1.   John Arthur Marcum

2.   Birta, Arkansas

3.   Farming

4.   -–

5.   May 14 – 1852

6.   Walker County Georgia

7.   Married, - 1889 to Mary Scruggs – Yell Co. Ark

8.   -–

9.   -–

10. Since November 1868

11. Wagon train (horses and oxen)

12. Come with his father, to build a home

13. Hours logs, puncheon floors, cracks “chinked and daubed” roofs, boards split, held in place by weight poles

14. Grease pan with twisted rag for wick, later tallow candles were moulded

15. About 1880 at Little Rock,  Arkansas about 20 years ago at Danville

16. Wood and pine knots, charcoal made by burning pine knots in a covered pit. Tar was also “run off” the same way.

17. Wild Game was plentiful

      bear

      panther

      wild hogs

      antelope (not as plentiful as others)

      turkey

 Crops were corn, wheat, vegetables, some cotton

 nearest flour mill was at Little Rock later on water power mill was built near where Ola     now is.

 Four grades were ground:

                1. Head flower [sic] Bread flour?

                2. Seconds

                3. Shorts

                4. Bran

Flintlock gun and powder pan were used

A neighbor killed a panther that measured 9 ft. (nose to tip of tail).A bear that dressed 500 lbs. was killed. A dog in this chase was cut open by the bear. The owner sewed the wound with a shoe string. The dog recovered.

18. Clothes

     cotton picked by hand - used spinning wheel and loom.

     clothes made at home

     First horse power, hand-fed cotton gin 1868

     His mother made clothes for southern soldiers

19. Courting usually at home.

20. Humboldt jeans, 50 cents to $1.00 a yard

Flour $8.00 to $10.00 bbl. (barrel)

Boots $7.00 to $8.00 pr.

Clothing and food were raised at home or killed in the woods.

Very little was bought. Tanning vats were used when beef hides were made into leather. Practically everything used was produced at home.

21. In times when crops were short for any reason, those who were fortunate enough to have any food or supplies the(y) divided with the others. "In 1874 a drought came, the river went dry. No corn was made along the river food was scarce. Those who lived farther back were more fortunate and had corn and food. They divided it with their less fortunate neighbors." Each family was "allowed a certain amount."

22. Corn, vegetables, wheat, cotton (little)

23. Homemade plow, made of forked limb of a tree, handles of straight sticks fastened to main stock with cow horns on top for handle. The plow was an old ax with a hole punched crosswise of the eye. His first plow horse was a spirited pony, he was plowing a "new ground" when the plow struck a root, the pony kicked up more dirt with it’s heals than with the plow.

24. Farming, hunting, trading

25. Sassafras tea

Spicewood tea

Horse radish - for flavoring

Indian turnip    "       "

Sumac berries   "       "

Poke "salad" (greens)

"Herbs" used for food or medicine

26. House raisings

Log rollings

Picnics

County meetings

Country dances

27. Forest fires whipped back with "pine tops"

Building fires fought with water, if available, the water carried in buckets (very slow and ineffective if the fire was large)

28. McAlley Creek ??

Coker Creek, for Jobe Coker

Robinson Creek, for Mr. Robinson

Ward Creek, for Mr. Ward

Santa Fe Ridge: so named because of so many Santa Fe’s on the ridge

29. Boat Landing: at

Dardanelle

Old Neely

Galla Rock

Old Bata Mill (water power)

Grist mill

Ward mill 1854 (water power) on Wards creek

30. --

31. Mt. Carmel

School and church, small log building with large fireplace

32. Prof. Moran

33. Some tuition

very little cash, mostly "lodging" or articles which the teacher could use.,

later, donations.

34. Webster’s speller, Webster’s dictionary, Webster’s reader, Ray's arithmetic, slate and pencil

35. Occasionally a newspaper passed from neighbor to neighbor, no magazines.

      Some sketches of U. S. History. First paper, Arkansas Gazette, Little Rock 

36. Ola - 1899

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44. Knew Frank James

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49. Was fishing on Chickamauga Creek near Reed's bridge, was taken by a detachment of Hooker's army and taken to Lee's army. He was assigned the care of Lee's horse "Traveler" and was discharged at Dalton after the battle of Chickamauga.

50. At the battle of Chickamauga they were crawling on the ground, advancing slowly and cautiously. Joe Boyce moved up behind a stump, the officer ordered him on, another soldier moved up to the stump, just then a cannon ball hit the stump and exploded the soldier was killed, dirt and mud was thrown on them. Mr. Boyce later settled in Arkansas near to Mr. Marcum. Remembers “Sherman’s March through Georgia” General Thomas ran a Mr. Snodgrass from home and established headquarters in the house.

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53. Charter member I. O. O. F. (Independent Order of Odd Fellows) Birta, Ark.

54. Confederate Soldier (Civil War)

55. Old pottery, arrow heads, teeth, etc. found on home farm. (In 1936 road workers dug up an old mill head which was destroyed wards mill about 1878.)

56. -- 57. Thirty One

58. Nellie Augusta- Montgomery, La.

John Ivan Marcum, Ola, Ark.

James H. Marcum, Birta, Ark.

Olga Marcum (died at age of 3)

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