Dr. Lankford addresses Izard Historians
BROCKWELL—Dr. George Lankford stressed the importance of local sources and local history as valuable tools in historical research when he spoke to the Izard County Historical and Genealogical Society on Sunday, January 13, 2013. Members and guests from Baxter, Izard, Independence, and Jackson counties attended the winter quarterly meeting at the Izard County Senior Center south of Brockwell, Arkansas.
A member of the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission, Lankford gave suggestions that local groups and individuals throughout Arkansas can use during this sesquicentennial to think about the issues of the Civil War.
Lankford has written two plays about the Civil War in Independence County after doing extensive research for ten years. The first play, “War Chronicles I: Independence County’s Civil War, 1860-62,” focused on the Union Army occupation of the county in 1862 and was presented during January 2011. The second play is titled “War Chronicles II: Independence County’s Civil War, 1863-64.” The plays are presented as part of the national commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War.
The plays are based on a large collection of quotations from diaries and letters written by citizens of Independence and Jackson counties and by soldiers of both armies and military reports of the time. The Independence County Historical Society and the Batesville Community Theatre will sponsor the second play, and the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville will host the performances in Independence Hall on campus during the first week of February.
Lankford’s unpublished collection is available to be read at the Old Independence Regional Museum and the White River Regional Library, both in Batesville. The two hundred page book cannot be checked out, but it can be read on site. Lankford stated, “The play script has been drawn from that collection and serves as a summary of the major events of these years.”
Arkansas Historical Association presents awards
Mr. W. J. “Bud” Cooper and Ms. Anna Floyd at Awards Ceremony.
The Arkansas Historical Association held their 72nd Annual Conference on April 11-13, 2013, at Helena-West Helena, Arkansas. More than 150 historians from across the state met for the event hosted by The Delta Cultural Center. “Claiming Freedom” was the theme for the conference during the Civil War Sesquicentennial.
The Reception and Annual Awards Banquet was held in the Fine Arts Center of the Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas on Friday night. Nine different categories of awards were presented to historical societies and individuals from all across Arkansas. Two Izard County natives were presented awards during the banquet.
The Walter L. Brown Awards are presented annually to Arkansas county and local historic journals. The award for Best School History was presented to Ms. Anna Floyd for her essay on the Brockwell Gospel Music School at Brockwell, Arkansas published in the July 2012 issue of The Izard County Historian, the publication of the Izard County Historical and Genealogical Society. Her essay was a very detailed account of the music school which was established in 1947. Floyd, the General Manager of the school and former music teacher, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Oklahoma City University. She is the daughter of the late L.L. Floyd, a founder of the music school and of the Izard County Singing Convention.
The Brockwell Gospel Music School concluded its 65th session in 2012 with 125 students attending. The Izard County based school, one of the few active music schools in the southern states specializing in the shape note method of writing music, is widely known and respected in the gospel music field.
Attending the Reception and Banquet were Ms. Floyd and Beverly Meinzer, teachers at the music school. W. J. Cooper, Jr., President, and William Waylan Cooper represented the Izard County Historical and Genealogical Society.
The J. G. Ragsdale Book Award in Arkansas History has been given annually since 2002 in honor of J. G. Ragsdale, a founding member of the Arkansas Historical Association and a former chairman of the University of Arkansas board of trustees. This award for 2013 was presented to Mr. Brooks Blevins for his book titled Ghost of the Ozarks: Murder and Memory in the Upland South. Blevins, a native of Violet Hill, received a $1,000 prize and a certificate. He is the Noel Boyd Professor of Ozarks Studies at Missouri State University at Springfield, Missouri.
Russell Baker speaks to Izard historians
Presenting a program titled “The Blue and the Gray: Searching for Civil War Ancestors” at the April 14, 2013, Izard County Historical and Genealogical Society meeting was Russell Baker, retired archivist from the Arkansas History Commission. Baker, the author of several dozen articles for the online Encyclopedia of Arkansas, has written several award winning historical and genealogical publications.
During the 150th anniversary of the War Between the States, emphasis has been on the generals and the battles. Instead, Baker emphasized the service records of the soldiers — men and a few women — who served in the armies and in the navies. In some cases, he explained a person might have served for both the Union and for the Confederacy in different years. The service records do not provide much genealogical information, but they tell about the soldier and his years of enlistment.
The Union records were more complete and told more details than the Confederate records. An index to Compiled Military Service Records, a 27 volume set arranged by state and the Military Records of Black Soldiers are good sources for Union information.
At the Arkansas History Commission are three microfilmed sources for Confederate records: an Index to Compiled Military Service Records, also as a published 17 volume roster; an Index to Units not raised directly by the Confederate Government; and Unfiled Paper and Slips of Confederate servicemen.
A Compendium of the Confederate Armies is a printed multi-volume history of the regiments raised by the various states. It is arranged by states. Most larger libraries will have the set.
Pension records are the second set of records to search. The soldier applied in the state where he currently lived—not the state from which he served. An Index to U.S. Military Pensions, 1861-1934, is available on some paid websites. It is also on microfilm at the Arkansas History Commission. Each Confederate state archives website lists an index to the Confederate Pension Records for that state. The actual records are on microfilm.
The Arkansas History Commission is located behind the State Capitol in Little Rock. Hours are 8:30 a.m. — 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It is closed on Sunday and major holidays. The website address is http://www.ark-ives.com.
Paul Gray Miller addressed Izard historians
At its July 2013 quarterly meeting, the Izard County Historical and Genealogical Society recognized veterans of military service who served in peace time and war. Decorations on each table were miniature American flags and flags of each branch of service.
W. J. Cooper, President, called the meeting to order and thanked veterans for their patriotism and willingness to serve our country. Patriotic music entertained the members and guests.
Mary Miller led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of American and the Salute to the Arkansas Flag. She also read the American’s Creed.
Elizabeth Daigle presented the Inspirational Moment, reading the names of Izard County men who made the ultimate sacrifice and whose names are inscribed on the Monument on the Courthouse lawn.
Cooper introduced Paul Gray Miller, who presented the program. Miller explained he is a fifth generation descendant of Reverend John Wesley Miller. A son, grandson, and great-grandson of Rev. Miller have lost their lives in defense of their county in various wars.
Miller was accompanied to the meeting by his sister, his wife, his son, and two grandchildren. His topic was the death of his father in World War II and how it affected his family as they grew to adulthood. His dad, Robert Gray Miller, was born September 26, 1910, near Zion and died on December 18, 1944 in service in Europe.
The Izard County Historical and Genealogical Society is proud to recognize and to thank the living soldiers for their service to our country. We also gratefully remember the sacrifice of those who gave their lives during the war.
Ogilvie to address Izard historians
The Izard County Historical and Genealogical Society will meet on Sunday, October 13, 2013, at 2 p.m. at the Izard County Senior Center south of Brockwell, Arkansas, on Highway #9 South. The meeting is open to the public.
Craig Ogilvie, a member of the society currently living in Batesville, will be the speaker for the meeting. Ogilvie will share information about the late Joe Robert “J.R.” Lewis, a veteran commercial photographer who pioneered the picture-taking business in North Arkansas.
Lewis began his career in photography in 1889 and traveled by mule and buggy making pictures in various communities. Lewis maintained studies in Melbourne and Mount Pleasant. During trips to Newark, Batesville, Mammoth Spring, Hardy, Cotter, and Mountain Home, Lewis traveled by train. In 1906, he established a studio on Main Street in Batesville. His sixty four year career in photography ended in 1953 when his studio closed because of his poor health.
Ogilvie, a talented political cartoonist and illustrator, worked for the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism producing travel features, art work, and photography. He received the first ever Lifetime Achievement Award to honor his fifty years of service to the Ozark Gateway Tourist Council in April 2012. Ogilvie received the Heritage Award from the Independence County Historical Society in 1995. This is the highest honor the Society can bestow. He is the former managing editor of the Batesville Guard and Weekly Record. He also served as editor of the Melbourne Times, the Calico Rock Progress, and the Sharp County Record. He helped to organize historical societies in five counties in north-central Arkansas. He has served five terms as President of the Batesville Genealogical Society.
Ogilvie has completed extensive research about photographer Lewis and located several Lewis photos. Since Mr. Lewis photographed in this area for many years, Ogilvie believes many of his photos may still be in existence in private collections as priceless pieces of regional history. Ogilvie invites people to look in their photo collections to find cards with the “J.R. Lewis” signature stamp and to bring these photos to the meeting. He would like to copy the photos and include them in his research about Mr. Lewis.