My sur-name interest in Sebastian County are ECHOLS and PAYNE. ROBERT HARPER ECHOLS was born December 3, 1824 in Clark County Georgia.He was a son of Thomas J. Echols and Mary "Polly" Elizabeth Harper. Robert Harper Echols was married twice. His first wife was Elizabeth Carolyn Morris who he married November 19, 1849 in DeKalb County Georgia. She was born February 26, 1835 and died August 30, 1852. Her parents were Enoch Morris and Mary Sexton. Robert and Carolyn had one son named John Thomas Milner Echols born 20 March 1852. He was hanged at Ft. Smith on January 14, 1887 for a murder in the Chickasaw Nation on February 16, 1886. After the death of Carolyn, Robert Harper Echols married her older sister, Mary Ann Morris on May 19, 1853 in DeKalb County Georgia. They had eleven children. In the 1860's the family was living in Paulding County Georgia. About 1870 the family moved to the Washburn Area of Sebastian County Arkansas. After the hanging of John Thomas Milner Echols the family moved to Eastland County Texas where Robert died February 12, 1907 and Mary Ann died October 16, 1921. All of their children also moved to Eastland and Comanche Counties Texas. In the 1880 census of Sebastian County, Thomas J. Echols, father of Robert Harper Echols was enumerated in Robert's household. It is presumed that Thomas J. Echols died in Sebastian County. I would like to locate his grave. ZEBEDIAH CLEVELAND PAYNE was born May 17, 1835 in Franklin County Georgia. He was a son of Thomas Payne and Olive Vessels. Zebediah C. Payne married 1st Margaret Ellendar Parker in Franklin County Alabama July 8, 1858. Margaret was born August 16, 1842 and died January 26, 1908. She was a daughter of Andrew Parker and Malinda unknown. Zebediah and Margaret had eleven children. Zebediah and his family moved to the Dayton Area of Sebastian County about 1870. After the death of Margaret, Zebediah married a widow named Anna Mae Koonz (nee Buttress) and they had one daughter. Zebediah died at Dayton, Arkansas on May 14, 1916. James R.Rasco