Van Buren County Historical Society Journal, 2004

Spring 2004
Surnames
Baker, Bannister, Bates, Bellinger, Berry, Bloodworth, Bonds, Boone, Bradford, Branscum, Brashears, Bratton, Brigam Brown, Buchannan, Buil, Burnett, Burrows, Chandler, Chastain, Cotton, Cottrell, Crow, Crowell, Cubb, Daft, Daniel, Dark, Davis, Denton, Dickinson, Dodd, Dollar, Edwards, Emory, Eubanks, Evans, Fields, Fisher, Fraser, Fulghens, Fulkerson, Fullerton, Gholson, Gibson, Glenn, Goodnight, Goodwin, Graham, Greenhaw, Griffin, Griggs, Grossee, Halbrook, Hammett, Hardin, Hargis, Harrison, Hay, Hensley, Huggins, Huie, Hutches, Hutto, Ingram Jacobs, Jennings, Johnson, Jordan, Kemp, Kennedy, Kimmons, Kingsley, Langford, Larender, Lee, Leland, Leming, Lesley, Lew, Lewis, Lidengood, Linksey, Mackay, Maddox, Mahaney, Manning, Marsh, Martin, McCullin Merriman, Middleton, Mitchell, Monroe, Moody, Morgan, Morrison, Neal, Nelson, Newberry, Newman, Newton, O'Neal, Pavatt, Paxton, Peak, Peel, Perkins, Pistole, Poland, Powell, Presley, Privitt, Quattlebaum, Ramsey, Rankin, Rhoades, Rivers, Roberts, Robertson, Rogers, Rumbley, Shirley, Shumaker, Simpson, Sims, Sounders, Sowell, Stephens, Stevens, Stroud, Stubblefield, Sturdevant, Thomas, Thompson, Treadway, Treece, Tumbleson, Underwood, Vaughan, Walker, Walley, Ward, Watts, Weaver, White, Whitfield, Whitworth, Wideman, Williams, Williamson, Wilson, Winningham, Wylie

page 12 & 13

Editor's Note:
The following article appeared in the June 8, 1882, issue of the Clinton Banner.

List of Letters Remaining in the Clinton Post Office
up to June 1, 1882
E.H. HUTCHES, Post Master

  • Bloodworth, Nancy (registered)
  • Burrows, Josie
  • Bratton, A.
  • Buil, M.M.
  • Buchannan, J.B.
  • Bellinger, J.N.
  • Bannister, S.R.
  • Bonds, J.R.
  • Buchannan, John
  • Brigam, A.N.
  • Brown, J.W.
  • Crowell, D.G.
  • Cubb, J.W.
  • Chandler, Eid T.
  • Cotton, P.L.
  • Dickinson, Geo.
  • Daniel, A.
  • Emory & Co.
  • Fisher, William
  • Grossee (?), J.A.
  • Glenn, Harrison
  • Griffin, S.M.
  • Griggs, S.C.
  • Hargis, Wm
  • Hammett, A.F.
  • Halbrook, G.W.
  • Halbrook, J.W.
  • Harrison, W.H.
  • Huie, J.M.
  • Ingram, B.R.
  • Ingram, J.D.
  • Ingram, W.H.
  • Jacobs, W.P.
  • Jennings, J. Shelby
  • Jordan, Jno. W.
  • Kennedy, W.
  • Leland, B.B.
  • Lidengood, Wilson
  • Maddox, Thos. J.
  • Martin, C.A. (2)
  • Monroe, W.A.
  • Morgan, M.F.
  • Morrison, A.S.
  • McCullin
  • Nelson, Jackson
  • Newberry, G.W.
  • Pavatt, M.D.
  • Paxton, Daniel
  • Peel, S.W.
  • Presley, Robert T.
  • Rankin, W.M.
  • Roberts, Rev. J.J.
  • Rumbley, J.W.
  • Ward, J.H.
  • Edwards, J.H.
  • Fulkerson, James H.(2)
  • Fullerton, Henry
  • Fulghens, Quincy
  • Fields, T.B.
  • Langford, R.C.
  • Larender, J.M.
  • Lee, W.H.
  • Leming, Samuel
  • Lew, Adam
  • Wideman, Barthana
  • Williams, Daniel
  • Williams, T.C.
  • Willaimson. C.M.
  • Wilson, Mrs. Dicey
Summer 2004
Surnames
Anderson, Archer, Asbury, Barnes, Bates, Benton, Blizzard, Bonds, Boykin, Brown, Campbell, Clayton, Cole, Collums, Cook, Craig, Culpepper, Davis, Dawson, Dempsey, Douglas, Doyle, Duckworth, Duncan, Emerson, Emmons, Forrester, Foster, Fraser, French, Giles, Gist, Gordon Graddy, Graham, Griggs, Hall, Hare, Henley, Hicks, Housley, Hutto, Jennings, Johnson, Jones, Kidd, King, Knight, Latimer, Leonard, Lindsey, Linn, Mahan, Masey, Massey, McAlister, McCathren, McCord, McDaniel, McEntire, McKim, McNabb, Mills, Moore, Morgan, Muire, Nabors, Noggle, Parish, Pate, Patterson, Payne, Pearson, Perkins, Petty, Pickett, Pledger, Rainwater, Reece, Reeves, Reves, Riley, Rogers, Scanlan, Shannon, Simms, Sims, Sneed, Sowell, Spencer, Stobaugh, Stroud, Tester, Tumbleston, Underwood, Walden Ward, Warren, Washington, Waters, Whillock, Whitworth, Williams, Wilson, Winfrey

Pages 13-15

(Editor's Note: The following article appeared in the May 14, 1936, issue of the Van Buren County Democrat. Roy E. Hall, superintendent of schools at Strong, Arkansas, and former resident of Scotland, sent this story to the Democrat.)
Scotland's Early History
by A.L. Hall

Having been requested to write a sketch of the early history of our town as part of our centennial celebration, I hesitate to do so because the request has come too late to get direct evidence. As the courts would say, we will have to rely on "hearsay evidence".

No one seems to know why Scotland was called Scotland. There were three names sent to Washington for the post office, and Scotland was selected. The other names are not remembered by any of our local residents.

We are located in Craig Township. It took it's name from a family of early settlers by that name. There were nine in the family - the husband, wife and seven children. Like many others who came to a new county, very little was known of them.

The circumstances under which this family died perhaps fixed their name on the township. They lived in a little house about 200 yards south from the Foster Cemetery on Highway 95 between Scotland and Clinton. They had contracted swamp fever and began to die from the effects of this disease. Mr. Craig and six of the children died. A little later the other boy became ill and also died.

I have hear my mother and sisters say that after this last boy had been prepared for burial the mother went and knelt down by the corpse and prayed that she might die and be buried with him. After she had risen from the prayer she went and lay down on the bed and died without a struggle. Their graves are in a single row in the Foster Cemetery just south of the old rock wall.

My father, Robert Hall, came to this place in 1849, having ridden horseback from Otter Creek, Rutherford County, North Carolina. His uncle, Joshus Hall, whose grave is in the old rock wall in the Foster Cemetery, accompanied him.

At this time there was only one road through this part of the county - the old Clinton-Dover road that was sometimes called the old military road. This road was the one over which the soldiers escorted the Indians when they were taken to Oklahoma.

There were only two or three small settlements in the western part of Van Buren county at this time. In the extreme western part was one settlement known as Brock Creek and one is what is known as"The Gulf" on the upper part of Little Red River. There were also a few scattered houses along the Clinton-Dover Road.

The Griggs and McAlister familes settled along the road near the Walnut Grove community. The McAlister houses are now the only ones remaining along this section. The next house is the one in which A.S. Jones and his family now live. At that time, a Mr. Mills lived there, and the Jones family was still in the Brock Creek settlement. The next dwelling was what is known as Jimmie Stroud's old place and was located five or six miles west of Scotland.

The country south of Scotland was known as "the barrens" and was barren of everything but grass that looked like a wheat field. There were also a few large trees scattered about.

About this time, Mississippi and Tennessee began to send many good citizens to this area. Arriving in our community came the Masseys who settled Massey Mountain, the Lindseys who settled Butter Creek, and the Underwoods. From the same place in Mississippi came the Whitworths, and Duckworths who "squatted" here for a year then established a community on Culpepper Mountain. The McNabbs, Stobaughs, Reeces, Fosters and Rileys also settled south of Scotland.

The Williams and Henley families settled the Gulf country. Uncle Jack Williams is the only old-timer there now.

The hostilities of the Civil War resulted in a conglomeration of political beliefs and, therefore, the area was a hot bed during the four years of the war. There were no battles fought in this part of the county, but the country was overrun with "bushwhackers" and "jayhawkers", as they were called. They belonged to neither North nor South, but in reality they were merely robbers and outlaws.

Dr. Jones, father of A.S. Jones, who practiced medicine from Clinton to Dover, had saved $600. The marauding band of robbers heard that he had money and came to his house, took him out in the yard, built a fire, held his feet to the fire and burned him until his wife got the money for them. There were also many other depredations committed in the name of the war.

There was an organized band of horse thieves in the western part of the county that relayed stolen horses from Missouri down to Arkadelphia, Arkansas. No horse was safe - especially a racehorse. Racing was an important issue at the time of the thefts.

Uncle John Mills of near the Stroud settlement had a very fine horse, and he boasted that the thieves could not steal it. To protect the horse he locked one end of a chain around it's foot and ran the other end through a window to his bed. However, being adept in their line of work, the robbers broke the lock and took the horse while Uncle John slept.

Thomps McCathren, a young man who grew up in this community, fell in with the horse-stealing ring and became the mastermind of the gang. He was captured and placed in the Arkansas penitentiary but succeeded in killing his guard with a shovel and made his escape.

Early settlers followed the Indian tradition and settled along streams where game was plentiful. My father used to tell us about counting 125 deer in a single herd near our place.

Bear hunting was the winter sport, as well as a means of food supply. Men would search out the bear's places of hibernation in the rocky ledges and go into the dens and kill them with the old cap and ball pistols. Mother has told me about curing the meat and keeping it over for summer use - just as we do hog meat. The men went into the dens and killed the bears because if they waited until the bears came out of hibernation in the spring they would be so poor that their meat would be unfit for use.

W.R. Morgan, one of our oldest citizens, told me about killing a deer in the branch just back of the post office building and another one in the branch back of the Emmons old drug store.

The Indians were still here when my father came. There are many legends of wealth that was hidden around this community. These legends caused many of us to search the hills for lost treasure, and we still dream of finding it in quantities that would far exceed our expectations.

The Indians left many campsites over this county. Arrowheads, spears, and mortars, in which they turned corn into meal, can be found in numerous places. Indian signs and symbols are common discoveries.

One of the most outstanding examples of these Indian relics is the cave known as the Indian Springs. It is also known by some of those who visited it in earlier times as the old Rock House. It is located near Highway 16, eight miles east of Shirley and perhaps not more than 100 yards from the the eastern line of Van Buren County.

A wall of rock rises in a semicircle with a large spring bursting forth from the center. The wall is twenty or thirty feet high, and the entire surface is covered with symbols. There were 800 paid visitors to this place last year, and it is destined to become one of the show places of this part of the state.

Editor's Note: The Indian Rock House referred to in this article is now included in the area that encompasses Indian Hills Golf Course in Fairfield Bay. It is no longer in it's original state since it sustained extensive damage during the development of the area.
Fall 2004
Surnames
Allen, Anderson, Bearden, Bell, Bost, Burnett, Clark, Clinton, Cone, Counts, Crowell, Dawson, Eades, Ellis, Evans, Feilding, Fraser, Gains, Gerstaecker, Guffey, Hackett, Hall, Ham, Hanks, Hargis, Hodkinson, Holly, Hutchinson, Hutto, Johnson, Jordan, Lankford, Lefler, LeMarr, Maddox, Martin, McClure, McKimsey, McKnight, McNeely, McQuain, Merriweather, Mills, Oldham, Pate, Patterson, Peel, Poole, Rackill, Rector, Reese, Rhea, Rogers, Roten, Scanlan, Scroggins, Smith, Stroud, Underwood, Wakenight, Ward, Ware, Whillock, Williams

Also included in this issue is a list of obituaries on file in the Van Buren County Museum that has now been indexed. There are all prior to the year 2004. I have not included those names in the index above as it is quite extensive.

page 14
Clinton Banner News, February 2, 1882
"Travel Around the County"
Bee Branch
We spent Monday night here with the wholesome gentleman, J.E. Rhea, Esq., who is emphatically the "big man" of the place in more ways than one. This place which but a few years ago was but a wayside post office is fast springing into a prosperous village. They have a good school conducted by Miss Paralee Martin. A handsome church ornaments the highest hill in the place. Dr. Ed Ward Rackill, a most elegant gentleman, is located there and doing a fine practice considering the general healthfulness of the country. The merchants are J.E. Scanlan who is also postmaster, and Hargis & Rhea. Both houses are doing a good business. Mr. W.M. French is in the drug business, and Mr. Allen attends to the wear and tear of farming implements, old wagons, and horses' feet. Mr. W.A. G_?_ (ed. note: unable to determine the last name due to poor quality of microfilmed copy) is the traveling merchant of the town. Scanlan is happy over the advent of a new boy. Our next point in our travels will be the town of Quitman.
Winter 2004
Surnames
Alexander, Anderson, Blevens, Bowman, Bonds, Bowling, Boykin, Bradley, Bradshaw, Cannaday, Cates, Cook, Corbin, Eades, Fraser, Greeson, Halbrook, Hall, Hammett, Hardin, Harris, Hatchett, Henson, Hudgins, Hutto, Isbell, Jennings, Katz, Kemp, Kenimer, Levy, Linn, Lisk, McMahan, Maddox, Martin, Merryman, Mills, Mitchell, Moore, Morrow, Morton, O'Neal, Ormond, Pate, Peel, Poe, Pratt, Roberts, Robinson, Rutherford, Sanders, Sherman, Smith, Snell, Stobaugh, Thompson, Thornbrough, Worthington

Also included in this issue is a list of D-F obituaries on file in the Van Buren County Museum that has now been indexed. There are all prior to the year 2004. I have not included those names in the index above as it is quite extensive.

page 20

News Items from the Shirley Enterprise, March 10, 1916
From the Shirley Community: H.E. Alexander of Pleasant Hill, Texas, is a prospector here this week in care of the Ozark Timber Company. Mr. Alexander has considerable interest in Texas but prefers owning a farm out of the cotton country ... Rev. J.E. Snell returned home Tuesday from Conway where he has been attending conference. Rev. Snell's reappointment to the Methodist pastorate at this place meets with the hearty approval of all ... The Shirley Land company closed a deal Tuesday with Mr. Wm. Pratt of Grand Valley, Colorado for the J.R. Henson farm, locted two miles east of Shirley. The consideration was $900. Mr Pratt expects to move here in the spring ... A drama entitled "Strife" is billed for presentation here Saturday evening December 11th by the Choctaw Dramatic Club. From reports following it's presentation elsewhere we have assurance of an enjoyable entertainment ... R.H. Lisk, an old standby of Ladylisk, Stone County, was transacting business with the Shirley Land Company Saturday. Mr. Lisk is an old time railroader and the call of the road being so strong he contemplates returning to the ranks of the railway wage earners ... Dr. Bill Hutto received a telegram early Monday morning from Galena, Kansas, stating that Mrs. Addie Bowman was dangerouslty ill at that place. Mrs. Bowman is the wife of Walter Bowman, at one time marshal of Shirley and a sister of the Drs. Hutto of Shirley and Damascus ... Dave Katz, whose headquarters are in Little Rock, was here Friday looking after the interest of the Ozark Timber Company. This firm has extensive real estate interests in Van Buren County, and the publicity they are giving this section is bringing many homeseekers here.

At the County Seat - Culled from the Van Buren County Democrat:
Miss Myrtle Morrow left this morning for an extended visit with the family of her cousin, Mrs. Ethel Corbin, nee Pate, of Oak Flat, Louisiana ... A school attendance record of four years without a day absent or tardy a single morning established by Miss Sallie Pate, eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W.S. Pate, was terminated last week on account of illness ... Choctaw's basketball boys visited Clinton last Saturday afternoon when they "put one over" the locals by a score of 37 to 27. Quite a number of spectators witnessed the game, which is said to have been very interesting ... Mesdames Sarah Cates and Minnie Thompson of Shirley are spending the week with friends in Clinton. Mrs Cates has the agency for sale of a special line of men's and ladies' hosiery and is supplying quite a number of her friends here with the product of the factory she represents ... Local friends of "Uncle Henry" Bonds are pleased to note a commendable improvement in his appearance during the past two weeks. While far from enjoyment of his former health, yet he has undoubtedly gained in strength and general vigor since his removal to town ... The return of Mrs. S.D. Hatchett last Saturday afternoon from Little Rock where some three weeks since, she underwent an operation for appendicitis, was the cause for gratification by her many friends here ... Members of the Helping Hand Society were quite busy the latter part of last week renovating and furnishing the church parsonage preparatory to reception of newly appointed pastor, Rev. Blevens, and family who arrrived in Clinton Tuesday evening. Re-papering, repainting of interior, and a new roof on house was among other work accomplished ... At Sunday school Sunday morning the question of a Christmas entertainment was discussed with the resultant decision to hold a Christmas tree at the church building Christmas Eve night. A suitable program will doubtless be arranged, due notice of which will be given in these columns ... From some cause, climatic or otherwise, Clinton seems to have had a very unusual number of cases of illness the past several days with la grip being the most general complaint. Of those afflicted, mention of whom has not been made elsewhere, we note "Uncle Wilson" Pate, W.M. Peel, S.D. Hatchett, Dr. John McMahan, R.F. Pate, Jewel Sanders, Claud Kenimer, and perhaps others whose names just now we fail to recall. Of those mentioned we are pleased to report a majority as practically recovered, with others much improved ... An unusual incident was reported from the home of Mr. and Mrs. W.S. Pate last week in that practically every member of the family was ill at one time. Of the six members at home one night found all indisposed except the baby, and Mr. Pate thinks that if he had been able to express his feelings he would have done a little complaining, too. The illness of all, however, was brief with the exception of Mr. Pate and daughter, Miss Sallie, who were confined to their bed the latter part of the week ... Porter Hatchett has purchased the residence property of Edgar Bradley and "knowin' ones" say he expects to personally occupy the property early in the coming year. Our friend may be a little "old manish" and rather "set in his ways" but one thing is certain: he'll never be found "batching". It is easy enough to provide a coop but getting a "pullet" to put in it is a difference proposition. However, we're not intimating that our friend can't make the riffle. But, will he?