HEAD FAMILY IN THE U S A

Submitted by Mary Penwell Bish

To read more about the Head damily go to Head Cemetery on the main page and follow links.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Richard Head, born ca 1750 VA, d 3-11-1795 Chester Dist., S.C., married Sarah Newport, born 1753; d 1825, daughter of Peter Newport, lived in Granville Co., N.C., 1771 had a son named James Head. James Head, born 1782, d after 18ll; and Rebecca Allen, daughter of Sarah and William Allen; had 8 children, one of which was my g-grandfather, James Allen Head.

The particular branch of the HEAD family herein considered is the one whose older members lived for many years in the town of Richmond, Little River County, Arkansas, and a number of whose descendants still live in that vicinity. This branch of the Head family emigrated from Virginia to the Carolinas in Colonial days. From there the family moved to Georgia near Tunnel Hill.

JAMES ALLEN HEAD: James Allen Head was born in Hall County, Georgia, on March 2, 1808 and died at Richmond, Arkansas, of smallpox, on July 16, 1863. He and his wife, Sarah are buried in the old Richmond Cemetery on Braden Branch. James Allen and Sarah were married in November of1827. Sarah Cain, born November 28, 1808, was a member of a substantial family of northwest Georgia. She died at Richmond on September 21, 1888, from injuries caused by a falling door. They were the parents of six children, one of whom was my grandfather, Callie Calhoun Head.

In 1834, James Allen Head moved from Hall County, settling on a farm at the foot of the mountain at Tunnel Hill in Walker County, Georgia, where the family remained for about twenty-two years. Tunnel Hill is still a small hamlet, a mile or so off the main highway, and retaining much of the flavor of pre-Civil War days. In 1853 Catoosa County was formed from a part of Walker County, with the county seat at Ringgold, and James Allen Head, with his two older sons, now grown to manhood and practicing law, took a prominent part in the organization of the county. The father was the first road commissioner, the eldest son, John Cain, the first notary public in the county, and the second son, Joseph Washington, the first county clerk.

In 1856 part or perhaps all of the family moved West, settling first at Fort Scott, Kansas, then in the "Dark and Bloody Ground" of the anti-slavery war. They remained there only two years, moving first to Greenwood in Sebastian County, Arkansas, later to Waldron in Scott County. During the war thosemembers of the family still at home finally moved to Richmond, AR. At the opening of the Civil War, John and Joe Head were practicing law and running a hotel at Greenwood. Four of the sons served in the Confederate Army, the youngest being only ten years old at the outbreak.

JOHN CAIN HEAD: Eldest son of James Allen and Sarah Cain Head, born in Hall County, Georgia, on October 28, 1828, and died at Richmond, Arkansas of smallpox about July, 1904. He was first married to Sarah S.Hinton and became the father of eight children. He commenced the study of law early in life and at the age of 22 he was admitted to the bar of La Fayette, Walker County, GA. He subsequently moved to Ringgold, Ga., and there practiced his profession until 1850. When the Civil War broke out he enlisted in the Confederate Service, Company B, Gibson's and Chew's battalions, and served as quartermaster in Hawthorn's brigade for some time, but later returned home. He was afterward appointed first lieutenant of a detached company commanded by his brother and took part in the battles of Prairie Spring, Indian Territory, and Poison Spring besides several minor engagements. More details of his career are to be found in Goodspeed's Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas.

JOSEPH WASHINGTON HEAD: Second son of James Allen and Sarah Cain Head, born in Hall County, GA, in 1830. He died in 1904 in Kaufman, TX. His first marriage was to Jennie Beall of Mississippi. After her death he married Mary Triplett, a native of Springfield, IL. Joe served in the Confederate Army, for the most part as commander of an independent company, of which his brother, John was lieutenant. After the war ended, Joe refused to surrender and was for the most part a fugitive of the federal government for the rest of his life. Credit for much of this history should be given to William Joseph Head, son of Joseph W. Head. Will lived in Shreveport and devoted a good deal of time to genealogy in hopes that this family would be remembered.

To read more about Joseph Washington Head click link below.

Story of Joseph Washington Head - The Rebel by Mary Bish which includes the letter from Historian Dr. Shane K. Bernard and picture of the Sheriff Ansel Prewitt who was killed.

MAGEE ANN HEAD: Third child and only daughter of James Allen and Sarah Cain Head, born at Tunnel Hill, GA, in May, 1838. She died March 1, 1914 at Wilton, AR. In 1867 she was married to Dr. John Thomas Butler at Richmond, AR. Magee Ann and Dr. Butler raised William Joseph Head, son of Joseph Washington Head.

JAMES MONROE HEAD: Fourth child and third son of James Allen and Sarah Cain Head, born in Tunnel Hill, GA, in 1841, died in Sherman, TX in 1904. He was first married to Mary A Hamilton. "Monroe," as he was known to his mother and sister, served in the Confederate Army and at the organization was a member of Company A, Second Arkansas Mounted Rifles and served in McIntosh's Regiment. During the last three years he was in the infantry service, and served in the Trans-Mississippi Department under Generals Bragg and Johnson, and took part in the battles of Richmond, Murfreesboro and Chickamaugua. and with Johnson from Dalton to Atlanta. He participated in nearly all the battles fought by Johnston's army from the fall of 1862 until the close of the war and surrendered at Greensboro, N.C.

JACKSON POLK HEAD: Fourth son, and fifth child, of James Allen and Sarah Cain Head, born at Tunnel Hill, GA, in 1843, died about 1905. His first marriage was to Joanna Lindsey of Princeton, AR. Uncle Polk served in the Confederate Army, principally east of the Mississippi, and was in some of the hardest fought battles, Shiloh, among others. He also served in the First Arkansas Mounted Rifles.

He farmed near Richmond for many years, then lived briefly in Sherman, Texas, but later returned to Little River County near Ogden, finally moving to Texarkana. His wife, Jo, survived him for several years and died in Texarkana.

CALLIE CALHOUN HEAD: Youngest child of James Allen and Sarah Cain Head; born at Tunnel Hill, Georgia in 1851, died at Mena, Arkansas in 1915. His first marriage ended in a separation and he was later married to Estelle Lovett Joyner, in 1898, by whom he became the father of five children: Callie C., Jr., James, Ruth, Eva and Elizabeth.

This was my grandfather. He was only 10 years old at the outbreak of the Civil War and stayed home with his mother. A first cousin to my mother, William Head (son of Joseph Washington Head), of Shreveport said that his Uncle Callie and Aunt Magee had interesting stories of the overland journey from Georgia just before the Civil War. They each had a pony on which they rode most of the way, while the other members of the family rode in a surrey and the household goods were loaded in wagons. As a very young man, "Uncle Callie" served as a clerk on steamboats running from Fulton, Arkansas to Shreveport, LA. Later he went into the mercantile business and also owned farms. About 1907 or 1908 he and his family moved to Mena, Arkansas and he died there in July, 1915.

CALLIE CALHOUN HEAD and ESTELLE LOVETT JOYNER had five children: They were: William Calhoun Head, Ruth Head Highley, James Allen Head II, Eva Magee Head, and Sarah Elizabeth Head Moore who is still living as of 1999. EVA MAGEE "Evelyn" Head was my mother, born November 22, 1906 in Richmond, Arkansas. My father was Dennis Lee Penwell.

Mary E Bish

Back to Lookups Page