In the County: May 7, 1953

From The Eagle Democrat

All the people we visited this week live past Willoughby Church and the old Camden road and in the Oakdale community.

Mr. and Mrs. B.O. Hendon and their six children, live just past Willoughby church on the left on the top of the hill. They've lived here twelve years and Mr. Hendon works at the Bradley Lumber Company. Mrs. Hendon is the former Roberta Whittington, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Whittington of Banks. Mr. Hendon is the son of Mr. and Mrs. C. Hendon from across the river in the eastern part of the county. The Hendons have a small garden, but they do not farm. Their children are as follows: Edith, Catherine, Corrinne, Calvin, Geraldine and Christine.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles White, who live down the road from the Hendons, have lived in their home for five years. Mr. White is a carpenter and works for Blaw-Knox Construction Company in Pine Bluff. He commutes to the job each day. Mrs. White is the former Marguerite Owens, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Owens of Wilmar. The Whites have two children, Linda and Tracy.

Mrs. W.P. White, Charles White's grandmother, lives just a short distance away. She has lived in her present home about ten years. W.P. White, her husband, died last May 26. Mrs. White was born in Lincoln County and was reared near Star City. She has lived in Bradley County 32 years. From 1925 until 1930, Mrs. White lived in Cleveland, Mississippi. Mrs. White is the mother of eleven children, ten of whom are living. They are: Wiley White of Warren, Rev. Eb White of Warren, Mrs. Roy O'Neal of Crossroads community, Mrs. Joe Livingston of Cleveland, Mississippi, Mrs. Jennie Mooney of Canton, Mississippi, Rev. Stanton White of the Willoughby community, J.B. White of Cleveland, Mississippi, Curtis White of Willoughby community, and Mrs. Troy Adams of Warren.

Mrs. White's son, Wiley White, lives just across the road. Mr. White also works for Blaw-Knox and has been with the company for two years. The Whites have lived in their present home for thirteen years. Mrs. White's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Willie Williams, built it. The Whites have four children: Mrs. Thomas Wolfe of Corning, Charles White, Patsy Ann White and Billy Mac White. The Whites are doing their first farming in six years this year. Tomatoes will be their money crop.

Mr. and Mrs. D.A. Perry and their children moved from Warren to the country one year ago and live about a mile past Willoughby church. Mr. Perry is a millwright for the Bradley Lumber Company. He's been with the company five or six years. Mr. and Mrs. Perry have six children: Mrs. R.J. Williams of Warren, Billy Jack Perry, Norma Jean Perry, Daniel Perry, Sammy Perry and Richard Perry. Mrs. Perry is the former Claudia Vaughn, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Vaughn of Warren. Mr. Perry is a native of Drew County.

Mr. and Mrs. Roy Wall live in a handsome brick home on the right a short distance from the Perrys. They built their home here in the early thirties. Mr. Wall, for a period a few years ago, was proclaimed the world's champion log chopper and was featured in Robert Ripley's syndicated column, "Believe It or Not." The Walls are cattle farmers and also have a pecan grove. Mr. and Mrs. Wall have one son, Joe Mack Wall, who is married and lives in Yuba City, California.

Roy McKinney, who lives diagonally across from the church, is known as one of Bradley County's most successful and enterprising farmers. A native of this neighborhood, Mr. McKinney has lived here all of his life. Mrs. McKinney, a former teacher in the Warren schools, was Miss Myrtle Roebuck of New Edinburg prior to her marriage. She is a sister of Dr. Fred G. Roebuck, pastor of the First Methodist Church in Fort Smith. The McKinneys have two children: Mrs. Wayburn Bolland of Warren, and First Lieutenant Robert E. McKinney, now stationed at Fort Hood, Texas.

Mr. and Mrs. Ted Bolland, who live across the road from the McKinnys, have lived in this neighborhood for seven years. Prior to moving to the Oakdale community, they lived in Warren. They came to Bradley county in 1936. Mrs. Bolland was originally from Locksburg, in Sevier County. The Bollands have two children, Peggy and Judy Kay. Mr. Bolland has two sons by a previous marriage, Wayburn and Joe Dean Bolland.

Submitted by Jann Woodard

In the County: May 14, 1953

From The Eagle Democrat

All the people visited this week live in the Oakdale and Crossroads communities, seven miles west of Warren.

Mrs. B.B. White has lived in the same house in the Oakdale Community since 1918. She was born, reared, and lived all but seven years of her life in this neighborhood. The seven years away were spent in Drew County and at Corinth in Bradley County. Mrs. White has one daughter, Miss Jewell White, who lives at home with her. Miss White teaches in the Banks schools.

Mrs. B.A. Reaves, long prominent in the work of her community and the County as a while, lives just down the road from the White place. Mrs. Reaves lives alone, but a grandson, Rufus Reaves, who lives only a short distance away, spends each night in her home. A native of Cleveland County, Mrs. Reaves is a sister of Lee Martin, former Warren man living in Little Rock, Miss Ozelle Martin of Warren, and the late Dr. Rufus Martin, Bryan Martin and Noel Martin. She is thr former president of the County Council of Home Demonstration Clubs. Mrs. Reaves is the mother of ten children. They are: the late Preston and Harold Reaves of Warren, Dr. Martin Reaves of Dallas, Texas, Hugh Reaves of the Oakdale Community, Miss Mary Clair Reaves of El Dorado, Senator Lee Reaves of Warren, Mrs. Edward Carter of Shreveport, Louisiana, Noel Reaves of Oklahoma City, and Glynn Reaves of Houston, Texas.

R. Lovett Reaves, one of the County's most successful and public-spirited farmers, has a handsome home on land that his family homesteaded in 1836. Mr. Reaves built his new home five years ago, and he built it solely from materials from his own place. Part of the lumber in the house came from Mr. Reaves' old home, which was torn down to make a place for the new building. The house has seven rooms and two porches, and all seven rooms have oak floors, cut from trees on the Reaves farm. In many of the rooms, the oak boards are room length. Mr. Reaves built the house himself with only a little outside help. This year, at least before the hailstorm Monday, Mr. Reaves planted tomatoes, beans, and had one of the finest stands of oats in Bradley County. Mr. Reaves is treasurer of the Bradley County Farmers Association, the L'Aigle Creek Soil Conservation district and is prominent in Bradley County Farm Bureau work. Mrs. Reaves is the former Ruby Lee Parrott, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jim Parrott of Warren. The Reaves' have two children, Jo Anne, 15, and Larry, 8. Both are in school in Warren.

O.W. Haygood, who was born and reared on a farm, is returning to farming this year after an extended absence. Mr. Haygood is a boilermaker, and has followed construction work for some years. He worked in Pine Bluff for the Blaw-Knox Construction Company up until two weeks ago. He has lived in his present home two years. This year he plans to do farming on a small scale. "A few tomatoes," he says. The son of Robert Haygood, Mr. Haygood's old home is on the highway between Warren and Banks. Mrs. Haygood is the former Lois Martindale of Ellisville in Calhoun County. The Haygood's have one daughter, Beverly, who is three.

Mr. and Mrs. Grover Wherry moved to their present home in December. Prior to moving to the Oakdale Community, they lived on Mrs. Alice Neely's place south of Oakdale. Mrs. Wherry is a native of Arkansas County and Mr. Wherry was born and reared in the Oakdale Community. The Wherrys have eleven children. They are: Mrs. Curtis Adams of Warren, Mrs. Clarence Braswell of Bastrop, Louisiana, Zollie Wherry, who is in the Army, Margaret Wherry of Little Rock, Mrs. Charles Sallius of Champaign, Illinois, Bill Wherry of the U.S. Navy, Mrs. Vesley Outlaw of Warren, and Waymon, Nancy, Jerry, and Peggy Wherry, who are at home with their parents.

Mr. and Mrs. A.G. Haygood and their small son, Charles Robert, live past the Wherrys a short distance down the old Camden Road. Mr. Haygood works in the timber department of the Southern Lumber Company. They've lived here for a year and a half. Mrs. Haygood is the former Aline Gates, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Gates of Jersey. Mr. Haygood is a brother of O.W. Haygood.

Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Wolfe have made their home on the road from the Oakdale Community down to Crossroads. They've lived here for five years. Mr. Wolfe works for Michey's Lumber, Inc., in Warren and their son, William Lovette farms on the place. The Wolfes had bad luck with their first planting of tomatoes this year. They lost 1800 plants because of the frost, but they have replanted and are hoping to "come out." Mrs. Wolfe is the daughter of Lovette Moseley of the Parnell Springs Community. Mr. Moseley, who is 82, makes his home with his daughter and son-in-law. The Wolfes have one daughter, Mrs. Harold Culp of Magnolia.

Submitted by Jann Woodard

In the County: May 21, 1953

From The Eagle Democrat

All the people visited this week live in the Crossroads community, seven or eight miles west of Warren.

Grady Wolfe lives north of the Banks highway between Crossroads and the Oakdale Community. Mr. Wolfe has lived on the same place for 35 years. He lives a short distance from the home of his mother. Mr. Wolfe has put in mostly cotton and feed crops this year. The feed crops will help feed his cattle, he says. Married to the former Gladys Hilson of Banks, Mr. Wolfe has one son, Charles Wolfe, who goes to school in Warren.

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Neal and their three children Mary, Frances and Bobby, live a short distance south of Mr. Wolfe's place. Mr. Neal works in the woods cutting cross ties. The Neals have lived in their present home for four years. A native of Mississippi, Mr. Neal has lived in Bradley County most of his life. Mrs. Neal is the former Elda Baldebrook from across the river in the eastern part of the county. All the Neal children are still at home with their parents.

Mrs. Eddie B. Dawkins live just north of the Highway on the old Dawkins home place. Mr. Dawkins has lived on this spot all his life. He is a farmer. The Dawkins' have no children. Mrs. Dawkins is the former Lonnie Simmons of Parnell Springs.

Mr. and Mrs. Ray Wherry have lived on their present place just a little over a month, but they've lived in the same house for quite a period of time. How did they do this? Easy, they moved the house. Mr. Wherry works at the Bradley Lumber Company. Both Mr. and Mrs. Wherry are natives of the Crossroads community. The Wherrys have two children, Larry and Beverly Mae, both of whom are in school at Banks.

Mr. Wherry's parents, Mr. and Mrs. R.H. Wherry, live just down the road. Mr. Wherry is 77 years old and has never lived more than a quarter of a mile away from his present home. His father came to this county from North Carolina and settled in this section. Mrs. Wherry, an extremely jolly person, is a native of Toledo, in Cleveland County. The Wherrys have seven children. They are: Mrs. Clifton Wheeler of Monticello, Rufus Wherry of Warren, Mrs. Gerald Lyons of Dayton, Maryland, Ray Wherry, Carl H. Wherry of Monticello, Mrs. Felton Bryant of Pine Bluff, and Levi Wherry of Warren.
[Jann's note: I believe the Wherrys came from SC)]

Mrs. Bryan Adams and her three children, Becky, Priscilla Rose and Joy Lane, live on the Winfred Neely place. Mr. Adams is currently working in Marshall, Texas. He is a millwright there. A native of Ebenezer, Mrs. Adams is the former Evelyn Spraggins. Mr. Adams is the son of Will Adams. The Adams' have lived here for two years. They originally lived at Ebenezer.

Mr. and Winfred Neely live on his family's old place. They farm the land and from the excellent appearance of their place, have made quite a success of it. Before the big rains and cold weather of the past week. Mr. Neely had an excellent stand of tomatoes started. He was especially proud of them when we talked with him, since he had kept them from freezing by using smudge pots and old automobile tires to raise the temperature of the air above the plants. Mr. and Mrs. Neely have one son, Keith Neely, who is in school at Banks. Mrs. Neely is the former Kathleen Ashcraft of Hollis Special

Pat Carmical, who is a native of Rye in Cleveland County, has owned his present place in the Crossroads community four or five years. The Carmical place is the old Wood Doggett place. Mr. Carmical plans to farm cotton, corn and tomatoes this year. The Carmicals have seven children. They are: Cecil Carmical, Mrs. Marvalene Nicholson of Pine Bluff, Mrs. Martha Reynolds of Bastrop, Louisiana, and Jonelle Norris of Hermitage. Two of the Carmical children, Wanda Joyce and Leon, are at home with their parents.

Submitted by Jann Woodard

In the County: May 28, 1953

From The Eagle Democrat

All the people visited this week live west of Warren in the Crossroads community, the Ebenezer community, and along the highway.

Mr. and Mrs. Roy O'Neal live on the old O'Neal home place south of the Banks highway in the Crossroads community. This place has been in the O'Neal family for over a hundred years. Mr. and Mrs. O'Neal have lived here for several years. Mrs. O'Neal is the Eagle Democrat's oldest correspondent in years of service. Since 1927--26 years, she has recorded the happenings in the Crossroads community. Mr. O'Neal is well-known to Warren people who were in the High School band during the R.P. Dial era. Mr. O'Neal owned the bus at the time and drove the band on its trips to Hot Springs, Nashville, Tenn., Jackson, Miss., and other points. He works for the county road system now. Mr. and Mrs. O'Neal have four children: Mrs. Perry Williams, who lives just across the road from them, Mrs. J.D. Rose, Jr., of Flint, Michigan, Bill O'Neal of St. Petersburg, Florida and Kenneth O'Neal who is a student in business school in Little Rock.

Mr. and Mrs. Perry Williams have lived across the road from her parents' home since 1945. Mr. Williams, who is a native of Selma, is a welder for Wilmar Steel in Warren. The Williams' do not farm. Mr. and Mrs. Williams have two children: Wanda and Jann. Both have just finished their school year at Banks.

Mr. and Mrs. W.A. Spraggins have lived in their handsome home in the Ebenezer community for two years. They've been on the same place, however, for 27 years. Though Mr. Spraggins works for Michey's Lumber, Inc., in Warren, he farms a bit in his spare time and keeps several hives of bees. Mrs. Spraggins is the Ebenezer correspondent for the Eagle Democrat. Mrs. Spraggins is the former Lula Mae Singer of Hermitage. The Spraggins' have three children, J.C. and Claude Spraggins of Warren and Barbara Spraggins who attends Arkansas A&M College.

Cone Kinard, one of Western Bradley County's prominent farmers, lives about half a mile from the Spraggins place. Mr. Kinard has a beautifully kept place and several acres of crimson clover in bloom made an entrancing sight at the time of our visit. Mr. Kinard's mother, Mrs. R.L. Kinard, lives with her son and daughter-in-law. The Kinard farm has been in the family for 55 years. Mrs. Kinard if 76 and has spent all her life in this neighborhood. Mr. Kinard has three children. They are: Mrs. Edward Jenkins, Mrs. Orval Jenkins, and Lummye Kinard, all of Warren.

Mr. and Mrs. Rucker Parker have their home just a short distance down the road from Ebenezer Baptist Church. They've lived here eleven years and do a small amount of truck farming. Mr. Parker works for the construction crew at the Bradley Lumber Company. Mr. and Mrs. Parker have three children: Mrs. Sammy Reep of Warren, Paul Dean Parker and Winfred Parker, who is stationed with the army in Germany.

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Submitted by Jann Woodard