The Harrison times., 1915-10-23
RemiSCenCeS OF Our Early
Settlers.
EDITOR TIMES:

| have read with considerable
INTEREST from time to time your
publication of "reminiscences of our
older settlers, and this lie ads me
to think that perhaps little of my
own experiences might be worth
reading on the same line,
| was born in Bradley county,
east Tennessee, May 2S 1916. My
father moved from that county to
Arkansas 81 years ago, and settled
on the west prong Of Crooked Greek
where he bought good farm and
remained on it till his death.
We had a large family, eight boys
and three girls, and all worked on
the farm. All lived until we were
grown; two of the boys died, James
and Alex. The oldest sister married
Marion Trotter, now dead; the
next married Joe Holt and the third
| John Clifford. now in California.
] y
, was 16 years old when the civil
war came and | volunteered in
Capt. c. A. Iones' company in
which | served for about year and
was transferred to the company Of
Capt. Jas. Williams in which we
served until the close of the war.
My father served through the
war with me. 1t was at first, when
we were with the home guard, that
we had a fight on Yocum creek. We
were armed with old rifles and shot
guns and had to load with
wooden ram rods. DR.. Wright, Mrs.
Geo. ]. Crump's father, and Tom
Cheatam were killed and a number
of the boys wounded. Uncle Dan
Wilson, father of Dug and Sam, was
near me during the fight and cheered
us by yelling "Stay with 'em boys"
We would shoot at them like they
were turkeys, and then jump behind
trees to load The yankees finally
got enough and pulled out.
We ewere away down in Texas when
we were dsbanded never saw such
time among the soldiers as when
we heard that Gen. Lee had sur.
rendered and we had orders to dis
band. We numbered about 1000;
while many stacked their arms
Others smashed the guns around
trees and threw their other equip.
ment away. We were all tired and
disappointed, but glad at last to
start for home.
1t was several weeks later when
/ | looked down on the ruins of my
fathers home in the Crooked Greek
valley. The house and barn had
been burned by the federals during
one of their raids, and my mother
and her little boy were living in the
smoke house, and had a small crop
which they were trying to cultivate
with a yoke of oxen.
We went to the woods nearby,
cut the timber, hewed the logs, and
put up a house; there was no lumber
those days so we got out puncheons
for the floor and clap boards for the
roof and cracks. The overhead was
sealed with these boards, and we
soon had a very snug little house
again.
remember when the wheat grew
so rank that it could not be cut
with a cradle and had to cut it with
small hooks. Then we hauled it up
and tread it with horses. 1t was
then swept up and taken to mill
and ground, half clean, dirt and all;
we bolted it by hand,
Every Sunday morning we had
biscuits and | tell you we were
glad to see Sunday come with its
flour bread.
For twenty-one years after the
war | lived on the old farm, and
then moved to Harrison which has
been my home ever since. | was SO
years old last May, and feel that |
have been especially blessed in being
able to see such peace and prosperi-
ty as we now have in North Ark
anSas JOHN II, SoFFMAN
Harrison, Ark.