lonoke County, Arkansas

FAMILY HISTORY BOOK, Vol. I Lonoke County, Arkansas

Family History Book Vol. I
Our American Heritage Project
820B N. Main St.
Sikeston, MO 63801
Sesquicentennial Edition
Inside…
Sponsored by the Lonoke County Museum
The History of A Chance To Be Part Of Lonoke County’s History!
Lonoke County
The Lonoke County Museum is sponsoring, compiling, This historical book is AVAILABLE ON A PRESALE
and YOUR family… and publishing a new book documenting the history of BASIS ONLY and is priced at $59.95. Your check should
DEADLINE: May 30, 2022 Lonoke County and its people, from yesterday to today. be made out to Lonoke County Family History Book.
It will be necessary to collect orders in advance of
The Lonoke County, Arkansas Family History Book,
Volume I will feature all aspects of our communities, publication, since we are going to print only a limited
churches, businesses, farms, organizations, and more, number of books. All money will be held in escrow at
plus hundreds of family histories, past and present. a local bank for payment to the publishing company
We would like to include your family’s rich history in later. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to be
our new book! recorded in Lonoke County’s 150th anniversary family
history book.
The Lonoke County, Arkansas Family History Book, Vol.
There is NO CHARGE for having your history and one
I, will contain material from 1873 through 2023, with
photo published in this book. Your history, picture(s),
approximately 200 to 300 pages. This hardback, library and book order(s) should be sent in no later than May
quality, smyth-sewn 8-1/2 x 11-inch book will be bound 30, 2022. Send your material to:
in an elegant Navy, swirl-grained leatherette cover with
a gold foil-stamped seal depicting Lonoke County’s Lonoke County Family History Book
Want to learn more? rustic heritage on the front, and gold on the spine. What
an heirloom to give your children and grandchildren!
P.O. Box 873 • Lonoke, AR 72086 • (501) 676-6750

LOOK INSIDE!! IDEAS FOR WRITING YOUR FAMILY HISTORY:

Lonoke County, Arkansas
Family histories, photographs, and book orders may
also be emailed to lonokecountybook@acclaimpress.com,
Everyone has a family history, and even if you recently delivered in person to the Lonoke County Museum, 215
moved to the county, we want yours! Give the date your E. Front Street in Lonoke, Mon.-Sat., 9 am to 4 pm, or
family came to Lonoke County, where they originated, submitted online at www.acclaimpress.com!
and vocation before settling here. Tell about any
interesting stories from childhood; include marriages,
children, job, military, education, organizations
Complete the attached form to order your copies of the
LONOKE COUNTY, AR FAMILY HISTORY BOOK,
participated in, etc. Write your stories in third person and send in your family history and photograph
(use he, she, they). The family history must be written today!
in 500 words or less; there will be a charge of 15¢ per
word for all over 500. Please submit your story typed Sincerely,
on 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper, double spaced if possible.
Sign your name to your history. Sherryl Miller, President
Lonoke County Museum
PLEASE SEND ONE PHOTOGRAPH (current or
historic) to be used with your family story; an extra photo
can be included for only $15.00. Because the photograph
will be handled many times, send a professional copy
(no Xeroxes please) that is not valuable or irreplaceable.
Write in pencil your name and address on the back of
all pictures. Indicate the names of people, date, and
caption for the picture. Your material will be returned
when the book is completed. In addition, please feel free
to send any rare historic photos you wish to be printed.
We will print as many as we can.

Humnoke Post Office, circa 1930’s

Right: Arkansas State Rice Milling Company in Carlisle

History and Families Book D eadline : May 30, 2022

 Lonoke Co. AR Family History Book—Vol. I
Sample family histories — Deadline to submit is May 30, 2022
Use these examples as a guide in writing your 500 word history. Remember: It’s FREE to be included!
Send one (1) family history with one (1) family photograph per household.
MOSES - Eli Moses was born in 1843 and was listed among 66 other slaves
owned by a wealthy landowner in Sumter, SC. As a freedman after the Civil
War, he worked as a farm laborer and his wife, Eliza, as a housekeeper. By
1880, he was farming on his own but soon his family was part of the great
migration of blacks out of South Carolina. He became a landowner in what
is now the Pettus area south of Lonoke in 1884. Although this land along
the Bayou Meto was problematic for growing crops because of the heavy
wet soil, Eli knew how well this type of land produced rice in the “Low
Country” of South Carolina. Soon he was successful in growing the rice
seed he had brought from his home state and then his bayou neighbor,
Jack Noble, began to
experiment with the
crop also.
Independently,
W.H. Fuller, traveled
to south Louisiana
in 1896 and saw how
successfully rice was
being grown there.
His experience in
Eli Moses tending to his field
raising oats and corn
near Carlisle, where he was farming with his brother-in-law, John Morris,
had not been as successful as his prior experience in Nebraska. Intrigued,
he brought back enough rice seed to plant 3 acres in 1897. Although, his
initial attempt was not that successful, he was encouraged enough to
return to Louisiana and spend the next 5 years learning how to manage
an irrigation system to support large scale rice production. Meanwhile,
Morris continued to try to make the crop work, planting 7 acres in 1902.
After Morris’ untimely death in the spring of 1903, his wife, Emma,
carried on this effort harvesting 10 acres that year and becoming the first
woman rice producer in the state. In 1904, Fuller having obtained more
seed from growers in Louisiana, as well as from Eli Moses and Jack Noble,
produced a successful crop on 70 acres. By 1907, the Grand Prairie had
been transformed with some 10,000 acres being grown.
Eli Moses also continued to grow rice. A 1906 article in the Oklahoma
Farmer documents his early success in growing rice in Lonoke County. By
1911, he owned 474 acres in the Pettus area. A 1912 article in the Lonoke
Democrat states “Eli Moses sold $3,000 worth of rice. His land is watered
from Bayou Meto. And by the way, he was the first rice grower in this
section. He raised dry land rice in a small way for his own table 15 years
ago.” His wife, Eliza, passed away in 1917 and is buried in the Lemmons
cemetery on land he owned. Eli Moses died in 1929, at 86, having helped
with the establishment of the US rice industry.
Arkansas which produces half of the US rice crop had its beginnings
in Lonoke County. Although W.H. Fuller, a large landowner just south of
Carlisle, is credited with the large-scale production of rice in the area, the
story also traces to Elijah Moses, who moved into the area around1885.
EDWARDS - Raymond Edwards was born December 3, 1947 in Tennessee
and died July 31, 2014 and is buried in the Brownsville Cemetery. His
parents were Charley Edwards and Janie L. Moore. Janie Moore’s parents
were Wm. J. Moore and Alice E. Williams. Alice Williams’ parents were
Silas V. Williams and Cassie Leach. Silas V. Williams parents were Silas W.
Williams and Mary E. Watts. Mary E. Watts parents were Vincent Watts
and Nancy Harris.
Vincent Watts was born Jan. 12, 1800 in Jackson County, Georgia and
he died in Crawford County, Arkansas May 10, 1879. He was the son of
Garrett Zachariah Watts of the Paint Clan of the Cherokees (aka the Red
Paint Clan or Corn People, these were the spiritual teachers of life, birth,
death, and regeneration) and Anna Cintha Self.
Garrett Zachariah Watts was born in
1756 at Bowling Green, Virginia and was
the son of “Trader John” (aka “Old Forked
Tongue”) Watts and Gi Yo Sti Ko He, of
the Cherokee Bird Clan-Raven (aka
interpreters of bird messengers believed
to be the communicators between
humans and the spirit world).
Trader John Watts was also married to
Jossie Stuart (in 1754), a white woman,
in Charleston, SC two years prior to the
birth of Garrett and had at least two
children with her and likely had another
Chief Tar-chee
Cherokee wife other than Gi Yo Sti Ko He.
Trader John Watts served as an interpreter
for the Cherokee people including truce talks with military leaders of the
Grant Expedition on August 28, 1761 and at the 1763 treaty in Georgia.
Garrett Zachariah Watts’ maternal grandfather was Chief Tar-chee, (aka
Dutch, The Long Warrior, and Great Eagle of the Bird Clan, pictured). He
was born in 1720 in Cherokee, North Carolina to Chief Moytoy Pigeon
of the Bird Clan and Ani Gatage Wil Woman, of the Deer Clan (known
to be the best hunters, the fastest runners, and were often called upon
to be messengers). Tar-chee’s wife was Ailsey, Garrett Watt’s maternal
grandmother, and she was of the Paint Clan.
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
• Type your family history in 500 words or less (see
samples on this page). If you need more space, add
.15/word for each additional word over 500. Write in
third-person (he-she-they). Use 8.5 x 11” white paper,
double-spaced.
• Send a photo (historic or recent). The first photo sub-
mitted is free, additional photos are $15/each. Write a
caption for each photo on the back of the photo or on
your family history. Photos will be returned to you at
the completion of the project.
• If you’d like to order a book, complete the order form at
right and mail with your check to the address listed.
• Invite friends and family to participate –– the more
families included in the book, the better this historical
record will be for everyone!
Lonoke County, Arkansas History & Families
Book Community Representatives
Sherryl Miller
Rusty Eisenhower
Anna McClung
For more information or assistance, e-mail the Lonoke
Co. Museum at lonokecomuseum@yahoo.com
or call the Museum at (501) 676-6750
Lonoke County Cities and
Communities Included:
Austin • Allport • Cabot • Carlisle
Coy • England • Humnoke
Keo • Lonoke • Scott • Ward
A QUALITY PUBLICATION
This hardback, collector’s quality, 8-1/2” x 11”
book will be bound in a beautiful swirl-grained
leatherette cover with a gold foil stamping on
the front cover and spine. Its archive-quality
pages will be smyth-sewn for durability. Acid-
free paper will be used for superior photo
reproduction and durability. This book will be Top: Vehicles lined up to sell produce at the Cabot Farmer’s Market.
in libraries and offices across the county, state Bottom: Police station in England, Arkansas.
and USA! This book will be a family heirloom
that can be handed down from generation to
generation. SUBMIT YOUR FAMILY HISTORY, PHOTO, AND
BOOK ORDER AT WWW.ACCLAIMPRESS.COM
Send all material, checks, and orders to:
Order Form Lonoke County, Arkansas
Lonoke Co., AR Family History Book, Vol. I Qty Price Total Family History Book Vol. I
Lonoke County Museum
Limited Edition $59.95
P.O. Box 873 • 215 E. Front St.
Deluxe Leather Edition $89.95 Lonoke, AR 72086
(501) 676-6750
Emboss your name on the book cover $ 6.00
*Shipping & Handling
(if mailed, $6.50 per book, see below) $ 6.50 Name
Family history extra words over the
first 500 - add 15¢ word $ 0.15 Address
Extra photos - add $15 per photo $15.00
City State Zip
Checks Payable to Lonoke Co. Museum GRAND TOTAL
*Check one of the following Phone
❏ Please mail my order to me. ❏ I will pick up my order. Name to be embossed on cover (up to 24 spaces)
❏ I am interested in knowing more about the printed BUSINESS,
FARMS, MEMORIAL/TRIBUTE and ORGANIZATION/CLUB
pages. The cost of these special pages are:
_ 1/2 pg.–$175.00  full pg.–$250.00
_ SCHOOLS & CHURCHES: Note: Proceeds from the sale of this book will also help other commu-
_ 1/2 pg.–$85.00  full pg.–$125.00 nities and organizations preserve their history through Our American
Heritage Project, a non-profit organization.