Hawn's Mill Area Background
- The Hawn’s Mill area is located in the eastern part of Caldwell County, Missouri next to the Livingston County line and includes the area about four miles distance surrounding the mill site.
- Very early historical maps show ‘Shoal Creek’ being listed as ‘Jenkins Creek’ in northwest Missouri. (1)
- In May 1832, Grand River Township was created by Ray County, which included present day Davis, Fairview, and Breckenridge Townships. The Hawn’s Mill site was originally in Grand River Township. Later in 1869 the area became part of the newly organized Fairview Township, Caldwell County. (2)(3)
- Caldwell County was organized by the state legislature from a part of Ray County on 29 December 1836 for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- Jacob Hawn was the owner of a water gristmill business established on Shoal Creek, and was not a member of the church. There were about ten cabins on the Hawn’s Mill site and at least 30 families living in the immediate area.
- Jacob Hawn – Township 056N, Range 026W, Aliquots NW¼NE¼, Section 17.
- Land Entry: 7 December 1835. (4)
- Land Patent: 7 September 1838, 41-acres. (5)
- Thomas McBride – Grand River Township magistrate.
- David Evans – called as a missionary to Shoal Creek, and presided over an organized branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
(1) An early historical map can be seen at the Frontier Army Museum, Fort Leavenworth in Leavenworth, Kansas.
(2) “Owing to the destruction of the records, it has been impossible to ascertain full data with regard to the subdivision of the County into townships. Soon after the organization of the County, the County was divided into four municipal townships, viz.: Rockford, which comprised range 29; Blythe, which comprised range 28; Grand River, comprising all of ranges 26 and 27 which lay north of Shoal Creek; and Davis, comprising all of ranges 26 and 27 which was south of Shoal Creek . . . .” – Crosby Johnson, AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORICAL ATLAS OF CALDWELL COUNTY, MISSOURI, 1876, Edwards Brothers, pp. 10 & 12.
(3) “In May, 1832, the [county court] of Ray created a new municipal township, called Grand River. It included all the present townships of Davis, Fairview, and Breckinridge, the east two miles of Lincoln, New York and Gomer, in Caldwell County, and a considerable portion of Livingston and Daviess . . . . Grand River township, among other territory, in what is now Livingston and Daviess counties embraced what are now the municipal townships of Davis, Fairview and Breckinridge, or the east six miles (range 26) of Caldwell county.” – HISTORY OF CALDWELL AND LIVINGSTON COUNTIES, 1886, pp. 103, 480.
(4) LAND ENTRIES BOOK, Recorder of Deeds Office, Caldwell County Courthouse, Kingston, Caldwell County, Missouri.
(5) Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records.
|
