Marion Co TOC

According to the census records, put together with the oral family history typed up online regarding the family of John Hurst Sr. and Rachel Wood, their children and descendants, I find the following.

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The tax list indicates that "a" John Hurst, was on the tax list of Izard Co., for 1830 (Izard Co., was what Marion Co., was, in part formed from after 1830).
According to family legend, John Hurst Sr., said to be the earliest Hurst pioneer of the area later known as Marion Co., AR., Also from family legend, he was married possibly twice and that at least one wife was named "Rachel Wood".
It would appear they both likely died sometime before the census of 1840 was recorded as neither appears in Marion Co., AR. at that time. There is a will found in the Independence Co., AR., records for a John Hurst, written and recorded in 1822, but further proof needs to be found to verify it was in fact the father of the men who first began to appear in Marion Co., records by 1840.
At least two "Hurst" men do appear as heads of households in 1840, John Hurst (Jr.?) and Abram Hurst. The following are the census and other records I have found in Marion Co., AR., with the name of Hurst, between 1830-1880.

According to the 1840 Marion Co., census, the following two men were heads of households in Marion Co., whose surname was Hurst, and the following shows the enumeration of their households.. I have drawn conclusions as to the identies and relationships of each, formed from all the records found in whole, and which will follow.
1.) Abram Hurst-1840
1 male under the age of 5 [* he would fit the age later shown for John McCurry Hurst].
1 male 20 to under 30 yrs old [* this would be Abram, head of this household, and give him a birth year of bwt. 1811-1820].
1 female 5 to under the age of 10 [* her age is 4 yr's too old to be Catharine of 1850, (who in 1850 shows a birth year of c1839) but ages varied from census to census, so it could be close enough...or...this was another daughter who died before 1850 and Catharine was actually born until later in 1840, after this census was recorded, and not in c1839).]
1 female 20 to under the age of 30 [* this would be his wife, told to be, in the family legend story, named "Rile", and she here, fits the age of a head of household I found in Marion Co., in 1850 headed up by an "Ariel Hurst", who had children, John 13, Catharine 11, and Lydia 9, in her home. Ariel (transcribed as Ann Hurst in household #207 on the online transcription, but if looking at the actual census image, it is Ariel), is living next door to the home of John S. Tolbert, with wife Sarah and children William and Mary Jane Tolbert, and also 23 yr. old, Mary Jane McCurry, the likely sister of Ariel, as is likely, the wife of John S. Tolbert, named Sarah, age 22. Ariel likely named her son, John McCurry Hurst after her own surname of McCurry.
The fact that Abram Hurst is not in the home with Ariel and their children in 1850, and can't be found elsewhere (yet) would indicate he likely died sometime bwt. the conception of daughter, Lydia b. c1841, and when the 1850 census was taken.]

2.) John Hurst-1840
1 male 5 to under the age of 10 [* this would fit son Abram, who was age 17 (c1833) in 1850]
1 male 10 to under the age of 15 [* this would fit son Campbell, who was age 20 (c1830) in 1850]
1 male 30 to under the age of 40 [* this would be John, who was age 43 (c1807) in 1850]
1 female under the age of 5 [* this would fit daughter, "Mary" who was age 13 (1837) in 1850]
1 female 5 to under the age of 10 [* this would fit daughter Martha, who was age 18 (c1832) in 1850]
1 female 10 to under the age of 15 [* this female is not yet accounted for in 1850-she either died, married or moved away from this county, or was missed on the census and in someone else's home at this time.]
1 female, 20 to under the age of 30 [* this should be John's wife, "Nancy Wood". Her age in 1860 was shown to be 40, (c1810), so she would fit this woman, if her birthday had not yet occurred when the census was taken in 1840].

Between this census in 1840 and the census of 1850, John Hurst and Nancy Wood also had the following sons; See them included in their home in 1850.
Robert J. (c1840)
John (c1841)
Alexander (c1843)

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The Hurst's found in Marion Co., AR., in 1850 were as follows:

1850-Blythe township-pg 310-recorded Oct. 11, 1850
#20-20
Hurst, John 43 (c1807) Farmer 1500 KY
Nancy 40 (c1810) TN
Campbell 20 (c1830) AR
Abram 17 (c1833) AR [* fits age and birth state of William Hurst of 1860 in Marion Co.]
Robert 10 (c1840) AR
John 9 (c1841) AR
Alexander 7 (c1843) AR
Martha 18 (c1832) AR
Mary 13 (c1837) AR.

Pg. 311b and follows onto top of page 312A-recorded Oct. 19, 1850
#36-37
Wood, Soloman 31 500 Ark.
Wood, Martha 32 SC [* said by family legend to be called "Patsy" and her surname "Magness".]
Wood, James 11 Ark.
Hurst, John 4 (c1846) Ark. [* said by family legend to be John D. Hurst, son of William Hurst (c1817) and first wife Narcissa Magness. William is still living at this time, in household#67. John was later called "Uncle Jack". I have seen other information indicating his middle name to have been "Berry", so his middle initial may have been "B".]
Magness, Morgan {twins) 21 Ark.
Magness, Perry 21 Ark.

Pg. 313b - Oct. 19, 1850
#67
Hurst, William 33 (c1817) TN [* Family legend says this man was a son of John Hurst and Rachel Wood, who were said to be in ARK., <coming from KY)., by 1811. William here, is said to be the father of John D. (or Berry) Hurst, age 4 on this census, who is living in Soloman Wood's home, and possibly Mary Hurst age 6 on this census who is living in James Magness's home, one or both children said to be by 1st wife, Narcissa Magness a sister to Martha Magness, both, daughters of James and Narcissa's Magness. I can only assume that after Narcissa died, the children were taken in by other relatives as it would have been difficult for a widowed man to care for two young children. * William is shown here with the woman said to have been his 2nd wife, whom it is said, he had no children with. It also appears that this William later married a 3rd time, not long after the 1850 census to Martha "Patsy" Lynch, a widowed woman and may have had another daughter named Mary Martha Hurst, born c1855 with this wife. Therefore, it is uncertain as to if this Mary Hurst in Soloman Woods home in 1850 was William's daughter or belonged to another possible brother who does not appear on any of these census records, likely because he and his wife died before 1850. If the will of John Hurst of Independence Co., AR., of 1822 was the patriarch of this Hurst family, there were other son's named in the will. This will also stated that it was the wish of the soon to be deceased John Hurst that his children be taken to Tennessee. Therefore it's possible that if the younger ones spent many years in TN., after having been born in AR., and later returned to AR., that some, at least this "William", thought himself born in TN., as he may have been in TN., as early as the age of three.]
Hurst, Catharine 30 TN [* said to be Catharine Kavanaugh, the 2nd wife of William.
*No children appeared in this home at this time.]

Pg. 324
#207-208
Hurst, Ariel 33 (c1817) 650 ILL.? [* said by family legend to be called "Rile", the widow of Abram Hurst, b. c1811-1820, a son of John Hurst and Rachel Wood, and brother to (John Hurst b. 1807). Abram was said to be deceased by this census.]
Hurst, John 13 (c1837) AR [* said to be named John McCurry Hurst. A "Mary Jane McCurry" age 23 is living next door, with the family of John A. Tolbert (Talburt) and wife "Sarah" (also said to be a McCurry by surname, sister to Ariel and to Mary Jane). It is likely that Ariel was also a "McCurry" before she married and family legend supports this.]
Hurst, Catharine 11 (c1839) AR
Hurst, Lydia 9 AR [* born after the 1840 census].

Pg. 327b - November 27, 1850
#267-268
Magness, James Jr. 61 1000 SC
Narcissa 54 SC
William 19 ARK
David 17 ARK
Samuel 12 ARK
Joseph 10 ARK
Hurst, Mary 6 ARK. [* said by family legend to have been named "Mary Martha Hurst", a possible daughter of William Hurst, <b. 1817 and his first wife, Narcissa Magness. William is still living at this time, in household #67 with 2nd wife, Catharine (Kavanaugh). According to the family legend, James Magness was Narcissa Hurst father, so he and his wife, also named Narcissa, would have been the grandparents of little Mary Martha Hurst whom they took in, if the relationship guessed is accurate. * note however: William Hurst is said to have married a 3rd time to Martha "Patsy" Lynch and then died after having a daughter by this wife, also named Mary Martha, born c1855. In 1860 (see below), there is a Martha Hurst, an apparent widow for at least the 2nd time, with a young daughter in her home named Mary M. Hurst, age 5, in the home. While possible this William Hurst did in fact have two daughters by two different wives and name both "Mary Martha", the fact that the older one was still living when the 2nd one was born, makes it more difficult to accept.]

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1870 Marion Co, AR., Hurst's

Buffalo Township - pg. 478
#15-15
Hurst, Campbell 40 Clerk in drygoods store - 500 - 100 AR. * [this is the son of John Hurst and Nancy Wood.]
Stewart, John 35 Farmer 0 - 200 GA
Stewart, Sarah 38 GA
Stewart, Julia T. [(transcribed as John T.)] [but this says] (Female) 15 GA.
Stewart, Mary Ann 13 GA
Stewart, Daniel H. 11 AL
Stewart, Charles 5 AL

[*no idea who this Stewart family is or why Campell Hurst has them living in his home. It appears that Campbell may have never married or had children.]

1870 Marion Co., AR., Union Township - Yellville p.o. - Recorded Aug. 22, 1870
#26-26
Hurst, Alexander 26 (c1844) Farmer 500 - 600 AR. [* fits as son of John Hurst & Nancy Wood from the census' of 1860 and 1850.]
Hurst, Agness 16 AR. [* apparent the new young wife of Alexander]
Hurst, John W. 1 AR. [* apparently the 1st born son to Alexander and Agness.]

next door
#27-27
Hurst, John 64 (c1806) Farmer 2000 - 700 KY [* fits to be the presumed son of pioneer, John Hurst Sr. and wife, possibly, "Rachel Wood".]
Hurst, Sarah 55 (c1815) TN. [* name and age doesn't fit for John's wife "Nancy" from 1850 and 1860. Nancy may have died and John may have remarried to this Sarah. I do not see a Sarah Hurst in the earlier census records who would fit this woman, unless she was an unmarried sister of John's, who previous lived out of the county, but her birth state is not the same as John's. However, as stated regarding the birth state shown in 1850 for William Hurst, b. c1817, a likely brother to John (c1805-1807), it could be that either John Sr., left KY., and was in TN. briefly (as William b. 1817 also gave TN. as his birth state) before coming to AR, or as stated earlier regarding the birth state of William, if this Sarah was a sister, she too may have be taken to Tennessee as a young child, and later believed she was born in that state after returning at some point to AR. Family legend does indicate John had a sister named Sarah, but that she married "Silas Farrier", and that they moved to California..so unless she divorced and retook on her surname, or by mistake, her brother told her name to be Hurst to the recorder or the recorder made that assumption, it is not known.]
Fryar or Fryer, Nancy - 18 yr. old white-female -Domestic Servant - born in MO.

1870 Marion Co., AR., Union Township - Yellville p.o. - pg. 509B - recorded Aug. 22, 1870
#22
Hurst, Robert 28 (c1842) Farmer 500-500 ARK. [* fits to be, "Robert J." son of John Hurst (c1805-1807) and wife Nancy Wood.]
Hurst, Mary A. 21 ARK
Hulda A. 2 ARK
Sanilla A. 6 months old ARK

1870 Marion Co., AR., Union Township - Yellville p.o. -recorded Aug. 22, 1860 - pg. 514B
#74-74
Hurst, John 33 Farmer 1800 - 700 ARK. [* fits to be John McCurry Hurst, son of Abram Hurst, <b.c1811-1820 and wife Ariel (McCurry). According to family legend, John's first wife, Julia Gaines and all 5 of their children died during the Civil War. When he returned he married 2nd to Ann Coil, and she too died without children. Then he married Maude Adams., shown here.]
Hurst, Maude (transcribed as Manda) 21 AR [* 3rd wife according to family legend].
Hurst, Arbell 5 female AR [* likely a daughter of John's and Maude's]
Hurst, Alice Lee 3 AR[.* likely another daughter of John's and Maude's.]
Hurst, Nancy K. 6 months old ARK [* her name fits with one named as a daughter of John and Maude's in the family legend.]

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