertised in the “Missouri Statesman”.
| JUSTICES OF THE PEACE | |
| BOURBON TOWNSHIP | |
| W.L. Wayne | Geo. W. Gulick |
| Archibald B. Sweeney | S.W. Early |
| Reed Jones | Joseph E. Proctor |
| R.F. Cook | John T. McCauley |
| H. S. Chalman | S.W. Shryock |
| Robert Schooling | J.B. Allison |
| Giles Adams | J.W. Patterson |
| Overton G. Harris | David S. Mahan |
| N.B. Burks | W.D. Oliver |
| W.R. Schooler | Jno. A Douglass |
| Randolph S. Simms | S.F. Cross |
| John D. Hawkins | A.S. McAllister |
| W.T. Jarman | G.F. Brundege |
| Joseph W. Collins | Saml. N. Yeates |
| E.G.F. Ross | S.N. Woods |
| Wm. B. Yeates | Dr. A.J. Harris |
| James M. West | Emmett C. Anderson |
| Samuel C. Clinton | Joel A. Douglass |
| A.A. Simms | J.C. White |
| T.S. Sweeney | J.W. Hulett |
| Andrew F. Gentry | Mansil Sims |
| W.S. St. Clair | |
| CEDAR TOWNSHIP | |
| Tyre Martin | John Ripetoe |
| James Cunningham | Henty T. Britt |
| Willim Shields | Wm. P. Boqua |
| James Callaway | James Pilcher |
| James Harris | R.H. Bullard |
| William Huggait | R.V. Burnett |
| G. W. Tuttle | Frank M. Smith |
| Geo. H. Johnson | Wm. W. Wilson |
| Mosias Jones | L.L. Lindsey |
| Overton Harris | R.A. Roddy |
| R.M. May | Chas. B. Adkins |
| Jacob Kuykendall | Jas. E. Ballenger |
| John Ellis | Jas. G. Roddy |
| Samuel Winfrey | E.R. Westbrook |
| Geo. T. Watson | Tyre M. Jones |
| Franklin Jackson | Wirt J. Warren |
| Francis Connelly | W.J. Patterson |
| Walter C. Maupin | B.R. Carrender |
| Jesse Griffin | Luther T. Pulliam |
| R.A. Bondurant | Asa C. Bledsoe |
| Robert J. Martin | D.N. Epperson |
| Jas. H. Fulkerson | Wm. R. Old |
| Jno. G. Shelnut | Jas. H. English |
| William Little | Jas. S. Pauley |
| Isaac T. Jeffrey | D.R.Martin |
| Jno. A. Dykeman | L.L. Nichols |
| Ben F. Orear | Fenton P. Grifffin |
| Thos. C. Parker | Jno. A. Thomas |
| Andrew G. Payne | H.A. Niemeyer |
CENTRALIA TOWNSHIP | |
| Wm. L. Connevey | Philip S. Hocker |
| James M. West | Thomas S. Sneed |
| S.W. Early | Dr. A.F. Sneed |
| Jas. M. Angell | Thomas B. Sparlock |
| Henry S. Booth | Joe H. Cupp |
| D.N. Newman | Chas W. Lyon |
| Josiah Hall | Chas C. Jennings |
| Jno. K. Boyd | Hume Smith |
| Joseph H. Crews | Jas. T. Stockton |
COLUMBIA TOWNSHIP | |
| Richard Cave | James R. Shields |
| Harrison Jamison | F.F.C. Triplett |
| Thomas D. Grant | William H. Jacobs |
| John Williams | Frank D. Evans |
| Richard Gentry | Jno. M. Samuel |
| Priestly H. McBride | William J. Babb |
| Jesse T. Wood | Wm. S. Pratt |
| James Barnes | Wm. H. Allen |
| Warren Woodson | Wm. A. Goodding |
| James Kirtley | C.B. Sebastian |
| Peter Wright | J.G. Babb |
| Alexander Persinger | J.E. Crumbaugh |
| B.F. Robinson | Walter E. Boulton |
| Levi McGuire | Webster Gordon |
| James M. Gordon | Ben F. McGuire |
| Archabald W. Turner | Wm. H. Truitt, Jr. |
| Henry H. Ready | Walter E. Nicklin |
| Thomas Porter | Jas. C. Gillespy |
| Madison D. Stone | H.E. Brown |
| Francis T. Russell | Warren Frazier |
| David Gordon | C.V. Bicknell |
| William A. Carter | Ev. M. Bass |
| Lewis H. Pemberton | Jasper A. Phillips |
| Alex Douglass | J. Sam Banks |
| Jas H. Northcutt | W.P. Berry |
| Dr. Paul Hubbard | Jno. S. Bicknell |
| John Lackland | Jas. E. Boggs |
| Wm. L. Connevey | Jas. T. Stockton |
| Jas. A. Henderson | James Hale |
| Thos. B. Gentry | Wm. S. Banta |
| Richard J. Smith | J.C. Ballew |
| Samuel Batterton | D.W.B. Kurtz, Jr. |
| James T. Harris | Henry G. Sebastian |
| James Bergwin | |
MISSOURI TOWNSHIP | |
| John Gray | Lewis W. Robinson |
| I.C. Hensley | J.H. Ravenscraft |
| John T. Foster | Saml. L. Tuttle |
| William Lientz | Levi Burroughs |
| Joseph W. Hickam | Henry C. Mooth |
| Dabney Patton | Thomas Chapman |
| James W. Daly | Nimrod Watson |
| John Henderson | Geo. W. Maupin |
| Jesse B. Dale | Wesley Scobee |
| Wm. H. Phillips | Engene Baldwin |
| Reuben M. Hatton | Tyre H. Boggs |
| Geore C. Cole | Benton White |
| F.A. Field | Engene Scott |
| Jasper Turner | John A. Daily |
| Washington Knox | A.J. Woods |
| William Raymond | Danl. E. Hulett |
| Jesse Turner | M.P. Baldwin |
| James T. Harris | F.B. Hatton |
| Ira E. Purden | Jas. M. McKee |
| Geo. H. Sexton | O.F. Hatton |
| Alex Douglass | Geo. H. Cox |
| James Arnold | Marion Yeager |
| John Bowman | Jno. F. Chillis |
| Robert G. Lyell | E.E. Williamson |
| Saml. D. Cocnran | M.T. Slater |
| William Slade | |
MONITOR TOWNSHIP | |
| Tyre G. Harris | John Gray |
PERCHE TOWNSHIP | |
| John Anderson | William Berry |
| Tyre G. Harris | Geo. H. Sexton |
| John Slack | John Barclay |
| John Anderson | Westley Burks |
| William Boone | Thos. C. Colly |
| John Corlew | David B. Rowland |
| Robert Schooling | M.L.A. Via |
| Lawrence Roberts | Chas. E. Sexton |
| W.M. Shaw | Wm. Milhollen |
| Overton G. Harris | W.H.H. Fenton |
| Chas. C. Rowland | Richard F. Matheny |
| Thomas Matheny | W.C. Dickerson |
| J.W. Horseman | John C. Marcum |
| John Skinner | J.F. Beasley |
| Maston G. Corlew | Geo. W. Denham |
| Thomas J. Barrett | G.W. Allton |
| Harlim M. Petty | Jackson T. Burnham |
| John B. Little | J.T. Taylor |
| James F. Jarman | Stephen A. March |
| Alex Douglass | Jas. A. Oliver |
| Andre F. Gentry | Jno. H. Stover |
| H.B. Matthews | Ed. Long |
ROCKY FORK TOWNSHIP | |
| Silas Riggs | James G. Kelly |
| Jas. R. Abanathy | Lewis G. Berry |
| Jas. E. Fenton | Carry A. Ward |
| Samuel Riggs | Jas. M. Hicks |
| Squire I. Redman | Philip J. Quissenberry |
| Hardaman Stone | Peter F. Carter |
| Young E. Hicks | David N. Hall |
| Esem Harmon | Jno. t. McCauley |
| Moses Baker | S.C. Quissenberry |
| Jacob McBride | Josiah Hall |
| Wm. T. Berry | Samuel Rutledge |
| Wm. B. Woodruff | Hugh M. Hall |
| W.S. Wagner | Wm. H. Jeffries |
| John B. Logan | W.F. Robinson |
| thomas A. Simms | Jasper N. Roberts |
| Wm. W. Tucker | Riley D. Winn |
| John W. Hall | J.B. Clark |
| Archibald B. Sweeney | Wm. Morgenthaler |
| James Lampton | S.H. McMinn |
| Burdit A. Blanton | Ed. L. Daugherty |
| Giles Adams | Jas. H. Carpenter |
SMITHTON TOWNSHIP | |
| John Slack | John Henderson |
Commentary:
The statement in the first paragraph above that Robert Hinkson "lived on a farm east of Columbia, near that stream [with his name]" is incorrect. The Robert Hinkson place was on the stream that bears his name but located five miles northeast of Columbia at the intersection of Hinkson Creek and the original Boone's Lick road, at the present day intersection of O'Rear Road with Hinkson Creek.
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