You're invited to stop by this Sunday at the Little Rock Main Library for the first Arkansas Family History Association Meeting featuring nationally known genealogy speaker, Desmond Walls Allen. We will be discussing Beginning Genealogy but we will feature an hour long Question Session for all skill levels. Whether you are a new researcher or one who has been around for a while, you will benefit from this meeting. Classes are $12 at the door for all members. If you would like to attend the entire series, the cost is $40 for 6 classes. Vendors will be present and you may visit the vendors without paying for the classes. Vendors will also supply LOTS of door prizes!!! We'd love to meet you! January 16 1:30 PM-4:30 PM Starting Your Genealogical Research by Desmond Allen Walls February 13 1:30 PM-4:30 PM Genealogy on the Internet by Tracey Carrington Converse To pre-register for classes, please send your check or money order to: AFHA 609 Colynwood Sherwood, Arkansas 72120 501-835-7502 All Classes Will Be Held at the Central Arkansas Library System's Main Library, 100 Rock Street in Little Rock. This event is sponsored by the Richard C. Butler Center for Arkansas Studies. Founding member of the Arkansas Family History Association!! http://www.rootsweb.com/~arfha ********************* FREE Genealogy Forms Online!!! http://www.ancestrycorner.com We Specialize in ARKANSAS books! ****************************************** Listowner of: the GRS E-Zine, GenTips, GenChat, GenSwap ************************************************ Webmaster of the Central Arkansas Library System http://www.cals.lib.ar.us *************************************************************

Jann, This is my grandfather. Does it give any information about survivors or relatives? I am searching for information as to who his parents were, and where they are buried. The Drew Co 1910 census shows him as being born in Ms and his parents in Ga. Thanks for your help. The same goes for Hiram Abif Jones, we have no idea who his parents were or where they are buried. He was born in Ar and his parents in Tn. Thanks again. C.L. Jones Pineville, La

Jann, Hiram Abif Jones died in 1933. Thanks C.L. Jones

Jann, Would you check to see if there is a William Walter Herring or a Hiram Abif Jones listed in any of these records. They are my grandfathers, and both lived in Drew Co. William Walter Died in 1916 and Hiram in the teens or twenties. Thanks C.L. Jones

Jann: Jan, you're gooder'n airy angel. It is stuff like this that will get the Desha County List going. At least I home it does. On the thrird Saturday of March Watson will have its annual fishfry. I'll start bugging people with this information as it gets a little closer. I'm going for the first time ever. Bill Covey Creator of Ol' Tubby Joe Stottlemeyer Author of: Watson Is Where It Wuz http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Station/3265/Welcome.html > I have the following books, which include Desha Co. information: > > Southeastern Arkansas Death Record Index 1924-1933 > > Southeastern Arkansas Death Record Index 1934-1940 > > Arkansas Gazette Index for 1895. > > If ya'll need lookups..........let me know.

I have the following books, which include Desha Co. information: Southeastern Arkansas Death Record Index 1924-1933 Southeastern Arkansas Death Record Index 1934-1940 Arkansas Gazette Index for 1895. If ya'll need lookups..........let me know. Jann ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

The Dumas News was in existence in 1919, and some of the newspapers are on microfilm. Probably this newspaper preceded the Dumas Clarion. Jo-Ann, my father's family lived in the Winchester, Florence, Selma area, and when they "went to town",.........it was usually at Dumas. Many obits for that area of Drew County are found in the Dumas newspaper. Jann ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

JoAnn: I don't know about 1935 but I suspect the newspaper is the Dumas Clarion. I don't know about hospitals. Dumas had one but I don't know if it was there in 1935. A few years later one was in Dumas. Bill Covey Creator of Ol' Tubby Joe Stottlemeyer Author of: Watson Is Where It Wuz http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Station/3265/Welcome.html

Does anyone have an idea which newspapers were in existence in the area about 1935? I know that an obituary of my grandfather's death was printed because I have a torn remnant left in my scrapbook. However, it does not have the top of the obituary so much of the information is missing, including the name of the paper. His name is William Harvey Conrad and he died near Winchester, on the way to the hospital (which hospital?). He is buried in Scott Cemetery in Desha Co. Thanks, Jo-Ann Stephens Bahai@netusa1.net

Hi folks. I hear that Eddie Cox is a JP in Desha County. Does anyone know if he has e-mail? Bill Covey Creator of Ol' Tubby Joe Stottlemeyer Author of: Watson Is Where It Wuz http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Station/3265/Welcome.html

"...Early in 1863, the Union Navy was having a great deal of trouble in the vicinity of Napoleon. The citizens of the town were always glad to harbor Confederates who desired to set up an ambush for Union boats. The rebels would fire at the enemy vessels from one side of the narrow neck of Beulah Bend, and then hustle their guns across the neck and fire at the same boat again when it had rounded the bend. "In the spring of 1863, Lt.Com. T. O. Selfridge of the U.S. Navy made a welcome proposal to Admiral David D. Porter, commander of the Union fleet. If a cutoff could be constructed across the neck of Beulah Bend, Selfridge said, the rebels would no longer be able to use the area for the harassment of the Union boats. Given permission to try the plan, Selfridge put his men to work and succeeded in opening up the new channel in April 1863. "...The Union vessels had no further difficulties with the rebels at Napoleon after the cutoff. The navigation channel was shortened about ten miles, and a small Union garrison was able to defend the mouths of both the Arkansas and theWhite Rivers. "What was good for the U.S. Navy was not necessarily best for the town of Napoleon, Arkansas, of course. The cutoff changed the course of the lower Mississippi and subjected the town to an attack by currents that caused its waterfront to crumble into the river. One by one its streets and buildings disappeared into the muddy Mississippi. By 1882, the town was no longer shown on river maps." (Excerpts from a 1985 program entitled NAPOLEON CUTOFF IN DESHA COUNTY, presented at a meeting of the Desha County Historical Society, and used by permission of the Army Engineers.} Louis Reitzammer at Jackson, Tennessee < reitzamm@usit.net >

"The origin of the name, Yancopin, has been lost to history; however, there are two legends most repeated as to the origin of the name. "The first legend evolves around a water plant or lily that grew in profusion in the bayous, small lakes and shallow bodies of water. The plant has wide green leaves which form into an irregular circle and float on the surface of the water. The leaves have sufficient strength and bouyancy to sometimes support a frog. In the spring and summer the plant produces at the center a large cluster of white blossoms, from which in the autumn, produces a small nut-like fruit. Ducks and geese are attracted to the plants for food. The Arkansas Indians who inhabited the area named the plant "Yancopin." "The other legend has a basis of fact and has been reported by Eddie Cox, a farmer and member of the Desha County Quorum Court from Red Fork township. From an interview with an aged native of the area, it was learned that during the Civil War, the Confederate forces, who were policing the river, constructed a stockade in the vicinity of the community of Yancopin to hoard Union servicemen after their capture. On one occasion, a detachment of Confederate troops captured a Union Army soldier and brought him to the officer in charge of the operation asking that disposition should be made of the captive. The officer replied, "Put him in the Yankee Pen (the stockade)." After the war, the expression "Yankee Pen" was passed along by conversation among the natives and others until the area of the stockade became known as Yankapen or Yancopin. (This excerpt is from a program entitled YANCOPIN, presented by Eugene Dobson and Judge Jim Merritt at a 1983 meeting of the Desha County Historical Society) Louis Reitzammer at Jackson, Tennessee < reitzamm@usit.net >

Hi Folks: I talked with Mayor Leslie Gill this morning after calling everywhere in the state. Ma Bell gave me a Monticello number and that number gave me a Monticello number. In the end one of the nice ladies in Monticello pulled out a Watson directory and gave me the City Hall number in Watson. Anyway, the annual fishfry is being held, as always I am told, on the third Saturday in March. I will be there for my very first one. Ain't it nice living in the United States so one can do things like this? Bill Covey Creator of Ol' Tubby Joe Stottlemeyer Author of: Watson Is Where It Wuz http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Station/3265/Welcome.html

Louis: The last bit you sent was very interesting to me. I used to hunt on Big Island when I was a kid and fished on Lake Merisach. One didn't pay much attention to maps and history at my age at the time. I would like to scanned map when you get the time. Incidentally, I went to school with C. C. Stuart's daughters and I believe one son. The daughters were Jorene, the oldest daughter, and Betty Lou, the younger daughter. Mr. Stuart was on the school board in 1948 (that I know for sure) along with the following: Earnest Smith - President Felix W Ryals - Financial Secretary (Also Superintendent of Schools) B. S. Ussery D. W. Best C. C. Stuart Thanks for your input. This list is beginning to move a little now. Let's keep it going. Bill Covey Creator of Ol' Tubby Joe Stottlemeyer Author of: Watson Is Where It Wuz http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Station/3265/Welcome.html

Thought I might as well jump in here since I have about 15 of the Desha County Historical Society program booklets. Except for a few, they are not indexed, but they contain a lot of information about the county's history. Unfortunately, they are copyrighted and can't be copied word for word, but one is allowed to quote portions of the articles without violating the copyright laws. The area in question is the northern part of the county, just above where the Arkansas River cuts across, forming what is known as Big Island. A good road map will show Yancopin just north of Watson. Yancopin is where the Missouri Pacific Railroad trains crossed the Arkansas/White River bridge on their way to Memphis. In Vol. 1, No.1 of the Society's publications, an interview of J. L. (Jim) Britt, conducted by C. C. Stuart, the Society's president at the time (1973), had this to say: "Mississippi Township is one of the original townships of the county and the site of the early Spanish settlements in the now county. Laconia Circle includes some 18,000 acres of fertile delta lands surrounded by levees to fend off flooding from the rivers. There were 16 palatial plantation homes in the township prior to the Civil War. Two of these homes still remain, they being the residences of James Thornton and P. B. Martin, which were constructed in 1833--two of the oldest residences in the county." In another article in the same volume, an interview by Jim Merritt of Mrs.Andrew Wargo, Sr., the following excerpt: "Big Island in Desha County was properly named and deserves the continued title. This site of some 25,000 to 30,000 acres is bounded by water, creating the largest island in the county. "It is located along the eastern boundary of Desha County. The Mississippi river, the boundary between the states of Arkansas and Mississippi, and the eastern boundary of Arkansas forms the eastern boundary of the island. The Arkansas river forms the west and south boundary, with the White River forming the north boundary. The area is not without form but the meanderings of the rivers have caused the pararellogram to be modified, especially along the southern part of the island. It has been described by some as an inverted parallelogram with frayed edges. "The island is some ten miles long, about six miles along the north boundary and decreasing about the middle to some three miles on the south boundary. The land is now covered with timber and vegetation and is owned generally by large timber companies who use it for timber farming. "The island abounds with wildlife, fish, and fowl native to this section. It is a sportsman paradise and on the island are many hunting camps and clubs. "...There are no public roads on the island as those located there were constructed by individuals or hunting clubs. There is no bridge or ferry to and from the island and all passage is made by private boats. "Big Island was at one time in its history fully populated and highly developed by persons engaged in general farming on a large scale, the main crops being cotton and corn. There were cotton gins on the island...The people were served by river boats plying the three rivers. Napoleon, the third county seat of Desha County, was located just west of the island...and Montgomery Point, one of the early settlements and a large commercial center of the county, was located on the north side of the river (White) at the junction of that river and the Mississippi. This landing and business center was just north of the island. At one time the greater part of the island was in Island Township." ---------- There is a hand-drawn map of this area in one of the publications, but since no attachments are allowed on this list, I'm not able to scan it and post it to the list. However, I will send one, attached to an e-mail message to anyone who wants it. So far, I haven't found any discussion of the origin of "Yancopin." Sounds like an Indian name, but maybe not. I'll keep looking for something about its origin. There's an interesting story about how the start of Napoleon's demise was caused during the Civil War by one side or the other blasting a "cutoff" so that the White River entered the Arkansas River before it empties into the Mississippi just to the north, thereby forming Big Island.. I'll dig it out and post it. Louis Reitzammer at Jackson, Tennessee <reitzamm@usit.net>

> Napaleon may well have been the most wicked town on the river. > Arkansas City ranks right up there with it though. There were more > than twenty brothels in Arkansas City at one time and not a single > church. Riverboat people were not know for going to church one must > believe. > > Bill Covey > Creator of Ol' Tubby Joe Stottlemeyer > Author of: Watson Is Where It Wuz > http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Station/3265/Welcome.html > >

I got out my gg-grandfather's enlistment record. He was in Company L, Desha County Batt'n Arkansas Militia. This was located in the Military District, No. 12 and 13 in Desha County, Ark. The date is Nov. 28, 1861, Laconia. This was probably a active place during the war, being situated that near the Mississippi........but like Napoleon........what happened to it?? Another article I have dated March 21, 1874: From, Arkansas Post - "We have lots of rain and now have a big river. Napoleon is entirely submerged, worse than in 1867, and many of the citizens are moving up heer to the Post. Tom Wilcox's boat, the steamer, "Tom Morgan," is now running as a regular packet from here to there, bringing out the people. She came up full last night and returned for more this morning. Many cattle and horses have been drowned." (when did Napoleon fall into the river?? was it the 1870's or 80's?? I have read articles that stated it was the most "wicked' town on the Mississippi River.) ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

Thanks Jann: I see no reason we can't make this list active. I, for one, am learning a great deal about my county this very day. Keep up the good work. Bill Covey Creator of Ol' Tubby Joe Stottlemeyer Author of: Watson Is Where It Wuz http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Station/3265/Welcome.html

Jann: I pulled up a map on one of the sites that Sam Rial gave us and Laconia is on the Arkansas River, in Desha County just east and a tad south of Gillette. Bill Covey

I realize this article refers to Arkansas County, but since tenant farming and moving around alot was part of that era.........maybe ya'll will enjoy. This comes from an article that appeared in the Gazette, that was entitled "All Over Arkansas." Different county newspapers would send to the state paper newsy little happenings in their section of the state, and then the Editor of the Gazette would have some little comment to insert: There is quite a bit of moving going on. Tonie McAdams has moved from the L.A. Black place, and Eld. J.P. Burroughs is moving on the place, Mr. Charles Tanner vacated, and he has moved on the same place where Mr. Abney lived. C.E. Rush has moved on the old Henry Prange place, Mr. Charles Tanner, who lived there once, is moving to Crockett's Bluff; Arb Poole is moving to the George Waller place and Riley Poole will move where Arb lives, and Leslie Davis will go where Riley is. Mr. D.B. Edwards has moved from the Joe Gordon place to his home place near Needmore schoolhouse, and C.V. James has bought the Frank Watkins place west of Big LeGrue and will moved there. (Pin Oak Correspondent of the DeWitt New Era) Editor's comment: "Which is our idea of a nervous neighborhood" ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com