Well, I'm back! I didn't get NEARLY as much as I would have liked to
get on Ark. CATOs due to time constraints, but I did get a lot of what I
was looking for! I'm dead tired right now (just drove in about 30 min.
ago), but will send out what I found in installments - the first right
now & more tomorrow.
Deed:
Book H, page 459 - Conway Co., Ark. Deed records:
State of Ark., Co. of Conway
Know all men by these presents that I Samuel FORD as commissioner in
Chancery by virtue and in pursuence of a .. of the Circuit Ct. of Conway
Co., Ark., made at the Sept. term of said court A.D. 1859, I did
ad(vise?) I would sell at public auction on the premises on the 1st day
of Oct. A.D. 1859 to highest bidder for cash the following described
tract of land to wit. The W 1/2 of the NW 1/4 of Sect. 12 in Township 7
N range 13 W containing 80 [ac.] more or less and lying in Conway Co.,
Ark. as the property of William WYLEE deceased ...Joel CATOE being the
highest bidder at the time and place of ...aid - the said tract of land
was struck off to the said Joel CATOE for the sum of $148.00... now
Therefore know ye that I Samuel S. FORD by virtue of and in pursuance of
the authority in me vested as aforesaid and for & in consideration of
the said sum of $148.00, to me in hand paid by the said Joel CATOE the
reciept whereof is hereby acknowledged have granted examined and sold
and by these presents do grant bargain and sell unto the said Joel CATOE
and his heirs and assigns all the right title and interest of the said
William WYLEE deceased - and of the following named heirs to wit.
William WYLEE, Matilda WYLEE, Mary E. WYLEE, Nancy A. WYLEE and Sarah A.
WYLEE, and Mary A. BUTCHER, Elias N. BUTCHER & Eliza(beth?) BUTCHER and
Wylee THOMPKINS, and Melissa McINTURFF, Comet-- McINTURFF, William
McINTURFF, Abigail McINTURFF, Thomas McINTURFF, and Mary E. McINTURFF,
and Susan BRANNON, Joel CATOE, Abigail C. CATOE, Alexander DAVIDSON and
Mar(gret?) DAVIDSON as heirs of said William WYLEE deceased. To have
and to hold...17th day of Nov., 1859, S.S.FORD
[Note from Bonnie: For those of you who knew Violet Vestal, another Ark.
researcher, the Susan Brannon listed above is hers & the picture of her
Violet sent me is listed on the Cato picture page. Also, the county
clerks at the Conway Courthouse make the copies for you & they cut off
the last 1/2 inch or so on my copy & hence the ...'s throughout!]
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Now, a little history on this next deed. Nehemiah CATO recieved in 1825
a bounty grant for SW Sect. 24, Twp. 7 N, R 11 W (160 ac.) I believe
this is the land that Needham CATO is listed as owning (adjoining
Amos). Could this mean that Nehemiah & Needham (and Nelson <grin>) are
one & the same????? Needham is also listed on the *1830* Missouri
Census so...I now have to find out what the difference between the
patent date on the bounty warrents & the date they moved in was...
Anyone know???
Book J, Page 41, Conway Co., Ark. deeds:
Know all men by these presents that I Amos CATOE of the County of
Conway? an the State of Ark. for and in consideration of the sum of $300
to me paid by James R. ELLIOTT of the County of White and State of Ark.
the reciept whereof is hereby acknowledged do hereby give grant bargain
and sale unto the said Jams R. ELLIOTT a certain tract or piece of Land
and described as follows, the NW 1/4 of the E 1/4 of Sect. 24 in Twp. 7
N, R 11 W, also the NE 1/4 of NE 1/4 of Sect. 24 in Twp. 6 N of R 11 W,
the south boundary line known by Jas. R. ELLIOTT and Laney? HERROD, A.
CATOE, Needham CATOE, with all privaledges and appertures ... thereto
belonging to him the said Jas. R. ELLIOT and his heirs and I the said
Amos CATOE do covenant with the said Jas. R. ELLIOTT ....In witness
whereof the said Amos CATOE have hereunto set my hand and seal this
April the 3rd day, 1859. Amos (X) CATOE Signed in the presence of
Presley HERROD & W.C.DUCKWORTH.
Book J, Page 556, Conway Co., Ark. deeds:
Know all men by these presents that I Ammus CATO of the County of Conway
and State of Ark. for and in consideration of the sum of $700 to me in
hand paid J.M.BLASSINGAME of county and State aforesaid the ... whereof
is hereby acknowledged have granted bargained and soled do by these
presents do bargain and sell unto the said J.M.BLASSINGAME his heirs and
assigns a certain tract or parcel of land bounded and described as
follows to wit the S 1/2 of the NE 1/4 of Sect. 24 in twp. 6 N of R 11 W
W & the SE 1/4 of Sect. 24 in 6 N of R 11 containing 240 ac. with all
appertanances ...A. CATO covanant with the said BLASINGAME his heirs and
assigns... I the said Ammus CATO have hereunto my hand and seal this
18th December 1866. Amus (X) CATO Signed & delivered in the presents of
J.?M.BLEDSLOE, J.W.ACKLIN, State of Arkansas, County of *White*.
Be it remembered that this 18th day of Dec. A.D., 1866... one of the
Justice of the Peace for the County of White and St. of Ark. Amis CATO
as said county to me well known as the person whose name appears upon
the foregoing deed of conveyance acknowleged that he executed the same
the consideration aforesaid and the same to be certified and I so
certify given under my hand as such Justice this date first above
written. John P. HELM
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[note from Bonnie on the following article about the town of CATO.
Faulkner Co. wasn't formed until the 1870s & was formed from part of
Pulaski & Conway Counties. The area where CATO lies was once Pulaski
Co. & the other primary area of Faulkner Co. that the CATO family lived
in was previously Conway Co.]
From the Faulkner Co. book by the Faulkner Co. Historical Society (I
can't find the page with the name of it on it!)
CATO
CATO, which is located on the Faulkner-Pulaski County line, probably
recieved its name from the James CATO family which dates back to
territorial days. The family settled along Greenbrier Creek and one of
James Cato's sons became an itinerant trader who often camped in the
area which became known as CATO.
Early settlers, besides the CATOs, included J.G.WILSON, for whom Wilson
Hill is named; Henry HARRELL, who came to CATO from SC in 1865 & built a
grist mill; and William M. GATEWOOD, who arrived with his wife Emily
SIMS GATEWOOD and their 9 children shortly after the Civil War. Georgia
A. WILSON, born in 1872, was a daughter of J.G. & Edna Caroline WILSON;
she later moved to the Cypress Valley Community where she lived in the
same house for 74 years. A Mr. SPANN owned a cotton gin which later was
owned and operated by the PROCTOR family.
Many of the early settlers plowed their fields with their milch cows,
thus using them for both beasts of burden and a milk supply for the
family. As soon as a farmer accumulated enough money to purchase a mule
or a horse, the cow was relieved of her plowing duties.
The Methodist Church South was organized in 1872. A building was
started by C.R.McPHERSON but a Mr. BURTON contracted to complete the
building. The site for the church and for the community cemetery was
donated by the Little-Rock Fort Smith Railroad in 1874. Reverend
R.S.KIRKMAN was the first pastor. Mrs. Watt CAPELS is said to be the
first person buried in the cemetery: this was in February 1873. The
church building burned and a new, two-story structure was built and
shared by the Methodist congregation and the Masonic Lodge. Clark
WILKNERSON and Bud EASTER were the chief builders. After 1962 the
building was no longer used except for funerals.
Dr. J.W.WEBB practiced medicine in the community from 1869 to 1904.
Merchants in the area about 1900 were J.E.HOGAN, W.R.FLACK, and
J.R.FARRAR. W.A. and Fulton HARRIS were the blacksmiths. The FARRIS
brothers ran a woodworking shop, and PROCTOR and HARREL operated a gin,
a sawmill, and a grist mill.
In 1906 the Conway-CATO telephone company completed the line into county
exchange. D.G.HARRISON was president of the telephone firm which served
CATO, Chadwick, Faulkner Gap, and Saltillo communities.
In 1913 an orchard firm planted a hillside near Wilson Hill's farm at
CATO. This farm, consisting of 73 acres, had 2,800 grape vines, 2,200
apple trees, 1,800 peach trees, 300 plum trees, and 150 cherry trees.
The post office was established in 1884 with Silas A. STEWART as the
first postmaster. Because of insufficient revenue the office closed
again soon afterward.
More tomorrow!!
Bonnie
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White Co., Ark.: USGenWeb Project & the Orig. Ark. Project:
http://www.webkeeper.com/cato/WH.html
Cleburne Co., Orig. Ark. Project:
http://www.webkeeper.com/cato/CLhome.html
Rusk Co., Tex., USGenWeb Project:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~txrusk/index.htm
Cato Family Homepage
http://www.webkeeper.com/cato/c.html
Bury Me Under My Family Tree
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/7079/indez.html
Ark. USGenWeb Archives
http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ar/arfiles.htm
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