Forwarding because of the Drew County connections in the following article. Many thanks to Jann for posting!! >Date: Tue, 24 Nov 1998 18:50:07 -0700 >From: "Jann Woodard" <jann.woodard@eudoramail.com> >Subject: [ARBRADLE-L] Interesting article >To: ARBRADLE-L@rootsweb.com >I don't have a date on the following article but probably in the 1950's. > >Two Warren Women Total 186 in Combined Ages > >Within a block of each other in West Warren, live two women whose combined >age is 186 years of busy, useful living. In many ways their lives have >paralleled. Both chose the same career--that of homemaking. And they >have something else they share--a deep and abiding faith in God. > >Mrs. Lula Oslin Baker, the younger one of the two, was born in Drew >County. She is only 92. Mrs. Henrietta Temple Ragar is a native of >Bradley county and her age tops that of Mrs. Baker by two years. > >Both were children during the Civil War but have some remembrances of it. >Mrs. Ragar recalls a member of the family leading their favorite horse off >into nearby woods to keep the Northern soldiers from taking it. And she >remembers her soldier father returning for short visits--and his death on >a Missouri battlefield. > >Mrs. Baker is the mother of 12 children: 11 of whom lived to be adults. >According to their mother, they were all "good children, who have made >good citizens." Those living are: Elza Baker of Warren, Homer Baker of >Monticello, Mrs. Aly Goynes of LaDelle, Mrs. Pearl White of Wilmar, Mrs. >Effie Blackwell of Terre Haute, Ind., Mrs. Lula Grubbs of Mobile, Alabama >and Mrs. Essie Mae Crook of Little Rock. Mrs. Baker is the grandmother of >44; greatgrandmother of 60 and great great grandmother of five. Five >general photographs are no novelty to her. She has appeared in several of >them. The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alva Oslin and one of ten children, >Mrs. Baker was 12 years old before she entered school. At that time, she >says, Arkansas was new territory and there were very few formal school. >Her father was a blacksmith by trade and once served as County Treasurer >of Drew County. The family is of Scotch-Irish descent. Mrs. Baker was >reared a Baptist and in recent years he e! >! >hlp established the Bethel Baptist Church in Possom Valley. She is a firm >believer in the Bible and reads it daily. As she sits in the home of her >son, Elza and his pleasant wife, and works on a colorful afghan, whe >reminisces of days gone by such as a trip from Kingsland to Possom Valley >by buggy, stopping by the Saline River to spend the night. <snipped Mrs. Ragar info.---e-mail Jann or Melissa if you would like this> >This article has pictures of each of the ladies. > >Jann