The Russellville Democrat., 1878-11-14
THE FIRST WHITE SETTLER
 OF POPE COUNTY.
She was Here ere the He'd Savag-
 es took their Leave,
Aao is Still Amongst us, an Hon.
 ored and Christian Woman.
Early "Reminiscences of Arkan-
 sas Life.

VIC Unt the lOlIOWlUR lHtefeStiuS letter in the Little Rock Gazette. The subject of the notice IS well known to most of our readers and is revered and loved by all as a true Christian and lady of great inteln- gence and vol th.
 RussELLvlLLE, ARK, Oct. PC, 1878. EDITORS GAZETTE: The reading of several interesting communities tiors in your late issues from Judge Eakin, the Rev. Mr. Stout and others, in regard to the organization of a State Historical Society in Little Rock. in which some interesting scraps of history are given, reminds me of the fact thas there Is an old lady residing in this county and near the old village of Norristown, who is, perhaps, the most historical woman in the State. We mean Mrs. Abbey W. WasiIburne, wid of the late Cephas Washburne, and Old school Presbyterian preacher and 1 Indian Missionary, whose history, 1 together with that of his widow, Is well known to many of the old citi- zens of Arkansas.
 1 In the year 1920 Mrs. Washburne and her husband came up the Arkan- sas river to Arkansas Post. on the first steamboat that ever ascended that river. They were on their way from New England, she and her hus 1 band having been married on the 9th of Oct. 1918, in the beautiful lit tie village ot Randolph, Tn Orange ! county, Vermont, where they had both been reared. Their services were engaged for Missionary work whilst they were betrothed, by the "American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions" They left for Boston the day after they were mar 1 ricd, and from thence sailed for Sa vannsh, Ga, thence they were taken to the country to the h1spltable home of Mr. Cobb, whose wife was q very devoted Presbyterian, and who was the father of two, then, small boys, Howell and Thomas. both of then afterwaeds became very dis tinguished as lawyers and politi clans. After remaining there sever al months. they travelled alone to an Indian Mission. on Missionary Ridge, near where Chattanooga now stands, from thence they contihued through an almost uninhabited coun
 ,rv to Grenada, NJ iss., where there vas another Indian Mission, called Eilotts Mission, among the Choc- jaws; thence by water they foated down the YaIlabusha aud Yazoo riv CTS to Vicksburg, Miss, then called Walnut Hills. where they got on board the steamboat that brougt them, as before stated, to Arkansas Post. They remained nun Der of days at the Post, and whilst there Mir. Woodruff, the founder ot the Gazette, arrived there with q printing press. Mr. Washburne employed a number of French boat men to bring them up to what was afterwards called Dwight Mission, un the Illinois Bayou at or very neal where the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad now crosses that stream. Those rude hoatmen had | sort of keel boat, into which these missionaries and their baggage and supplies were placed, and they were one month coming UP from the Post to Dwight Mission. They reached
 Little Rock on Saturday, and re mained there on Sanday. The town j did not contain half-a dozen families , There never had been sermon preached in the place. Mir. Wash $ burne being invited by the people
 on that Sunday, preached to then
 the first sermon ever delivered IT
 Little Rock.
 They reached their destination 1T
 the summer or fall of 1920, ane testa ahlished at that place nashe' C s9wtght's Mission, among the Glherc
 a:ee Indians, naming it in homer e Foai Dr. Dwight. of Dartmoutlh 1'aI fIeue. New Hampshire. To sH'ssw ih
 nninhabited condition of the eaoaitG
 at shat time, she says they asad ne
 been as Dwight long before uihe f were out of medicine aM Of sfen l having been sick with the ehllls
 and they gave an Indian $50 to g
 to Arkansas Post after 'nediclne
 He made the trip by land and wa F gone three weeks.
 A large Mission School, taught D,
 Mr. Washburne, Mrs. Washbnrne
 and several assistants, was at one
 established at Dwight, for the puf
 pose of educating the Indians, an'
 was kept up until the Indians wer
 sent to the Indian Territory, ahoo . tbe year 1880. They them went | the Cherokee Nation, and establish ed a new Dwight's Mission, on tn
 Saisau, near the Arkpnsas riyel and renamed there teaehlng tn
 Indians, IS missionaries, thistee
 yearr longer, when they returned