Edited by
Wally Howerton
Contributing Editors
John F. Howerton
Bryan R. Howerton
Volume Seven, Issue 2 Summer 2003
FROM THE EDITOR
Greeting Cousins:
My apologies for the delay in the Newsletter. I've taken a new job as the manager of our local Country Club and did not know the load I would be taking on. To make matters worse, I bought a new computer tah is truly wonderful. I even took my old hard drive and installed it inside of the new computer. My problem is I still haven't been able to find or access my old saved e-mail files with obituaries and other news items. If anyone has sent me anything in the last 6 months please send it again if it doesn't appear in this newsletter. Thanks!
Wally
Compiled by Bryan R Howerton
This writer began research on the greater Howerton family in America several years prior to retirement and had found records of a John Howerton born about 1784 in Montgomery County, VA, who moved to Jefferson County, TN in 1818.
It was known that John Howerton had departed Jefferson County sometime between 1830 and 1840; however, his exact location following that period had not been determined. It had been found that three of his brothers at about the time of John’s final departure from Montgomery County, VA had joined the great westward migration of so many families from the more settled eastern part of the country. His brother, Obediah, had taken his family down the Ohio River to Illinois; and two brothers, William and Joseph, had moved their families to Illinois for a few years, but finally settled in central Missouri. No indication was found that John accompanied any of his brothers or moved to the areas in which they had settled. It looked as if John had simply disappeared when he left Jefferson County, TN.
Several months following retirement we purchased a home in Searcy, White County, AR and when reviewing the title abstract, were surprised to find that the land on which the house is located had been first owned by a John Howerton. Further search of county records and material in the city library indicated that several early local marriages likely involved known children of John Howerton and Juliett Cook.
In addition, many descendants of John Howerton and the Cook, Pate, and Walker families still resided in the county.Personal discussion with various descendants of those families revealed that in the mid-1830’s that group of families and others had migrated to White County from Jefferson County, TN in a wagon train organized and led by John Howerton, who was the Captain of the venture.
Personal discussion with older descendants of the original emigrants revealed a wealth of knowledge that proved amazingly accurate. One descendant, Mrs. C. Siler, who resided near Bradford, AR had a large file of court and tax records and other memorabilia of John Howerton and Juliett Cook, her great-grandparents, including the original letter, shown below, which confirmed that he was the same John Howerton who had disappeared from Jefferson County, TN. She graciously permitted those documents to be copied, including the following personal letter:
“To: Mr. John Howerton
Jefferson County, East Tennessee
Montgomery County, Virginia State
Sep 2nd AD 1828
Dear Uncle, I take my pen in hand to inform you that we are all well hoping these few lines may find you enjoying the best of health. I received your letter from Mr. Birch Pate and you stated that you wanted me to send you some money. But it is out of my power to get any for money is so hard to get it appears like none to be had. I have paid $6.00 for you besides that I paid Elliott it will be out of my power to come but when I get the money I will wright you a letter. Your friends is generally well Sally Howerton was married on the 28th February at the place where Henry Bishop now lives. I wish to be remembered to Elias Daniel and family. I wish him to send me a letter for we would be glad to no how he was doing We have had a very dry season here I wish you to wright us a letter as quick as you can so no more at present but remains your loving mother and father untill Death. Stephen Lester and family and all their connections is well.
John Howerton
Sally Howerton
By Your Nephew, (signed) James Howerton”
(Above letter copied verbatim from the original by Bryan R Howerton)
Additional information pertaining to John Howerton was obtained from records in Montgomery County, VA; Jefferson County, TN, various sources in White County, AR, including several of his descendants, a photo copy of some pages from an unidentified publication. In addition corroborating information was provided by several conversations with Mr. A.P. Strother who was well acquainted with several of the older descendants of John Howerton, from whom he had obtained specific information relative to the wagon train and prevailing conditions of the time. These data are included in relative parts of the following narrative.
About 1784, John Howerton was born near Little River, about eight miles south of Christianburg in Montgomery County, VA; the son of John Howerton and Sally - - - -. He grew to manhood in the scenic area of the Appalachian Mountains in which Montgomery County is located. On 4 Sep 1810 he married Christina Pate in Montgomery County, VA; the sureties on their marriage bond were their fathers, John Howerton and Jacob Pate. They purchased a farm on Little River on which they lived for a few years. John appears to have been civic-minded and a local political leader wherever he lived.
In 1818 they moved to Jefferson County, TN, taking with them a six-year old Negro girl, Jinny who was a gift of Christina’s father, Jacob Pate. They settled on the road leading from Mossy Creek Iron Works (Mossy Creek is now Jefferson City) to Painter Springs (now Panther Springs) - this is a beautiful location in a wide valley between the Cumberland Mountains on the west side and a clear view of the Smoky Mountains, a short distance to the east.
Between 1818 and 1824 John Howerton apparently shuttled back and forth between Jefferson County, TN and Montgomery County, VA as various land transactions and tax records indicate his presence in both counties during that period. His wife, Christina, reportedly died in childbirth sometime between 1820 and 1824, probably in Jefferson County, TN; no children from that marriage survived.
Following the death of Christina, John married Juliett Cook. It is unknown whether the marriage occurred in Montgomery County, VA or Jefferson County, TN. It is known that there were Cooks living in Jefferson County, TN at that time who had migrated there from Montgomery County, VA. All known children of John and Juliett were born in Jefferson County, TN – they were: William Harrison, b 1826; Stephen Lester “Bud”, b Jul 1828; Martha, b 1829; Frances “Fanny”, b 1830; Louisa D, b 1832; and Sarah Thomas, b 1834.
John Howerton sold his property in Jefferson County, TN on 22 Mar 1836. The date of his departure from Jefferson County followed soon thereafter. A wagon train was assembled by members of a party, including several members of the Howerton, Pate, Cook, Walker and other families moving to Arkansas and John Howerton was elected Captain of the train. Several slaves accompanied the emigrants, including those known to have been owned by John: Tab, age about 23; Jinny, age about 18; Jenny, age about 14; and Elvira, age about 12. Moving several families together at such distance required a great amount of detailed planning and preparation including selecting and gathering the equipment, supplies, livestock and provisions in quantities necessary to sustain them until they were established at their destination and a crop could be raised in the new country. Sturdy transport wagons of condition and size adequate to haul everything being carried to their destination and necessary draft animals in physical condition for the exhausting enterprise were of primary importance.
It is reported the wagon train consisted of “Virginia” wagons because of the length of the trip and the proven sturdiness and reliability of the vehicle. The Virginia wagon which was of such historical significance, if one still exists, probably could now only be found in a museum. The long, curved, galley-shaped wagon bed was mounted on massive wheels. The interior of the wagon was protected by a canvas cover over the top supported by wooden bows and provided a limited amount of living space for the occupants. The front of the wagon bed was too high to enable the driver to be seated on the wagon and effectively observe and guide the team of horses or mules (or perhaps oxen). The wagon was normally drawn by a team of four (or more, depending upon terrain and load) horses or mules which were controlled by the driver astride the near horse of the wheel team (or walking alongside the animals when oxen served as the draft animals).
There is some controversy among descendants concerning the overland route taken by the wagon train. Some contend that the most direct route was followed, which would have required the train to proceed directly to the Mississippi River, crossing that river in the vicinity of Memphis and then proceeding west directly toward White County, AR. Others contend that the train proceeded northwest by west from Jefferson County, TN to a point near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, crossing into Missouri and then moving west to a point intersecting the old “St Louis to Little Rock” military road, which was followed south to White County. Travel via either route would have been an arduous undertaking, requiring the crossing of several major un-bridged rivers and numerous creeks and branches. However, at that point in time, most of the area between the Mississippi River and the foothills of the Ozark Mountains was either covered with water and heavy timber or with thick, heavy swamp-growth, wet and practically impassable overland for heavy wagons. It appears far more likely that the wagon train intersected the above mentioned old military road after crossing the Mississippi River somewhere between the Ohio River and Memphis, TN. Even so, a considerable amount of low, swampland would have been traversed west of the Mississippi River before a juncture with that road could have been made.
The “Virginia” wagon had been designed for such an undertaking. It could be drawn across small creeks, branches, and some rivers by draft animals at fording points. It was also inevitable that some rivers had to be crossed at points too deep for fording, which also lacked a ferry adequate to carry wagons across. Primary features of the “Virginia” wagon included the high forward section and sides of the wagon bed, which was more or less water-tight. When such crossing was necessary, the draft animals were unhitched from the wagons and swam across the river. Ropes were attached across the river between the wagons and the draft animals. The wagons were then floated and towed across the water, guided and poled by men standing in the wagons using long wooden poles in effort to assist forward movement and prevent the wagon from straying downstream.
There is a great contrast between that time and today, when we are able to make that same journey in a day crossing the Tennessee, Cumberland, Mississippi and White Rivers and numerous lesser rivers. Upon arrival in White County, AR after the exhausting trip of several weeks duration the settlers were faced with many daunting tasks, not the least of which was providing shelter and living quarters for the families and livestock. Settlers generally continued to use their wagons for minimum shelter until land could be found and construction of permanent shelter undertaken. Land was selected that was best adaptable to the uses for which it was intended, with strong emphasis placed upon the presence of a spring. The spring would provide clean, cool, potable water in an amount sufficient for the needs of the family and their livestock. Large springs would maintain a branch which would flow year-round from which livestock could drink without worry about contaminating the spring. Such springs were preferred and were considered choice when emanating from a small cave, whose interior, cooled by the spring provided a place to keep milk, butter, eggs and other perishable foods in edible condition. Water for household use was hand-carried from the spring, a task usually delegated to a child. Trees were felled and shaped into logs, which were used to erect cabins with the assistance of neighbors. The logs were roughly hewn flat along the length of at least two sides and notched on the ends in a manner that assured a tight fit of mutually supporting logs. Of necessity, the cabins were usually small, about sixteen feet square, built so that additional rooms could be added as the settler became better established.Initially, most cabins did not have windows, so a log was left out along one side and that space was covered with a sheet of heavy paper, oiled with bear grease.In the 1830s bears were plentiful in that area of Arkansas, as confirmed by travelers through the area; reporting that bear hides were stretched for curing on the outer walls of most of the settler’s buildings and that the rendering of bear fat into grease or oil was a basic industry. Indian corn was planted as early as possible, which together with wild game and fish provided the basis for a simple, nourishing diet augmented by wild berries, nuts and vegetables (after space had been cleared in which home gardens were planted and maintained). Home grown vegetables were eaten fresh and were also preserved for future use. The lack of mills required the corn to be ground by hand in stone mortars to obtain the meal used in pone, mush and johnny cake. Milk was provided by cows that often accompanied the emigrant to the frontier and herds of hogs were also brought with the settler and provided meat eaten fresh or preserved for future use by salting or smoking. Chickens provided eggs as well as an alternate additional source of meat, usually for special occasions.
Settlers were generally isolated from each other and organized churches were not formed until villages or towns were established with sufficient numbers of inhabitants. In the meantime, lay leaders among the settlers would conduct religious services to which many surrounding families would travel and attend. Traveling ministers would occasionally pass through the area and conduct religious services at central locations, which would be attended by large numbers of settlers. Entertainment in the form of various physical contests, such as horse racing, foot racing, wrestling, etc., between area residents was often enjoyed. Area residents gathered for house and barn-raisings during which festive dinners were prepared and served by the wives and daughters, often followed by singing and dancing. Fiddlers were great assets to their community as were dance-callers as the most common form of dancing was the Virginia Reel and variations such as square-dancing.
White County (named for White River which now borders the county on the north and east), which is located in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, was formed in 1835. The first court being held in the home of the first settler, David Crise, near White Sulphur Springs which was located near the present city cemetery of Searcy. A post office was established at the now non-existing steamboat landing, called “Frankfort”, on Little Red River a few miles east of the White Sulphur Springs. The settlement that evolved into the present-day city of Searcy was being called “Franklin” when the wagon train of John Howerton arrived in 1836. Almost immediately, John Howerton, together with his emigrant companions James Walker and John Cook began an effort to establish the county court in the village of Franklin (now called “Searcy”) – an effort that was opposed by those who wished to have the court at Frankfort, which was the location of the post office. John Howerton, James Walker, and John Cook committed themselves to the donation of 10 acres of land on which the future courthouse would stand and began circulation of a petition to officially confirm the location of the courthouse in the village. Sixty-five petitioners signed and in November 1837, that site was designated as the seat of county government by an act of the legislature, signed by the state governor.
In addition to his interest in civic affairs, John Howerton opened the first hotel, a stagecoach inn, in a double log-house located south of what is now Spring Park in Searcy. Juliett, wife of John Howerton, operated the inn and was the life of the dances held there and attended by the surrounding settlers. Their son, Stephen Lester “Bud” Howerton was the fiddler. A small eating place was operated across the road from the inn by a former slave, “Free Joe” and his wife, “Auntie Mymie”, whose hot cakes and coffee were praised by stagecoach travelers. The first store in Searcy, licensed by the county court on 8 March 1837 and located on a trail down toward Little Red River (which is now Moore Avenue) was owned and operated by John Howerton.
John Howerton died between 23 Nov 1837 and 6 Feb 1838 and the cause of his death is unknown; however, his oldest son, William Harrison Howerton, drowned at about that time in Little Red River. Some people contend that both John and his son drowned at the same time in a boating accident; however, no documentation to support that theory has been found. Juliett Howerton, John’s widow, continued to operate the stagecoach inn and provided the land containing Oak Grove Cemetery, the current Searcy city cemetery. That is probably the location of John’s grave; however, no marker has been found. Juliett married Samuel Guthrie in White county, AR on 28 Aug 1845 and divorced him on 4 Apr 1848, after which she remained identified as Juliett Howerton and continued in business and civic affairs until her death sometime between 12 Aug 1856 and 13 Nov 1860 in Searcy, White County, AR.
William Cook was elected the second sheriff of White County, AR and later served from White County in the Arkansas state legislature and James Walker became the wealthiest man of his time in White County. Both of those men had arrived in White County in 1836 in the wagon train led by John Howerton.
Stephen Lester “Bud” Howerton served as a deputy sheriff in White County during the 1850s. His first wife was Lucinda C - - - -(b 1835). He enlisted in the Confederate States Army on 26 Jun 1862 in White County, AR and served as a Corporal in Company E, 36th Arkansas Infantry of McRae's Regiment; Glenn’s Regiment; 28th Regiment; and 2nd Regiment, Trans-Mississippi Infantry. He participated in the Battles of Cane Hill (in which he was wounded), Prairie Grove, Helena, Little Rock and the Red River Campaign. He married his second wife, Martha Ann Pate (b Sep 1835 TN) on 22 Sep 1867 in Independence County, Ark where he lived near Jamestown until his death on 9 Feb 1909.
The daughters of John Howerton and Juliett Cook were all married in White County, AR as follows: Martha married Jacob Pate about 1846; Frances “Fannie” married (1) James Blasington on 1 Sep 1845, (2) Frederick G Dunaway before 1854 and (3) William B Porter on 2 Aug 1860; Louisa D married William D Swan on 20 Oct 1852; and Sarah Thomas married Patrick Henry Morris on 10 Dec 1851.
Descendants of John Howerton and Juliett Cook, as well as several other families who made the long and difficult journey to White County, AR from Jefferson County, TN in 1836 form a large part of the population of White County today. That group continues to be well represented among the civic and business leaders of the area.
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