The leader., 1904-08-31
PIKE COUNTY HISTORY.
RNES-SARTIN.LEE.
Georgia and Tennessee. Amite and
Pike.

Pike.
About 1898 William Barnes
constructed a dugout from large
cypress tree, over in the State Of
Georgia, and with his young wife
and little daughter, Margaret,
then four years old, embarked
with all their goods and ehattels
ON the Cumberland river, for the
territory Of Mississippi. His
trusty rifle, his mechanical tools,
their clothing and some quilts,
with a small quantity of proyis-
ions and primitive cooking uten-
sis, constituted their stock of be-
longings. With brave heart,
devoted love and faith in the
strong arm of hel husband, this
young wife, with her little child,
stepped into that canoe to take
the chances on the turbulent
waters and dangerous whirls and
shoals of the Cumberland, the Ohio
and the Mississippi, in search Of
land and a permanent home in the
far West, where semi-ciyilized
tribes Of Indians had their home,
and the bear, the wolf and the
wild cat stalked at large.
Down the stream they foated
day bV dav. landing to cook their
meals and camping at night on the
river hank beneath the trees
Week by week they doated slow
~ along catching fish now and
then, and killing wild game to
supply their needs. One evening
late they approached rough sec
tion of the river, they were known
as mussel shoals which required a
knowledge of its channel to navi-
gate it safely even with a dugout.
1t SO happened that an Indian was
lettering there, and he advised
Barnes not to attempt the passage
of the shoals with his wife and
child in the dugout, but to let
them come ashore and he. would
show them path that led around
through the woods to the river
below and proposed that he would
pilot the canoe through the shoals,
which Barnes accepted. Night
overlook them before they reach
ed the intersection of the path to
the river that Mrs. Barnes was
expected to travel, and when they
reached chat point she and her
child were not to be found. The
Indian explained that he forgot to
mention to her that the path fork
ed and she must have taken the
wrong route, which she did, and
travelled on until the dense dark
ness stopped her further progress.
With his rifle and a torch Barnes
left the Indian with his canoe and
started out in search Of his lost
wife and child. Taking the
path back toward the upper end of
the shoals, he reached Che fork all
luded to by the Indian, and after
a long search and blowing of his
horn he found his wife crouched
beneath a tree with little Margar-
ct Rugged up in her arms, far
back from the river. Returning
to his boat he found that the In
dian who piloted him safely over
the shoals had robbed his dugout
of some of bis most important val
uables and disappeared. How
ever Barnes landed safely at |
Natehez and settled for awhile in
Amite county
In Tennessee, there lived Wild
ow lady named Sartin, who had
little son John, afflicted with rheu-
matism, and she wanted to come
to- Mississippi in company with
others, but was detained for awhile
by her afflicted boy. She finally |
married a man named Lee, and
they moved through on the over |
land route iii 1910, and also stop
ped in Amite county. Here John
Sartin found Margaret Barnes,
the little girl that had made the
trip all the way from Georgia il a
augout.
John Barnes left Amite county |
and settled in Pike on Union
creek, otherwise known as Cooks I
creek, and built a grist mill there
in 1913, and constructed carding
to run by water power,
that ginned the seed cotton and
card it into rolls ready for the
wheel. In the meantime
It The age Of II, little Margaret
became the wife of John Sartin +
md they settled on Magee's creek
below China Grove; and they be
same the parents of 4 large family
If children, among them, Major, |,
Joseph and Leander
,.Leel, all old time natives, worthy I
ind prominent citizens OF Pike I
county. Major Sartin was born
d 1872, just 80 years ago this No
zember, on the lace where bis
'ather first lived after his mar
.iage, and be has resided on
Is creek to the present time.
How many can say ais muchg How |
many who have lived so years
within ten miles Of the spot where
hey we're born, fulfilling all The
luties Of Christian citizenship
he is today a conspicuous figure
IL the biographical and church
history Of Pike county. Ripe I'M
Hn az aAFE I'll