Moore Family Cemetery Floyd Arkansas

Ervin Barnett places Lewis G. Moore’s military stone. Susan Moore’s stone is at left, beside the tree.

Moore Family Cemetery

Floyd, Arkansas

This cemetery is the final resting place for Floyd’s first schoolteacher, Lewis G. Moore, as well as his wife and two of their children. Although the location of the graves had been known by relatives for years, the cemetery was first recorded for the White County Historical Society in 2002 by Leroy Blair, who prepared the following report:

"I found this old cemetery in January 2002. I first heard about it from Eddie Best, a member of the board of the Historical Society. He directed me to his friend Ervin Barnett [a great-grandson of Lewis Moore], who gave me directions on how to find the cemetery.

"To get to the cemetery from Floyd, take Highway 31 north about a half-mile. There is a paved road that leads to Reed Access to Lake Barnett. About 200 yards after you pass the Reed Access Road is an old house and barn that have almost fallen down. [The barn subsequently burned.] The graves are located just north of the old barn under some white oak trees. According to Mr. Barnett, the graves are those of the people listed below.

“The cemetery is overgrown and in very bad need of cleaning. When you are driving south on Highway 31, if you look carefully you can see the tombstone out under some trees.” The area was cleaned by the new landowner in early 2002, and the graves were clearly visible. A military headstone for the Confederate sergeant was placed at the site by Barnett, Best and Blair on February 15, 2005. The new white marble stone was placed against the smaller sandstone that had marked Lewis Moore’s grave since his death 130 years earlier. A close inspection of the original headstone was made at this time. It appeared to be simply a native stone that had never been engraved. Similarly, Susan’s stone also bore no markings.

Although family records indicate four burials--and maybe six----were made here, an archeologist who visited the site in January 2004 found only two visible graves. Scott Akridge of Bradford, former president of the Arkansas Archeological Society, and Bill Leach of Searcy, a former president of the White County Historical Society, inspected the Moore graves January 14, 2004. Akridge filed this report: “We found four stones marking what appear to be only two graves… The stones appeared to be headers and footers. There were depressions between each header and footer. There were no depressions east or west of these four stones. None of the stones bore any writing. We cannot say with certainty that there are only two burials here instead of four. We can say that the pattern of rocks implies two graves and not four.”

Research by the Historical Society determined that Susan E. Carlton Moore was the sister of Dr. Francis Marion Carlton of Center Hill, who is known to have come to Arkansas in 1860 (see “Cursing the Yankees at Center Hill,” 2000 White County Heritage and www.whitecounty.us ). Lewis Moore, according to an early history of Floyd written by Orie Price, “migrated from Mississippi … one of the settlers who took part in the Civil War.”

It is known that a daughter of Lewis and Susan, Emma Jane Moore, was born January 30, 1868, at Tupelo, Mississippi. This date and location are puzzling to researchers because Lewis and Susan were living at Floyd before the Civil War and also in 1870, according to the census. Emma Jane Moore married Henry Byron Barnett of Floyd on May 16, 1888, and they had 11 children, forebears of many Barnetts and other residents of the area today.

One of the Barnett children, C. Elbert, helped prepare an undated family history which included the following mention of his grandparents: “The Louis Moore house stood back of the present Homer Bradberry home. The county now gets shale to build roads where the old house stood 90 or more years ago. The Moore house was moved to the present location of the Homer Bradberry house, one half mile north of Floyd on Highway 31. The west room and side room of the present building was the moved portion of the Moores’ house. Each room had a fireplace. The side room fireplace was used for cooking. Both chimneys have been torn down. Underneath the house boards can be seen that there were chopped down as the boxing, 12 or 14-inch planks, shows the axe marks, and are cut in a ‘v’ shape at the bottom. An aunt of Elbert Barnett was born in the west room of the present Bradberry home in 1859. A log schoolhouse that also served as the Floyd church was built near this house. There is a cemetery nearby where four people are buried, Grandmother Moore, Grandfather Moore, … their son Jim, born in 1857, and the unknown grave of a child.”

A resident of the Floyd area told Ervin Barnett in 2002 that in addition to the four known Moore graves, there were two “earlier” burials nearby. The first teacher in the log schoolhouse mentioned in Barnett’s history was Lewis G. Moore, according to a story written by Claude Johnson, a former president of the White County Historical Society. Three years after the school opened he was an infantry soldier fighting for the Confederacy.

The Elbert Barnett history and the Orie Price history apparently are based on family legend and contain a few facts that appear to be incorrect. Moore served with a White County unit in the Civil War, and despite the report of his daughter being born in Mississippi in 1868, Lewis and his family were living in White County before the Civil War and also in 1870.

In December 2002, Carlton family historian Karen Jones provided new information to the Historical Society. She stated that Lewis Moore served in the 36^th Arkansas Infantry, Co. B. This was later confirmed by records obtained from the National Archives by Eddie Best of the Historical Society. Official military records show that Sgt. Lewis G. Moore enlisted at Springfield, AR, on June 24, 1862. This was exactly one week after his brother-in-law Francis M. Carlton of Center Hill enlisted at the same location in the same 36^th Arkansas, Co. B. Sgt. Lewis G. Moore was still in active service on February 29, 1864. Private Carlton was discharged August 27, 1862, at Camp Hope, AR, for disability. (His record states that he was born in Coweta Co., Georgia.) Karen Jones added, “Both are also listed in the 21^st Regiment Arkansas Militia, Company C, however their rank was not indicated in the muster rolls for that company.”

The regiment was designated at various times as McRae’s Regiment, Glenn’s Regiment, Davie’s Regiment and at the same time it was also known as 2d Regiment Trans-Mississippi Infantry, 28^th Regiment Arkansas Infantry and 36^th Regiment. The 36^th Regiment was organized in June and July 1862 and consolidated into five companies September 30, 1863. Moore’s regiment participated in the following battles: Helena June 4, 1863; Little Rock, September 10, 1863; Red River Campaign, March-Mary 1864; and Jenkins Ferry, Arkansas, April 30, 1864. Col. Dandridge McRae was the first commander.

There is a discrepancy about Lewis’ date of birth and also the spelling of his first name. The military records state that Lewis G. Moore was 22 years old when he enlisted in 1862, however family historian Jones has old records showing he was born March 25, 1830. A specific date of death is not known. Despite the military record, Karen Jones believes the 1830 birth date from family records is correct, adding that Carlton family records also indicate Lewis/Louis and Susan Carlton were married about 1856. The 1870 census for Des Arc Township tends to reinforce Karen Jones’ belief. It shows that L.G. Moore, then a farmer, was 40 years old and was born in Alabama. Susan was 33. Their children listed in the census included Mary E., 11; Columbus T, 9; Albert C., 4; Emma J., 2; and a male infant one month old born in May. According to the census, all of the children were born in Arkansas.

According to Jones’ research, the Bureau of Land Management records show that Lewis Moore bought land in White County on March 1, 1860. “I have not found Lewis in the 1860 census in White County,” Karen Jones said, “but a lot of that census has faded and can no longer be seen. But he and Susan Carlton Moore and their children are listed in the 1870 census. I was unable to find them in the 1880 census for White County but their children are listed with their grandparents James and Elizabeth Moore in the 1880 Itawamba County, MS, census. In September 2003, James McAllister, a White County Historical Society archivist, searched the Courthouse files for additional information on the Moore's. He found that their 280 acres were listed to L.G. Moore in 1873 but listed to his estate in 1875, indicating that Lewis died between 1873 and 1875. McAllister also found a file showing that Susan Moore died in March 1876 and James Carlton became administrator of her estate.

Ervin Barnett recalled a family tale about Susan: “Tommy Barnett [Elbert Barnett’s son] told me a story of some gold coins that are still in their possession that belonged to Susan Carlton Moore. He said she kept them wrapped in a cloth and in her apron pocket, and would hide under the bed with her children when the soldiers came through for fear they would steal them.”

Susan and Lewis’ daughter Emma Jane Moore Barnett died October 25, 1960, at Searcy and was buried at Floyd. In addition to Elbert, who was born September 7, 1901, and married Lura Jones, Susan and Henry Byron’s other children were Ada Susan - born November 1, 1889, who married Joe Dulaney; Henry Virgil – born September 21, 1891, who married Alvia Henley; Louis Herbert – born January 19, 1894, who married Lucy Price; Sidney Hermon – born May 25, 1896, who married Lera Rodgers; Lu Vivian – born January 3, 1899, who married Norman Finley; Dollie Elva – born February 19, 1904, who married Emmett Mason; V – a son born and died August 2, 1906; Leeton Leona – a twin born July 13, 1908, who died two years later; X. Lelon – born July 13, 1908, who married Harold Matthews; and Jessie Ollie Mae – born November 21, 1910, who married Ralph Ballentine.

Henry Byron Barnett was the son of James and Margaret Lawrence Barnett. He was a widower with five children when he married Emma Jane Moore. He was born September 21, 1858, at Floyd and married Martha Elizabeth Stites on January 17, 1878. Their children were James Cots – born December 24, 1878, who died at age 20; Lillie Jane – born April 10, 1880, who married Jesse Akin; Margaret Elizabeth – born October 14, 1881, who married Albert Akin; Matilda Adeline – born October 17, 1883, who married Tommy J. Adkins; and Willie Albert – born May 23, 1885, who married Birtha Kimbrell. Martha Elizabeth Stites was born March 17, 1853, and died February 22, 1886. Henry Bryon Barnett died September 20, 1940.

If you have corrections or additions to this list or other information on this cemetery or the Lewis Moore family, contact the White County Historical Society, P.O. Box 537, Searcy, AR 72145.

Moore, Lewis G. – born March 25, 1830, in Alabama – died c1874 – husband of Susan E. (Carlton) Moore – his name is spelled Louis in some family records – military records state that he was born in 1840

Moore, Susan E. (Carlton) – born c1837 in Alabama – died March 1876 – wife of Lewis G. Moore