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CORINTH ARKANSAS AND ITS KINFOLKS by S. B. Reese, April 1931 - provided by Cindy Scott

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The writer hardly knows how to begin on this subject, but will say
that I have been requested by a number of people to write up a history
of the church and the people that made it what it has been, and is yet.
I will say in this connection that the church has probably done more to
make the people what they have been and are yet, than some may think.

Corinth is situated on the old Military Road seven miles east of
Centre Point and ten miles west of Murfreesboro. This old road is
probably the oldest road in the State and was opened up by the
government early in the last century to move the Indians from points
east of the Mississippi River to the old Indian Territory, now Oklahoma.

In starting this subject, I have begun on Corinth before the
kinfolks. However, the kinfolks were there first. The writer has not
undertaken this job to teach people that are now living in this country
anything about Corinth and the good people that live about there, for I
know several people that know more about Corinth than I do, for they
have been there all the time and I have not. But the kinfolks history,
I doubt if anyone living knows as much, for I have talked to quite a few
and I don't find anyone that seems to understand how it all is as well
as I do. I don't know why they don't know except they don't care to
know or no one has told them anything about it.

Several years ago I was helping clean off the cemetery at Corinth
and sitting down resting, talking to a very intelligent man that was
then field foreman of the west end of the big orchard. I noticed a
certain grave just in front to us, and I asked him if he knew whose
grave that was, and he said he did not. I then told him that it was Old
Grandma Jones. I soon saw he didn't know anymore than he did before I
told him, so I then asked him if he knew what relation he was to that
old Mother. He said, "I know everybody is kin here, but I don't know
how it is." I told him she was his great, great grandmother, or in
other words, his grandmother's grandmother. This man now has
grandchildren of his own and you see that adds two more greats. I do
not undertake to tell you how much kin this man or his children or
grandchildren are to myself or any other branch of the family, but I
will give one rule you can always go by. Grandchildren of a given
ancestor are first cousins, great grandchildren of given ancestors are
second cousins to the grandchildren. Grandchildrens children are third
cousins, and of course, each generation down the line adds fourth or
fifth cousins as the case may be. It's very common in some families to
draw a tree designating a certain family as the trunk family. Of
course, you cannot go to the root of any family, for we all go back to
the beginning of time, but you can take a starting point from some old
family and draw a tree with this family as trunk of the tree and put out
the branches as they come, and if you are artist enough you can make a
nice thing. However, the job I have undertaken is too much for one
tree, but the several families I will mention could do so, and I hope
they will. The writer would like to see a tree of the Sloman Reese
family or the Davy Jones family or the Wat Watson family. In fact, I
can name a dozen families that would make a nice tree.

The thing I have started out to explain is how come so many
kinfolks around Corinth. Some people may think that a bunch of folks
settled there and intermarried each other and caused so much kin, but
that is not the facts. While there were some marriages of second
cousins and third cousins, as you will see further on, but this is not
the cause; in fact, there would have been more kinfolks had they married
someone else. The reader would need not think I have quit writing about
Corinth, for Corinth is the objective point in this preamble, for
without Corinth I would be lost to explain anything. In fact, the
Corinth church, the second of the kind in the State of Arkansas, and for
twenty years the largest in the State in membership, deserves more talk
than everything else put together.

As I have stated before, this kinfolk did not start at Corinth,
but in Bedford County, Tennessee. Of the forty families that moved from
this county in Tennessee between 1845 and 1850, to the Ridge Country
around Corinth, twenty of them were one family, children and
grandchildren. The other twenty families were neighbors and friends to
the twenty families' kinfolks. Can you wonder at so many kinfolk around
Corinth when you stop to think of twenty families settling in one
neighborhood and twenty other families of friends for their children to
marry into. It is the writer's intention to write something about all
these twenty families, also to say something about the other twenty
before I get through.

The writer has now gotten to the point where we will leave off our
talk about Corinth and go back about one hundred and fifty years to a
certain two people that is the trunk family of all this generation of
folks we started in to tell about. To write about a man or woman or a
certain family, you do not learn much unless you can tell something
about what manner of people they are or were. I do not know of my own
knowledge anything over fifty years ago, and I have no records or notes
to write from. But my Mother was a great believer in the stock of
people, and talked a great deal about her father and mother in my
presence. Also, one old aunt, that was born in 1800, used to come to
our house and stay a week once a year, and the writer heard her talk
about her parents and other things way back.

Charles Jones was born in 1777 at Jones Ferry, South Carolina.
This ferry was started by his father and grandfather back in the
colonial days of that state, hence the name "Jones Ferry." This Jones
family were fairly well to do people and had some education, which was
not common those days, especially among poor people. Rebecca Norman was
born February 2, 1781, near Jones Ferry. Her tomb is at Corinth, hence
the exact date of her birth. The Normans were a pioneer family of South
Carolina, having landed from England in 1670, which date we learn from
history. This Norman family was purely English up to this old Mother's
birth, but the Jones family was Scotch, or possibly mixed with English.
The Normans had property and education, owned quite a few slaves,
Rebecca having heired three or four from her father's estate. This is
about all I know to say about these folks up to their marriage, which
must have been in 1796, for sometime in the year 1800 their third child
was born. My information is they settled then in the neighborhood they
were raised in and lived there for about eight or ten years. I do not
know the exact year they moved to Tennessee, but from all data I can
find out, I think it was in 1805. My readers might like to know how
they came out from South Carolina to Tennessee. The way they moved
would look funny to young people now and a great many that are not so
young. They came in one of those old time wood axle tar wagons with six
horses to it. What would you think to see an outfit going along now
like that; a man, wife, about five children, a negro man and woman and
three children, all in the same wagon. The trip up through Georgia into
Tennessee was without events worth mentioning, except bad roads and no
settlements along the roads to get supplies, except for a few
frontiersmen and Indians. I will say here that I do not know whether
there were other families with them or not, but in most all cases those
days, one family rarely ever started out on long moves over a wilderness
country, as that was at that time, alone. It is my opinion that the old
Watson family and the Floyd family were with them, and probably more.
Now we have these people stopped on Flat Creek, Bedford County,
Tennessee, six miles from Shelbyville, the county seat. The reader, I
know, would like to know what kind of a country it was at that time.
The writer has never been there, but I have sat on a pine pile in the
corner and heard these old Tennesseens talk about that country until I
have a pretty good idea how it looked 125 years ago and how it looked
forty years later when they left there. In the first place, I will say
that this old Jones family was among the first settlers of that
neighborhood. There were probably a few frontier squatters there as
usual in all new countries. I don't know whether they settled in the
woods or bought out someone that had gotten there a little first, but I
do know they had to build houses and barns and clear land and fence with
poplar rails quite a few years before they got pretty well fixed up to
live as they had lived in the well-settled-up country they had left. In
fact, my old grandmother often said they never had the social condition
in Tennessee they left in old South Carolina, as long as they stayed
there.

Well, I guess I had better get back to my text as to what kind of
country that was. It was a hilly country, nearly all of it, covered
with the finest poplar timber ever grown in any place, standing thick
all over the hill sides from two to three feet through and all long as
they grow anywhere. Also chestnut and beech trees grew up the valleys,
sufficient to fatten their hogs most every year. The land, while fresh,
was rich with blue grass growing everywhere, volunteer. Cold spring
water ran out of most every hollow. Most everybody built close to some
spring. It was a model stock country in those days. No better corn or
clover ever grew anywhere. It was also fine for wheat, but up to this
time the only mode of harvesting wheat was the old reap hook, a one hand
machine shaped similar to a new moon, which was slow and hard. No
thrashers had been invented yet, and they had to knock it out some way
by hand.

Now we have got these old people fairly well settled in Tennessee,
with good farms opened up, good houses and outside buildings. The
country around there was settling fast, with immigration from all the
Atlantic coast states, east and southeast. There was one great trouble
with that country though; they had no market for what they raised at
home. They had to haul by wagon two or three hundred miles south to the
cotton plantations in Alabama and Mississippi. So, as this was an
excellent corn country and lots of fine springs, they soon resorted to
distilling their corn into whisky and feeding the mash slop to hogs, and
hauling the bacon and whiskey south to sell. This practice lasted from
the first permanent settlements until these people left there. These
distilleries in most every hollow were very annoying to old Grandma
Jones. However, she never raised a boy that ever got drunk or gambled
or swore. Neither did she let her girls keep company with young men
that did.

The schools were very inadequate; no free school system, only pay
schools, now and then, with teachers that didn't know anything but
Webster's Old Blue Back Speller and a hickory switch. So one need not
wonder that so many of the immigrants from that country to Arkansas
could not read or write. But the Jones children could all read and
write fairly well, which they learned mostly from their Mother. And
that was not all; they learned to work, even if they did have a few
negro slaves. The boys were all good farmers, and she never raised a
girl that could not card, spin and put in loom and weave all kinds of
cloth they used, by the time they were grown.

Well, we are getting along now, down to the time where the older
children are getting grown, and of course, go to getting married. Sally
married Mike Womack, whose people lived in the neighborhood. I do not
know what year they got married, but judging from the age of their
oldest child, it must have been about 1818. Katie married a man by the
name of Cox and settled over in West Tennessee. I do not know anything
about this family except my mother came by there when they moved to
Arkansas and spent one night. She said they were doing fine and had a
splendid family of children so far as she was able to judge. Wiley
married someone there in that country and settled there until they all
moved to Arkansas. Fannie married Charles Crawford and settled there
also. Jack married a woman by the name of Lucas, and I just about as
well say so that they both died in a few years and left one small boy
child named Charley Buck, of whom I will have more to say when I get to
the grandchildren of the Trunk family I have started out on. Tacie
married Wiley Watson and settled in the neighborhood. The writer will
say a great deal more about these Watsons before I get through, as they
played a large part in the Corinth kinfolks and church.

We are now half through with the marriages and up to the time the
father died, which was in 1833. This leaves the great old Mother and
Grandmother a widow with six children and one grandchild to finish
raising, three boys and three girls, and the grandboy. Davie D., the
oldest, was about eighteen or nineteen years old. The other boys were
nine and twelve. They still ran the farm with two of the negroes and
the small boys. Davie D. ran the two big six horse teams south with all
kinds of produce. The next marriage was Rebecca. She married Riley
Yates and settled there also. Peggie married "Wat" Watson, brother to
Wiley Watson, who married Tacie several years before. We are now
getting down to the time of about 1836, when I think Davie D. married
Minerva Reese and settled there about his Mother and continued to help
her run the business. Brooks married Jane Chesshir about 1840, and
settled there close some place. Samuel married Paulina Chesshir, sister
to his brother's wife. Eliza married Sloman W. Reese and lived with the
old lady until they broke up and moved to Arkansas. This winds up the
marriages of the old trunk family, and we can start on the kinfolks on
down the line.

We are now up to 1845 and there was some of the family that came
to Arkansas that fall, but the immigration continued for five years. By
forty-five there were four of the Mike and Sallie Womack girls married.
Mariah married Anthony Floyd, about whom the writer will have more to
say later. Tacie married Jackson Hale. This Hale family was, and is
yet, one of the largest families of the whole connection. Katie married
Jordan Reese, brother to Sloman Reese, who married Eliza Jones, Katie's
aunt, but two years older than Eliza was. Nancie married John B.
Chesshir, brother to Brooks and Samuel Jones wives, whom I have spoken
of before. There were three more of the Womack children that married
before 1850 and settled in Arkansas, and I had about as well list them
here as later. I don't know whether they married in Tennessee or after
they came to Arkansas. Davie D. Womack married Lidie Lokey, and I will
have more to say about them later. Wade Womack married a McFarland. I
cannot recall her given name. Fannie married a man by the name of
Campbell. They had four children. Campbell died and the widow married
Elijah Northum. As we are on the grandchildren, I had as well list all
that married before the exodus to Arkansas. Charles and Fannie Crawford
had only two children in all and they both married before they came to
Arkansas. William Crawford married a Floyd, sister to Anthony Floyd.
Fannie married Jordan Hale, brother to Jackson Hale, that married her
cousin, Tacie Womack. Wiley and Tacie Watson only had three children
that I can think of. John Hood Watson married Nan Reese, sister to
Jordan and Sloman Reese. Rebecca Watson married a man by the name of
Rowlett, and I don't think they ever lived here but in West Tennessee.
She was here once to see her mother and brother and a host of other
kinfolks, and visited my mother. I can remember her as a smart and
beautiful woman.

You remember that I said there were twenty families of children
and grandchildren of the Jones family. Now I have named them all and
told who they married, and before long I will tell you where all of them
settled in Arkansas, with Corinth as an objective point. I was not born
until 1864, fourteen years after they were all here by 1850. In the
fall of 1845, Davie D. Jones and Jordan Reese bundled up their savings
and pulled out for Pike County, Arkansas. Pike County then reached over
to one mile east of Centre Point. Davie Jones stopped at what has
always been known since 1850 as the Corinth Spring, and bought out a man
by the name of Brewer. This place was fairly well settled at that time.
They had a good double hewed log house with rock chimneys and out
buildings on some cleared land. This old house is still in pretty good
shape and families are living in it all the time. Jordan Reese stopped
one mile west, on the main road on a fine tract of land. I don't know
how he got this land, bought or entered it at $1.25 per acre, which was
the only way to get government land at that time. The reader will take
notice that I have just now begun on the part that is hard to
understand. Davie Jones married Jordan Reese's sister, and Jordan Reese
married his (Jones) niece. For the next two years there was nothing
that happened in Arkansas out of usual, that I know of.

After they got settled Davie Jones wrote back favorable news of
the country, good land, good water, good health, and houses to have
cheap. He was decidedly the leader of his kins people at that time and
always afterward, as long as he lived an active life. So they went to
getting ready to come to this country, the old Grandmother and all. By
forty-seven they were ready to start. The old Grandma had sold the farm
and the negroes and such other things that they couldn't move in the
wagon. She was anxious to get to a new country where her children could
get homes of their own. The hard part with her was selling the negroes
she had raised, but she sold into good hands for less money than she
could have gotten had she been willing to separate the negro family and
sell one here and one yonder. But they all needed the money to help
settle in the far-off country, at that time on the western border of
civilization. The writer does not know how many families came in
forty-seven but I am sure that there were as many as ten or twelve of
the kinfolks and several other families of other people.

Now we are about ready to skip to 1850, by which time all the
kinfolks were here that I have told you about. I have given you the
names of all the twenty families of kins people that I started out to
name. Now I will name as many of the families that were not kin, as I
can: Tyler Bacon, Richard Copeland, William C. Hale, Isaac Murray,
Thomas McClure, John Tribble, William Hale, ---- Dixon, ---- McFarland,
Bill Campbell, ---- Snoddy, ---- Shofner, Charles Womack, two families
of Reeses, John Bacon, two families of Chesshirs, ---- Holts, ----
Lokey. Now I believe I have twenty, and that is not all. Some of these
families are kin to some of the branches of the trunk family, but not
many.

Davie D. Jones, Anthony Floyd, and Tyler Bacon had joined in with
the Campbell reformation before they left Tennessee, and they got old
Brother preacher from over in the east side of the county to preach for
them. This old Brother was Kelley, and he organized a church at old
Antioch, now Delight, in 1833. So by 1850, several of the Tennesseans
had visited with the first three I mentioned. Now they proceeded to
organize the second Church of Christ that was organized in the state of
Arkansas. Of course they had no church house, or even a school house to
meet in, and they met in Tyler Bacon's dwelling house, one mile
northeast of the present church site. Just how many years they
worshipped there I cannot say, but not long. Davie D. Jones, Anthony
Floyd and Tyler Bacon were the first elders and held that position until
after the Civil War.

After the Church was organized, probably two years, they built a
very good church house just across the road from the cemetery. This
house was not a log house as was common those days, but a frame building
of fairly good size. Pretty soon a man by the name of John S. Robertson
preached for them for several years, and before the Civil War broke out
in 1860, nearly all the Tennesseans had joined with them, and of course,
several of the younger set. This is about all I know to say about the
church before the war or during the war, except the old men and women
continued to meet and had some preaching. I cannot say for sure how
many members there were at the close of the war, but I would figure
about seventy-five. Now we are up to the close of the war in 1865, and
this scribe was about six months old.

After the war for a few years the people were awfully busy trying
to get shaped up to live and I don't think the church made much progress
in the way of increased numbers, but continued to hold their own. So I
will now leave off the church talk and drop back on the kinfolks. In
the beginning I promised to explain how come so many kinfolks about
Corinth and I started out with the Charles and Rebecca Jones family for
the trunk family. I have already told my readers there were twenty
families of their children and grandchildren that came to Arkansas
before 1850. Now I will undertake to tell you more about them and their
families. But before I begin, I will say, that I cannot call all the
names of the twenty families' children, but I will do my best with such
information as I have and am able to get. There have so many died and
moved away that I am sure to miss several that are as much to mention as
some I do.

The Wiley Jones Family. This family came here about the time all
the other Tennesseans did and settled over southwest of Corinth, some
six or seven miles, but soon became dissatisfied and moved over into
what we now call east Texas, and the kins people here never knew what
became of them.

The Mike Womack Family. These old people settled at what we call
the Sullivan Spring now, about eight miles south of Corinth on the
Nashville Road, and lived there until they died. Their sons and
daughters will have mention later.

The Wiley Watson Family. I am not sure that Uncle Wiley died in
this country. If so, he never lived long here, but the family settled
one mile south of Corinth and continued to live there for 35 or 40
years. Further mention of their two sons will come later. All I know
about the only daughter has already been said.

The Riley Yates Family. If there ever were but two children of
these people, I never heard any talk of them, and they were raised down
about Brownstown, some thirty miles south of Corinth. The daughter
married a man by the name of Fawcett, (her name was Rebecca), and raised
several children. Some of them are still around there, Rebecca was a
smart, good looking woman and used to come to Corinth every few years
and visit her kin. I do not know the son's name, but some of his
children and grandchildren are living around Nashville and Centre Point
now, and are a well-respected people.

The Jack Jones Family. As stated before, he and his wife died
early in life and their only son will have mention when I get to the
grandchildren of the old trunk family.

The Charles Crawford Family. After thinking over the matter, I am
not sure these two old folks ever left Tennessee, but their two children
did in 1850, and probably the old father or mother, or both, came with
them. But if so, they died soon afterward. Further mention of this
family will come later also.

Now we are getting down to probably the most important and
wideliest known man that ever lived in Corinth, Davie Dickins Jones, who
landed at Corinth Spring in 1845, and put up the first blacksmith shop.
His reputation as a good workman spread fast and he got work from
everywhere all over the country. They came for miles and brought
several head of stock to shoe and plows to make and stayed all night
with him quite often. It has been said, and I never heard it disputed,
that his good woman cooked more grub for company and wrung more chick-

en's head off for preachers than any other woman that ever lived. He
carried this business on some 15 or 20 years and sold out and moved over
two miles northwest and bought a larger farm, and I don't think he did
any more custom work to amount to much; however, he kept a shop. This
writer can remember that as the finest blacksmith ship I ever saw.
Davie D. Jones was a natural born leader of men. He was large and
portly, friendly with everybody, but firm as man ever got to be. He
talked low and rather slow, and took his old Mother's advice to think
twice before he spoke. His leadership in the Corinth church for 30
years was probably without equal anywhere. There was not a particle of
friction any time.

His oldest son, Charles William, after serving four years in the
Confederate Army east of the River in the thickest of the conflict, came
home in the summer of 1865, and soon married a daughter of Ben Roberson,
an old and respected citizen of the neighborhood. He settled on a part
of his father's farm, which he bought later, and lived there until his
oldest children were about grown, and moved to Allen, Oklahoma, where he
lived until he died, only two or three years ago, at a ripe old age.
His family is all out there some place. Their names are D. D., Ben,
Sam, Wat, Jim, Minerva, Mollie, Dona. This may not be all of them, but
all I can recall.

Rebecca married William Campbell, and they settled about a mile
and a half southwest of Corinth, where they both lived till they died.
Their children's names were Dick, Charles, Jim B., John, and the girls
were Minerva, Nancy, Belle, Tacie, and Dana. The writer has known all
these Campbell men and women all his life, and will say that they were
as honest, upright, hardworking family of folks as the country afforded.
"Dick," the oldest, is my neighbor at this writing; an excellent citizen
and Christian gentleman.

Bettie married Kirk Gunn, and soon moved to Bell County, Texas,
and I had but little opportunity to know much about them. Can only say
that I have heard that they raised a nice family of children.

John W. Jones married Isaac Murray's daughter, and lived near
Corinth for about twenty years and moved to Huckabay, Erath County,
Texas, where he was still living the last account. He is now, more than
80 years old and only a short time back he was all O.K. His children
are all out there in that section of the country. He only had one boy,
Ike, and he married this scribe's niece, Sallie Reese, and they have
grown up a large family of smart children. John W.'s girl's names are
Rebecca, Jocie, Leona and I think Katie.

Tacie married Mack Mauldin, and lived near Corinth for several
years and moved to Erath County, Texas. Mack was a 'Rustler' and after
leaving here preached some and farmed on a home of his own. Tacie was a
fine looking, smart, good woman. Their children were Jordan, John,
Elmore and Whitmore (twins) and Charley. If they had any girls I
haven't been able to find out.

David Jordan, the youngest child of these two old people, a smart,
good looking, well educated, loved by everybody that knew him, died just
as he was growing into manhood, of typhoid fever. His seemingly
untimely death was a shock to these good old folks they never got over,
for they were left alone. However, they were of a strong character and
nothing could subdue them but death, which overtook them at Allen,
Oklahoma, several years later. In 1887, the writer and his wife visited
these old folks who were still at their old home all alone, and Uncle
Davie was telling me a lot about how they were getting along. He
finally said he wanted to make some arrangements with his property, so
he wouldn't have so much to do, and the little scrap, quick spoken
"Reesey" woman heard him, and she butted in to say that she didn't know
what arrangements he could make unless he got a pump and hired a hand to
pump breath into him. Such grand old people. I hardly think we have
such anymore.

I am now ready to take up the Wat Watson Family. There were three
of the Watson men that came to Arkansas from Tennessee from 1845 to
1850, and I am not sure they were all brothers, but I think they were.
If not, they were close kin to each other. Anyway, they were a fine
family of people. Wat Watson died before the Civil War or in time of
it, leaving a large family of children for his widow to raise, which she
successfully did. I do not know exactly where they settled, but I think
over north of Corinth, about two miles, on Bluff Creek. However, they
may have lived part of the time up on the Ridge. Aunt Peggie was an
extra smart woman, and like her mother, Grandma Jones, taught her
children honesty, truthfulness and virtue. Also, she taught them the
ways of the Lord, and was successful in all this to as large degree as
any family I ever knew. Jim, the oldest, married a Chesshir, a sister
to John B., and Brook's and Samuel Jones's wives. They raised a large
family, namely, Daniel, Margaret, Salley, Wat Sloman and Jack.
Elizabeth married Henry Westbrook, and they had four boys, Walter, Jim
Wiley, John A. and Tom Henry. Henry Westbrook, went to war and was
killed in 1864 in Missouri with "Old Price" in his raid through that
State. Another trouble for the old Mother and Grandmother, and she
raised four good men.

David, the next oldest married a man's daughter by the name of
Allen, that lived north of Murfreesboro about six miles. They had two
boys, Charles and Davie. When the father was called to War never to
return, also another one that I have forgotten his name died about the
same time in the Chicago Prison. This left two more grandchildren
orphans, and the trouble not yet stopped. Charley and Tom, that were
with them in prison, got exchanged and were sent back east to help fight
the hardest battles ever fought on the American Continent, and weren't
heard from until after the War.

When they came in, both had been wounded, but were well and
hearty. Charles married Sarah Copeland, and lived near Corinth nearly
all the time until his family were nearly grown, and then moved over to
Ada, Oklahoma, where some of his family had gone, and died soon
afterwards. The names of his children are John, Lou, Richard, Rebecca,
Thomas Biggs, Jack Jordan, Lucie. There were two or three more, I
think, that were small when they moved off, that I cannot call their
names. In this connection will say that I will have more to say about
some of this family later.

I am writing this at Broken Bow, Oklahoma, visiting one of my
daughters, and I ran up on one of the David Watson boys that I spoke of
before, as one of the children left orphans by the death of their father
in the Chicago Prison. He is now more than seventy years old and seems
to be a fine old gentleman, but like all the Wastons I ever knew, firmly
"sat" in his ways.

I am now up to the T. R. Watson family. Tom married Nancy Bacon,
oldest daughter of Tyler Bacon, that I have mentioned before as one of
the first elders of the Corinth church. I don't know of enough language
to express my opinion of Tom Watson and his good wife, always on hand at
any good work in the church and neighborhood, an entire life devoted to
what he believed to be right. First in war and last in Christian duty.
I don't know why I have said more about Tom than I did Charles, his
brother just mentioned for there was no difference in the life they both
lived. So far as this writer's opinion is concerned, I never saw a man
or woman that I thought any better than they were, and I had occasion to
know quite a lot about them, for I lived with them quite a while once.

Rebecca married Joe Blevins, and lived on Bluff Creek, north of
Corinth about two miles, until his death, leaving a widow and several
children to raise. I don't know whether I can name all these children
or not, but will say the oldest son was Joda and the next was Gus. The
girls were Bama and Sallie. Bama married Warner House, five miles north
of Murfreesboro, and Sallie married John Boyd at Delight. These boys
and girls were a good bunch of people and made good everywhere they
lived, and this writer will have to say something special for Gus, for
we were great friends once. Gus is a fine businessman. He has been
working at the Post Office at Hope, Arkansas for twenty years or more.

So we are getting through with Aunt Peggie's family for the
present. The reader will bear in mind that I am only at this time
writing about the children of the old Trunk family that I started out on
and mentioning their children's names. I now have three more large
families to write about before I get through with the children of the
old Grandma Jones Family, then I figure on some of the older
grandchildren.

I am now ready for the Brooks and Samuel Jones families, which my
readers will know are brothers to David D. Jones that I have said so
much about already. These three Jones men married Chesshirs back in
Tennessee, as I already told you about.

Brooks Jones, who this writer was named after, settled about six
miles southwest from Corinth and had a good home paid for before the
Civil War broke out. He died the last year of the war with measles, and
left a widow and several children to take care of themselves, but that
old Chesshir woman was fully able to do the task and did it with
success. What I say in regard to this family can be truthfully said of
the Samuel Jones family, who were double cousins, as their father's and
his brother's wives were sisters. The Brooks Jones family was Sam, Jim
W., Norman, Will M., Francis, and Margaret. Sam married a Farley and
raised several children by her and afterwards married again and moved to
Texas. I don't know his last family of children's names. Jim W.
married a Russell and moved to Texas and I don't know his children's
names. Frances married George Hutson, and lived her life here near
Corinth and raised several children, all girls. No better woman and man
ever lived about Corinth than George and Frances Hutson. Norman moved
to Texas early in life, and I don't know so much about him except he was
a jolly good fellow. William M. married Josie Stone, admitted to be the
prettiest woman in the country, and moved to Texas early in life. He
died last year sometime.

The Samuel Jones family. I don't know how it is, but it seems to
me that Aunt Paulina Jones was the best part of the Corinth kinfolks.
However, I cannot say why I believe this, but I think I know she was a
good, if not the best, of any of them. In fact, all of those old
Chesshir women and men were about the best people I ever knew. Her
children's names were John, who married a Williams and soon died and
left two or three children. I don't remember but one and that was Wade,
and he lived at Quanah, Texas the last account. Minerva married Tom
Tollison an lived and died near Corinth. They were as good people as
ever lived, so far as I knew, and I knew all about them for 40 years.
Brooks Jones married Jocie Hale and lived about Corinth a long time and
moved to Quanah, Texas, and afterwards to Stephenville, Texas. Brooks
was a mechanic of the best order. Could make anything out of wood that
he ever saw, a jolly good fellow and useful man. Levi, better known as
N. L. Jones, married Sallie White, a daughter of Pleasant White of
Nathan, Arkansas, a well-to-do farmer of that neighborhood, and settled
over there in that neighborhood. In fact, the post office was named for
him, "Nathan". He engaged in the mill business at that place, but that
country was too small for Levi. He got up and moved to Texas and played
a prominent part in building up the town of Quanah and Hardeman County.
He and his wife raised a large family but I cannot call their names.

I have been laying off this work about twelve months, trying to
get some information from some of the older Corinthians, but I find I
have forgotten about as much as I have learned. I have tried, in vain,
to learn where all the old families immigrated from to Tennessee,
especially those that married into the old Jones family that I started
out on. But as I stated before, the only ones I am certain about is the
Jones and Reese family and probably the Floyds. In reading over what I
had to say about the Samuel Jones family, I missed the oldest daughter,
Eliza, my mother's first namesake. She married Andrew Womack about the
close of the Civil War, and settled about three miles west of Corinth,
and lived there more than 30 years and built up a good home and raised a
large and respectable family. The farm is now known as the B.
Hutchinson orchard. Laura, their oldest daughter married A. J. Ball, a
young doctor that had settled at Corinth for practice. Dr. Ball soon
identified himself with the Corinth "kinfolks" and church, and played a
prominent part in every good work that came up for about 20 years. He
was a great friend of Prof. Sam Reese and they always stood together on
every little difference that came up in church or school or
neighborhood. They moved to Quanah, Texas, about 1900, and practiced
medicine there several years and he died. Laura is still living at that
place..."A fine old woman." Eliza Jones Womack's other children are
John F., Alice, Sam Robert, and I believe, Charley. They are all in
Texas, and the last account the old folks were still living. If so,
they are the oldest living of the old Corinth kinfolks, and I will say
this in connection that no better people ever lived there.

Mary married Jorde Hale and lived about Corinth for several years
and moved to what was then Indian Territory, west of Ardmore, and I
don't know what became of them. Tacy married Jack Copeland, and had
probably two children and Jack died. She afterward married a man by the
name of Fricks at Saratoga, Arkansas. They raised some children, but I
don't know them. Before I get off of the Brooks and Samuel Jones
families, will say I forgot the oldest one of the Brooks Jones family.
Her name was Margaret. She married John Copeland, and they moved to
Erath County, Texas, back in seventies. They raised a large family, I
have been told, and are still in that section of the state. Now we are
getting down on the old Trunk family to the youngest, Sloman and Eliza
Reese family, out of which this writer came.

Sloman Reese moved to Arkansas in 1847, and settled three miles
west of Corinth on the Old Military Road and lived there until 1860,
when he moved to north Arkansas, and lived one year and the War came up,
and he came back and bought a farm about one and a half miles south of
his first place, where he lived until 1870, sold out and moved two miles
east of Corinth and bought a larger and better place, where he finished
raising his family (this writer with the rest). But before we moved to
that old place, Sam W. had married Nan Hale. I hardly know what all to
say about this oldest child, born in Tennessee, September 1846, and
lived at or near Corinth all his life. He taught the school of that
neighborhood for more than 40 successive years, taught children, their
children and grandchildren, in several instances. He will come in for
more talk when I get back to the church, but will name his children now.
John William, oldest son, lives about half way between Corinth and
Centre Point on a farm and quite a lot of fruit trees. John married an
old Tennessee family's daughter, Lula Dixon. They have a fine family of
children. Sloman J. lives at Centre Point and was postmaster a long
time, but is now fruit growing on the old farm that his grandfather
settled in 1845. He married Ellen Payne and they have one or two
children. Sloman is an enthusiastic church worker and takes an active
interest in all public affairs. C. A. (Gus) lives at Daisy, Pike
County, Arkansas, and is engaged in the cattle business and has a store
there also. He married Bula Allen, a fine specimen of womanhood, and
they have three or four fine sons and daughters. Alice married Willie
McClennahan, a fine young man raised up at Corinth, and are now living
at Dallas, Texas. Sallie married Ike Jones and soon moved to Erath
County, Texas, where they still live. Tacie married M. C. Barton and
lived at the old Reese home at Corinth for only a few years and died,
leaving one daughter, Beryl, who is a pretty well educated young woman
of excellent character.

It hasn't been my aim to bring this memo up to date but to tell
about things that average people don't know about at this time, but I
see I am getting off once in a while. What I first aimed at was to tell
about the kinfolks that made the Corinth neighborhood and church, but I
will go ahead with the Sloman family.

John Wiley married Susan Farley in 1871, and settled on a part of
his father's place which he bought and paid for some ten years later.
He traded this land for a farm near Bingen, only five miles south, and
raised his family there. He died at the age of 76. He lived on this
farm until he died and his folks sold out for $9000.00, and moved to
Abilene, Texas, his widow with the rest, who was still living last
account. Sam, his oldest son, married Bettie Daniels and for several
years was log scaler for the Ozan Graysonia Lumber Co., and afterward
Tax Assessor for Pike County, Arkansas, four years. He moved to Texas
with the other brothers and sisters and the good old Mother. Jim
married one of Billie Jones's daughters. This Jones was one of the J.
R. Jones's sons that lived and preached at Corinth for more that twenty
years, probably the most logical minded man that ever preached there or
most anywhere else. Jim has been a rustling fellow, honest, smart, and
smooth, and is now one of the Directors of the Abilene Christian
College. Lon died early in life and left a widow and two children. The
wife is dead also. His two children are still living near here.
Mattie, the oldest girl, married a Mr. Hill. I don't remember his given
name, but a fine gentleman of a good Arkansas family. They are at
Abilene, Texas, also. Mattie always seemed to me about the sweetest
turned kin I ever had. They had no children the last account. Della
married a man by the name of Cagle, and moved to Roswell, New Mexico,
and got a Ford Agency early in the game and has made money. I don't
know much more about them, except Della was an extra good girl. Viola
married Pete Hooker and lived on the old farm with her parents til after
her father's death, and moved to Texas with all the rest. Henry married
at Bingen, but I forgot who she was, but a fine woman. He has been in
the oil fields for several years at a good salary, but I don't know how
he is getting along at this writing. Carl married before he was grown
and lived about his folks till they left here. I don't know how he is
getting along. This winds up what I will have to say about the John
Wiley Reese family. I could say more about the fine citizenship of him,
but no use.

Rebecca married Jessie Bacon, the oldest son of Tyler Bacon
mentioned before as one of the founders of the Corinth Church. They
started out in life on a farm near Corinth and made money, then moved to
Texas in 1875, lived there several years, and came back to Arkansas, and
their family grew up here. Lizzy, the oldest, married Jim Hendrix and
lived near Corinth several years and moved to Texas. Hendrix lost his
health soon and was an invalid for a good many years and died, leaving a
widow and several grandchildren. They had a fine family and made good.

Charley, the oldest son, grew up at Corinth and got his education
at his Uncle Sam Reese's school, married Jennie Roundtree, oldest
daughter of Dr. Roundtree, that ran a drugstore at Corinth for years.
Charles soon moved to Bell County, Texas, lived there several years and
moved to Abilene, and engaged in the wholesale grocery business and made
money. Davie died at Quanah, Texas, in the prime of young manhood.
Davie was said by the kinfolks to be the smartest one of any of them.

Lee and Sam are engaged in the manufacturing of fancy candies at
Abilene, and are making money fast. Della married Sam Jones, son of
Charles Buck Jones, and moved to Texas. Eliza, the picture of my Mother
and her own Mother, lives at Corinth. She married Wilse Shofner, son of
the well-known R. C. Shofner, that has lived there for fifty years, who
is now 82 years old. No better people than R. C. Shofner and wife ever
lived there. Wilse and Eliza only had two children. Lee is married and
is a traveling salesman. Delane is in high school at Nashville at this
writing, a good-looking, friendly boy of about 16. Winnie, the youngest
girl moved to Texas with her parents when a small girl. She married Sam
Mullis of Roswell, New Mexico. Edgar, the youngest son, died when he
was three years old. Will probably say more about these people later
when I get back to the church progress.

Catherine married John Bacon, brother to Jessie, Rebecca's man.
They moved to Texas before any of their children were grown. John died
several years ago and "Cat" is still living with her children at
Okmulgee, Oklahoma, last account. Their children are: Jasper, Ozie,
Tennie, Otis, and Ben. I cannot say very much about this family for I
don't know much. However, I hear they are doing well.

D. D. J. Reese married America Lynn, a daughter to Henry Lynn,
that lived about four miles east of Corinth and settled on a part of the
Lynn's large tract of land. They lived there until the Big Orchard came
in there about 1904, and sold out and moved down some 20 miles south and
bought land near the town of McCaskill, where he still lives, but his
good old woman died about a year ago. His children are Woodford,
Willie, Eliza, Prussie, Minnie Pearl, Ivory, Jewel, Ed and Ken. I would
say a great deal about this family, but I feel it unnecessary. All
these children are good citizens as there are in the country, and that's
enough.

Tennessee married J. H. Farrar and lived two miles east of Corinth
until their family was more than half grown. Two of them married,
Cassie and Rhoda. They both married Threlkeld boys, Walter Threlkeld
was a doctor, and also his wife, Cassie, and went to Oklahoma. Walter
made a wreck of himself drinking and doping, and they separated. Cassie
is still practicing at Ada, Oklahoma and is highly respected by
everybody. Tennie died in Oklahoma soon after they moved there, and
Jack married again and moved to California. Jack soon died and his
family are in California doing well, so I hear.

This writer is next in line for remarks. I married Della
Westerman, January 6, 1886, and raised 11 children to be grown, 10 of
them married, one, the baby boy, yet unmarried. I will only name here
these children without remarks. However, I think they will average up
to the standard of the kinfolks I started out to write about. Alvin,
Eugene, S. B. Jr., Rosie, B. M. (Bo), Lillian, Zelmer, Joe, Relda,
Reubin, and I forgot, Florence, the sixth one.

Eliza married Louie Baker, 1885, lived in Arkansas several years
and moved to the Old Indian Territory, made some money, farming and
growing cattle, but soon died leaving Eliza with a big family of little
children, with which she did fairly well. Her children are Festus,
Callie, Ethel, Eunis, Lou Jr., and one or two more that I cannot think
of their names. These children are scattered from Little Rock,
Arkansas, to San Francisco, Calif. I hear they are all fine men and
women and are doing well.

Viola, the youngest daughter, married J. O. A. Bush, who was at
that time Couty and Circuit Clerk of Pike Co. Ola was an extra smart
woman, but soon died and left two children, Vivian and Dexter. Vivian
only lived a short time and died. Dexter is one of the most prominent
men in Arkansas of his age, having been prosecuting attorney of his
district four years, and is now serving the same district as Circuit
Judge.

I am through with the sons and daughters of the old Jones family
that I started out on more than one hundred years ago in South Carolina,
but I still have the older grandchildren and their families to tell
about. These older ones came from Tennessee with their Uncles and Aunts
and did their part in the Corinth neighborhood and church. I had quite
a lot to say in the beginning about the older ones that were married in
the beginning of this preamble, for they were a part of 20 families and
grandchildren that made up the Corinth kinfolks that we started out to
tell about.

The Uncle Mike and Aunt Sallie Womack family are the oldest of the
old "Trunk" family, so I will take up their generations first. Mariah,
the oldest daughter married Anthony Floyd, as stated before. They
settled about 1 1/2 miles west of Corinth on the Old Military Road and
lived there until death. Anthony Floyd, was one of the first elders of
the church at Corinth. They had three son, Samuel, Charles and Reagor
(Dutch). Samuel married one of old Uncle Ben Robertson's daughters that
lived 3 miles west of Corinth, and lived on his father's old place with
his mother until she died about 1880 and sold out and moved several
miles north in what is called the old "Polk" neighborhood. He stayed
there probably 10 years and sold out and moved to the Indian Territory,
now Oklahoma. His children's names are Jim, Sam, Julia, Ben, Charley,
and probably some more that I never knew. These children were apt to
learn at school and had a good common education before they left
Arkansas and I heard they have made good. Charley Floyd died early in
life, and I don't remember him, but he was a fine young man. A. R.
Floyd (Dutch) married Mary Jane McClure, a daughter of Tom McClure an
old Tennessee family of the best order. He settled about 7 miles
southwest of Corinth about 20 years, and moved down farther south about
2 miles and bought a good farm on the Nashville Road where they lived
until death. Uncle Dutch, as he was familiarly known, was a great stock
breeder and raiser, was known by most everybody that lived in Howard
County. His good old horse sense and good humor made him liked by
everybody that knew him. He raised a large family and threw the
courtesy of E. M. Floyd., who is now county treasurer of Howard County,
I will give their names and births. A. R. Floyd was born January 31,
1843; Mary Jane McClure Floyd was born July 17, 1844. Their children
are: Sarah Isbella Floyd was born January 21, 1865; Charles N. Floyd
was born February 17, 1867; Henrietta Floyd was born January 20, 1868;
T. A. Floyd was born August 20, 1871; D. S. Floyd was born January 6,
1872; C. R. Floyd was born December 4, 1872; E. M. Floyd was born
February 17, 1874; R. E. Floyd was born November 12, 1875; John B. Floyd
was born September 12, 1877; W. H. Floyd was born March 4, 1880; and
Snow Floyd was born January 17, 1885.

My readers will see that to have to give the births of all the
kinfolks would be impossible for in more than half of the cases there
are no records either at their homes or in the cemeteries. In fact, I
am not able physically or financially to look up these things from South
Carolina to California. I beg to say that the family that I have just
given the birth dates are only great, great grandchildren of the Trunk
family I started out on, but owing to the prominent part that the Floyd
family has done in the organization of the church at Corinth and the
community in general, I will go some further. Charley Floyd married old
Uncle Sam Henry's daughter at Centre Point, and was elected County
Treasurer of Howard Co., and while in that office died and left two
sons, Creel and A. R. Jr. (Dutch). These boys, as they seem to me, yet
are some 40 years old, are the same type of people that their great
grandparents, Uncle Anthony and Aunt Mariah were -- none better.

The next in order is the Jackson and Tacie Hale family that lived
near old Temperanceville, three or four miles north of Nashville all
their lives after coming to Arkansas. Sarah, their oldest daughter
married George Sullivan, the oldest son of Zack Sullivan, an old settler
in the neighborhood. George and Sarah settled three miles south of
Corinth where they lived and raised a large family. They also built up
a splendid house for themselves and family, and were always ready for
any good work in the church at Corinth and neighborhood. They continued
to live there until their death at a ripe old age. Their family's names
were: George Jr., John, Amariah, Nettie, Charley, Dave, and one or two
more that I cannot think of now. George Jr. lives about three miles
northeast of Nashville on his farm and is a good citizen. John lived
near Corinth until his family was most all grown and sold out to the
peach orchard people, and moved to Nashville where he still lives. Dave
did the same thing. The other boys and girls are on and near their
Father's old house farming, and are splendid people.

The next oldest of the Jackson Hale family was Anthony, who died
in the prime of life. He left some children, but I don't know anything
about them.

The next is "Nan", who married Sam W. Reese. She lived to be old,
only been dead two or three years. You will remember that it was said
that old Aunt Minerva Jones cooked more grub for visitors and wrung more
chicken heads off for preachers than any woman in the world, but I doubt
it very much, for Nan Reese surely did her part of that job, if anybody
ever did.

Dock, as he was called, also died young, and I don't know what has
become of his children. Jocie, that married Brooks Jones, I have
already mentioned in the Samuel Jones family. Galt married a Stone and
moved off to Texas soon, and I do not know about of his family.
However, will say that he died soon and left some family. John, I
think, married a Henderson and settled near his Father's old home. He
died soon and left his widow and some children. I think they are still
in that neighborhood. Lydia married Hense White. She has four
children, two boys and two girls. Two of her children live in this
(Nathan) neighborhood now, and some grandchildren. They are good
citizens. Anna married Billie Jones, son of Preacher Jones that lived
at Corinth a long time. They moved west and I have lost sight of them.
Ticia married J. S. Watson and lived a short time and died. I don't
think she had any children. Mike, the youngest boy, but older than the
two girls last mentioned, married a White and moved to Texas. Mike is
still living at Fort Worth, Texas, and a big fine-looking old man about
70. Well, this is all that I can say now about this old Tennessee
family. The reader will bear in mind that all these Hale children that
I have mentioned are great grandchildren of the Trunk family I started
out on, and I am not expecting to go down the line any further on any of
them. However, it is hard to find a stopping place when you could
mention more.

The next in order of the Womack family is Katie, who married
Jordan Reese, the only Uncle this writer had on the Reese side. As
mentioned before, Jordan Reese and Dave Jones were the first to come to
Arkansas from Tennessee. He settled one mile west of Corinth and lived
there until after the Civil War, sold out to his oldest son, Mike, and
bought a good farm two miles east of Corinth and lived there two or
three years and sold to his brother, Sloman, and old Dr. Biggs, and
moved two miles south of Centre Point and bought the largest farm in
that part of the country.

Jordan Reese made more money than any of the Corinth kinfolks, and
was for several years, the largest taxpayer in Howard County. He lived
at the old brick house on this same farm until his death at a ripe old
age. Their oldest child, a daughter, married Bill Allen and lived near
Centre Point and raised several children. I cannot remember all their
names, Wade, Jordan, Brooks, Katie. Tom Payne, who is now highway
policeman for west Arkansas, married the youngest one, but I cannot call
her name now.

Mike married Emma Hale, daughter of W. C. Hale that lived on the
joining farm to the one he bought from his father. He made money fast,
what short time he lived, and was destined to be the most useful man
Corinth ever raised. He worked like a slave all week, and rode a mule
several miles on Sunday and preached to some young church. In fact, he
was always ready for any good work for church or neighborhood. He died
at about 33, and left a widow that still lives, but is very old, and
four boys and one girl, as follows: Morris married Cynthia Garner, a
neighbor girl, and settled on his Grandfather Hale's old place, lived
there several years and moved to Colorado, Texas. Woodford married Emma
Tribble and settled on a part of his father's and Grandfather's old
place, about 200 yards from his Grandfather's first settlement in 1845.
He is still there making a good living on the land his Grandfather
cleared 80 years ago. Wood is a Corinthian, if there are any, for he
had been to Corinth most every Sunday since he was born, and he is now
about 55 years old.

Wat married Lela Roberson, daughter of Tobe and Lina Roberson. He
sowed some wild oats to start with by joining the C. M. Wilmeth
immigrant bunch into Old Mexico. Several of the immigrants died with
yellow fever, but Wat and Lela got out safe, came back to Arkansas,
lived several years, and moved to Texas. Jordan married Mat Shofner,
daughter of R. C. Shofner, at Corinth, lived on part of his Father's old
place 20 years or more and sold out to some orchard people and moved to
Texas. Lucy married Willie McClennehan, lived at Corinth only one or
two years and died. Anthony Reese married a Clardy, and settled about
four miles south of Centre Point on a farm where he lived until his
death two years ago. He was a charter member of the Bayou Church and
was an acknowledged leader for more than 50 years. He had no children
by his first wife, but after her death some 25 years ago, he married
again and had two daughters, and I am sorry I do not know their names.

Brooks Reese married and settled at Nashville, first on a farm
just north of town, but later sold and bought a large and beautiful farm
and home one mile south of town on the Mineral Springs Road. He farmed
and dealt in the fine breeding of stock until his death about two years
ago. Brooks was well and favorably know by most everybody in the
county, especially those that raised good horses and mules and jersey
cattle. His family are still at their old home. Rebecca married Jim
Pope and lived on a farm joining the town of Nashville a long time, in
fact, until their death only a few years ago. I don't remember the
names of their children, but Mike, who was in business in Nashville
several years. J. G. Reese, Jr. (Gibbs) married Stella McCrary and
lived on part of his Father's old place a few years and moved to
Nashville and went into business, sold goods several years and retired.
However, since then he has been City Marshall several terms, and is at
this writing. Gibbs is a jolly good fellow and has a host of friends
all over Howard County. He is the only one living of the Jordan Reese
family at this writing, but he is hale and hearty at about 64 years of
age. Jim Reese married Sallie Abner and lived with his Father at the
old place till his Father's death, and heired that part of the
plantation. He soon sold out to C. R. Murray and moved to Centre Point
and lived until his death only two or three years ago.

John B. Chesshir family. Uncle John and Aunt Nancy, as everybody
called them for 40 years before their death, settled one mile west of
Corinth on the public road, joining Jordan Reese, their brother-in-law,
and continued to live there until they broke up housekeeping only a
short time before his death. Aunt Nancy lived several more years. The
church at Corinth never had any better members than they were. Neither
did the country have any better citizens. Their children were, and are
yet an excellent family in the neighborhood, and are the church's
leading members and the community's leading citizens. Rebecca married
Thomas Holt, that was raised in the neighborhood. They settled 1 and a
half miles northwest of Corinth, lived there about 20 years, sold that
farm and bought the Anthony Floyd farm, only about 1/2 mile south on the
public road. He lived there several years and his good wife and mother
died. He then moved to Centre Point and retired from active business.
Tom lived there quite a few years and died at a ripe old age. Their
children are scattered over Texas and Arkansas. James known by
everybody as Uncle Jim, is the second oldest child of John B. Chesshir
family and the only one living. The writer talked to him only two weeks
ago and he looks like he might be with us several more years yet. Uncle
Jim is the oldest person living of the Corinth kinfolks that I started
out to write about, unless probably John Wiley Jones of Huckabay, Texas,
may be a little the oldest, but if so, only a few months or a year
probably. I am sure they were both born in 1848. If there are any
Corinthians, Uncle Jim is one, for he has been there most every first
day of the week since he was born. James Chesshir married Mary Tribble
and settled on a farm about 2 1/2 miles southeast of Corinth, lived
there several years and sold out and bought a larger and better place
about a mile south of Corinth, where he still makes his home with his
children as his wife has been dead for about 15 years.

Jordan Chesshir married Rebecca Hale and settled two miles west of
Corinth at old Mt. Pleasant. Jordan was a hard worker and was doing
well. He had a good home and plenty about him, including about six or
seven children none hardly big enough to work when he took some malady
that the doctors could not do anything for. In fact, I hardly think
they ever found out what was the matter with him. However, he had to
die, leaving his good wife and a house full of children. But they got
by, made a good living and good citizens, well thought of by everybody
that knew them. Charles Chesshir married a Hale, sister to Jordan's
wife. I believe her name was Lou. They settled about 5 miles south of
Centre Point near Bayou Church. Charles and his wife were as good
people as the country affords, but I never had much opportunity to know
so much about them as I have some of the others of the Chesshir family.
In fact, they did not come to Corinth very much except visiting their
parents, for they had a church near them. Sallie married D. Bacon, son
of Tyler Bacon, one of the founders of the Corinth church. D. settled
on the old farm, bought out the other heirs and is still living there.
The old log house that the church was organized in is still in fair
condition and is used for a tenant house regularly. Sallie has been
dead several years and Uncle D. makes his home in the house he built
when he first started out for himself. His daughter, Louana and her
husband William Power live with him, or he lives with them, as he
chooses to call it. D. Bacon and his good wife did their part to make
Corinth church and community what it was when it was in its glory, and
is still doing what he can to help. But Uncle D. realized that the
world is getting too fast for old folks to keep up with, and is setting
pretty steady in his boat. Nancy married John Ramage, who was at the
time working in a store at Corinth for Dr. Wolff. They soon moved to
Nashville, and John continued to sell goods for himself and others until
his death. Mariah, the youngest child, married Davie Crawford. They
also moved to Nashville, lived there only a few years and Mariah died.
They have two fine boys. I don't know where Dave and his boys are, some
place in Texas, I think.

Wade Womack married a McFarland, and I don't know where he lived,
but not far from all the rest. I never saw him for he died before I was
born, but he left four children. The oldest was Tom Mike, who married
old Dr. Biggs' daughter back about 1870. They lived several years about
two miles east of Corinth and moved north of Murfreesboro. Nancy Kansas
married Jim Copeland, son of old Uncle Dick Copeland, that raised his
family 1/2 mile from Corinth and was a charter member of that church.
Jim and his good wife lived near Corinth several years and sold out and
moved about 6 miles northeast of Murfreesboro. They were one of the
leading families in that neighborhood and the Pleasant Home church for
40 years. They raised a large family, one of whom is a noted preacher
in South Arkansas (Jady). John Ben married Ella House and soon moved to
the same neighborhood that Jim Copeland and his sister lived in and also
helped in every good work in that community. David Arthur married a
Watson, daughter of Jim Watson, and also moved over in the Pleasant Home
neighborhood. All these Wade Womack children made citizens and
enthusiastic church workers. I am not sure, but think they are all
dead.

David D. Womack married Lydia Lokey and settled about three miles
west of Corinth and had a good farm. He stayed there until about 1880,
sold out to his older boys and moved to Nashville and went into a
general mill business, saw mill, planing mill, cotton gin, wool carding
machine, etc. Dave Womack was the best all around mechanic to be found
anywhere in his day. He could make anything out of wood that he wanted
to, and it looked like something when he got it done. This writer was
born and raised on his make of red stools and they looked as nice as
store bought ones did. He could make cotton presses all together out of
wood, turn down big oak tree to about 12 inches and thread it, and the
hard part was the nut, four feet thick in four pieces to thread, of
course, to fit the pin. I doubt if there is a man in the state that can
do that now. He was a great hunter as well as worker, and after he got
old, stayed a great deal in the hills hunting deer, and he killed his
part of them. Sarah married Bill Hutson and settled about three miles
south of Corinth where they lived on a part of his Father's old farm
till he died only a few years ago. Dock married a Tribble and lived on
a part of his Father's old place also, till a few years ago, sold and
moved to Centre Point where he lived till he died only about two years
ago. Lina married Tobe Roberson and settled on the old Roberson farm
more than 50 years ago, and at this writing, both are still there, but
getting old and hardly able to keep house, I am told. But they have two
sons and one daughter living close and see after them, of course. Mike
was a fine looking young man and a hustler and a good mixer with
everybody, kinfolks especially, and everybody like him. His tragic and
untimely death beneath a falling lumber kiln was a shock to the whole
country and especially the host of kins people. His funeral at Corinth
in May 1885, I think more people wept bitterly than I ever saw at a
funeral before or since. Dick Womack lived with his Father till he was
some 35 years old before he married and helped run the mill business.
After his Father's death (and Mother's), he continued in the saw mill
business till he died some ten years ago. Jocie married Bob Sypert.
They lived at Nashville a long time and moved off; I learned they are
both dead. Ella married a man by the name of Short. Ella didn't live
long. She had, I think, two boys. I don't know where they are now.
This winds up the Uncle Mike and Aunt Sallie Jones Womack family. I
probably have failed to mention some that I should have mentioned, but I
am writing all this from memory, and nearly all this I learned 40 years
ago and some of it I learned 60 years ago. I forgot to mention Fannie.
She married a Campbell first, and afterward married Elijah Northum. She
had two or three children by Campbell and two or three by Northum.

John Hood Watson, son of Wiley and Tacie Jones Watson, married Nan
Reese, youngest daughter of Uncle Billie Reese and sister to Jordan and
Sloman Reese. He settled one mile south of Corinth on the Nashville
Road and lived there about 30 years and sold out and moved 5 miles south
of Centre Point on the Corns Ferry Road and bought a good farm. He only
lived a few years. This writer and also my Mother thought John Watson
was about the best man in the world, and a great many others thought so
too, partly because he was so good to visit and care for the sick. Work
all day and go sit up all night with someone bad sick in the
neighborhood, and he didn't only sit up but cared for them as well as a
trained nurse and his good old woman, that lived to be 90 years and was
blind for several years before her death. Seemed to me like the most
righteous person I ever knew. They only had five children that I can
think of. Their oldest daughter, I cannot think of her name now,
married John Murray. She soon died and left one child, Laura that is
still living, the last account, in Texas. W. W. (Bud) Watson married a
daughter of Pleasant White, a well-to-do farmer at Nathan, five miles
north of Corinth and settled on a part of the White Estate. His wife
lived only a few years and he sold out at Nathan and moved back to
Corinth on part of the farm he was raised on. He soon married Bell
Jones, daughter of the old logical preacher that lived there a long
time. "Bud" is a thrifty fellow and not satisfied if not doing
something useful for himself and country. He played a prominent part at
Corinth as long as he stayed there, but that old country was too small
for him and he sold out and moved to Erath County, Texas, I think in 95
or 96. He lived several years and improved and paid for a splendid
farm, and sold out and moved to Roswell, New Mexico, and improved a
successful irrigation project. He sold that out and moved back to
Colorado, Texas, where he lives at this writing, about 77 years old. I
learned he has very valuable property there. Fannie married Tom Spates
at Saratoga, a well-to-do farmer there. She did not live many years.
They have one son, John, that I know, but I cannot think of any more, if
there are any. Joe died before he was grown. He was a splendid good
boy. Jordan married a Garner girl several years after they moved down
on the Bayou. However, he settled on his Father's old farm and probably
bought some more. Jorde is one of Howard County's best citizens and
Bayou church's best members.

The next in order is William Crawford, the only son of Fannie
Jones Crawford. He married first a Floyd, sister of Anthony Floyd. I
think he moved to Arkansas in 1850, and lived until his death two miles
west of Corinth on the Centre Point Road. They had four children, and
the mother died and he married Frankie Copeland. The four first
childrens names were Anthony (Tony), Charles, Mary and Davie. Tony
married Martha Copeland, sister to his father's second wife. So, some
of my readers can have the job of figuring out how much kin their
families are. While I have the reputation of being an expert on
kinfolks, I don't know any name for the "Tangle". Tony Crawford was a
blacksmith and worked partners with R. C. Shofner at Corinth for several
years, but about 1885 he moved north of Nathan and farmed and dealt in
cattle and did some blacksmithing along until his death only six or
seven years ago. His excellent and good wife died about five years
before he did. Tony raised a large family of useful men and women.
Charles Crawford, namesake of his grandfather, married Jennie Tribble
and lived about eight miles west of Corinth a long time and moved to
Texas. He and his wife are both dead. They have several children
living. Davie has already been mentioned in the write-up of Mariah
Chesshir. Mary married Alex Nail and lived a long time, 2 1/2 miles
east of Corinth, sold out in 1904 to Bert Johnson, the orchard man, and
he put out the first 100 acres on the Alex Nail farm that year, which
was only a beginning of what has been planted since. They moved to
Texas and Alex died before many years. Mary is still living with her
oldest daughter, Fannie Anderson, at Idabel, Oklahoma. She is about 74
years old.

The William Crawford family by his last wife. John N. was the
oldest, he was born September 28, 1864. Five days younger than myself.
He and I were chums all our boyhood days. He was a smart and good
looking boy with becoming ways that everybody liked. He died when he
was about 18 years old. Lizzy was the next, and Richard, Sallie, Jack
and Ewen. All these boys and girls were apt to learn in school, and had
fairly good educations before they left Corinth. Lizzy married someone
over about Mt. Pleasant, Texas. I think she is dead. I forgot Sam, who
was next to Lizzy in age. Sam married one of Bud Huddleston's daughters
up on Muddy Fork and moved to Oklahoma also. Rich married Jocie Watson,
daughter of T. R. Watson, at Corinth, and moved to Oklahoma. Sallie, I
think, married a man by the name of Miller. I think they still live
over at Mt. Pleasant, Texas. I don't know who Jack or Ewen married or
where they live.

William Crawford's only sister, Fannie, married Jordan Hale,
brother to Jackson Hale, that married Tacie Womack, that I have already
written about. Their wives were also first cousins. Jordan never lived
here long, he moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas. They had five children,
two boys and three girls. Rufus, the oldest, is living near Mineral
Springs, Howard County, if he is still alive, and I haven't heard of his
death. Jordan, Jr. married Mary Jones, daughter of Samuel Jones. Mary
did not live long and Jorde married again and moved west. Nannie never
was down in this country. Laura came down here and stayed quite a while
with her brothers and went away someplace. Ailsia also lived here some
and married Dan Chesshir, but they separated and she went off. I don't
know where. I will now ring off the Crawford family for the present.

I am now ready for the family of Charles Buck Jones, the grandson
of the old family that I started out on, that was left an orphan when
small and the old Grandmother raised him. He grew up to about manhood
in Tennessee before they all came to Arkansas, and married soon after
they got here, and I have listed him as one of the twenty families of
kinfolks that came here in 1847. Charley Buck, as he was always called,
married Jane Copeland, oldest daughter of old Uncle Dick Copeland that
has been mentioned before. Charles B. settled two miles south of
Corinth on what is now known as the Big 4 Peach Orchard, and lived there
about 30 years and raised a large family. About 1880 he sold out and
moved about three miles north of Nathan where he continued to live until
his death some 20 years later. His good wife also followed soon. I
will now try to tell you something about his children, eleven in all and
are all living at this time, or were a few days ago. The oldest is
about 83 years and the youngest about 55 years old, which you will see
about 70 years for an entire family of eleven children, which is all
that were ever born to them.

Norman, the oldest son, married Sallie Scott near Corinth, and I
think only lived here one or two years and moved to Texas, lived in
Texas several years and moved to Roswell, New Mexico, where he still
lives. I don't think he has ever been back to Arkansas, which is a
little peculiar for the "Corinth Kinfolks", for nearly all of them come
back quite often. Bama, the oldest daughter, married Ben F. Holt and
settled near Corinth and lived there a few years then moved on to a new
place two miles north of Nathan. He improved a very good upland farm
and was getting along fine, but got dissatisfied and broke up and moved
to Texas and then back to Oklahoma where he died. His family are still
over there not far from Hugo. T. Jeff married Jannie Clinghan, daughter
of Ed Clinghan, that lived about a mile north of Bingen and four miles
south of Corinth. He also moved west soon, and has raised several
children, and they are all out in Oklahoma. G. Wash, twin brother of
Jeff, married Katie Reed, stepdaughter of Henry Carter that lived about
two miles east of Nathan. He also moved to Oklahoma soon, and is still
out there not far from his twin brother. Will M. married Maggie Dixon,
daughter of Henderson Dixon, who came here from Tennessee about the time
they all came which I have mentioned to start with. Will soon moved to
Texas and followed the carpenters trade it Ft. Worth, where he still
lives, and I think getting along fine. Martha Jean married John A.
Westbrook and lived near Nathan and at Nathan until John's death five or
six years ago. They have three children living, all living at
Nashville. Doing well and Martha is with them. Fannie married "Lod" C.
Sullivan, son of old Uncle Zack Sullivan, that was in this country when
the Corinthians came here. This writer can remember Lod Sullivan, as
far back as my father, a fine good fellow. He and Fannie moved about
here in this country several times and Lod died and left Fannie with
three or four children. However, think they have gotten by all right.
Matilda A. married Dick Campbell and have lived in this country nearly
all the time and are still living quietly on a farm of their own about
three miles east of Nathan, fine old people, loved and respected by
everybody that knows them. Charles Richard married Paralee Floyd, first
daughter of old Uncle Jasper Floyd that lived near Nathan since before
the Civil War. They had three children and Paralee died, leaving
Charles with three little children. However, he got by for a few years
and married Mattie Brewer, and raised a large family about four miles
east of Nathan. Charley has three children by his last wife, all about
grown, but still at home. He has a good home one mile north of Nathan
and is getting along fine considering his being a cripple, having had
his hip knocked out of place when he was a boy, and has never been able
to do much work. Charley is a jolly good fellow and feels mightly like
kinfolk to this scribe. Sam W. married Della Bacon, daughter of Jessie
Bacon, and moved to Oklahoma where they have lived ever since. They are
now at Ada, I think. Sam has been in bad health for several years, but
had enough saved up to be getting along all right so far. Mary Lucas
married Charles H. Dixon, brother to Will Jones' wife. They moved to
Johnson County, Texas until a few years ago when Charley died. I don't
know where Mary and her children are, but in Texas some place.

I am about through with the old families that came here first,
that were children and grandchildren of the old Jones family that I
started out on. There is one other family that I want to mention that
came here with the rest, and that is Joe Watson that married Bettie
Reese, sister to Jordan and Sloman Reese and Minerva Jones and Nannie
Watson. I haven't been able to find out who Joe Watson was. Some say
he was the oldest son of Wiley Watson and Tacie Jones Watson. If so, he
is a grandson of the old Jones family, but I hardly think so. It is my
opinion that he was a younger brother of Wiley and Wat Watson, but
anyway, his family is closely connected to the Corinth kinfolks, by
reason of the Reese and Watson bunch. Joe Watson lived in the
neighborhood of Corinth until about the close of the Civil War and died,
leaving his widow and five children, Joe W., Eliza C., Tacey, John S.
and Wiley. Some few years after the War, his widow married James Gunn,
that lived and owned a good farm where the village of Nathan is now.
They lived there until about 35 years ago, moved to Texas and soon died.
They had two children, Daniel and Annie. They moved with the old folks
to Erath County, Texas, and I don't know where they are now. However, I
hear that Daniel made a fine man and was doing well, but I am getting
the cart before the horse.

Joe Watson married his step-sister, Fannie Gunn, moved to Bell
County, Texas, where he lived till his death a few years ago. Joe made
good in every way, friends and money. He was worth one-hundred-thousand
dollars at his death. Eliza married James Hale, oldest son of William
C. Hale, near Corinth. A charter member of the Corinth church, I think.
Tacie married Henry Hale, brother to Eliza's husband. They lived here
in this country only a few years and moved to Erath County, Texas, near
Huckabay, and settled and improved new farms and did well. I was over
there in 1900 and visited them. They had good farms and plenty of
everything they needed and a fine family of children. John S. married
first in this country (Tacia Hale). But she didn't live long. John
then went to Erath County, Texas, and married John Copeland's daughter,
a great granddaughter of the old Jones family that I have so much to say
about. John made money farming and retired to town some years ago and
is still living last account. Sam Wiley, the youngest Watson child,
died when he was about twelve years old. Well, this is all I know to
say about this splendid family of people at this time.

Sunday, May the First, 1932. All day singing at Corinth, a
practice that has been kept for about forty years on the first Sunday in
May and of all the annual singings over the country, Corinth still has
about the largest crowd and the best singing. So we see that Corinth,
after 83 years of "ups and downs" is the most noted country place in
southwest Arkansas. While the big peach orchard has weakened the church
in numbers to what it once was, there is still a large congregation
there, and a majority of them are still "kinfolks" and offspring of
people that settled that neighborhood first and organized the church.
Corinth is probably in the center of more peach trees than any other
place in the world. Travelling east and west along the dividing ridge
that Corinth is on, it is 15 miles through it. Nearly all the land, the
land that Corinth kinfolks settled 80 years ago, is in peach trees. I
wouldn't be writing about the peach orchards for everybody knows all
about that now that ever heard of that country, but I find that people
soon forget things, and this may be read after the peach orchard is no
more and some other industry is in its place. In fact, it is the public
opinion that Commercial peach growing on a large scale has seen its best
days. Nearly all the people that have invested in the peach business
have lost their money and homes. No crop this year and low prices last
year has put them in hard shape. But I started out to write about
Corinth and its kinfolks. Will say that I think the Big Orchard has
been a drawback to the church, as a great many of its best citizens sold
out and moved off and public workers came in their place, and they don't
take much interest in public affairs of any kind. I will now drop back
to my subject and write what I know about the progress of the church
after the Civil War.

After the War was over and the men got back home, they found the
country broke up of practically everything they had made all their lives
was gone except their land, that nearly all had gotten before the War.
They didn't have a dollars worth of money that was any good or anything
to work with, so for a few years I don't think the church made much
progress. However, they went to work and in about five years had gotten
pretty well shaped up to live again. They procured good preachers to
preach once a month, year around, and sent off for the ablest preachers
they could hear of for the summer protracted meetings. For a few years
they built brush sheds for the big meetings. Some of the most
successful meetings ever held at Corinth were under brush arbors. But
about 1875 the church was getting strong and the young set was beginning
to take the lead in the work. They built a large tabernacle just behind
the old church house on the hillside, across the road from the cemetery.
They only used this shed for the annual big meeting each year, as the
church house was sufficient for most all other meetings. The church
procured the ablest preachers they could find for the summer big
meeting. They always sent off to Tennessee or Texas for a new man each
year, generally. The church grew strong in numbers and good work, and
for 25 years after the Civil War, if there ever was any trouble among
the members, I never heard of it, and I was there most of the time. I
think the church was stronger about 1880 than it was before or since.
The neighborhood had raised more children than the country had homes
for, the people began moving to Texas and other places. However, the
church was strong through the eighties and nineties. I think the
average membership for about 15 or 20 years was around 400, but quite a
few of them, as usual lived off a good ways and didn't attend regularly.

I think it was in 1888 that the church procured C. M. Wilmeth of
Texas to hold their summer big meeting. He was a fine preacher and
everybody said he was the ablest preacher the church had ever had and
they had him come back the next year, and he wanted to come for he said
that was the best church in a great many ways he ever met. So, he came
back the next year, 1889. I am not absolutely certain about these
dates, but I am not off more than one year, if at all. So, while here,
the talk got up about organizing a church school in connection with Sam
W. Reese's school that he had been running some 20 years, and the church
made a proposition and he accepted it, and the work was started at once
building more school house and him a dwelling house. The church did its
part, and Wilmeth was here on time and the school started. In the
meantime the school had been given quite a lot of advertising and the
village of Corinth had several families more to move in to send their
children to school, and Corinth had the first boom of its life. The
school had a Bible course of study and several young men came to learn,
preparing to be preachers. But by this time the depression of the
nineties had come and the neighborhood was not able to do what they had
undertaken, and C. M. Wilmeth was not financially able to do what he had
undertaken to do. He was a fine man, highly educated, and probably the
best orator that ever was in this part of the country. So, the school
only lasted a few years and C. M. Wilmeth left and moved to Old Mexico
and died with yellow fever, together with his wife's mother and his
son-in-law, Rich Watson. So we have Corinth up to the end of the
Wilmeth regime, and the church left in the worst shape it has ever been
in, divisions among themselves. However, the division was not about
what has usually been the cause at that time and since, re-baptism,
organs and pastors.

After the C. M. Wilmeth school had broken down and he was gone,
the church saw proper to go back to where it had started and take a new
start, with the "Corinth kinfolk" in control of both church and school.
And the few newcomers that had moved in during the Wilmeth "regime" and
a few others that had taken in with them, kicked out and moved over
about 200 yards in an old dwelling house and organized a church of their
own. They procured a fine preacher and held a protracted meeting, and
in the meantime there was quite a lot of feeling manifested in the
neighborhood. In fact, so much that the church has never gotten
entirely over it. The bunch that moved out didn't last long and several
of them came back, but I don't think the feeling ever was as good
anymore and that has been most 40 years ago. I can think of three men
living that had not anything to do with the trouble on either side, and
they were with the church and are yet, namely J. M. Chesshir, Dee Bacon,
and R. C. Shofner. Chesshir and Bacon are a part of the Corinth
"kinfolks", but Shofner was not. I cannot close this little history of
the Corinth church without having something to say about Chris Shofner,
who I think has been to Corinth to meetings more times than any other
man that ever lived there. He is now past 80 years old and has missed
very few services in all his life from childhood on, and no better man
and woman ever lived there than R. C. Shofner and his wife, and I dare
say that they are at Corinth church today if they are able to get there.

I don't think I will have any more to say about the church in this
notebook, for I don't know of any thing more to write except to dwell on
some things I have already told about.

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