J .' ·' . j DIARY OF REV. ROBERT HARISON POYNTER 1/ 20/1896 .I ~ ,.. ' • ,._ •·.· ' FOREWORD This diary was written by my grandfather, setting out the facts of his life, including many reminiscences. It was apparently begun late in life and as he remember the past some dates and occurrences seem to be out of position with respect to continuity. He used almost no punctuation, no paragraphs or sentences. Th~e beginning of a new thought most often came after a sentence that had no period for ,_. 'Punctuation and no capitalization of the first word for the new sentence. He seemed to be in a great hurry to set down his thoughts. Spelling and structure is as it was written and every effort has been made to leave t his record as it was originally set out, except that a few sentences have been separated for clarity. References are shown in margins to permit reference to original diary. # marks any mention of family or unusual interest. 1.. ../.. --Rose POYNTER Spencer Diary of Rev. Robert Harison Poynter, beginning from Jan 20th, 1896, embrac­ ing a partial history of his life which occured in Greenup Co . , Ky,, in the year 1844 on the date of Oct. 23d at the place which was(*) once known as West Liberty on the banks of the Licking - some seven miles from .Greenups­ burg. In 1848 my father 1110ved to Springville on the banks on the Ohio River just under the crest of the lofty mountain, from the tops of which one could look far to the East over the Rim--and the Town of Portsmouth, Ohio. We remained there one year, during which time I was a sufferer of the wonderful epidemic of Cholery that raged during that year and came near dieing, but under the providence of an all wise God I was spared for some purpose--! trust which was good. I have a very taint recollection of those days and many of the incidents of that period of T1I'J life--and now as I look back over the past, there comes many things from memories halls that surely convinces of the supreme interferance. One day while sitting by the side of the house fronting toward the mountain­ side-where T1I'J father was teaching a school--all at once there came a mighty rumbling from the mountain top, and at once there came- dashing and bounding with lightning speed--the dashing of fury-a migh1f" stone, to my best recol­ ection about four feet in diameter and a foot thick. Just above the house was a second bench of the mountain in which the stone embeded itself, some­ what impeding its speed and checking its fury-but a bound or two more and over the hill it leaped--like a thing of life-directly in a course toward me. I was transfixed to the spot, unable to move, with excitement--but just before reaching me the stone struck a bolder in the yard which changed its course just enough to miss me by about two feet. It crashed through the framework of the school house in the midst of the children and out through the other side-- and went bounding on its course--leaping far out into the Ohio lliver, and was carried out of sigh,t. None were hurt, but that end of the house was demolished, and there was no more school for that day, It was a narrow escape indeed. The next year my father moved into the Town of Portsmouth, Ohio, where we remained one year, during which time I and TJ!'f baby sister Martha had viru­ lent attacks of measles and whooping cough--fromwhich we contracted lung troubles that rendered us both quite delicate for many years. In 1850 (1847) we moved to the city of Columbus where my father lost heavily of what little he had accumulated-and becoming discouraged, resolved to try his fortunes in a new country. In the winter of ,l:~ .. (48) he left my mother and the little ones there in the city. My oldest brother Jesse Perro was then in his 15th year--and was working in the Printing Office at that place and helped largely in the support of the family. My father directed his course to the south landing at Helena, Arkansas, on the banks of the Mississippi. At that day the State of Arkansas was a wilderness country. And its vast tmtilled forests were indeed an inviting field for the adven­ turer or speculator. My father, being of a frontier disposition, found this to be th~ very promised land for which he had been looking. And itmnediately set hilllself to the task of preparing him a future home. In the fall of that year my mother received the blissful intelligence from father tha he had secured 160 acres of land in her name of the choicest selection where ~~.~1rl-l~~l:1:'&l!d·;pu1ne)· would produce --f \ ...- t,l_-!, \...'\, a....-\...1... \...•\_{~ wmy parents were David. Edmonson Poynter my mother was Judith Bull Moseley - 2 - abundant of anything, back in the interior some 25 miles from the city of Helena, which was then the main business mart for the whole county. Well do I remember how our little hearts would bound with gladness as we would hear our precious mother recount the joious scenes of the old farm life in Old Ky.--and as she would read the letters home from our Pioneer father of his adventures amid the wilds of Arkansas--how we longed for the time to come when we should receive marching orders to our new forest home. Days seemed weeks, and weeks years--but at last the precious summons came. All was ready for us, and we must go. And on the 14th day of Nov. 1852 we were on our way to the Depot to take our departure from the brick and mortar walls and paved streets of the famous city of Columbus for the forest of the far south west. Oh; Jordon River. We took the train at Columbus for Cincinnatti, which came lumbering along with clumsy speed--which seemed to us a wonder indeed, but which is dis­ counted in this day of interprise. Away out of sight, we landed at our Uncle, Gen'l Thos. Moseleys in the City of Cincinnatti some ti.me in the first night of our journey--where we tarried a few days before taking our final farewell to all Kith and Kin. How well do I remember the sad break that was made in our joy as we beheld--in much astonishm.ent, the long weep­ ing embrace of my loving mother and her dear brother for the last time on Earth. It was a sad cloud, just then, that seemed to ore shadow us for the time. We in our juvenile innocency could not fully realize it all as she did, but now, after mature years have crowned our head-and we too have passed through many similar scenes--we pass back through memories halls-­ and take our stand by the side of that dear mother. And how gladly would we with the loving hand of simpatby wipe away those tears-- tears briming from eyes, alass, that are closed, to open no more, until in the morning of a new day to behold the beauties of a better country than this. Thank God for this happy thought; but alass, alass, goodby must be said, and the cable is loosed--and the stage plank lifted--on which there is no more returning to the land we loved--and lingered and left with so much of sorrow. Our steamer (the old J . D, Parker), a large sturn-wheel passenger steamer­ is fast le~ving the shore, and we leave our uncle and his family standing on the shore, and as far as we can see them the white flag of Peace is seen waving in the air as the last loving salute. Then our mother went inside to weep in silence while we go romping over the Boat, raking up acquaintance with the other children of the journey, there being quite a number of them destined to various points along the old Ohio and Mississippi, and some also to Ark. On the third day of our journey out from Cincinnatti, we ran up on a Rock in what is known as the grand chain across the Ohio River, and came near having a sinking scrape. I was badly hurt in the milee, having a large beauro and some trunks to fall on me and nearly crushing me, from which I was bruised for several days. After this however there was nothing to mar the hapiness of the journey and all went pleasant on the way. I remember one day as our boat lay at a landing somewhere on the Mississippi my mother was all at once taken with a fit of surprise--and I noticed a man on the bank making long strides for the boat. In a moment he was jumping up the side of the boat, and clasping my mother in his arms. We were all - , - 3 - surprised, but after a bit it was all explained. He was a long lost uncle --the brother of my father. We just had a few moments in which for him to tell where he had been and ask a few questions--and with "Good by and God bless you"--he was gone. We never saw him again. But some years after he died and my father went and settled up his affairs.