Lawrence County, Missouri: Mother of counties

Most people consider county boundaries as fixed since their formation. This may confuse historical researchers and result in failing to consider researching elsewhere when they look for local records. County boundaries changed frequently in Missouri until the mid-1800s. However, few realize that parts of Missouri's early counties are actually in Arkansas today. One of these, Lawrence County, included a large area of what is today southern Missouri.

Missouri Territory was first organized from Louisiana in 1812 after Lower Louisiana became a state. The remainder, Upper Louisiana, became Missouri Territory. This included five districts: St. Charles, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Cape Girardeau and New Madrid. Arkansas was part of the New Madrid District until the territorial legislature created Arkansas County in 1813. The legislature further reduced New Madrid County on March 1, 1815, by creating Lawrence County, Missouri, named for Capt. James Lawrence, an officer in the War of 1812.

The new county's boundary began at the mouth of Little Red River on the line dividing [New Madrid] county from Arkansas County, along that line to St. Francis River, up St. Francis River to the line between Cape Girardeau and New Madrid counties, along that line to the western boundary of the Osage purchase, then along that line to the northern boundary of Arkansas County and the beginning.

The boundaries of Lawrence County included all or part of 17 counties of modern southern Missouri and 23 counties of present-day northern Arkansas. Thus, many Arkansans call it the "mother of counties." Lawrence County was part of Missouri Territory until 1819, when Arkansas Territory was created. The county seat was at Davidsonville on Black River. Initially, the remainder the southern part of Missouri Territory was Arkansas County, with county seat at Dewitt.

Lawrence County records include a number of people who settled Southeast Missouri and either moved further south and west or lived in areas that became Lawrence County. Deeds, court records, probate records and tax lists for the 1813-1825 era still survive. For example, familiar names in early Missouri records appearing on the 1816 Lawrence County tax list include Ashabraner, Boran, Boyd, Brummitt, Conaway, Corzine, Goliher, Goza, Gray, Janes, Janis, Lafferty, Lawrence, Mills, Renfroe, Ruddell and Williford. Others, such as Stephen Byrd, members of the Ramsey family, and Thomas S. and John Rodney, moved into Lawrence County, Arkansas, in the 1820s.

The full extent of Lawrence County, Missouri lasted until July 4, 1819, when the portion below the current Missouri-Arkansas boundary became part of the new Arkansas Territory. Lawrence County, Missouri, remained until its territory became part of Wayne County on February 16, 1825. The county ceased to exist until a new Lawrence County, Missouri, formed in 1843.

Today, Lawrence County, Arkansas, is much smaller than it was at its zenith. The original county seat, abandoned because of yellow fever, moved to other locations until finally locating at Walnut Ridge. All that remains to mark its former extent are a few old records and the pages of the history books.