Scott County contains 584 square miles or 373,760 acres. It is one of the so-called “Hill Counties”, not because it is extremely hilly, but to distinguish it from the Delta counties. It is a part of the Jackson Prairie Belt, consisting mostly of rolling upland prairie soil. Farming was the principal occupation of the early settlers of Scott County. Cotton was by far the most prevalent crop, but the early settlers, grew row crops for food. According to the first census taken after the organization of the county, there were only about 200 white families with an average of two slaves per family. During the next ten years the population almost tripled. Many settlers in the Scott County area came from, or were descendants of people who came from France, Ireland, England, Germany, and Scotland. The first white child born in Scott County, A.B. Smith, was born in Hillsboro but moved to Forest in 1869. He was both a lawyer and leading Democrat of the time.
Early Settlement
