Marion Co TOC

       Early French explorers of Northern Arkansas and Southern Missouri observed that a beautiful, strong, supple wood used by the indigenous Osage to fashion their weapons was abundant here. These Frenchmen called it bois d'arc or bow wood. Shortly the French began referring to this land as "Ia region aux arcs" - the region of the bows. Simple phonetic evolution through the years created the word Ozarks from "aux arcs." The word Ozark has become almost synonymous with the beauty of the landscape, the strength of its settlers, and the ability of these men and women to accommodate themselves to almost anything. These attributes were proven over and over again from 1861 to 1865, for some of the most cruel and devastating events known to modern man occurred in the Ozarks during our nation's War Between The States
       The fires of war were fueled as early as 1855 by Kansas Abolitionists who created several problems for the slave owners of the Ozarks. The population of Arkansas was then 324,143 white and 111,259 black. By 1861, however, these problems became secondary to the major issue of whether the states had the right to challenge the federal government. The election in November 1860 of Abraham Lincoln to the Presidency of the United States started the movement of southern states toward secession from the Union. Although the people of Arkansas were certainly citizens of the South, no early consensus developed in favor of secession. On 18 February 1861, Arkansans voted in favor of a convention to consider the state's relationship to the Union. When this convention convened 4 March 1861, Union sympathizers were in control. Secessionists introduced a resolution calling for immediate secession, which the Unionists defeated by a vote of 39 to 35.
       After Fort Sumter was fired upon 12 April 1861, changes occurred in Arkansas' outlook. When the state convention reconvened at Little Rock 6 May, the vote for secession passed 65 to 5. This action meant war, and the convention appropriated $2,000,000 to arm state troops, to establish a war board, and to authorize Governor Rector to call up 30,000 men to meet this emergency. By the end of the first year of the war, Arkansas had enrolled 21,500 troops.
       The Ozarks was filled with divided loyalties that spring of 1861. Many early settlers from the South remained loyal supporters, but there were just as many Northern sympathizers, and some cared naught for either. As the war progressed, these original loyalties evolved into simply defense of home and family, vengeance against ruthless cruelties, and survival.

       On 14 August 1861, State Senator William c. Mitchell of West Sugar Loaf Creek in Marion County (now Lead Hill, Boone Co.) organized the first company of troops that would make up the 14th Arkansas Infantry Regiment. The men gathered near the old Lead Hill Cemetery on East Sugar Loaf Creek. As they fell into line, their names and other personal information were recorded. Senator Mitchell was elected Coronel and was presented with a rebel flag by Mary Ann "Polly"(Orr) Coker, wife of William "River Bill" Coker. This flag had been made by the ladies of the community, and Colonel Mitchell graciously received it saying, "This flag shall never trail the dust as long as there's a man left to hold it up." Colonel Mitchell and his men then marched to Yellville, arriving 22 August 1861. At this time Colonel Mitchell wrote to Governor Rector asking where his company would be assigned.
       More men were recruited in Yellville, many coming from other areas of the Ozarks. The men were armed with double-barreled shot guns, old squirrel cap lock rifles, flint lock muzzle-loading rifles, single barrel cap and muzzle-loading pistols, and knives. At this time 90 percent of the suitable steel in the county had been worked into Bowie knives. Each man's uniform was homemade or he wore his normal clothing. Some say these men paraded up and down the streets of Yellville, following their flag and marching to the tune of two fiddles, one played by Dan "Fiddler" Coker and the other by William "Yellville Bill, Coker.
       Field Officers of the 14th Arkansas Infantry were Lieutenant Colonel Eli Dodson, Major John Allen, Lieutenant Colonel Pleasant Fowler, Major H. E. Messick, Major J. H. Messick, and Colonel Frank P. Powers.
       Colonel Mitchell signed a receipt 13 October 1861 for supplies consisting of 305 flint lock muskets, 313 cartridge boxes, 208 bayonet scabbards, 19 artillery sabers, and four surgeon swords for non-commissioned officers.
       Still encamped at Yellville on 31 October 1861, they finally received word from Governor Rector that they had been assigned to serve under the command of General Ben McCullough who was then gathering troops near Fayetteville in Washington County. The 938 men of Mitchell's Company camped at Yellville until December 1861. They then moved toward Pea Ridge in Benton County. After resting near Huntsville AR around Christmas, they arrived at Pea Ridge in mid-February 1862.

This is probably the flag presented to Colonel Mitchell and his company of troops by Mary Ann "Polly" (Orr) Coker in 1861.

       Although never actually signed into law, the Stars and Bars was the official flag of the Confederacy for the first half of that nation's existence. It first appeared with seven stars which represented the first seven Confederate States: South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, and Texas. The number of stars increased with each new state that joined the Confederacy until late 1861 when the thirteenth star was added. The use of the Stars and Bars in battle was recognized by both the North and the South and was prominently seen in newspapers. It saw much battle as the flag of all military fortifications and as the battle flag of the Confederate Navy. Even after its replacement by the second national flag in 1863, it continued to appear from time to time, especially in the western theater of the war.
       In the late spring and early summer of 1861, there was considerable activity along the Arkansas-Missouri border. Reports said that these border counties were seething with disloyalty; that as many as a thousand Rebels were at Yellville; that Forsyth, Missouri, a Rebel base, was receiving supplies being shipped up White River by order of General Sterling Price. According to the 31 July 1861 edition of the New York Herald, a story under the headline "Occupation of Forsyth, Missouri," stated, "Reports reaching Union headquarters at Springfield, Missouri, indicated there were 800 to 1,000 Rebels at Forsyth and more expected from Arkansas and Tennessee." (In reality the actual numbers were about 150 to 200 men.) Upon hearing these exaggerated newspaper reports, Union Brigadier General Thomas W. Sweeney, an Irishman who had lost his right arm in the Mexican War at the Battle of Charubusco, had fought at Wilson's Creek, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Chattanooga, and Atlanta, and was said to have "more guts than good judgment," led an expedition of 1200 men to encounter this Rebel force. About 500 of his men were from the 1st Iowa Regiment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel William H. Merritt. This foray resulted in about 100 Rebels being taken prisoner, but being paroled a short time later. The Union troops left. Forsyth having done little more than deprive the Rebels of some supplies, a few men, and some horses. And, in spite of the reports of the large force of Rebels at Yellville, Sweeney headed back to Springfield.

       At the village of Smithville in Lawrence Co. AR, on 16 June 1861, Robert G. Shaver recruited and organized the 7th Arkansas Infantry Regiment and was elected it's first colonel. This Regiment consisted of men from White, Jackson, Randolph, Izard, Fulton, Lawrence, Marion, and Independence Counties. The regiment consisted of an initial force of over 1200 men. In state service, the Regiment drilled at Camp Shaver near Pocahantas for about six weeks. On 26 July 1861 General Hardee was ordered to transfer all state regiments into Confederate service.
       The 7th was ordered to Pittman's Ferry where it drilled until the end of August 1861. From there they marched to Point Pleasant, Missouri, went by steamboat to the Confederate stronghold at Columbus, Kentucky, and then marched to Bowling Green, Kentucky, by October 1861. When Bowling Green was being evacuated in February 1862, Shaver's Regiment was the Confederate rear guard and was being shelled by the artillery of Buell's advance while the last trains were being loaded. Upon leaving, Shaver's Regiment was ordered to burn the depot and tear down the telegraph wires. The 7th reached Nashville, Tennessee, ten days later. From there it marched to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and finally reached Corinth, Mississippi, to await the concentration of the Confederate armies. The 1st Brigade of Hindman's Division, 3rd Army Corp, was made up of the 2nd, 6th, and 7th Arkansas Infantry Regiments and the 3rd Confederate Infantry (formerly Marmaduke's 18th Arkansas Infantry) and saw service at Shiloh on April 6 and 7 in 1862. The 7th fought valiantly, suffering high casualties, and being dubbed "The Bloody 7th." The Regiment returned to Cornith where it rested and refitted and participated in the defense of that railroad junction from April to June 1862.
       The 7th Arkansas Infantry Regiment was made up of over 1200 officers and men, making it one of the largest, if not the largest, Arkansas military organization.
       Colonel Robert Shaver was a member of the Grand Council of the Ku Klux Klan, making him the highest ranking officer of the Klan in Arkansas. Because of this connection with the Klan and his participation in two skirmishes against Gayton's Militia, during the winter of 1868 Shaver was forced by Clayton's powerful regime of carpetbaggers, to leave Arkansas for several years.

       Colonel James R. Shaler organized the 27th Arkansas Infantry Regiment in July 1862. He recruited men from Yellville and Izard County (Company A), Carroll County (Company B), Bellefonte and Searcy County (Company C), Richland (Company D), Marion County (Company E), Locust Grove and Jasper (Company F), Mt. Olive (Company G), Izard County (Company H), Independence County (Company I), and Yellville (Company K). Field officers included Lieutenant Colonel Arthur J. Maganis, Lieutenant Colonel James M. Riggs, and Major Beal Gaither. Men from Yellville and Marion County numbered 392. The 27th was initially assigned to Shaver's Brigade of Hindman's Division in January and February of 1863. It was transferred to Tappan's Brigade in General Sterling Price's Division from April 1863 to the end of the war.
       Following the Battle of Prairie Grove in December 1862, the Regiment marched from Van Buren to Little Rock in January 1863. They saw little activity in southeast Arkansas and northern Louisiana in the spring and summer of 1863, but were present when Little Rock fell to Federal troops in September 1863. It served in the Red River Campaign from March through May 1864, including the final battle at Pleasant Hill. It returned to Arkansas in time to fight at Jenkins Ferry 30 April 1864.
       At the end of the war the 27th was still in southern Arkansas. Only a few hundred men remained when the surrender came in 1865. Over 500 men had deserted and a few hundred more were listed as "absent without leave." There are over 200 deaths listed for the 27th. The vast majority of these are contributed to disease rather than to enemy fire.
       Although there were three distinctive CSA regiments formed in Marion County, the men of these units saw very little action close to home.

       This Union 2nd Arkansas Cavalry Regiment was organized at Helena AR and Pilot Knob MO in July 1862. Its men saw quite a bit of action in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. They were involved in skirmishes on Clear Creek near Yellville and on Tomahawk Creek about 15 miles northwest of Marshall 22 January 1864, at Clear Creek 5 February 1864, at Tomahawk Gap 9 February 1864, and on a scouting mission to Yellville 13-26 March 1864. This group was mustered out on 20 August 1865.
           To be continued. . . . .

       When we started Bramble Bush five years ago, I swore up and down the one thing I would never, ever do was the Civil War. The very thought of digging through lists of men, descriptions of battles, movements of troops was appalling to me. But, as time went on, I became aware of a lot of confusion about what actually happened in Marion County during those four awful years. Why were there so many different versions of what appeared to be the same events? Were there actual records of these events? If so, could those records tell us anything definitive? Well, with a lot of digging and surfing (the Internet makes it so much easier!), we found there are records lots of them. And pretty good ones too. This issue of the Bush, then, will commemorate the 14Oth Anniversary of the beginning of the War Between the States as well as the beginning of our attempt to put the information we've gleaned about our small part in the War Between the States into some sort of order, to put names and dates and places and events together sensibly, unemotionally, as factually as possible, as accurately as possible. For those of you interested in more detail than we've given in this issue, I suggest the following web sites. Ed Gerdes' Original Civil War Page at http://www.couchgenweb.com/arkansas and http://www.aristotle.net/tomezell/AR/_infy.htm. From these you can link to all sorts of places.
       Reminders - only a couple. If you have pictures to share with us for the in-progress Pictorial History of Marion County AR, please get them to us right away. We're coming down to the wire on this one. Contact me or send them to me in care of the Society, PO Box 761, Yellville AR 72687 (more information below). AND please make a note of the dates for the 12th Annual North Arkansas Ancestor Fair in Leslie AR. James Johnston has done a great job of getting things lined up so we know the dates well in advance and can make plans to attend, share and learn. Go to http://www.crosswinds.net/~jx3/ for more.
          Vicki Roberts, Editor

Laser copies or copies of photographs are perfect. Send these to: Vicki Roberts, HGSMCA, PO Box 7611 Yellville AR 72687.

Scanned copies are also perfect. E-mail these to: J. L. Pearce jlpearce@southshore.com.

        EDITOR'S NOTE:DOWDS COMPANY, ARKANSAS STATE TROOPS, CSA. On 22 May 1861, James R. Dowd organized a company of Confederate volunteers at Yellville. They traveled south to Camp Walker, Arkansas, where they were enrolled 11 July 1861 in state service as Company E of the Fifth Regiment of Arkansas State Troops under the command of Colonel Thomas P. Dockery. As part of Brigadier General Nicholas B. Pearce's Brigade, the 5th Regiment took part in the Battle of Wilson's Creek, Missouri, 10 August 1861. This regiment suffered three killed and 11 wounded. Of these, Dowd's Company E reported five wounded. All state troops were mustered out of service in late August and early September of 1861, releasing the volunteers to return to their homes and organize companies for Confederate service. Most of Dowd's men re-enlisted, many of them in the 27th Arkansas Infantry Regiment, CSA. "Bramble Bush" January 2001 issue

3. MARGARET DOWD b MCAR 1861. Probably died young.
4. JACK DOWD b MCAR 27 Nov 1863 d MCAR July 1896 m MCAR 18 Dec 1888 LULU BELLE PIERSON(daughter of Levi & Elizabeth A. [ __ ] Pierson) b MCAR Feb 1871. Jack is a single boarder and farm laborer in the John H. and Emily Thompson household in Union Township 1880. Belle's widowed mother, Elizabeth Pierson, is living with her next door to her brother John in North Fork Township 1910.
5. JAMES R. DOWD Jr. b MCAR 14 March 1868. He is single, living with his parents in North Fork Township 1900. Went to OK with his parents bef 1905. Living with his widowed mother in Wagoner Co. OK 1910, 1920. Never married.
6. MARY E. DOWD b MCAR 23 Dec 1870 m Clarksville IT 30 March 1899 ADOLPHUS DeLORRAINE ORCUTT (son of Seymour & Martha Ann [Yocham] Orcutt) b Orcutt Flat MCAR Jan 1872 d OK 1938. They were both school teachers. (see Orcutt family page 312)

7. ROY N. DOWD b MCAR 13 Dec 1888 d MCAR 6 Aug 1969 bu Fairview Cemetery m IDA - b 9 Dec 1892 d MCAR 10 March 1962 bu Fairview Cemetery. MCAR Deputy Sheriff 1925. His mother Belle aged 48 and grandmother Elizabeth Pierson are living with them in North Fork Township 1920.
8. ROBERT L. DOWD MCAR 1889 m MCAR 9 Feb 1913 PEARL GODON of Baxter Co. AR b 1892. Living next door to brother Roy in North Fork Township 1920.
9. DELLA DOWD b MCAR 1891 m MCAR 4 Feb 1913 J. P. BALDWIN b 1879 of Oakland
10. (child) DOWD d MCAR 1893 in infancy.
11. ARTHUR DOWD b MCAR May 1894.
12. ORA DOWD b MCAR Jan 1896.

13. EARL DOWD b MCAR 1915.
14. ANNA B. DOWD b MCAR 1919.

15. JACK DOWD b MCAR 1918.
SOURCES: Marion Co, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 census; "Marion County, Arkansas 1890" by Helen McMindes; "Cemeteries of Marion Co," by Marian Burnes; "Marion County Marriage Records 1887-1896" by Marian Burnes. Vicki Roberts; "Marion County Marriage Records 1905-1917" by Marian Burnes. Vicki Roberts; Mountain Echo, 17 July 1896 issue; "Early Days of Marion County" by Marian Burnes

Included here is more of the 1893 County Voters' Lists. This list is now on-line at the Marion Co Site

Included here is more of the 1891 Real Estate Tax List. This list is now on-line at the Marion Co Site

Side Shows
Thursday, May 31, 2001
Session l: Sunset Restaurant ($5)
1:00.-3:30 p.m. Cemetery Peservation,Recording and Reconstructing
Tammie Dillon, Preservation Consultant
Session ll: Sunset Restaurant ($3)
4:00 -5:00 p. m. Cherokee Trail of Tears through Arkansas
Bill Woodiel, Trail of Tears Association
Dinner with Program
6:00-9:00 p.m. Sunset Restaurant ($12)
Saving the Family Homestead: National Register Listing-What it Means
Jim Walsmith, Arkansas Historic Preservation Alliance
Friday, June 1, 2001
Session lII: Leslie Public School ($5)
9:30-12:00 a.m. The Civil War and its Records of Genealogical Value
Torts,Terminers and Genealogists: Family History Researching Local Court Records Russell P. Baker, Arkansas History Commission
Session IV: Leslie Public School ($5)
1:00-3:30 p. m. A Forgotten, Neglected and Underutilized Genealogical Sources Genealogically A Reconstruction of the Frontier Community
Mixer Dinner 6:00 p. m. >til ?: ($10)
Marshall Restaurant
Saturday, June 2, 2001
Leslie Public School
7:30-9:00 a. m. Providers Set Up
9:00 a. m.-3:00 p. m. ANCESTOR FAIR
Session V: Leslie Public School ($5)
10:00-12:00 a. m. Researching the Five Civilized Tribes
Dorothy Tincup Mauldin
Researcher, speaker, publisher of Native American Genealogy
Session VI: Leslie Public School ($5)
1 :00-#:00 p. m. Beginning Genealogical Research
For further information:
James J. Johnston! 2333 E. Oakes Driver Fayetteville AR 72703 johnston@ipa.net http://crosswinds.net/~jx3/

       Membership in the Historical Genealogical Society of Marion County Arkansas is $12 per year.
       Membership for one year runs from 1 January to 31 December of that year.
       Membership includes the quarterly newsletter Bramble Bush.
       Membership begun later in the year includes all issues of Bramble Bush for that year.
       Make your check for $12 payable to HGSMCA and send to HGSMCA, PO Box 761, Yellville AR 72687-9612.

       The Bramble Bush is published quarterly by the Historic Genealogical Society of Marion County Arkansas, PO Box 761, Yellville AR 72687. EDITORIAL STAFF: Editor, Vicki Roberts; Design/Production, Mysty McPherson; Art Work, Bonnie Sanders; Queries, Mary Birrer; Subscriptions, Barbara Holland; Printing, Rapid Rabbit, 26 Napco Avenue, Conway AR 72030; Contributing writers: Janice Mears. HGSMCA Officers: Chair Vicki Roberts; Vice-Chair, Don Duggins; Secretary, Mary Birrer; Treasurer, Barbara Holland; Grants/Purchasing Mysty McPherson.