Cleveland County Historical & Genealogical Society *********************************************************** Submitted by: Belinda Winston Date: 09 Nov 2002 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm *********************************************************** Cleveland County Historical & Genealogical Society Diane B. White, Editor P. O. Box 192 Rison, AR 71665 Annette B. Rawls, President Don G. Thurman, 1st Vice President Rufus T. Buie, 2nd Vice President Lisa Rowland, Secretary Sharon Gray, Treasurer Lisa Rowland, Reporter Louise Dawson, Historian ------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS Cleveland County Historical and Genealogical Society LETTER Vol. 14 No. 1 October 1, 2002 Churches of Cleveland County Mt. Olivet Methodist Church By Cora Wilson From the files of Mrs. Lois Moore Mt. Olivet Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was organized in 1867. Anson Black and wife, Harriet, gave one acre of land situated in Section 9, Township 9, Range 9 West, in what was then Bradley County, Arkansas. The location of this property is on Highway 15 at Calmer, Cleveland County, Arkansas. The land was given in trust to the trustees for the purpose of building a house of worship for the membership of this church. The trustees were: Pleas Culpepper, James Chambers, Thomas Harper, John Culpepper, and Jonathan Cooper. The building is approximately 40 feet by 60 feet. It was constructed of lumber hauled by oxen-drawn wagons from Warren, Arkansas, which was 23 miles away. The sills were long and heavy. Oxen were used to drag them, and Richard (Dick) Breathwaite used a boom to put them in place. The roof consisted of hand-hewn cypress boards (shingles), made by the church members. The pews were made of virgin timber and hand-hewn by Tom May. Three large square wooden post were placed equally apart inside along the center of the building. Three backless pews, called “mourner’s benches,” were placed near the pulpit. These pews were used during singing of hymns when the minister would call for those in the congregation desiring an interest in a prayer to come and sit on these benches. These “mourner’s benches” were also used for taking the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. The minister would pass the cup of wine and the tray of bread. The communion bread was made by the women of the church; the wine by the stewards. The lighting system which was first used was homemade tallow candles. These were replaced by small kerosene burning glass lamps, placed in brackets with metal reflectors and hung on the walls. Later, two large swinging kerosene lamps, suspended from the ceiling were added. One of these lamps had a decorated shade with glass prisms hanging all around. These lamps could be raised or lowered by metal chains. The heating system for many years was by a huge wood-burning stove. A bucket of water was placed on a table near the pulpit with a long handled gourd used as a dipper. In the beginning of this church and for many years thereafter, the older men sat in an “amen” corner on the left of the pulpit and left side of the church. The women sat on the right side. The young people sat in the center pews. Revivals were sometimes held under “brush arbors” made by the men of the community. These were made with the trucks of small trees serving as posts, the branches were used for the roof. About the year 1910 a “tent meeting” was held nearby this church under a huge circus tent. Rev. J. D. Hammons, the presiding elder of the Pine Bluff district, was the evangelist. The services continued for several days. People attended for miles around, coming in wagons, buggies and on horseback. Those from a distance stayed in homes nearby to be able to attend all services. Many times dinner-on-the-ground was spread under the shade trees. Each evening at twilight the women and men of the church would hold separate prayer and testimonial meetings under nearby trees. During the summer months the ministers would use Palmetto fans while preaching the gospel. Sometimes the congregation would become emotional. The men would shout “amen” while the women rising to their feet, clapping their hands and shouting for joy would plead for sinners to repent. The services were long. The women of the church would bring quilts to spread on the floor, near their pews, for the children to use after becoming sleepy. The church was first a part of the Lehigh Circuit until 1897 when it was changed to Rowell Circuit, as it is today. The parsonage was located near Center Church at Rowell, Arkansas. The church was remodeled in 1950 by Ira Wilson as supervisor. The old wooden blocks were replaced by concrete ones and the lighting system was electrified. Some of the families represented in this church were: Tom Betty, Marion M. Kesterson, J. S. Williams, P. D. Williams, Robert Greenlee, W. J. Greenlee, Johnny Greenlee, E. B. Henderson, R. S. Henderson, A. P. Huselton, M. W. Wilson, J. R. Wilson, W. F. Greenlee, Joe Woolley, Melton Williams, Nick Taliaferro, Ben Taliaferro, Jim Talliaferro, Edgar McLendon, William John, Mrs. Horace Jewell, H. W. Wilson. PASTORS OF THE CHURCH This list of pastors dates only from 1882 which is the date printed conference journals came into use. Two pastors known to have served before 1882 are Milton Carr and Finch Winbourne. The list is as follows: 1883-84, John F. Carr; 1884-85, E. L. Beard; 1885-86, W. C. Adams; 1886-87, C. M. Keith; 1887-89, Z. T. McCann; 1889-90, F. J. Shaw; 1890-91, J. D. Whiteside; 1891-92, G. W. McCarty, 1892-94, J. R. Sherwood; 1894-97, J. W. White; 1899-1900, R. L. Reese; 1900-01, O. M. Barnett; 1901-02, to be supplied; 1902-05, David Bolls; 1905-09, John Waddell; 1909-11, G. T. Taylor; 1911-12, Hugh Reveley; 1912-13, J. H. Ross; 1913-14, J. B. Williams; 1914-16, L. M. Harp; 1916-17, H. Herrington; 1917-21, A. E. Jacobs; 1921-22, to be supplied; 1922-25, J. C. Williams; 1925-26, H. A. F. Ault; 1926-27, J. C. Johnson; 1927-28, Joseph Matthews; 1928-29, J. C. Williams; 1929-30, W. F. Campbell; 1930, to be supplied; 1930-34, J. B. Hoover; 1934-36, C. E. Burdett; 1936-37, W. D. Golden; 1937-38, K. K. Carithers; 1938-40, C. H. Filliam; 1940-41, Everett Vinson; 1941-45, J. R. Diffee; 1945-46, James B. Swain; 1947-49, J. W. Worthey; 1949-50, Claude Stone, Jr.; 1950-52, W. C. Onstead; 1952, to be supplied; 1953-54, J. R. Diffee; 1954-63, Elam Turner, 1963-64, L. M. Paty; 1964-66, James W. Beck; 1966-70, Hursel Richert; 1970-71, Thomas G. Lowry; 1971-73, James E. Brown; 1973-74, A. M. Lightfoot; 1974, C. E. Monroe. The members of Mt. Olivet Methodist Church, have since built a new Church. The original Mt. Olivet Methodist Church is now located in the Pioneer Village, in Rison, Arkansas. When the church was moved to this location, it was restored to its original appearance. The pews are original and one Mourners Bench remains. The small pulpit table is also original, as are some of the panes of glass in the windows. The Church was placed on the National Register of Historic Structures in 1975. ------------------------------------------------------------- MARCH 31, 1911, EARTHQUAKE SOUTHEASTERN ARKANSAS Submitted by Diane White The following article was obtained from the Internet, from the UALR website, Center for Earthquake Education and Technology Transfer. The New Madrid Fault - Arkansas’ Seismic Wonder! A Richter magnitude 4.7 earthquake occurred on Friday, March 31, 1911, at about 10:57 a.m. central time. The earthquake consisted of two or three distinct shocks of several seconds duration depending on ones location. Tremors were reported to have occurred at 10:00, 11:00, and 12:00, with the 11:00 tremor being the strongest. The main tremor was centered in an area southeast of Pine Bluff, Arkansas. H. F. Alciatore, director of the U. S. Weather Bureau’s Little Rock office, was in the bureau’s offices on the tenth floor of the Southern Trust Building. Mr. Alciatore noted that the time was 10:57. Mr. Alciatore at first thought that either an elevator had fallen or that a safe had been dropped. Shortly, Mr. Alciatore received a call from W. C. Mans of the Southwest Telephone Company reporting the event. Mr. Alciatore reported receiving 42 telephone calls before 2:00 p.m. Mr. Alciatore asked the callers for their location and their accounts of the earthquake. The earthquake was most noticeable in Warren where the bell in the courthouse rang during the 11:00 and noon tremors causing the courthouse to be evacuated. Stove pipes in the school building were thrown down, causing the children to panic and flee into the street. Articles were thrown off of store shelves. Residents of Pine Bluff were also severely rightened by the event. At the Jefferson County Courthouse, people panicked and fled the courthouse fearing that it was falling into the nearby Arkansas River. Downtown businesses were deserted. In Rison, all clocks in town were reported to have stopped. Bottles were broken, flues were down and several brick buildings cracked. In Argenta (now, North Little Rock), plaster was shaken from the high school ceiling. The Arkadelphia Milling Company lost a valuable smoke stack. ------------------------------------------------------------- AMERICAN LEGION POST ORGANIZED From the Cleveland County Herald, November 27, 1929 Submitted by Belinda Winston A post of the American Legion was organized here during the past week with 35 charter members. Preliminary plans for the local post were made Friday night at a meeting of World War veterans at the courthouse and the organization partially perfected. At a meeting Monday night plans were completed and the post fully organized. Attorney Geo. H. Holmes of this city, who was a first lieutenant during the war, was elected commander and J. W. Williams was elected adjutant. Other officers are: George F. Brown, vice-commander, James G. Mosley, finance officer; Martin Klanke, sergeant at arms; Ben H. Lincoln, Chaplin. The post will be known as the Cloy Post. The name is in honor of Cloy Hall, son of Mr. And Mrs. M. B. Hall, who died while with the A.E.F., in France, in 1918. The name was selected by a committee composed of Geo. F. Brown, Ben H. Lincoln and James G. Mosley. The charter will be held open until Friday night to enable other members to join as charter members, at which time officials expect the list to reach 50. Those who had enrolled a members up to Tuesday night, according to a list furnished by adjutant Williams are as follows: Geo. H. Holmes, J. W. Williams, Walter A. Jones, Dewitt E. Vinson, Jas. G. Mosley, Maurice C. McCauley, Ben H. Lincoln, William H. Taylor, Geo. F. Brown, W. W. Wood, Roy Tolson, Jewell Miller, Grover C. Wallace, R. R. Nesbit, Alonzo Hyatt, Frank Wilson, Fred J. Robertson, E. E. McReynolds, B. M. House, J. C. Lochridge, W. B. Vaughn, I. L. Clement, Edgar McKinney, Luther Granderson, Bob Hunter, Martin H. Klanke, Lon Hamilton, Harvey Bearden, Leon Moore, Victor Moore, Sid Glover, Horace Jaggars, Harry Thomasson, James R. Bussey. Cleveland County is one of the few counties in Arkansas that has not had an active post of the American Legion, and the organization of the local post was welcomed by all citizens of the county. The membership is open to all men who saw active service during the World War. Visitors assisting in the organization here Friday night were: Hugh Wicker, of Little Rock, state adjutant of the Legion; Claude Brown, director Veterans Bureau, Little Rock; and C. J. Farin, commander Sheridan post; Earl Rushing, chairman for State Americanism; Homer Ashcraft, past commander, and Rev. Conrad Glover all of Sheridan. ------------------------------------------------------------- Searching for your Native American Ancestry??? The link: http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/ will give lots of information relating to Indian/Native American documentation. Scroll down to the middle of the page for all kinds of rolls and a wealth of centralized information. Some of the rolls are actually not transcribed, but a rather digital images of the roll pages. ------------------------------------------------------------- MUSEUM NEWS It is with much regret that the CCHGS has come to the realization that we have been unable to raise the funds necessary to refurbish the *old Federal Building to house a county museum. Bruce C. Dawson, vice-chairman of the Cleveland County Museum and Heritage Center Committee, sent the following letter to Judge Vernon Dollar explaining the Society’s decision: “I am writing to inform you and Cleveland County Quorum Court of the Historical Society’s intent to relinquish and vacate the premises commonly referred to as the Federal Building. It is after such deliberation and regret that we take this action. “As you know in 1999 the Quorum Court graciously entered into a 99-year lease with the Historical Society with the intention of turning the building into a museum. The agreement required the Society to have nearly one-half of the funds needed for renovation within three years or risk losing the building. It is now apparent that we will fall short of our goal of obtaining these funds and thus will not fulfill our obligations in the lease. “It had been the Society’s intention to procure funding from both large private donations as well as grants from both public and private sources. We hoped that by utilizing these sources that the citizens of Cleveland County would not have to shoulder much, if any, of the renovation costs that we expected to approach $1 million. Prior to initiating this project we sought the advice from many professionals who specialize in projects such as ours and were told on a number of occasions that such funding was readily available. Unfortunately, funding from these sources never materialized in spite of the sustained effort of many in our group. These efforts included numerous grant requests as well as a direct appeal to the Arkansas State Legislature. “Although our decision to relinquish the museum is disappointing we remain optimistic about providing a museum for the people of our community. We have already begun consideration of other sites that may suit this purpose. With this said, we request and encourage the Court’s cooperation in locating and obtaining another feasible site as well as any other assistance it may offer.” *The old two-story Federal Building, located adjacent to the Courthouse, has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. ------------------------------------------------------------- OBITUARY S. E. BARNETT From the Arkansas Methodist Newspaper May 29, 1889 Submitted by Jann Woodard Barnett: Died of pneumonia, May 14, 1889, S. E. Barnett the wife of F. Barnett, at their home in Cleveland Co., Ark. She was very violently attached from the exordium, and the malignancy of the disease continued to the final termination, notwithstanding every available effort was used by her many relatives and friends and her physician to arrest the rapid and destructive strides of her disease. Mrs. Barnett was born January 5, 1847, in Jackson Parish, La. She was baptized in infancy. She became a member of the M. E. Church, South, early in life and lived a consistent Christian life. She united herself to the same branch of the church after removing to Cleveland Co., Ark., in 1869, under the pastorate of Rev. E. Ware. She is gone to Jesus whom she testified repeatedly during her severe illness that she had trusted. It is a severe trial to witness the victory of death over our race one by one, yet to behold as I did and many others in the very act of dissolution of Mrs. Barnett, how cool, calm and self-possessed she was, then confronting grim Death-such a scene, at least to me, is as indeed a buoyant inspiration of hope and a glorious excitant to renewed faith in Jesus our Lord and Master, who gives the victory, “Blessed are they that die in the Lord.” Such a scene to me is indeed a feast of which I have been an eyewitness many times. Mrs. Barnett’s remains were interred in Shady Grove Cemetery. Her friend, J. W. A. ------------------------------------------------------------- NEW EDINBURG Eagle Democrat, Warren Arkansas, November 30, 1939 Submitted by Jann Woodard Since State Highway No. 8 between Warren and Fordyce has been constructed those who motor that way are usually impressed with two things at New Edinburg - the old tree which stands in the middle of the road in front of Attwood’s Store, and the number of comfortable homes which are covered with corrugated tin roofing. We have a tendency to “cuss” the presence of the tree when the traffic is heavy, but when we think of those ten roofs topping those comfortable homes, there arises that boyish feeling, “Gee, wouldn’t it be great to go to sleep on an old fashioned feather bed while hearing the musical rain drops on that roof.” For our purpose here, the tree and the tin-tops explain the character and sturdiness of the present New Edinburg. While modern highways have led other rural villages to fold up and pass away, this unusually progressive community has kept pace with the present, and continually moves forward. The tree represents a sentimental connection with a great ancestry, the tin-roofs, the permanency with which the place was built. Space forbids an extended reference to those citizens of the past who founded and built this community, bequeathed it to the children and grandchildren of the present, and fired them with the desire to remain and carry on. After all, the greener pastures for the most of us remain near the old home. The old saying, the “rolling stone gathers no moss” still obtains. The three active churches, the well-equipped consolidated school, the numerous mercantile enterprises, the two gins, the busy blacksmith shop, the well-kept post office, and the sound and stable bank of today’s New Edinburg recall the noble history of James McDaniel, John H. Cherry, Dr. E. H. Moses, William W. Carmical, Thomas J. Clements, Milton Hargis, Joseph J. T. Kendrick, J. N. Marks, William F. Matlock, John T. Haskins, Alex L. Ross, W. D. Attwood, Dr. W. A. Ward, Dr. O. H. Tatum, Dr. J. O. Vance, T. G. Moseley and many others who laid the foundations for a social community where the worship of God, the education of the youth, the enforcement of the law, and fair dealing in business should obtain. The busy community of today has its share of commercial enterprise. The Attwood Store, Parham Bros., a partnership composed of W. K. And T. T. Parham, J. W. Parrott, W. F. Tipton, C. V. Frey, Mrs. F. M. Stewart, Lash Mercantile, B. W. Hamaker, Ed Frey, Met Daniels, each do a good business. W. C. Haskins is operating the blacksmith shop established by his father fifty-seven years ago. Finch McCullough, the present postmaster is the son of Robert McCullough, one of the community’s pioneers. Roy E. Trawick is Superintendent of the Consolidated School which is attended by children from all over the western part of the county. The Rev. W. D. Golden is pastor of the Methodist church, the Rev. Lee Moseley of the Baptist, and the Rev. J. V. McFerrin of the Presbyterian. There are the Farmers’ Cooperative Gin and another owned and operated by L. O. Landers. One of the few Farm-to-Market roads built in this section of the state in recent years by the Federal Government extends three miles and a half East from New Edinburg. ------------------------------------------------------------- Obituary of Dr. Henry Davis Sadler From The Cleveland County Herald October 30, 1925 Submitted by Belinda Winston DR. H. D. SADLER HIGHLY ESTEEMED CITIZEN, ANSWERS FINAL SUMMONS April 7, 1862-October 28, 1925 Dr. Henry Davis Sadler, aged 63 years, a native of this county and a practicing physician for 34 years, died suddenly of heart trouble at his home here at four o’clock Wednesday morning. He seemed in very good health until a sudden attack of neuralgia of the heart Sunday night shortly after supper, but Monday and Tuesday he seemed much better and the attending physicians believed him on the road to recovery. He rested well Tuesday night but a few minutes past four o’clock Wednesday morning a second attack came while he was asleep and in a few minutes life ahead ebbed out without his awakening. All members of his immediate family together with his sister were at his bedside when the end came. His physicians and his brothers arrived a few minutes later. Funeral services were held from the Baptist church in Rison Thursday afternoon, conducted by the Rev. B. F. Musser, pastor of the Methodist church, Rev. H. H. McGuyre of Stephens, a former pastor of the Methodist church here, and Rev. Geo. F. Moody, a Baptist minister and life-long friend of the deceased. From the church the funeral cortege moved passed his home to Greenwood cemetery where he was laid to rest in the family lot beside his mother who died 20 years ago. Services at the grave were in charge of Culpepper Lodge F.&A.M., of which he had been an active member for nearly 40 years. The pallbearers were as follows: Honorary--I. E. More, J. W. Elrod, L. C. Ackerman, N. A. McKinney, W. B. Smith, Woodson Mosley, Drs. J. S. McMurtrey, A. J. Hamilton, M. F. Stanfield, A. B. Robertson, H. O. Wilson and _. J. Robertson: active--Grady Attwood, Victor Boggs, Leon Moore, Van McKinney, James G. Mosley, O. F. Reed, E. R. Maddox and Walter Thomasson. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Annie Sadler; three sons, Guy M. Sadler, editor of the Herald; Harold D. Sadler, secretary to Congressman James B. Reed, and Tom Sadler, a student in Henderson-Brown College at Arkadelphia; a sister, Mrs. B. F. Condray of Arkadelphia; two brothers, James C. And John L. Sadler of Rison; a large number of nephews and nieces and relatives. Dr. Sadler was born April 7, 1862, in what is now Miller township, the second son of John W. And Othello Wharton Sadler. He grew to young manhood on the home farm and in the village of old Toledo, which was at that time the county seat of the county, where he worked as a deputy in the office of the late Sheriff Henry W. Rogers. He later taught in the schools of his native county and one term in Union County near El Dorado. Obtaining sufficient funds he entered the University of Arkansas, medical department at Little Rock, from which institution he graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in class of 1891. Upon his graduation he practiced medicine for one year in Rison, moving to Thornton where he remained for four years, returning to Rison in 1896 where he has since resided. In 1911 he took post graduate work in Tulane University at New Orleans. He was in his early life engaged in the mercantile business here. He was married to Miss Annie McLendin, also a native of this county, on January 29, 1899. Dr. Sadler was one of the petitioners for the incorporation of the town of Rison. He assisted in the organization of the Bank of Rison and was a charter member of its official board which position he held at the time of his death, he was also vice-president of that institution. At various times he served as a member of the board of aldermen of the town of Rison and for nearly 20 years he served as a member of the Rison School Board. ------------------------------------------------------------- 1867 Voter Registration - Miller Township Submitted by Jann Woodard Joshua Williams A. A. Black William Barne M. McLendon ? John G. M. Gray M. O. Johnson S. M. Canna (?) A. Stewart W. Henley Richard Breathwait Anderson Cunningham G.W.Reed L. T. Reed - Black David Brewer - Black James Cazee - Black James Childs - Black Lewis Bulard - Black Booker Deering - Black Primus Chaney - Black B. C. Forster Wm. Gilbert W. Thos. Brewer J. Ford L. Brown Joel Favins S. C. Trotter E. H. Lum G. H. Gray G. R. Corker J. E. M. Tucker J. W. Sadler J. M. Brown Jas. Osborne Rolly Reed Wm. Coats J. H. Reed John Livingston A. L. Sanford T. or F. M. Corker John Butler Joseph Gilmore John V. Brown J. Berry J. H. Taliafero J. W. Reed E. McLendon N. M. Stewart S. S. Allen J. R. Reed N. M. Taliaferro W. L. Guest S. M. Berry A. Powers D. D. Tucker Geo. W. Gilbert J. C. Favors (?) S. J. Pearson Henry Cherry - Black Wm. Macon - Black Hogie Climons - Black Henderson Gipson - Black James Stewart - Black Gabriel Stewart - Black L. McClendon - Black Marmaduke Marks - Black Jesse Stewart - Black Chas. Goulsby - Black Sylvester B. Harper - Black Gus Cazee (?) - Black Rich Townsend - Black Robt. Johnson - Black Chas Watkins - Black Amos Kendall - Black Frank Van - Black Gilbert McGehee - Black Levi Brewer - Black Steven Davis - Black Edward Wilson - Black Lawrence Middleton - Black Joel Brewer - Black Wiley Taliafero - Black W. L. Conner A. S. Brown S. W. Culpepper J. J. Teague J. Whitehead Geo. Grundy Jonathan Cooper P. Culpepper Jas. J. McGraw A. S. Brown John Lavender John Clarke L. S. Stoker John McLean H. Henry Breathwit Austin McClain - Black Sanders Coats Jos. Greenlee R. H. Corker Thos B. Little J. G. Culpepper Wm. Breathwit F. M. Adams P. N. White A. Goolsby W. L. Kimbrell R. G. Mann Geo. Spence J. W. Hale M. S. Williams H. S. Williams Jas M. Black J. L. Webb E. M. Orton ------------------------------------------------------------- PRESIDENT’S LETTER At our June 2002 meeting we had a very good attendance. Our program was presented by Sharon Gray, Cleveland County Clerk and Mary Green, a member of the Clerk’s office staff, at the Courthouse on “Where and how to Locate Court Records”. Courthouse records are vital for historical and genealogical research. Other programs on where and how to research will be presented in the future. The possibility of a special genealogy workshop was also proposed. Diane White has accepted the responsibility of pulling together the newsletter. She continues to publish very interesting historical and genealogical information from Cleveland County’s past. If you have information or queries to contribute to the newsletter, please mail to Cleveland County Historical and Genealogical Society (CCHGS). P. O. Box 192, Rison, AR 71665. A reinstituted feature of the newsletter will be to highlight some of Cleveland (once part of Bradley, the Dorsey) County’s earliest settlers. In this issue we will feature the Andrews Families who settled in the southeastern section of the county around St. John’s and Rye, in the late 1850's. These Andrews are the ancestors of the current Cleveland Countians listed below who are still making a positive contribution to their communities and Cleveland County: Danny Powell, owner of Hometown Grocery, Hometown Flowers and Gifts, General Dollar, and the buildings which house the K and K Cafe and Dance Studio, is restoring Rison’s Phoenix Hotel to a bed and breakfast. The Phoenix is in the process of being placed on the National Historic Register. Alicia Cummings Montgomery, owner and operator of the Toy Box Day Care Center in the Rowell Community. Edward “Bugs” Andrews of the Randall Community, Cleveland County Coroner and Past Potentate of Sahara Shrine Center in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Joyce Andrews Henley and Janie Andrews Turner who live in the Herbine area. They are the daughters of John Hebert Andrews, retired foreman and supervisor in the oak flooring industry. He still works part-time in the hardwood industry. Havis Harrison of Woodlawn, Cattleman, immediate past president of the Cleveland County Cattleman’s Association and 2001 Cleveland County Farm Family of the Year. I know that I will have missed many descendants of whom I am not aware, but by personally knowing some of the descendants of the early settlers makes our history “come alive” for us. If you would like to have your Cleveland County ancestors featured in future issues, please send a letter to Annette Rawls, 510 Highway 114, Rison, AR 71665 or e-mail: jabr3640@tds.net. Another proposed project for the CCHGS is to set up historical and genealogical files in the Genealogy Room at the Roy and Christine Sturgis (Cleveland County) Library where those who are researching their roots in Cleveland County can come and research their family history as well as other historical events of Cleveland County. We look forward to hearing from you. Annette Boyd Rawls, President Cleveland County Historical and Genealogical Society ------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST ANDREWS SETTLERS CLEVELAND COUNTY, ARKANSAS compiled by: Annette Rawls Andrews Families of which we have records showing that they settled in parts of Drew and Bradley Counties which later became Cleveland County were the following: 1) Jacob W. Andrews was born about 1823/4 in North Carolina and moved to Arkansas in 1854/5. He first settled in Drew County; he is listed on the 1880 Census as living in Miller Township, Dorsey now Cleveland County. Land records in the Cleveland County Courthouse show that he owned land in the St. John’s area of Dorsey/Cleveland County. Jacob was married three times: 1st to Frances Isabella (Ritchie-?; a marriage record from Lowndes County, Alabama shows J. W. Andrews and Isabel F. Ritchie married March 12, 1844); 2nd to Martha Ann Hulsey December 27, 1860, in Drew County, Arkansas; and 3rd to Louisa Jane Goolsby (Rawls) June 17, 1869, in Bradley, now Cleveland County. Jacob was a Pvt, Co. D, 2 Reg’t, Arkansas Cavalry, during the Civil War. It is not known when Jacob died or where he was buried. For additional information on this family, contact Danny Powell at Hometown Grocery, 870-325-6777, Rison, AR or Ira E. Andrews, Houston, TX: iandrews@cbunited.com or Mark Andrews Agav8r97@cs.com 2) Hiram Andrews, brother to Jacob, was born about 1829 in North Carolina. Death date or burial place is not known. He always seems to be found in close proximity to Jacob. Apparently they were moving together. Hiram was also married three times; 1st to Mary Jane Rishey (Ritchie-?) August 11, 1852; 2nd to Eliza, last name unknown; 3rd to Sarah “Sallie” Rawls, October 29, 1879. Sallie was the daughter of Louisa Jane Goolsby and Cloyd Rawls. No records have been found which would indicate that Hiram had any children. It is known that Hiram’s nephew, Robert, and Sarah’s niece, Ethel, did live with them. Hiram served in Co. E, 24 Arkansas Infantry, during the Civil War. 3) Paschal Burns Andrews was born about 1823 in either Alabama or Georgia and died in 1870 in the Rye Community, then Bradley/Dorsey, now Cleveland County, Arkansas. He moved to Arkansas from Church Hill, Alabama, between 1848 and 1850. On the 1850 census he was living in the Hurricane Township of Bradley County. Records show that he was married twice: 1st to Martha Ellen (last name unknown); 2nd to Nancy Angelina Reid (Thompson). (After Paschal died, Nancy married a third time to William Wooldridge). Paschal was a founding member and deacon of the Enon Baptist Church near Rye. Additional information on any of the Paschal Andrews Family, may be found by contacting the following Andrews researchers: Robert H. McClain - TexMass@aol.com address: 75 Tanglewood Drive, West Yarmouth, MA 02673 Joyce A. Henley - joyceahenley@tds.net. Rison, AR Harold Dean Davis - hddavis@ipa.net, 1300 Leon Street, Benton, AR 72015 4) Tarleton Andrews was born about 1835 in Alabama and is shown on the 1860 census as living in the Hurricane Township, Bradley County, Arkansas. His wife was Elizabeth Glover, born about 1836 in Alabama. They married November 1, 1855. Tarleton served in Co. G, 4 Arkansas Cavalry, during the Civil War. Tarleton and his family moved to Calhoun County, Arkansas, as shown on the 1880 census. 5) James Allen Andrews was born on January 18, 1833; died October 27, 1903. He is buried in the Union Cemetery at Rye. It is not known where he was born or if he had any family in Cleveland County. It is not known how of if these five (5) early Cleveland County settlers may have been related. Anyone having any additional information to share on the above ANDREWS Families may contact Annette Rawls at 510 Highway 114, Rison, AR 71665 or e-mail: jabr3640@tds.net or phone: 501-325-6623. Any information would be especially welcome on 4) Tarleton Andrews or 5) James Allen Andrews. Special thanks go to Robert H. McClain, Billie J. Langford of Kingsland, AR, Ira E. Andrews and Danny Powell for contributing information for this article. (Here a picture is displayed in newsletter) You may view this picture at http://www.usgwarchives.net/ar/cleveland/randrews.html Robert B. Andrews family. Front row, l-r: Sallie nee Sterling, Robert B., Isabel. Back row, l-r: Robert Sterling, John, Mary Emma. c. 1900 (Photo compliments of Joyce Andrews Henley) A photo of the Andrews family houseboat can be viewed at http://www.usgwarchives.net/ar/cleveland/andrewshouseboat.jpg ROBERT B. ANDREWS FAMILY c. 1900 ------------------------------------------------------------- CLEVELAND COUNTY POTPOURRI Recollections From History and Folklore Bicentennial 1976 INTERVIEW WITH MRS. ROBERT STERLING ANDREWS By Joyce Andrews On August 19, 1903, Mary Lee Bostain was born to Mr. And Mrs. James Franklin Bostain of the Cornerville Community in Lincoln County. At nine, her family moved to Monticello, and later to Warren. While living in Warren, she met and married Robert Sterling Andrews, and they moved to the Rye Community in Cleveland County, which is still Mrs. Andrews’ home. During the first interview, Mrs. Andrews called to mind the adventures of her school days. She remembered walking three miles to school: “They always said it was three miles, but it didn’t seem that far when ya walked it back an’ forth everyday.” What did you do after you left school? “I stayed at home an’ worked in the fields ‘till I was about sixteen. Then we moved to Warren, an’ I got a job at the Hargrave Hotel waitin’ on tables, makin’ beds, sweepin’ floors, an’ whatever. I was workin’ down there when I met my husband, Sterlin’. It was in January of 1920, an’ me an’ my girlfriend, Ollie, was walkin’ out to visit Uncle Oscar Stergiss. Well, Ollie was datin’ Sterlin’ at the time, an’ as we was walkin’, we met Sterlin’ comin’ down the road. When we stopped to talk, he asked Ollie who the new girl was an’ she interduced us to each other. While we was talkin’, he told me then an’ there he was goin’ to marry me someday! I know Ollie felt like killin’ him!” Did you start dating him then? “Naw. I had to go to Little Rock to stay with my uncle. I worked at a candy factory while I was up there. Boy, I couldn’t eat no candy for a long time after that! Some of them candy shapers wouldn’t ever wash their hands. Now, if you don’t think that’ll make you sick! I only stayed up there for about six months, an’ then I went back to Warren an’ got a job doin’ housework for Earnest Andrews for about a month. I saw Sterlin’ again while I was sweepin’ off the porch an’ watchin’ the train come in. Earnest Andrews lived by the railroad, an’ Sterlin’ was workin’ our there puttin’ logs on the train. He saw me an’ started wavin’ up a storm. I didn’t know who it was, so I just waved back. Well, when I went home that night, as soon as I walked in the door, I was told I had company. Sure enough, it was Sterlin’.” When were you married? “I think it was July 25, 1920. He was thirty-three an’ I was seventeen. He was sixteen years older than me.” What were Mr. Andrews’ parents like? “Robert Bunyon and Sally were from two completely different families. Robert was poor like the rest of us, but Sally Sterling was from a wealthy family. Her daddy owned a plantation down in Louisiana. He even owned slaves down there. Well, her daddy didn’t want Sally to marry Robert ‘cause he was so poor an’ he told her if she did, he would disinherit her. Well, that’s just what he did. Robert and Sally got married an’ even though they didn’t have much, he was good to her. They lived for a long time in a houseboat down here on the Saline River. I remember he had a horseshoe over the door an’ his old bearskin layin’ over a chair. He killed the bear with his huntin’ knife when he was out huntin’ one time. It was dark an’ the bear grabbed him. They said he thought it was a big, hairy man when it grabbed him.” That must have really frightened him to have something grab him and not be able to see it. “Yeah, an’ where he was huntin’ up here in these woods behind the house was always said to be haunted. I remember hearin’ people say they saw white balls of light float across the road and fields. I think it was said to be swamp gas. There used to be holes where gas would come up out of the ground around here, but they finally got covered up.” ------------------------------------------------------------- NOTES FROM THE ARKANSAS METHODIST Submitted by Jann Woodard July 12, 1884 -Great excitement prevails in Cleveland county over the various propositions for change of the county seat. Up to the present writing, Kingsland, Dansby, Concord, Rison, Kedron and Anderson's Mill, and all other mills on the T. and St. L. R. R. are each very favorably mentioned for the place of the permanent seat of justice. Result of election, problematical. February 14, 1885 -Married at the residence of the bride's mother, January 7, 1885, by Jno. R. Cason, Mr. Charlie Kendall to Miss Lizzie McSwain, both of Dorsey County. April 25, 1885 -The Toledo Immigrant is a live paper without patent inside or outside. It will be a great day for Arkansas when the press rids itself of these patent abominations. The Immigrant contains sad news of the drowning of Mr. Lumbley in Saline River, at Vint's Bluff. He was attempting to cross to fill his appointment. October 31, 1885 -On the 21st, by Rev. E. L. Beard, at the residence of Mrs. Calloway, the mother of the bride, Dr. T. N. Ackerman to Mrs. Mollie C. Ingram, all of Cleveland County. ------------------------------------------------------------- CLEVELAND COUNTY HISTORICAL & GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS Bruce Dawson, Chairman Linda Newman Andrew Roshell Don Thurman Randy Boyd MUSEUM PLANNING COMMITTEE Bruce Dawson, Vice Chairman Randy Boyd Rufus T. Buie Andrew Roshell Judy Simmons Don G. Thurman OCTOBER SPECIAL Dear Members & Friends of Cleveland County Historical And Genealogical Society, Inc: January begins the year for CCHGS, but if you join now, you will receive three (3) additional months free membership. Your continued membership will support the Society’s effort to preserve and enjoy the history of our area. Meetings are scheduled for the second Thursday of each month, at 7:00 p.m., in the Bank of Rison Community Room. Our newsletters will be distributed at our regular meetings, or will be mailed to those who cannot attend. Dues are $10.00 for Individual Membership, $15.00 for Individual Family Membership, $50.00 Business Membership, and $100.00 Individual Lifetime Membership. Please fill out the blank below and mail it with your check, made payable to CCHGS or Cleveland County Historical & Genealogical Society, Inc. Mail to P. O. Box 192, Rison, AR 71665 I wish to join or continue my CCHGS membership and enclose my check for $________________. Date _______________________________ Name____________________________________________________________ Address ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Telephone Number __________________________________________ E-mail Address ____________________________________________ Cleveland County Historical & Genealogical Society P. O. Box 192 Rison, AR 71665 -------------------------------------------------------------