Biographical and historical memoirs of northeast Arkansas : comprising a condensed history of the state biographies of distinguished citizens a brief descriptive history of the counties, and numerous biographical sketches of the prominent citizens of such counties. V. 1, Part 19

Author:
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Chicago, Nashville, St. Louis : The Goodspeed Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1026

USA > Arkansas > Biographical and historical memoirs of northeast Arkansas : comprising a condensed history of the state biographies of distinguished citizens a brief descriptive history of the counties, and numerous biographical sketches of the prominent citizens of such counties. V. 1 > Part 19

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

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GREENE COUNTY.

CHAPTER XV.

GREENE COUNTY-PHYSICAL FEATURES-STREAMS-FORESTS-KIND OF SOIL-AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS -- STOCK INTERESTS-REAL AND PERSONAL PROPERTY-POPULATION-RAILWAYS-ERA OF SETTLE- MENT-A NOTED HUNTER -- ACTS OF THE COUNTY BOARD-COUNTY SEAT AND BUILDINGS -- OFFICERS-POLITICAL OUTLOOK-LEGAL MATTERS-MILITARY AFFAIRS -MUNICIPALITIES-SCHOOLS-CHURCHES-BIOGRAPHY.

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REENE COUNTY, Ark., lies in the northeastern part of the State, in latitude 36° 37' North, and longitude 91° west from Greenwich, England. It is bounded on the north by Clay County, east by the St. Francis River, which separates it from Dunk- lin County, Mo., south by Craig- head, and west by Lawrence and Ran- dolph Counties. It has an area of 600 square miles, of which less than one tenth is improved. Its boundary lines are as follows: Commencing where the line between Sections 21 and 28, Township 19, Range 9, intersects the mid- dle of the main channel of the St. Francis River; thence down the middle of the main channel of that river to the line between Townships 15 and 16; thence west on the township line to the Cache River; thence up said river, with its meanderings, to the line between Townships 17 and 18; thence west on the township line to the line between Ranges 2 and 3; thence north on the range line to the northwest corner of Section 30, Township 19, Range 3; thence east on the section lines, and on the county line, to the place of beginning.

Crowley's Ridge, from its continuation in Clay County, extends in a rather southwesterly direction through Greene County, with a width varying from five to ten miles, and slopes gently on either side to the level of the bottom lands. This ridge in the southern part of the county is more rolling than elsewhere, and farms have been opened en- tirely across it, though generally speaking its sum- mit is not much cultivated. The early settlers. for the most part, selected their homes on the foot of the ridge and on ridges between the creeks. The farms now extend from both slopes of the ridge far out into the rich level lands.

From Crowley's Ridge the waters flow through several small streams in a southeasterly direction and empty into St. Francis River; and west of the ridge the waters course through small streams in a southwesterly direction, emptying into Cache River: thus all that portion of the county lying between these rivers is drained. That part north. west of Cache River is drained through the streams tributary to Cache and Black Rivers.

"The entire county . with the exception of places where the forest has been cleared and farms opened -- is finely timbered with unequaled quality of white oak, red oak, hickory, sweet gum. ash, poplar, pine, and walnut timber. The Crowley's Ridge summit is timbered its entire length through

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HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.

the county with pitch or red pine of the finest quality, and the slopes with other timber named. "The soil is varied. One discovers poor, thin and rocky points on the summit and almost any grade between sandy soil of the bottom lands. It produces good crops of corn, wheat, rye, barley, oats, sorghum cane, broom corn, cotton, potatoes, turnips, tame grasses, clover and millet, while the range for cattle from eight to ten months of the year, and for hogs through the fall, is almost in - inexhaustible." *

At present lumbering is, and until the timber supply becomes exhausted will continue to be, one of the leading if not the principal industry of the county, and a great source of income. In April of the current year there were thirty-four steam power saw-mills, six stave factories, one shin- gle-mill, and two planing-mills, within the county -all engaged in cutting the timber into lumber, etc. One of these mills-that of the J. M. Reed Lumber Company-has capacity for cutting 100, - 000 feet of lumber per day. The most profitable source of revenue to the farmers consists in the raising of cotton and corn, which yield probably a nearly equal income. Most of the saw-mills have cotton gins, and some grist-mills attached.

In 1880 there were, according to the United States census, 1,181 farms, with 30,596 acres of improved lands in the county, and from these the vegetable productions were as follows: Indian corn, 347,926 bushels; oats, 29, 110 bushels; wheat, 10,475 bushels; hay, 124 tons; cotton, 3,711 bales; Irish potatoes, 5, 181 bushels; sweet potatoes. 13, 989 bushels; tobacco, 5, 735 pounds. A large acreage has since been cleared, and the vegetable produc- tions correspondingly increased.

The numbers of head of live stock within the county, as indicated by the same census, were as follows: Horses, 7,694; mules and asses, 760; neat cattle. 8,975; sheep, 1,727; hogs, 16,934. The following show the number of head of live stock in the county as declared by the assessment rolls for 1888: Horses, 2,326; mules and asses, 991; neat cattle, 10,125; sheep, 1,685; hogs. 16,481. The comparison of these figures is inter- * Quotations from Greene County Record.

esting. The decrease in the number of sheep is probably due to the reduction in the price of wool, while the decrease in the number of hogs is appar- ent but not real. The census of 1880 gives the number raised, sold and slaughtered during the year, while the assessment rolls show only the number on hand when listed for taxation; hence the increase must have been large. As previously stated, all parts of the county are well supplied with streams, and an abundance of good well water can be obtained at a depth of from thirty to forty feet; without blasting through any rock, and as the lands are well adapted to the raising of grains, tame grasses and clover, this country must eventually-after the lumber industry ceases- become excellent for diversified farming. and especially for the raising of live stock, the climate being mild, and the shipping facilities to the great commercial centers unusually superior.

The country is also well adapted to the growing of all manner of fruits common to this latitude.

The assessed value of the real estate of Greene County for the year 1880 was $426,685, and of the personal property $254,361, making a total of $681,046, and the total amount of taxes charged thereon was $16,099. The assessed value of the real estate of the county for 1SSS, including the railroad property, was $1,313,392.72, and of the personal property, $562,719, making a total of $1,876, 111.72. upon which the total amount of taxes charged was $29,103.63. This demonstrates that the taxable wealth of the county has about doubled since 1880, but that the taxes have not increased in the same ratio. The railroads, which now constitute a considerable portion of the tax- able wealth of the county, and pay a large percent- age of the taxes, were assessed for the year 18SS as follows: St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern, $330, 750: St. Louis, Arkansas & Texas, 8200,677: Kansas City, Fort Scott & Memphis, $4,560: total, $535.987.

The county has excellent public buildings, and a floating debt of only about $7,000, which will be canceled after another year's taxes are collected. This covers the whole indebtedness-there being no bonded debt at all. Such favorable facts prove

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GREENE COUNTY.

that Greene County has many attractions for home Francis River, a distance of ten miles. It was seekers. Lands are yet cheap, and immigrants from built in 1888, by a local company, for the purpose of shipping out timber and lumber. The combined length of the through lines of railroad is fifty-seven miles and 3,984 feet, which added to the ten miles of narrow gauge road. makes over seventy-seven miles of railway in the county. the over-crowded Eastern and Northern States can certainly do much better by coming to this country than by going west to points beyond the improve- ments of civilization. Capital is being rapidly invested here, thus insuring employment to the laborer. Here an industrious man with but small capital may soon possess and own a home, where society is good and the climate unexcelled; here he may gain, by application and energy, just recogni- tion, and here, too, may he avoid the financial burdens which characterize other less-favored com- munities.

The population of Greene County in 1860, in- cluding what is now the Eastern district of Clay County, was 5,654-189 of whom were colored. The population of 1870, comprising the same terri- tory, was 7,417-156 of whom were colored. The population in 1880, embracing only the present area of the county, was 7,405, of whom only 75 were colored. Considering the recent rapid in- crease by way of immigration, together with the natural accession, it is safe to estimate the popula- tion of the county at the present writing, at more than double that of 1880.

The main line of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railroad-completed about 1872 --- runs in a southwesterly direction across the north- western portion of the county, a distance of nine and three-fourth miles. The Helena branch of the same road, finished in 1882, runs through in a southeasterly and southerly course across the entire county, by way of Gainesville, Paragould and minor points, a distance of twenty-three miles. The St. Louis, Arkansas & Texas Railroad, com- pleted in 1882, passes through the entire county in a southwesterly direction along the eastern side of Crowley's Ridge, by way of Paragould and other points, a distance of twenty-four miles and 2,904 feet. The Kansas City, Fort Scott & Mem- phis Railroad, constructed in 1883, runs in a south- easterly direction across the extreme southwestern corner of the county, a distance of only 2, 400 feet. The Paragould & Buffalo Island Narrow Gauge Railroad runs eastward from Paragould to the St.

The settlement of the territory now composing Greene County began about the year 1820. Ben- jamin Crowley, grandfather of Hon. Benjamin H. Crowley, and his family were the first settlers, and their nearest neighbors were then at Pocahontas, now the county seat of Randolph County. Crow- ley's Ridge was named in honor of this pioneer settler. The Pevehouse family, Wiley Hutchins, Jerry Gage, Samuel Willcockson, the Robertsons and J. W. Gage, were among the first, settlers of the Crowley neighborhood, which is some twelve miles west of Paragould. William Pevehouse was the first child born in the county, and his brother, Wiley, and Hon. Ben. H. Crowley were first among the next children born. James McDan- iel and Jesse Payne were early settlers on Village Creek. Isaiah Hampton and Lewis Bramlet set- tled in 1848, four miles east of Gainesville. John Mitchell, an early settler near Gainesville, put up the first cotton gin in the county, and Samuel Wilcockson erected the first steam grist mill on Crowley's Ridge. it being on Poplar Creek in the Crowley settlement. Parson William Nutt located near Gainesville; and Aaron Bagwell, from whom Bagwell Lake in the eastern part of the county took its name, and C. G. Jones, after whom Jones Ridge on the western border of the county is called. were also early settlers.

The Bradshaws-noted hunters-settled on the upper end of the ridge, in what is now Clay County, and A. J. Smith, "the great Arkansas bear hunter." settled near the Bradshaws and mar- ried into their family. He subsequently located and cleared up a farm a few miles east of the pres- ent town of Paragould, where he lived until his death. He was known far and near, and was the most noted eccentric character in all of Northeast- ern Arkansas, possessing many of the traits of the famous Col. Davy Crockett. He was a veritable

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backwoodsman, not accustomed to the finer com- forts of advanced civilization. He owned slaves, raised large numbers of cattle, and undoubtedly killed more wild animals than any other man in the State. He usually went bareheaded and bare footed, with his collar opened and sleeves rolled up, and nearly always carried with him his rifle, shot pouch and large hunting knife. Upon his ap- pearance in this plight he was much feared, espec- ially by those not acquainted with him. He was, however, kind and benevolent, brave and generous, and had but few enemies, being a firm friend to those he respected, but a dangerous man in a quarrel.

On one occasion after having sold a herd of cat- tle to Gov. "Jack" Drew, he went, equipped as usual, to the governor's residence to collect his pay. The governor happened to be absent. He was met at the door by Mrs. Drew, who though much frightened invited him to step in and take a seat at the fire. He looked down and said he did not like "to step on that quilt." The carpet be- ing loose he took it by the edge, folded it over and then sprang across and took a chair near the fire. Mrs. Drew felt convinced that her unwelcome guest was a horse thief, and thereupon had his horse put into the stable and locked, knowing that her husband would return soon. On seeing the latter she went out to meet him, and related the appearance of the mysterious stranger, whereupon the governor, with a hearty laugh. replied, "O! that is Jack Smith, it's just like him."

Angeline, his wife, was an excellent shot with the rifle, and often accompanied him on his hunt- ing excursions. Once while returning home upon a trail, desiring to "prowl around a little longer," he requested his companion not to wait for him. Accordingly she rode on, but had not gone far un- til the dogs-remaining with Jack-chased up a : huge bear, pursuing it so closely that it stopped and turned its back against the roots of a fallen tree, and began to cuff the dogs right and left. Jack ran to their assistance, whereupon the bear, having cowed the dogs, sprang forward and rushed upon him. Jack in retreating, stumbled and fell. Just at this critical moment, Angeline, who had,

heard the confusion, wheeled her steed about, took deliberate aim and shot and killed the monster beast, thus saving her husband's life. Ever there- after upon relating this incident, he never failed to declare that Angeline was the best woman ever created.

This great hunter generally wore "buckskin breeches." He was of a humorous disposition, and on one occasion was visited by a party of well dressed gentlemen from Memphis, who, upon seeing the large quantity of peltry he had on hand, asked how he came to be so successful in hunting. His reply was that formerly when dressed in his buck- skin trousers and other outfit, the animals, espec- ially the deer, had become so well acquainted with him that they knew him by sight, and were always on the outlook for him, in consequence of which he could not get near enough to shoot them. It then occurred to him that he must change his garb, and thus deceive the animals. So now, he said, that upon approaching a herd of deer, the sentinel buck seeing him would inform the rest that there was no danger -- that it was only some finely dressed gentleman from Memphis, who was harmless. In this way he claimed to delude the deer, succeeding in killing a great many. The numerous eccentricities. bear and deer hunts and the like, of this famous hunter. if compiled would make an interesting book on frontier life.

Wiley Clarkson was an early settler and hunt- ing companion of Smith. The county settled very slowly prior to 1855, but after that more rapidly until the war period, during which time it received no new comers. Soon after the war the growth in population was renewed and continued gradual until four years ago, since which time it has been and still is very rapid. For additional mention of settlers, with more specific dates, the reader is referred to the biographical pages of this volume.

Greene County was organized in accordance with an act of the legislature of Arkansas Terri- tory, approved November 5, 1833, and was made to embrace the territory it now comprises, except- ing that portion lying west of Cache River, to- gether with the whole of what is now the Eastern district of Clay County, and a portion of Craig-

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GREENE COUNTY.

head County, all formerly belonging to Lawrence County. When Clay County was formed in 1873, that portion of Greene now lying west of the Cache River was attached from Randolph County.

The original seat of justice was located about 1835, at a point five miles northeast of Gaines- ville, and was named Paris. Here a log court- house was erected and one or two stores opened. Afterward the question of re-locating the county seat was agitated, and of the different points com- peting for it, the one where Gainesville is situated gained the location, hence the name Gainesville. To this place the seat of justice was moved about the year 1840. A log court-house and subsequent- ly a log jail were erected. The former was soon abandoned and in its stead a three-story frame court-house, about thirty feet square, was con- structed. The first floor of this building was occupied with the county offices, the second with the court-room, and the third with a Masonic hall. The building, with a portion of the records, was burned in 1874. A store room was then rented for a court-house, and soon thereafter, in the same year, it was, with all the balance of the records, also burned. These buildings were sup- posed to have been set on fire by certain parties, that the records, noting their rather questionable conduct, might be destroyed. This led to the shooting and killing of Sheriff Wright, by a citizen whom the people justified by not prosecuting. Two other persons, supposed to be implicated in the crime of burning the buildings, were arrested and placed in jail, from which they escaped and were not afterward apprehended. One of them, it is said, confessed his guilt.

The next court house was another store room, which, with all accumulated records, was burned in 1876, presumably by an incendiary resting un- der indictments for crime. A one-story frame court-house was then erected, and continued to be used until 1884, when the county seat was removed from Gainesville to its present site. at Paragould. In 1884 the one-story frame build- ing now standing east of the court-house square was erected for a temporary court-house. In 1888 the present beautiful and well-proportioned two-

story brick building, with the halls and offices on the first floor and the court-room on the second, was erected by Contractors Boone and McGinnis, at a cost of $14, 700. The clock in the tower cost $700 more. In 1877 the same contractors built the present two-story jail, containing four iron cells or rooms, and the jailer's residence, at a cost : of $7,000.

Following is a list of the names of the county officers of Greene County from its organization to the present, together with the term of service of each :

Judges: I. Brookfield, 1833-35; W. Hanes, 1835-36; George Daniel, 1836-1838; L. Thomp- son, 1838-40; J. M. Cooper, 1840-42; H. Powell, 1842-44; N. Murphree, 1844-46; J. M. Cooper, 1846-48; C. G. Steele, 1848-50; H. T. Allen, 1850-52; J. Dellinger, 1852-54; H. T. Allen, 1854-60; T. Clark, 1860-64; J. J. Wood, 1864- 66; H. T. Allen, 1866-68; A. Seagroves, 1868 -- 72; David Thorn, 1874-76; J. P. Culver, 1876-78; J. McDaniel, 1878-80; M. C. Gramling, 1880-82; J. O'Steen, 1882-88; W. C. Jones, present in- cumbent, elected 1888.

Clerks: L. Thompson, 1833-36; G. L. Mar- tin, 1836-38; H. L. Holt, to November, 1838: J. L. Atchison, 1838-44; H. L. Evans, 1844-46; H. Powell, 1846-50; M. T. C. Lumpkins, 1850-54: J. W. McFarland, 1854-56; L. B. McNeil, 1856- 58; H. W. Glasscock, 1858-64; R. H. Gardner, 1864-68; E. R. Seeley, 1868-72; D. B. Warren, 1872-82; R. H. Gardner, 1882-88; T. B. Kitelı- ens, present incumbent, elected in 1888.

Sheriffs: James Brown, 1833-34; Charles Rob- ertson, 1834-36; J. Stotts. 1836-38; J. Clark, 1838-44; J. R. Ragsdale, 1844-46; A. F. Puryer. 1846-48: J. Clark, 1848-50; William Pevehouse, 1850-52; W. M. Peebles, 1852-58: F. S. White. 1858-62; A. Eubanks, 1862-64: F. S. White. 1864-68; M. Wright, 1868-72: M. C. Gramling. 1872-74: J. P. Willcockson, 1874-76: J. A. Owen. 1876-77; F. S. White, 1877-SO; T. R. Willcock- son, 1880-81; J. M. Highfield, 1884-86: T. R. Willcockson, present incumbent, first elected in 1886.

Treasurers: James Ratchford 1836-38: H. N.

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HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.

Reynolds, 1840-42; G. W. Harley, 1842-44; M. Carter, 1844-46; J. W. Poole, 1846-52; C. G. Jones, 1852-54; W. Meredith, 1854-56; J. Payne, 1856-58: T. H. Wyse, 1858-62; C. Wall, 1862- 64; M. C. Gramling, 1864-66; Alex. Wood, 1866- 68; Sam Newberry, 1868-72; R. Jackson, 1872- 76; H. C. Swindle, 1876-78; G. W. Stevenson, 1878-80 ;* R. Jackson, 1880-84; J. N. Johnson, 1884-86; H. S. Trice, present incumbent, first elected in 1886.

Coroners: J. Sutfin, 1833-35: J. Fowler, 1835 -36; John Anderson, 1838-42: P. K. Lester, 1842-44; J. Lawrence, 1844-46; J. Hunt, 1846- 48; W. H. Mack, 1848-50; R. W. Dorsey, 1850- 54; J. S. Hibbs, 1854-56; M. McDaniel, 1856-58; A. P. Bobo, 1858-60; H. B. Wright, 1860-64: J. R. Gentry, 1864-66; H. Jackson, 1866-68; L. Steadman, 1868-72; J. H. Dudley, 1872-74; E. Daniels, 1874-76; J. A. Little, 1876-78; W. M. McKay, 1878-80; J. W. Hardy, 1SS0-S2: J. R. Gross, 1882-84; V. Looney, 1884-86; J. M. Ham- mond, 1886-88; B. Terrell, present incumbent, elected in 1888.

Surveyors: G. Hall, 1833-36; William Hatch, 1838-40; J. J. Johnson; 1840-42; J. B. B. Moore, 1842-44: James Mitchell, 1844-56; E. M. Allen, 1856-58; W. C. Reyburn, 1858-60; R. G. Mc- Leskey, 1860-62; J. P. Harris, 1862-64: R. C. Mack, 1864-66; L. M. Wilson, 1866-68; J. See- ley, 1870-72; R. H. Gardner, 1872-82: O. S. Newsom, 1882-88; Len Merriweather, present in- cumbent, elected in 1888.

Assessors: R. H. Gardner, 1859-62: T. C. Murphy. 1862-64; H. W. Glasscock. 1864-66; M. C. Gramling, 1866-68: D. J. Edwards, 1868- 70; P. G. Straughn, 1870-72; W. F. Clements, 1872-74: W. S. Ledbetter, 1874-76: J. Huckabay, 1876-78; J. F. Lytle, 1878-80: P. G. Light, 1880-84; J. R. Thompson. 1884-88: E. L. Bab- bett, present incumbent, elected in 1SSS.

Representatives of Greene County in constitu- tional conventions: G. L. Martin, January 4 to 13, 1836; J. W. Bush, March 4 to 21. and May 6 to June 3, 1861; Benjamin H. Crowley, July 14, to October 31, 1874.

*R. Jackson on resignation of Stevenson.

Representatives in general assembly: Alex. Tucker was the first representative of the county in the State legislature, and Hon. A. P. Cox is the present one. The Senatorial district, composed of Greene, Clay and Craighead Counties. is repre. sented in the State Senate by Hon. Ben. H. Crowley.

To show the political aspect of the county the vote cast therein for the candidates for governor at the September election in 18SS is here given. it being as follows: J. P. Eagle, Democrat, 1,378 votes: C. M. Norwood, combined opposition, 841 votes.

Upon the organization of Greene County and prior to the location of the original county seat, courts were held at the house of Mr. Crowley the first settler, as before mentioned. on Crowley's Ridge. A portion of the time the sessions were held in the house and, also, under the adjacent trees. It is said that the judge of the circuit court, after charging the grand jury, usually sent them in charge of the sheriff or bailiff under a certain white oak tree to make their deliberations. Since those days the courts have been held in the various court houses elsewhere described. The regular terms of the county court commence on the first Monday in January, April, July and October, and of the probate court on the third Monday of the same months in each year. The regular terms of the circuit court have heretofore commenced on the first Monday of February and August of each year. but probably the last legislature has slightly changed the time. This court has not been over- burdened with murder trials. as but few murders have been committed within the county. No one has ever been executed in Greene County for a capital offense except one person who killed an individual in another county, and was brought here and tried on a change of venue.

The following are the resident members of the legal bar of Greene County: Hon. L. L. Mack. Judge J. E. Reddick, now on the bench: Hon. Ben. H. Crowley, J. B. Boykin, A. P. Mack. W. S. Luna, Eugene Parrish, W. W. Bandy, S. R. Simpson, A. Knox and J. F. Lytle. Mention of many prominent citizens of the county is also made in subsequent pages.

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Biographical and historical memoirs of northeast Arkansas : comprising a condensed history of the state biographies of distinguished citizens a brief descriptive history of the counties, and numerous biographical sketches of the prominent citizens of such counties. V. 1, Part 19

Author: Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Chicago, Nashville, St. Louis : The Goodspeed Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1026

Author:
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Chicago, Nashville, St. Louis : The Goodspeed Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1026