In the County: October 1, 1953

From The Eagle Democrat

Prospect Community:

Mr. and Mrs. S. C. McGuire have a home that is almost 100 years old on the Prospect Road between Warren and Hermitage. The original part of the house is made of hand-hewn logs and it is thought to have been constructed prior to the Civil War. The McGuires have lived here since they bought the farm and house seven years ago. Mrs. McGuire is a native of the Eagle Lake area. She went to Little Rock in the late twenties to work for the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company and met her husband, who was also a telephone employee. During the depression, they came to Bradley County and began farming in the Eagle Lake region, moving here just after World War II. Mr. McGuire's cotton is good this year but hail ruined his tomato crop. He was preparing to repair the house roof at the time of our visit. "I couldn't get an insurance settlement," he says. Mr. and Mrs. McGuire have three children, Sam, Jr., of Babitt, Nevada; Paul of Camden; and Barbara of Shreveport, Louisiana.

Mr. and Mrs. Thornton McDougald have their home south of the McGuire place on the Prospect Road. Mr. McDougald is a scaler for the Hermitage Division of the Southern Lumber Company and farms his place in partnership with a relative. He's a native of Gravel Ridge. Mrs. McDougald is the former Iva Hairston of Hermitage and Minden, Louisiana. She married Mr. McDougald, a widower, a short time ago. Mr. McDougald has two children by his first marriage: Donnie Ray and Carolyn Joyce McDouglad.

Mr. and Mrs. Fred Rowell have lived in their present home three years. They have been in this section considerably longer, however, living on Dr. Reason's place a little further north toward Prospect. Mr. Rowell, like most of the people in this area, has fairly good cotton this year, but the tomato crop was not up to par. Mrs. Rowell is the former Gordie McDougald of Gravel Ridge. Mr. Rowell is a native of Spring Hill. The Rowells have two children: Leslie and Linda Rowell.

Mr. and Mrs. H. B. Stuart moved to this neighborhood from Warren a year ago. A former employee of the Bradley Lumber Company, Mr. Stuart is farming this year. He has a fairly bad crop this year, but it was good enough to keep the Stuarts liking to live in the country. Both Mr. and Mrs. Stuart are natives of Sumpter. She is the former Ethel Forrest. Mr. and Mrs. Stuart have a daughter, Mrs. M. B. Smith of Warren, Nelkie Sue Stuart, their granddaughter, is staying with them and attending school at Hermitage.

Submitted by Jann Woodard

In the County: October 8, 1953

From The Eagle Democrat

[Jann's note: this article is difficult to read. Part of it was in the "spine" of the newspaper, but I think it is worth posting. I will leave blanks in the areas I cannot make out.]

All the people visited this week were on the Farmville Road just north of Hermitage.

Mr. and Mrs. Bert Wright have lived in their home just outside Hermitage on the Farmville road for ___years. They've lived in the neighborhood, however, for some _____. Both are natives are of Bradley County, and Mrs. Wright was Eu___Kelly prior to her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Wright have six children living. Their eldest son, ___Kelly, drowned while swimming in a small pond on the place just two years ago. The other children are: Jesse who is in the Army in Korea, _____of Ingalls, Mrs. Bernice McClain of New York City, Mrs. ___Caldwell of Savannah, Georgia, Mrs. Mary Eva Castleberry of Bastrop, Louisiana, and ___Ann Kelly, who is at home with her parents and in school at Hermitage.

__T. Bunn came to this neighborhood last year from Judsonia in Central Arkansas. Mr. Bunn is a widower and lives on a place owned by Walter Castleberry across the road from the Wright place. Mr. Bunn lives alone with only a television set for company. He raised a good crop of cotton this year and has a patch of strawberries. He was to leave shortly for a visit to go see his children in central and north Arkansas. He hoped to hire his cotton picked so he could stay with his children through March.

Mr. and Mrs. H. F. Castleberry have lived in this community for ___years. Mr. Castleberry has farmed most of this time, but this year he's hauling longs for the Bradley Lumber Company. Mr. Castleberry still has some cattle and will have them for some time. Both Mr. and Mrs. Castleberry are natives of Bradley County. She was Ethel Hickman. Mr. and Mrs. Castleberry have four children: Frank of Norphlet, ___of Houston, Texas, Fred, at home with his parents, Mrs. ____Arrington of Ardmore, Oklahoma, and Mrs. Melvin ___, wife of a Leachville, Ark., Baptist minister. Mr. and Mrs. Castleberry's two daughters went to North Arkansas to teach school and married there.

Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Gorman live on Dr. Reason's place west of Hermitage. Mr. Gorman is a truck farmer, and this year his crop has included tomatoes, butter beans, peas, and other ____. Mr. Gorman is a native of Bradley County and married while he was in service in Oklahoma. Mr. and Mrs. Gorman have four children: Linda Sue, Tommy, Wanda, and Roger Dale.

Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Bowman have a nice looking place in a grove of trees in the Farmville Community. Mr. and Mrs. Bowman have lived here 42 years and Mr. Bowman is a Star Route mail carrier between Warren and Vick. He's been with the postoffice department for ten years. Prior to this he devoted all his time to farming. Mr. and Mrs. Bowman have six children: Morton of Shreveport, Kirby, in the Air Corps in England, Mrs. Olen Greenwood of Farmville, Felton of Houston, Texas, Mrs. Maxine Yates of Little Rock and Miss Jerry Bowman of Little Rock.

Submitted by Jann Woodard

In the County: October 15, 1953

From The Eagle Democrat

All the people visited this week live on the Farmville road between Warren and Hermitage.

W. W. Owens and his family have lived in this community since 1905. Mr. Owens is a native of Bradley County and was born and reared in the Ingalls section of the County. Ingalls wasn't there when Mr. Owens was a boy. It sprung up when Rock Island built its line from Tinsman to Crossett. "Down where the Ouachita and Saline River join in the southern most part of the County that was known in those days as "The Dark Corner," he says. Mr. Owens has three children living: Elmer Owens of Farmville, Mrs. G. K. Barth of Yorktown, Texas, and Mrs. Vivian Castleberry, who is at home with her parents. Mrs. Castleberry formerly lived in Little Rock. The Owens place was homsteaded in the 1840's by John Marr. The springs behind the Owens home were called Marr Springs. The late Julius Adams, pioneer citizen of the Central section of the County, told Mr. Owens that he attended church before the Civil War in a log church near where the Owens home now stands. Sam Turner, grandfather of the late Cone Turner, built a log house in this section in 1847.

Mr. and Mrs. Thad Godwin moved out in the country from Warren last February. They lived on East Church street in Warren and are very happy living in the country. They do some truck and cattle farming and raise a few chickens, but for the present they're just enjoying the country life. Mr. Godwin is a salesman for the Ouachita Grocery Company in Camden. Mrs. Godwin, a registered nurse, is a native of Pine Bluff. Mr. and Mrs. Godwin have two children: Kathy and Thad, Jr. Kathy suffered an attack of polio some time ago and has to wear a brace on one leg. Her mother gives her therapy each day. Kathy is five years old.

Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Vail, also moved to the Farmville community from Warren. They moved down here two years ago. Mr. Vail is a logger. Mrs. Vail is the former Ina Bell Grider, daughter of the late County Judge R. H. Grider. Mr. Vail is the son of J. M. Vail of Banks. Mr. and Mrs. Vail have three children: Catherine, Connie and Michael.

Mrs. R. G. Garrison has lived here in the Farmville section since her marriage in 1922. Mrs. Garrison is the former Ollie Mae Knowles. Her farm is in hay meadows and pastures but she sys these are dried up because of the County's drouth. Mrs. Garrison has four children: Mrs. Leslie Miller of Indianola, Oklahoma, Richard Garrison of El Dorado, Jim Garrison who is working on the atomic project at Portsmouth, Ohio, and John, an eleven year old Little League football player, who is at home with his mother.

Submitted by Jann Woodard

In the County: October 22, 1953

From The Eagle Democrat

All the people visited this week live below Hermitage on the Gravel Ridge road.

Mr. and Mrs. Audley Givens are well-known citizens of this section and are members of one of the pioneer families of lower Bradley County. Mr. Givens' father, the late Thomas J. Givens, came to this country from Alabama in the early 1880's and homesteaded an adjoining place in 1883. He purchased the land on which the present Givens home stands to enlarge his holdings. Mr. Givens' mother, a widow, who will be 95 her next birthday, lives with her son and daughter-in-law. Mrs. Givens is confined to a wheelchair and has become increasingly hard of hearing, yet she remains an alert, spry look and manner. Up until two years ago she got around without the wheelchair. Mrs. Givens is a native of this county and is said to be its oldest citizen. Mr. and Mrs. Audley Givens have four children: Rev. Wayne Givens, a Monticello Baptist minister, Max Givens, with the Southern Lumber Company in Warren, John Givens, with the I. J. Case Tractor Company in Memphis, and Mrs. Otto Johnson, who teaches at Vick.

Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Reynolds have lived in their present home in this section since the end of World War II. A veteran, Mr. Reynolds was wounded in the Normandy invasion. Mr. Reynolds was born in Bradley County, but he was reared in Louisiana and returned to the County a few years ago. He operates a service station in Hermitage. Mrs. Reynolds is the former Madge Booker. Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds have four children: Glenda, Jerry, Luneal and Sue, all at home with their parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Erman Kinard have also lived here since 1945. Mrs. Kinard is a sister of Mrs. Reynolds and Mr. Kinard is also a native of the County. He was brought up near Ebenezer and is a brother of Cone Kinard. Mr. Kinard's crops were poor this year because of the drouth, so he's working the woods for the Bradley Lumber Company. Mr. and Mrs. Kinard bought their place through the Farm Security Administration and have done well all but this year. Mr. and Mrs. Kinard have two children: Carol and Joy.

Mr. and Mrs. Kyle Thornton moved their house from Hermitage back to the old Thornton family place a short time ago. The land they're on now has been in the family for many years. Mr. Thornton is a construction worker and is now working at Minden, Louisiana. Mrs. Thornton stays home and takes care of the place. They do a little truck farming and have a flock of chickens that lay hatching eggs for a Fayetteville hatchery. The have four children: James, who is in the Navy at Long Beach, California, and Ben, Bobby, and Margaret Thornton, who are in school at Hermitage.

Submitted by Jann Woodard

In the County: October 29, 1953

From The Eagle Democrat

All the people visited this week live in the Gravel Ridge Community west of Hermitage.

Mr. and Mrs. Arlie Lewis have lived on their present place for 26 years. That they live in Gravel Ridge is evidence of the great American pioneer spirit and willingness to take a chance. Here's why: Mr. Lewis' father, the late J. C. Lewis, was a farmer near Amarillo, Texas, far up in the Texas Panhandle. A Mr. Pirtle who owned the present Lewis place, visited near the Lewis home in Texas a good many years ago and offered to trade places with Mr. Lewis. Thought Mr. Lewis had never been in Bradley County, he traded with Mr. Pirtle and came to Bradley County. The Lewis place was homesteaded many years ago - before the Civil War in fact. There is an old log house on the place that was used to house slaves. The Lewis' are cattle and tomato farmers, and since the past year was a bleak one for anyone in this business, Mr. Lewis is running a cotton gin at Harrell this fall. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis have four children: Mrs. Ira Spears, Jr., of Pine Bluff, Mrs. Paul Gray of Pine Bluff, Mrs. Joe Watson of Pine Bluff, and Reba Nell Lewis who is a senior in Hermitage High School.

Mrs. L. C. Osborne has lived in this community for four years. She moved down here from the Spring Hill Community near Banks. Mrs. Osborne lives with her daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Belin. Mr. Belin farms and hauls stock for various farmers in this section. Mrs. Osborne has four children: Earl Osborne of Spring Hill, Mrs. J. T. Vail of Spring Hill, Mrs. Floyd Belin, and Mrs. Ruby Belin.

Mrs. Ruby Belin lives a short distance from her mother and sister and brother-in-law. She was widowed three years ago. Mrs. Belin raised some tomatoes this year but they weren't too successful. Mrs. Belin has four children, George, Mildred, JoAnn and Kenneth. The three older children are in school at Hermitage.

William McDougald has lived on his present place in Gravel Ridge for ten years. He is a native of Bradley County and is a farmer. This year he had in tomatoes, potatoes, and cotton, but only the cotton was fairly successful. Mrs. McDouglad is the former Flora Langston from the lower end of the County. Mr. and Mrs. McDougald have seven children: Wayne of Jersey, Jacquelin, Maysel, Donny, Merl, Kenneth, and Jim Bob McDouglad, who are at home with their parents.

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Submitted by Jann Woodard