Hello group! First, let me say thank-you to all of the wonderful people who responded to my post about the lack of Arkansas information in my FHC library. I am now having dreams of visits to the Salt Lake Archives! I am trying to figure out why Joel C. Hisaw and his wife, Mahala or Mahaley Turner left Arkansas and went to Cherokee County, TX to pick up my g grandfather Thomas L. Rainwater and bring him back to Scott County. The story goes that his parents and sister were ambushed by indians. But no proof as of yet. We know his father was tried for murder but acquitted in 1857. They were still in tact as a family there in 1860. In 1870, Thomas was living with a minister and his family in Cherokee County, but by 1880, he was a farmhand on a farm in Scott Co. by 1882 he married Lizzie Hisaw and they had their first child. We assume that the Hisaw's and Rainwater's must have had prior knowledge of each other for them to take the child back to AR with them. The other brother, was left in TX. We don't know where he was in 1870, but was married in TX by 1880 and remained there until his death years later. I guess I would need old newspapers, local stories, history books of the county or anything else that exists for that time period. Any ideas where I should start (besides making my dream come true and heading for Salt Lake :-))) )? Or are things like this typically not documented? Thanks again for everyone's sharing and help! Debbie Rainwater Anderson dkrainh20a@aol.com