Oregon County

In the selection of names given to new counties and townships, the men who organized them often turned to national events and the men most involved in those events. A man who was known as Missouri's model Senator and the Father of Oregon was so honored on February 14, 1841. When the General Assembly passed an act to define the boundaries of Ripley County, they called for a future county to be formed from the Western part of Ripley County called Oregon County in honor of Doctor Lewis Fields Linn. The home of Senator Linn was at St. Genevieve. On the 7th of February, 1838, he introduced a bill in the United States Senate to form Oregon Territory and fought for the development of the west till his death on October 3, 1843.

At the 13th General Assembly of Missouri, Representative John W. Snider introduced a bill to organize Oregon County as the population had become 200 greater than the 500 required. This was passed on February 14,1845, and a Creative Act was issued appointing John Buford and John Chilton of Shannon County and Hardy Kell of Ripley County to select a permanent seat of justice for Oregon County.

Thomasville was selected and officials appointed were: County Justices: West Maulding, Charles Huddleston, and J.C. Casey, Circuit Court Judge, Charles H. Allen; Sheriff, William S. Allen.

On the 1st Monday of October, 1845, Circuit Court convened at the house of John Thomas. Present were: Judge Charles H. Allen; Attorney, P.O. Minor; and Sheriff, William S. Allen.

Oregon County was divided into four townships, Linn: in honor of Senator Linn; Moore: in honor of John M. Moore; Jobe: in honor of William S. Jobe; Howell: in honor of James Howell of Howell Valley.

At this meeting the county court appointed Willie Howell, Court Clerk, Abrahams Thomas, tax assessor and William S. Allen, tax collector.

The county court met Monday, 9th of November, 1846. Some of the business conducted was: Made settlement with William S. Allen and allowed him to charge himself with $4.50 received that year in delinquent taxes; appointed William B. Karr, Charley Huddleston and Ephram Thomas as Justice of the Peace in Moore Township.

Record was made of the state appropriations for 1845 that had been received by the treasurer on the 25th day of December,1845. The surplus of $189.75 was ordered to be placed at 10% interest to men of the county who were solvent and the same to be secured by mortgage on real estate.

Some acts of the County Court in the year 1847 were: William S. Allen commissioned to draw Oregon County's share in the sale of 5,000 acres of State of Missouri lands; ordered the approval of the bond of A.J. Thomas, Administrator of the Estate of William McIntire; appointed Issac DePriest Tax Assessor of Oregon County to replace Abrahams Thomas who had died; commissioned John R. Woodside to build a court house on the public square of the town of Thomasville that was to be 20 feet square, two stories with an outside stairs to the upper floor, made from neatly hewn pine logs faced twelve inches, two doors downstairs, on door upstairs, doors to be hung with iron hinges, two windows upstairs, two windows downstairs, windows to have glass lights, roof to be oak shingles, all to be shuttered, cased, battened and faced, the probable cost of sawbuckeling to be $140. Approval of treasurers report for year 1846 as follows: receipts $202.04 and expenditures of $204.94; ordered the County Clerk to issue the pill peddler's license and hand same over to the collector of Oregon County,

Appointed as judges of elections for county were: Walter Bellah, John Lasly, Josiah H, Howell, Noah Standly, Simpson Couch, Charles H, Royester, Hiriam Long, Issac Rust, James Perkins, Robert Campbell, P.O. Minor, Peter Benjamin, Thomas J. Howell, Willie Howell, Gabriel Denney, Issac Perkins, and John Parrock.