Early Settlers Personal History

1. Della(h) Hill Gammill, Ratcliff, Ark.

3. Retired

4. Farm wife

5. Jan 17, 1854

5. Savannah, Tenn.

7. W. C. Hill, Subiaco, Ark, Dec 20, 1882

8. None

9-10. 1862 got on boat at Pittsburg, Tenn. Landed at Ozark, Arkansas

11. Was an orphan and was brought here by my uncle

12. Early homes were built of logs and chimneys built of stones

13. Tallow candles poured at home, also kerosene

14. 1929  (15) wood, in Ark. b??, in Tennessee cotton seed was also sometimes used for fuel

16. Sorghum,  molasses, brown sugar, cornbread, pork, would have biscuits on Sunday morning only

17. Spun our own thread and wove our own cloth, also knitted

18. None. (19) Flour was bought in barrels, but don't remember prices

20. If there was widow woman with community we may have cut wood for her and provided (for) her other way. They also worked a neighbor's crop when I was sick

21. Corn, cotton, ???, sweet potatoes

22. Homemade plows, caf? tong? rig?

23. A few sawmills

24. Pine resin, poke salad, wild grapes, paw paws

25. Quiltings, corn shuckings, wood chopping

26-27. None

28. One very small stage coach came from Ozark, Ark.  through the community occasionally.

29. Log house with fire place, split log benches no desks at all

30. None

31. Widow Downing

32. State paid for schools

33. Blue Books spellers, McGuffey's Readers, 1st, 2nd, 3rd & and fourth

34. Bible was only reading material

35. Ratcliff Depot

36. Not used in country

37. 1912 Paris, Ark

38. 1865 Tennessee

39. 1914 Ratcliff , Ark

40. Not used in this community

41. Never saw any

42. Decoration of soldiers graves at Pittsburgh, Tenn.

43-47. None

48. There was quite a bit of cruelty imposed on women and children by the bushwhackers.

49. None (50) Can't recall

51. Remember very vividly seeing the Ku Klux. They came to our house several times. Never harmed us, but would almost frighten us children to death. They would

drank an enormous amount of water.

52-55. None

56. 7 in all

57. Earl Hill and Arthur Hill, Ratcliff, Ark. Mrs. Viola Ritchie, Ratcliff

58. Velta Ione Ritchie Thompson, Vera Louise Poskhill?, Norma? Jo Hill

59. None

Transcribed by Whitney Robison, Class of 2009