St. Clair County
Remnants Of The Past

History of Henry and St. Clair Counties, Missouri, 1883

Early Settlers of Chalk Level Township

The early settlers of the county much preferred the broken in the southern rather than the rolling prairies of the north, and the first settlers of what is now Chalk Level Township settled mostly in the southern portion of it.
Those who settled previous to and during the year 1838 were John I. Wood, from Virginia, who settled on fractional section 31 in the southwest corner of the township, on the Osage River, in 1837; Robert Anderson lived north him, the same year, at Monegaw Springs; Simeon C. Bruce settled on section 4, township 38, range 26; John C. Looney, section 27, same township and range; Paris Sims on section 21, same township and range; Alexander Hoover on section 7, same township and range; M.C. David on section 5, township 39, range 26, and Noah Winston on section 32, township 39, range 26. These were all early settlers.
The Alexander Hoover above mentioned was the son of Alexander Hoover, of Taber Township. Theoderic Snuffer, from Montgomery County, Virginia, settled on the south half of southeast quarter of section 32 and south half of southwest quarter of section 33 in 1838, and Owen Snuffer, his son, came with him, then some twelve years of age, and now a prominent citizen of the county. Elisha Thomas, another son of the "Old Dominion", came in 1840 and located on the west half of southeast quarter of section 33. Then Martin McFerran, a brave and gallant soldier of the war of 1812, also from Virginia, found a home on the southwest quarter of southwest quarter and northwest quarter of northwest quarter of sections 28 and 33. He came in 1838. Then John Bedell came the same year, or very early in 1839, and purchased the east half of northeast quarter of section 32 for the erection of a cabin, but in the latter part of that year or in the spring of 1840 John Bedell was awakening the people of Huffman's Ferry with the ring of his anvil.
There were a few settlers, well known, that came a few years later. There was Elder John F. Thompson, of Virginia, came in 1843, took the California fever in 1849, left for the golden land in 1850, having run a tannery some six years, and was known on that account, far and wide. He arrived safely and was successful, for he sent his wife $1,800, but that was the last his family or friends ever heard from him. He probably has passed to the golden shore.
Lowry Jones came in 1844, and Finis Anderson in 1848, and the northern portion of the township gathered in its settlers mostly between 1840 and 1850.
The township could not be called progressive, and it was that portion of Monegaw which seemed to settle slowly.
As above referred, Chalk Level was not organized until 1869, and remained as such until 1872, when its described boundaries were placed upon the records with its sister townships. It was as follows:

Established and bounded as follows, to wit: Commencing at the center of the main channel of the Osage River, where the section line between sections twenty-six and twenty-seven, in township thirty-eight, range twenty-six, crosses said river, thence north along said section line to the northern boundary line of the county, thence west along said boundary line to the northwest corner of township thirty-nine, range twenty-six, thence south along the township line to the center of the main channel of the Osage River, thence along said main channel to a point where the township line between township thirty-seven, range twenty-six, and township thirty-eight, range twenty-six, crosses said river, thence east along said township line to the center of the main channel of said river, thence along said main channel to the place of beginning.

And the above is its present boundary.