Peter

Young Peter went to Ohio with his brother James. He served as the first assessor of Beavercreek Township in 1803, preparing a list of the 154 male inhabitants over 21.[1]

In 1806 he went to Indiana where he attempted unsuccessfully to claim the land his father had settled in Vincennes. The claim was rejected for lack of evidence, probably because of the death of his father. He then moved on to Missouri and in 1810, still unmarried, joined a group led by the Coopers (from Boonesborough, KY) who settled in the Boones Lick area along the Missouri.[2] It was so named because Daniel Boone’s sons had collected salt there, shipping it down river to St. Louis in hollowed out logs.

In 1812, the group built several forts in anticipation of the war that was about to begin. Cooper’s Fort contained 21 families and many young unmarried men, probably including Peter. One of the group later said: "in the Boone’s Lick country, except their war troubles, the people were very happy - full of fun & frolic - dancing on puncheon floors, cracking jokes - but little gospel - no law - no taxes - no doctors - no whiskey - & scarcely any natural death."[3]

Peter Popenoe is not listed among the men who fought there in the War of 1812. He was still alive in 1818 when he participated in family efforts to claim the Popenoe land in New Jersey. He may have died soon after. We don’t know who he married but we do know that he had a son James (5 Dec 1816-13 Dec 1906) who variously claimed Arkansas and Louisiana as his birthplace. Evidence from the back of an old family photo suggests that he was born in Indian territory that eventually became Polk County, Arkansas. Around 1837, James moved to the Republic of Texas and many of his descendants have continued to live in Texas to this day.[4] Family tradition says that he hauled freight by ox wagon from Jefferson, Texas to Dallas, and later by horse wagon before there was a railroad. The freight was sent from New Orleans by river boats to Jefferson (near Shreveport) then freighted by wagon to other towns.

[1] George F Robinson, History of Greene County, Ohio, Chicago: S J Clarke Pub Co, 1902, p 23. I have a photocopy of the original list, signed by Peter Popenoe.

[2] History of Howard and Chariton Counties, MO, St Louis: National Historical Co, 1883, pp 93, 151. Also Draper Mss, Series S, Vol 23, pp 126-129, Interview with Capt. Joseph Cooper.

[3] Draper Mss, supra, pp 141-142.

[4] See the genealogy of this line in the Popnoe Family. The family tradition story is from a letter from Mrs. T C Bassham to Paul Popenoe, December 1967, in Popenoe family files