IN THE EARLY DAYS April l8, l907

JORDAN, THOMPSON, MOAD, HOLE, HALE, JORDAN, VANDERPOOL, ONEY, STANLEY, BANTA, DANCER, SMITH, MOORE, RICHARDS, EAST, LOE, LEFFLER, HASTINGS, PORTER, FULLERTON, HURST, JORDAN, HALE, BURTON, MORRISON

Posted By: Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert (email)
Date: 11/15/2001 at 00:00:25

From: "Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert"
Subject: IN THE EARLY DAYS.
Date: Thursday, November 08, 2001 7:12 PM

Decatur County Journal
April l8, l907

A Former Decatur County Resident Tells Interesting Bits of the Early
History of the County.

- - - - - - - - - - - -
C.B. JORDAN, a former resident of Leon, writes the following interesting
letter to the Editor of the JOURNAL, from his present home in Enid,
Oklahoma:

Enid, Oklahoma, April 3, l907.
By some means I am in possession of your 38th anniversary number of May
4, l905, and in reading the data historical of Decatur County, I notice
a few errors and a few omissions, and as I was there when the county was
born, I concluded it would be a pleasure, to myself at least, to make a
few corrections. While it is true many who would enjoy reading it have
passed to the great beyond, some of their children might enjoy reading
it. First I notice that the name of S.S. THOMPSON should be SAMUEL C.

Speaking of the first term of court, of which DANIEL MOAD was clerk, I
will never forget seeing him use the county seal for the first time.
There was no frame or lever about the seal, simply the brass circle. He
smoothed a piece of a log in the wood pile with an ax and placed the
paper thereon, then placed the brass piece only containing the letters
thereon, then struck it with the ax to make the impression.

ELIJAH B. HOLE should be ELIJAH B. HALE. Of course all old settlers
know that JOHN JORDAN was my father and CHARLES JORDAN was his brother.
The name of ANTHONY VANDERPOOL should appear in the early history, he
being a Baptist Minister and a brother of JOHN.

Next we will enter the county seat question. Your statement is, the
commissioners selected the east l/2 s.e. qr. and the w. l/2 of the s.e.
qr. of Sec. 27, Tp. 69, R. 28. The land man would simply say the se qr.
of the section. Of course R. 27 is west of Decatur City. Much of the
election of re-location I remember distinctly; the general advertised
understanding up to within 48 hours of the date of the election was,
that two points only were to be voted on: one was the point at Decatur
City, then there was a strong element who were going to vote for a point
at the center of the county and about 48 hours prior to election day,
JOHN VANDERPOOL, WILLIAM ONEY, HIRAM J. STANLEY, DR. THOMPSON and my
father, JOHN JORDAN, all being interested east of Little River, counted
noses and they believed that they could defeat both the other places by
a little quick work, and locate the county seat on the high prairie east
of Little River, so they selected three of their number with good horses
and saddles and ordered them to see every voter east of Little River and
east of range 25, south of Little River, between that and election
morning and tell them about this game, and swear them not to let anyone
west of the same lines know a thing about it, but to go up early the
morning of the election and vote for a point named Independence.
Decatur City did not hear of it until the next day. My memory is that
it carried by 8 votes over all others.

Now to Lamoni; you have your date l880 as being the year that the first
representatives of the Church of Latter Day Saints arrived. I left that
country in the year l875, and MR. BANTA as President of the colony,
accompanied by MR. DANCER as Vice President, purchased the first land of
(can't read) me, as agent of the land that the church bought, they
having made purchases of other agents who had no authority to sell, and
returned to Leon expecting some deeds to have been there, but not one
deed had arrived; then they came to my office and I assured them if they
bought land of me that the deed would come, except in case the owner had
died since my authority. The third day after they gave me some money,
two deeds arrived by mail, and they were so well pleased they made my
office their headquarters until I had sold them something over $ll0,000
worth. I found them a nice set of men. I think the JOE SMITH of mormon
reputation has been in my office several times. MR. BANTA delighted in
being called a mormon.

Now as to changing the name from Independence and from South
Independence to Leon; I was at that meeting, and GEORGE L. MOORE, at
that time a merchant in partnership with SETH RICHARDS, was empowered
fully by the meeting to select some suitable, short name and he selected
Leon. The present generation do not know how awkward that name seemed
to be at first. The first house you spoke of, built by THOMAS H. EAST,
was built before the town was located and was just immediately south of
the present Methodist Church, between that and the alley, if there is an
alley there. The shool house that MRS. DELILAH LOE thinks was a mile
east of town, in '53, was in the east edge of LEFFLER's Addition; if my
memory is right, the teacher's name was HASTINGS. Along about those
years there was a school taught in what was known as the old Blair Court
House Building, by JOSEPHUS C. PORTER, who nearly scared me to death for
whispering to my girl; but the first school was taught in a log house on
what was known later as HURST's Store corner, by HUMPHREY FULLERTON, a
brother of MRS. F.F. THOMPSON, and one term by CARRINGTON S. PORTER.

Under the caption of the Leon Abstract Books, I must beg to have a
correction made. Under your statement you say that CHARLES B. JORDAN,
of Enid, Oklahoma, started the Abstract Books, and the clerical work was
performed by ALBERT HALE; I wish to state that the real blank books that
were up to date, were bought and commenced at a date (which I have
forgotten) by GEORGE BURTON and J. BARR MORRISON; about the same date
and unknown to either party ALBERT HALE and W.E. DAWSON purchased a set
of blanks of another book firm, all of the blank books arriving in Leon
at about the same time. If either had known of the other's action there
would have been but one set purchased. Soon the former firm disagreed
and quit work; soon thereafter I bought BURTON's interest, without
consulting MR. MORRISON. About the same day, WILLIAM H. ROBB bought MR.
MORRISON's interest, without consulting MR. BURTON, so unknown to each
other, the firm of JORDAN & ROBB was established. Later, I purchased
MR. ROBB's interest; I worked steadily along for three years in my
books, employing ALBERT HALE to complete the last record book, I paid
him $5.00 per day; it took twenty days in which to complete them up to
date. You will find that set of books mainly in my hand writing. After
a time DAWSON and HALE did not hitch good and MR. DAWSON coaxed me to
buy MR. HALE out, which I did, and later I bought MR. DAWSON out. This
set of books were mainly in MR. HALE's hand writing, but I never used
them, as they were not up to date.

I notice in the same issue, in a letter from MAJOR J.L. YOUNG, he
charges GEORGE A. HALLEY, an attorney of Leon in those days, of being a
Presbyterian Minister. What preaching he did was at home to his wife
and son. Perhaps I have wearied your patience, and I will close.

With best wishes for the old home place, I am respectfully,

C.B. JORDAN.
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Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
November 8, 200l