Hickory County, Missouri
Hickory County was formed on February 14, 1845 from parts of Polk and Benton Counties. It was named for Andrew "Old Hickory" Jackson and the county seat, Hermitage, for his home in Tennessee. Original inhabitants were primarily Osage Indians on the North and the Sacs in the Southwest. Earliest discoverers were probably French, based on the names of the rivers in the area - Pomme de Terre (Potato), Gravois, Weaubleau, and the Auglaise. Most early settlers came from Kentucky and Tennessee.
The earliest white settlers were probably a German named Hogle (for whom Hogle's Creek was named) and his partner Pensoneau, a Frenchman from Cahokia, Illinois. Hogle and Pensoneau were Indian traders who settled in the Osage Valley. The earliest families appear to be the Zumwalts and the Ingleses who appear on Lindley Creek (near Pittsburg) by 1832. Other early settlers were the Vandevers, Judys, and the Grahams.
Images
- Map of Missouri highlighting Hickory County
- See an interactive map of Hickory County border changes.
Books
- Wilson's history of Hickory County, Published 1909. (Excellent source for early family histories.)
- History of Hickory, Polk, Cedar, Dade, and Barton Counties, Missouri: From the Earliest Time to the Present, Including a Department Devoted to the Preservation of Sundry Personal, Business, Professional, and Private Records, Besides a Valuable Fund of Notes, Original Observations, Etc., Etc (Google eBook)
- Plat Books of Missouri