USA > Arkansas > A pictorial history of Arkansas, from earliest times to the year 1890. A full and complete account, embracing the Indian tribes occupying the country; the early French and Spanish explorers and governors; the colonial period; the Louisiana purchase; the periods of the territory, the state, the civil war, and the subsequent period. Also, an extended history of each county in the order of formation, and of the principal cities and towns; together with biographical notices of distinguished and prominent citizens > Part 60
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D. C. Casey, 3 ..
A. R. Mitchell 4
John Justus.
John Barton
P. C. Scott.
James Lorrence, 5.
1872 to 1874
Richard Samuels.
John P. Bull.
Jesse Sewell
G. Vaughan
J. R. Gratiot.
James Tynas
1874 to 1876 C. M. Hervey
Thomas H. Simms ...
J. W. Williams ...
James Green
Samuel Ogden
J. R. Gratiot.
J. L. Bouldin.
1876 to 1878 A. H. Carrigan.
Thomas H. Simms ...
J. W. Williams.
B. W. Green
Samuel Ogden
J. R. Gratiot.
Arthur A. Gibson.
1878 to 1880 W. R. Bell
Thomas H. Simms ...
J. W. Williams
J. D. Jones
Samuel Ogden
J. R. Gratiot
Arthur A. Gibson.
. 1880 to 1882 W. R. Bell
Sam Gibson, 6.
J. M. Hanegan
R. B. Etter
Samuel Ogden 8 ...
G. W. Dorman
W. P. Powell.
1884 to 1886|R. F. Roberson
R. B. Etter.
William A. Jett .. ...
John S. Turner
W. F. Little.
W. C. Wallis
W. P. Powell.
1886 to 1888 James M. Hanegan ...
uel Gibson ...
W. P. Powell
John S. Turner ....
O. W. Murray
A. H. Tunstall.
A. B. Jones.
1888 to 1890|J. M. Hanegan
R. W. Jones Gibson
H. B. Holman.
A. J. Robins ..
W. W. Cannon ....
JA. H. Tunstall
F. W. Dickson.
1-M. J. Holt, from January, 1865, to December; then A. H. Carrigan for the remainder of the term. 2-G. H. Martin, from March 13, 1871. 3-John Brooker, from August 12, 1870. 4-H. B. Williams, from March 12, 1870. 5-R. Samuels, from August 12, 1870. 6-W. A. Jett, County Clerk. 7-Died, and C. E. Royston, May 29, 1881. 8-A. S. Jett, Coroner, May 20, 1886, vice Sam Odgen, deceased. 9-N. D. Trimble, County Clerk. *- Circuit Clerk.
Captain Sanders' term of service, thirty years, is the longest term of service of any man in the State.
HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
1864 to 1866 J.R. Page 1
Simon T. Sanders ..
M. T. Holt 2 ..
R. L. Phillips ...
S. W. Crosnal.
J. R. Gratiot.
J. M. Hanegan.
J. W. Williams 7. ... J. D. Jones ....
Samuel Ogden .....
G. W. Dorman
1882 to 1884 F. M. Thompson.
Sam Gibson, 6 ..
E. B. Black. *Sam-
*Sam
J. B. Sandefer
D. Block.
1850 to 1852|J. D. Trimble
Simon 'T. Sanders.
William Arnett .. .
E. Nance.
AZARAZZZI
Benjamin Clark
860
Simon T. Sanders.
861
HEMPSTEAD COUNTY.
tended from the mouth of the Little Missouri river, where it empties into the "Ouachitas" river; up the Little Missouri to its head; west to the Indian boundary line; thence to the "Great Red river," and south to the Louisiana line. Court was directed to be held at the house of John English. A post office was established in the county in 1819, under the name of Hempstead Court-house, and John English was ap- pointed Postmaster.
The following items as to the county are taken from an article by Judge Daniel T. Witter, in the "Washington Telegraph."
"Hempstead county was created by an Act of the Legisla- ture of the Territory of Missouri in 1818, and was named in honor of Edward Hempstead, Esq., the first Delegate in Con- gress from that Territory, and the first member of that body from the western bank of the Mississippi river. Three counties were created by the same Act, to-wit: Pulaski, Clark and Hempstead. Hempstead was the first organized under the laws of the Territory of Missouri, the Governor of that Terri- tory appointing the Judges of the court therein, providing for Clerk, Sheriff and Justices of the Peace, &c.
The first court of record held in Hempstead was at the house of John English (the temporary seat of justice of the county) in the spring of 1819, by three citizen Judges, viz : William Woodward, John English and Charles Wheaton; J. M. Stuart, Clerk, and A. S. Walker, Sheriff; it was styled a Court of Common Pleas, with a restricted jurisdiction in criminal and civil matters.
The first session of the Legislature of the Territory of Ar- kansas was held at the Post of Arkansas in the winter of 1820, and Hempstead county was represented therein by David Clark, Esq., in the Council, and Rev. William Stevenson and John English, Esq., in the House.
The first Circuit Court in Hempstead was held at the tem- porary seat of justice in the spring of 1820, by Neal McLean Esq., Judge; James M. Stuart, Clerk, and Colonel A. S. Walker, Sheriff.
862
HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
The first minister of the gospel in Hempstead was Rev. William Stevenson, of the Methodist Church, who settled here in 1818, a very worthy and beloved christian gentleman, an honor to his vocation.
The first resident physician was Dr. N. D. Smith, who settled here in 1819.
The first cotton gin in Hempstead was built in 1819, by Ben. Clark, Sr., at the old Paup place.
The first saw and grist mill was built in 1830, by John Johnson, on Mine creek, now known as Justus' Mill.
The first steamboat built in Arkansas was at the Saline landing, in Hempstead county, in the fall of 1822, by John Johnson. She was named "Enterprise," and intended for and engaged in the Ouachita river trade.
The first homicide in Hempstead was the killing of Lit- trell, by Bray, in Long Prarie, in 1821. Bray was tried and acquitted in the Superior Court at Little Rock, by Judges Scott, Selden and Johnson.
The first attorney at law in Hempstead was A. M. Oakley, Esq., in 1822.
The first separate County and Probate Court was held in 1830, by Hon. James Moss, Judge.
The first United States Land Office was opened at Wash- ington, November, 1832; Sam. M. Rutherford, Register, and Daniel T. Witter, Receiver.
The first newspaper in the State, south of Little Rock, was the "Washington Telegraph," established in 1840, by W. H. Etter, Esq.
The first capital punishment was the execution of Scaggs, for murder, in 1844. Hempstead county has been, from its first settlement, justly distinguished for the morality, intelli- gence and enterprise of its citizens.".
The present area of the county is about 1,000 square miles. The lands are generally extremely rich, portions known as "the black lands" are unsurpassed in this respect. In the
863
HEMPSTEAD COUNTY.
hills and high lands of the county, as well as in bottom lands, are to be found deposits of sea shells in large quantities, and bones of antedeluvians have been found. Both John R. Eakin and John R. Gratiot, of Washington, possessed speci- mens of vertebrae of a zeuglodon, ancient whale, or other wa- ter-inhabitant, evidently of immense size, found in the hills near the town, at a short distance below the surface of the earth, but with enormous trees growing above it. The soil of the county seems particularly conducive to the growth of trees, which often attain very great size. The principal products are cotton and corn. The county is well watered by the several forks of the Ozan creek ; the Little Missouri, Red, Saline, and Little rivers. It is intersected by three rail- roads : the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern, which runs through the county from east to west; a road to Hope, in the county fourteen miles distant in one direction, and a road to Nashville, in the adjacent county of Howard, in the other.
There are several mineral springs of excellent medicinal properties in the county.
The towns are: Washington, the county seat, Hope, Ful- ton, Columbus, Ozan, Wallaceburg, Guernsey and Bingen.
Washington is one of the old towns of the State. It was laid out in 1824, and became the county seat in that year. It is built in the hills, in a soil which has a remarkable depth of sand for a hill situation, but which affords unusual growth to vegetation. Trees growing in the town are of very great size. A growth of Catalpa trees exists, the seeds of which were brought to the town and planted generally, about the year 1843, which have now attained an extraordinary size in height and girth. Magnolia trees, of about the same age, possess a height of from 60 to 70 feet. The town is of con- siderable thrift and business importance, especially since the establishment of railroads reaching to Hope and Nashville, which were built about the years 1878 and 1883, respectively. When the building of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & South-
864
HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
ern Railway was in progress in 1867 to 1873, an effort was made to secure the passing of the road through Washington, but the effort did not prove successful, and the road passed through the county fourteen miles away, where the town of Hope sprang up. Washington possesses a number of valu- able buildings, including a substantial court-house.
James Moss, Samuel B. Davis, Elijah Stewart, Daniel T. Witter, Allen M. Oakley, Benjamin Clark, Simon T. San- ders and Edward Cross, were citizens of the place at an early date. Samuel B. Davis was born in 1766, before the Revo- lution ; died December 5th, 1834, one of the oldest settlers of the county. J. W. Judkins was a lawyer there in 1828, and Allen M. Oakley was Postmaster the same year. William P. Hickman kept a tavern there in 1830, at which a great dinner was given to Governor Pope on the occasion of an official visit. Dr. Benjamin P. Jett came to Arkansas in 1829, and shortly afterwards settled at Washington, where he raised a large family. He was born in Culpepper county, Virginia, October 25th, 1808, and died in Washington, De- cember 27th, 1855. Grandison D. Royston settled there in 1833. The town was incorporated October 8th, 1836. The first number of the "Washington Telegraph" was issued at the place February 19th, 1840.
The town of Washington has always been noted for the degree of talent and refinement, and the amount of culture which it has exhibited among its citizens. It has given to public positions and to professional life generally, a number of distinguished persons, who have been from time to time its citizens; such as William Trimble and Edward Cross, Judges of the Territorial Superior Court; Daniel Ringo, Chief Jus- tice, and United States District Judge; Edward Cross, John R. Eakin and Burrill B. Battle, Judges of the Supreme Court ; James K. Jones, United States Senator; Augustus H. Garland, Attorney-General of the United States, and Gov- ernor of Arkansas; Dan W. Jones, Attorney-General of the
865
HEMPSTEAD COUNTY.
State ; Bernard F. Hempstead, Register, and Daniel T. Witter, Receiver of the Land Office ; Judge A. B. Williams, Circuit Judge; Thomas H. Simms, Collector of United States Revenue ; Orville Jennings, an orator of unusual elo- quence; Grandison D. Royston; Wyatt C. Thomas, an editor and writer of brilliance; and in real estate matters, W. W. Andrews.
From the year 1863, when Little Rock was captured by the Federal forces, under General Steele, Washington was the seat of the Confederate Government of the State, and a session of the Legislature was held there September 22d to October 2d, 1864.
Judge Edward Cross settled in Washington in 1826. He was born near Rodgersville, East Tennessee, November IIth, 1798, and when six months old his father, Robert Cross, moved to Cumberland county, Kentucky, where Edward Cross grew up and was educated. At 21 years of age he began the study of law, and after studying two or three years was admitted to the Bar. In 1822, at 24 years of age, he began the practice of law at Monroe, in Overton county, Tennessee. After practicing there about four years he moved to Arkansas, in November, 1826, and settled in Washington, where he formed a law partnership with Daniel Ringo, which continued until 1832. In that year, 1832, he was appointed by President Jackson, Judge of the Superior Court, with Judges Benjamin Johnson, Thomas P. Eskridge, and James Wood- son Bates. From 1836 to 1838 he was Surveyor-General of Public Lands, and in 1838 to 1844 Member of Congress. In 1845 he was Judge of the Supreme Court of the State. He took an active part in forming and forwarding the Cairo & Fulton, now the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Rail- road Company, the greatest railroad institution in the State, and from 1855 to 1862 was President of the company. His residence in Hempstead county was called Marlbrook, and
55
866
HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
was in the interior a short distance from Washington. He died at his home April 6th, 1887, in the 89th year of his age. On the 2d of August, 1831, at Little Rock, he married Miss Louisa Frances Elliott, of Old Mines, Washington county, Missouri, sister to the wife of Senator Chester Ashley. By this marriage there were eight children, of whom only one sur- vives, Dr. Edward Cross, of San Antonio, Texas.
Judge Daniel T. Witter settled in Washington in September, 1820, and lived there continuously until his death, in 1886. He was born in New London county, Connecticut, August 27th, 1795. Came west in 1819, stopping six months at St. Louis, Missouri. Stopped six months in Little Rock in 1820, and was appointed agent to sell town lots there, there being no houses, but one or two pole huts. In September, 1820, he moved to Hempstead county. In 1825 he represented Hempstead county in the Territorial Legislative Council, and again in 1827, being President of the Council. He was then appointed Sheriff of the county by Governor Izard, serving four years. In 1.831 he was again a Member of the Legisla- ture. In 1832 he was appointed, by President Jackson, Re- ceiver of Public Moneys, at Washington, and held the office till 1849. From 1845 to 1858 he was County Judge. From 1837 to 1870 he was an active farmer. After 1870 he was obliged to give up active pursuits, having lost a leg by an ac- cident. He died in Washington in 1886, aged 91 years. On the 24th of December, 1844, in Hempstead county, he mar- ried Miss Louisa J. Johnson, daughter of James Johnson, of . Virginia. By this marriage there was one child, Sallie H., who married Dr. William P. Hart, of Washington.
Judge Abner Bryson Williams became a resident of Wash- ington in 1830, and has resided there continuously since that time, with the exception of five years, from 1851 to 1856, during which he lived at Murfreesboro, Pike county. He was born in Burksville, Cumberland county, Kentucky, April 9th, 1828, son of John W. and Catharine Williams, who
867
HEMPSTEAD COUNTY.
was Catharine Bryson. In 1830 he came to Arkansas with his father, who settled at Washington. He was principally ed- ucated at Wirt College, located in Sumner county, Tennessee, a private institution, and now defunct. He graduated from there in June, 1847. He studied law in the office of Judge John P. Field, in: 1849, at Washington, was licensed to prac- tice by Judge John Quillin, Judge of the Sixth Circuit, and in the Supreme Court by Judge E. H. English, in Novem- ber, 1854, and since that time has followed the practice of the profession. In 1869 and 1870 he became associated with Judge B. B. Battle in the practice of law, the firm being Williams & Battle. In 1860 he was Judge of the County and Probate Court of Hempstead county ; was twice Judge of the Circuit Court, and in 1884 succeeding Judge C. E. Mitchell, who had re- signed the Ninth Circuit; was twice elected to the State Sen- ate from his district-the first time in 1862, and again in 1866. He sat in the first session of the Legislature after the war, but was legislated out of office by the Re-construction Acts of Congress. On the breaking out of the war he entered the Fourth Arkansas Infantry, and was elected Lieutenant- Colonel, but was unable to serve from ill health. He was appointed by President Cleveland a Member of the Utah Commission, succeeding James R. Pettigrew. On the 27th of November, 1850, he was married, in Washington, to Ann B. Caruth of that place, who died June 25th, 1883. The children of this marriage were six : four sons and two daugh- ters.
General Grandison D. Royston settled in Washington in 1833, and lived there continuously until within a few years past, when he has made his home in Little Rock in the fam- ily of his son, William A. Royston. He was born in Carter county, Tennessee, December 9th, 1809, and came to Ar- kansas in 1832, settling first at Fayetteville, April Ist, 1832. After a residence there of about eight months he moved to Washington, and located there. In 1833 he was elected
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GRANDISON D. ROYSTON.
869
HEMPSTEAD COUNTY.
Prosecuting Attorney of the Third Judicial Circuit, under Judge Edward Cross, which he held to 1835. In 1836 he was a Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, which framed the Constitution under which the State was admitted into the Union, and in the same year was Member of the Legislature from Hempstead county. In 1837, at the second session of the Assembly, he was elected Speaker to succeed John Wilson, who was expelled from the House and the speakership, for the killing of J. J. Anthony, Member from Randolph county.
Under President Tyler he was appointed United States . District Attorney of Arkansas, which he held until 1842. In 1858 he was elected to the State Senate from his district. In 1861 he was elected a Member of the Confederate Congress, and served two years. In 1874 he was a Member of the Constitutional Convention, and was made President thereof.
At Little Rock, in May, 1835, he married Miss Mary Clarissa Bates, daughter of Hon. William Bates, a Member of the General Assembly of Missouri at the time of his death. She was related to the Elliotts of Washington county, Missouri, one of whom was the wife of Senator Chester Ashley. By this marriage there were three children : two sons, Charles E., and William A. Royston, and a daughter, Mrs. Edward Jett.
General Royston died at Washington, Arkansas, August 14th, 1889, in the 80th year of his age.
Colonel John Rene Gratiot became a resident of Hempstead county in 1848. He was born at St. Louis, Missouri, Jan- uary 5th, 1821, son of John P. B. and Adele B. Gratiot. He was at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York; was a Lieutenant of Artillery in the Mexican War. He came to Arkansas in June, 1848, and has lived in Washington or in its vicinity ever since, being a surveyor and land agent. He was admitted to the Bar by Judge C. C. Scott, of the Supreme Court, in November, 1848, but never practiced law. He was Justice of the Peace of Hempstead county in 185Q and 1851, and County Surveyor for six or
870
HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
seven terms, up to 1880. On the breaking out of the war he entered the State service as Captain of the Hempstead Rifles, in the Third Regiment of Arkansas State Troops, in General N. B. Pearce's Brigade, and on the organization of the regi- ment was made Colonel. The Rifles was the first company that went out from the county. He took part in the battle of Oak Hills, August 10th, 1861. On the IIth of January, 1849, at Washington, he was married to Miss Amanda B. Wheat. Of this marriage there are two children, a son and daughter.
Colonel Dan W. Jones was born in Bowie county, Texas, December 15th, 1839. At an early age, his father, Dr. Isaac N. Jones, moved to Arkansas. He was educated at Washington, at the academy of Benjamin J. Borden. On the Ist of January, 1860, he commenced to read law with Hon. John R. Eakin, but when the war came he enlisted at once in Gratiot's Regiment, and took part in the battle of Oak Hills. After the regiment was mustered out he re-enlisted in the Twentieth Arkansas Infantry, and eventually became Colonel of the regiment. He was desperately wounded at the battle of Corinth, and was made prisoner at the capitulation of Vicksburg. At the close of the war he began the practice of law at Washington, and continued therein until January, 1885, when, having been elected Attorney-General of the State, he took up his residence at the capital. He was re- elected Attorney-General in 1886, for a new term. From 1874 to 1876 he was Prosecuting Attorney for the Ninth Circuit.
On the 9th of February, 1864, he married, in Hamburg, Arkansas, Miss Maggie R. Hadley, a daughter of Major James Hadley, a native of North Carolina. By this marriage Colonel and Mrs. Jones have five children, three sons and two daughters.
Thomas Hamilton Simms was a resident of Wash- ington from 1856 to 1885. He was born near Culpepper
871
HEMPSTEAD COUNTY.
Court-house, in Culpepper county, Virginia, February Ist, 1838, son of Albert Gallatin and Salome Baptist Simms. He received an ordinary English education under the tuition of his father before reaching the age of fifteen, at which date he was thrown on his own resources, and has since depended upon himself alone. He came to Arkansas in 1855, reaching Fulton, February 6th. He lived in Fulton until February 17th, 1856, when he moved to Washington, and lived there till June 25th, 1885, when, being appointed by President Cleveland Collector of Internal Revenue, he moved to Little Rock. He was Justice of the Peace in 1860; Assessor and Collector of Taxes 1861 to 1863; State Land Agent at Washington, 1867 and 1868; Clerk of the Circuit Court from October 30th, 1874, to October 30th, 1880; Special Master in Chancery in the case of The State of Arkansas vs. T. J. Churchill, in 1884, and Collector of Internal Revenue from June 25th, 1885. On the breaking out of the war he enlisted in the Hempstead Rifles, in Col- onel John R. Gratiot's Regiment, of Pearce's Brigade of Arkansas State Troops, and was badly wounded at the battle of Oak Hills, August 10th, 1861. He was then in Company "B" of the Twentieth Arkansas, Dockery's Bri- gade, and afterwards in Fagan's Division of Cavalry. He has been twice married. On the 4th of March, 1858, near Washington, he was married to Miss Lucie R. Moss, daugh- ter of Captain William Moss, a pioneer of 1818; and again, in Washington, on May 14th, 1879, to Mollie F. Walker, daughter of the late Judge John Field, of Washington. His children are nine in number.
John R. Eakin edited the Washington Telegraph there in 1860 to 1865. As a polished writer and man of literary culture, as well as a genial gentleman and agreeable con- versationalist and companion, his equal was rarely to be found. He died September 3d, IS85, while on a visit to relatives at Marshall, Missouri. His remains were brought
872
HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
first to. Little Rock, where they lay in state in the Supreme Court room, and were then taken to Washington and buried there. There was scarcely a resident of the town who was not present at his burial. His death followed only about three months after that of his wife, who was Elizabeth J. Erwin, of Buford county, Tennessee, an extremely gifted lady, and who was as much beloved in her sphere as he was in his. He was born at Shelbyville, Tennessee, Feb- ruary 14th, 1822, and at the time of his death was in the 64th year of his age. He settled in Washington in 1857, and lived there up to 1874, when he was elected Chancel- lor of the Pulaski Chancery Court, a State office. In 1878 he was elected Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, which office he held at the time of his death. The public prints of the time justly said of him: "A genial gentle- man ; a ripe scholar ; a ready writer, and a just judge; his loss will long be felt." His family consisted of four sons and three daughters.
Professor Ernest Wiedeman became a resident of Wash- ington in 1864. . He was born in Potsdam, Prussia, Decem- ber 23d, 1823; came to America in 1850, and to Little Rock in 1859, where he lived until he took up his residence in Washington. He died December 21st, 1889, leaving a son and two daughters.
Senator James Kimbrough Jones became a resident of Washington in 1867. He was born in Marshall county, Mis- sissippi, September 29th, 1839, son of Nathaniel K. and Caroline J. Jones. His education was mostly obtained under private tutors. He came to Arkansas in 1848 with his father, settling in a portion of Dallas county, now embraced in Clark county. He lived here until 1860, when he moved to Arkadelphia. On the breaking out of the war he entered the Confederate Army as a private in Company "A," in the Third Arkansas Cavalry, and was in Hardee's command in service in northeast Arkansas and southeast Missouri in
873
HEMPSTEAD COUNTY.
1861. Later he was in Pettes' Battalion of Cabel's Bri- gade, which battalion afterwards became a part of Colonel Robert C. Newton's Regiment, and in which he served to the close of the war. In 1867 he moved to Washing- ton and lived on a farm, and at the same time studied law, being admitted to practice in 1873. He was elected to the State Senate in 1873, again in 1874, and in 1877 was President of the Senate. In 1888 he was elected to Con- gress from the Second District, for the term, from 1881 to 1883, and again elected in 1882, for the term from 1883 to 1885, and a third time in 1884, for the term from 1885 to 1887. In March, 1885, he was elected United States Senator, for the term from, 1885 to 1891. He was twice married. In January, 1863, he married Miss Sue Rust Eaton, and after her death married, in 1866, Miss Sue Somervell, daughter of Willis Somervell, who was an early settler of Calhoun county. His children are five in number, three daughters and two sons.
A matter of interest concerning the town of Washington in early times is to the effect that the knife which afterward be- came famous under the name of the Bowie Knife, was origin- ally made in that town by a man named James Black. The account of its origin is given as follows : James Bowie, a small man, light and quick in movement, came from Maryland to Natchez, Mississipi, and thereabouts, and from there ranged through Southern Arkansas and contiguous parts of Louisi- ana and Texas. In the course of his movements he became involved in a personal difficulty, in which he was challenged to fight a duel. The conditions of the contest were that the combatants should tie their left hands together over a log be- tween them, and with the right hand to cut with a large knife until death, or until one was satisfied. Bowie had no knife to suit him, and there was no place nearer than old Washington at which he could get one. He went there, but could find none to suit him. He then found Black, who had
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