Phillips County Historical Quarterly

June and September, 1980

Published by
The Phillips County Historical Society

Meetings are held in September, January, April, and June, on the fourth Sunday in the month, at 3:00 P. M. at the Phillips County Museum.

The Phillips County Historical Society supplies the QUARTERLY to its members. Membership is open to anyone interested in Phillips County history. Annual membership dues are $5.00 for a regular membership and $10.00 for a sustaining membership. Single copies of the QUARTERLY are $1.25. QUARTERLIES are mailed to members. Dues are payable to Mrs. C. M. T. Kirkman, Treasurer, 806 McDonough Street, Helena, Arkansas 72342.

Neither the Editors nor The Phillips County Historical Society assumes any responsibility for statements made by contributors

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PHILLIPS COUNTY
HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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INDIANA TROOPS AT HELENA: PART V

S. C. Bishop letters continued

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Helena, Feb. 1st/1863

Dear Mother,

I received your letter of the 17th the first of the week. We were so busy and I had just written you a letter I deferred writing till now - a more convenient time.

As I told you in my last letter that we had just got back to Helena, I need not say any more about it with the exception that the disagreeable weather we had, followed us to Helena and being as we were destitute for shelter of any kind, we were not in the best humor with ourselves or Abraham's service.

Every dog has his day -- for working late and early through wind and rain we've at last got us a comfortable little cabin again. It would be called little for people who are use to plenty of room. A soldier considers he has room enough, when he has space to turn around in and a place to sleep. However, we have a little larger space than this, but I have seen the time on the boats when as the Scripture says "I have not where to lay my head."

I got a letter from Bill Moore the same time I did yours. He says the folks are all well about Newburgh. The people at Brazil were considerably excited on account of a case of smallpox in their midst. The young man died in five days from the time he was taken sick. John Woods got a letter from Bill Painter, the substance of it was that he was tired of this "war". He says that Nils and Chester may thank their God that they stayed home.

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Also, says that the 89th (or 85th) regiment is about played out and are only waiting for Morgan to come around and take them prisoners. He further says that he has not touched his gun for two weeks. If he had an opportunity he would not fight worth a count and intends to take a bucket furlough when he is paid and come home. Bill Moore says there are a good many deserters, among them is Dan Arbuckle. Dan, however, is getting patriotic again. He intends to join our regiment in the spring. He and Bill are working together, but he does not say what they are doing.

Tis now one year and a half since I joined the Army and while I differ as to somethings that have been done by the Administration, I am much in favor of the war as ever I was. I wish I could say that this was the feeling of everyone in our regiment, but tis not.

Defeats, mistaken policies and half sympathizing Secesh in our army always ready to criticize everything done by the President and his cabinet, have together worked up a bad feeling in our ranks and unless something is done in the next six months, our prospects of whipping the rebels looks very gloomy, "I will still hope for the better."

I was very sorry to hear of poor Steve's death. I hope the matter may be investigated and the guilty ones brought to justice. Aunt Betsy must have been getting along in years, when she died. I was so small when I last saw her that I have but a faint recollection of how she looked. Send my respects to the friends in Missouri. I should be very happy to see them once more.

I got the stamps you sent me and I think that I spoke of it in my next letter after receiving them. I wish you would have somebody to cut your wood and not try to do it yourself.

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We are expecting the Pay Master everyday. I hope he will not disappoint us this time.

Write soon,

S. C. Bishop

***

Helena, Feb. 14th/1863

Dear Mother,

I am unable to tell the reasons of my letters not reaching you, tis indeed no fault of mine as I never defer writing more than two days after your letters reach me.

I do not know whether I will get this letter finished or not, it takes three or four scratches to make a mark and I have become so excited that I have upset my ink case twice.

My health is still good with the exception of a light cold. I made some hoar hound candy the other day and it has helped a great deal. We have got our Shanty finished and I need not expose myself without a cause. I just came off duty a few minutes ago. One year ago today we were on our way to Donelson and marched the whole distance (12 miles) in two hours and a half and what a night we had to go through with. I laid down to sleep and waked up nearly frozen. Our blankets were completely covered with snow, though we spent two hard days and three nights at Donelson. I would be willing to go through it again, if we could do as much good.

Major Donnell told us this morning that the Pay Master had come. If this be true, we will be paid before long.

I have subscribed for the Mayflower again. If you do not get it, I will see about the matter. I received the stamps you sent me. Write soon as you read this.

S. C. Bishop

***

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Helena, Feb. 20th/1863

Dear Mother,

Yours of the 8th is received and having but a short time to write I must be brief as possible.

I am sorry to hear of Willie's bad health, yet I am glad it's not worse. My health at this time is improving. I have nearly recovered from my cold.

I am at a loss to know why you do not receive my letters more regularly. I am certain that I get all your letters. It must be nearly two months since you sent me the stamps, and I have spoken about it in three or four of my letters. If you get this letter let me know by telling the date and what time you get it. I wrote you a letter about the 15th of this month.

We are all getting along very well at present. All we have to contend with is bad weather. I came in from picket this morning. It rained on us all the after part of the night, and it has been raining all day. I am afraid, we will have a bad evening to leave camp. Our orders are to have two days cooked rations in our haversacks so tis plain we are not going very far, probably to the Yazoo Pass to keep the rebels from falling timber into it.

I expect you have seen the account in the papers about us cutting the levee and letting the Mississippi flow into the pass. Tis only about twelve miles below Helena and twill not take us very long to get there by boat.

I got a letter from Bill Moore three weeks ago. He says they have not received a letter from you since you was at Brazil.

As I must begin to get my things together I will have to close.

Write soon,
Your affectionate son,
S. C. Bishop

***

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Helena, Mar. 3rd/1863

Dear Mother,

I received yours of the 18th yesterday and was glad to hear that you are all well. When I last wrote to you, we were just ready to start on an expedition to the "Yazoo Pass". We were just gone one week and got back to Helena last Saturday night.

We had a first rate time, while we were gone. Our duty was to guard the Pass and clear all obstruction so that our gun boats could pass through. As we only took one days rations with us, we had to forage off the country. We soon set an old mill to running, which furnished us all the meal we wanted.

There was quite a change at Helena, while we were gone. General Gorman was ordered to report at Memphis for some of his doings and General Prentiss takes his place. We were some what surprised to find that our camp had been changed, while we were gone. This is the second time we have built houses this winter and had to leave, then they have furnished us a few small tents and we are now camped on a hillside near Hinman's house and over looking the mudhole of a town, Helena.

The Pay Master had at last condescended to pay us a visit and give us two months dues when we should have six. I will send you some money in this letter. I would like to have been able to send more. We were compelled to pay for our new jackets this pay day. They cost us $5.50. I also paid two dollars for a company record, which I will send home today. We also squared up the bill for sending Kelly home. Some of the boys, who subscribed are away at hospitals and we had to make up the amount. It will be paid back again next payday.

You need not send for the Mayflower as I have already done so and paid the amount. I

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am sorry to hear of Uncle Jack's illness. The health of the regiment is very good. Billy Pansy, who has been sick every since we went up the Tennessee River, says he feels nearly well again.

The box you sent me has not come yet. I am going down to the express office this afternoon. It may have come this morning. Write soon.

Your son,

S. C. Bishop

***

Helena, Mar. 8th/1863

Dear Mother,

The box you sent me came last night, and in obedience to your request I will give you all the particulars. The pies were considerably mashed and on the bottom a little musty. The bread on the outside is the same way, but by a little parring tis good as ever. The fruits dried and canned are all right. So is the molasses and apple butter.

The box was quite wet in the bottom. It must have been kept somewhere exposed to the rain. I think if the box had been kept in the dry everything would have been perfectly good. I can tell you more fully concerning the articles in my next , for by that time we will have fully tested the merits of everything in this box. One of my men got a box the same time I did and consequently we have quite a variety of articles to be tested.

We have been greatly favored here of late. The Ladys of Greencastle just last week favored us with some pantry stores consisting of fruits both green and dried, some pickles and so forth. True there wasn't much when divided among so many, yet it shows there are some at the north who still care for the soldiers.

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I send my warmest thanks to Mrs. Grisby, Aunt Harriet and Willie for their donations. Resume a full share for yourself.

I sent you a letter containing some money last week and also our company record. I hope they may arrive safe. My health is good. I send my love to you and Willie and all the friends at home.

Write soon,

S. C. Bishop

***

Helena, Mar. 12th/1863

Dear Mother,

Yours of the 1st is received and as it has been but a few days since I wrote you a letter it will not be necessary to make this one lengthy.

I fear you may not get my letter. I will tell you the box came safe. There was nothing spoiled -- the bread had begun to get musty on the outside. The pies were mashed but not otherwise hurt. The contents of the box are a welcome luxury to us soldiers and will no doubt spoil our tastes for army rations, a good while after the contents are gone. I made a mistake in my other letter I mentioned that the apple butter was good when I should have said blackberry jam. I had not tasted or observed very closely the article referred to but supposed from a passing glance, while some of the boys had the can open that it was apple butter.

I suppose from you asking me in three or four letters whether I received the stamps you sent me that you had not received all my letters immediately after getting the stamps that they had come and spoke of it in two or more letters

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afterwards if you have got all my letters they will prove this otherwise they will not.

I am sorry that the property has been sold for taxes. I have never thought of this myself, if Nils can reclaim the property anyway. I think he would do it. I have strong hopes of being payed for 4 months before long. In case, we should, I can easily send you fifty dollars or more which could be used for this purpose, if you did not need it for something else. The whole country here is covered with water and the river is still rising. If the water gets much higher will be very diffcult to get subsistence from the boats to our camp. Helena is nearly submerged already. My health is still good and so is the health of the rest. Write soon to your son,

S. C. Bishop

***

-to be continued-

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LaBELLE RIVIERE:
A 'SET' FOR ‘UNCLE TOM'S CABIN'

From THE WATERWAYS JOURNAL
August 18, 1973

A few weeks ago The Waterways Journal published a picture of the Julia Belle Swain converted into the "River Queen" for the filming of the new motion picture "Tom Sawyer." It was recalled that other steamboats also had appeared in movie roles, including the popular Kate Adams.

The editors are grateful to river historian T. E. Tappan of Helena, Ark. for furnishing for copying purposes a set of eight by ten prints that he received from the motion picture company responsible for making the film "Uncle Tom's Cabin," in which the Kate Adams "starred" as the "LaBelle Riviere."

Mr. Tappan also forwarded the following interesting account of the filming from the Memphis "Commercial Appeal" of October 26, 1926:

KATE PUTS ON A GINGHAM APRON
FOR ROLE IN MOVIES

Kate Adams, like all movie queens, is fussy about her appearance, and takes her time in creating it. She has been so long in making herself up as LaBelle Riviere, in the story of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," that she and the troupe of 60 actors of the Universal Film Corporation were not due to head down the river until some time Wednesday afternoon.

The old sidewheel steamer is slowly losing all traces of modern days. Radiators have been removed from the long hallway and ballroom. Electric equipment is being removed.

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The Universal picture company is filming the story of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," which happened between 1850 and 1860. All the river scenes will be taken on and from the Kate Adams. The work here will take three weeks or longer, Sam B. Jacobson, business manager, said. The Kate may be taken as far south as Helena, Ark.

There were about 15 expert carpenters from the moving picture studio in California on the boat, and they built false gingerbread ornaments all along the guards on her cabin deck.

At Memphis, the picture company had giant ferns cut out of sheet iron and fastened around the tops of her smokestacks. Her swinging stages were removed and when those workmen finished dolling her up, she was a fine image of a Mississippi River packet in those years before the Civil War. They gave her the name of "LaBelle Riviere," took her down on Big Black River, and filmed the picture. It was a great success on the screen.

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U. D. C. OF HELENA,
PROTEST AGAINST MOVIE

From COMMERCIAL APPEAL, Jan. 8, 1927

A dispatch from Helena, Ark., in last Sunday's “Arkansas Gazette," of Little Rock, Ark., leading newspaper of the state, read as follows:

"Helena, Nov.6.--The Seven Generals Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy has adopted resolutions deploring and condemning the filming of a motion picture, "Uncle Tom's Cabin", on the local river front. The steamer Kate Adams, loved by most people of this section as a part of the old South, was used in the river scenes taken in Helena, which also

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is a fact deplored by the members in their protest against the film. Local negroes were used as the maltreated slaves of Simon LeGree, while that supposedly heartless individual, "Uncle Tom" and "Little Eva," as well as other principals of the cast, were supplied by the Universal Film Company, which selected Helena for the setting. The local organization wished to go on record as against repetitions of such filming events in Helena as picturing of Harriet Beecher Stowe's famous argument of the abolition of slavery. The filming operations here required about a week, and more than 200 local people were used in the mob scenes."

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NO OBJECTION AT NATCHEZ

Natchez, Miss., Nov. 10--The steamer Kate Adams, which will appear as "The Riviere" in the Tom Pollard production of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," is in port at Natchez for the purpose of casting the large number of local people to be used in the river scenes to be made in the vicinity or Natchez. Bad weather for the past two days has held up exterior shots but the director is well pleased with the progress made, and especially the scenes secured on Black river about 25 miles from Natchez. Although Natchez in many respects preserves more of the traditions of the Old South than any place in the country, the filming of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" has created no particular stir and any bitterness that may have been caused by the book of Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe is not apparent. The moving picture colony making its home on the Kate Adams had been accepted as an interesting part of the community life of Natchez and as an evidence of this a ball in honor of the company was given on Tuesday evening.

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Thought to be part of the cast of "Uncle Tom's Cabin."

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GEORGE WEST, JR.
Phillips County Judge, 1866-1868

By Lee Kennon Jacks
Little Rock, Arkansas

George West II was born in Montgomery County, near Clarksville, Tennessee, October 20, 1818.

George West I, his father, was from Bertie County, Virginia, and he married Elizabeth Clements. They lived at a place called Sailor's Rest, overlooking the Cumberland River. This was a Revolutionary War land-grant for his services as a naval captain. They had one daughter, Mary, who married Perry Wayne Humphreys, and two sons, Robert and George West II.

In 1837, George II emigrated to Holly Springs, Mississippi. He was employed as a cashier for the Northern Bank of Mississippi, and studied law with Judge Powell and Alex Carruthers. He married Seignora Peyton Elcan of that city, October 21, 1845.

The family moved to Helena, Arkansas in 1857, and he was engaged in law practice. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he went to Memphis and enlisted in the C. S. A. He was given a commission as Captain. He reported to Brig. Gen. John H. Villepique, Ft. Pillow, Tennessee, 40 miles north of Memphis. He considered his greatest achievement was the transfer of two million dollars ($2,000,000.00) in gold bullion from Arkansas to the Texas Confederate forces, which required him to go through the Union occupied territory to reach Washington, Arkansas. After the war, he was elected County Judge of Phillips County, for one term, 1866-1868.

He and his wife removed to Little Rock, be Arkansas in 1875, and built their home at 1922

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Louisiana Street. This building is standing (1980). He was admitted to the Bar and was later appointed as Chief Clerk in the office of Auditor Miller. He held this position until 1883. He died April 20, 1885. He is buried at Oakland Cemetery, 404 Heliotrope (Pulaski County, Little Rock, Arkansas).

He was a Royal Arch Knights Templar Mason and a personal friend of General Albert Pike.

The union of Seigniora Peyton (Elcan) West and George West, Jr. The following children wer born in this order:

1. MARTHA ELIZABETH WEST: September 19, 1846, born at Memphis, Tennessee, married Henry Constantine RABB of Helena, January 22, 1867. Issue: John, Peyton and Spencer. She died March 29, 1887.

2. SEIGNIORA PEYTON WEST: April 29, 1848-1885. She was born at Holly Springs, Miss. Married John Charles Hale. Issue: Lula, daughter, married Dr. Fred We Dortch, no issue. Martha, daughter, married Marvin Hicks. Issue: Johnnie Ge, Daughter, married Marvin Masters.

3. ELCAN WEST: 1850, he was born at Holly Springs, Miss. Married Miss Donna Govan of Marianna, no issue.

4. FANNIE BOLLING WEST: April 9, 1852,she was born at Holly Springs, Miss. Married Oscar F. Russell. Issue: Mary L., daughter, married Harry F. Dodge. Seigniora Elcan, daughter, married Sidney Benton Laune, had a son, George, who died in infancy.

5. SARA McCULLOCH WEST: November 28, 1852, born at Holly Springs, Mississippi. Married Oscar F. Russell. (Younger sister of his first wife) Issue: Fritz and Fannie.

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6. SPENCER WRIGHT WEST: September 24, 1856, she was born at Holly Springs, Miss. Married Justus L. Jacks of Helena. Issue: Thomas Spencer, George West, John Peyton, Justus L. Jacks, Jr., Eve Humphreys and Elcan Jacks. All of the above had issue except Elcan, who was killed in a railroad accident in McGehee, 1910. She died May 8, 1922.

7. GEORGE WEST III: November 19, 1866, he was born at Helena, Arkansas. Married Alberta Black. Issue: Katherine Brainard. He died in 1937.

This is a quote from my father, Justus L. Jacks, Jr., who furnished all of the above records.

Quoting Little Abner, "It ain't written by a scholar, as any fool can plainly see, but I trust that each and every person furnished can figger out where they come in!"

Oscar F. Russell: was born, Wayne County, at Marion, N.Y., Feb. 6, 1838. He was a descendant of Sir William Russell of London, England, who landed at New Haven, Conn., in 1636. He was the seventh son of Daniel Russell; he attended private school at a very early age and entered public school at five. He started teaching in 1854 between terms until 1860. During this time he taught in Marion, Taylersville, Ill.

He and his brother founded the Normal Academy in 1860, which was near Helena. He was the first principal of Helena's Public Schools in October 1868. This school was located in a room on Cherry Street, near the Shelby House. He remained there until Sept., 1873. He taught at Fayetteville, Ark. He also taught at Lonoke, Ark. and Little Rock until 1890. His health failed and he removed to

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Clifford, Collinsworth County, Texas where he remained until his death, May 8, 1897. His remains were brought back to Little Rock where they were buried, lots, 403,403, West Family Plot, Heliotrope Ave. Oakland Cemetery, Pulaski County, Little Rock, Arkansas.

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Near Trenton, Ark.
Nov. 22, 1864

My dear Matty,

No doubt you feel anxious to hear from home. I arrived at Trenton on the morning of the 13th, October, without accident from Washington, Arkansas. I left the later place in company with Capt. Richardson and Dr. Adams.

Upon my arrival at home I found your ma and the children well except Sally. She was sick then and has not been very well since. Your mother has since moved to the Jackson place, where we are living now. Ten days ago, your mother and Peyton went into Helena for the purpose of sending Peyton to a Memphis school. Your ma intended to go to Memphis with Peyton, if she may be permitted to do so, and I presume she obtained permission, as she has not yet returned and I have not heard from them. “It is time your ma was back and I am looking for her everyday. I was much in hopes she would return before Mr. Smith's departure, as she intends to bring you out, if possible a pair of shoes. But Mr. Smith is compelled to leave in the morning and so will have to go without them. Your mother had previously procured for you two drapes, one calico and one worsted and a corsette. These I send by Mr. Smith and hope they will reach you safely. You will observe that two dry patterns have been temporarily sewed up in the form of undergarments. This

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Peyton had to do in town and wear them out on her person. You can easily transform them into drapes. I hope another opportunity will present itself of sending you the shoes and other things at some future time.

You doubtly expected me to take your mother and the children to Texas. This I intended to do when I left for Texas, tho I had my doubts of my ability to accomplish it. My trip over here and the situation of affairs generally satisfy me that it is totally impractical. In the first place, it is next to impossible to get on the road from the Arkansas River to Camden, forage for stock and subsistence to live on. Besides that, if I had thousands of dollars, I could not procure transportation for the simple reason that nobody had transportation to sell. Indeed a few teams is about all that any person had and they are intended for domestic purposes, cat. homes.

So your fondly anticipated meeting with your ma and the family must be postponed. This grieves me mostly, my dear daughter, as much or more than it does you. You must try and bear it with that Christain philosophy, becoming a professed follower, the meek and lowly savior. In this trying time of our lives, my child prove yourself a true woman and thereby cheer the hearts of your father and mother. Our separation from you is as sore to us as it is to you. May God give you grace to bear up under this dispondency with becoming resigned. You have our love and daily prayer and not a day passes that you are not the subject of our conversations. Your mother and I expect, which she should, your continued member of a Methodist Church, although it is perfectly willing that you should exercise your discression as you are of an age to judge in those matters for yourself. She hopes you may over come every temptation, live the life of a

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Christain in this world and finally ushered into that life everlasting life beyond the skies.

We have no news except rumors and I forebear to mention them. Lincoln is re-elected beyond a doubt. Now for local news. John Hanks of Helena is dead. Mr. Hure was well when we heard last. John Wayne and his family are in Canada. Old Cal Moore and his son, they are both blind. Jim Scaife killed Dr. Ira Reid day before I got home. The difficulty occured about some domestic matter. Jim Scaife has been captured by the Federals and is now a prisoner of Helena. Tom Scaife is also a prisoner at Camp Chase, Columbus, Ohio. Say to Mrs. Wiggs that I have seen Mrs. Brooks but for a minute at one time. She spent one day at our house when I was about. She wrote to Ann by Mr. Smith and to that letter, I must refer her for information about her affair herein. Sandy and Eliza are getting along very well. The GM house had been burned down by accident and came near burning up the whole premis. Tell Dr. Mandell that I have not heard from Sitt and Betty. It is not safe to travel about and I keep close at home. I shall not leave your mother and the children this winter unless the Yankees take me prisoner and carry me North. I will go before I will take the oath.

They had me prisoner at Trenton a few days after I got home, about an hour, but they were after other game and seeing that I was dressed in citizen clothes, they asked me no questions and went off without me, much to my relief.

How I may fare another time remains to be seen. I shall never run from them, but will stand and take the chances.

It is probable that your grandmother may move to Memphis. If so, Peyton will band with her. Mr. Green who married Minny lives there,

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also. If your grandmother is not in Memphis, Peyton will either live with Minny or your cousin, Robin Bolling. Your mother was anxious for Peyton to go to school. She is nearly grown and were she to miss the next year, she will get no schooling at all.

Have just learned that the Yankees are in Trenton, so I must close.

The children send much love to you.

You must give our best to Dr. Mandall and family.

Your father,

George West

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GEORGE WEST II
1818-1885

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BOILER EXPLOSION ON THE
STEAMER PENNSYLVANIA

by Thomas E. Tappan

The following information was acquired from the writings of Mrs. Effie Allison Wall:

On the morning of June 8th, 1858, the boilers on the steamboat PENNSYLVANIA exploded near Bordeaux Island, 70 miles below Memphis.

Mrs. Margaret Harrison Clark of Marianna, then a child eleven years old was standing on the front porch of her grandfather's home on Bordeaux Island (#56), and witnessed the explosion and burning of the PENNSYLVANIA. Mrs. Clark says it was a Sunday morning and the family was making preparations to go to church. The river was at high stage water and the boat was running close to the bank. When no more than 200 yards from the house, the explosion occurred and almost immediately fire broke out. Mrs. Clark's grandfather, F.A. Harrison, in the greatest haste, assembled his negroes and put out with a large barge and a flatboat to the aid of the unfortunates on board the PENNSYLVANIA.

Mrs. Clark's brother (Charles W.) a mere boy, want out in a skiff and picked up 16 people, who had been thrown into the water and were clinging to bits of wreckage. These were placed on mattresses and blankets on the porch of Mr. Harrisons' home and cared for by the family until picked up by the steamer KATE FRISBEE late in the afternoon. Many of the 16 had been badly scalded and suffered greatly during the day. After saving these people, the brother in the skiff picked up others farther down the river and placed them on the barge.

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The Daily Appeal of Memphis, dated June 15th, 1858, had the following account:

"On Saturday morning between 5 and 6 o'clock the Steamboat PENNSYLVANIA was on its way up from New Orleans to St. Louis. It is one of the boats of the New Orleans and St. Louis Line.

When some 70 miles below Memphis, near Bordeaux Island, an explosion of the boilers took place of a most terrific character.

The whole of the superstructure of the boat from the wheels was dashed to ruin, and a considerable part, including the chimneys, was blown overboard, and the wheel houses were broken to pieces.

The texas and some of the forward upper portion of the boat fell from the deck and with them such tenants of that part of the boat as were sleeping in their berths, including some of the employees of the boat who were sleeping in the texas; others, more immediately over the boilers, were blown into the river.

At the time of the occurrence, Captain Kleinfelter was in the barber shop, which escaped destruction. He was uninjured and at once proceeded, with utmost coolness, to take the necessary steps required by the fearful situation in which the boat and her large human freight were placed.

He first had the anchor cast, but the line parted, He then hailed a woodboat when it's owner, Mr. Harrison, at once cut loose and made for the wreck where he and his boat rendered service which greatly contributed to render the calamity less destructive than it would have been without such assistance, for the PENNSYLVANIA took fire a half hour after the explosion, and the wood-boat was thus the means of saving many from death by fire or drowning.

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Toward Mr. Harrison, for his prompt and efficient assistance, the survivors express much gratitude. On this boat the living, wounded and the dead remaining on the afterpart of the boat, which suffered but little injury, were placed. The boat was brought to an island (Ship Island) where they remained until the Steamboat IMPERIAL, coming along took them in tow and conveyed them to the village of Austin, Mississippi. The inhabitants of that place at once generously offered every succor in their power. About 4 o'clock in the evening the KATE FRISBEE came along and Captain Mason and his kind-hearted officers took the unfortunate persons on board and conveyed them to Memphis where the necessary medical assistance would be rendered."

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FOOTNOTES

William H. Clark, who eight years later, became Margaret Harrison's husband, was clerk on the KATE FRISBEE at the time of the explosion on the PENNSYLVANIA. Her brother, Charles Harrison, who with his skiff, saved so many lives, died at the battle of Shiloh. He was only twenty-one when he died.

George Carrington Harrison, was Margaret's widowed father, living with F. A. Harrison.

Louise Clark Vaughn is Margaret Clark's granddaughter.

The article is the result of a chance meeting May 2, 1980 in the Carribean on the SOUTHWARD, with George and Louise Vaughn, classmates of mine at the University of Arkansas, whom I had not seen since about 1931. In our conversation, it developed that he was a historian concerned mainly with Mark Twain history.

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He asked me if I knew the story about Mark Twain's younger brother being killed near Helena, and as I did not, I asked him to send me the article.

What the above article does not reveal is that Sam Clemens was a cub pilot, and his younger brother, Henry Clemens, was an under clerk on the PENNSYLVANIA on the down trip, just prior to the up river trip that the accident occurred on.

Due to an altercation that Sam had with his pilot trainer, Brown, he was relieved and followed two days later on the A.T. LACEY.

Lee County, Arkansas was not dedicated as a county out of Phillips County until April 17th, 1873, therefore at the time of the accident, Bordeaux Island was in Phillips County. Bordeaux Island became part of the mainland of Arkansas, when the Mississippi River decided to change courses at Commerce Bend and cut off in 1874, leaving Old Walnut Bend and started flowing through Bordeaux Chute.

***

In HISTORIC NAMES AND PLACES ON THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI, page 92, a publication of the Mississippi River Commission, 1977, Vicksburg, there is the account of the accident:

“Several islands and the little town of Austin, Mississippi, were removed from the main channel of the river by the cutoff. One of the islands that was left lying miles inland was the one that lay near the town, It had been called Ship Island, and somewhere near its foot lay the remains of a well-known steamer called the PENNSYLVANIA.

The PENNSYLVANIA was lost near Austin during the great flood of 1858. The boat had

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been hurrying upstream in June of that year, and had passed Austin just before dawn. There was a woodyard above the town, and George C. Harrison happened to be out on the river bank stacking cordwood when the big steamer passed. Harrison stopped his work to watch the boat round the bend above him. Suddenly the PENNSYLVANIA seemed to disintegrate before his astonished eyes. A fraction of a second later a tremendous blast shook the earth, and Harrison knew what had happened. When the smoke cleared he could see that the PENNSYLVANIA was already a total wreck.

Peering through the smoke and fog that still hung over the river, Harrison thought he could see people in the water, struggling to stay afloat and clutching at bits of debris. Young Harrison shouted to his father, and the two men quickly untied a woodflat and rushed to the disabled steamer as fast as they could row the awkward craft.

At the scene of the accident, there was wild confusion. Dozens of people were in the water, but many were still on board the disabled boat. To George Harrison's dismay, some of the passengers seemed to be more concerned about their property than their lives. Not until it became obvious that the PENNSYLVANIA was being rapidly consumed by flames were the Harrisons able to persuade some of the people to abandon their luggage and jump to the safety of the woodflat. A few hesitated long enough to grab their heavy trunks, tossing them to the woodboat's deck and injuring several people in the process.

The Harrisons kept the flatboat against the burning vessel until it too was about to be engulfed in the flames. Then they pulled away and drifted down to a safe place to attend to

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the injured and await assistance. The wreck of the burning PENNSYLVANIA drifted past Austin and came to rest at the foot of Ship Island.

An investigation made after the accident revealed that the big boat had been carrying about 400 passengers when she exploded. About 160 of the passengers and crew were lost. Many of the dead were German immigrants.

One of the victims of the explosion died several hours after he had been taken to a hospital at Memphis. His name was Henry Clemens. Henry had been the boat's clerk, and his brother Sam was a cub pilot on the PENNSYLVANIA. But for a last minute change of plans at New Orleans, Sam Clemens would have been sharing Henry's quarters at the time of the accident and might have shared his sad fate as well. If Sam Clemens had not been left behind at New Orleans when the PENNSYLVANIA made her last ill-fated upstream voyage, the world might have been deprived of one of its favorite authors. Young Sam Clemens would later abandon his career as a steamboat pilot to become America's most respected and beloved literary figure, Mark Twain. (Austin was situated just east of the mouth of the St. Francis River, just above Helena, and at one time was the county seat of Tunica County, until the railroads pulled the traffic away from the river. Ed.)

The PENNSYLVANIA was not the only steamer whose remains lay somewhere in OK Bend. Another interesting relic of the steamboat days lays off of Hardin's Landing.

The Confederate gunboat TUSCARORA was hurrying up to help defend Columbus, Kentucky, when she caught fire in front of the landing (Austin, Ms.) and went down. The crew of the rebel boat ran her to the shore, and tried to remove the powder from her magazine, but the

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fire progressed too rapidly. When the flames reached the TUSCARORA'S store of ammunition, exploding shells zoomed into the nearby woods, catching trees on fire and burning down the plantation slave quarters on the shore. The boat which carried three guns, went down about 30 yds. from the river bank, and was said to have been visible at low water in 1870."

***

In Chapter 19 of Life on The Mississippi, by Mark Twain, he describes in detail the events that led up to his fight with Mr. Brown, over a message that Henry Clemens delivered to the pilot, Brown, which Brown ignored.

In Chapter 20, Mark Twain relates the story of the explosion and burning of the PENNSYLVANIA. He was on the A.T. LACEY which left New Orleans two days after the PENNSYLVANIA. At Greenville, Mississippi, they received the first word of the accident, with word that his brother, Henry, was not hurt. Later the same day, they received an extra of a Memphis paper, also saying Henry was not hurt. Farther up the river, they received word that the brother was hurt beyond help. Samuel Clemens reached Memphis in time to be with his brother before he died.

In a much later clipping from The Commercial Appeal (date not available) with a reprint of the original news release from the Appeal quoted Mark Twain as follows:

"HOW THOSE GRAY HAIRS BEGAN"

"In many ways, Mark Twain never overcame the tradegy of Henry's death," says Albert Bigelow Paine's biography. "He never really looked young again. Gray hairs had come, as he said, and they did not disappear!- At 23 he looked 30. At 30 he looked nearer 40.

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After that, the discrepancy of age and looks became less noticeable."

"-- explosion -- which claimed the lives of many persons, including 20 year old Henry Clemens, youngest brother of Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens). Henry horribly scalded by escaping steam, was brought to Memphis, where he died - and where treatment he received caused Mark Twain to say, in a letter written a few days later: "God bless Memphis, the noblest city on the face of the earth."

***

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THE PALMER HOUSE

The information in this article was used for the Nomination Form of the National Register of Historic Places, in an effort to place the Palmer house on the register. This was successful, and the house was placed on the Register a few years ago. The Palmer house is actually in Monroe County, on U. S. Highway 49, four miles southeast of Blackton, and just over the west line of Phillips County. John C. Palmer, its builder, was a leading member of the Helena business and professional community in the last century.

***

THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

The Palmer House is a two-and-one~half-storey structure with a full basement. The house is square in shape and is perfectly symmetrical, as exemplified in the spacing of dormers and windows. The red-brick structure was constructed from 1870 to 1873 and included many of the architectural attributes of "fine" homes of that day.

The Palmer House is marked by several distinctive architectural features. Windows are paired and are marked by brick arches with radiating voussoirs and lugsills which serve both windows. Closely-spaced scroll brackets are found on the cornice. Four dormers extend from the hipped roof, one in the center of each elevation. The gable-roofed dormers feature paired arched windows separated and flanked by panel pilasters. The gable ends feature a triangular and diamond-shaped pattern. Decorative brackets are set under the projecting eaves of the dormers.

The facade is divided into three bays, each marked by paired windows topped by brick

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arches with radiating voussoirs. A veranda spans the width of the facade and is supported by square columns. The double-entry doors are heavy, solid wood with paneling of unusual designs utilizing circular lines. Over the doors is a fanlight transom.

A two-storey gallery on the rear is similar in design to the veranda in the facade. The gallery features a shed roof and square columns.

The interior of the Palmer House features a central-hall plan, with rooms of almost equal size arranged around the hallway both upstairs and downstairs. The rooms are large with high ceilings. The wide central hall opens onto the rear of the house. A steep single flight of stairs rises from the hallway to the second floor. This stairway features decorative paneling on the side. The turned balusters are distributed two per tred. Featured throughout the house are wide baseboards and molded door and window trim. The transoms over the doors are operable and open horizontally. Wooden fireplace mantels are elaborate with decorative spandrels, paneled pilasters and cartouches with the initials "J.C.P." The house originally contained wide-plank pine floors, Oak floors have been installed downstairs, but the original pine floors remain upstairs. Warmth for the Palmer House is provided by steam heat, in addition to fireplaces. Registers are located in the baseboards of each room.

Originally, the facade of the house featured a two-storey porch which covered only the center bay. The second storey of the porch was marked by a railing and turned balusters. The wide one-storey veranda replaced the two-storey porch c. 1906. In 1943 the first-storey pine floors were replaced with oak, a bathroom was made out of a downstairs butler's pantry

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and an upstairs closet was made into a bathroom. In 1951 the two-storey rear porch was screened and a small porch on the west elevation was added.

The Palmer House remains well preserved. Sound construction and continual maintenance have kept the house in good condition. The Palmer House rests regally in a large yard surrounded by magnolia and cedar trees as a significant historical landmark in Monroe County.

***

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

The Palmer House is a grand brick structure which rests far back from the road surrounded by mammoth old trees. The significance of the Palmer House, located near Blackton in Monroe County, lies primarily in two areas. Architecturally, the house is an example of the finest architectural attributes of the 1870's. Completed in 1873, the Palmer House is a two-storey structure with a full attic and basement. Dormers project from the hipped roof on all four elevations. The cornice is marked by decorative brackets. Arched windows and doors are a distinctive feature of the houses.

In addition to its architecture, the Palmer House had a second area of significance. This second significance derives from John C. Palmer, the man most closely associated with the house. Palmer, the builder of the house, was one of the most prominent lawyers in the history of Arkansas.

John Coleman Palmer, son of James W. Palmer of Kelso, Scotland, and Mary Breen of Waterford, Ireland, was born in Lexington, Kentucky, May 12, 1823. He lived in Lexington

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until 1829 when the Palmer family moved to Louisville, Kentucky. James W. Palmer died in 1833 and his wife in 1837.

John C. Palmer was educated in private schools until he entered Beardstown College. At the age of fourteen he went back to Lexington, where he worked for six years in a store, owned by Leonard Wheeler. Palmer began the study of law at the age of twenty with Madison C. Johnson, who was one of the most eminent lawyers of Kentucky. During this time he attended law lectures at Transylvania University, as a benificiary of the city of Lexington. Palmer graduated from the law department of the university, receiving his diploma in March, 1845. In September of 1845 he moved to Helena, Arkansas, with the intent of establishing a law practice.

At the outbreak of the Mexican War Palmer enlisted and went to Mexico as a first sergeant in Archibald Yell's Regiment of Arkansas Cavalry Volunteers. He fought at the battle of Buena Vista.

After the war Palmer returned to Helena where he resumed his law practice. Soon after his arrival at Helena, Palmer purchased the Southern Shield newspaper and published it as Whig paper. He was a Whig of Henry Clay following and was a candidate for Presidential elector on the Scott ticket in 1852. With the advent of the Know Nothing Party in 1854, Palmer became a Democrat. He, thereafter, zealously supported the Democrat party.

In August of 1862 Palmer enlisted in the Confederate Army and was appointed Commissary of Subsistence with the rank of Major. He, also, served on the staff of General Thomas C. Hindman as commander of the District of Arkansas at Little Rock.

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In 1852 Palmer had married Margaret E. Shell and in the same year had received a land grant for three hundred fifty acres of land in Monroe County. On this property he built a log house, which the Palmer family lived in before and during the construction of the present brick house. The land was located near the line of the Arkansas Midland Railroad, which was chartered by the Legislature in 1852. Palmer was a charter member and secretary of the board of directors.

The brick house on the. property was begun in 1870 and completed in 1873. The farm was greatly improved, with 125 of its 350 acres in cultivation and was considered one of the finest farms in Arkansas. Palmer went to great extremes to enhance the grounds around the house and put what was considered an extravagant amount of money and effort into landscaping. The yard was at one time a labyrinth of flowers and bushes of all shapes and sizes. The lavishness of the foliage and Palmer's financial devotion to its upkeep inspired the local usage of "Palmer's Folly" in referring to the Palmer House.

After the Civil War John Palmer once again resumed his law practice. He resided on the farm in Monroe County and had an office and a partner in both Helena and Clarendon. He and other Democrats are credited with establishing the Helena World, one of the most prominent papers in the state.

Palmer's law career lasted for fifty-six years. He was considered one of the best chancery lawyers in the state. Among his law partners were some of Arkansas's most distinguished men in the field of law, including Thomas C. Hindman. Palmer died May 1, 1900, at the age of seventy-eight.

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John C. Palmer and his family were members of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Helena, Arkansas.

Since Palmer's death, "Palmer's Folly" has been owned by one of Palmer's sons and then by Palmer's grandson. The son was James C. Palmer, one of seven children born to John and Margaret Palmer. James achieved prominence as a planter and merchant. He farmed the land until his death. Since James C. Palmer's death, the estate has belonged to the grandson, John C. Palmer.

Thus, still in the family of the house's builder, Palmer's Folly stands today as an important landmark in Monroe County. It is a worthy monument to an outstanding Arkansan of the Nineteenth Century. The nineteenth-century architecture, which Palmer's Folly exemplifies, enhances the significance of this grand structure.

***

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THROUGH THE YEARS WITH THE
MARVELL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Compiled by Mrs. C.T. McCully

Back in the year 1856 A.D. in the U.S.A., the Lord put it in the hearts of men and women dwelling near Midway, Arkansas, Phillips County, to build a house where they might worship God; so with their own hands and those of some slaves they built it of logs. About 1866 they moved this church to a place west of John Manning's home, but in 1871 moved it back to first location. Mr. Ben Davison and Mr. George Morris hauled lumber 20 miles from Helena. The contractor was Mr. Heffron. The last building was erected 1869 or '70. James Davison, Superintendent of Sunday School, had a large family one of whom was Rev. J. O. Davison of Mississippi. It was Rev. Jordan Lambert who established churches in Phillips and Monroe counties.

Marvell Presbyterian Church was organized by Rev. T.C. Johnson, evengelist, April, 1907. Ruling elders were Dr. M. L. Pearson, John Carr Turner; deacons, Dr. T.C. Chandler, John M. Nelson. Records were kept by Rev. C.B. Boyles from February 1911 to November 1911. During the summer, 1911, the church people remodeled the old schoolhouse which they had bought and it made a neat chapel. Visiting preachers supplied the pulpit from time to time, then May 1915, Rev. H. Morrison, evangelist, held a meeting, receiving 18 members. Installed as elders: J. Boyd Swift, David McDonald; deacons, Dr. W.E. Manning, Robert Wadsworth and John M. Nelson (he had been one since 1907). Dr. Morrison also served the Holly Grove and Valley Grove churches and was loved by all for his devoted, unselfish service. He died in 1924. He was at Clarendon waiting for a train and had a

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fatal heart attack. He drove about his parish in a cart or buggy drawn by two ponies, in those days when roads were poor and often impassable. This story about him is true and still related by the oldsters here:

He had a call to go to some other field and drew straws to determine whether he should go or stay where he was. The straw said "go", so he had all his household goods put in a boxcar at Holly Grove and was preparing to leave when some of his elders sought him and said, "Now, Dr. Morrison, you didn't do us quite fair about drawing lots for we weren't present when you did it, and so we think you should draw again with us present." So he drew again and the straw said "stay" and he moved his household goods back home. Lately Mr. Patterson of Holly Grove told us that no one in distress-spiritual or physical-ever went away from Rev. Morrison without having been helped in every possible way. He had little money himself but if someone needed help and he didn't have any there was an understanding between him and Mr. Lambert that he could draw on the latter's bank account for the amount.

Due to such men and women as the Morrisons there was a steady growth of the churches- Marvell, Holly Grove and Valley Grove.

Today the Marvell church is able to have its own resident minister who holds services every Sunday. Rev. Clinton Thomas McCully, formerly of Jacksonville, Paragould, and Little Rock, came here August 16, 1955 and has been Stated Supply. He expects to retire in June at which time Mr. James T. Stevenson will be installed. He will graduate in June from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia.

Today this church is happy to celebrate its 50th anniversary--really you could call it

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the 100th, for originally it was part of the old Midway Cumberland Presbyterian Church established in 1856. There is a dearth of old records because Mr. David McDonald's home burned in 1924 and with it the sessional book. He was clerk of the session for many years and has been an elder since 1915.

--THE WOMEN--

Through the years no members have worked more faithfully and sacrificed more generously than the women--God bless them. Many pastors say that without them churches would die, and perhaps that is true of this church. Down through the years they struggled, prayed through great difficulties, trusted in God and so the church endured. Records are lacking as well as space here-—but many names appear over and over again--too numerous to list--so we all acknowledge our debt to them and thank God for their steadfastness.

Special mention is made today of the four who have been privileged to live until this glad day and we rejoice with them that God has been good to them. These are Mrs. John T. Palmer, Mrs. J. Boyd Swift, Mrs. Edward P. Molitor, and Mrs. David McDonald.

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PASTORS--1907-1957

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COMMITTEE IN CHARGE OF CELEBRATION

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***

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ANNIVERSARY PROGRAM

MISS RACHEL SWIFT, PIANIST

Reception to follow in church parlor

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MIDWAY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

A printed history of the Midway Presbyterian Church was discovered this summer in the papers of Allen Cooper in West Helena. This history tells of the beginning of the church in 1856 until 1917 when this history was printed.

The officers of the church were W.T. McGinnis and James C. Tollison listed as Elders and George L. Cooper a Deacon.

Other members listed were Mrs. J.A. Brewster, Mrs. George L. Cooper, Mrs. Lula Larkin, Walter Manning, Robert Manning, Mrs. W.T. McGinnis, Isham Thompson, and James C. Tollison. The total membership in 1917 was 10. Additional names written on the front were Mrs. Burress Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Jno Darr and Mrs. Foster. These must have joined after 1917.

1856-1917

BRIEF HISTORY

of the

MIDWAY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Phillips County, Arkansas

***

OFFICERS

W. T. McGinnis, Elder
James C. Tollison, Elder
George L. Cooper, Deacon

1. Midway Presbyterian Church was built of logs in 1856, where the frame church now (1917) stands.

2. About 1866, the log house was moved to a place west of John Manning's residence,

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but about 1871, it was moved back to its first location, and the present frame building replaced it.

3. Mr. Ben F. Davison, who is still living, and Mr. George Morris, hauled the lumber from Helena, 21 miles, and helped to dress the lumber on the ground.

Mr. James R. Turner, now editor of "The Shield" in Helena, was a magistrate, and Ben F. Davison was constable. The constable had arrested a man for stealing his divorced wife's horse, and while under arrest was made to help dress the lumber under the shade of the trees.

Mr. Heffron was the head carpenter, and Ben Roach, Tom Roach, BF. Davison, and George Morris assisted.

Mr. Heffron also was the contractor who built the "Daizell Hotel", so long the hospitable home for the "wayfaring" men, jocose and sedate; preacher, Jew and Gentile, in Marvell.

Mr. George Morris lost his life by the water tank at Poplar Grove falling on him.

4. According to the best recollection, this church building was put up in 1869 and 1870, and the date painted on the front end near the front door. It has become invisible by being worn off or painted over. In these 18 years it has only had a second roof, which is still good.

5. Some of the early residents used to meet to worship their God and Maker in the old log house on the place now the residence of Mr. Robert Manning.

6. Among the first settlers according to the recollection of John W. Nelson of Poplar Grove, were Hiram Goodman, 1848; Jimmy Davison, 1859; W.A. Thomas, Martin Combs, 1852.

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7. James Davison was for a long time superintendent of the Sunday School, and raised a large family, among them Rev. J.O. Davison of Mississippi.

8. With an unusually accurate memory, James Re Turner furnishes the following list of former residents: Dr. Slaughter and wife, Wiley Thomas and wife, Jordan Thomas and wife, W.M. Goodman, Becky Goodman, Sallie Goodman, Jo Birdsong, W.H. holder, Martin Combs and wife, Miss Lou Greer, Henry M. Turner, J. Carr Turner and wife, Mrs. W. B. Morris, Miss Lou Herriman, Rev. W.N. Berry, Reve C.C. Corley, Major in Confederate Army, William Carlock.

9. The two acres of ground and the improvements were transferred by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church to the Presbyterian Church in the United States, in the year 1909, and the deed recorded October 21, 1915 in Deed Book 147, page 432 at Helena, Ark.

10. The church is surrounded by a beautiful, fertile farming country. Some of the nearest residents now in 1917 are: Mr. and Mrs. W.T. McGinnis, Mr. and Mrs. Darr, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Webb, Mr. and Mrs. G. E. Buchanan, Mr. and Mrs. John Darr, Mr. and Mrs. Updike, Mr. and Mrs. James Buttorff, Mr. and Mrs. George Cooper, Mr. and Mrs. J.A. Brewster, Mr. and Mrs. A.J. Guthrie, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Manning, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Godsey, Mr. Walter Manning, Mrs. J.B. Cheek, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Godsy, Mr. and Mrs. John C. Carnathan, Mr. Alvin Goodman, Mr. Alphonso Thomas, Mr. and Mrs. Alfred McDowell, Mr. and Mrs. William Dollar.

11. Mr. William Evans gives the following list of ministers and dates of service:

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12. A good public school is maintained near the church. Lady Principal this year (1917) is Miss McGrew.

Rev. J.H. Morrison preaches at 3:00 P.M. on second and fourth Sundays.

***

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A CARNIVAL OF AUTHORS

In an attempt to raise money for a library building, The Women's Library Association of Helena held an entertainment at Armory Hall in April, 1890. Nearly all of the children in town had some small part in the production, in a play, or in tableaux. A special item of interest was the Autograph Book, which had been compiled by Mrs. Louise M. Stephenson, one of the library directors. Mrs. John T. Jones also wrote for signatures, so there are some duplicates. Since that time, a few more autographs have been added.

***

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THE PHILLIPS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
CURRENT MEETINGS

The Historical Society met February 3 at the Phillips County Museum. Tom Tappan was in charge of the program. He showed slides of pictures of "high water" at Helena, beginning in 1897, and pictures of various ferry boats operating at Helena in this century. He showed a movie he had made entitled "A Dream Come True." This movie showed the construction of the Helena Bridge, the AP&L Ritchie Generating Station and the Helena Federal Building and Post Office. All of this took place twenty years ago and is a part of the more recent history of Helena.

***

At the April meeting of the Historical Society Dr. Granville Davis was the speaker. Dr. Davis is Professor of History and Associate Professor of Continuing Education at Southwestern University at Memphis. He spoke on the Farmers' Movement in the Nineteenth Century. Highlighting his talk were facts about a prominent Lexa farmer of the last century, Judge John Thompson Jones. Judge Jones served the Grange as its national president.

***

The June meeting of the Historical Society was held in the shaded courtyard at the rear of the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ivey Gladin on Porter Street in Helena. At the short business session all of the officers and directors were re-elected for the coming year. After giving a brief history of their home, Mr. and Mrs. Gladin took the members on a guided tour of their home. This historic old house was built in 1881 by Sidney H. Hornor, whose family lived there until 1911. The house is listed on the National Register.

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IN MEMORIAM

Mrs. Hesta McGrew Manning McElroy, one of the organizers of the Historical Society, died January 2, 1980. She was elected president of the Society at the organizational meeting on Sunday, April 29, 1962, at the Phillips County Museum in Helena. After her term as president, she served on the Board of Directors of the Society.

Mrs. McElroy was also active in the Arkansas Historical Association, having served on its Board of Directors from 1961 to 1963.

"Miss Hesta," as she was known, was born and raised in Phillips County. Her father was William Hamilton McGrew(1832~1927) and her mother was Mary Jane Holtzclaw(1848-1914). In 1912 she married Dr. Ed Manning, whose father came to Phillips County in 1834; and they had two daughters. Dr. Manning died in 1918. She married J. B. McElroy, and they had a daughter. She is survived by the three daughters, six grandchildren, and 16 greatgrandchildren.

Mrs. McElroy's interest in local history has come to fruition in the growth of the Historical Society since its organizational meeting 18 years ago. We all are indebted to her and others like her who had the vision to create a Society to promote interest in local history.

***

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MARSHALL L. STEPHENSON

Marshall L. Stephenson, a resident of Helena, Ark., and a prominent member of the Phillips County bar, is a native of Granville, Putnam County, Ill. His first schooling was obtained in the district schools of that county and the Granville academy, from which he graduated in 1858. He then went into the offices of Stewart, Edwards & Brown, one of the leading law firms of Springfield, Ill., and began the study of law.

Before he had completed his studies the Civil War commenced and in the summer of 1861 he enlisted in the Tenth Illinois Cavalry, as captain of Company L. and on November 25 of that year he was promoted to the rank of major. In 1863, he was detailed by Major General Schofield under orders of the secretary of war to superintend the recruiting of white troops in the state of Arkansas. During the fall and winter he raised the Second infantry, and in March, 1864, was commissioned colonel of the regiment until August 8, 1865, when it was mustered out at Clarksville, Ark.

After the war he attended the Cincinnati Law school, from which he was graduated in 1866. In March, 1868, having in the meantime taken up his residence in Huntsville, he was elected state senator from the Third senatorial district. In July of the same year he was appointed judge of the Fourth judicial district, by Gov. Powell Clayton, and in Nomvember he was one of the presidential electors from the Third congressional district.

On March 23, 1871, he removed to Helena and was appointed judge of the First judicial circuit, and on December 19, 1872, was elected associate justice of the Arkansas. Supreme court. He remained on the supreme bench until

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1874, when resigned, and since that time has devoted his time to his private practice, being now a referee in bankruptcy.

Judge Stephenson has a lucrative practice and is interested in a number of other undertakings. He is a director in the Louisville, New Orleans & Texas Railroad, for which he is, also, attorney at Helena; also, local attorney for the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley, and the Illinois Central railroads in Arkansas; and president of the First National Bank of Helena.

On November 27, 1872, he was married to Miss Louise McGowan, daughter of Edward McGowan, a prominent miller of Battle Creek, Mich. Judge Stephenson and his wife have no children. The judge is not a member of any church though he is always ready to aid any church organization in its good work.

THE PROVINCE AND THE STATES, VOL. VII
Edited by Weston Arthur Goddspeed. The Western Historical Association, Madison, Wisconsin, 1904.

***

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MRS. LOUISE McGOWN STEPHENSON

Mrs. Louise McGown Stephenson, widow of the late Judge Marshall L. Stephenson, died at her home, 806 College St., Tuesday evening, August 1, 1916, at nine o'clock, after a brief illness.

In the death of Mrs. Stephenson the State of Arkansas suffers a great loss. Her work, both in literary and philanthropic fields and as an ornithologist, was of inestimable value to the city of Helena and to the State at large. She was among the founders and a life-long member of the Pacaha Club, which for twenty-eight years has set the standard of literary attainment in the State. She was the originator of the Helena Public Library, which has been the inspiration and model for many libraries in Arkansas. Her chief service to the public has been through this library, to which she gave her best thought and her best effort. The records of this institution, which she kept, form a valuable history of community interest and are models, in a literary way, of what such records should be.

As an ornithologist of considerable reputation Mrs. Stephenson was a friend of all wild creatures and a special friend of the birds, which she valued no less for their economic value to the world than for their variety of plumage, their example of fidelity and thrift, the comfort they bring to their friends, and for the richness, sweetness and variety of their song. She was a contributor to various magazines on this subject, and so great was her energy and so well directed her efforts in their behalf that in 1897 a law was passed by the Arkansas legislature for the protection of song birds in this part of the State. In the same year, in

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consequence of the impetus given to the bird movement through Mrs. Stephenson's loving and persistent activity, "Bird Day" was very generally observed in many of the public schools of the State. For a number of years Mrs. Stephenson reported the migration of birds for the Bureau of Biology, United States Department of Agriculture, a task in the discharge of which she brought to bear great industry and intelligence. She was also a member of the committee of the American Ornithologists' Union having in charge the protection of North American birds, and kept in touch during the migratory periods with other observers up and down the Mississippi River from its origin to its union with the Gulf, and no warbler, bunting, thrush, robin, vireo, chat, catbird, oriole, martin, sparrow, swallow, tanager, cardinal, or any other bird ever put in its appearance in spring without her making a note of its arrival and conveying the tiding to a corps of correspondents that the great annual parade had begun.

Mrs. Stephenson was born in Michigan, but Arkansas, the State of her adoption, had the warmest place in her affections, and it was her choice to live in Helena. Although she had no relatives in this city, she was the center of a large circle of loving friends. Her loss to them and to the community is irreparable.

--Helena "World," Helena, Ark.,
August 2, 1916

***

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THE DEPUTY CLAIM

by

Dale P. Kirkman

The claim of the heirs of Dr. Deputy is told in the voluminous claim papers accumulated in the years following the Civil War. The claim was pressed against the United States for the loss of quartermaster and commissary supplies, taken from the Deputy place by Union soldiers. A story of life during the war unfolds in reading these papers, and they give a good view of soldiers and civilians under wartime stress.

The Deputy place, according to these accounts, was a model of what could be done with a farm. It was well stocked, had abundant crops growing and in cribs, and as a friend of the Deputys said, Dr. Deputy "tended it like a garden." The homeplace was a farm of about 450 to 800 acres, depending on who was giving the testimony. The nearby Irving place, also owned by Dr. Deputy, was anywhere from 75 to 150 acres. It was gradually slipping into the river, and much of it was lost from the time of his death to the year that the claim was submitted to Congress--a period of twelve years.

The Deputy farm was just south of Long Lake, which was described by Special Agent John D. Edwards in his report, as one of a chain of ponds showing where the riverbed had once been. The clearing was about 1 mile x 3/4 Square, surrounded by timber, and with good access to the levee top wagon road to Helena, about 3 or 4 miles distant. Agent Edwards, also drew the sketch of the Deputy Place. Its location in relation to the town was very good.

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Dr. Joseph S. Deputy, owner of this fine place, came to Arkansas from Indiana, and settled in St. Francis County. In 1844, in that county, he married Nancy Alexander and shortly after that, they moved to Phillips County. Her family, which had come to Arkansas from North Carolina, consisted of her mother, Lucy Jane Alexander, her sisters, Quintina and Sarah Jane, and her brother, Mark Alexander.

Mrs. Alexander and Dr. Deputy had bordering lands south of Helena. Both 1850 and 1860 Federal Censuses show that the group lived together as one family, probably residing on the Alexander place first and on the Deputy place after that. She brought a number of slaves with her from St. Francis County to work this new location, as did Dr. Deputy.

Dr. Deputy was a practicing physician with an office on Main—or Ohio Street, though it was a few miles from office to home on the property bordering Long Lake. The DEMOCRATIC STAR, a Helena newspaper, in its issue of March 2, 1853, advertised the location of the office of Drs. King and Deputy in their building on Main Street. In a few years, Dr. Deputy was so successful in his farming and business affairs that he tried to give up his medical practice. He had not yet accomplished this by 1862, as his services were much in demand among his friends.

In 1860, the deaths of several family members of the Alexander and Deputy families were disheartening to the few who remained, Gone from the family circle were Lucy Jane Alexander, mother, aged about 57 years; Nancy Alexander Deputy, wife, aged 35 years; Mark Alexander, son and brother, aged 30. (Mark was a law partner of Patrick Cleburne, who followed him in death within four years.) Dr. Deputy and his three young children, with

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his sister-in-law, Sarah Jane Alexander, called Sallie, remained of the household. What became of Quintina Alexander, who married B. H. Comfort, is not known.

Federal troops arrived at Helena on July 12, 1862, after a terrible march from Batesville. Their arrival at Helena was no surprise, as everyone knew that they were coming. With no road maps handy of the Helena area, the troops seemed to know exactly where to go. They had almost no food supplies with them, and being far from a supply base, they had to live off the countryside for some time. They confiscated supplies from the Deputy place that very afternoon. The blacks of three plantations were having a barbeque there, when the Federal troops arrived.

It is known that Sallie Alexander had a school going on Ohio Street during the war, probably one of the few in town. She was as strong a Confederate sympathizer as Dr. Deputy was a Union sympathizer. At one point during the occupation of Helena by Union soldiers, she was almost banished from town because of aid given by her to Confederates outside the lines. She was allowed to remain in the town because of her guardianship of the Deputy children. She was then about 26 years old, and the only kin here that the children had, after their father died. Her name appears only once in the file of the case, though she was living at the Deputy place when the first troops arrived. If she was questioned or used as a witness for the claim in Washington or Helena, that information was not included in the claim file. In September, following the occupation of Helena in July, the family group moved to town for Dr. Deputy to die.

In 1871, the Southern Claims Commission was formed, consisting of three men, nominated

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by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The Commission's job was to adjudicate claims of loyal citizens for quartermaster and commissary supplies taken by the Union Army during the war. Between the years, 1871-1880, the Commission ruled on 22,298 cases presented to it under the Act of 1871. About 95 cases were from residents of Phillips County, Arkansas. More than $60,000,000 were claimed in the total work, and about $4,500,000 were finally paid. This did not include cases in later years, allowed under the Tucker and Bowman Acts.

If a claimant asked for more than $10,000 from the government, it was necessary to go to Washington, D. C. to testify, taking witnesses there, too. Few had enough money to Pay the expense of such a trip. Claims under $10,000 could usually be heard locally with special local commissioners, helped by traveling agents of the Southern Claims Commission. Seven of the witnesses, or deponents, as they were called in the Deputy claim, testified before the Commission in Washington, in February, 1873. All witnesses in the case were questioned at Helena in June, 1874, by Special Agent of the Commission, John D. Edwards. (The late E. R. Crum of Helena took many depositions of witnesses in the later cases. A little record book that he kept in the 1890s of these depositions is in the Museum.)

Special Agent Edwards thought that on the scene investigation of a case would be a very good way to find the real facts. He came to Helena, spent 24 days investigating the case and talking to witnesses, and took 48 pages of testimony. When he made his report to the Commissioners, he told them that he thought they would like this research method that he used, including the sketch of the Deputy place. The Deputy claim, Commission number 18147, was

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submitted to Congress in December, 1874, under the 1871 Act. The heirs claimed $58,757 from the United States for quartermaster and commissary supplies taken from them by Union troops during the war.

These claims were hard to prove, and many of them were thrown out by the Southern Claims Commission because of a lack of convincing evidence or testimony. The three points of this claim that had to be satisfactorily explained by witnesses were:

1) Death of Dr. Deputy and legal status of claimants,
2) His loyalty to the United States,
3) Amounts of quartermaster and commissary supplies taken from his place by Union troops.

The Reverend C. S. Hedges, rector of St. John's Episcopal Church, Helena, using the Parish Register, certified that Lucy, Quintina, and Mark were the children and heirs of Dr. J. S. Deputy.

His death, his loyalty, and descriptions of looting and desecration of his goods and land holdings were told in deponents' testimony. The data from their examination in Washington in 1873, and the information given before Special Agent Edwards at Helena in 1874, are combined and condensed here, and much of the questioning about amounts of farm products stolen, is omitted.

Without exception, all of the witnesses testified to the fact that Dr. Deputy was a Union sympathizer or "Union man," as most people here used the term.

NED ALEXANDER, ex-slave, aged 49 years. He is a farmer living on the Deputy place, and renting land from the Deputy estate. He had first testified in Washington about the Deputy

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claim. He had belonged to Jane Alexander and lived up on the St. Francis River 25 miles above Helena, on her place, until Dr. Deputy married her daughter in 1844, in St. Francis County. The Deputys and Alexanders came to live in Phillips County the next fall, and had bordering farms.

In those days Ned was a teamster, not a field hand. He hauled lumber from the mill and supplies from Helena to the Deputy house. He was a corporal of Company C, 46th U. S. Colored Infantry, William F. Woods, Colonel. He worked in building the Fort at Helena, though Dr. Deputy never let his people work on the Fort.

Their cattle ranged in the bottom about 2 x 5 x 6 miles of cane, between the plantation and the Mississippi River. The cattle ran in the woods and mingled with the cattle from the Cooper and Hubbard Places. At one point, the Union soldiers took 18 mules off to Helena. Three days later, Dr. Deputy went to Helena and got some of them back, but shortly after, soldiers came along and took them off, because they were branded US.

EDWARD PROCTOR, ex-slave, aged 49 years. He gave fuller testimony than the others, and Special Agent Edwards thought that his information was more reliable than any of those who had lived on or near the Deputy place. He had also testified in person before the Commissoners of Claims in Washington, in 1873.

Proctor said that he had lived on the Cooper place as a slave of Ephraim Cooper, and his wife lived on the Deputy place. She belonged to Mrs. Alexander. After the Union army came to Helena on July 12, 1862, he went to the Deputy place to live and was in charge of both places, of stock and crops. The Union troops took about two weeks to all come in after July

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12, and camped all around Helena within 10 to 15 miles. The nearest camp to the Deputy place was about a mile. Two regiments were on Dr. Hubbard's place and one on General Pillow's place, and a fleet lay over the riverbank next to the Deputy place.

Proctor was in charge of cattle on the Cooper place, about 500 head, and after the troops came he took charge of the Deputy cattle, too, which amounted to about 50 or 60 head, exclusive of milk cows. By December, 1862, Federals had taken all of the cattle to Helena except for six cows. At first, they killed one or two a day when they came for corn or rails, but then they started taking 10 or 15 a day. When they started on the hogs, they would come and shoot down one or two and carry them off on their horses, the load averaging about 150 lbs. Then they started taking more and more hogs, shooting them and throwing them into wagons on top of the rails they were taking.

When they started taking meat, Dr. Deputy got guards from town, but after he came up to Helena to die, the Federals came and took everything. He left his place in October, 1862, and went to Helena sick. He lay there till November and died. He was 35 or 36, and Proctor remembered him as a spry young man when he married 12 or 14 years before the war.

Witness said that the Deputy place had 450 acres of cleared land under fence and that the place was a mile long and 3/4 mile wide, with four cross fences. Of the 450 acres, 200 were in corn. Dr. Deputy also owned and ran the Irving place, which had almost been whittled away by the river, and only had about 80 acres of cotton in cultivation. Federals pulled up Deputy's fences, all but 4 mile of it near the Pillow place, and so they did not

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cut any wood until winter. This was their summer wood. They took the corn crop of 1861 in the crib, and took the standing crop, too. This they transported to their camps on the Pillow place right below town.

The rebels, Dobbins and Corley, had taken some of the mules about three weeks before the Union troops came. The troops took the dwelling houses and barn and hauled this lumber to camp to make their winter barracks. Dr. Deputy had 152 people on the place. In the Deputy household were his three children, his sister-in-law, and himself.

JIM PINE, ex-slave, aged 38 years, and living in Coahoma County, Mississippi, at time of interview. He had been a slave of Dr. Deputy who brought him from South Carolina when he was 12 years old, and he was raised on the Deputy place. Dr. Deputy was teaching him to read. Agent Edwards thought he had a lot of sense, and took fuller testimony from him than from some of the others.

During 1862 and 1863 he was away from the place only two days at Helena, when he was pressed to work on the Federal Fort. He was foreman of hands on the Deputy place at this time. The place was a mile long, 3/4 mile wide, at Long Lake, 4 miles from Helena and about 3/4 mile back of Mississippi River.

Rebels stole mules and Dr. Deputy had the hands looking for four or five days in the cane where the rebels had them. Deputy hands got back five or ten of them. The rebels tried to press the people on the place to work on Fort Pillow up the river, but Dr. Deputy made them get in the woods. When the Confederates ordered cotton burned, he had the hands take his, 175 bales, to the riverbank and sold it to a Yankee gunboat. He paid Pine for his work, the first time Pine had ever been paid in money.

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The Confederates had Dr. Deputy in Little Rock a couple of times and almost hanged him. He even had a Union flag on his gate. The only thing he did against the Union troops was to get Pine to break up a flatboat so they could not cross Long Lake at night and steal chickens and ducks. They could not do this stealing in the daytime, because their officers would catch them.

Pine said that the Union troops first came to the Deputy place on a Saturday, and on the following Tuesday started taking corn. They came with 15 or 20 wagons, coming early in the morning and staying all day taking corn. They took it to the camps all around. Many wagonloads were taken off, and about 100 cavalrymen took it off in sacks. Dr. Deputy was there at the time, and spoke to an officer in the group that was taking the corn. The Union General Washburne gave him a guard around the house, and they stayed two or three weeks, When the soldiers were taking corn from the cribs, Dr. Deputy would go down and ask them to stop, and the guard would go down and show them the protection papers. The soldiers said that they did not care, and cursed Deputy and the guard, too. All the corn was gone by the end of July, before Deputy's death. Wagons came every day for corn and towards the last, the hands saw that it would all be gone, so they took some bushels. There were only about five men and about 30 women left on the place. Everyone else had left.

They took the fencing except near the woods where rebel bushwhackers hid, and they were scared to go there. One reason that the Deputy place was stripped of things so early was that it was a little safer from bushwhackers than places farther out, and it was fairly close to town. Bushwhackers did not come to take corn--just ran in and started shooting. They scared the hands so much, that they would not go out.

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Page 81 is missing.

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of Deputy's people were relatives of Milo, so he went there two or three times a week. He was not a field hand, and knew little of the operations of the Deputy place. He was there at the barbeque on the day that the Federal troops came. By Christmas, 1862, everything was gone from the place, food, animals, buildings, fences, etc.

In 1861, about the time of Fort Sumter, two rebel companies were raised here, the Yell Rifles and the Phillips Guards. They guarded the river in turn, and the Phillips Guards stopped a Cincinnati boat with a six-pounder, brought the boat to shore and took the cargo of sugar. Dr. Deputy and other men could not save the cargo, but they got the captain of the Yell Rifles, Patrick Cleburne, to let the boat go. (A petition was drawn up and signed by the men of Helena to sell this sugar, and from its sale to outfit soldiers here who were going into the service of the Confederacy. This petition is displayed at the Phillips County Museum. Ed.)

MOSES A. CLARK, ex-slave, 29 years of age. He is a Justice of the Peace, or Magistrate, as he is called in one of the depositions. He had been the slave of S. W. Childers (or Childress) of Helena. His owner had put him in the barbershop to learn the trade and how to be a valet, so Clark could travel with him. He went in old man Alexander's shop in 1857 and stayed there till 1859, when he went to Nashville. Dr. Deputy came in the shop two or three times a week, and he had an office in the same row, two or three doors off.

PEGGY DEPUTY, ex-slave, aged 28 years, a resident of the Deputy place during the war. She now lives on the Hubbard place, 8 miles south of Helena, and works her crop with her son. Dr. Deputy bought her when she

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was 10 years old. She lived on his place until the war was over, and was a field hand and lived in quarters about 200 or 300 yards from the Deputy house. She contradicted this when she said that she lived on the place for about a year after the troops came, and then went to Helena. She had worked on both of the Deputy farms, and saw the corn stolen. She said that the men were so bad the women had to keep out of the way, and if they did not, they would not be worth two bits. Whenever they saw Union soldiers coming, they would run off into the cornfield to hide.

These ex-slaves who were testifying in the Deputy claim all said positively that Dr. Deputy was a Union man, and that there could be no doubt about it. They told as much as they could remember about the commissary and quartermaster supplies, though their estimates of goods stolen were not always the same. That would be true of any group of people. It is amazing that they remembered the details that they did.

Some of Dr. Deputy's friends and associates were questioned, and their testimony was taken down.

JUDGE JAMES M. HANKS of Helena, Member of Congress from Arkansas, said that he knew Dr. Deputy intimately. He said Deputy was about 50 years old, and had been a resident of Phillips County for years, and was his father's family physician at the time Hanks was born, and Judge Hanks' own physician when he became grown. He knew Dr. Deputy better or as well as anyone in the county, and knew that he was a Union man before and during the war. Deputy was as open in his expressions as anyone here, unless it was Mr. Casteel.

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Dr. Deputy's office was in Helena and his plantation was 3 miles out. His residence was on his plantation, but he was at his office a great deal. He was a native of Indiana, opposed secession and everything it meant, and was outspoken about issues, and argued with people a great deal. He had a lot of influence. at the time of secession, he was trying to quit his medical practice. He was past middle age and had a very large planting interest, and so wanted to give up his practice. This was hard to do, because he had been at it so long.

Judge Hanks said that Deputy only lived for two or three months after General Curtis came, dying in the fall of 1862. The Deputy children were all young at the time. Lucy Deputy (later, Mrs. Penney) was 8 or 10 years old, then Tina, then a son now being educated in Missouri.

WILLIAM H. MORGAN, 50 years of age, an attorney in Memphis now. He was with the Union army from 1861-1866. In 1862, he was with the Army of the Southwest under General Curtis, and was Adjutant of Brigade under General Israel E. Washburne. Morgan was the first Union officer to enter Helena on the 12th of July, 1862. Dr. Deputy was one of the first citizens to visit the troops, just a few hours after the army arrived that day. Morgan got to know him well, and visited the Deputy plantation often, about 4 or 5 miles from Helena next to the Pillow plantation, Deputy, also came to Headquarters frequently, and he and Morgan and General Washburne often talked.

General Curtis demanded that everyone take the oath, rebels and Union. All had to take the oath of allegiance or leave the place. It served as no evidence of loyalty, and everyone had to take it. Dr. Deptuy took the oath

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as soon as the Provost Marshal's office was open. He was known as a Union man.

Morgan said that the army coming in had no provisions, and had to take supplies anywhere it could get them. It was some time before supplies came in from regular sources. Quartermaster Winslow had to catch a boat to go to Memphis, the nearest point that the Federals had. Quartermaster of the Post, Lowell, was sent out with wagons and men to get supplies. He went to Deputy's, Pillow's and others. If there were quartermaster reports of such forays into the country, then Quartermaster of the Post and Chief Quartermaster would send them to General Quartermaster's office.

Dr. Deputy had two girls and a boy, the oldest girl being not over 12 years old. The family stayed at home until September, after General Curtis came, then went to Helena when Dr. Deputy was brought to Helena, where he died. Morgan often visited him on the plantation. There was a fine residence and a number of cabins. Morgan was often on the place after Deputy had died, and the house had become dilapidated by the last time he was there, and the other buildings were down.

Morgan thought that Dr. Deputy died in September, 1862. He does not think that Deputy was ever consulted about taking of his property. If the Union soldiers had not taken everything, the Confederates would have.

JOHN M. POWELL lived across the river opposite Helena, during the war, and knew Dr. Deputy well. In 1862, Dr. Deputy had three or four children, all small, and Mrs. Deputy was dead. Deputy treated the people on Powell's plantation in Coahoma County, Miss. Powell traded at Helena, and often stayed at Deputy's. Sometimes he could not get out of

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the lines, so he stayed at Deputy's, crossing the river there.

Powell added that Dr. Deputy was a very popular man and no one stood higher in the community. He "stood very high in all the walks of life." Deputy ignored secession. After Helena was taken in 1862, Deputy came to Powell's house with a speculator and got this man to buy over 500 bales belonging to Powell's little nephew, an orphan boy. They got off with 150 bales, and the Confederates burned the rest.

W. B. WORSHAM is the local agent of Attorney Gilbert Moyers of Memphis. Mr. Moyers specializes in war claim cases (including this one). Worsham lived for part of the war in Marianna, Phillips County, about 25 miles from Helena, the county seat. He voted against secession, and was forced inside the lines, staying there at Helena. He was often in court. He was with Dr. Deputy frequently, and remembered the Deputy children often at Deputy's office.

RICHARD J. COOK, aged 53 years. He lives at Helena and is a stock trader. He knew Dr. Deputy well from the time that he came to Helena about 1842, until his death in 1862. Dr. Deputy was a Union man, and they would sit all night sometimes talking about the war. Cook did not take either side, was neutral, and was at Helena during the whole war.

He knew the Deputy place very well, remembering the property before it was ever cleared. It was just south of Long Lake, 4 miles from Helena right on the road, and about 500 acres were cleared and fenced. Deputy cultivated it like a garden. Cook knew the Place this well, because he worked it for two years after the war. Dr. Deputy had bought

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the Irving place a short while before the war, and had cultivated it for two or three years. It was right on the bank of the river, and it had about 200 acres cleared and fenced.

Cook was on the Deputy place only once from the time that the Union troops came until the end of the war, so he did not see the thefts. He was sent down there by General Washburne after Dr. Deputy died in November, 1862, with a cavalry scout to recover some gold that had been hidden in the cistern. At the time, he thought the place was pretty good except for a few mules gone and some corn gone, but not all of it.

T. H. QUARRELS (probably Quarles) aged 48 years, lives at Helena, and had lived in Phillips County since 1846. He has a farm about 1 mile above town, and runs the Irving place, too. He never saw the Deputy place from the time that Union troops came, until the end of the war. Right before they came, he had bought 1,150 bushels of corn from Dr. Deputy, and had agreed to pay him 75¢ a bushel in Louisiana or Tennessee money. There was no Confederate money here then, and Louisiana and Tennessee money was their currency.

Special Agent John D. Edwards’ opinion of this claim, as given in the claim papers, was short and to the point. He thought that the Deputy place was a fine place, which unfortunately was looted and stripped of its produce, stock and all its buildings. Its proximity to Helena was not in its favor during the war years, as this made it more accessible to Union troops. Dr. Deputy undoubtedly was loyal to the United States. When he saw the inevitable happening, slaves running off to nearby camps, and livestock and crops gone, and his place ruined, he was unable to go on. He started drinking, and killed himself by drink and grief just four months after

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the occupation of Helena. Probate Court Record Books C-2 and A 1865 show that he was very much in debt, and many cases were filed against his estate.

There were guardians and administrators appointed to try and untangle the Deputy estate after Dr. Deputy's death, while the children were under age, and it is difficult to read and understand the proceedings. Some of the guardians appointed through the years did not have the best interests of the children in mind. Lucy Deputy Penney and her husband, Captain John H. Penney, sold a part of the place when they moved to Colorado in the 1870s. The hidden gold referred to in Mr. Cook's deposition was not only found, but was sold for a large profit in Memphis.

In the summer of 1881, Lucy Penney became ill, and her sister, Quintina Deputy, traveled to Colorado to take care of the children while Lucy was recovering. Lucy died, and in a short time Quintina died from typhoid fever. They are buried side by side in Maple Hill Cemetery, on the road behind the chapel, one having died at about 31 years of age, and the other at 29 years. Their brother, Mark Deputy, was a doctor here and apparently never married. He also died at a relatively young age of about 40 years. One of Lucy's daughters had four children, and this was the only line of Deputy descent.

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The claim of the Deputy heirs was paid in March, 1875 in the following amounts:

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SOURCES:

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15 Pine Brook Hills
Boulder, Co. 80302
22 April 1980

Phillips County Historical Society
623 Pecan Street.
Helena, Arkansas 72342

Dear fellow genealogist:

I would like to correspond with someone from your area, who is interested in the Tackitt family of your area. The earliest records I have of this family concern Mt. Etna Tackitt (1808-1864) and his brothers Posey and George. I think I have enough evidence to say that Allin Tackitt of Coahoma Coe, Miss. was, also, a brother.

I have quite a bit of information about the descendants of Mt. Etna and his second wife Delila (who had a daughter named Hansen). I would especially like to find the origins of this family.

I have one more bit of information that indicates that "perhaps" maybe - possibly - the father was a Reuben Tackitt, who might have moved from. Rapides Parish, La. to then Arkansas Territory (Ark. Co.) and what is now Mooney Township, Phillips Co. (that is, it was Mooney twsp in 1900 or so).

If anyone is interested in this family, please write to me at the above address.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Carolyn C. Stanley

P. S. I have a copy of a copy of a diary written during the Civil War by Mt. Etna's daughter, Alpha Jane Tackitt(Married Joseph Hibbard). If

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you would like to have a xeroxed copy of my typed copy, let me know. I think it would be interesting even if it did not pertain to your area. (The diary was written by Alpha after she had moved to Arkansas Co., but her origins were in Phillips Co.)

***

1944 Jamie Drive
Memphis, Tennessee 38116

April 2, 1980

Records
Phillips County Courthouse
Helena, Arkansas

Re: Family Records

Dear Sir:

I am attempting to trace my ancestors, and would appreciate any assistance you might be able to give.

My father's name was Daniel P. Lacefield, born August 6, 1875, in Lee County, Marianna, Arkansas to William Pinkney Lacefield and Lougenia Jenkins. My father had one sister, Bettie.

My grandmother, Lougenia Jenkins, was married to _____ Lacefield, brother to William P., and they had a daughter born to that union named Anne. That Lacefield had been married previously and had a son named Bob or Robert.

Both William P, Lacefield and his brother were buried at Helena, Arkansas. The approximate time of my granfather's death was 1877 or 1878.

My grandfather, William Pinkney Lacefield served during the Civil War. I have a letter that he wrote to his mother in 1861. He stated he was encamped on the Obion river, and gave his mailing address as Union City, Tennessee.

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Specifically I would appreciate knowing any of the following things about my grandfather:

1. Birthdate and place
2. Parent's names
3. Siblings
4. Wives
5. Children
6. Death date and verification of place of burial? Was it in the military cemetery in Helena?

If you cannot furnish any of the information, would you please inform me asto when and where I might be allowed to search your records? Any bit of information would be appreciated.

Yours truly,

(Mrs.) Gladys L. Wooten

***

April 2, 1980

Dear Sir:

I am a Civil War buff and would like to obtain a picture of the grave of the famous Confederate General Patrick Re Cleburne, who was killed in action in 1864 and is buried in Helena.

Could you send me such a picture? If not, is there a local Civil War historian who might be able to help me in this matter? I am willing to pay for a picture. A postcard will do.

May I hear from you? Perhaps on a card like this you could just let me know if my request can be met.

Thank you and best wishes,

R. B. Cunningham
Route 3, Box 468
Edinburg, Va. 22824

***

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1700 McConnell Avenue
Evansville, In. 47714
August 4, 1980

Phillips County Historical Society
Helena, Arkansas 72342

I need information on a John Bone. He died in 1849 in Helena, Arkansas. He was from Warrick County, Indiana. I want from you a cemetery inscription and his listing on the 1850 Mortality Schedule.

I am asking you for this as it is not available from the Tri-State Genealogical Society or Willard Library here in Evansville (of which I am a member).

If there is a fee for obtaining this information, please notify me and I will gladly pay for any information received. I have enclosed a self-addressed, stamped envelope for your convenience.

Sincerely,

Mrs. David (Sue) Brickey

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On the following pages are several photographs of homes and buildings which once stood in Helena, but are no longer with us.

1. Home of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gordon, corner of Porter and Poplar Streets.

2. Picture postcard of Sacred Heart Academy and surrounding buildings about 1904, Biscoe and Arkansas Streets. Contributed by Mrs. L. J. Bell.

3. Home of Judge Edward D. Robertson, Columbia Street, present site of Food Giant Store. It was also called the "Teacherage."

4. Home of Judge R. W. Nicholls and family, in the 600 block of Poplar Street, behind the Gordon home.

5. Burnett home on fire. On site of present office of Drs. McCarty and Faulkner, on Porter Street.

6. St. John's Episcopal Church, built in 1899, burned in 1914. Present church was built on same site.

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Announcing Two Awards in Arkansas History

The Arkansas Historical Association awards annually two prizes in Arkansas history.

The first, the Violet B. Gingles Award, established in memory of the late Violet B. Gingles of Benton, Arkansas, carries a $300 prize and a framed certificate. The award is given to the person who writes the best manuscript article on an Arkansas subject. The article can deal with any phase of the history of the state or with any individual connected with its history, and must not have been published previously.

The second prize, the Lucille Westbrook Local History Award, established in honor of a prominent local historian of Nashville, Arkansas, carries a $150 prize and a framed certificate. The award is given to the person who writes the best manuscript article on a local Arkansas subject. The article must deal with some phase of neighborhood, city, county, or regional Arkansas history, or some person associated with local history. Edited documents will be considered for this award. Submissions may not have been published previously.

Any person is eligible to submit manuscripts for these two prizes.

Manuscripts for both prizes will be judged on the basis of (1) their contribution to expanding our knowledge of Arkansas history; (2) the judicious use of primary sources and an adequate understanding of and appreciation for the secondary literature related to the subject matter of the article; (3) creative interpretation and originality; and (4) stylistic excellence.

Manuscripts for both prizes should be no more than thirty-five pages, should be typed double-spaced, and must be documented. The

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footnotes, however, should be typed double-spaced on separate sheets at the back of the article. The footnote pages need not be counted as part of the overall text, but should be numbered. The title page should contain the full title, the author's full name, a complete address, telephone numbers, and the name of the contest being entered, whether the Lucille Westbrook Local History Award or the Violet B. Gingles Award.

All entries, including illustrations, become the possession of the Arkansas Historical Association and will not be returned to the author.

All articles, including the winners, will be considered for publication in the ARKANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY, although publication cannot be guaranteed.

The winning articles and authors will be announced at the annual meeting of the Association in April, 1981. All articles must be submitted in triplicate--an original and two copies--by March 1, 1981, to:

ARKANSAS HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION,
Room 12, Ozark Hall
Dept. of History, Univ. of Ark.
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701

*

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