Charles Harrison SCHOOLER was born circa 1806/07 at Champaign, Logan County, Ohio. He was the son of Benjamin Harrison SCHOOLER (1780-1834) and Margaret Ann (JONES) SCHOOLER (1782-1813). Benjamin Harrison SCHOOLER was the captain of the 3rd Ohio Militia during the War of 1812.

On August 30, 1829, Charles married first to Hannah PAGE (or PAIGE) in Pleasant Township of Clark County, Ohio. Hannah, the daughter of Jonathan and Hannah (JONES) PAGE, was born in Clark, Kentucky, on January 10, 1804.

Charles and his older brother William were among the early settlers of Grundy County, Missouri, traveling with a 5-horse team and arriving in the spring of 1830. William was one of the first school teachers in Grundy County.

Charles moved further north in the summer of 1844. He settled near the Dragoon Trace on a stretch of level ground surrounded by timber and hill. Two miles to the east was Lotts Creek.

The Dragoon Trace was an ancient natural trail used by the Indians and later by the Dragoon (mounted) soldiers travling from Fort Des Moines through the area. At the time when Charles SCHOOLER arrived, the vicinity was by treaty reserved for the Indians.

It is believed that Charles' friend Elam BARBER [also spelled "BARBOUR"] may have accompanied the SCHOOLERS since it has been recorded that Elam helped build their cabin. Elam also settled near the grove a year later. They thought that they were residing in the state of Missouri.

The SCHOOLER cabin had a hole for a window but no sash or glass. The chimney was made of stick and sod, and the floor was made of cottonwood puncheons. Charles made his own furniture. His stock was a yoke of oxen. The SCHOOLERS traveled to Athens [present-day Albany], Missouri - a distance of 40-some miles - to conduct their trading.

Charles and Hannah were the parents of two daughters: Margaret M., born at Sandusky, Ohio, on September 20, 1830; and, Clarissa, born in Ohio around the year of 1835.

The SCHOOLERS enjoyed a good relationship with the Indians who passed through on hunting expeditions and camped in the area.

Hannah and her infant daughter died a year after they settled in what would be called SCHOOLER'S Grove. They were interred near the cabin, the exact location of their gravesite not known.

Charles married a second time to Mehitable BARBER who was born around the year 1819 in Ohio. She was the daughter of Andrew II and Oral BARBER and the niece of Elam BARBER. According to family legend, Mahitabel's grandmother Paleno MACK BARBER was part Cherokee.

Charles and Mahitabel's first child Manoah Barber SCHOOLER was born on October 24th of 1847, the first white child born in Ringgold County.

In either 1846 or 1847, James and Mary TETHEROW and their family arrived and settled in the Grove.

Margaret M., the oldest daughter of Charles Harrison and Hannah (PAGE) SCHOOLER, married James Allen ROBERTSON on January 7, 1849 in Gentry County, Missouri. James was a county judge in Gentry County. Margaret and James became the parents of twelve children. Margaret died in Worth County, Missouri, on April 5, 1887.

Elam BARBER died around the year 1849. He was buried, presumably, at SCHOOLER Grove. Elam's widow, Phebe (COVEY) BARBER remarried in 1850 to Henry MILLER. They resided near the GROVE.

In 1850, the border of Missouri and Iowa was decided and redrawn, making SCHOOLER Grove an Iowa community.

When Ringgold County was being organized, Charles SCHOOLER became the tax collector. He assisted in establishing the first school in Ringgold County. Later, he served as supervisor for Lotts Creek Township in the years of 1861 to 1863.

Charles was elected as county superintendent of schools, however he declined the office. Wendell POOR was appointed to take his place.

Charles and Mahitabel were the parents of four more children: Charles Taylor (1849/50-1905), Benjamin Harrison (1852-1915), John Elvis (1855-1920), and Elia E. (1855-?).

Charles died on January 6, 1865, and was interred at Ringgold Cemetery. Mahitabel died after 1870 in Worth County, Missouri.
Manoah SCHOOLER married on December 1865 to Delilah E. AYRES, the daughter of David and Delila (SHELLENBARGER) AYRES. After Delilah's death, Manoah married Sarah K. TANSEY on February 25, 1875. Between his two marriages, Manoah was the father of eleven known children. During the mid-1880's, Manoah moved out of Ringgold County, living in Missouri and Kansas. He died after the year 1920, but it isn't known when or where.

James M. TETHEROW was born in Tennessee after the year of 1813. He was among the youngest children of Michael TETHEROW and Barbara (SHRUM) TETHEROW (also spelled "DETTERO" or "DUTTROW' or "TUTTEROW"). Michael TETHEROW was born in 1776, Shenandoah Valey, Virginia. He died enroute to Missouri with his family. Solomon, the oldest son, was the captain of a wagon train consisting of 66 wagons that left St. Joseph, Missouri for Oregeon in 1845. He died on February 15, 1879 in Mammouth, Oregon.

From The History of Daviess County, Missouri, it is noted that "The first marriage in Grand River township was, undoubtedly, that of James TETHEROW and Miss Mary SMITH. James was persevering and Mary very loving, and as their hearts throbbed in unison and beat as one, it wad thought best to have a wedding. The Rev. J. McMAHAN was called upon tn perform the interesting ceremony, and he came, so did a few of the neighbors, and it was not long before Miss Mary SMITH became Mrs. James TETHEROW. There were hearty congratulations and similarly earnest wishes for a happy life, and all was over. James did not take the cars and go off will his bride on a trip to spend the honeymoon, but he took an ax and startd on to furnish provisions for the extra mouth he had to feed. All this happened on one of the balmiest days of spring, in the year 1835."

Other records state that James and Mary were wed on July 16, 1837. They arrived in SCHOOLER Grove in either 1846 or 1847. On April 18, 1857, James sold some land to Peter WALTER. After that, there are no records of James M. TETHEROW. It is not known what became of the TETHEROW family after 1857.

The first school taught in Ringgold County was in a log house located on Charles SCHOOLER'S land. John CUNNIGHAM was the first teacher. The pupils were Manoah SCHOOLER, Return CASE, Sarah CASE, Peter CASE, Jane ALEXANDER, Alfred FORBES from Missouri, Frank HARROW, James HARROW, Susan CUNNINGHAM, and Charles T. SCHOOLER. The pupils sat on seats made out of the halves of trees that extended the length of the schoolhouse and with inserted legs to make benches.

Mr. and Mrs. James C. HAGANS and their family of eight children settled several miles west of SCHOOLER'S Grove near what would later become Watterson, arriving in the vicinity in the latter part of 1854.

Unlike most of the early setters at SCHOOLER'S Grove who stayed only a brief period of time, Jacob and Mary CASE arrived in 1854, settling on a farm about a mile west of Ringgold City and stayed the remainder of their lives. Jacob CASE was born in Henderson, New Jersey on March 11, 1817. During the first 37 years of his life, he moved from state to state, at first with his parents, then on his own. He was married in Leesville, Indiana on July 24, 1842 to Mary Bryson COX who was born in July of 1823. Jacob and Mary arrived in Decatur County, Iowa, in 1853. Jacob and his brother-in-law Martin COX traveled over the whole of what would become the eastern portion of Ringgold County, not finding a single house or residence until they came to "Hickory Point" in Missouri. In July of 1854, Jacob and S. L. COX traveled over almost every part of Ringgold County and in time met Charles SCHOOLER. Jacob and S. L. camped two nights on Lotts Creek near the SCHOOLER homestead, and then on Walnut Creek north of present-day Mount Ayr. Jacob bought the Washington SMITH cabin situated near the SCHOOLER homestead, paying the price of a cow and $20.

In September of 1854, Jacob and S. L. moved to SCHOOLER'S Grove. At the time the only families in Ringgold County besides themselves was the Charles SCHOOLER family, the Joel CHAMBERS family, the Henry MILLER family, and the Barnet WILSON family.

In the spring of 1855, Sanford HARROW laid out Ringgold City, the first village of Ringgold County. The cabin Jacob CASE bought from Washington SMITH was used by Sanford HARROW for a store building which opened its doors in April of 1855. This pre-dated Baton DUNNING's store in Mount Ayr by six weeks.

After the Civil War, Joseph P. McANINCH and other children of Samuel and Mary "Polly" (SKIDMORE) McANINCH settled in the Ringgold City vicinity in Ringgold County, Iowa. They and their descendants are interred in the Ringgold City Cemetery.

Dr. J. T. MERRILL came to Ringgold City in 1856 and had a medical practice there until 1866 when he moved to Mount Ayr where he went into partnership with Dr. D. F. SELLARDS.

Postal records do not show an offical governmental post office at Ringgold City unitl February 18, 1860 with David LAMB appointed at the first post master. With the exception of a period from December 16, 1875 to March 6, 1876 when the mail was temporarily routed through Caledonia, Ringgold City's post office continued to be in operation until it was closed on June 30, 1908.

The Evangelical Church was established in Ringgold City. Rev. J. M. HARPER was the pastor in 1882.

Samuel McFadden KATER was converted to the Evangelical Church around the year 1884. A year later Mary L. JARRED, age seventeen, was among the first five persons who converted during a revival meeting held at the schoolhouse. Mary later married Sherman McANINCH and remained a faithful member of the church until her death April 4, 1919.

Elizabeth "Edith" SWIGART, adopted by Roy and Jennie (McANINCH) SWIGART, converted to the Evangelical Church at the age of sixteen. She led an active and pious Christian life until her death two years later at age eighteen on October 22, 1926. She was interred in Ringgold Cemetery.

Ida (SULLIVAN) McANINCH, wife of Oscar McANINCH, and her sons Emerson and Weldon McANINCH were faithful members of the Evangelical Church. Ida converted to the church in 1905. She died at age 39 in February of 1920. Emerson McANINCH grew up to be a school teacher, evangelist, and a preacher. He returned to Ringgold County as an adult and preached guest sermons at the Ringgold and Salem Evangelical Churches and the Caledonia Methodist Church. He was a guest minister at Mount Ayr's Free Methodist Church in the 1960's.

Weldon McANINCH took a different path than his brother Emerson. He lost his horses while gambling. Weldon robbed a Kansas City bank and killed an official when fleeing. Upon his capture and conviction, Weldon was incarcerated at Alcatraz off the shore of San Francisco, California. Emerson appealed for his brother's case. Weldon was released after serving approximately 10 years. He married and raised a family in California. It is believed that he died in November of 1984, Sacramento, California.

Other members of the Evangelical Church were Sherman McANINCH, Milburn J. PITMAN, Roy SWIGART, Minnie ZINN, Mrs. Cora HALEY, Dallas SMITHSON, Mrs. Moses (Sarah) POTTORFF, and Mrs. A. L. (Rosetta) CASE.

RINGGOLD CITY, located near the Missouri State line in Ringgold County [Iowa], 12 miles south of Mt. Ayr, the usual shipping point on the Mt. Ayr branch of the CB&Q Railroad. Ringgold City receives mail tri-weekly, J. WARNTZ, postmaster.

Businesses listed in the directory of 1882:

BRADSHAW, E. T., insurance
DUNN, R. H., physician
GINN, J., cooper
HARPER, Rev. J. M., Ringgold Evangelical Church
JARRED, G. W., wagonmaker
WARNTZ, J., postmaster, livestock

Mount Ayr Record News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, June 28, 2016

John S. Kater recently opened a new store at Ringgold and carries a complete line of drygood, groceries, flour, work clothing and notions.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, October of 2016

Mount Ayr Record News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, May 23, 2002

County Columns ~ Maloy
By Liz Lynch

Sunday afternoon Bob and Liz took flowers to Lotts Grove Cemetery south of the Watterson Quarry in Missouri. On the return they turned east on the first Iowa road and droze past Liz's childhood home sites. It was sad because the area where the house stood was so full of box elder trees you could not have walked through. A new trailer home and lawn had been set up across the road in the timber clearing. They went on the 2.5 mile route she walked to Ringgold school and up the road north to the Ringgold Cemetery. It and the one south of Watterson had been mowed up and looked great. They back tracked to the main road and went east and north toward Caledonia. They saw the COULSON brother's beautiful herd of Charolais cattle. These were on the pasture land where Ada ROGERS grew up. Part of the road traveled is on the Dragoon Trace.

SOURCES: BANNER, Raymond V. Ringgold City, Iowa 1844-2002: From First Settlement to Forgotten Community January 2002

The History of Daviess County, Missouri p. 650. Birdsall &Dean. 1882.

McANINCH, Frank, editor McANINCH Family History Newsletter Vol. X, No. 1-4, 2001, reprint Nov 2002

files.usgwarchives.org/ia/ringgold/history/ring.txt

Written &Submitted by Sharon R. Becker, 2007; updated May of 2010; updated October of 2016

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