Land: Early Land Owners in Bienville Parish , Bienville Parish Louisiana Source: Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northwest Louisiana The Southern Publishing Company, Chicago & Nashville, 1890 Submitted by: Gaytha Thompson Date: Sep 1997 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ Township 14, Range 6, was first entered in 1838, when Jesse Mobley purchased on Section 5, John Messers Prothro entered lands in Sections 20, 27 and 28 in 1839; John Burke on Sections 5 and 6 in 1839. The Sprawls, Wests, Heads, Boylstons, Grays, Stewarts, Corbetts, Vansants, Johnsons, Hudsons, Wormacks, Harts, Sullivans, Babers and Murphys, made their entries between 1848 and 1852. From this period to the beginning of the war a number of buyers appear, so that the township may be said to have passed into the hands of private owners prior to 1860. Township 14, Range 7, claimed only three private land owners in the thirties. In July, 1839, John C. Brown bought on Section 24; in January7 Chris. Koonce purchased on Section 17, and in March, John M. Prothro on Section 20. In 1849 Henry M. Fleury entered land on Section 25; John B. Markham, on Section 23, and Thomas C. Zyiks, on Section 11. From 1850 to 1860 are found the names of Jasper Smith, R. L. Hamilton, Patrick B. Matthews, Abner Lowe, Cyrus B. Thompson, Walston Turkinton, Samuel J. Rays, Myatt Mitchell, Dr. Hiram Shaw, W. N. Evett, James Thomas, H. J. Bow, Jesse Lee, I. M. Fair, Sarah A. Willson, Elias Murphy, John A. Harrell and John Henson. Township 14, Range 8, was opened for entry in 1846, Marvillee Logan and Sanders Byas entering lands on Section 9. John McInnis bought on Section 23, in 1848; Count A. Koonce purchased in 1849, and in 1850 Alfred P. King, E. Murphy, John Franks, T. M. Logan, Alfred Price and Kenneth Cooper. From 1858 to 1860 a large area was entered in this township. Township 15, Range 6, was first entered Au-gust 21, 1838, on Section 32, by William Hobley and by Miles Clinton and Jackson Thornton. in 1840. In 1841 Ben Frazier entered land here; in 1844, Charles Black, James Johnson, Tandey A. Key, Joseph Garner and Jesse Cough, and in 1849, Samuel C. Brice, W. A. Whitley and William Cloud. In l850~53 a large number of entries are recorded. Township 15, Range 7, was first entered in 1846, on Section 20, by Abner Lowe, and on Section 34 by B. Murphy. In 1848 W. C. Preslaw, Amanda Koonce and Silnear Swapar purchased in this township. A large number of entries was recorded between 1850 and 1860. Township 15, Range 8, west, was offered for sale in 1839. Thomas Jefferson Davis, John M. Fuller and William Hobdy being the first buyers on Sections 30 and 31. In 1840 John W. Hughes bought on Section 35. In 1848~49 Beddick Bryan, J. C. Brown, Washington Nix, Josiah and Phillip Brenson, John B. Bolyston and Pennina Hicks located lands here, but the greater area was purchased within the three years preceding the war. Township 15, Range 9, was opened in March, 6, and during that summer the speculators descended upon it, buying up the greater part of north one~third of the township. John Lawson, Lewis Watson and James Williamson appear have been bona fide settlers, but Drake & Bauskett, Beall, Martin & Aiken, and Knight & McElfresh were heavy non-resident buyers. Reddick Bryan bought here in 1839, also J. M. Fuller, but settlements of owners were not made until 1850-60. Township 15, Range 10, was opened for entry September, 1844, when Joshua Melvin entered 3 east half of the southeast quarter of Section 1, while in 1849-50 purchases were made by Milton Sledge, James Fudge, Dempsey Hall, Daniel McNair, Simon Manning, Mary Pickett, A. G. Grant, John L. Vickers, Martha Mitchell, John Richardson, James Taff and W. A. J. Newson. Township 16, Range 6, west, was entered in 35 by Joseph Galbreath and Joseph Taylor, and 1836 by James Walker, Theodore 0. Stark, William A. Drake and St. John R. Liddell. In 1849~50 William Elliott, William D. Robinson, Thereba J. Ragsdale, William Holder, James C. and Benjamin Baker, Miles Gilliam, Ben Pierce, Robert Henderson, Jr., and Richard Boyd made their purchases. From 1836 to 1849 William Coulter Price is the only recorded purchaser of United States lands here. Township 16, Range 7, was entered in the thirties by speculators, although in 1837 John M. Prothro purchased in Sections 17 and 20. In 1848~49 John W. Mays, James Wi]liamson, Elidge B. 0'Neal, John C. McCravy, John Bailiff, D. Burnett, John B. Hightower, Milton B. Nash., L. N. B. Whitley, Samuel H. Sherwood, H. Pierson, R. R. Madden and James Johnson made entry of lands here, and on June, 30, 1848, s west half of the southwest quarter of Section 15 was entered by the parish of Bienville, the certificate of entry being 4369. Township 16, Range 8, was opened for entry 1839, when Drury Murrell and William Hobdy bought some lands, and in 1841 Triplet Cason. In 1844 Abram Geren, and in 1847 James Merritt located their lands, while in 1849-50 the Smiths, Horns, Waldens, Lewises, Davises, Pratts, Hortmans, Moores, Taylors, Charnell Hightower, B. R. Griffin, Burrell and William Mathius, John N. Martin, James Lord, Solomon McGraw, and others named previously, entered their lands. Township 16, Range 9, was opened for entry in 1836, when Samuel Clark, Knight Beau & McElfresh and other speculators bought. In 1849 the residents of the parish began their purchases, and prior to the war had taken up a ]arge area. James D. Mims, Simeon Theus, T. J. Harvin, T. B. Adams, W. W. Ponlon, Nathan Gilchrist, Zach Thomas, Uriah Page, R. L. Horn, A. T. Turner, Harriet S. Brown and W. B. Watts were among the buyers of this period. Township 16, Range 10, was opened in 1844 by E. A. Wimberly and Elizabeth Stevenson, on December 13,1847. Noah A. Philpot bought on Section 9, and George G. Walker on Section 10. In 1849-50 the following names of buyers are recorded Irvin Talton, J. J. Vickers, James Mitchell, John Tooke, Sarah Jordan, John Miller, Sr., Levi Blizzard, Joshua Melvin, A. Harris, James Turner, Hugh Cosgrove, J. A. Washburn and Rolly Williams. Township 17, Range 6, was opened in 1823, Enos Gough buying in Section 12 in 1835-37. John and Jane Williams, William and Martha Novid, D. Frame and A. Ashworth being the pioneer land-buyers. Jerry Burnett, S. G. Quarles, Hastings Dial, Eldred Hardy, Veeder, Cortes and La Place, Joel Mizon, Abram Lemmons and Hezekiah Reed purchased lands here; but not until 1849-50 did the actual pioneers of the township enter their claims. Township 17, Range 7, was proclaimed for sale in 1834. Samuel Williams locating on Section 7, that year. In 1835-36, William Logan, Charles H. Webb, Tandy A. Key, J. V. White, John M. Prothro, James Canfield, Joseph Canfield, Coving-ton Hardy, James B. Hunnicutt, William Hobdy, James Horveston, and Thomas J. Turpin, made their purchases. Township 17, Range 8, was opened for sale in 1837, James Henderson buying the northwest quarter of Section 1, under act of 1834. In 1839 J.M. Prothro entered lands here, in 1844 John H.Morrow, in 1845 Thomas Logan, and in 1847-50 Uriah Jones, B. R. Griffin, W. D. Aflums. Rufus Lawhorn, R. L. Horn, James Walden Hillery Logan, and William Traylor. Township 18, Range 6, was proclaimed in 1831, Cbris. Koonce and Allen Martin buying that year. Jonathan Franklin bought on Section 14, in November of that year. In 1885-37 the following named buyers are recorded: Jacob Miller, Cyrus Tbompson, Louis Field, R. H. Bassett, Stephen Wingate, Peter Franks, G. W. Brown Andrew Koonce, Robert Williams, W. B. Henry Josiah Brenson, Mary Aldridge, Samuel J. H James and William Reed, Elkin Taylor, and R. Madden. Township 18, Range 16, was first entered on Sections 11 and 12, by Berry A. Wilson, in 1833. Prior to 1837 we find the names of James Ambroise, Bartly Martin, Samuel G. Williams, Richard Sti]es, Cyrus B. Thompson, John Frazier, Josiah Brenson, Elizabeth Willburn, Littlebury Whitley, Wil]iam Logan, Joe A. Sloan, Count A. Koon, T. A. Key and Triplet Cason. Township 18, Range 8, was opened for sale in 1837, Robert and Francis Henderson and Thady W. Byas, being the first buyers. John Bean, W. K. Harris, Asel F. Heath, James Woodard, Wiley T. Seitzler, Tyra Singleton; Seth Barnes, Mary Rease, Asel F. Heath, Jene R. Pitman, Jasper Gibbs and Hiram Gibbs were also ear]y land buyers. Township 14, Range 4, was entered principally under the Swamp Land Act of 1849. Maj. Lyon entered lands here in 1846, and John C. Gray and J. W. Lewis in the fifties. Township 15, Range 4, has a large area entered under the V. S. & T. Act of 1856-59. In the fifties John Lopez, Pennal Quader, J. W. Anderson, Nathan Thornton, Joshua Rodeo, Pranks, H. M. Gullander, James Warren, Erasmus Benton, W. J. Sawyer, Stafern, Edgar, Theo N. and William Potts, Henry Gray, William Parks, Elijah Brown, Melton Childs and W. B. McDonnell, entered lands here. Township 16, Range 4, was entered first in 1836 by James Walker, on Section 18, next in 1837 by J. D. Watterman and Charles Hubbard, and in 1849 by Jasper Gibbs, on Section 6. During the fifties the names of the following buyers are recorded: Josiah Mayo, Thomas Payne, Sim. Moore, Minor Dawkins, F. Lanham, A. A. Howell, Henry Gray, T. N. Pierce, Nancv McLelland, Sarah McBride, Ambrose and Hiram Hannigan and Jinsey Anderson. Township 17, Range 4 (Sections 19 to 33, inclusive), was offered for sale in 181O, when the Yarboroughs, Reeks and Rosseaus bought several tracts. Among the names of early purchasers are William F. Bond, Amos Daniels, William Carr, Charles B. Polk, Nathan Smith, E. H. Goff, Jeptha Conger, J. Higginbotham and Alfred Pennington. Township 14, Range 5 (Sections 1 to 18), was proclaimed for sale in 1838, when Jus. Martin Fouts pnrchased on Section 3, Criswell L. Whitlow purchased largely in 1846-53, also David Malone, Amos, Cornelius, Simeon and William Shiveley or Shibley. In the lower sections, Joseph B. Howard located military warrants in 1852, and James M. Barton. Tom Robinson, J. W. W. Durbin and others purchased later in the fifties. Township 15, Range 5, was entered on Section 31 as early as 1828 by John M Founts. In 1849 David Malone bought several tracts, but from 1855 to 1860 the greater area of this township passed from the United States into the hands of private owners. Township 16, Range 5, was opened in 1828, when John J. Anderson located lands on Section 10. In 1836 Daniel Lowe and James Walker entered large tracts, but prior and subsequent to the location of the V. S. & T. B. B. the great body of the lands in this township became private property. Township 17, Range 5, was offered for sale in 1835, and before the close of 1837 a very large area was sold. The buyers of 1835 were Isaac and William Arlege, Jonathan Andrews, F. M. Bradley, T. B. Goldsby and Enos Goff, and of 1836-37 John Knight, Aaron W. Weeks, James Walker and John Williams. Township 18, Range 5, was opened in 1836, when a number of entries were made. From 1849 to 1855 the sales of land in this township were numerous indeed.