Scott County ArArchives History - Books .....New Statehood, 183601861, Chapter 5 1922 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ar/arfiles.html ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 August 29, 2009, 10:14 pm Book Title: History Of Scott County CHAPTER V. New Statehood, 1836-1861 Before Congress had passed the customary enabling act, authorizing preparations for statehood, the various counties elected delegates to a constitutional convention at Little Rock for the purpose of drafting a constitution for the state that was to be. Scott County elected Gilbert Marshall as its delegate. The convention proceeded to frame a constitution, which was duly ratified, and Arkansas was admitted io the Union on June 15, 1836. In the election that ensued thereunder, the following officials were elected: County Judge Gilbert Marshall Clerk — — Sheriff Charles Humphrey Treasurer Walter Cauthron Coroner G. R. Walker Surveyor T. J. Garner Representative James Logan These men thus became the first elected officials of the county under the state government. They were all residents of that part of the county afterwards detached and added to Logan County. This shows how little influence the remainder of the county had in political affairs up to this time, which is attributable to the fact that most of the population was located around Booneville. But this condition was not long to remain so; for immigrants were coming in in large numbers. The census of 1840 showed a population of 1,694. Gilbert Marshall was the enumerator. The number of people had more than doubled in a period of ten years. When the county began to be settled in the central, southern, and western parts, the location of the county seat at Booneville became inconvenient to the majority of the citizens, and in order that it might be more centrally located, it was moved to a new site on the old Glass farm about two miles northeast of where Waldron is now located. The new site was named Winfield, although the post office at that place, which had been established in 1840, was called Poteau Valley. This continued to be the seat of the county government until 1845. In that year, William G. Featherston, who was dealing in real estate, offered to donate ten acres for the permanent location of the county seat, on condition that it should be located on his farm. This was agreed to and the seat of justice was moved to its present site. The name of the town was changed to Waldron, and the name of the post office was changed to that, also. At this time, there was only one house in this vicinity, and this was the residence of William G. Featherston. It was a double log house, and stood somewhere close to where the railroad station is now located. When the post office was established in 1840, Featherston became the first postmaster. In the same year, Parks post office was established with Felix G. Gaines as postmaster. In 1845 an office was set up at Tomlinsonville (now Boothe), with Joseph Tomlinson as postmaster. Thus the county had three post offices by 1845. The first post road within the present limits of the county was laid out in the year 1838. It commenced at Booneville and ran by the sites of Waldron, Parks, and Zebulon, Pike County, to Washington in Hempstead County, a distance of 140 miles. Mail was carried on horseback, and the schedule provided that it should leave Washington each ^Wednesday at one o'clock in the afternoon and arrive at Booneville the following Saturday at eight o'clock in the afternoon. James F. Gaines was the first contractor for this service, and his salary was $1,250.00 per annum. Trips were to be made fortnightly. Another route was established in 1845 from Ft. Smith to Waldron by way of Chocoville (now Mansfield), with Elza Harlow as contractor. Mail service was authorized weekly. The salary was $249.00 per year. In 1850 the route from Waldron to Mt. Ida in Montgomery County was put into operation. The distance was fifty-two miles, and William Gibson was the contractor, at an annual salary of $229.00 per year. Service was weekly. The roads over which these post routes were authorized had been cut out a few years before by the settlers as they pushed farther into the wilderness. Even at this time the homes were very few and far between, as will be seen by naming the settlers along the road from the north part of the county to Waldron, about the year 1850. This was the most populous part of the county, too, at that time. This road came over Black Jack ridge about the old Watkins place. The first residence was the old Norris home. Two miles south was the Sparks farm, now owned by George Sorrels. Then came the farms of Thomas Glisson near Pleasant Grove church, and the Long place near the Narrows of Little Petit Jean. Immediately south of the Narrows, lived Andrew Tomlinson, and around Boothe was the large landed estate of Joseph Tomlinson. The Witt farm was between them. Then came the homes of the three Powels beyond the second ford of Petit Jean, now known as the Metcalf and Fuller farms. Five miles further south was the residence of Dotson Huie, and another mile brought one to where Daniel Boultinghouse lived. Three miles farther was the Turman place, then that of Reed, now the Leming farm, at Waldron. In going from where Mansfield now is to Hon through the Lookout Gap in the same year, one would first pass the residence of Mark Holbert. Two miles farther on was the Henley place. No other house would be passed until one reached the double log house of Jackson Hon on the other side of the mountain. The intervening distance was an unbroken wilderness. Roads had been opened up down the Poteau by 1850 and also southwest to Blansett. Fourche valley had several roads by this time, one going to Danville in Yell County. But none of these were roads in the modern sense of the term. The road was like nature left it, except that the trees and logs were cut out of the way. Bridges were unknown. In 1850 there were eight townships in the county as follows: Hickman Mountain La Fayette Tomlinson Park Boon La Fave Washburn The townships of Boon and Washburn have since been detached and added to Logan County. The population according to the census of 1850, as enumerated by E. H. Featherston, was 2,937. This of course included the people of Boon and Washburn townships. By the census of 1860, the population was given as about 4,500. John A. Fry was the enumerator. These figures indicate that there was almost a hundred per centum increase in the population during each decennial period. The schools and churches of the county had a similar growth. In 1840 there was not a single school within the present limits of the county. About 1847 the common school law was enacted. It provided that the sixteenth section of the public land should be applied to the support of the public schools. School districts were set apart, and in 1850 the county had six such schools. The following were the teachers: James M. Vance Hickman Township William W. Sorrels Hickman Township Franklin Bates Hickman Township John H. McLeod Hickman Township William H. Thornton Mountain Township Luther F. Pollard Tomlinson Township In 1860 there were ten public schools, presided over by the following teachers: B. F. Scaggs Boon Township C. M. Trammel Boon Township T. F. Hitchcock Boon Township Geo. W. Duncan Reveille Township Mary Lewis Tomlinson Township C. I. Stovall Tomlinson Township Thos. I. Price Tomlinson Township I. W. Colwell Hickman Township John Barnett Hickman Township R. B. L. Speaks Hickman Township F. A. Taff Hickman Township In the above list, it will be noted that the name of one woman, Mary Lewis, appears. She taught school at Lewis Prairie as early as 1855. In view of the modern feminist movement and the consequent increasingly large share that woman is playing in the public life of the country, the name of this woman teacher stands out prominent. Mary Lewis was the county's first public woman. By 1860 churches had been established in nearly every community. The itinerant preacher had yielded to the circuit-riding pastor. The pastor usually held services once a month in every church in his circuit. The Methodists seem to have been first in the county. They established a church on Fourche as early as 1842. The other denominations soon followed. The services were usually held in the district school house, but afterwards log churches were erected. The resident ministers of the gospel in 1850 were as follows: Jno. S. Robertson Hickman Township Washington Sorrels Hickman Township J. W. Taylor Hickman Township K. T. Walker Tomlinson Township J. V. Whitford Boon Township D. F. Anderson Reveille Township In addition to these, other noted ministers preached occasionally in the county. Some of these names are: Geo. W. Sorrels 1836 A. R. Winfield 1852 Elijah Smoot 1851 Jesse Griffin 1857 H. W. Balsh 1843 J. B. Sheffield 1850 B. T. Benefield 1858 Jacob Whitesides 1840 The following lawyers practiced their profession in the county prior to 1860: J. K. Raymond Hickman Township J. H. Thompson Hickman Township G. W. Featherston Hickman Township I. C. Read Tomlinson Township C. H. Hawthorne began the practice of law in Tomlinson Township a few years later. The merchants of this period were: G. W. Featherston Hickman Township G. W. Bird Hickman Township G. W. Gains Hickman Township E. C. Moon Tomlinson Township The Bates brothers entered the mercantile business at Waldron a few years later, and their enterprise is still in operation. These early merchants did a general mercantile business. In addition to the usual stock in trade many of them sold liquor also. They "freighted" their goods from Ft. Smith or Ozark in wagons. It consisted mostly of flour, coffee, sugar, dry goods, ammunition and farming implements. Except for these necessaries, nearly every farm was economically self-sustaining. The physicians of the county before 1860 were: E. H. Barnard Mountain Township William DuVal Tomlinson Township P. C. Bush Tomlinson Township O. C. Mitchell Boon Township Stephen H. Chism Boon Township W. E. Elkins Boon Township I. C. Field Parks Township G. R. Stanfield La Fave Township W. A. Linthicum Boon Township I. D. Carlton Reveille Township E. H. Dunman Tomlinson Township James H. Smith Hickman Township Additional Comments: HISTORY of Scott County Arkansas By Henry Grady McCutchen Printed in Arkansas U. S. A. Copyright, 1922, by H. G. McCutchen File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ar/scott/history/1922/historyo/newstate15nms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/arfiles/ File size: 11.5 Kb