Shawnee County History
Monmouth Twp.
"History of Shawnee County and Representative Citizens," James L. King, 1905
Monmouth Township � Originally this township belonged to the territory forming Tecumseh township, from which it was set off in 1860. It
lies directly south of Tecumseh, in the southwestern corner of the county.
Charles Matney was the first settler. He came from Tazewell County, Virginia, and settled at Westport, Missouri, where he carried on the business of
a freighter. On one of his trips across the plains he decided to change his
occupation to that of a farmer and selected a quarter section of land in what is
now Monmouth township, to which he moved August 17, 1854, bringing with
him 66 head of oxen, which were used in breaking the virgin prairie. His
brother, Harry Matney, soon joined him, and in the same year other settlers
arrived, including G. W. Berry, C. H. Buzzard, James Linn, Samuel E.
Thompson, Dr. N. W. Moore and L. Wentworth.
EARLY MONMOUTH SETTLERS.
The township enjoyed a good growth in 1855, some of the new settlers
being W. M. Jordan, William McCutcheon, John Morris, Hiram Shields,
William and Richard Disney, J. S. Freeland, Frank Helton, R. O. Johnson,
Aaron Coberly, Charles Allen, Harris Lyons, Silas Lyons, Isaiah Cox, N. L.
Williams, William Linn, John Helton, J. W. Riggs, T. D. Kemp and Joseph
Coberly. Most of the settlers were from Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. In later
years some of the best known citizens of the township were Maj. L. J. Beam,
C. A. Thresher, Jacob Coblentz, Alfred A. Disney, Emmor England, Joseph
P. Heil, Dr. H. Howard, Horace G. Lyons, Alexander McQuiston, Dr.
Isaiah M. Tevis, H. M. Zirkle and William A. Zirkle.
The Missouri Pacific Railroad crosses the southwestern part of the township. Richland, the principal station, was established as a post office in 1856,
with W. C. Murray as postmaster. The town has a population of 250.
Albert Neese conducts a bank and general store. E. L. Truesdale publishes
the Richland Observer. Another station is Tevis, a small farm settlement.
In 1857 the town of Carthage was born in the township, but it never reached
maturity.
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