Early Settlers Personal History

1.       Isabell Alien Boggess

2.       East 5^th Street

3.       Retired

4.       House wife

5.       May 1, 1849

6.       Weekly County, Tenn.

7.       To L. T. Ragsdale Nov. 15^th 1866 Springfield, Ark.

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10.   88 years

11.   Wagon

12.   In those days, they could come to Arkansas and get land cheaper, bought a farm out from Springfield, Arkansas, lived there 5 years, was 3 years old when moved to Springfield.

13.   Log House, hall between kitchen and house, 5 rooms – 3 downstairs, 2 upstairs, chimney built of stone.  House sealed inside.

14.   Mother moulded candles poured at home, also taller dips.

15.   In Russellville

16.   Wood

17.   Game was plentiful.  We depended more on beef, hogs and chickens.  Few bears there.

18.   Bought cloth – Jeans, Linsey and Calico – made at home.

19.   Lived in Grand Glaze, Ark., 10 miles from Newport and recall Captain of boat gave our crowd a pleasure trip, 4 days and nights to Pocahontas on Black River.  No bundling was practiced.  Yes, Shivarees were frequent.

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21.   Didn’t have much to share, when neighbors in distress would share in time of need.

22.   Corn, wheat, oates.  Hogs, cattle, chickens.  Do not recall tomatoes being called (Love Apples).

23.   Hoe and plough – Have made stock of plough, also home made handles for hoe and rake, probably made plough points.

24.   Farming  and Griss Mill.

25.   Poke Salad, sassafras roots, sunflowers for garden, sumac berries for dying socks and clothes, used wild huckleberries for pies.

26.   Faint rememberance in moving to Arkansas, Company coming in had play parties, play blind fold in house and yard.  Hog killing and beef killing, kill deer.  Early memories of bear running through old field.  No Indians there.

27.   Only way fighting fires, went to creek and used buckets, when first moved there, used spring water, later had well.

28.   Had hills and mountains, also creeks.

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30.   Had very little school up until Civil War and so little during War.

31.   First school in County old log house on father’s farm, one brother and sister older than I was went, so I was real young but went with them.  Later, I went to school in Springfield, Ark.

32.   Fanny Aaron.

33.   Father paid teacher, and she boarded at our home, others attended and paid as could.

34.   My first school books were: Blue Back Spelling Book, First Reader and last books were: Fifth Reader and Arithmetic, also used dictionary at end of school.

35.   Child’s Papers and Bible.

36.   At Russellville.

37.   Had wagon and team – no buggy and horse until moved to Russellville.

38.   At Russellville about 1904.

39.   At Plummerville, Ark. (don’t recall date)

40.   At Russellville 1919.

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42.   First circus in Springfield, Ark., when I was 10 yrs. old.

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48.   Hanged a man at Springfield, Ark. for killing a man; this happened when I was a child.  The man to be executed was taken from jail, rode in wagon and sat on coffin in which he was to be burried.

49.   There was robbing, stealing and killing, burning of homes and hard times to keep food on place.  There were 2,000 men came in town (Grand Glaze), took charge of every thing, killed beef and took hind quarter, left the rest.  Father had a big crop of corn and pumpkins, and they laid fence down and turned horses in field.  This was calvary.  This was the largest crowd of men I ever saw during the war.  Bush whackers were the ones who did more mischief than the army.

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51.   Scalawags, Bush whackers and Jay Hawkers threatened to burn our house, and we were all scared to death, but they didn’t.  They did take our mules away from us.

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53.   Church work.

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58.   S. A. Ragsdale, Russellville, Ark., J. L. Ragsdale, Rt. #5, Pine Bluff, Ark., R. A. Ragsdale, Russellville, Ark. And Wade Ragsdale, Russellville, Ark.

59.   Grandchildren:  Mrs. Ethel Hamond, Joe Ragsdale, Floyd Ragsdale, Mrs. Katherin Kellum, Mrs. Roy McGee, Mrs. Hershal Hamilton, Nina Ragsdale, Robert Ragsdale, Phillip Ward Ragsdale, Nancy Campbell Ragsdale, Anna Gail Ragsdale, Sherry Lynn Ragsdale, Mrs. Louis Griffin, Mrs. Margaret Razen, Mrs. Evelyn Williams, James Ragsdale, William Ragsdale.

 

Great Grandchildren: Martha Joe Ragsdale, Tommy Ragsdale, Arthur Gary Ragsdale, Edward Floyd Ragsdale, Carolyn McGee, Sylvia McGee, Suzanne Hamilton, Betty Sue Griffin, Jackie and Mary Margaret Razen