Family Historian
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The Arl(ansas Family Historian Volume 15, No.3, July/Aug/Sept 1977 THE ARKANSAS FAMILY HISTORIAN VOLUME XV Number 3 r JULY-AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 1977 Publi.hed Quarterly Aprkansas Genealogical Society I .0. Box 908 ' nOI By Hot Springs, AR 71902-0908 ARKANSAS GENEALOGICAL SOCIE,}:Y, Inc. ARKANSAS GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, INC. OFFICERS DIRECTORS Marion S Craig, M. D , President Mrs. Harold D. Alspaugh Little Rock, Arkansas Magnolia, Arkansas T 0 Hamaker, Vice President Russell P. Baker Magnolia, Arkansas Mabelvale, Arkansas Mrs Gerald B. McLane, Treasurer Robert W. Dhonau Hot Springs, Arkansas Little Rock, Arkansas Mrs C G. Ball, Recording - Sec. Mrs. Mae Chinn Green North Little Rock, Arkansas Batesville, Arkansas Mrs Carroll C. Cannon, Cor -Sec. Ms. Margaret Hubbard, Membership Forrest City, Arkansas Chairperson, Hot Springs, AR Mrs Larry P. Clark, Historian J. B. Lemley Little Rock, Arkansas Russellville, Arkansas Mrs Hayle P. Hoills. Herald • Camden, Arkansas James Logan Morgan, Parliamentarian Newport. Arkansas ASSOCIATE EDITORS: (Contributors) Mr. Mario B. Cia, Sr., 4200 "A" Street, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205 Mrs Jean Hager, Route 3, Pawnee, Okla. 74058 R P Baker, 322 Laurel St .. Mabelvale, AR 72103 B A Elliott, 4808 Garland St., Anaheim, CA 92807 Mr> Leister E. Presley, 1708 West Center, Searcy, AR 72143 Mrs Imogene Rowe, R # 1 Romance, AR 72136 CONTENTS PAGE I q 77 ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE ARKANSAS GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, INC.... Front E Russ Williams, Jr .. ........................ .. ....... 130 EllITOR'S NOTES.. ,.... ................ .. ...... 132 HATHCOAT . " ...................... .. 134 ORDAINED BAPTIST MINISTERS IN ARKANSAS: 1881............ ....... 139 RECORDS AVAILABLE FROM THE ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH DIVISION OF VITAL RECORDS. ....................................... 144 •• ENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION - NATIONAL ARCHIVES & RECORDS SERVICE ... 145 RECORDS AVAILABLE FROM THE ARKANSAS HISTORY COMMISSION. ............. 146 THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS .......................................... 147 BR INGING HOME THE BACON ......................................... 148 ~RAVES FAMILY HISTORY ................................................... 149 BOOK REVIEW - GEORGE ALLEN VAUGHAN (1840-1912) .......................... 157 ~MPSTEAD COUNTY CENSUS - 1850 ......................................... 158 TOWNS IN HEMPSTEAD COUNTY. ARKANSAS - 1885 ............................. 164 INFORMATION TO BE SHARED ........................................ 165 WHEAT FAMILY BIBLE.... .................................... 165 O'KELLEY FAMILY BIBLE .. .. ............. ...... ............. 168 BRYAN FAMILY BIBLE. ...................................... 169 INTERESTING OLD LETTERS 1858 . .. .... 169 "TICHIANA ROOTS . ..... ... ..... .... , ........... 171 ~tTERIES . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ........... 172 SHERRY FAMILY BIBLE RECORDS.. ....................... ........ 178 FROI1 THE FAMILY BIBLE OF NANCY CHRISTINA CAMPBELL WARD. ......... 180 ~STRACT OF WILLIAM M. STEWART'S FAMILY BIBLE.... .......... 185 FAI.Jj LY GROUP SHEET. LAST PAGE ... NE:' 1 ther the Associate Editors, nor the Arkansas Genealogical Society, I n,- assume any responsibility for information or material shared by the ·ont r i butors Correspondence concerning any article should be addressed to ~ t-,P authors (Corrections will be made, as soon as possible, if our office If, notified. and proper correction is ·given). Mrs. Mario B Cia, Sr., 'E iSlne Cia) Editor COPYRI GHT 1977 ARKANSAS GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY. INC. 4200 "A" Street Little Rock, Arkansas 72205 1977 ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE ARKANSAS GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY. INC. SATURDAY. 1 OCTOBER 1977 10 AM to 4 PM DOWNTOWN RAMADA INN - LITTLE ROCK 6th & Center Phone 501-376-8301 --- GUEST SPEAKER --- E. Russ Williams. Jr. Associate Professor of History Northeast Louisiana University Monroe, Louisiana TOPIC; "LATEST RESEARCH MATERIAL ON THE SOUTHERN STATES" & "WHERE TO LOOK WHEN THE COURTHOUSE HAS BURNED" TIME: 8:00 AM Registration (PRE-REGISRATION ENCOURAGED) 10;00 AM Welcome 10:00 AM Lecture - E. Russ Williams 12:00 Noon - Ramada Inn Buffet - (Meal Included) 1:00 PM Door Prizes - Short Business Meeting & Announcements 1:30 PM Lecture - E. Russ Williams 3:00 PM Questions & Answers 4:00 PM Adjournment FEE: $10.00 Per Person - Pre-Regisration $12.00 Per Person - Saturday AM - At the Door PARKING: Please stop at the office that morning and pick up FREE PARKING TICKET - PARKING ALL DAY. ACROSS THE STREET - 6th & Center. OVER NIGHT GUESTS AT RAMADA INN - Please make your reservations early as .. Possible. as space is limited - Phone 501-376-8301 PRE-REGISRATION FOR THE 15th Annual Convention of the ARKANSAS GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, INC. (1 October 1977) 4200 "A" Street Little Rock. Arkansas 72205 FEE: $10.00 Per Person - Luncheon & Parking Included NAME Number in Party________________________ __ ADDRESS ____________________________ Phone._______________________________ . CITY _____________________________ STATE _________________ ZIP CODE ________ NOTE: Please mail pre-registration with payment on or before September 23. 1977 NOTE: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A MEMBER TO ATTEND THIS MEETING - ANYONE INTERESTED IN GENEALOGY IS WELCOME - COME AND BRING A FRIEND - THIS IS AN EDUCATIONAL MEETING. E. RUSS WILLIAMS, JR. The interest in and study of local and state history by E. Russ Williams, Jr. dates from 1952 when he authored a series of historical interest features for a small-town newspaper, the Daily News, in Bogalusa, Louisiana. These articles contained family legends, war stories, state political involvement, and historic sites in what is today Washington Parish, LA This activity led eventually to larger projects: a master's thesis, "Development of Public Education in Washington Parish, LA, 1819-1919," and a doctoral disertation, "The Florida Parish Ellis Family and Their Contri butions, Political and Social, Through the Louisiana Bench and Bar, 1820- 1918". The latter consisted of a study of this family group, which was pro minently involved in the legal profession and in politics in Washington Parish, the Florida Parishes, and the State of Louisiana as a whole during .. the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In conjunction with local history, Russ Williams became interested in the old families of the Florida Parish region. He concluded that genealogy bore a close relationship to the historic past, and that one could not be fully understood and appreciated without the other. This enterprise led to Mr. William's full-length publication on the Warner Family of South Carolina, Louisiana, and Texas entitled Kinsmen All. Additionally, Mr. Williams presented two family-study articles, which were published by the Georgia Genealogical Quarterly. These features traced the migration of several fami lies from Bullock and Liberty Counties, Georgia, to Louisiana. Other arti cles culminating from his research in the local history of the general area are "Slave Patrol Lists of St. Tammany Parish, LA 1835-1838" and "Bloody Tangipahoa, Examination of a Legend". Two other articles of the same genre which have been acepted for publication are "Eugene F. Bunch, the Louisiana Folktale Bandit', Louisiana History, and "The Black Legislators of East and West Feliciana During Receonstruction", Journal of Negro History. In 1969, upon the completion of his Ph. D. in history, Russ Williams accepted a teaching position at Northeast Louisiana University. He immedi ately became interested in the local and family history of Northeast LA, especially that of Ouachita Parish. Delving into the records of the Ouachit' Parish courthouse and the extant old newspapers of the region, he discovered an abundance of material heretofore untapped by researchers. He is current ly engaged in salvaging, preserving, and presenting in some logical form the important history of the area. His early efforts resulted in the article "John Ray, Forgotten Scalawag," Having studied the history of the local area for two years, he was ap proached by the Northeast Louisiana Archeological Society, which asked him to do the historical research on Fort Miro, the old Spanish Fort in the area. (The Society was then digging for the remains of that old structure.) Russ later contributed to the Society's archeological publication a short essay on the historical significance of the Fort. Since the time of his initial involvement (1974 to the present), he has gathered all the extant records related to the Spanish period of the area for an anticipated monograph on that epoch of Northeast Louisiana History. Records have been procured from the Archivo General in Seville, Spain; the Louisiana State Museum Archives; the Louisiana State Archives; the Louisiana State University Archivesj and the Archives of Tulane University in New Orleans. In an effort to study the founding Frence families of the region, research has been conducted in France; Canada; Notre Dame University Archives in Notre Dame, Indiana; St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans; and the Diocese of Baton Rouge Archives. The effort to this point presents prospects for a fascinating monograph. Upon completion of the current project, Russ anticipates research on a com panion monograph of the region under American auspices. Russ Hilliams has had and still has a perfect forum for utilizing and presenting the results of his findings. His expertise in local history has led to numerous requests for speeches by patriotic, civic, and religious organizations of the area. His research on the Spanish period in Northeast Louisiana resulted in five appearances