Overland, From West Point, Georgia, through North Louisiana to Arkansas

Chapter VII

On the 8th of December, 1843, with wife and four children, I left my old Georgia home for the State of Arkansas. There had been a continued and unusual amount of rain, the streams were much swollen and the roads were almost impassible. On this account, when we reached Eutaw in Green County, Ala., we stopped four months. This place had lately been made the county site, consequently it was fall of life and activity in the way of improvements. The surrounding lands were rich, and mostly owned by wealthy planters. We utilized our time and skill while in this place. The first of May, 1844, I was en route to the West. B.P. Robinson, who left Georgia with us, had stopped over at Greensborough, the late county site of Green. He left Greensborough the day before we left Eutaw, it having been agreed that we should meet at a certain place, but in this we failed, and I moved on. But Robinson overtook me at Pearl River, in Mississippi. At Jackson we took the road to Rodney, having learned we could not get through the Mississippi bottom opposite Vicksburg. Crossing the river we traveled down the west bank to Waterproof.

Then we left the river, turning northwest to Green's bayou. And this was our first day west of the great river. In Alabama and in Mississippi we had seen large bodies of rich land and magnificent farms stretched out as far as the eye could reach, around splendid mansions. My thoughts would go back to Morgan County, Ga., where I was born and partly raised, and to Troup County which I had so lately left, and the contrast was wonderful. We found a great deal of poor land though, both in Alabama and Mississippi; but when we beheld the land west of the Mississippi we found the soil far beyond anything we had ever imagined. We could but think of that granary of the world, the land of the Nile, in Egypt.

We had some trouble in crossing Green's Bayou, for it was full. Getting side by side two dry cypress logs, we made a raft, and fortunately, being in the days when corded bedsteads were in vogue, we tied our bed cords to the trees on either bank and thereby drew our raft across. We carried a wagon at each trip, then carried over the women and children and last swam our stock over. We were of course delayed here some time, in the midst of immense canebrakes, cypress and other swamp growth. The noises of this howling wilderness at night were peculiar and to us horrible. Believing we had crossed the most difficult stream on our way to Sicily Island, we resumed our journey in good spirits, but were soon and sadly disappointed. We came to the Tensas River, where the Choctaw enters it, at Kirke's Ferry, and was told and saw that there was no chance of pursuing our way to Sicily Island by land, for from the ferry to the island nearly everything was under water. We pitched our camp on the edge of a canebrake near the banks of the river, and fed our stock on cane.

There were but few settlers near our camp, which made it rather lonely, and as the river was rising very fast, we also felt a little uncomfortable, for retreat was impossible. Apprehensive that our camping place might be entirely submerged, we determined to build a proper raft, and try to make our way down the Tensas. Robinson had three sons nearly grown, a lad of a boy, a negro man and woman. I had one negro woman. We determined to utilize all our force in building our raft, had determined on plan and size, and were about to commence work, when as fortune would have it, up came a little stern wheel boat, propelled by horse­power, Hailing this boat she came to land, and it was not long before we made a trade with the proprietor to take us around to Harrisonburg, on the Ouachita River, but as the boat was on her up trip, we had to remain in our disagreeable camp two or three days, and daring this time we took to pieces our hack and wagons.

On the return of the boat we got our families aboard, then our teams, and so placed our wagons as to prevent our stock from falling overboard. Our horse steamboat moved down stream slowly, and on reaching Waterproof, greatly to our annoyance, remained there some time. We could only be patient, however, and abide our boats time. At last up the Ouachita, we went creeping along, taking three days to make a trip of seventy miles. We landed at Harrisonburg in the night, but desiring to leave that boat, we went to work and got everything ashore and had our wagons together ready for an early move the next day. Harrisonburg was a small place and looked rather ancient boasted of two or three business houses with small stocks of goods. Turning our way north we found the country very poor, but having plenty of fine pine timber; occasionally would be passed a body of good land, and now and then a settlement on the road we traveled.

We began to feel discouraged, to think we had left behind the Eden of America. When we reached Jackson Parish, we found a little more promising country, more settlements, and the people had plenty of all the essentials. Water­melons were abundant and free. Pushing on through, we reached and crossed D'Arbonne near the junction of Corni Bayou. On reaching Farmerville, then a new place and improving rapidly, we rested a while. Leaving Farmerville with a good impression of its people, we pursued our journey through Union Parish to Union County, Arkansas, and stopped at a place which afterwards became known as Lisbon. After crossing the D'Arbonne, we found the lands generally to be of a deep sandy soil, well watered, with an abundance of pine timber. A peculiarity of this region I noticed, was a swamp growth all over the hills, and this was a new chapter to me. Emigration was pouring into this hill country from all the Southern States.

A few of the old settlers, Hoosiers, some called them, who had been here for years and who had made hunting their main business, still remained on their old homes. They were generous and kind, though rude in their way, but felt grieved at seeing the forest, in which they had spent so many happy days, so ruthlessly cut down. Most of the emigrants of that day were men of some means, with growing families. Union County tilled rapidly with a class of men, take them all in all, that could not be surpassed in those sentiments that go to make up a reliable and trusty people. About the time Eldorado was laid off into lots, 1845, I settled down about two miles from it, but remained only one year. The improvement of town and country that year was wonderful, and for years the agricultural yield was great. But in a few years the lands washed badly and began to fail when they should have been in their prime.

We left Union County the last of December, 1845, and went to Deshee County. We got to our new home in the early part of January, 1846. Deshse is a river county, and Napoleon, situated at or near the mouth of the Arkansas River, was and yet may be the county site. I spent the year in that part of the country lying between the Barthalomew and Saline Rivers. In 1847 I had to move, but it was only to another place in the same region. Being in the saddle most of the time, I traveled over large portions of the country, but mostly in the Arkansas River sections. From Pine Bluff to the Arkansas Post the lands were very rich, and a number of large farms were being worked there. A few farms only were back from the river. At the close of the year, I moved to Drew County, settling down in the parsonage, where I remained during 1848 and 1949. Having to change my location, I moved to a small town not far from Monticello, known as Rough and Ready. At the close of 1850, I was broken down in health, and with a dependent and expensive family of seven children to raise and educate. Having visited Claiborne Parish, I decided to make that my home. Leaving Pine Bluff in the latter part of December, I arrived in Claiborne in April, 1857, having been delayed by business on the way. There was then a heavy tide of emigration pouring in.

I have never seen more energy displayed than was displayed by these newcomers. Thousands of acres were yearly cut down and brought into cultivation. As to intelligence and morality, this community was comparable with any. There were many men of sterling and superior worth here. The soil of the parish, her prodigality of forests, were unsurpassed by any upland parish in the state or county in south Arkansas. From 1850 to 1861, the accumulation of property in the parish was immense, churches were established everywhere; schools in every neighborhood; prosperity blessed the land and the people were just and happy. But the war cloud came down in 1861, and the present and promising future vanished in the turmoil and devastation of marching and contending armies. 

Claiborne Parish History | AHGP Louisiana


Source: The History of Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, by D. W. Harris and B. M. Hulse, 1886

 

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