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BRAMBLE BUSH
THE QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
OF THE HISTORIC GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
OF MARION COUNTY ARKANSAS
Vol. 6, No. 2 April 2001 Yellville, Arkansas 72687
MARION COUNTY
THE DIVIDED
(Part 2)
Vicki Roberts, 2363 MC 5032, Yellville AR 72687
There were no true battles fought in Marion County during the War Between the States. There were skirmishes and incidents, but no battles. The timeline of events in 1862 goes something like this.
19 April 1862. There was a skirmish at Talbot's Ferry on White River about 15 miles northeast of Yellville. Lieutenant Hickox led the 4th Iowa Cavalry on the Union side and Colonel Schnable commanded the Confederate side. [Lieutenant Hickox was killed during the confrontation. Blame for his death was placed on Jesse Mooney, the ferry operator at Talbot's Ferry.]
24 April 1862. The 4th Missouri Cavalry attached to General Samuel R. Curtis' forces in Forsyth MO, destroyed extensive salt peter manufacturing near Yellville [not the Dubuque works]. The damage was quickly repaired and the salt peter works continued production. Yellville was burned at this time.
25 June 1862. There was a small incident at Yellville.
3 July 1862. Confederate forces under the commands of Schnable, McBride, Coleman, Crabtree, Hindman, and Bledsoe were camped east of Yellville. McBride commanded all these troops by authority of the State of Arkansas. There were about 1500 men in one camp and 300 in another. The conscript law was now being enforced.
19 August 1862. There was a small incident at Clear Creek.
September 1862. The 7th Division of the Missouri State Guard (Union), under the command of General James H. McBride, was headquartered in and near Yellville.
October 1862. Brigadier General Francis J. Herron ordered an expedition from Ozark MO into Marion County to test the strength of the enemy and to capture the Confederate supplies at Yellville. [Herron had fought with valor at Wilson's Creek, Pea Ridge, and Prairie Grove and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and the rank of Major General by the age of 25, making him the youngest Major General in blue at the time of his promotion.]
In the latter part of 1862, the Confederates held a stronghold at Yellville. Union troops made regular forays through Marion County, breaking up guerrilla bands and small Confederate parties. The entire area was in a state of constant warfare as Union patrols did their best to apprehend or destroy any and all parties of armed males.
Official reports of Union scouts and patrols often read something like "Killed 10, wounded 14 and destroyed many arms." Most activity occured around Yellville and Buffalo City as well as on Richland Creek in Searcy County.
This particular story exemplifies the goings on during 1862. A guerrilla leader named Jackman, who occasionally rode with General Joseph Shelby's famous Iron Brigade of Missouri Arkansas Cavalry (Shelby's Raiders), ambushed a Union wagon train on the north side of the Buffalo River near Woolum Crossing. One officer and some 30-35 enlisted men were killed by the Confederates. The Union forces returned several days later, guided by survivors, and attacked Jackman in his fortified camp. Although wounded, Jackman and his men succeeded in burning the 200 wagons they had previously captured, and then quietly melted away into the hills.
"The road south of Dubuque toward Lead Hill was the scene of the killing of Marion County Sheriff Billy Brown in the 1850s. Brown was in the area attempting to take an accused murderer into custody.
"In June 1851, a stern wheeler came up the river. It attracted the attention of many people for such a large boat had not attempted to come this far before. The pilot blew the whistle and people waved and watched. The captain of the boat was one of the most important people the settlers had seen, so, they asked him to name their town. He was from Dubuque, Iowa, and therefore named it Dubuque."
Marion County is first found in official Union records in early 1862 when the federal authorities learned of the salt peter works here. On 23 March 1862 Major General H. W. Halleck sent the following message to General Samuel R. Curtis' Headquarters of the Department of Mississippi and St. Louis.
23 March 1862. General Curtis, Department of Mississippi and St. Louis: It is reported that the enemy has about 100 Negroes engaged in the salt peter works in Marion County east of Worth (near Lead Hill). They are guarded by one company. A detachment of cavalry from
Springfield could destroy these works and free the Negroes, as being employed in the enemy's service. (signed)General H. W. Halleck"
General Curtis, realizing the importance of destroying these works, later sent the following communique to General Halleck.
25-29 November 1862. Expedition to Yellville, Arkansas. General Halleck:
General Herron telegraphs that the Yellville Expedition, of which I wrote you, has returned. It was success- ful in destroying the salt peter works, the arsenal, and the store houses with about 500 shotguns and rifles. Sixty were taken prisoner, and over 100 horses. Their sick in the hospital were paroled, and the troops returned last evening after traveling 250 miles in less than five days. The troops were the 1st Iowa, the 10th Illinois, and the 2nd Wisconsin, commanded by Colonel Wickersham of the 10th Illinois.
(signed) General Samuel R. Curtis"
On 10 October 1862 a Confederate Brigade, made up of Colonel Robert G. Shaver's 38th Arkansas, Colonel James R. Shaler's 27th Arkansas, and Colonel J. D. White's 9th Missouri, began its march from Pocahantas to Yellville. Following the Old Military Road, they passed through the villages of Jackson, Evening Shade, Smithville, and Rapp's Barren, crossing the White River at Talbot's Ferry, and arriving at Yellville 22 October 1862. Yellville was already crowded with Missouri Confederates who had set up their headquarters in Isaac Wilson's hotel.
Camp was made across Crooked Creek south of Yellville. This was known as Adam's Camp. Many of the men in Shaler's 27th Arkansas had homes near Yellville and their families visited them, bringing food and clothing.
There was talk that the Brigade would winter here in Yellville, but on 29 October 1862 orders were received that they were to march to Ozark MO - about 160 miles north.
On 12 October 1862, Major John C. Wilbur, commander of the 14th Union Missouri Militia, began the march south from Ozark MO to Marion County with 125 men. Before they had reached the state line, 100 men from the Beaver Mill Post joined them. When they reached White River, they were unable to cross and marched down the north side of the river to Talbot's Ferry.
Major Wilbur reported: "I found the woods swarming with secesh [Secessionist] scouts, posted on all of the hills watching our movements and couriers flying in every direction, giving intelligence of our approach and collecting forces. They had been warned of our advance several times before and were rapidly collecting to oppose our little band."
Wilbur sent a spy to check out Yellville. His notes further read, "On the morning of the 16th [October 1862] 1 moved my force to Talbot's Barrens [today's Baxter County] 8 miles east of the ferry, to await the return of my spy from Yellville before 1 dared cross the river with my small force. Here 1 learned that Colonel J. R. Shaler with 2000 infantry, 1000 cavalry, and four pieces of artillery were approaching Yellville by forced march and were within a day's march of our camp."
Upon receiving the information that Shaler's Division was headed for Yellville, Wilbur abandoned the idea of attacking Yellville. He decided, instead, to confiscate all the property he could in the area and return to Ozark MO. After collecting about 50 head of horses and five wagons and their teams, Wilbur's command posted guards and camped for the night. Around 2 A.M. the Union's rear guard, made up of some 25 men under the command of Lieutenant Reuben P. Mooney of Company D of the 14th Regiment of Missouri State Militia, were attacked by a battalion of Colonel Shaler's command. Under cover of darkness, Shaler's men had silently gained a position between the rear guard and Wilbur's main force.
During the early part of the war, most folks believed hostilities would soon be over and didn't hesitate to voice their support for the South. In 1859 a lead smelter had been constructed below the village of Dubuque, a favorite crossing point on Upper White River. The lead ore for this smelter came from Lead Hill Creek, a branch of West Sugar Loaf Creek. At the beginning of the war, the Confederate government created an agency similar to today's Bureau of Mines which started sponsoring gunpowder producing operations in both Marion and Newton Counties, employing Provost or Nitre Guards to protect them. A local militia unit, under the command of B. F. Ivy, drilled at Dubuque every Saturday.
On 8 November 1862 Captain Milton Burch took 40 men from Companies D, F, G, and H of the 2nd Battalion 14th Regiment Missouri State Militia Cavalry and proceeded to Lawrence Mill, 35 miles southeast of Ozark MO. Located on Beaver Creek in Taney County MO and known to the Confederates as Fort Lawrence, the post served as a base for scouting patrols, garrisoned approximately 100 Union militiamen, and protected Lawrence Mill, which actively ground meal for the Union army. [In January 1863, by order of General Marmaduke to Colonel Emmett MacDonald, Fort Lawrence was attacked by 270 Missouri troops. MacDonald ordered the fort burned, the supplies hauled off, and the Union prisoners paroled.]
The next day Captain Burch sent scouts out looking for Rebels (he called the marauders). When the scouts returned, they reported the nearest body of Rebels was located near Yellville. However, a considerable number of Provost Guards was reported near Dubuque, about 30 miles from Fort Lawrence.
Adding 60 men garrisoned at Fort Lawrence and with a few guides, Captain Burch and his men marched all night, arriving a few miles east of Dubuque by daybreak. Taking positions in the woods, plans were made to trap the Provost Guards. Lieutenant Kelso and 10 men were to play the part of Rebels. They took four men of the 14th Regiment of Missouri State Militia and marched them into Dubuque as captives. Burch waited for word to attack. But, Lieutenant Kelso and his men found only 23 Provost Guards. Two were killed and the third was left behind, unable to travel. The remainder were taken prisoner. Dr. Wilson, Surgeon of the Rebel regiment, and Mr. Oldham, the Dubuque blacksmith, were those killed.
Major General Francis J. Herron reported 30 November 1862 that an expedition consisting of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin Cavalry under Colonel Wickersham had returned from Yellville and that "all the saltpeter works at Dubuque have been destroyed." The report further stated that the arsenal and storehouses were burned, about 500 shot guns and rifles destroyed, and 100 horses were taken.
On 13 December 1862 Captain Burch made one of his many raids through Marion County. This time he captured Jesse Mooney, a Captain in Company E of the Provost Guard of Marion County. Mooney was taken to Springfield MO where he remained for seven days. A non-slave owner with a wife and seven children, he was the owner and operator of Talbot's Ferry. According to General Samuel R. Curtis, Mooney was accused of killing Lieutenant Hickox in the April 1862 attack on Talbot's Ferry. Mooney claimed innocence. He was paroled 25 April 1863 at Fort Delaware, Delaware. He was again taken prisoner in Marion County 17 November 1864 where he was listed as a major in Schnable's Confederate Regiment. This time he was paroled at Johnson's Island! Ohio, and sent to Point Lookout! Maryland! for exchange 16 February 1865.
To be continued . . . . . .
FROM THE EDITOR
Well, this has been a spring to remember, hasn't it? Don't know about all of you, but here in Bush Land it's been way too icy and cold for way to long (lots of broken bones from slipping/falling on the ice), way too warm way too early, way too stormy (you do not want to hear of the mini-tornado that never touched down but did destroy a swath of trees and flood the basement at Mysty's place), and way too dry way too early. It's really been keeping the emergency rescue folks on the run.
Not real sure I ever should have gotten into this Civil War thing. The records on the Confederate side differ so much from the records on the Union side that it's really been difficult to keep track of the real story. And the records of the winning side of any fracas differ so much from the records of the losing side that sometimes I'm not sure they're talking about the same event. As for the names of the various units on both sides - well, I'm just glad I had nothing to do with sending them here, hither, or yon 'cuz I'd never have been sure who I was sending where. I swore I'd never do this - I'm now beginning to understand just why. The confusion is incredibly - uh - well - confusing.
Hope lots of you are planning to be at the 12th Annual Ancestor Fair in Leslie. Sure sounds like it's going to be as wonderful and exciting and filled with information as it always is. Be sure to check out http://www.crosswinds/~jx3/ for answers to all your questions about this exceptional family research event. We'll be there for sure so do plan to drop by for a chat.
Don't forget to dig out those old photos for our in-progress Pictorial History of Marion County AR. We've been getting some truly interesting pictures. You'd be surprised at how many of them have never been seen before - except maybe by family. They sure haven't been seen in print before. And they're weaving a wonderful story of the county, what she looked like, how she grew and changed, who her caretakers were.
And remember to drop by the Marion County Web Page at http://argenweb.net/marion/
Vicki Roberts, Editor
PICTURES PICTURES PICTURES PICTURES PICTURES
PICTURES WANTED
FOR THE
PICTORIAL HISTORY OF MARION COUNTY
| P E 0 P L E | Anyone in your family, their neighbors, singly or in groups. |
| P L A C E S | Town scenes, churches, stores, creeks, aerials, schools, mines. |
| T HI N G S | Ferries, wagonsl barnsl furniture, steamboatsl tunnels. |
| E V E N T S | Picnics, socials, baptisms, making soap or molasses, graduations. |
Laser copies or copies of photographs are perfect. Send these to: Vicki Roberts, HGSMCA, PO Box 7611 Yellville AR 72687.
Scanned copies are also perfect. E-mail these to: J. L. Pearce jlpearce@southshore.com.
MARION COUNTY VOTERS' LIST 1893
Included here is more of the 1893 County Voters' Lists. This list is now on-line at the Marion Co Site
JESSE MOONEY
1. JACOB MOONEY Sr of Irish descent b McMinnville TN d MCAR 1832 bu near Whiteville Church, Baxter Co, AR m ___, Emigrated to the Cotter area of White River ca 1810 with probably 4 Melungeons and 4 slaves. His wife never came to AR, Served with Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans. Maintained households in both AR and TN.
3. JESSE MOONEY b McMinnville TN 18 June 1818 d Baxter Co. AR 9 June 1884 m/1 ____ b TN; m 2 SARAH HAYNES b GA ca 1824; m/3 OLIVIA A. WILUAMS (daughter of Barnett & Mary J. [ ___ ] Williams, sister to Amelia and John Williams) b NC 11 March 1840. Emigrated to White River ca 1840. Operated Mooney's Ferry, developed Mooney's Landing, and piloted a steamboat farther up White River (to the mouth of the James River) than anyone else to date. Managed a cotton gin. Marion Co. Sheriff 1844-1850. Served the Confederacy with the rank of major. In White River Township 1850, Whiteville Township 1860, 1870, Whiteville Township, Baxter Co. AR 1880.
4. JACOB MOONEY Jr.
5. POLLYA. MOONEY.
6. MARY JANE MOONEY.
8. JOHN B. MOONEY b TN ca 1837 d by 1886.
9. DANIEL M. MOONEY b MCAR 1841.
10. CALVIN J. MOONEY b MCAR 1846.
12. CALHOUN MOONEY b MCAR 1850 d Baxter C. AR by July 1886 m bef 1870 NARCISSA JANE HARVEY b MO ca 1854. She m/2 Colonel Hamilton who was murdered in 1899.
13. MARTHA E. MOONEY b MCAR 1852 m JOHN WILLIAMS (son of Barnett & Mary J. [ ____ ] Williams). In Whiteville Township 1870, Whiteville Township, Baxter Co. AR 1880. Moved to TX.
14. GREENWOOD MOONEY b MCAR 1857 m MARY - b MO 1860. In Baxter Co. AR 1880.
15. MARY JANE MOONEY b MCAR 1859 m ROBERT FOSTER FARMER. Moved to TX.
17. LURA ISABEL MOONEY b MCAR 8 Jan 1869 m WILLIAM S. RENO.
18. EMMA F. MOONEY b MCAR 1872 m S. BILL SUGGS.
19. EUGENE WILLIAMS MOONEY b Baxter Co. AR 30 Jan 1874 d Baxter Co. AR 1907 killed while serving as Baxter Co. sheriff m 31 Jan 1891 LINDA ELIZABETH ANGLIN (daughter of Madison & Martha [ ___ ] Anglin) b MCAR ca 1873. Baxter Co. AR Sheriff. Confessed to complicity in the shooting of Will White in MCAR 1893.
20. MILTON LEON MOONEY, Doctor, b Baxter Co. AR 12 Dec 1876 m/1 LAURA MARTIN (daughter of Dr. D. P. Martin of Gassville, Baxter Co. AR); m/2 EFFIE BAKER. Milton served as Baxter Co. sheriff.
21. CLINTON F. MOONEY b Baxter Co. AR 1877. Died young.
22. LORENA OLIVIA MOONEY b Baxter Co. AR 11 Sep 1879 m THOMAS HENLEY.
23. ALMA IRENE MOONEY b Baxter Co. AR 1884 m WILLIAM ALFRED MESSICK (son of Alfred Christopher & Elizabeth Jane [Trammel] Messick).
24. LAURA B. MOONEY.
26. MARTHA ADA MOONEY b MCAR 1869 m HAMILTON "Hampey" ROPER (son of Peter B & Nancy J [ __ ] Roper) b GA ca 1863.
27. JOHN MILTON MOONEY b MCAR 1871 m/1 Baxter Co. AR 24 Feb 1889 JUUA A. ANGUN (daughter of George W. & Martha Jane [ __ ] Anglin) b MCAR 26 Feb 1872 d Baxter Co. AR 7 Dec 1915; m/2 __.
28. LULU I. MOONEY b Baxter Co. AR 1874 m GEORGE GRAY.
29. NELLIE F. MOONEY b Baxter Co. AR 1876.
30. CORA M. MOONEY b Baxter Co. AR 1879 m WILLIE PIERCE.
31. FLORENCE MOONEY m ELZIE KEITH.
32. JAMES WALTER MOONEY.
33. JESS MARTIN MOONEY.
34. TAYLOR GREENWOOD MOONEY.
35. MARGARET MOONEY.
36. MARY MOONEY.
37. BERTIE MOONEY.
38. EUNICE MOONEY.
39. WILLIAM ARTHUR MOONEY.
41. ALBERTA MOONEY b Baxter Co. AR Aug 1877 m MARCUS S. ANGUN (son of Marcus & Julia A. [ __ ] Anglin) b MCAR Nov 1868.
42. MAUD MOONEY.
45. MYRTLE MOONEY m LEON TEAGUE.
46. LURA MOONEY.
47. LULA MOONEY m J. ONTIVEROUS.
48. LELA MAY MOONEY m __ JONES.
49. FLOYD ALTON MOONEY.
50. REDUS WILUAM MOONEY.
SOURCES: Marion Co., 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880 census; Turnbo Tales" by S. C. Turnbo; "White River Chronicles" by Lynn Morrow; "History of Baxter Co., AR" by Mary Ann Messick; Baxter Co., AR 1880 cnesus; "Youngs, Pathways In Time" by Jerry Lee Young.
FAMILIES & FAIRS
Families & Fairs Is designed to announce dates and places of reunions, ancestor fairs, and historical commemorations wherever they may be held. The information must reach us no later than March 15, June 15, September 15, and/or December 15 to be included in the next issue of Bramble Bush. The name and address of a contact person must be included. This feature is free of charge.
12th ANNUAL NORTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS ANCESTOR FAIR. May 31, June 1 and 2. Leslie, Searcy County, Arkansas. Speakers and Topics: Tammie Dillon - Preservation Consultant, Bill Woodiel- Trail of Tears Association, Jim Walsmith, Arkansas Historic Preservation Alliance, Russell P. Baker - Arkansas History Commission, Dorothy Tincup Mauldin; Native American Genealogy, Vicki Roberts & Don Ott; Beginning family research and census records. Contact James Johnston johnston@ipa.net or go to http://www.crosswinds.net/~jx3/ for further information.
1891 REAL ESTATE TAX ASSESSMENTS
Transcribed by Janice Mears, PO Box 628, Bull Shoals AR 72619
Included here is more of the 1891 Real Estate Tax List. This list is now on-line at the Marion Co Site
A FINISHED FAMILY TREE
They think that I should cook and clean and be a model wife.
I tell them it's more interesting to study Grandpa's life.
They simply do not understand why I hate to go to bed
I'd rather do two hundred years of research instead.
Why waste the time we have on each just snoring and asleep
When we can learn of ancestors that sailed upon the deep?
We have priests, rabbis, lawmen, soldiers - more than just a few.
And, yes, there are many scoundrels, and a bootlegger or two.
How can a person find this life an awful drudge or bore
When we can live the lives of all those folks who came before?
A hundred years from now, of course, no one will ever know
Whether I did the laundry; but, they'll see Our Tree and glow.
'Cause their dear old granny left for them, for all posterity
Not clean hankies and the like, but a finished family tree.
My home may be untidy 'cause I've better things to do.
I'm checking all the records to provide us with a clue.
Yes, old granny's pulling roots and branches out with glee.
Her clothes ain't hanging out to dry She's hung up on The Tree.
Courtesy of the author Mel Oshins
QUERIES
Queries is published in Bramble Bush as a service to researchers who may wish to exchange information of mutual historic and/or genealogical Interests. Queries from both members and non-members are accepted, and are published in order of receipt, as space permits. If you respond to a query, kindly send a copy of your answer to Bramble Bush. Responsibility for accuracy of data in queries rests with the submitter.
COUNTS - PRITCHARD - ESTES. Seek parents and first husband of Ivy (PRITCHARD) COUNTS) b KY ca 1877 m MCAR 2 May 1908 William "Will" ESTES (son of John Moses & Charlotte [Elkins] Estes) as his third wife. Mysty McPherson, 35 MC 6023, Yellville AR 72687. email shakerag@mtnhome.com
DOWD. Wish to correspond with descendants of William C. DOWD, brother of Captain James R. DOWD b 1831 d 1905 who organized Dowd's Company of Arkansas State Troops CSA in May 1861. Charles J. Germany, 8405 Clarann Ln, Chappell Hill TX 77426. emaif: cgermany@tca.net
REYNOLDS - TUCKER. Seek info and descendants for Martin REYNOLDS b TN 1804 d MCAR 12 Dec 1862 and William R. REYNOLDS b TN 29 Jan 1825 d MCAR 10 Aug 1910. Other REYNOLDS names: Ed, William S., John M., John W., Mary Jane, Rachel Elizabeth, James R., Louisa J., and Sarah "Sally" who m a TUCKER. Lany Reynolds, 2010 Lobelia Dr., Cedar Park TX 78613. email: reynoldsle@mindspring.com
TERRY - NAVE. Wish to exchange info on descendants of John F. TERRY and Mary (NAVE) TERRY who were in MCAR into the 1900s. Irene D. Wilson, 7460 Wilson Fulton Street, San Diego CA 92111-6122.
HGSMCA MEMBERSHIP
Membership in the Historical Genealogical Society of Marion County Arkansas is $12 per year.
Membership for one year runs from 1 January to 31 December of that year.
Membership includes the quarterly newsletter Bramble Bush.
Membership begun later in the year includes all issues of Bramble Bush for that year.
Make your check for $12 payable to HGSMCA and send to HGSMCA, PO Box 761, Yellville AR 72687-9612.
BRAMBLE BUSH
The Bramble Bush is published quarterly by the Historic Genealogical Society of Marion County Arkansas, PO Box 761, Yellville AR 72687. EDITORIAL STAFF: Editor, Vicki Roberts; Design/Production, Mysty McPherson; Art Work, Bonnie Sanders; Queries, Mary Birrer; Subscriptions, Barbara Holland; Printing, Rapid Rabbit, 25 Nabco Avenue, Conway AR 72O30; Contributing writers, Bonnie Sanders. HGSMCA OFFICERS: Chair, Vicki A. Roberts; Vice-Chair, Don Duggins; Secretary, Mary Birrer; Treasurer, Barbara Holland; Grants/Purchasing, Mysty McPherson.
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