Early Settlers Personal History

1. Mrs. Virgil Samual Davidson

2. Dyer, Arkansas

3. Housewife

4. House Rouse

5. 1888, May 21

6. Johnson County, Clarksville, Arkansas

7. Yes, Mr. Virgil Samual Davidson, 1916, Clarksville Arkansas

8. Not an immigrant

9. 60 years. Born and reared on the Old Wire Road ten miles north of Clarksville. It was the Old Stage Road. When she was 19 years of age she moved to Spring Hill. 10 miles north of Clarksville. Lived here till 1916. In this year she married and came to live in Dyer, Arkansas.

10. Born in Arkansas

11.  "     "      "

12. She lived in a frame building and had rock chimney and a tack chimney. It was a two story building. Painted the rock of the chimney. The house was built rather high off the ground. It had 7 door steps.

13. When a child growing up. She used a little tin kerosene lamp with a little handle to it

14. About 15 years ago

15. Wood was used. Burnt big logs in the fire place. Wood was the fuel used then.

16. Game was plentiful. She remembers her father, Mr. Nute (Newton) Gould, killing a deer at home, it ran the calves in one morning. She and the rest of the children had started to school and saw the calves running and the deer behind them. Her father told them to go on to school that it was just a dog chasing the calves and he was going to kill it. Her father dressed the deer and put it the cellar. He tacks the deer horns to the well shed to hitch the mules to when he come in to get water.

     She has eaten many a wild turkey. She can remember her father getting up before day light and shooting a turkey down in the field back of the house. He had a turkey caller which helped him very much. He also had turkey traps made. They would take turkey wings and make fans out of them.

     Her father used to live in Fort Smith and killed a many a squirrel in Old Park known now as the Tilles Park.

17. Her mother always knit all their stockings and gloves. Made the boys suits out of jeans clothes and made them by hand. Bought linsey material and made the girls dresses for winter - more calicos dresses in the summer. Paid from 5 to 6 cents a yard for the calico. Her mother and father would buy the martial by the bolt instead of just of couple of yard like we do now.

18. Yes it was pronounced Shivaree. She can remember young people Shivaree newly married couples. They would go to this newly married couple house and if they would treat or set them up to the table, then they usually had apples, cakes, or pie that they passed around. If this couple did not give them anything they would ring cow bells, blow horns and shoot guns. They would ride the man on a rail and take the woman and put her in a tub of water.

19. He father bought sugar (brown) in wooden pails. Bought green gain coffee and parch it.

20.When they knew of someone that needed food and clothing. Neighbors told one another they were in need. They would take them something. Some gave quilts and hams of meat and buckets of lard.

21-22. None

23. Farming was early industry in the community where she lived.

24. They used red oak bark and sassafras roots in place of coffee. Eat poke salad.

25. She went to many brush arbor meetings one time ??? catch on fire. Gone to a many candy  breaking. Boy would pay for the candy. Go to quilting stay all days and eat dinner. The usually put up two quilts one for the girls and one for the women and see which one would beat.

26. They would fight fire would brooms, sacks, and bring buckets of water

27. Horsehead Creek in Clarksville named Horsehead Creek began when it first started it washed out a place in the shape of a horse head and so then called it Horse Head Creek.

      Spring Hill was called Spring Hill because it has several springs there.

At Spring Hill there was a post office (Hartgraves) . At this place was a stage coach station. This building is still standing, it is by a 2 story building. Wells Hotel is there in Dyer.

29. Lone Pine School Johnson County ?10 miles east of Clarksville, Mr. Andrew Smith was her first teacher. A one room frame school building called Lone Pine School because of the two pine trees that stood at the back of the school.

30. None

31. Andrew Smith was studying to make a Doctor at the time.

32. None

33. McGuffey’s  Reader, McGuffey’s Speller, McGuffey’s arithmetic.

34. They took (The Globe Democrat Paper), the Bible, Beautiful Stories, Wonder of World

35-36. None

37. Saw her first automobile in Clarksville, the owner was a Mr. Lowel.

38. Her first train seen in Clarksville

39. Her first airplane seen in Clarksville and the owner was Sam Lacer.

40. None

41. First theatrical performances was seen at Spring Hill about the year 1902.

42. She remember a celebration in memory of Mr. Q. P. Pointer, a teacher at Spring Hill - all his old his old pupils was there that went to school. They called the roll and had spelling match.

43. Her father Mr. Nude Gould was the first mail carrier out of (Fort Smith to Clarksville). That was when he saw the James Boys, he thought were going to try to take his mail, but they didn’t. One of them rode out in front of him a(nd) punched on his mail bag and asked him if he had very much mail. He said not today. So he rode away - He said he was scared for a while tho. Mr. Gould in still living and is 90 years old and lives at Lamar.

44-46. None

47. Remembers about a Bank Robbery. They killed the Sheriff at Clarksville, Johnnie Powers. They got 2 of the Bank Robbers and hung then at Clarksville. This was Commercial Bank at Clarksville.

48. In time of the war the Federal came to her uncle’s home (Mr. Bill Pucket) and took him out after night in his night clothes and barefooted. Took briers, thickets and throne and just above where her mother lived in woods and hung him to a tree and beat him to death with hickory limbs. She and Mr. V. S. Davidson has been to this tree where he was hung.

49-51. None

52. She belongs to the North Methodist at Bethlehem. Has been a member of her church since she was 15.

53. None

54. Has been to the Indian Cave in Johnson County where the Indian stayed. It is located near Clarksville on the old Martin place.

55. Her Grandfather, Danial Gould who was a native of New Hampshire laid the foundation and helped to build the old Fort at Ft. Smith, known now as the old Commissary Building. Also helped to build Fort Gibson and several others.

He was a stone mason by trade.

56-59. None

Transcribed by Whitney Robison, GHS Class 2009