Washington County Arkansas Genealogical Society
July 2005
It is the objective of the Washington County Arkansas Genealogical Society to collect and preserve genealogical and historical information with a focus on Washington County, Arkansas. We wish to encourage and provide training to Button Gwinnett those interested. We champion ethical and accurate research and publication of genealogical and historical information. Oliver Wolcott
Why We Celebrate
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. …
Thomas Jefferson, July 4th, 1776
Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is our nation’s most cherished symbol of liberty. In its unforgettable phrases, Jefferson expressed the convictions found in the hearts and minds of the American colonists. The political philosophy of the Declaration was not new. Its ideals about individual liberty had already been expressed by John Locke as well as other Continental philosophers. Jefferson summarized the philosophy in “self-evident truths” and put forth a list of grievances against the King to justify to the world our breaking ties with the mother country. William Hooper
Read more about this wonderful document at The National Archives Experience, found on The National Archives website below: http://www.archives.gov/national_archives_experience/charters/declaration.html Matthew Thornton
There Were 56
One of the most widely held misconceptions about the Declaration is that it was signed on July 4, 1776 by all Continental Congress delegates in attendance. On July 1, 1776 the document was presented to the Continental Congress where it was discussed and some slight alterations and deletions were made. The process of revision continued through all of July 3 and into the late morning of July 4. Then, at last, church bells rang out over Philadelphia; the Declaration had been officially adopted. The first printed copies of the Declaration of Independence were turned out from the shop of John Dunlap, official printer to the Congress. On the morning of July 5, copies were dispatched by members of Congress to various assemblies, conventions, and committees of safety as well as to the commanders of Continental troops. Also on July 5, a copy of the printed version of the approved Declaration was inserted into the “rough journal” of the Continental Congress for July 4. The text was followed by the words “Signed by Order and in Behalf of the Congress, John Hancock, President. Attest. Charles Thomson, Secretary.” On July 9 the action of Congress was officially approved by the New York Convention. (New York had abstained on the first round of approvals.) All 13 colonies had now signified their approval. On July 19, Congress was able to order that the Declaration be “fairly engrossed on parchment, with the title and stile [sic] of ‘The unanimous declaration of the thirteen United States of America,’ and that the same, when engrossed, be signed by every member of Congress.” On August 2, the journal of the Continental Congress records that “The declaration of independence being engrossed and compared at the table was signed.” A few delegates who voted for adoption of the Declaration on July 4 were never to sign in spite of the July 19 order of Congress that the engrossed document “be signed by every member of Congress.” Nonsigners included John Dickinson, who clung to the idea of reconciliation with Britain, and Robert R. Livingston
All of us can name at least one signer of the Declaration of the Independence, but can you name all of them? Of course one name always jumps out at you, and that is the signature of John Hancock of Massachusetts. Come on now, you can get a few more can’t you? Let’s see, there are Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams. Ok, now that is four. There were 56 men who eventually signed the Declaration. The other 52 names will be hidden throughout this newsletter. How many can you find? There will be a complete list in the August edition of Family Links. Lyman Hall
Independence Day
The Marion Chapter, NSDAR would like to remind you of the “reason for the season”. Yes, July 4th is widely celebrated as a holiday with picnics, parades, Joseph Hewes, family reunions and fireworks. But how many of us remember to pass on the importance of July 4th to our children and grandchildren? Is the reason for celebrating this holiday going to be lost to future generations? John Penn Or will we pause during the festivities to remember our forefathers who fought and died for our freedom? And please remember to proudly display the Flag of the United States of America. George Walton Have a memorable Independence Day.
Sue Thompson, Regent
Marion Chapter, NSDAR
Identifying Antique Items
In July, our own member, Elizabeth Floyd presented a very interesting program on identifying antiques. She brought just a few of her own antiques and explained their provenance to the group. Among the items displayed were a teacher’s certificate from 1874, a school hand bell and a wedding lace overdress. These items have been handed down in her family from her great-great grandparents and her grandmother and are lovingly cared for in her home today. Groups of some very strange objects were passed to audience to see if anyone could guess what they were. Edward Rutledge At first, everyone was stumped. All of the objects had come from a Model T Ford and included a gas cap, lug wrench, hubcap and a key. Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Elizabeth Floyd is a retired teacher, having taught for 28 years in Mountain Home, Baxter County, Arkansas. She is actively involved in the Retired Teachers Association, the DAR and Thomas Lynch, Jr. WCAGS. In her opening remarks she stated, “Antiques are history and are natural resources for family history.” Our many thanks go to Elizabeth for sharing this informative and interesting program. Arthur Middleton
Board of Directors Meeting
The second board of directors meeting was held on July 10, 2005. Those in attendance were officers, Cheri Coley, Lisa Carper, Barbara Lewis, Marcia Connors, Jeanne Tackett and board members Carol Reel and Tony Wapple. Judge Mary Ann Gunn was unable to attend. After a brief overview of the past in review the board decided on two projects to be undertaken in the upcoming year. Samuel Chase
• WCAGS non-profit papers will be completed and filed.
• A presentation of 2 checks William Paca totaling $700.00 will be presented to Judge Gunn and Tony Wapple as a donation to The Historic Washington County Courthouse Restoration Fund. Thomas Stone $600.00 of the donation came from a single contributor, Hagan McIlroy for research work performed by President Cheri Coley.
• A committee chaired by Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Jeanne Tackett and Carol Reel will be formed to work with the Fayetteville Public Library to determine what WCAGS can do to make the Genealogy department more accessible and patron friendly.
• A fund is to be created George Wythe by WCAGS to bind Washington County Archival registers once WCAGS’ non-profit status is achieved. Tony Wapple Richard Henry Lee will check with the Quorum court to see if matching funds are available from the county. Any books rebound by the proceeds of this fund will be bookplated with a tribute to Washington County Arkansas Genealogical Society.
The next Board of Directors meeting will be held in July of 2006. Benjamin Harrison
Out and About in Washington County
Shumate Cemetery
Located approximately 1½ miles east of Durham on Highway 16 East in Washington County. Thomas Nelson, Jr. It is on the right hand side of the road if you are headed east. This is a partial list from photos taken by Dora Smith. The list was compiled by Cheri Coley
(SSW/= same stone as)
1. Shumate, Cora (Mother)
November 11, 1869-December 17, 1952
SSW/ Cora-Shumate- Jim H. (Father)
December 9, 1860-January 12, 1929
2. Shumate, Elizabeth
1871-1940
SSW/ Elizabeth-Shumate, John F.
1869-1948
3. Shumate, Charity (Mother)
1845-1928
SSW/ Charity-Shumate, Bennett (Father)
1839-1885 (Mason)
4. Jones, Infant (no information-funeral home marker)
5. Jones, Infant (no information-funeral home marker)
6. Shumate, William Howard
PFC US Army World War
January 13, 1920-December 31, 1979
7. Brink, Goldie (nee Shumate)
October 25, 1901-February 22, 1994
SSW/ Goldie-Brink, Orville C.
August 13, 1902-August 24, 1984 married December 26, 1923
8. Ritchie, John Christopher “JC” (Father)
February 9, 1925-April 14, 1999
SSW/ John Christopher-Ritchie, Norma Lois Brink “Jackie” (Mother)
September 4, 1928-
Married December 15, 1945
9. Dees, J.M. (Father)
1853-1922 “As a Husband, Devoted; As a Father, Affectionate; As a Friend, ever kind and True”
10. Hancock, Ruth S.
1905-1976
SSW/ Ruth-Hancock, Albert J.
1900-1976
11. Ritchie, John C
PFC US Army World War II
February 9, 1925-April 14, 1999
12. Shumate, Sadie Robbins (Mother) (In Memoriam)
1887-1968
SSW/ Sadie Robbins-Mark H. (Father)
1887-1949
13. Shumate, Baby
1870
14. Shumate, Elizabeth (Mother)
December 22, 1839-December 28, 1934
SSW/ Elizabeth-Shumate, Bayless
February 17, 1835-December 18, 1927
15. Shumate, Mary A. (In God We Trust)
February 7, 1878-March 31, 1967
SSW/ Mary A-Shumate, Ben M.
November 13, 1878-August 1959
Married May 17, 1896
16. Ramey, Emma E.
January 2, 1897-January 25, 1961
SSW/ Emma E.-Ramey, James C.
August 10, 1892-September 18, 1971
17. Shumate, Sarah (wife of Wm)
Born December 22, 18-7
Died March 12, 1901?
18. Jones, Edith (wife of W.A. Jones)
Born: June 7, 1872 Died: September 6, 1922
Sleep on Dear and Take Thy rest, God called Thee Home as He thought it best
19. Harris, Mildred L.
January 17, 1909-July 25, 1981
SSW/ Mildred-Harris, John J.
January 1, 1917-August 13, 1984
20. In memory of William Shumate
Born 21, Died 12, 187?
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Find it, File It, Forget it and Flounder!
Have you seen the automobile license plate holder that reads, “I Collect Dead Relatives”? Boy, can I identify with that one! Carter Braxton Because of our busy lives, our collecting of dead relatives sometimes suffers, as mine has lately. I find myself thinking that I wish I had several days to myself to get more research done, but there is always something else that takes precedence at the time. Robert Morris
However, genealogy is not a competitive sport; you can’t measure your success by awarding points for how many relatives there are in your database. Genealogy isn’t just one activity; it is many. Benjamin Rush. Good research means learning to put your critical thinking skills to use and doing whatever it takes to place your ancestor into geographical and historical context in order to make progress with your research. John Morton There are many times when you must find out about the place and times in which your ancestor lived to even find them. If a county did not begin to record births until 1920 it is a waste of time to request a birth record for the 19th century. That one is pretty obvious, but finding out that Johnson County Kentucky had some recorded death records for the 1840’s and 50’s helped me to fill out the siblings of the my husbands g-g-grandfather! George Clymer
Once you have found the information you are looking for and have entered it into your database, properly sourced, of course, you need to file away that information. No I am not joking! If you haven’t filed the materials you have gathered, analyzed, and entered, then the next time you need to see the evidence, you will have to claw your way through loose papers. Whatever your filing system is, use it. If you don’t have a filing system make one! Even a very elementary system is better than no system. James Smith
All too often, once a piece of evidence has been located, reviewed, entered into the database and filed, it is forgotten. I challenge you to go to the place where you file genealogical materials and check for dust. If George Taylor you use binders with archival-safe sheet protectors, pull one binder off the shelf and do “the white glove test” on the top. If that test produces a threatening-looking dust bunny, you haven’t been in that binder for a while, and it’s time to review its contents. James Wilson
Floundering? Remember you don’t get anything for collecting 1,000 relatives in your database. How many times have you hit a brick wall? George Ross It’s imperative to go back and reread the documents you’ve acquired, review the data you’ve collected, and study details in the photographs again. Between the times you reexamine these evidentiary materials, you will Caesar Rodney probably have learned something new that makes you think about another research option.
If you’re one of those people who finds it, files it, forgets it and then flounders, there is still hope. Just remember to focus on the big picture. George Read Whenever you locate a new piece of evidence, critically evaluate it by itself first. Then consider that evidence in context to the location and time period, followed by a review in context to ALL the information you already have and/or the hypotheses you’ve formulated. Thomas McKean [Are You a Member of the “Four F” Group? – George G. Morgan Copyright 2004, MyFamily.com]
Tessie Fooshees’ Sherbet
Here is something cool and refreshing for these hot summer days. This antique recipe is from the 1920’s. The ice cream freezer would have been hand cranked and the little guys in the family probably cooled off by sitting on the top of the freezer while Dad turned the handle. William Floyd Our thanks to Carol Reel for sharing her grandmother’s recipe.
Sherbert (sic)
1 C. Cold water
1 “scant” C flour (just under a cup I think)
1 Qt. Boiling Water
2 C sugar
3 C grape juice or any kind of fruit
Method: Make a smooth paste of water and flour. Then scald with boiling water stirring constantly. Add sugar. Set aside to cool. Then add fruit juice and freeze in ice cream freezer. Philip Livingston
Notes:
I used canned Pineapple juice for Pineapple Sherbert (sic). This recipe makes almost a full freezer container of ice cream.
130 Years Ago or Thereabouts
Fayetteville Democrat
12/31/1874 Francis Lewis
An unfortunate affair occurred at Lewis’ Mills in this county on Christmas day. Newton Jones and Bud Gilliland renewed a difficulty of long standing between them which resulted in the death of Gilliland, Jones shooting him through the breast with a Spencer rifle, killing him instantly. We do not know the particulars of the affair. Jones has not as yet been arrested.
Does this name sound familiar, William Newton Jones? In the May/June issue of Family Links, we ran an article about J. Cornelius Jones who was murdered in January of 1872. He had been married only a month to Matilda Lewis Jones. Matilda, widowed at age 17 had remarried in August of 1872 to William Newton Jones, a cousin of J. Cornelius Jones. Lewis Morris
In Flashback*, April 1965, p. 16 more on this story is found. William (Jones) killed Bud (Gilliland) at a racetrack near Carter’s Store. Ben Johnson and “Pomp” Campbell tried to restrain Jones but failed to reach him in time. Mart Collins heard the shots but was not a witness to the fight. Gilliland first married Sarah Elizabeth Mills and she later married Dan Chapman.
When I originally started this article last month, I really wanted to find out what happened to Matilda and if she had a happy married life since her first marriage ended in tragedy. Richard Stockton It sounds like Matilda’s second marriage was also off to a rocky start. Her first husband was murdered and now her second husband was a murderer? John Witherspoon
William Newton Jones was the son of Claibourn and Jeannie Tallent Jones from Hawkins County, Tennessee. William was born April 7, 1851 in Washington County, Arkansas. He married Matilda on August 26, 1872 in Washington County.
According to the Goodspeeds, in 1889, Newton Jones was a merchant at Delaney in Madison County but then moved to Fayetteville and owned a drug store on the east side of the square. Francis Hopkinson The family lived at the southwest corner of West Center and South School Avenue. The children included Eddie T. Jones, born 1875, Nora D. Jones, born 1879, Minnie, Maudie and Lonnie Jones.
According to an article in Flashback, after 1904, the family moved to Wyoming, Utah and Washington. John Hart
Next month I will let you know why William Newton Jones was not prosecuted for the murder of Bud Gilliland. Abraham Clark
Cheri Coley
McKee-Brannon Reunion
John McKee was born in Ireland on November 29, 1830. He is found on the 1860 US Census in Josiah Bartlett Wayne County, Iowa with his bride of about one year, Margaret Collins, daughter of Jacob and Ann Morrison Collins. John and Margaret were married in August of 1859 and had three children, Samuel Henry, Manan and Anna Luna. Family tradition says John and Margaret were on a wagon train, and Margaret left John on the train, later marrying A.C. Rogers. John, son Manan and daughter, Anna Luna made a life in California. Anna married Clarence Sargent and Manan never married. Anna, Manan and John died in California. Samuel came to Arkansas. William Whipple He married Mary Brannon in Washington County in 1891. Samuel Adams Mary was the daughter of John Samuel Brannon and the granddaughter of Revolutionary War Patriot, William Brannon of South Carolina. Samuel and Mary had several children; Teddy, who died at about 18 months of age, Irma Ruth, Bernice, Eula Bertha, Paul and Silvia. Mary Brannon McKee died in 1906. In 1913 Samuel married Ermele Akers who was three years older than his oldest daughter. This marriage ended when Ermele left after two children, Naomi and Bill Dave, were born.
Every other year on the first Saturday in July, the McKee-Brannon Family reunion is held. It is held to coincide with Brannon Mountain Cemetery Decoration Day, which is always the first Sunday in July. John Samuel Brannon, his wife Nancy, Samuel McKee, and his first wife, Mary, plus many of the extended family are buried at Brannon Mountain Cemetery. Brannon Mountain is in Madison County on a hilltop where the wind always blows. Robert Treat Paine
This year the reunion was held in Fayetteville. Family members came from as far away as California and North Dakota. There was a potluck lunch around noon followed by conversation. Later, in the early evening, the family made the trek to Brannon Mountain to decorate graves and visit still more. On the way, a side trip to the Bakers house (after getting permission form the owners) is always a must see. The Baker’s house is built on the side on a cliff! One wall of the house is the cliff! Elbridge Gerry
To get to Brannon Mountain take AR HWY 16 East. Turn in Durham at the road for Terra Studios. Continue up the mountain until it Y’s. Go left at the Y and continue onward to Brannon Mountain Cemetery.
We had a great reunion this year with lots of family and good food. Stephen Hopkins It was a wonderful time to spend with family especially those whom we don’t see very often.
Cheri Coley
In Closing
One of our members had an extra special 4th this year, or 5th should we say. Announcing: Sadie Nicole Lewis born July 5, 2005 about 7:15pm Washington Regional Hospital, weighing 8 pounds 2 oz, and 20 inches long. Proud Grandmother? None other than our own Barbara Lewis! Congrats to all! William Ellery
The next meeting of Roger Sherman WCAGS will be on August 14 at the Headquarters House at 2:00pm. The program will be “A Hard Fought Battle, Prairie Grove, December 7, 1862” given by Don Montgomery. Come join us. Samuel Huntington
In the meantime, happy hunting y’all!
Jeanne Tackett
Editor, Family Links
* Flashback is the quarterly publication of the Washington County Historical Society William Williams