Greene Co, AR - Bio - Benjamin Crowley *********************************************************** Submitted by: Grant Van Vranken Date: 11 Mar 2003 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm *********************************************************** THE BENJAMIN CROWLEY II FAMILY Benjamin Crowley II was born in 1758 in Halifax County, Virginia. His parents were Benjamin Crowley I and Sarah Strong. Little is known about Benjamin prior to December 15, 1795 when he married Catherine “Annie” Wiley in Oglethorpe County, Georgia. It is known after his marriage that he moved to Kentucky, and stayed there for a number of years. He lived in Christian and Henderson Counties. It was while residing in Kentucky that he served in some capacity in the War of 1812. For this service rendered, he received a Land Bounty. The New Madrid Earth Quake of 1811 devastated the land he was granted. So he moved to Arkansas and bought a tract of land in Lawrence County from Solomon Hewitt. He stayed in Lawrence County until about 1820/1. It was then that he traveled south along a ridge into what is now Greene County. He found a suitable spot, and laid claim to the area. This ridge would later bear his name. His old home site would later be a State Park in his honor. Benjamin and Catherine had the following children: (born in Oglethorpe County, Georgia) Thomas Crowley (18 Mar 1796-bef 1829) who married Cynthia Campbell; Samuel Crowley (28 Feb 1798-13 Mar 1837) who married Sarah Lamb and Sarah Hutchins; John Crowley (28 Feb 1800-1816). (Children born in Kentucky) Wiley Crowley (27 Mar 1805-abt 1847) who married Lucy Capps; Polly Crowley (5 Apr 1805-abt 1841) who married Abraham Pevehouse; Benjamin Crowley III (1 Nov 1807-bef 1830) who died building a military road; Margaret Crowley (15 May 1810-?) who married Charles Robertson and John McDaniel; Sarah Crowley (1812-?) who married Thomas Lamb. In 1797, Benjamin Crowley is on “List of Insolvents Living within the Indian Boundary of the Year 1797” which the County Court of Grainger, Tennessee released the sheriff from collecting. In 1800 Benjamin was back in Georgia. In 1805, Benjamin was in the Georgia Land Lottery. (This may have been his father) In 1810, Benjamin was living in Christian County, Kentucky next door to his brother-in-law, Matthew Wiley. By 1815, Benjamin is in Lawrence County, Arkansas. June 26, 1816, Benjamin was granted a letter of administration in the estate of John Crowley “upon giving bond and security in the sum of $2500.” This John was his son. In 1817, his father died, leaving him one dollar. The next year, on 6 July 1818, Benjamin served as a juror in the case of William Lackey who was charged with larceny. The same day, a writ of certiorari was executed setting aside the findings of an inferior court involving a suit between Benjamin Crowley vs. Benedict White. On the following day, July 9th, the court found for Crowley awarding him “six dollars and seventy-nine and one-half cents damages together with his costs and charges by him about his suit in his behalf expended the defendant in mercy go.” On the 12th of October 1819 Benjamin Crowley purchased land from Solomon Hewitt for $200 on the Spring River about two miles above the mouth of the Elevenpoint River, on the North side of said Spring River where Benjamin was currently living. In 1821 he moved to and founded Crowley’s Ridge. In 1832 he founded the Post Office for Greene County, which was formed in 1833. On 16 August 1838, Benjamin Crowley had 80 acres bounty land, his son, Wiley, had 40 acres. Benjamin died about 1842, and is buried at the Pioneer Cemetery, called Shiloh Cemetery, which is just up the hill from where his house was located. His wife died on 13th November 1850 and is buried in the cemetery as well. According to the oldest residents of Greene County, when asked in the early 1900s, below are the following people buried in Shiloh: Benjamin Crowley & wife Catherine Wiley Samuel Crowley (Son of above) Larkin Wiley & wife, daughter and son (possibly nephew of Catherine) Mr. Pevehouse and wife Polly Crowley (daughter of Ben and Catherine) P.K. Luster’s child Jake Sutfin and wife Sarah Pevehouse (their daughter married Ben and Catherine’s grandson) There are others buried in the cemetery as well, but they are no relation to Ben and Catherine. They were other early pioneers of the area. The state park claims that Wiley Crowley, Ben’s son is also buried there, but the writer believes that Wiley is buried in the cemetery that is behind where his house stood. Benjamin Crowley’s estate was sold at auction, and stayed out of the family until His grandson, Benjamin H. Crowley bought it back in the 1870s. It should be noted, that Benjamin’s slave James “Jim” (later bought by Hanover Company and known as James Hanover) helped build the Crowley homes on the Ridge. James was the first black justice of the peace. The Klu Klux Klan killed him in 1868. Sources: Greene County Historical and Genealogical Society Writings of Benjamin H Crowley and Lucian G Crowley Marriage records of Oglethorpe County Georgia Tax Lists of Kentucky, Georgia and Arkansas Goodspeed’s History of Greene County, Arkansas Personal Knowledge Barbara Fitzwater Compiled by Grant A Van Vranken 24 Feb 2002