PHILLIPS COUNTY
HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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The photograph on the front of the QUARTERLY shows the NETTIE JOHNSON. See the article on Page 37 by T. E. Tappan.

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Excerpts From

REPORT OF THE ADJUTANT GENERAL OF THE ARKANSAS
STATE GUARD 1897-1900
Including The Period Of The Spanish-American War

Headquarters Arkansas State Guard,
Little Rock, Ark., December 1, 1900.

To Hon. Daniel W. Jones, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Military Forces of Arkansas:

I have the honor to submit to you the following as my report as Acting Adjutant General of the Arkansas State Guard and Reserve Militia, for the period of your administration, including a complete roster of the Arkansas troops in the United States service in the Spanish-American war, and a brief resume of their service.

ARTHUR NEILL.

Brig. Gen., A. S. G., and Acting Adjt. Gen.

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At the beginning of your administration in January, 1897, the State Guard was very much disorganized and almost wholly ineffective, there having been but little activity therein since 1894 and 1895. It was then composed of two regiments of infantry, one battery of artillery, one troop of cavalry, and another battery of artillery organized.

There being no appropriation by the State for militia purposes, these organizations were equipped as far as possible with the antiquated equipment then on hand, and the annual allotments from the United States Government. This was the condition of the militia at the outbreak of the Spanish war.

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A call was issued by Adjt. Gen. Bell, of Missouri, for a meeting of the militia organization of the Mississippi Valley States in December, 1897.

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A permanent organization of seventeen States, known as the Inter-State Association of the National Guard, was the result, and meetings have been held each year since, and the organization has been productive of great good to the militia of the country.

Frequent encampments of small bodies of troops have been had at veterans' reunions, and other occasions, but no general encampments, there being no means available to provide for same. There has been no occasion for calling out troops for service within the State at any time.

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The declaration of war was anticipated throughout the State and the Governor was besieged with offers of service both by organizations and individuals. On April 25, 1898, the call of the President for two regiments of infantry of 1000 men each was received.

No two regiments of the State Guard were well enough organized and equipped to be mustered in intact, and it was the desire of the Governor to have all sections of the State represented as far as possible. He therefore proceeded to make up two new regiments from selected companies from the State Guard, and from the different sections of the State.

The commander of each company selected was ordered to immediately recruit his company to 100 or more men and be in readiness to move to Little Rock, with all available arms and camp equipage. The camp was located by the following order:

Headquarters Arkansas State Guard,
Little Rock, Ark., May 2, 1898.

General Order No. 2.

Little Rock, Arkansas, having been designated as the place of rendezvous by the Secretary of War of the two regiments of infantry called from Arkansas to enlist as United States volunteers, the place

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of camp is hereby fixed as corner of College Avenue and Seventeenth Street, in said city, and designated as "Camp Dodge," as a tribute of respect to the late Dr. Roderick Dodge, a long and honored resident of the State, to whose estate the site of the camp belongs, and whose heirs-have courteously donated the use of the same for this purpose.

By order of DANIEL W. JONES
Governor of Arkansas and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces Thereof.

The troops were kept in camp at the various company rendezvous until necessary tentage and camp equipage could be provided for them at Camp Dodge.

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There was no appropriation available for use by the Governor for this or any other purpose in connection with the mobilization of these troops, nor had he any authority to pledge the credit of the State for funds for such purpose. Offers of loans were made by various citizens and corporations, and, after a conference with the Arkansas Bankers' Association, loans to the amount of $7350 were accepted, the Governor agreeing to recommend an appropriation by the, Legislature at its next meeting to cover the same. The banks of the Association advanced amounts in proportion to their capital stocks. This amount was expended, and about $2500 additional in bills incurred, making $10,000 in all, in sustaining, clothing and transporting troops up to the time of the muster-in. The next General Assembly, which convened in January, 1899, promptly made an appropriation to refund these loans, which was done, and the United States Government later repaid to the State nearly the whole of the amount.

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In May, the concentration of troops was begun by ordering the Little Rock companies to Camp Dodge

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and from then on companies to compose the other two regiments arrived daily, and were mustered in as rapidly as the medical examinations could be concluded. The mustering in of the lst Regiment was completed on May 20, and of the 2nd Regiment on May 25.

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From ROSTER OF STATE GUARD (Helena men)

Governor and Staff. Staff: Chief of Artillery, Col. J. C. Barlow.

Northern Division: Asst. Chief of Artillery, Lt. Col. J. S. Hornor.

Co. B.: Capt. C. P. Sanders.

Southern District: 1st Regt. of Infantry: Capt. And Chaplain, C. H. Lockwood.

Signal Corps: Graduate Cadets of Univ. of Ark. given brevet commissions in Ark. St. Guard, 1898: Major: George Nicholls, 1st Battalion.

1st Arkansas Volunteer Infantry, Mustered in May 16, 1898, for Two Years; Mustered Out Oct. 25, 1898. Residence or where enrolled, Helena.

Field, Staff and Band

Co. D

Co. G

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Co. G

*Transferred or discharged before October 25, 1898, and in one instance, died (Carlisle Burbank).

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FIRST REGIMENT, ARKANSAS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL

Organized from selected companies of Arkansas State Guard at Camp Dodge, Little Rock, by Gov. D. W. Jones, upon call of President, received April 25, 1898; muster-in completed May 20, 1000 men and officers. Ordered to Chickamauga Park, Ga., May 23; departed May 25, arrived May 27; assigned to 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 3rd Army Corps. There fully armed and equipped; ordered to Porto Rico, with Gen. Wade's proposed expedition, but order countermanded before movement begun, because of cessation of hostilities; remained in camp there until September 25, 1898, when ordered to Fort Logan H. Roots, Little Rock, where mustered out October 25, 1898. Was never permitted to engage in any active service. Suffered severely from malarial, typhoid and other fevers and dysentery, the result of improper sanitary arrangements, and crowded condition of Camp George H. Thomas, Chickamauga Park.

Major Greenfield Quarles. A veteran of the Confederate service in the Civil War, where he was one of the youngest soldiers. Was in many hard fought battles, notably at Franklin, Tenn., under Gen. Cleburne, where he was severely wounded. Since surrender, has devoted himself successfully to law, politics and planting. Service as Major in 1st Ark. eminently capable and satisfactory throughout.

First Lt. and Qmr. H. D. Moore, received military instruction under Col. Chandler at the University of Arkansas, and served throughout as Quartermaster of the regiment.

Company G (Helena Light Guards). Organized at Helena in 1892 as Co. G, 1st Regt. Inf., A. S. G.; afterwards attached to 4th Regt. Attended State drills in 1892 and 1893, and took prize at Inter-State Drill at Little Rock in 1894; did three days'

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service for State during railroad strike in 1894. Reported Camp Dodge May 4, and mustered in May 17. Capt. Sanders was a graduate of the Helena High School, First Lt. Pillow, of the Bingham Military School, and 2nd Lt. Fritzon of Bethel College, Ky., and all had served with the company from its organization.

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On the following pages are photographs of Major Quarles, Lieutenant Moore, and Captain Sanders.

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GREENFIELD QUARLES,
Major, First Arkansas Volunteer Infantry.

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HUGER D. MOORE,
First Lieutenant and Quartermaster, First Arkansas Volunteer Infantry.

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CHARLES P. SANDERS,
Captain, Company G, First Arkansas Volunteer Infantry.

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BELL TELEPHONE CO. TO OBSERVE IMPORTANT DATE

From the HELENA WORLD, early March, 1926

Just 50 years ago next Wednesday the first voice was sent out over a telephone. It was on March 10, 1876 that Alexander Graham Bell had completed a crude device that would speak. Realizing the success of it and its value to the users and that it would depend upon a thorough knowledge of it on the part of the public, Dr. Bell began, soon after receiving his famous patent, a series of public lectures and demonstrations. One of the first of these was held in Salem, Mass., and a speech was transmitted sixteen miles away.

In 1879 the New York City Exchange was established with boy operators. Confusion reigned as they shouted at each other and at subscribers. Even though Dr. Bell was a scientist he did not think of the future of the telephone in terms of scientific developments alone. His interest in the electrical transmission of speech had been born of a greater and deeper interest in his fellow men.

The years that he devoted to the development of his invention were but few. He had, however, the satisfaction of seeing others, inspired by his ideals, build the bare principle he had given to the world into a nationwide universal service which brought men by the millions into a more intimate contact and kept them in closer accord.

In 1889 the citizens of Helena organized a telephone company. To Wm. R. Burke, a former owner of the WORLD, goes the credit for building and putting into operation the first switchboard and wires. The office was located on Ohio and Porter Streets where the Helena Steam Laundry now stands.

Mr. Burke operated this company five years. There were no telephone directories published at

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that time, everyone called by name, and no one was allowed to use another telephone other than his own; if a non-subscriber attempted to use a telephone he was told it was against the rule of the company. Judge Greenfield Quarles was the first subscriber in Helena, having telephone No. 1.

The Helena company grew with the town and after a few years of operation the telephone became a useful instrument to the people, and larger quarters were needed to care for the increased business. The office was then moved to Cherry Street over J. L. Altman's store, and sold to the Bell Telephone Company. Mr. Vick Fowler was made manager of the new Bell Company and operated the business about two years. Mrs. B. J. Cunningham was operator at that time, and was promoted to manager and operator, combining the work.

David Solomon relieved Mrs. Cunningham while she collected the bills each month and looked after other business for the company. Mrs. Cunningham married and the business was taken in charge by her sister, Miss Edna Williams (now Mrs. Russell of Dallas, Texas), who ran the office two years and married.

The Bell Telephone Company continued to grow with Helena, and still larger quarters were in demand. In 1900 the Bell Company moved their office to its present location at York and Walnut Streets, operating 2000 telephones and having all standard equipment.

As a fitting celebration of the semi-centennial year, the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, according to local manager H. J. Kimbro, is going to spend many thousands of dollars for improvements and additions to the telephone service this year in Helena. As this community develops, as its industries expand, the telephone company must be ready to increase its facilities to take care of that expansion and development.

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Telephone engineers are constantly making surveys of business and social conditions so that they may anticipate the demand for increased service and may supply it without delay. In the past fifty years almost phenomenal progress has been made in the industries. The telephone has kept pace with that rapid growth and has been a most important factor in social and commercial development.

Regarding the 50th anniversary, Manager Kimbro said yesterday: "Our local central office is always open to visitors, and we wish to extend to you a special invitation to visit your telephone exchange on March 10, 1926, and at any time during the Semi-Centennial year. I am sure that it will be a most interesting and enlightening experience for you, and will help you to a better understanding and appreciation of our problems and what we are doing to solve them."

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The photograph on the following page was made just prior to the relocation of the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company offices to 501 Franklin Street, on August 31, 1952. Reading from left to right, the personnel are: Nell Dotherow, Emma Robertson, Naomi Raymond, Thelma Owens, Imogene Pope, Mary Kendall, Lucille Shields, Ethel Dodson, Dorothy Shannon, Audrey Whitaker, Ida Mae Leighton, Betty Myers, Dorothy McCurley, unidentified person. Standing: Maxine Lumpkin, Gertrude Williams, unidentified person, Barbara Nell Porter.

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Arkansas Folklore Society
Box 2748
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701

Dear _____

This letter comes to invite your membership in a reactivated Arkansas Folklore Society.

The Arkansas Folklore Society was founded nearly thirty years ago, in 1949, under the direction of John Gould Fletcher and Vance Randolph. The Society grew quickly to over 250 members, and annual folklore festivals at the University of Arkansas drew such outstanding speakers as J. Frank Dobie and Richard Dorson. The Society also published a bulletin, ARKANSAS FOLKLORE, and established a folklore archive at the University Library.

All of this fine activity came to an end in 1958, and its resumption is long overdue. Things have been happening in folklore in Arkansas~-courses are offered at several campuses throughout the state, a folklore journal, MID-SOUTH FOLKLORE, edited by Dr. William Clements at Arkansas State, and Dr. Robert Cochran was hired in 1976 to help develop the folklore program at the University of Arkansas. An active Arkansas Folklore Society offers an opportunity for all of us to coordinate our activities more effectively, and to focus some much, needed attention on the folklife of areas in the state other than the Ozark region.

Our Society will be as energetic and as useful as its members will make it. We hope you will support our effort with your membership, and with your active participation.

Let us hear from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

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THOMAS MASTIN JACKS, SR.

Thomas M. Jacks' paternal grandfather was the Reverend Richard Jacks. He was a Primitive Baptist preacher of Surry County, North Carolina. In 1790, The First Church of the Mountains was organized, and he was one of the prominent religious teachers.

T. M. Jacks' father, the Reverend David Jacks, was born in Rutherford County, North Carolina, October 28, 1795. He died at his home in Madison County, Alabama, on August 29, 1882, aged 86 years. He also was a prominent Baptist minister who preached the gospel for over 60 years in Alabama and North Carolina.

Thomas Mastin Jacks, Sr., son and grandson of the above mentioned and the subject of this sketch, was born at Huntsville, Alabama, April 14, 1822, and died at his home on McDonough St. in north Helena on Saturday night, August 26, 1883. He was named after Thomas Mastin, a co-laborer of his father in religious work in early Alabama.

Early in his life he showed preference for the study of medicine. His father encouraged and assisted his son to prepare himself for its practice. In 1846 he attended lectures at the Louisville Medical Institute in Kentucky, and afterwards graduated at the Philadelphia Eclectic Institute.

Before graduating in his chosen profession, Dr. Jacks removed to Sterling, a small town 12 miles north of Helena. There he married his first wife, Miss Hunter, who only lived about six months after their marriage.

In 1848, at Sterling, he married Miss Freelove French, formerly of New Albany, Indiana. He took her with him to Philadelphia, where he went to. finish his medical education. By diligent application to study, he was graduated from the Philadelphia

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College of Medicine, one of the oldest and most reputable seats of learning in the country, and set out for his adopted home in Arkansas. An anecdote, related by himself, of an incident which occurred on the trip, so aptly illustrates the self-reliant independence that never forsook him in later life, that it is fitting to insert it here. When himself and family reached Louisville on the homeward journey, the doctor found his funds narrowed down to such an extent as to require a pretty nice calculation of expenses to ensure their holding out. But he was to form and execute the plan of action that promised the surest safety for his now depleted purse. So, after paying his hotel bill, he shouldered his trunk and carried it to the boat, thereby saving porterage and transportation. Reaching Sterling, he immediately began the practice of medicine, and though his struggles for a time were desperate, he finally conquered and succeeded.

Holding the Anglo-Saxon creed, that the basis of all wealth was real estate, he at once began, by every means in his power to acquire lands, purchasing such tracts of the public domain as came within his reach, to which perfect title was assured. This thirst for lands continued up to the day of his death and he succeeded ‘in acquiring immense tracts throughout the state, at one time owning, together with John P. Moore, as much as 100,000 acres, a large proportion of which goes to make up his estate.

In 1852 he came to Helena which place was growing rapidly and offered a better field for his energy. Forming a partnership with Mr. Silverberg, a drug house was opened which continued successfully as Jacks & Silverberg till the first year of the war, when the partnership was dissolved, and Dr. Jacks betook himself entirely to real estate.

In 1864 he was elected to the State Senate, but as military rule then had sway, he was not

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admitted to a seat. In 1866 the firm of Jacks & Moore, druggists and real estate dealers, was started, John P. Moore being the partner. This enterprise was altogether successful and became Jacks & Co. by the withdrawal of Mr. Moore some years after.

In 1876 Dr. Jacks was elected to the State Legislature by the Republicans, serving, however, as an independent. During this time he was interested in helping Arkansas regain its sovereign rights as a Federal State. He was once President of the Iron Mountain and Helena Railroad and afterwards its Treasurer.

Dr. Jacks' second wife, Freelove French Jacks, died at Helena, October 19, 1869. By their union they had the following children, named in order:

In 1872, Dr. Jacks married his third wife at Helena, Miss Elizabeth Wells. She survived him at his death. By this union they had the following children, named in order:

After the death of Dr. Jacks, Elizabeth Wells Jacks was married to Dow Jacks, a cousin of Dr. Jacks, and by this union had two sons.

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NOTE: The author of the above outline has often visited the places named in Phillips County and Lee County as a youth, knowing all of the generations of his age from about the year 1904 up to the present year of 1946. Most of the older generations are now all departed this life, and John Jacks of Lee County is the last of the Jacks of eastern Arkansas.

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This family history was written in 1946 by Justus Liebig Jacks, Jr., grandson of Thomas Mastin Jacks, Sr. Portions of a sketch of Dr. Jacks were taken from a Helena newspaper of 1883, and incorporated with the family history for the above article. All of the material and the picture of Dr. Jacks on the following page were furnished by Lee K. Jacks of Little Rock, son of J. L. Jacks, Jr. and great grandson of Dr. Thomas M. Jacks.

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MEMBERSHIP ROSTER 1977-78

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Deceased:

*Sustaining Member

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The Historical Society is pleased to have received a memorial to J. D. Reid from Jay and Neida Burke, Nannie Carr, Lillian Wilson, and Leona Caven.

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HELENA: THE RIDGE, THE RIVER, THE ROMANCE, compiled and edited by George de Man, now of Atlanta and formerly of Helena, will be available about the middle of January. It is a unique collection of articles written by people from here, or by people who once lived here. The Editor tried to collect articles covering a wide range of subjects, and in this he was successful. Music, sports, the river, history, poetry, Indian lore--all of these things are included in the book. It will be sold at the Phillips County Library, the West Helena Library, and perhaps other places, and through the generosity of Miss Lily Peter, its sale will benefit the Historical Society, the Library, and the Phillips County Foundation for Historic Preservation. Reading its contents will benefit all of us.

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WISCONSIN TROOPS AT HELENA: XII

Diary in part of Coleman C. Chubb, Company A, 1st Regiment of Cavalry, Wisconsin Volunteers

Printed by permission of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin

The diary entries start at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, May 15, 1862.

Tues. 15th, July, 1862. Got up and started, not eating, and rode 1.5 miles, stopped and got dinner and passed on through Harrison boro. The advance guard had a few shots with some conscripts. Here we went 13 miles and stopped at Sugar Creek, a nice camp. Hard day's ride. Part of the Rg. staid here.

Wed. 16th. Started and rode on to Willsbury (Wittsburg?). Jack stopped at the creek. This is on the St. Francis. Some Secesh were here lately but left. On guard stood 4 horses. Got a letter OL.

Thurs. 17th. Went out to graze, was ordered back. Washed a shirt and ‘lay still the rest of the day. Torrey went out to Taylor Creek and broke up a Rebel camp of 120, took some prisoners and few things.

Fri. 18th. Started for Madison, 20 miles below the same river. Got here at noon, got dinner and went around to see the place. The RR passes here but is not in order now. The Rebels destroyed a fine bridge on the River. Bill stopped at Willsbury Cracker.

Sat. 19th. Nothing going on today, commenced to build a ferry. Our Co. was on guard at night. I was on at the prison. Had one prisoner out on a scout, 2 A. M.

Sun. 20th. Slept late. Went on guard. Commenced to rain, rained some all day. Was relieved at night. Moved our Camp out 2 miles in swamp. The meanest camp we have had since starting. A regular

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swamp hole. Very unhealthly.

Mon. 2lst. Got up and fed and ate fruits. Our Co. was sent off 20 miles for some property hid in the woods on the Helena Road. We got back to camp at 11. The pickets were scared and the Reg. was got out in line, and stayed so all night. By gosh, I was tired.

Tues. 22nd. After sunrise we broke ranks, got our grub and took care of our horses. It came on a rain. Our Co. supported the pickets. Got wet.

Wed. 23rd. Our Co. went on guard in the afternoon. Had a good time, but mosquitos bit hard.

Thurs. 24th. Was laying around the post all day, no excitement. Was relieved in due season.

Fri. 25th. Not a thing going on. The dullest time I ever saw. Fixed and cleaned up our _____

Sat. 26th. As dull today as yesterday. Contrabands are coming in fast.

Sun. 27th. Got up at 3 in the morning and went off on patrol. Took over, with Capt. Dunn, a Secesh. Got back to camp at noon. Inspection and after, a sermon by the Chaplain.

Mon. 28th. Rained very hard this morning. Fed the horses. Was on guard at night. Had a good time.

Tues. 29th. Got up, took breakfast on the Steamer Clark. Went back to post at 9 was relieved and the Batt. First and Third started for the Languille, 15 miles. On guard.

Wed. 30th. Lay in a house. Rain all day. Intended to cross. The 3rd Batt. crossed early.

Thurs. 3lst. Started for Mariana, 10 miles. Had an awful time crossing. Rained all the time. Lost one of the artillery. I sunk on the boat once. Got across and to Mariana at 2 P. M. Found some of Curtis' men here.

Fri. August 1, 1862. Did not feel very well today.

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Laid around all day. Nothing going on of note. Hear that Bloomfield is taken by Secesh. Don't believe it yet. Wrote home.

Sun. 3rd. Got up early. At 9 news came that the 2nd Batt. was fighting at the ferry. We saddled and rode as fast as possible. Took on Cannon. Went 5 miles above the ferry to a ford and crossed. Came out on the Main road but they had gone. We followed on till sundown and turned back. We got back to Mariana at 2 P. M. Camp moved and reinforcements from the Helena in the river. We found our loss to be 13 killed, 20 wounded and a number taken prisoner. I never was so tired in my life as when we got back to Mariana.

Mon. 4th. In the morning we came down about 4 miles and staid all day. All the well ones started back in pursuit and we made arrangements for going to Helena. At 5 we started down and rode till about 12. We got inside of the pickets and turned out for the night. Had a good nap.

Tues. 5th. Rode into Helena at 10. Found a small place on the map enclosed by hills of a large size. There is 40,000 troops here under Curtis. We went up in a hollow and camped about a mile out of town. Not much for us on horses.

Wed. 6th. Went down town and saw the wounded. Hard sight in the afternoon. The balance of the Reg. came down. Jack went up to Memphis tonight with sick.

Thurs. 7th. Did not do much of anything today. It is very warm. Wrote one letter home.

Fri. 8th. Lt. Jones came in this morning with his men all right side up. Owen came in too. Men pretty well run down.

Sat. 9th. Went down town in the forenoon. No news. Came back. Cleaned my revolver.

Sun. 10th. Wrote to Oliver but did not seal it off.

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Drew a pair of pants. It is very warm today.

Mon. 11th. Moved our Reg. out six miles to Vandover's Brigade. Got near a large cornfield and had plenty of feed for our horses. But water is scarce.

Tues. 12th. Lay around all day. Mail came in; I got a letter from home. Got some Lager beer, tasted bully on march.

Wed. 13th. Got a good breakfast. Took care of my horse. Cleaned up around the camp.

Thurs. 14th. Went down town to help load boats. Hard work. It was very warm for us.

Fri. 15th. Did not do anything today only take care of my horse, no small job.

Sat. 16th. Was on picket on the Little Rock Road. Troops came in all day from a scout to Clarendon. Had a good time.

Sun. 17th. Had a chicken in the morning also some ginger bread. Got to camp at 11 A. M.

Mon. 18th. Had nothing to do today. Ramsdale died of the dysentary. Stableguard night.

Tues. 19th. All I done was to take care of my horse today.

Wed. 20th. Nothing going on at all. Was on guard at 2 M.

Thurs. 21st. Was on guard all day. Went to see the Comstocks. Pretty low today, since here.

Fri. 22nd. Loafed around camp all day. No news of any kind.

Sat. 23rd. Nothing more than usual going on. Care of horse.

Sun. 24th. Was on picket guard. Had a very tiresome time. Only 2 reliefs did not get any sleep till morning.

Mon. 25th. Nothing going on. Doing nothing, only

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camp duty. Heard of Wollman's death.

Tues. 26th. Moved our camp about 2 and one half miles in towards Helena. On fatigue duty.

Wed. 27th. Went to work and built a bunk. Was fussing all day to get things comfortable.

Thurs. 28th. Very warm.

Fri. 29th. Got up early. Went down town to load grain. Got back about noon. Went back at night for rations. Got back at 3. Pretty well worn out.

Sat. 30th. Nothing going on of notice. Washed a couple of shirts and bathed myself in the brook. Looks like rain.

Sun. 3lst. Did not do anything of any account. Rained a little all day but not to hurt anything. Did not feel very well today. Diarrhea.

Mon. Sept. 1, 1862. Nothing going on in camp. Dull times. A good many of the boys are sick. Feel rather down today.

Tues. 2nd. Feel quite unwell today. Went to the Dr. and got some powder. Was on guard at the stable.

Wed. 3rd. Feel worse today than usual. Excused by the Dr. today. Lay abed most all day.

Thurs. 4th. Was waked up last night at 2. The pickets had some trouble. The boys went out on a scout at 4, I went to sleep.

Fri. 5th. Feel no better than did yesterday. The boys came back about 9. Did not amount to anything. Clouds up and heavy thunder.

Sat. 6th. Feel pretty well this morning. But Hunt wanted me to go down to the hospital. Went down. Ate a hearty dinner: beef soup and bread.

Sun. 7th. Got some medicine, made me feel bully. A number of new recruits came for the Reg. today.

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Mon. 8th. Clouded up in the morn, and made out to rain all day. Feel pretty weak and sore but _____

Tues. 9th. Washed and ate a grand meal. Took a long walk, came back. Feeling well but tired. Cleared up and is fine weather now. Col. LaGrange started for Wis. this morning. A lot of old mail came from Cape. Got 2 letters and some old papers.

Wed. 10th. Ate breakfast and took a walk. Told Dr. I would come to camp. Wrote home to Sister.

Thurs. 11th. Ate very hearty this morning. Feel good. Lay abed all day. Jack went down to take care of Russell.

Fri. 12th. Slept poorly last night. Do not feel as well as usual. Today looks like rain.

Sat. 13th. Slept good. Fell down and hurt my thumb. Got some Liquor and Quinnine. Done good.

Sun. 14th. 25 more recruits came in today, fat looking fellows. Some from Jefferson Co.

Mon. 15th. Did not get anything today. Do not feel very well. But eat some. Slept good.

Tues. 16th. Got some powders today, done me good, I think, for feel much better now.

Wed. 17th. Did not get any from Dr. today. Feel middling well. Was writing off notes all day. Mail came in today got 5 letters. Folks all well in all parts.

Thurs. 18th. Set down after breakfast and wrote one letter. Feel pretty well. Think I shall write another today. It is a very fine day. Just warm enough to be comfortable and everything goes off good. Lts. Howland and Bunt start for Wis. This morning. Jim Coon went Sat. last or was to. Wrote to Charlie in the afternoon. Felt first rate today.

Fri. 19th. Was very chilly last night and this morning. The fire felt good to us. Ate a very

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hearty meal this morning, after that I went to work and built a desk to write and eat on. This took till noon then Jack came up from town after dinner. Wrote a letter to Osgood. Then heard the pickets had been fired on particular. Our skirmishers was out 3 miles beyond the guard. He was fired on and wounded in 3 places. Also 7 more wounded unknown.

Sat. 20th. Was quite chilly this morning. Though not as bad as on the one before. The day was equally pleasant. Today paper brings good news from Md, and Virginia. In the afternoon I took a bath and washed out shirt and socks. Had a prime supper, onions and fried cracker and rice. Feel very well but a little tired. Jack and Bill got letters from home.

Sun. 21st. Got up, felt pretty good. All quiet in camp till 1 P. M. When the order came to be ready to start for the Cape at 3 1/2, we 1st and 2nd Batts. started to take the boat, found the "War Eagle" all ready, got loaded with little trouble and got started at 10 at night. The boat is pretty well crowded and we had to sleep up in top. I was pretty well tired out and after about 2 hours was taken quite sick. Got wet through the night. Had a very poor rest. We got on one sand bar that took up some time and was disagreeable.

Mon. 22nd. At daylight found ourselves wooding up which did not take long. And then came on. Did not see much worth note only some gay scenery along the river, until we got near Memphis. Saw 2 old Rebel gunboats that were ruined when the city was taken. Got to the city at about 3, run and staid 1/2 hour and then put out again. It is quite a large and handsome place. It does a good business. Saw nothing much till morning, though we run on a snag and broke the boat some, hard to get off.

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The poem on the next page is the last item of the material. collected on the Wisconsin troops at Helena. Letters of Indiana troops will come next.

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A Short Sketch of the Life and Death of a Wisconsin Soldier.

LEANDER H, CHRISTY,
Who Enlisted August 13, 1862, and Died at Helena, Arkansas, June 21, 1863, Aged 23 years, 1 month, and 6 days.

In my youth of a father I was bereft,
And a lone mother was all I had left;
She toiled for, and loved me, till I was a man,
And then I had to leave here for a strange land.

The reason for leaving I wish you to know,
It was not for pleasure, as I will here show,
But an unholy war broke out in our land,
And nothing could quell it but the strength of our men.

In this war many a mother lost her only son-
Not only by the contents of the enemy's gun,
But the sore contagion that there did prevail
Caused many a heart to weep, yea, even to wail.

It was this that laid all of my future hopes low;
Yes! it proved to me to be a mortal blow;
And the thought of that mother, at home all alone,
Oh! it wrung anguish from out my poor soul.

But many a prayer had she sent up for me,
That I might at once all of my sins see;
Might look unto Jesus, in my time of need,
Repent and believe, and converted be.

As bread on the waters, they were not all lost,
For when far away from her I felt I was lost;
I looked unto Jesus, with faith in my soul,
And all of my sorrows I unto him told.

And bless that glad hour when my soul found relief-
He soothed all my sorrows, assuaged all my grief;
My soul was then happy, I wished for to die,
And sent word to my mother to meet me in the sky.

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And now, before I go, one word I would say,
Come, fellow-soldier, it's time for you to pray;
For I'm going home my Jesus to see,
I'm going, I'm going; come, come follow me.

But one moment I tarry-my mother it's thee,
Of thee I'm thinking-oh! now I can see,
That Jesus, blest Jesus, will take care of you,
Will keep you, and lead you, and guide you through.

And while my body is resting on Arkansas bluff,
Weep not for me, mother, but say it's enough;
Disturb not my dust, for God will bid it arise,
To hail you, my mother, and Him in the skies.

--By N. A. W., Oconomowoc, Wis.

Printed by permission of the Waukesha County Historical Museum, Waukesha, Wisconsin.

*

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IN THE JOHNSON FAMILY "PILOTIN' COMES NATURAL¹

by

Thomas E. Tappan

Three national publications this summer had featured articles about Nettie Johnson and a grandson, Fontain Johnson, both riverboat captains with roots in Helena. The first was in the June, 1977, issue of the S & D REFLECTOR, published by the Sons & Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen, Captain Frederick Way, Jr., President and Editor, and is reproduced here, with Captain Way's permission. He also sent us the picture of the steamboat NETTIE JOHNSON.

"Our thoughts wandered back to the NETTIE JOHNSON when we met and rode with Captain Fontain M. Johnson aboard the MISSISSIPPI QUEEN this past February.

Nettie Johnson was Fontain's grandmother, a full-fledged captain and pilot with an all-ton license as a master on all rivers, and as pilot on sections of the Mississippi, Ohio, St. Francis, Arkansas, and White Rivers. She and her husband, Captain Isadore S. Johnson, built the NETTIE JOHNSON at Memphis in 1905, wood hull, 116 by 28 by 5. The packet had 12" bore by 4' stroke engines, powered by two boilers, each 38" by 22'. Some of the cabin work came from the VICKSBURG (ex-OUACHITA) wrecked at Memphis a year or so before.

Captains Isadore and Nettie had three sons, the eldest being Chester Johnson who became a pilot; the next being Emory Johnson, long with the Federal Barge Lines; and the youngest being Arthur C. (Babe) Johnson who ran the ferry at Helena, Arkansas for years and was father of Fontain M. Johnson.

In January, 1912, the NETTIE JOHNSON was taken up the St. Francis River to Marianna, Arkansas and was just leaving with a log camp aboard when she sank, leaving Mrs. Nettie Johnson and her son Emory

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marooned in a steel lifeboat.

Eventually Captain Nettie Johnson sold her namesake steamboat, but when the steel hull packet JOHN L. LOWRY burned in 1920, she and her son Arthur bought the wreck and took it to Paducah for repairs. It was then that Captain Nettie was stricken with paralysis, and was brought home to Memphis to the home of her son Emory, and there died, aged 55. Her license was last renewed at Memphis on March 6, 1918, signed by inspectors Rees V. Downs and George R. Bower.

The WATERWAYS JOURNAL, issue of June 18, 1927, carried this item: Captain A. C. Johnson, well-known ferryman of Helena, Arkansas, and son of the late Captain Nettie Johnson, is indebted to Thomas Church, wireless operator on Captain Robert M. Bowles' tunnel towboat MEMPHIS. On June 8, while the MEMPHIS was at the new Helena Barge Line Terminal, Mr. Church leaped overboard and rescued Fontain, aged 9, Captain Johnson's son, who had been frightened while playing on the deck and either jumped or fell into the river. Both the lad and his rescuer were going down when the members of the MEMPHIS crew hauled them out. Mr. Church, who owns a farm near Lexington, Kentucky and is a Frankfort boy, has been very modest while his picture is appearing in various southern newspapers."

This article was followed shortly by an article in the COMMERCIAL APPEAL-MID-SOUTH MEMOIRS, by Paul R. Coppock:

"NETTIE JOHNSON: MASTER IN HER OWN PILOTHOUSE"

Boats built in Memphis and women pilots are both rare items in the story of the Mississippi River, but we had them both in the early part of the century.

The pilot in skirts was Nettie Johnson, the former Nettie Waldren, who married Isadore S. Johnson. They lived here, and he apparently was at one time the engineer who operated the steam marble mill for

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the Morris Brothers, who imported marble and granite and made monuments.

In 1904 she went with him when he had a small packet on the St. Francis River. She liked life on the river so much that she came back to Memphis and in 1905, had a boat built, and put her name on it.

The only boat builder in the city directory that year was the Bluff City Boat Company, at 77 McCall, operated by William P. Young and Henry McFadden. But the Johnsons might have built it themselves. He was a steam engineer and some of the cabin work was removed from the wreckage of the VICKSBURG, formerly OUACHITA.

The NETTIE JOHNSON was small. Captain Isadore Johnson put the new boat in the local trade out of Memphis. His wife then applied for a license as a pilot on the St. Francis, and passed the examination. She took more examinations to have her pilot's license extended to the White River and the Mississippi. Then she came back for a master's license and qualified to run her own boat line. She was licensed to be a captain of the largest boats on parts of the Ohio, as well as the Mississippi, Arkansas, White and St. Francis. She was the only woman master on the rivers during her lifetime.²

The best remembered incident of her pilot house career was the sinking of the NETTIE JOHNSON during the night of January 4, 1912. She was taking the boat out of the St. Francis when a floating block of ice crushed a hole in the wooden hull. The boat was opposite Marianna, and the crew members who had left the sinking boat supposedly were near, but she and her small son, Emory, spent the night in a steel lifeboat.

The two Captain Johnsons sold the NETTIE and moved to a steel hull boat, the GRAND,³ which they operated out of Memphis on the St. Francis, the White and on the Arkansas. There was little boat business on the Arkansas, almost totally blocked by sandbars, but the GRAND ran as far as Pine Bluff abd Little Rock.

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They also owned and operated the Helena ferry, the ROCK ISLAND. Their youngest son, Arthur C. Johnson, known as "Babe," was the ferry pilot for years.

She bought the steel hull of the JOHN L. LOWRY, a packet which had burned in 1920, and took it to Paducah to be rebuilt. In Paducah she suffered a stroke and was moved to her son's home here at 609 Lucy. After months of illness she died on December 30, 1921.

She had two other sons, also on the river. Chester was a pilot and Emory was with the Federal Barge Lines.

Meantime the NETTIE JOHNSON had been raised and bought by Captain W. P. Williams. In 1914 he sold her to J. A. Couch and H. C. Williams. They ran her in the Memphis trade. Captain W. L. Berry of Paducah put on a new hull and used her to haul crossties.

In 1923 the Indiana Tie Company bought her and renamed her the INDIANA. She was used to take ties out of the Green River.

Eventually this made-in-Memphis boat became the property of the Crescent Transportation Co. of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, the owner when she burned below Natchez in December of 1937.

The third article appeared in the August, 1977, issue of POPULAR MECHANICS, entitled "A New Queen for the Mississippi," by John Hall, from which the following paragraphs concerning Nettie Johnson and her grandson Fontain Johnson are excerpted.

"Riverboat pilots stand six-hour watches. Captain Gayle started at six this morning and will come back on duty at six this evening. His relief is Captain Fontain Johnson, who entered the pilot house. Captain Johnson is another riverboat man who's a magnificent storyteller.

Like many before him, Captain Johnson has river water in his blood. His grandmother was Captain Nettie Johnson. She owned and operated steamboats on the Mississippi River in the early 1900s. Her husband was one of her pilots.

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Captain Johnson recalls how his grandmother used to haul whiskey from St. Louis to Memphis. ‘When she got to Memphis, ' Captain Johnson says, "she would hire roustabouts to unload. As soon as she paid them, she'd open up the bar on the steamboat and get every penny back.'

For Fontain Johnson, the river has been a way of life in his family since before he can remember. When Johnson went out on the river for the first time as a young man, he started as a deckhand.

‘On his first riverboat job, he served under a captain who was a holdover from the packet steamboat days of passenger travel,' Johnson says. The captain wore a white suit complete with white gloves. On the first day when he summoned young Johnson to the wheelhouse, they were about a day above New Orleans and it was starting to get chilly. The problem concerned the new oil stove which had recently replaced the old wood burner.

The captain inquired whether the young deckhand Johnson could light such a stove since none of the rest of them had had any luck. Johnson said he thought he could based on experience with such stoves as a boy.

'I didn't know they'd been pumping the damn thing since New Orleans,' Johnson says in his finest Greenville, Mississippi accent. So he proceeded to pump the stove and toss in the fire.

'It blew every window out of the wheelhouse,' Johnson says, still laughing hard after all these years. ‘And the only thing that wasn't black in that wheelhouse was the insides of the captain's white gloves.

‘Later that same day,' Johnson relates, 'the captain sent me out on the head of the barge to take a depth reading with a lead line. Nobody told me to tie it off. When I threw out the line, it went right in the river.'

Reprinted by permission from POPULAR MECHANICS. Copyright (c) 1977 The Hearst Corporation.

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W. H. Woodin contributed the following interesting story about Captain Nettie Johnson.

Back around 1915, Captain Nettie Johnson owned a small packet boat named for herself and worked up a good trade running from Memphis to Marianna, Ark.

They would leave Memphis about midnight, come down the Mississippi River to the mouth of the St. Francis River, up the St. Francis to the mouth of the L'Anguille, and up to Marianna landing arriving there about daylight in the morning.

It required a good pair of eyes with night vision to make this run. The L'Anguille River was only about three times as wide as the boat.

On one trip she loaded a boiler for a plantation that was building a gin on the bank of the St. Francis River. Captain Nettie was a good manager. She could handle a steamboat and she could handle a steamboat's crew with tact and diplomacy, if that would work, or with an axhandle if necessary. She could have unloaded the boiler with her deck crew and the steam capstan on the forward deck of the boat, but it would have taken about two hours and some hard work by the deckhands.

One of the Helena lumber companies had a derrick boat loading logs directly across the river from the plantation landing. Captain Nettie laid the forward deck of the steamboat along the side of the derrick boat and stepped out of the pilot house over to the edge of the hurricane deck.

"Hi, Johnnie!" "I want you to go over and unload that boiler for me."

"Aw, Captain Nettie, you know I would like to unload it for you but Captain Charles on the HAZEL RICE is chewing me out every trip cause I can't get these logs loaded fast enough."

From the hurricane deck of the steamboat -- "Now listen, you pie-faced baboon, I've got four quarts of Cream of Kentucky up here that says you are going to unload that boiler."

"John, get them lines off them timber heads, we

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got to go over and unload that biler for Captain Nettie.”

While this conversation was taking place, the deck crew on the steamboat was lashing the cavels on the boat and the derrick boat together. Captain Nettie stepped back in the pilot house, backed the two boats out in the river and crossed over to the plantation landing. On the way over, the engineer on the derrick boat swung the boom around and lowered the tackle down over the boiler. The deck crew on the steamboat already had slings around the boiler. They hooked the tackle of the derrick on and the engineer took up the slack. Captain Nettie eased the two boats against the bank and held them there with the wheel.

Johnnie picked the boiler up, swung the boom around and laid it down on the bank as gently as a mother putting her baby in bed. The tackle was unhooked and the two boats went back across the river. The whole job did not take over 20 minutes.

*

These articles tell us just about all of the information available on Nettie Johnson, but skip a lot of the Johnson family history here in Helena. Therefore, I wrote and later visited with Fontain Johnson in Greenville in October and secured copies of some of the pictures used along with this article. I also asked him to write an article about the Johnson boats, which he has done, and we reprint his letter in full. But first, I think we should list the pilots in the family.

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Letter as follows:

November 17, 1977

Dear Tom:

First, I must apologize to you for not sending the information you requested earlier. They called me back for a trip on the Delta Queen before I was supposed to go. I am enclosing the picture you requested of me at the wheel or levers of the Delta Queen.

I will try to let my memory serve me to relate to you the boats and events as I remember them, although some of the information you may already have.

The first vessel I remember my Father having was the Str. Rock Islana,⁴ that had originally run between Rock Island, Illinois, and Davenport, Iowa. He did not actually purchase this vessel, but Nettie Johnson, his Mother, did. It was placed in his name as owner, because of a lawsuit that had been filed against the Str. Nettie Johnson and Str. Grand. At the same time a farm was purchased in northern

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Mississippi around Lake Cormorant and placed in the name of my Uncle, Emory B. Johnson. So my Uncle went into the farming business and my Father went into the ferry business in Helena, Arkansas. My Mother died around this time. I went to live with my Grandfather, I. S. Johnson, and Grandmother, Nettie Johnson, in Memphis at 612 Lucy, the Homestead, that incidentally is still there and locked in a court battle over a clear title.

After the death of my Mother-Pat was her last live son-she died from childbirth a year after Pat was born, A. C. Johnson married Carolyn Simon, and the ferry, a wooden hull sternwheel steamboat, the Str. Carolyn was built. When this boat was put in operation, the Rock Island was left on the bank at Helena after a high water and used as a home until the house on Arkansas Street was completed.

When the bridge at Cairo was built, two vessels or ferryboats became available, one was the Cary Bird and the other was the Three States. Just prior to this, my Grandmother had died and my Grandfather had remarried. I came to Helena to live with my Father and Stepmother, Girlie, my sister Marion, and brother Pat.

We all went to Cairo and he surveyed the two boats, decided to buy the Three States, a wooden hull sternwheel ferryboat, powered by steam. The hull was not too good, but the ferry was used at Helena, while the Carolyn was taken to Memphis for extensive repairs by Russell Warner, as he had a drydock. Also, the Three States was used in Memphis, when the Harahan bridge burned. The roadway on the steel bridge was wood, and I think the repairs took about six months. The Three States was never used again, it rotted down and caved off into the river.

I believe the next boat purchased was the sternwheel steam towboat, the Curly. It was bought from Kansas City Bridge Company. I had been steering for Federal Barge Lines just prior to this and

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had license from New Orleans to Memphis. I went to New Orleans and piloted the Curly to Helena. We were supposed to tow logs with this boat, but the ice at Helena sank the Curly. You probably know the dates of this. (1940)

The bridge at Vicksburg was completed and we purchased the John J. Miller, a sternwheel steam ferry, brought it to Helena, renamed it the Admiral, made an excursion boat and ferry out of it, with soda fountains, dance area, etc. I was in Helena at this time operating the ferry. We ran several excursions on Saturday nights. World War II was fixing to break out, and I went back to work as a pilot on long trade towboats.

The next boat was the sternwheel survey boat the Jupiter, a small steam vessel sold by the Corps of Engineers in Memphis. This boat was placed on the bank at Helena and converted into a twin screw 600 H. P. diesel towboat with two 300 H. P. Cummings engines. All of the hull work was done at Helena, and the boat was completed at Vicksburg by Jack Tohill. It was then sold to Point Landing, Inc. in New Orleans and later renamed the Point Landing I.

My Father then purchased a small wooden hull steam tug from Louisville, Kentucky. I don't remember the name of this tug, but you probably do. It was brought to Helena on a trial basis, and sank outside the Federal Barge Lines Terminal the same night it was tied off. We had to pay for the tug after a long court battle.

The next ferry bought was the A. C. Jaynes,⁵ bought from Mr. Wynne, the attorney in Greenville, Mississippi, after the Greenville Highway bridge was completed. This boat replaced the Carolyn. About this time the Natchez bridge was completed, and my Father arranged for the George Prince and the Ollie K. Wilds to be brought to Helena on a trial basis, and were placed in operation at Friars Point, Mississippi. The franchise for this operation had been

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purchased from Mr. Fitzgerald.

The operation of the Natchez boats was not as good as was expected, and Mr. Prince took them back to Natchez. They were later sold to the State of Louisiana. The George Prince is the same ferry that was recently hit by a ship, and a lot of people were drowned. (October 20, 1976)

A deal was made with Charles Halbert at this time to operate the Friars Point operation. The first ferry Charles had was the same boat that Fitzgerald operated at Friars Point.

In the meantime cost of coal and operation of steam was becoming very high. My Father went to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin and purchased the Wannomingo and the Lorraine, two sternwheel diesel ferryboats. They replaced the A. C. Jaynes, that was kept as a standby boat, later placed on the bank below the Terminal to be rebuilt into a towboat, but never completed.

Then Charles Halbert came to Helena and made a deal with my Father to lease all of the equipment, and run the ferry. Charles built the City of Helena, a diesel screw wheel ferry, the only one of this type to ever operate at Helena. In the meantime, the bridge was built and that ended the ferry business in Helena. The hull of the Wannamingo became the towboat Lannis J. and later the Linnbar that burned and sank in the vicinity of Arkansas City. (Note: the Three States operated between Mississippi and Arkansas City for about a year and was run by Oscar "Ike" Simon, Charles Halbert's wife Carolyn's Father. It was owned by my Father, but the whole operation was a failure.)

The last boat I believe my Father and Gladys owned was the steel tugboat, the Laura S.⁶ I sold this boat to them. It is still rotting away on the bank at Helena now.

I am not real positive if the Wannamingo and

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Lorraine were before or after the Jaynes in purchase, but they were all there about the same time. This is about all I can remember without some prodding, but I hope it will be of some help to you.

In the meantime, we are going to be on the Mississippi Queen from December 10, 1977 to January 2, 1978, running from New Orleans to Vicksburg. Was nice to see you again here in Greenville, and if I can do anything else, please let me know.

Very truly yours,

Fontain

*

FOOTNOTES

¹With apologies to Captain Frederick Way, Jr., who wrote a book in 1943 entitled PILOTIN' COMES NATURAL. Other books he has written are: THE LOG OF THE BETSY ANN (in which he relates his experience with the KATE ADAMS #3 on the Ohio and the barge made out of the KATE ADAMS #3 after it burned); THE ALLEGHENY; SHE TAKES THE HORNS; and THE SAGA OF THE DELTA QUEEN (the story of the trip bringing the Delta Queen from California to the Mississippi River through the Panama Canal). He has been editor and publisher of the S & D REFLECTOR for fourteen years. The Helena Library has bound copies of this River Historical Quarterly, which are full of pictures and river stories.

²She was later followed by another Helena woman pilot, Captain Mollie B. Johnston, wife of Captain C. M. Johnston whose story we hope to have in one of next year's QUARTERLIES. Another famous woman pilot was Captain "Ma" Mary B. Greene, widow of Captain Gordon C. Greene and mother of Captains Tom and Chris Greene, who operated on the Ohio River.

³GRAND-from an old undated issue of THE WATERWAYS JOURNAL: "In 1909 two steamboats, the GRAND and the

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Page 49 is missing

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Page 50 is missing

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DQ could not use the locks with her stage sprawled out ahead of her. So, it was set on a flat belonging to the U. S. Engineers, detached, and a tug named the LAURA S took the flat and stage in two and locked ahead of us. Then after the DQ locked through, LAURA S$ came alongside and the stage was put back in place on the DQ. Captain Paul Underwood, in command of the DQ, had rigged the idea with the cooperation of Bennett Curtis, lockmaster. Paul Underwood said afterwards this was the first and only time he'd ever double-locked a passenger boat.

Anyhow, by reference to the INLAND RIVER RECORD, the LAURA S was listed as owned by Captain Fontain Johnson. Larry Walker."

A. C. Johnson, Jr. piloted the LAURA S for his brother while Fontain was operating the LAURA S out of New Orleans.

CITY OF HELENA-MV ferry built by Lewis Supply Co. Memphis operated out of Helena 1958-1961 until the Helena Bridge opened. Captain Jenkins was one of the pilots that worked with Charles Halbert who owned the boat. While it was being built in Memphis, Charles sent Captain Jenkins' son, Harold, now known as Conway Twitty, up there to paint the boat. During Halbert's long illness, Conway came to Helena and put on a benefit concert for Charles in appreciation of his help while he was in school here.

***

Photographs on the following pages are:

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Page 53 is missing

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Page 54 is missing

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BOOK REVIEW

Rose Craig White of Marvell, a member of the Historical Society, has recently published a compilation of records which she hopes will help those who are searching for information and dates of ancestors who lived in the Marvell area.

The book includes cemetery listings with dates of Eventide Cemetery at Marvell, the John L. Turner-Cypert Cemetery at Cypert, the Smalley and Connell Cemeteries near Connell's Point, and the Gamble Cemetery near Midway Community.

Records of the Salem Baptist Church at Cypert are also a part of the book, and there are conference notes from 1875 through 1900, a list of pastors since 1876, and a list of current deacons and members.

Compiled records of Phillips County are scarce, and this book by Mrs. White is welcome. It is hoped that she will collect and publish more cemetery listings in the future. The book is available at the West Helena Library for $5.00.

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