Parish History
Submitter:Friends of Genealogy  FEB 2001
          Beth Mathews, Pauline Mobley,Josie Brumley
          Myrtle Phillips, Carolyn Avery, Evelyn Ross
Source: West Carroll Gazette May 5, 1955




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Early Records of parish show ties with present day
By: Mrs. Thelma Pulley

In 1828, just four years before Carroll parish came into being, we
had a hurricane.

If you will examine the old map in the West Carroll parish clerk's
office, there is shown the first survey was started in 1825 and 
finished in 1849. You will see in 1828 the hurricane's path. It cut
a clean path, a sections width, throughsection 30, township 22 north,
range 41 east, in which lies Oak Grove. This hurricane extended north-
ward toward Tiger Bayou just West of Terry.

Any trees in this strip would be a mere 127 years of age today.

Speaking of trees, can you tell me who cut our landmark at "Old" 
floyd-the one tree that had more to do with our history than any
other tree in the parish.

People were just beginning to settle along Bayou Macon and Boeuf
river at this time. The map shows the families of Herring, Simmons,
Dempsey, Shaw, J.H. Martin, Wade. Bushs, Bolt, Smith, Fishers, Shannon,
Sappington, Cortwright, Moor, Coil and Latin and others not readable.

To be more accurate, I am quoting from the census records of 1830
and 1840 on the Carroll parish residents who could tell us about 
the hurricane.

In 1830, Carroll was still in Ouachita Parish, which shows an increase
of five times the 1810 census. The census of 1830 lists 5,120 persons,
including the following; John Baptist Byargeon, Catherine Larche, Capt.
Robert D. Wright, Alexander B. Ledbetter, chilles Jefferies, George R.
Newman, John Bell, William Keller, Nimrod Hooper, Alexander Carroll,
John Sutton, William Harris, Joel Bliss, Martin Beard, James Beard,
Joseph Beard, John Jeffries, Jesse Vinson, Phillip Guier, George Guier,
Gary Hood, Haibord Hood, Mary Shaw, Elijah Dempsey, Joseph Bradley,
William Herring, Able Herring, Samuel Lewis, Nancy M. Strong.

The 1840 census listed the above names and also these new ones;
Reuben Wright, William Sutton, Haceat Sutton, Walter Sellers, Nathan B. Sellers.

The population of Carroll parish was 1,953 persons in 1840.

Decendents of the persons listed, living in West Carroll today are:
Miss Emma La Forge, whose mother was a Latin; Mrs. Mary Briggs 
Thompson, a Wright decendant, Mrs. Ruby Herring Lee, a Herring de-
sendent; Norfleet Keller, decendent of William Keller; Mrs. Katie 
Hooper Brown, a descendent of Nimrod Hooper, George Newman Sr., a
decendent of George R. Newman; Mrs. Betty Corley Castle, a decendant
of John and William Sutton; Lucian Castleman, decendant of James
Beard and Martin Beard; George Lewis, a decendant of Samuel Lewis;
Mrs. Ada Bradley Skinner, decendant of Joseph Bradley; Mrs. Beulah
Vinson Doyle, decendent of Jesse Vinson; Mrs. Maggie Jeffries Hol-
land, a Jeffries descendant.

There are many who have no regard for the records of those who have 
gone before us, but the majarity of us revere the memory of our 
forebears and wish to keep it alive for our children.

Genealogy, a study of those from whom we are decend, is not entirely
a new study. The Old and New Testaments rest rather solidly on it.
In the fifth chapter of Genesis we find "The Geneology of the 
Patriarchs from Adam to Noah", and  10th chapter of Genesis " The
Genealogy of the Children of Noah". Then in the New Testament the
first chapter of Matthew is "The Genealogy of Christ". So people
like myself have an ecclesiastical foundation for our work. We do
not believe "The dead past should bury its dead," but that what 
they have done should be preserved so that they may live in our 
memories.