Though the oldest grave markers in the King Cemetery are dated in the late 1800s, the cemetery was begun prior to The War Between The States. It is not known whether this cemetery was ever called by any other name in its earliest years. Now, in 1989, a part of the Willard H. Stewart family holdings, that quiet area along the beautiful White River - and the river itself - once teemed with pioneer families, struggling to earn a living from the river, the land, and the timber, two obelisk monuments mark the graves of John Alexander King (Sept. 1 1860 - Feb. 21, 1920) and his wife, Loucretia Lancaster King (Jan. 29, 1845 - Nov. 10, 1910). They were marked ca 1880 and it was then when that particular area on the river began to be known as "The King Place".
Among earliest settlers of the area was a family named Williams. Apparently it was when Loucretia Lancaster married Joel Williams in Trigg County, Kentucky on August 19, 1862 that she became involved in ownership of a part of what was later to become "The King Place". A King family source says that Loucretia's first husband was Edward Williams, so we can safely assume that he was Joel Edward Williams. He was killed in the War Between The States. They had one daughter, Cyntheria, who died at age 18 (ca 1880). She probably is buried in the King Cemetery.
Loucretia Williams was a daughter of William Dorsey Lancaster of Trigg County, Kentucky. Her second husband was Drewry B. Calhoun whom she married on February 14, 1866 in Kentucky. Drewry B. Calhoun's first wife was Jane Dixon, who also died during the Civil War. They were married July 21, 1841 in Trigg County, Kentucky. A Trigg County marriage license for their daughter, Sarah Calhoun, to Richard Allen Ricks on July 26, 1865, states that Sarah was born in Arkansas in 1843. These facts, with stories from family members of a following generation, indicate that the Drewry Calhoun family was among early settlers of the Des Arc/Calhoun Township area on White River and, as did Mrs. Williams, went back to Kentucky when Northern forces took over their lands.
The Ridout family was also among earliest settlers of the area who were rousted from their homes during the War Between The States, and the father, John Ridout, died in a Prisoner-of-War Camp at DeValls Bluff.
This section of White River was an important transportation factor during the War Between The States. The Reconstruction years were hard, yet these families redeemed portions of their lands. Mr. and Mrs. Calhoun returned to Arkansas and during the post-war period that spot on White River was known as Calhoun's Landing. Since the death of her second husband and Loucretia Calhoun's marriage to "Alex" King, a son of S.C. King and wife, Eliza Frances Ridout King, this historical old burial ground has been known as THE KING CEMETERY.
The King Cemetery is still being used by descendants of early residents of the area. Interest in the cemetery has resulted in continuing upkeep and improvements.
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