Page 22 - Jefferson County AR 1889 History (Goodspeed)

* *A JEFFERSON COUNTY. u A
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1sines The Graphic was started by Judge R. border Indian warfare there w u , hut ae the 1'
Fletcher in 1887, and is nowin the handsof J. W. 1 Quapaws were friendly this article has nothing
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Adams. The Hornet is a colored paper which has of that kind to record.
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been in various hands. I t was started by J. 0 . After the birth of Jefferson County in 1829,

Duke. Outside of Pine Bluff, the only paper has the first war experience it had to deal with was

been the Rndfield Star, by C. T. Munroe, not now that of 1846 with the Mexioan neighbors. There

published. A few other efforts have been made, was no particular excitement, and all who chose to

but were short lived. The journals have ably rep. go gathered about Capt. John C. Roane, the lead-

reiiented the interests of the wmmunity in which ing military spirit of the county, and with him

they have been so important a factor. entered the northwestern part of the State recmit-

Redfield grew out of the Little Rock, Missis- ing, finally serving bravely in the famous ranks of

sippi River & Texas Railway interests, together , Gen. Yell, of Buena Vista fame. There were but

with the efforts of J. K. Broadie, by whom it few, however, the total population being hut 5,834.

was laid out recently, although it has been The excitement effectedthe county but little, and

a business point since early in the present decade. quiet reigned until the close of the great campaign

I t has about 1,000 people, and, besides general , of 1860.

stores, has a large wood-working mill. Messrs. : The general causes which figured in the great

Fairman, Daniels, Sallee Brothers and W. C. I campaign ably represented by Lincoln, Douglas,

McKinnis are among the leading men. Breckenridge and Bell, are so well known as to

Altheimer is the junction of the Little Rock & not necessitate repetition in these lines; but as the

Eastern Railway with the " Cotton Belt" line, peculiar make-up of a county almost always deter-

and has grown up to a population of about 600 in mined its action in that struggle it is well to glance

the last three years. The Altheimer Brot,hershave at the condition of Jefferson at that time. In 1860

been its leading spirits. Davis & McDonald are there was in the whole county a population of but

merchants. There are two cotton gins here. 14,971, of whom 7,158 were colored, and the

Jefferson Springs is a recent lumber town on white population exceeded them by 655, making

the Little Rock, Mississippi River & Texas Rail- 7,813 whites. This shows, according to the

way of about 150 people. I t has two mills. accepted proportion of about five persons to one

Rob Roy has a store and is the seat of A. God- voter, a vote of little more than 1,500 to the wunty.

hold's plantation. I t was formerly one of the I t needs only to be mentioned that the county was

most prominent river shippingpointsof this region. then as now a cotton and corn slave-holding com-

Among other places that have stores and are munity, to make it clear that the 1,500 voters were

the seats of plantations are Bankhead, Cornerstone, supremely democratic at this particular period.

Garretson's Landing, Kearney (mill), Liuwood, While there were a few votes for Lincoln and

Madding, New Gascony, Noble's Lake (the seat of Bell, the mass was chiefly divided between Doug-

Sol. Franklin's great plantation), Pastoria, Plum las and Breckenridge, and the fact that the Hon.

Bayou, Red Bluff, Wabbaseks and Swan Lake. W. P. Grace, of Pine Bluff, was an elector on the

Other places are post-offices merely. Douglas ticket shows that there was no small

Whether or not the old French settlers, pre- Douglas sentiment afloat. The result was a general

vious to Joseph Bonne's day in 1819, took part in support of Douglas.

our early British wars, is not known. I t would not The inauguration of Lincoln and the convention

be strange, however, if a few had participated in at Little Rock occurred and began the same day,

the affair of 1815 at New Orleana; nor isit improb- and Jefferson had its time in choosing delegates.

able that some of Jefferson County's inhabitants The Pine Bluff convention chose the Hons. James

had a share in the Creek, Seminole or Black Hawk Yell and W. P. Grace, with the understanding

wars. They, of course, took part in what little that Northern aggression should be resisted-just

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