Early Settlers Personal History

1. George Gilmer Dandridge, Sr.

2. Paris, Arkansas, Main St.717

3. (Retired) (county & state ex officio)

4. Superintendent, Ark. - State Capitol Little Rock 1926-1937

5. 29th day of January 1853

6. Penn, Va.- Henry County

7. Mattie Sue Norfleet - 1877, Thythe? [sic] (possibly Thyatira), Miss.

8. Native born

9. 60 years

10. By train

11. To buy land - land was cheaper

12. Were made of hewn logs stack chimney

13. Pine knots fire place, kitchen light candle

14. 1887 - Paris, Ark. 

15. Wood, coal; later, Paris a mining field

16. Corn meal, flour bread, hog meat, wild turkey

17. Home spun-wool & cotton made by looms & spinning wheel

18. In my early courtship was only with my fiancé once a month. We went to church then- chivaries (shivarees) were frequent

19. Meat lard, corn, wheat was much cheaper than today. Calico-Hickory- Goods much cheaper - than today.

20. Would hook up the old oxen's hitch to the tar pole wagon and take needy families' food to them. My father's closest neighbor was 7 miles across mountain.

21. Corn flax- Tobacco

22. Wood beam turning plow- wood stock- drum planter, plow bottom purchased at Richmond, Va., other homemade

23. Clearing land- tobacco raising

24. Wild plums- cherries- grapes – raspberries. Mullein for tea- Sassafras for tea- Poke salad- to eat paw-paw

25. Keeping hid from bushwhackers - Burying food for safe keeping - Hiding what little house furniture - log rollings - camp meetings - keeping raccoons from corn patch

26. When forest fires broke out - all the settlement would work heroically - would back fire the forest used pine torches - village fire bucket brigade

27. Blue Ridge Mountain origin Tenn. through Va.- N. Carolina. Mayo River originates in Va.

28. Martinsville Hotel, Martinsville, Va. - R. S. Comstock manager - 1862-

29. Patrick Henry Academy- Va.

30. Prof. J. P. Brame of North Carolina

31. --

32. Tuition- one dollar for 3 months - money

33. Blue Back Speller – McGuffey Reader - Noah Webster Blue Back Speller - McGuffey- Reader

34. Newspaper from Richmond Va. (couldn't give author)

35. Martinsville, West Va. 1862

36. Horse cars -1855- Trolley cars - 1884 - Fort Smith, Ark.

37. Little Rock- Ark. 1904- 
38. --

39. Paris, Ark. - 1913

40. In 1927

41. Can't say

42. None

43. James Boys - 1862

44. Don't recall any-    

45-47. No No No

48. Nothing of Value

49-50. No No

51. At Little Rock- 1884

52. Nothing of value

53. No

54-55. -

56. 10 children- 1 dead - 26 grandchildren - 6 great grandchildren-

57. Sons - William Edward- Dandridge 60 years old- New Orleans, La.-

George Gilmer Dandridge Jr. 54 years young - Paris, Arkansas-

Clark C. Dandridge 52 years young- Miller, Ark.-

James S. Dandridge 47 years young Paris, Arkansas (mayor of Paris)

Daughters are - Mrs. Jessie Rogers ( Dandridge) Paris, Arkansas -

Beatrice Lee Billingsley (Dandridge) Senatobia, Miss. -

Lena Thompson (Dandridge) Coushatta, La.- R -32-

Pattie Washington Hardwick - Dandridge- Paris, Arkansas

Zelia Lightfoot Dandridge -

Lucille Elmore Dandridge - Paris, Arkansas

Grandson- Grant Dandridge Billingsley - Memphis, Tenn.

Great-Great Grandchildren (son) Marcus Billingsley- Little Rock, Arkansas 
58-59. None

 

Transcribed by Alisha Carey, Class of 2007