The winning essays were published during the year 2014 in the “Arkansas Family Historian Magazine”.Russell Baker announced the first prize was awarded to William Smith for his essay titled “Physician of Wide Fame: The Fractured Tale of Dr. James Sullivan of Old Moro”. The second prize was awarded to Betty McCollum for the essay titled “Mighty Hard Times”: the Civil War Experiences of Robert L. Guthrie. The third prize was awarded to Joyce Holder for “My Ancestors Weddings Through The Centuries – Their Authorities and Traditions.”All of the winners received a certificate and monetary awards from the Arkansas Genealogical Society.
Betty McCollum and her daughter, Diane Honey, addressed the Izard County Historical and Genealogical Society on Sunday, October 11, 2015 during their fall quarterly meeting. They are the author and publisher of the Down Member Lane series of books. They discussed the process involved in producing the books and displayed the earlier books that were for sale. They recalled interviews with several older citizens in the area while doing research for the books. This series of books is an excellent source in preserving the history of the Izard County area in past years as told in the words of the main character of each story.McCollum stated, “We feel by doing this project, we are preserving Izard County History and giving people a view of history as it actually happen in the lives of these people.We hoped that someone in other counties would do a similar project to preserve history in north central Arkansas.”
Carolyn Atkinson, a member of the Arkansas Genealogical Society and President of the Izard County Historical Society, presented the certificate and the monetary award to McCollum from the Family History Writing Contest sponsored by the Arkansas Genealogical Society during the Izard County meeting.
The first marker will be dedicated at the Mount Olive Cumberland PresbyterianChurch in Mount Olive, Arkansas at 10:30 am. Mt. Olive is about 15 miles west of Melbourne on Izard County Road 12. The new marker reads: “Mount Olive in the Civil War May 29, 1862, men of the 3rd Iowa Cavalry skirmished with Confederate guerrillas at Kickapoo Bottoms on the White River south of Mount Olive. Union horsemen from the 1st Indiana Cavalry occupied the town on June 3, and troops of the 4th Iowa Cavalry fought the 9th Missouri Cavalry (C.S.) here on June 7. Raiders from the 1st Nebraska and 6th Missouri State Militia Cavalry came to Mount Olive Jan. 25, 1864, killing Isaac Jeffery, a Confederate soldier on leave, and two others before burning the town.
Confederates of the 3rd Missouri Volunteers were stationed at Mount Olive when the Izard County Courthouse here served as an enlistment post. Co. G of the 27th Arkansas Infantry under Capt. R.C. Matthews enlisted here May 18, 1862; Barney Ford of Co. G would rise to lieutenant colonel. The 27th trained across the White River from here. Izard County Confederates served in the 7th, 8th, 9th, 14th, 21st and 27th Arkansas Infantry, and Col. T.R Freeman’s Cavalry. On Jan. 29, 1865, 75 men of Lt. Col. J.A. Schnable’s command were stationed here.”
The Wild Haws in the Civil War Marker is located at Lacrosse about 8 miles east of Melbourne on Izard County Road 9. This marker will be dedicated at 1:30 pm. The marker reads: “Wild Haws in the Civil War. Wild Haws, now LaCrosse, was located at a crossroads at the largest cotton plantations in Izard County. In 1861, volunteers of the 7th and 14th (McCarver’s) Arkansas Infantry regiments marched through Wild Haws on their way to the Confederate training camp at Smithville. Troopers of Gen. James McBride’s 3rd Missouri Cavalry (C.S.) had a skirmish with Union cavalry here in 1862. Confederates rendezvoused near Wild Haws in 1864, and Col. T.R. Freeman’s Cavalry rode through here. Gen. Joseph O. Shelby recruited troops in this area that summer.
“Union troops passed through the Wild Haws area many times during the Civil War. Gen. Samuel Curtis was here with cavalry, artillery and Illinois infantry on May 1, 1862. Fifth Kansas Cavalry troops rode through on July 6, 1862, as did a company of the Eighth Missouri State Militia Cavalry on Dec. 29, 1863. Detachments of the First Nebraska came through Wild Haws on Jan. 23 and Feb. 16, 1864, and the Eleventh Missouri Cavalry was here March 3 and 12. Co. K of the First Nebraska looked for Confederates at Wild Haws on March 10, then camped near town.”
W. J. “Bud” Cooper and Linda Carol Cooper, members of the Izard County Historical Society and the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the United Daughters of the Confederacy, applied for both markers through the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission in Little Rock. The Mount Olive Marker is No. 80 and the Wild Haws Marker is No. 86. Both markers are funded by The Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission, The Izard County Historical and Genealogical Society, and The Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council during the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War.
Colonel W. Danny Honnoll of the 30th Ark Inf. living historians, Commander of the Shaver Camp, and an Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commissioner, will emcee both ceremonies. Capt. M. Ray Jones, III, an Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commissioner, will also be in attendance and will be in charge of the flag folding ceremonies. He will be assisted by Sgt. Jimmy Stevens and Harold Hunt of the Shaver Camp in Jonesboro.
Capt. Roger Harvell of Baretts Battery and of the Neill Camp SCV of Batesville will help with the honors by firing a Civil War replica cannon in Pvt. Richardson’s honor during the service.
Carolyn Atkinson, President of the ICHGS and Honnoll UDC Chapter member, of Leachville, will address the gathering to close the ceremony.
Bobbie Barnett of Ravenden will be dressed in period widow mourning dress and will lay fresh flowers on the grave of Pvt. Loudermilk. She will be in character portraying a widow of a fallen soldier. She will be escorted by Will Silas of the Shaver Camp and a member of the 30th Ark Inf. CSA living historians.
The Arkansas Division Sons of Confederate Veterans memorial services and historical marker dedications are presented to remember their Confederate ancestors. The SCV, UDC, and C of C, are historical organizations and their charge is to preserve the true history of the South and it soldiers.
These events are sanctioned by the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission.The SCV, MOSB, UDC, and 30th Ark. Inf. reenactors will be outfitted in full confederate regalia to perform the ceremonies and conduct a three volley gun salute at the grave site. There will be "War Between the States" flags on display and period music. The ceremonies will be open to the public, and anyone is invited to attend.People attending these ceremonies are encouraged to bring a lawn chair. Contact W. Danny Honnoll, 870-926-2985 or Linda Carol Cooper 870-368-7257 for more information.
The first marker was at the Mount Olive Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Mount Olive. The new marker reads: “Mount Olive in the Civil War.Union troops were active around Mount Olive. On May 29, 1862, men of the 3rd Iowa Cavalry skirmished with Confederate guerrillas at Kickapoo Bottoms on the White River south of Mount Olive. Union horsemen from the 1st Indiana Cavalry occupied the town on June 3, and troops of the 4th Iowa Cavalry fought the 9th Missouri Cavalry (C.S.) here on June 7. Raiders from the 1st Nebraska and 6th Missouri State Militia Cavalry came to Mount Olive Jan. 25, 1864, killing Isaac Jeffery, a Confederate soldier on leave, and two others before burning the town.
“Confederates of the 3rd Missouri Volunteers were stationed at Mount Olive when the Izard County Courthouse here served as an enlistment post. Co. G of the 27th Arkansas Infantry under Capt. R.C. Matthews enlisted here May 18, 1862; Barney Ford of Co. G would rise to lieutenant colonel. The 27th trained across the White River from here. Izard County Confederates served in the 7th, 8th, 9th, 14th, 21st and 27th Arkansas Infantry, and Col. T.R Freeman’s Cavalry. On Jan. 29, 1865, 75 men of Lt. Col. J.A. Schnable’s command were stationed here.”
The Wild Haws Marker is located at Lacrosse.The marker reads: “Wild Haws in the Civil War.Wild Haws, now LaCrosse, was located at a crossroads at the largest cotton plantations in Izard County. In 1861, volunteers of the 7th and 14th (McCarver’s) Arkansas Infantry regiments marched through Wild Haws on their way to the Confederate training camp at Smithville. Troopers of Gen. James McBride’s 3rd Missouri Cavalry (C.S.) had a skirmish with Union cavalry here in 1862. Confederates rendezvoused near Wild Haws in 1864, and Col. T.R. Freeman’s Cavalry rode through here. Gen. Joseph O. Shelby recruited troops in this area that summer.
“Union troops passed through the Wild Haws area many times during the Civil War. Gen. Samuel Curtis was here with cavalry, artillery and Illinois infantry on May 1, 1862. Fifth Kansas Cavalry troops rode through on July 6, 1862, as did a company of the Eighth Missouri State Militia Cavalry on Dec. 29, 1863. Detachments of the First Nebraska came through Wild Haws on Jan. 23 and Feb. 16, 1864, and the Eleventh Missouri Cavalry was here March 3 and 12. Co. K of the First Nebraska looked for Confederates at Wild Haws on March 10, then camped near town.”
W. J. “Bud” Cooper and Linda Carol Cooper, members of the Izard County Historical Society and the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the United Daughters of the Confederacy, applied for both markers through the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission in Little Rock. The Mount Olive Marker is No. 80 and the Wild Haws Marker is No. 86. Both markers are funded by The Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission, The Izard County Historical and Genealogical Society, and The Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council during the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War.
Colonel W. Danny Honnoll of the 30th Ark Inf. living historians, Commander of the Shaver Camp, and an Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commissioner, emceed both ceremonies and conducted the Memorial Services. William Coe, Chaplain of the Job S. Neal Camp #286, worded the Invocation and Benediction.
Carolyn Atkinson, of Leachville, brought greetings from the Izard County Historical and Genealogical Society and the United Daughters of the Confederacy State Society.
Bobbie Barnett of Ravenden, dressed in period widow mourning dress, laid fresh flowers at each marker. She was escorted by Captain M. Ray Jones, III.
Capt. Roger Harvell, of Baretts Battery and of the Neill Camp SCV of Batesville, helped with the honors by firing his Civil War replica cannon during the three volley gun salute part of the service. Another cannon was fired by the Confederate Artillery Unit of re-enactors of Arkansas.
Colonel Honnoll conducted a sword salute to the fallen soldiers while Amazing Grace was played, and Will Silas played Taps on his antique horn.
Capt. M. Ray Jones, III, an Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commissioner, was in charge of the flag folding ceremonies, assisted by Sgt. Jimmy Stevens and Harold Hunt of the Shaver Camp in Jonesboro. W. J. “Bud” Cooper addressed the group from the Izard County Historical Society. Mary Miller brought greetings from Judy Williams of Lewes, Delaware, a direct descendant of Isaac Jeffery. The SCV, MOSB, UDC, and 30th Ark. Inf. re-enactors, outfitted in full confederate regalia, performed the ceremonies and conducted a three volley gun salute at each marker. "War Between the States" flags were displayed and period music was played. The group sang “Dixie” after the service.
The Arkansas Division Sons of Confederate Veterans memorial services and historical marker dedications are presented to remember their Confederate ancestors. The SCV, UDC, and C of C, are historical organizations and their charge is to preserve the true history of the South and it soldiers. These events are sanctioned by the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission.
Mrs. Betty Hope McCollum and her daughter, Diane Honey, will be the guest speakers for the session.They are the authors of the Down Memory Lane series of books and will discuss the process involved in producing the books.They will have their current book and also older issues for sale at the meeting. This series of books is an excellent source in preserving the history of individuals, families, and of the Izard County area in past years as told in the words of the main character of each story.
Mrs. McCollum stated, “Many years ago, my cousin, Sue Chrisco, and I put together Marriage Books #1, #2, and #3 of Izard County. The information for these was copied from the earliest existing books as the really old books had been destroyed by fire. Then sometime in the early 1980's, we interviewed our mothers, not with the intent of making a book, but we just wanted to know what their lives were like when these two sisters were growing up, along with two more sisters and six brothers in Zion, Arkansas. This was the Tomlinson family consisting of Will, Clementine, Ewing, Owen, Ernest (who died in WWII one day before his 21st birthday), George, Waldon, John, Pearl and baby Lucille. After interviewing our mothers and typing the stories, we let others read them. Then we began getting requests for us to interview other people, so we did. When we had about twenty stories, we decided to put them into a book. After publishing Book #1 we still had several stories remaining, so we decided to continue the interviews and make another book. Thus was the beginning of the Down Memory Lane books of which we have completed twelve and are currently working on #13.”
“Sometime during this period, the late Fred Blankenship of Melbourne asked Sue and me to start up the cemetery preservation project in Izard County. At that time Sue decided to do that project, and I continued with the DML books. After putting out #11, my daughter, Diane Honey, began helping me.She prints and binds these books. We feel by doing this project, we are preserving Izard County History and giving people a view ofhistory as it actually happen in the lives of these people. We hoped that someone in other counties would do a similar project to preserve history in north central Arkansas.”
“I am active in the Melbourne Methodist Church. My sister, Shirley Hill, and I deliver backpack snacks once a week in Melbourne. I am a Hospice volunteer, and I work every Wednesday and one Saturday a week at the Manna House in Melbourne, of which I am the Secretary.”
Jerry Blankenship will be the guest speaker for the program. Jerry grew up in Melbourne in the 1950's and 1960's during the heyday of baseball in the area. His program will be about his memories of Fudge Park, the players, the promoters, and the excitement and entertainment it brought to all ages.
Jerry, retired from pharmacy, owned and operated Blankenship Pharmacy in Melbourne for 25 years and his dad, Fred Blankenship, also a pharmacist, established the business in 1950 as City Drug Store. This was back in the day when you could play catch in the street in front of the drug store and only be disturbed by an occasional car passing by slowly.
Mrs. Carolyn Atkinson, President of the society, invites everyone to attend this meeting. "Play Ball! How we love to hear those words! Everyone is certainly invited to come to this meeting to learn about some baseball games and players during the past in Izard County!"
Mr. VincentAndersonwill speak about some of the historyofthe White River and display old hand drawn maps of the river from the 1800’s. The maps show great details about the path of the river, mountain names, creek locations, and settlements along the river. The public is urged to bring pictures to the meeting of the river areas and towns along the river to display on tables during the session.
Anderson will also discuss his newly published first book titled “Bald Knobbers: Chronicles of Vigilante Justice.”The book was published by History Press and was compiled from more than 600 articles about the Bald Knobbers from the 1880s and 1890s.The book is available at the Donald W. Reynolds Library and Amazon.com. The book grew out of his Ozarks’ History blog located at www.ozarkshistory.blogspot.com. He began the blog six years ago with a love for the Ozarks’ history. The blog includes information about the History of Northern Arkansas and Southern Missouri in the Ozark Plateau.
Anderson was born in Mountain Home and raised on the Arkansas/Missouri Stateline in Ozark County, MissouriHe is a former columnist for The Baxter Bulletin and has published articles for newspaper and historical quarterlies in four states.He serves as President of the Baxter County Historical and Genealogical Society.He is employed at the Donald W. Reynolds Library in Mountain Home as Historical and Reference Librarian and Teacher.