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    1. [GEORGIA] Wagon Train descendants
    2. brenda
    3. Now, this is the end of our journey, and I will now state how and where we were located, and of some family changes and happenings up to date, etc. My mothers family, consisting of herself three daughters and three sons, located and improved the farm where Warren M. Bell now lives. Two sons and two daughters still lives, two sons at Atkins, one daughter at Russellville, and one five miles S.W. of Atkins. Of the old family, my mother Anna Darr, oldest sister, Marryann Darr, Parker and James F. Darr, are dead, and they all died in Pope county and are buried there. The living members of Jno. C. Darr's family and descendants are located in Pope, Faulkner and Pulaski counties Ark. Ephrain Blackburn's family and descendants are located in various parts of the U.S. Though mostly in Johnson county Ark. John H. Blackburn's family and descendants are located in Arkansas and Texas, mostly in Pope county Arkansas. Aaron S. Robinson's and descendants are in Pope and Conway counties Ark., a majority of the family are dead. The only one of the head of the family who moved here, who is still living is Lovinia Blackburn, widow of John H. Blackburn. She is now, I believe, past her four score years. E.A. Darr's family and descendants are in Arkansas and Texas, Susan Saloma Darr, Love and her descendants are in Pope county Arkansas and Oklahoma. Jas F. Darr's family and descendants are in Pope county Ark. The balance of our company on this emigration moved. The Coon, Keistlers and others last heard of in Madison county Arkansas, and the two young men who came out with us, went back to papa in North Carolina. This closed this part of the program. How the readers of the Chronicle enjoyed reading of it I do not know, if pleased the writer will object; if not pleased all I have to say is pick your flint and try it on yourself. As this was written for a comparison between the old and the new we did not expect to interest the older people, as they had been all along there and noted the changes wrought in past 51 years, perhaps more carefully than this writer. But as the younger generation know only of the late or new changes and nothing of the old. It is hoped that they will make a comparison and thereby enjoy this narrative. Take for instance, the present mode of travel by rail, you can get on the cars at some point we start from and make the same journey we made and make it in three days, while it took us three months to make the trip. You can take the lower route by the way of Memphis and make it in two days. In taking route we traveled on for three months you can now by rail and pass through all the towns we passed through and some of them have grown to quite active cities. Then there is another matter to think over if you recognize the great changes in many respects that have taken place in 51 years. Just look all over this land and see how (many) homes you can find occupied by the same families or their descendants that occupied them fifty one years ago. The writer knows of four only and one of them was made by ourselves. Our sister, Mrs. Warren M. Bell, now lives on the same ground we settled on immediately after we came here, counting her as one, we find John B. Sinclair on the old homestead on which his father settled and some of the Sleeker family lives on the old homestead and some of Soloman Keeners family lives on the place he settled 57 years ago, one of his sons is now quite an aged man, and his oldest son is no spring chicken. I overlooked the Marcus Beeson place as well as the Prim place, and there may be others that I have overlooked, but I can only think of these six now. Think this over and see how many you can add to this number. Fifty one years ago we had no railroads here but we had plenty steam boats on the rivers when there was water enough to float one. There was not a brick house in the whole country and a few if any brick chimneys. The only one here the writer built for Sidney Robinson at the place in Atkins where Joe Jones and family now lives. There were a few stone chimneys and the balance were stick and mud. See the brick houses and brick chimneys and flues now. Why, if a man now would commence a stick and mud chimney he would be rushed at once to the Insane Asylum. But those were good old times. If a man was too lazy to work he could just loafer from place to place, get a meal here and one there, the people would feed him; they sympathized with him, but now they say he is no count and ought to starve. The end. Are you glad of it? I am. The reprinted article was accompanied with a genealogical analysis of the members of the wagon train by Mrs. James D. (Earlene) Peak, as follows: Mr. Darr mentions that sixty souls were on this wagon train. From information given in the account, from searching the 1860 censuses, and from personal knowledge I have a partial list of persons who may have been on this wagon train. Seven members of the Darr family are mentioned: Anna Darr and her children: John C.; Maryann; E.A.; James F.; Susan Saloma; and Sarah Eliza. Anna's husband, Henry Rufus Darr died in Lincoln County North Carolina ca. 1848. John H. and Lavinia Blackburn and their children: Hannah Elizabeth; Caroline A.; Harriet E.; Julius C.; and David M. settled in or near what is now Bells Chapel community. I think Eliza Blackburn and John S. Blackburn, John H.'s sister and nephew, were also on the wagon train. Eliza was living in his household in 1850 in North Carolina. Both are listed in his household in the 1870 Pope County Census. The Aaron Robinson family also settled in or near Bells Chapel. The 1860 Pope County census lists Aaron and Polly Robinson and their children: Sarah; Jane; Pinkston; Mary; Henry; Caroline; and Laura. Ephraim Blackburn was a carriage maker and led the train in a buggy he had built. The 1860 Johnson County census lists Ephraim and Lavinia Blackburn and their children: Mary; Jane; John; Benjamin; Harriett; Angeline; and Pinkney who were born in North Carolina. A child, Ephraim, was born in Arkansas. The 1860 Madison County census lists Jacob and Mary Coon and their children: John? F.; Mary C.; Elizabeth; Lawson; Susan; Josephus; Wm.; and Daniel who were born in North Carolina. Wm. and Sarah Boatright are also listed in the household. Sarah was born in North Carolina and Wm. in Arkansas. Living in the next dwelling is the Kistler family, Aron and Adaline and their children: John F. and Jacob. Aron, Adaline, and John were born in North Carolina and Jacob in Arkansas. Also on the trip were the two young men who returned to North Carolina. Anna Darr, John H., Ephraim, and Eliza Blackburn were the children of John and Mary Holman (Hallman) Blackburn.

    10/07/2006 05:16:25