(From the Preface) “The author has attempted to show how the original five counties in 1812 were divided and sub-divided until, by 1862, 114 counties had emerged. Reynolds County at one time, at least in part, has been a portion of seven counties; Ste. Genevieve, Cape Girardeau, Washington, Wayne, Madison, Ripley, and Shannon.”

(From the Preface) “The author has attempted to show how the original five counties in 1812 were divided and sub-divided until, by 1862, 114 counties had emerged. Reynolds County at one time, at least in part, has been a portion of seven counties; Ste. Genevieve, Cape Girardeau, Washington, Wayne, Madison, Ripley, and Shannon.”