The Grand Jury - July 2, 1896

Always interesting to read about the people and events that happened in our county years ago.  Let's meet the Grand Jury of July 1896.

Crittenden Press, July 1896.

The Grand Jury

During a lull in business, Thursday, while the grand jury was engaged in discussing a basket of fine peaches, with wide open doors, the Press scribe was invited in. He timidly accepted the invitation and soon found that he was with as jolly a set of folks as one usually meets, and no where did he find any racks, screws or tweezers to be used in pulling facts from witnesses, no instruments of torture were seen. 

 The pleasant faces of a dozen of the best citizens of the county indicated no woe for the boys, who insist on going fishing about court time. There were:

• W. J. Hodges, a big 49-year-old Republican, and a Cumberland Presbyterian.

• William A. Woodall aged 41 years, and a Republican for 41 years, and a Baptist for more than a score.

• David Wyatt Brookshire, who stands charged with 56 years of time, a Republican and Baptist.

• David W. Deboe with a luxurious hirsute growth on his chin, but with a dearth of a similar production on the top of his head. He pulls the beam of time at 54, and is a Cumberland Presbyterian.

• William Fowler, who has been knocking around this county for 57 years; he is a Democrat, and according to his statement, "goes to all the churches."

• John A. Yandell, whose venerable looks show plainly that he has reached three score and ten and three. He is a Republican, and don't belong to any church.

• J. Frank Conger, the liveliest one of the whole lot, who was reading the Press, smiled as he said: "I am only 33, a Baptist, a Republican and the best looking one of the whole lot" he meant of the grand jurors.

• William A. Adams, hale and hearty at 67, a Democrat of the old school, and a Cumberland Presbyterian.

• H. C. Givens, who had just reached the middle point of the time allotted to man – 35 years. He is a Republican when he votes, but has voted only three times, he is a Cumberland Presbyterian.

• George W. Parish, sturdy looking as a forest oak, is just turning the 52^nd year; he is a Democrat and a Baptist.

• R. E. Pickens, the only merchant on the panel, handsome and suave as a man of twenty-five, yet on the books he is charged up with 51 years. He is a Democrat and a Presbyterian.

• Robert W. Wood, with a big plain honest Methodist, Democratic face, has passed by the 50^th yearly milestone, but is yet as mild, unassuming and pleasant as a fresh modest youth.

Crittenden County Folks Off To Kansas

This article is about some Crittenden County families that moved to Kansas and made their homes there.

Kansas Bound

In the late 1800's and early 1900's many settlers from Crittenden County felt the need to move on to new territory. With the promise of great land opportunities in the west in such states as Washington, Oklahoma and Kansas, many of our families packed their belonging boarded the train and headed for new territory.

This article is about the history of that time and some of the families that chose Kansas as their new home. Many stayed and built a new life, but some got homesick for their ole' Kentucky home and returned to finish their life in Crittenden County.

Agents for Kansas sent ads to many papers. In our Crittenden Press in 1902 the ad says KANSAS, Great Land of Opportunities. There is for sale a large acreage of choice wheat, corn and alfalfa farms, in tracts of 160 to 800 acres, ranging in price from $10 to $50 per acre. The wheat grown on these lands this year will make from 20 to 40 bushels per acre.

Soon families were leaving Crittenden County to see about these land opportunities. As early as 1884 families from this area were loading up their belongings, catching the north bound train and heading for the state of Kansas. Some of these early families were: John and Lamira Jane Fralick, and their son, Dave Fralick; Albert and Emily Hillyard; William and Mary Crider and four small sons; Frank and Alice Crider and son; and John and Mary Jacobs.

In March 1904 another company of fourteen persons, citizens from the same neighborhood, boarded an I. C. north-bound train for Kansas, where they aim to make their future homes.
The company consisted of Sam Woodall, Albert Cliff, wife and daughter, Albert Dunn, Thomas Carter, wife and daughter, James Carter, Will Murray and wife, James McCormick, Sherman Woodall and Luther Murray.

Also during this time period, groups of men would travel to Kansas to work in the wheat fields. A. C. Babb and Alonzo Duvall had a threshing crew that traveled to Hoxie Kansas. When the harvesting season was over they would return back to Crittenden County.

October of 1904, Dr. John Reynolds from Webster County visits Kansas and he shared with The Crittenden Record the Kentucky Settlement, where our people are showing their mettle.
We are home again after making a tour through the state of Kansas, and with the hope many good people who read The Crittenden Record may, with a certain degree of satisfaction, peruse these items, we shall endeavor to write something concerning the "Kentucky Settlement" in the counties of Phillips and Sheridan.

The Kentucky Settlement is in the northeastern part of Phillips County and is composed of ex-Kentuckians who were former citizens of Crittenden and Caldwell Counties in Kentucky.
The Kentuckians are too numerous to remember all the names but the most familiar are the following: Alexander, Blackburn, Brantley, Bugg, Cannon, Crider, Farmer, Fralick, Hillyard, Jacobs, McCain, McDowell, Morse, Paris and Wilson.

Among the many farmers of Phillips County, who have made it pay by attending strictly to business, are the following F. B. Cannon, J. B. Moss, Albert A. Hillyard, John Jacobs and various others. The worth of these distinguished former Kentuckians but now Kansans is estimated from ten to fifty thousand dollars.

When we made our advent into Sheridan County, we were met at Selden by W. D. (Bud) Brantley and Sherman Woodall, two former Kentuckians whose courtesy, sociability and hospitality are unsurpassed.

They soon equipped a conveyance, Brantley furnishing two horses and Woodall a surrey, we spent two days driving over the level country and seeing the farmers, towns, jack rabbits, ground-squirrels, and prairie chickens.

While making this drive we saw the families of two or more former Kentuckians, T. H. Carter and J. A. Hillyard. We spent one night with Mr. Hillyard. We also heard of other Crittenden Countians who reside in Sheridan County, whose names are; Allen, Asbridge, Beckner, Clift, Morse, Towery and Wilson.

The time spent in Sheridan County was brief, as well as pleasant, and I thank Mr. Brantley and Woodall for a pleasant time.

Crittenden County's First Peach Pie

Robert F. Wheeler, at age 100, on his Ford tractor.

Robert F. Wheeler, during his lifetime in Crittenden County, wrote many historical and family history stories.  Here is one of his family stories about Crittenden's first peach pie.

I think, but an not sure, that the pie was made by the folks of Moses Shelby, brother of Isaac Shelby, the first Governor of Kentucky.

Moses Shelby and John Wheeler, my grandfather, had served together in the Revolutionary War.

In after years they migrated to Kentucky and settled near each other in what is now Crittenden County.

As customary, they planted fruit trees the first year, so that the wait for fruit might not be long delayed in their new homeland.

One of their peach tress, thriving best, bore a few peaches before the others.  There seemed to be enough if all could be saved to make a pie.

The peaches were closely watched.  No one, black or white, was allowed to touch them.

In late summer, when they were good and ripe, the peaches were gathered and a pie made on Saturday evening.  

At last the lid was taken off the dutch oven in which the cobbler had been baked. 

The young folks all gathered around to view the tempting pie, something they had not seen since leaving their North Carolina homes several years before.  To say they were ready to start on the pie might be deemed an understatement.

But it was suggested, and agreed to, that a hot cobbler was not so good as a cold one.  They decided to set it away to cool overnight so that the Sabbath could be celebrated by eating it the next morning.

Accordingly, the dutch oven was set in the cabin window to cool out through the night.  

During the night, one of the Wheeler's old cows, rummaging about about the yard, smelled the tantalizing aroma, found the fresh fruit peach pie - and ate it.

Needless to say, come Sunday morning, the family was very disappointed, and some angry thoughts were made at the cow. 

Remembering More Of Crittenden County Revolutionary War Veterans this July 4th, 2020

                                           A Vintage early Patriotic Post Card

We have several Revolutionary soldiers that served in this first fight for freedom.  After the battle at Yorktown, many of these Scotch-Irish patriots started leaving their devastated homelands in the south and headed north though the mountains into Kentucky  They brought the region a noteworthy heritage.

James Walker

James Walker was born Oct. 25, 1762 in York County, Pa., and moved with his family to Mecklenburg County, NC in about 1771.  He married Mary Love born about 1799.  James Walker came to Livingston County from Tennessee with some of his younger children, including his son Samuel Barr Walker.

James Walker made application for a Revolutionary War Pension in Livingston County that was approved.

He first served in the Militia under Captain Matthew Stewart and Thomas Gray to guard the frontier from Tories. He then volunteered to serve under Col. Lock and Capt. William Smith.

He was on guard at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse and discharged about May 1781.

James Walker died in 1834 in Livingston County (later Crittenden County.)  Their is no burial stone or location of his death place.

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Patrick Cain

Patrick Cain entered service in the Ninety Six District during 1776 under Capt. William Moore, commander of a blockhouse.

After moving to Abbeville District, he was drafted into the militia and sent to serve under Capt. Robert Anderson, the commander of a company at Fort Independence, also served under Col. Pickens and Gen. Williamson. 

 

In 1780 he volunteered to guard prisoners at the blockhouse on Pickens' plantation. 

Family history on Find-A-Grave says that Patrick Cain died Nov. 26, 1836 and is buried in the Duvall Cemetery off of S. R. 1901, and has no marker to identify his grave.