Editing Neosho, Missouri (section)

===Settlement: 1829−1845===
Starting in the late 1820s, European-American [[settlers]] of English, Scottish, German, Welsh, and Scots-Irish ancestry began moving into the area. The first of these settlers was Lunsford Oliver, who migrated from [[Tennessee]] in 1829 and located near [[Shoal Creek (Spring River)|Shoal Creek]]. He was the namesake for  Oliver's Prairie. His nearest neighbors were in [[Springfield, Missouri|Springfield]], sixty miles to the east. In 1831 he was joined by Nathaniel Turner, John Smith, Joseph Ross, Campbell Pure, Blake Wilson, Levi Lee, Carmac Ratcliffe, and George McInturf. McInturf built a corn [[gristmill|mill]], the first mill of any kind in the region. Soon afterward came Mathew H. Ritchie, who founded the town of [[Newtonia, Missouri|Newtonia]] near Oliver's Prairie, and John W. McCord, who settled near Walbridge Spring with Levie Lee and founded the town Neosho {{convert|12|mi|km|spell=in}} to the west. In these years, the region was called "Six Bulls", a colloquial reference to "six boils", referring to the large streams that flowed through the area – Shoal Creek, Center Creek, Indian Creek, Spring River, and North Fork.

By 1835, at least three schools had been established along Shoal Creek, and a teacher named Billingsley taught near Neosho. The earliest known religious effort dates to 1836, when [[Methodist Circuit]] riders visited the area and held meetings in settlers' [[Log cabin#Traditional log buildings in North America|log cabin]]s.

In 1843, [[Anthony Bewley|Rev. Anthony Bewley]] was appointed to the Neosho and [[Granby, Missouri|Granby]] circuit, establishing the first permanent churches in Six Bulls. Rev. John W. McCord was involved in organizing Neosho Presbytery, a [[Cumberland Presbyterian Church|Cumberland Presbyterian]] congregation at New Salem Campground, on May 15, 1837.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cumberland.org/HFCPC/Presby/Neosho1837.htm |title=Neosho Presbytery 1837-1838 - Cumberland Presbyterian Church |website=www.cumberland.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070216183013/http://www.cumberland.org/HFCPC/Presby/Neosho1837.htm |archive-date=2007-02-16}}</ref> These early settlers were sometimes visited by [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] from the Southeast United States, who had been relocated from [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] to the [[Indian Territory]] a few miles west of later Kansas under the [[Indian Removal Act]]. They periodically came into the area on hunting expeditions.

Newton County was originally contained in [[Crawford County, Missouri|Crawford County]] and afterward in [[Barry County, Missouri|Barry County]]. As the population increased, it was separated from Barry County on December 31, 1838, and established as a county under its present name. It was named in honor of [[American Revolutionary War]] [[Veteran#United States|veteran]] [[John Newton (soldier)|Sergeant John Newton]]. He was a comrade of [[William Jasper|Sergeant William Jasper]], who is memorialized at [[Fort Moultrie National Monument|Fort Moultrie]]. Later the counties of [[Jasper County, Missouri|Jasper]], [[McDonald County, Missouri|McDonald]], and [[Barton County, Missouri|Barton]], were successively created from some of Newton's territory.

The first county [[court]] session was held at Reed's residence on April 13, 1839, Judge Foster P. Wright presiding. John Reed, Hugh Shannon, and Jacob Testerman sat as [[Judge#United States|judge]]s under appointment by [[Lilburn Boggs]], [[List of Governors of Missouri|Governor of Missouri]]. John Reed was made presiding judge, Thomas Mosely Jr., appointed as [[County clerk|clerk]]; John Haskins, as [[Assessor (property)|assessor]]; and Isaac Gibson as [[Sheriffs in the United States|sheriff]]. [[Civil township|Townships]] were established and roads laid out by this body.

On November 12, the commissioners reported Neosho as the permanent seat of justice, and James Wilson was appointed a special commissioner to lay out the town. The first elected county judges were Edward V. Warren, Larkin Newton, Samuel V. Warren, and Samuel M. Cooley, with Milton Sexton as clerk in 1840. That same year, Milton Sexton, as superintendent, built the first [[Courthouse#United States|courthouse]], a log structure that was occupied in March 1841. In 1841, Charles S. Yancey became circuit judge of the Thirteenth Judicial District, to which Newton County was attached. The first state representative was John Wilson.

In 1840, Lemuel B. Hearrell conducted a school at Hickory Creek, which at times numbered forty pupils. In 1842, Wilson opened the first school in Neosho. He taught classical [[Latin]] and [[Further Mathematics|higher mathematics]]. The Methodist Church was active in the area from 1845.

During the 1840s, [[lead]] was discovered and entrepreneurs developed [[mining]] here. Neosho's early commercial development was dominated by lead and [[zinc]] mining. Newton County established one of Missouri's earliest commercial operations. Lead was transported by wagon from Neosho to [[Indian Territory]], then shipped down the [[Arkansas River]] and [[Mississippi River]] to [[New Orleans]]. French colonists had conducted lead mining further east in Missouri before the United States acquired the territory in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.