Lawson S. Mitchem, a single man of only 19 years of age, left Gaston County, North Carolina on a wagon train headed for Pope County, Arkansas where, upon arrival in September 1858, he married another passenger on that wagon train, Catherine Jane Fronaberger, about six years his senior. She had traveled with her parents, the family of John Fronaberger, Senior, and her younger sister, Margie Fronaberger. According to the 1860 census of Pope County, they lived at Galley Creek in the Galley Rock Township, and Margie was still a member of their household. Their first two children were born there, William Sinclair Mitchem and Charles Cloud Mitchem. By the next census year, 1870, they were residents of Cape Girardeau County, Missouri at Jackson where Lawson and Catherine and their children had joined his Mother, Louisa Best Mitchem, and two of his younger siblings, James and Dulcenia, who had also come by Bollinger wagon train from their home in Lincoln County, North Carolina. Lawson S. Mitchem joined the 3rd Arkansas Cavalry at Dardanelle (Union allegiance) while his four older brothers, still living in North Carolina, served the Confederacy and all survived the war: William M., Joseph B., (my direct ancestor), Robert Joshua, and Hugh C. Mitchem. Lawson and his younger brother, James M. Mitchem, both died of pneumonia in Ripley County, Missouri in the winter of 1879, their Mother having preceded them in death by about four years, in February of 1875, on Lawson's farm near Doniphan. Sadly, their graves were washed away in a flood of the Current River which ran by Lawson's Ripley County farm, and subsequent owners used their gravestones to underpin a barn. Three of Lawson's sons were newspaper editors and publishers in Southeast Missouri and two of them, Charles Cloud Mitchem and John Franklin Mitchem, were presidents of the Southeast Missouri Press Association. John Franklin Mitchem also published a newspaper in El Paso, Texas, and another one in California, before he returned home to DeSoto, Missouri, where he died (also of pneumonia) in March of 1915 ... but not before he built 14 miles of telephone lines connecting Oran and Commerce, Missouri. I've seen Lawson Mitchem's name in an account book in Galley Rock when he first came to Arkansas. I have his photograph, and that of his wife, Catherine Jane Fronaberger Mitchem, as well as that of their sons, Charles Cloud Mitchem and John Franklin Mitchem, if their photographs should be wanted for this Galley Rock website. Please let me know how I should go about accomplishing this if it's desired. Thank you. Alta Mitchem Durden -----Original Message----- From: Barbara Lattimore <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Thu, May 6, 2010 4:41 pm Subject: [ARPOPE] Galley Rock Jean: Back with the info: As stated previously. My Gr Gr Grandfather John F Hallmark is listed 1880 census in Galla Rock. My Gr Gr Gr Grandfather William T. Gray is found 1860 census living in Galla Rock. Your Galla Rock family came from where ? Below is the cute little site I mentioned earlier for Galley (Galla) Rock http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~argrha/ Barb ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

We would like to hear from our members and visitors. You may contact us if you have any comments, want to contribute to the fence fund, history of the area, or ask questions. Write to  John Stroud P.O. Box 152 Atkins Arkansas, 72823 [email protected] Barb --- On Sat, 5/8/10, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote: From: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [ARPOPE] Galley Rock To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Date: Saturday, May 8, 2010, 7:01 PM Lawson S. Mitchem, a single man of only 19 years of age, left Gaston County, North Carolina on a wagon train headed for Pope County, Arkansas where, upon arrival in September 1858, he married another passenger on that wagon train, Catherine Jane Fronaberger, about six years his senior.  She had traveled with her parents, the family of John Fronaberger, Senior, and her younger sister, Margie Fronaberger.  According to the 1860 census of Pope County, they lived at Galley Creek in the Galley Rock Township, and Margie was still a member of their household.  Their first two children were born there, William Sinclair Mitchem and Charles Cloud Mitchem.  By the next census year, 1870, they were residents of Cape Girardeau County, Missouri at Jackson where Lawson and Catherine and their children had joined his Mother, Louisa Best Mitchem, and two of his younger siblings, James and Dulcenia, who had also come by Bollinger wagon train from their home in Lincoln County, North Carolina.  Lawson S. Mitchem joined the 3rd Arkansas Cavalry at Dardanelle (Union allegiance) while his four older brothers, still living in North Carolina, served the Confederacy and all survived the war:  William M., Joseph B., (my direct ancestor), Robert Joshua, and Hugh C. Mitchem.  Lawson and his younger brother, James M. Mitchem, both died of pneumonia in Ripley County, Missouri in the winter of 1879, their Mother having preceded them in death by about four years, in February of 1875, on Lawson's farm near Doniphan.  Sadly, their graves were washed away in a flood of the Current River which ran by Lawson's Ripley County farm, and subsequent owners used their gravestones to underpin a barn. Three of Lawson's sons were newspaper editors and publishers in Southeast Missouri and two of them, Charles Cloud Mitchem and John Franklin Mitchem, were presidents of the Southeast Missouri Press Association.  John Franklin Mitchem also published a newspaper in El Paso, Texas, and another one in California, before he returned home to DeSoto, Missouri, where he died (also of pneumonia) in March of 1915 ... but not before he built 14 miles of telephone lines connecting Oran and Commerce, Missouri. I've seen Lawson Mitchem's name in an account book in Galley Rock when he first came to Arkansas.  I have his photograph, and that of his wife, Catherine Jane Fronaberger Mitchem, as well as that of their sons, Charles Cloud Mitchem and John Franklin Mitchem, if their photographs should be wanted for this Galley Rock website.  Please let me know how I should go about accomplishing this if it's desired.  Thank you. Alta Mitchem Durden -----Original Message----- From: Barbara Lattimore <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Thu, May 6, 2010 4:41 pm Subject: [ARPOPE] Galley Rock Jean: Back with the info: As stated previously. My Gr Gr Grandfather John F Hallmark is listed 1880 census in Galla Rock.          My Gr Gr Gr Grandfather William T. Gray is found 1860 census living in Galla Rock.          Your Galla Rock family came from where ? Below is the cute little site I mentioned earlier for Galley (Galla) Rock http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~argrha/ Barb       ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Sat. Morning someone set fire to the Hopewell FWBC north of Atkins and the Union Grove Church. The Hopewell Church was ruined. This building was built in 1939. The Church was even older. The Union Grove church was just rebuild after the tornado of two years ago. The fire was put out before it did much damage.