Fishing River Township

Fishing River Township comprises the entire southeastern part of Clay County and consists of more than seventy-five square miles. Its boundary line begins at the Ray and Clay line, at the northeast corner of section 1-52-30, runs thence south to the Missouri River, thence west to the dividing line between sections 2 and 3-50-31, thence north to the northwest comer of section 14-52-31, thence east to the range line between ranges 30 and 31, thence north to the township line between townships 52 and 53, thence east to the beginning.

View from Missouri City, Public School, Kearney, Missouri

In the first settlement of the county. Fishing River Township was one of the first permanently settled townships of the county. Among these first settlers were David McElwee and family, Thomas Officer and family, James Woolard and family, Alexander Woolard and family, Elisha Camron and family, John Camron and family, William and Thomas Slaughter and families, Winfrey E. Price and family and Napoleon Price. John and David Lisles were bachelors. In the fall of 1821, the trouble with several Indians at David McElwee's house occurred, an account of which is elsewhere given. During this year three "Forts" or block houses were built; one on the farm of Elisha Camron, another was at Gilmore's, on Rush creek, and another at old Martin Parmer's on the Camden road. These houses of "refuge" were never used for protection against the wily and murderous Indians.

The principal towns or cities in Fishing River townships are Excelsior Springs and Missouri City. The origin of the latter place was the establishment at the mouth of Rose's branch, in 1834, at what was known as Williams' Landing, where a ferry was kept by Williams. A stock of goods was brought to this place in 1849 by Eli Casey, who opened a store and had as clerks Linneus R. Sublette and Dr. Frank Cooley. Several buildings, residences and store houses were built and the place named Richfield. The high water of the river in 1844, on its receding, left a large sand-bar in front of Richfield, preventing the landing of steamboats and operation of a ferry. A joint stock company composed of Graham L. Hughes. John Keller, John Shouse and others laid out a town just below but mainly on the bluffs overlooking the river, giving it the name of St. Bernard. Below St. Bernard another town was laid out and called Atchison. The first store established on the hill was by Robert G. Gilmer, father of the editor and publisher of the Liberty Tribune and The Liberty Advance. The three towns of St. Bernard, Richfield and Atchison were incorporated by the Legislature as one and given the name of Missouri City, March 14, 1859.

Missouri City

Missouri City M. E. Church South was organized in 1854 with the following as original members: O. P. Gash and wife, Joseph A. Huffaker, wife and one sister, Mr. and Mrs. Crasford and Mr. Bratten and wife and some five or six others whose names cannot now be recalled. Rev. M. R. Jones, who organized this church, was the first preacher in charge. Next came Reverend Rich, followed successively by Revs. L. M. Lewis, Mayhew, McEwing, W. A. Tarwater, Samuel Huffaker, Wilson, Wilburn Rush, Joseph Devlin, E. F. Bone, Babcock, W. C. Campbell, F. Shores, L. F. Linn, W. B. Johnson, W. E. Dockery and last J. F. Frazer. The frame church building in which services are held, was constructed at a cost of about $2,000, in the summer of 1857. In 1882-83 it was remodeled at an additional expense of about $1,500. The Sabbath school has been flourishing since 1867, at which time Joseph A. Huffaker was superintendent.

Missouri City Christian Church, as its name indicates, is located at Missouri City, where on Main Street there was built in about 1859, at an expense of some $2,500, a good brick edifice, in which the present membership of about 150 persons worship. As organized in about the year 1856, the members were E. D. Bell and wife, T. C. Reed and wife, Nancy Reed and two daughters, Richard Funk and wife, B. F. Melon and wife, George W. Bell and wife, Merritt Fisher and wife and Milton Hull. Rev. Richard Morton, who was prominent in this formation, was the first pastor, and he was succeeded by Revs. F. R. Palmer, J. W. Waller, Preston Akers, Bayard Waller, Henry Davis, Jacob Hugley, Revs. Perkins and Carter and others.

Angrona Lodge No. 193, A. F. & A. M. The dispensation of this lodge was issued in March, 1858, under which it worked until May 28, 1859, when a charter was issued. The first members and officers were A. L. Chapman, master; Jno. W. Collins, senior warden; Newton Fields, junior warden; T. Everett, secretary; S. Elgin, treasurer; R. H. Moore, senior deacon; William Adams, junior deacon; T. Y. Gill, stewart and tyler; J. M. Allcorn, John A. Prather, Joshua Vaughn, S. Charlston, J. Johnson, John Linn, J. M. Donovan, Victor W. Tooley, D. E. Yarbrough.

Fishing River Baptist Church, situated at Prathersville, was organized in about 1868. Its constituent members were L. T. Pettz, P. G. Smith, N. H. King, Richard King, Thomas W. Wilson, Nancy Wilson, John McCracken and Martin Price. The present membership is about eighty-five. The ministers who have served as pastors to this church are Revs. John Harmon, William Ferguson, S. H. Carter, T. H. Graves, Doctor Rothwell, Asa N. Bird and S. J. Norton. The present frame structure was erected in 1874, at a cost of $700.

Erin Church, in the southeast comer of the southwest quarter of section 24, in Fishing River Township, was organized October 16, 1877, with Joseph Turner, James M. Hill, Simon Hutchings, Marion Harris, Nancy Hutchings, Sarah Thurney, Susan M. Harris, Nancy Lewis, Mary E. Wyatt and Sarah E. Summers as its original members. The names of the ministers who have served this church as pastors are Revs. Joseph Prather and Lafayette Munkers. The present frame church was erected in 1878 at a cost of $1,000.

Pleasant Hill Baptist Church. In 1857, T. N. O'Bryan with four members, Jefferson Turner and wife, Elizabeth Free and Jane Quick organized the above named church. At first meetings were held in schoolhouse No. 1, and, in fact, until 1883, when a church building was erected in section 23, four and a half miles southeast of Liberty, the cost of which was about $600.

German M. E. Church, located on section 14, four miles southeast of Liberty, was constituted an organization in 1847, by Rev. Henry Hogrefe, with the following original members: William Unger and wife, George Elliott and wife, Peter Elliott, Jacob Weber and wife, Henry Free and wife, Rudolph Irminger and wife, Samuel Weber and wife. In 1870, a church house, 22x32, was erected at an expenditure of $900. After Mr. Hogrefe, who was the first pastor, came the Revs. Elders Neidermeier, Rouse, William Shreck, Holzbeierlein, Muehlenbrock, William Maye, Prege, Brunly, Brinkmeier, Steinmeier, Bower, Menger, Eichenberger, Korphage, Buchholz, Koenig, and Rev. Kaltenbach.

Mount Zion Baptist Church was organized in April, 1853, its constituent members being

Those who have served as pastors are Elders William H. Price, Henry Hill, William T. Brown and James Duvall. The present brick church building was erected in 1853, at a cost of about $1,500. This was the first brick church built in the county outside of Liberty. It is located on the northeast comer of the southeast quarter of section 30, township 52, range 30. James P. Withers and William Price are the only male members living that were members at the constitution, and Amanda Mosby and Mrs. T. P. Withers were the only female members.

Mount Pleasant Church was organized September 18, 1830. The original members were Joseph P. Moore, William B. Slaughter, Andrew B. Baldwin, Abram (a servant of J. P. Moore), Jonah Moore, Elizabeth Slaughter, Jane Welton, Mary Storz, Jane Posey, Mary Baldwin, Lucy (a servant of James P. Moore), and Catherine (a servant of William B. Slaughter). The present frame church was built in 1879, its cost being about $1,500. It is located on the southeast corner of the northwest quarter of section 15.

Woodland Christian Church was organized in about 1870 or 1872. Some of the first members were James M. Bohart, Richard P. Funk, Solomon Welton, J. W. Bradley and A. J. Roberts. The names of the ministers who have served this church are Elders Josiah Waller, Baird Waller, William Stephens, John Perkins, J. Trader and Revs. Williamson and Akers. The church building is a frame and was erected in 1872, its cost being about $2,000. It is located on the east half of the northwest quarter of section 29, in township 52, range 30. Near this church is a cemetery.

Zoar German M. E. Church was organized in 1845 by Rev. Heinrich Nuelsen. The original members were Rudolph Irminger, Susanna Irminger, John Irminger, Heinrich Irminger, Elizabeth Irminger, Anna Irminger, Samuel Weber, Henry Weber, Jacob Weber, Maria Weber and Margaret Frey. The pastors that have served this church have been the same as those of Bethel German M. E. Church, both churches being under the same charge. The church building is a frame and was erected in 1873 at a cost of $700. 

Clay County| AHGP Missouri

Source: History of Clay County, Missouri, by W. H. Woodson, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, 1920.