S. C. Turnbo Manuscripts. Many stories about families and Civil War times for
MO and ARK. Look for your family names. Here's a copy of the CHAMBERS search
of the 28 VOLs. Enjoy.
cathyanne(a)aol.com
http://198.209.8.166/turnbo/v21/st630.html
SOME OF THE WAYS AND DOINGS OF THE EARLY TIMES
By S. C. Turnbo
A large number of people who were born in Arkansas live in Texas now. John J.
Vandiver writing from Marguer Leon County Texas under date of October 6, 1906
says "I was born and raised in Eastern Arkansas, St. Francis County, Croleys
Ridge, Withburg being our town. My fathers old homestead, two and one half
miles from this place. My father being a pioneer settler not many years after
Davy Crocket killed the big bear near the earth shakes on Longweille River. I
have heard the wolves howl within 200 yards of the house so long before
sundown and the panthers scream directly after dark, and caught bear in log
traps. Mr. Vandiver was a Union soldier in the 2nd Tennessee mounted
volunteers Murpheys regiment. Capt. J. W. Chambers company served in the
campaigns in Kentucky and Tennessee under General Thomas and was at Nashville
when General Hood was defeated. His father James Vandiver came from Lawrence
County Alabama to St. Francis County Ark. in 1842. There were 8 families, the
Browns, Barnes, Smiths, Boones, Herds, Waffords, Sanders, and Lawsons. These
were heads of families. We lived in a split poplar log house with puncheon
floor in this house was the first preaching I ever heard which was a
Methodist. The first school I ever attended in St. Francis County was taught
by Mrs. Cole in a small round log house with puncheon floor with summer
unlined cracks with split logs for seats with pins in logs at the side of the
wall with clabboards placed on them for writing desks and to lay the books on.
We used quill pens and home made ink all the school books we used then was the
old blue back speller. Our mills were holes dug out in logs and the corn beat
with a pestle most every one owned his own mill. We spun and wove and ginned
cotton on our fingers.
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