Desha County, Arkansas

USA

Early days in Desha County, AR, are recalled in this 64-page spiral bound booklet, comprised of excerpts from the 1890 book, Goodspeed's Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas, and a product of the WPA,  Arkansas, A Guide to the State, published in 1941. The 8.5" x 11" booklet is printed on quality paper. A vinyl sheet has been added to protect the front cover.

The first part of the booklet contains a brief history of the county: Natural Resources, Location, Soil and Products, Geology, Timber, the Mississippi River and its overflow, County Organization, County officials, Early settlers, Arkansas City -- the county seat, Other towns, Railroads, River Traffic, the Civil War period, Ruffianism and crime, Schools, Churches, and Newspapers.

The history section includes a rather unusual item, a verbatim copy of a record of Henry Warfield, a "free man of color of the state of Ohio", selling his freedom to Stokes S. Haynes for the sum of three hundred dollars.

Besides the names mentioned in the first part of the booklet, there are biographies of many county residents of yesteryear. Most are fairly lengthy, and often include ancestors, previous residences, children, in-laws, affiliations, war records, and business activities. In the course of this they often shed light on the early businesses, professions and institutions in the county. The biographies include: James Amburn, Capt. James Anderson, David Atkinson, Dr. Harvey Austin, Wilson Bessellieu, Robert Beith, William Birch, Churchill Blackburn, Charles Blackburn, William Bowles, David Bowles, John Brown, William Burnett, Diana Cavenagh (widow of William) Cavenagh, Green W. Clark, Chesley Clayton, S.M. Courtney, Reuben D. Crenshaw, John W. Davis, Col. J.W. Dickinson (picture), J.W. Dickinson Jr., William Dumas, David Gates, Charles Gifford, Mrs. E.M. Godwin (widow of Allin Godwin), Col. B.F. Grace, Walter Halley, Charles Halley, Hugh Henry, Abercrombie Holmes, Nathaniel Homes, Jeremiah Hopkins, Dr. John Hutchins, Joshua Jackson, William Jackson, J.S. Johnson, Mrs. Mary Johnston (widow of William Johnston), Joseph Jones, Douglas Jordan, Dr. Knox Knowlton, Alford Knowlton, C.F. Kroeger, W.E. Lambe, Samuel Lenox, M.J. Ludlam, Abner McGehee, Alexander McNeill, samuel Marks, John W. Maulding, James Merritt, William Mosby, James Murphy, Frank Nady, Rev. William Newton, Joshua Parker, Dr. Stephen Peoples, Reuben Pickens, D.O. Porter, Maurice Quilling, J. George Reitzammer, Col. O.H.P. Richardson, Van Ryan, Lorean Sain, Thomas Scott, Clifton Shepard, Robert Smith, Dr. C.P. Smith, Willoughby Smith, Alfred Stroud, Henry Thane (picture), Henry Townsend, James Umphrey, William Varden, John Warfield, Charles Warfield, Gus Waterman, Major William Watkins, J.M. Whitehill (picture), Dr. W.S. Woolford, and Albert Wynn.   

The WPA section gives a bit of history along with points of interest and a map of southern Arkansas.   

 Wouldn't this make a unique gift?