Early Days in Dallas County, by Elva Murrell Hemphill -- "pg 88, First Land Entries -- .... Township 35, Range 19 -- The Big Niangua river tranveres the eastern part of this township.... Township 35, Range 20 -- First entries were made in 1840 by William A. Gillespie, John F. Marsh, Samuel Richardson, Sr., James Marsh, James W. Wisdom, Noah Bray, Soloman Parker, William S. Marsh and John M. Marsh.  The next entries were in the '40s by Lewis Richardson, Lewis H. Marsh, Sterling Linsey, James P. Mundy, George W. Jones, John Ethridge, James Marsh, John and James Tucker, Mary L. Inks, Wiliam Clarke, Samuel L. Huffman and William Hughes.... The nearest and only trading post was Springfield which then comprised of only one small country store and a blacksmith shop when the first settlers began to immigrate into the fertile wildreness country that comprised Dallas County.... "