Travels in an Undiscovered Country

[S2] Ken Brown, Douglas County Compilations, pdf on CD-ROM (Ava, Missouri: Publisher of this Compact Disc (CD) is uncertain, but was probably the Douglas County Historical & Genealogical Society), news items excerpted from issues of the Douglas County Herald (Ava, Missouri) that were originally published between 1887 and 1891.
[S6] Ancestry.com, 1900 United States Federal Census, database on-line, Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed by Carl Fields, 2004-2011); citing Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900, population schedules (NARA Microfilm Publication T623), Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29, National Archives, Washington, D.C. Interim or placeholder ("lumped-source"-type) source citations for US 1790-1930 census population schedules have been adapted from source description information on Ancestry.com. Most of this census information was indeed taken from the Ancestry.com census page-images. However, in a few cases, the census information was (1) taken directly from microfilm - either at the Family History Library (Salt Lake City, UT), the Newberry Library (Chicago, IL), or at the Aiken Family History Center (using microfilm reels "rented" from the Family History Library), or (2) from on-line digital images from other providers, such as FamilySearch. For simplicity, the "accessed tags" all refer to ancestry.com. The long-term plan is to eventually replace all of these interim source citations with detailed citations based on one of the other of the two books by Elizabeth Shown Mills, Evidence or Evidence Explained.
[S42] Alinda Miller, Ancestors of Kathleen Kay Austin, web database, Genealogy.com, Family Tree Maker Online (User Home Pages), (www.familytreemaker.com/users/m/i/l/Alinda-M-Miller/GENE2-0001.html or www.familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/m/i/l/Alinda-M-Miller/GENE2-0001.html : accessed by Carl Fields 1999), this web site was viewed and partly printed and transcribed in 1999. It appears to have been taken down as of February 2009, a printout of cited items is in possession of Carl Fields.
[S47] The Batesville Guard (Batesville, Arkansas), newspaper.
[S76] Arizona Department of Health Services, Arizona Office of Vital Statistics, digital images, Arizona Genealogy Birth and Death Certificates, (http://genealogy.az.gov : accessed by Carl Fields Feb 2009), Clarence Fields Death Certificate, (7 May 1925).
[S80] Arkansas Department of Health, death certificate 499 (10 Jul 1937), George M. Fields; Department of Health, Little Rock.
[S95] Alinda Miller, "Descendants of Thomas Johnson,"descendant report (descendant report made using the Family Tree Maker computer program), 2000, copy held by Carl Fields, . Carl's memory is that the report was sent by mail in digital form on a compact disc.
[S96] Alinda Miller, "Descendants of William Charles Fields," descendant report (descendant report made using the Family Tree Maker computer program), October 1999, copy held by Carl Fields, . Carl's memory is that this was sent as a digital file on a compact disc.
[S101] Barbara DeVore, "The Aaron Freeman Family", Journal of the Historical and Genealogical Society of Douglas County Missouri, this journal does not employ volumes or numbers (Dec 1990).
[S131] Judy Johnson Erickson, Boyd, Texas, to Carl Fields, e-mail, "RE: HENRY WOOD JOHNSON" (transmitting excerpt from page 275 of Douglas County Missouri: History and Families 1857-1995), 20 August 2005; Text of e-mail is in Notes for Henry Wood Johnson, Johnson Family Information File, Computer Files (e-mails, Genealogy, or "Gene," section of Local Folders).
[S154] Shirley Macomner, "Family Group Sheet -- G M Fields and S C Johnson" (Mountain Grove, MO). The marriage date is on a family group sheet compiled by Shirley Macomner, which states it is based on information provided to the compiler by Rosemary and Ed Ahrent, Edna McColgin, and "Douglas County Marriages" (which is presumably a book or typescript). This family group sheet (along with other materials) was sent to Carl Fields by Alinda Miller in 1999.
[S220] "Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002," indexed digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed unknown date); based on Missouri Marriage Records, microfilm, Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City, Missouri.
[S229] "Well Known Local Man Dies Yesterday," Newark (Arkansas) Journal, 8 April 1937, (Volume 37, Number 12); microfilm, The Arkansas History Commission, One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, Arkansas 72201. Text of the article follows (within quotes):

"Well Known Local Man Dies Yesterday

G. M. Fields died yesterday afternoon in a hospital at Newport following a prolonged illness.

He had been a prominent figure in the business life of the community for a number of years. He was a native of Missouri, but came to Arkansas many years ago and located at Pleasant Plains where he was engaged in the sawmill business. He moved from Pleasant Plains to Newark about 25 years ago when he bought an interest in the Newark Lumber Company with which he was actively identified until he sold out to the late B. A. Magness about 10 years ago.

He had been the vice president of the First National Bank of Newark for 20 years. He owned larged (sic) farming interests in Oil Trough and Big Bottom in addition to his business interests in Newark.

He was a member of the Christian Church and a member of the Masonic Lodge.

He was 75 years old and is survived by his wife and four sons, Orville, Virgil, Ralph, and Lacy and by one daughter, Mrs. Handford Magness.

Funeral services will be held at the Christian Church Friday afternoon at 2 o’clock with Rev. C. C. Hance conducting the services."

(Actually, he had moved to Newark about 32 years prior to his death. Also, most members of the "Christian Church" congregation there probably prefer that it be called "Church of Christ." Finally, his son-in-law's name is generally spelled Hanford.).
[S255] Paula Allyn (Ramey) Potter (Ancestry.com ID: pap72562), Ramey Family Tree, private tree on Ancestry.com.
[S274] Kimberly Archer, "Rootsweb WorldConnect Project Database: 2153854, Archer, Beaman, Cox, Freeman, Johnston, Rees, Warren," database, WorldConnect Project (Rootsweb/Ancestry.com), Archer, Beaman, Cox, Freeman, Johnston, Rees, Warren, (http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=:2153854 : 16 July 16 2002).
[S285] Shirley Shelton, Summary Fact Sheet for William Charles Fields, typescript document. Notes on document appear to indicate it was compiled by Shirley Shelton (Shirley Southard), and given to Delmer Horton on 10-11-1998. Document also contains annotations by Delmer Horton and Peg Gravedoni.
[S321] "World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : ); citing World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, NARA microfilm publication M1509.
[S360] William C. Felds (alias: Fields) (Pvt., Company A, Osage County Missouri Home Guards, Civil War), pension case file, pension application 905,383, filed 16 Aug 1890, certificate 692,258; Civil War and Later Pension Files; Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group (RG) 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C. Widow, Cynthia Fields, filed July 1908, application 899,706, no certificate (widow's pension not granted).

Key items from this file include:

Fields, William C., Declaration for Invalid Pension, claiming General (Dis)Ability and service from 22 June 1861 to 5 Oct 1861 in Company A of Osage Co Battalion of Missouri Home Guard commanded by John Harris, address (at time of declaration): Station A, Springfield, Greene County, Missouri, 12 Aug 1890.

Certificate dated 17 Apr 1891 confirming allowance by Hawkins Taylor Commission (in 1862 and 1863) allowed this home guard service was actual military service rendered to the United States.

Record of physical exam in Springfield, Missouri, May 20, 1891. Exam concluded he suffered from general debility and piles. Height given as 5 ft 6 in, weight 150 lbs, pulse 80, respiration rate 15, temperature 98.4, age 73 years.

Affidavit from William C Fields certifying he is the identical person recorded in Osage County Home Guards rolls ad William C Felds, Greene County, Missouri, 23 May 1891.

Correspondence between War Department and Department of the Interior (Bureau of Pensions) certifying 3 month and 13 days of military service, 14 Oct 1891.

Approval sheet (internal to Pension Bureau, apparently) approving pension of $12/month for general debility (and/or senile debility, possibly). Stamp on sheet indicates the pension was reviewed again on 8 Oct 1894 and continued at the same rate at that time.

Transcription of "Marriage certificate" confirming marriage of W. C. Fields of Jackson County, Oregon and Cynthia Stilwell of the same county on 27 Oct 1892 in Jackson County, Oregon. The transcription was prepared at Mountain Grove, Missouri on 18 Sept 1908. (This was added to the file after the death of W. C. Fields.)

Questionnaire from Bureau of Pensions filled out by William C Fields on 4 Aug 1898. It contains some very questionable responses, including that he was not married and had no living children.

Declaration for the Increase of an Invalid Pension. Filed in Mountain Grove, Wright County, Missouri on 16 Feb 1907. Declaration (in effect, an application) states that at the time of his enlistment (in 1861), his height was 5 ft 2 inches, complexion: light, eye color: light grey, hair color: light, and occupation: farmer. Since discharge has lived in Osage County Missouri and Douglas County Missouri (residences in Greene County and Wright County Missouri and in Oregon are not mentioned). Signed with mark (at least two previous items in this file had included his signature).

Approval sheet for increased pension to $20/month commencing 20 February. Date of birth given as 10 Jan 1818.

"Pension Certificate" (at $20/month rate). Issued by Department of Interior, 23 April 1907 (but retroactively effective 20 Feb 1907).

Bureau of Pensions "Drop Order" due to death of pensioner on 23 June 1908 (drop order is dated 16 July 1908).

Widow's Declaration for Pension, Cynthia Fields, 4 July 1908. Signed with her mark.

Widow's Pension, Department of Pensions internal approval sheet. Rejected November 1908 based on proof his death was a result of military service.

Cynthia Fields, Application for Reimbursement, 23 June 1908. Claim is for expenses related to final illness and burial of W. C. Fields in amount of $64.95. Said he left no property or funds at the time of his death. File includes several receipts that were apparently attached to this claim including a receipt for $11.45 for clothing purchased from W. E. Loring (?) for burial (paid for by George Fields on 23 June 1908), casket ($12), and medical bill from Dr. Chas E. Barnes ($18 for medicine and 17 house calls over the last nine days of the life of William C Fields).

General Affidavit by Cynthia Fields concerning her previous marriage history and that of W. C. Fields, dated 18 Sept 1908.

General Affidavit by Charles E Barnes, M. D. stating that W. C. Fields died on 28 June 1908 (according to this affidavit), was confined to bed for about the last two weeks of his life, and died from disentary(?) (dysentery) and senility. Affidavit dated 18 Sept 1908.

Declaration for Widow's Pension until Act of April 19, 1908 (previous application had not identified this specific act), dated 28 Nov 1908 (and apparently "filed" 30 Nov 1908). Signed with her mark.

Draft of letter to Joel F Short (attorney for Cynthia Fields) written 22 Dec 1908 indicating she was not eligible for a pension under the Act of April 19, 1908 because she had not married soldier prior to 27 June 1890. However, the letter points out the accrued pension amount between his last pension payment and the time of his death is available for payment if she applies for it.

Inability Affidavit, Cynthia Fields, dated 3 Feb 1909. Signed with her mark.

General Affidavit by W. B. Hull, dated 23 March 1909. Provides evidence concerning both marriages of Cynthia Fields.

Draft letter from Pension Office clerk to Joel F Short (attorney for Cynthia Fields). Notes that information provided by W. C. Fields in 1980 indicated he was not married but had been previously married to Mary Williams, and they had been separated for 5 years.

For several reasons, many different military units (and different types of units) were formed in Missouri during the Civil War (on both sides of the conflict). For the federal (or union) side, many of these were state militia units. In general, members of these state militia units (formed by the state government) were not eligible for pensions. However, in a few instances, certain militia units (usually called Home Guards) were established at the request of federal military authorities (or were perhaps called into active duty by federal government authorities); some of these units were later deemed to be eligible for federal government pensions. Confederate veterans were, of course, not eligible for federal pensions (although this may have changed around the 1950s, but, by then, of course, very few Confederate veterans -- or their dependents -- were still alive).

By about 1902, the Missouri military pension situation had become very confused. Apparently, Missouri congressmen were receiving questions from constituents who considered themselves "union" veterans about why they were not eligible for pensions, while some of their neighbors were. The war department issued a book-length "paper" (transmitted by a letter from the Secretary of War), which seems to have been written for the benefit of congressmen who needed to answer these questions. The paper goes over each of the many (and confusing) types of military units (militia and otherwise) who were recruited for both sides in Missouri during the Civil War. The paper is:

Chief of Record and Pension Office of the War Department, Paper "showing various classes of Missouri volunteers, militia, and home guards in service during the civil war, and the laws, etc., under which they were raised; also what classes of such are recognized by the war department as being in the military service of the United States and what classes are not so recognized," Senate Document 412, 57th Congress, 1st session, 18 June1902.

The paper available on Google Books (www.google.com) and can be accessed by searching for the title from the main Google web site or from the Google Books web site (that is the case as this is written on 16 May 2013). The book-length paper may have an identification "number" in Google Books. That number is: Tc6rRH1ZusC (the number be searched, in place of the book's title).

Information about the various types of Missouri units (militia and otherwise) is available at several places on the internet. A good starting point is: (http://www.slpl.lib.mo.us/libsrc/mocivilwar.htm : accessed by Carl Fields, 16 May 2013).

The "federal service" of Missouri Home Guard units was investigated by a special commission in the 1862-1863 era. The commission is generally called the Hawkins Taylor Commission. Their initial purpose seems to have been to determine the amount of payment due to Home Guard members (and possibly to vendors who provided supplies to the Home Guard units). The determinations of the commission were later used to issue federal military discharges to home guard veterans (in 1886) and also to determine pension eligibility (apparently starting in 1890).

The handwritten report of the Hawkins Taylor commission was transcribed and quoted in full in two congressional reports (one published in 1884 and the other published in 1886):

Mr. Cockrell (Committee on Military Affairs), Report No. 214 to the Senate, 48th Congress, 1st session, to accompany bill S. 1518 (bill dealt with certificates of discharge to certain members of the Missouri Home Guards), 25 Feb 1884.

Mr. Dargan (Committee on Military Affairs), Report No. 498 to the House of Representatives, 49th Congress, 1st session, to accompany bill S. 216 (bill dealt with certificates of discharge to certain members of the Missouri Home Guards -- the number of the House version of the bill seems to have been 1374), 13 Feb 1886.

Hawkins Taylor is the name of one of the commissioners (the commission chair, apparently -- his first name was Hawkins and his surname was Taylor). The name of the commission may sometimes be written as "Hawkins-Taylor," as if the words referred to the surnames of two different commissioners or co-chairmen.

The Hawkins Taylor report refers to "our books" (near the end of the main report). This suggests the commission had prepared detailed records of some type (perhaps indicating how the individual units had provided support to federal troops during 1861). However, the text introducing the quoted Hawkins Taylor report in the 1884 and 1886 document indicates that any detailed information of that type no longer existed as of those dates. The individual military service records of several Osage County Home Guard members do contain cards or slips where pay owed to them had been computed by the Hawkins Taylor commission.

The 1884 and 1886 reports to congress are in the Lexis/Nexis Congressional Data Base (alternatively called the ProQuest Congressional Data Base). These data based require a subscription, which, in turn, requires a fee. These reports were accessed at the library on the University of South Carolina -- Aiken campus (USCA): (http://congressional/proquest.com/congressional/search/… : accessed 22 April 2013). The Congressional Data Base was accessed via a menu reached via the USCA "Library Home Page." The URL that appears above is what showed up on the display screen once that menu had been actuated.

The following several paragraphs provide descriptions/comments concerning the exhibits for this source: page images photographed at the US National Archives in the autumn of 2006.

For this source, essentially all of the page images available from the pension file are included. The documents are pretty much in chronological order (they are not nearly this close to chronological order in the file).

In a several instances, images are included of both sides of a document.

The National Archives has this file in the Civil War Pension File as follows:
Felds, William C. (alias); Fields, William C; Widow: Fields, Cyntha. (Company) A Osage County MO H Gds (Home Guards -- Union side). (Soldier) Filed: 1890 August 16, Application Number 905383, Certificate Number 692358. Widow Filed: 1908 July 7, Application Number 899706. No certificate number for her (she was not awarded a pension). Cyntha (which perhaps should be Cynthia by current-day (2019) spelling standards; this source discussion generally uses the older spelling found in the pension file) was his 4th wife.

Comments about some of the images follow (but not all images are commented upon). These comments are edited from the texts of e-mails where these images were sent to family members, probably in late 2006 or early 2007.

Image 2520A shows part of the outside of the envelope containing the pension file.

Image 2546A is the reverse side of Image 2545A.

Image 2528A contains a brief physical description (5 ft 6 in and 150 lbs). A later document gives his height as 5 ft 2 in. Image 2527A will not be sent; it is of the same document as in 2528A, but a lower quality image.

Image 2552A was actually generated in 1908 (as part of Cynthia's's widow's pension application). It is a certification of the existence of documentation of a marriage performed in 1892. It is placed here in the approximate chronological order at the date of the marriage. Image 2553A is the reverse side of 2552A.

Image 2551A contains what seems to be the last signature from William C in the pension file (a rather shaky one). This is a puzzling document, since in 1898 he apparently was married and had several living children (although no children were under the age of 16, which, based on information in other Civil War pension files, may have been the "intent" of the 5th question).

Image 2532A (1907) has him living in Mt Grove. This document has a witnessed mark, no signature. This document contains a brief description listing his height as 5 ft 2 inches. It reads like the person filling out this declaration (which today we might call an application) may have had a copy of his discharge certificate, since the types of information on it are similar to what is on Thomas Dodson's medical discharge certificate. Image 2533A is the reverse side of 2532A.

Images 2555A and 2556A show the two sides of the same document.

Image 2560A is a 1908 entry in the file noting that William has died and his pension dropped.

After this point, almost everything in the file primarily concerns Cyntha -- and it gets even more confusing.

Looks like in early July 1908, she submitted two things to the Pension Office: (1) a declaration (application) for a widow's pension and (2) a request for reimbursement for William's funeral expenses and certain medical expenses. In the pension application, she seems to state that William was disabled due to his military service (it is unclear if she thought this was the case, if it was just confusion, if they paid medical and funeral expenses only for disabled veterans, if her pension would have been higher if he had been disabled due to military service, or if there was some other reason).

Image 2547A is that July 1908 "declaration". Image 2548A is the reverse side of 2547A (although interestingly, it has a different Pension Office date stamp on the reverse side).

Image 2521A is the form (apparently an internal Pension Office form) that indicates the widow's pension application (declaration) was rejected (in November 1908) because William was not disabled in the military and there was no evidence his death was related to his military service. It's not clear to me if this rejection also applies to the request for reimbursement for expenses.

After the two July 1908 things, there was another attempt by Cyntha to get a widow's pension (this time not claiming he was disabled), which was also rejected. Then there was an attempt to get the portion of his final pension check (the amount at accrued between when the last -- apparently quarterly -- payment was mailed to him and the date of his death.

One item in this set is an application for reimbursement of final expenses for William (with attached bills and receipts). It was prepared for Cyntha at the same time her initial widow's pension application was prepared. She was probably never paid this requested sum. The pension application rejection (mentioned above) may also have applied to this reimbursement request.

One receipt mentions George (McClellan) Fields, who apparently attended his father's funeral. George lived in Newark Arkansas in 1908, perhaps 90 -100 miles approximately south of the area where William lived. His travel was by train. Cars were probably fairly uncommon in 1908, as (probably) were drive-able roads.

Images 2549A and 2550A are affidavits prepared in September 1908. These were apparently prepared in anticipation of submitting a second widow's pension application. The original application seems to not have been rejected until November 1908, but she may have had some expectation (or advance notice) that it would be rejected.

Images 2242A and 2543A are images of the second application made on November 28, 1908. It differs from the first one in that it avoids any claim or suggestion that William C had been disabled from his military service. These two images are of the two sides of one sheet of paper.

Images 2536A and 2537A are a 2-page handwritten draft of a letter notifying Cyntha that her second pension application was rejected. Basis is that her marriage was after the act was passed (one can imagine reasons why the law was written that way). The end of the letter points out that she might be eligible for the accrued portion of William's final pension payment (for the time between the final quarterly payment he received -- probably in early May 1908 -- and the date of his death). This handwritten draft may have been typed, with the typed version sent to her and this draft placed back in the file. The various dates in the upper right hand corner may represent when it was typed, signed, mailed, etc (there are some other handwritten documents in various files that look like they might be drafts of letters that were later typed).

Images 2557A and 2558A are two sides of an affidavit that Cyntha appears to have had prepared to try to meet the conditions described in the letter to receive that final partial pension payment (the requirements set out near the end of the draft letter of Images 2536A and 2537A).

Image 2535A is another affidavit Cyntha had prepared - also probably in an attempt to meet the conditions (described in a draft letter from the Pension Office sent in previously) needed for her to receive William's final pension check.

Images 2538A and 2529A appear to be a draft letter from the pension office. It appears that the clerk has now read through the file and realized that in August 1898 (not 1908 as stated in the draft letter) William had responded to a pension office questionnaire where he had stated he was unmarried and listed a previous marriage to Mary Williams (and not mentioning Cyntha or any other previous marriages). Now he has the more recent affidavits from Cyntha, who previously provided evidence she married William in 1892, that mention only Keziah/Kessiah (Kizzie) Jarman as a previous wife for William (Cyntha, and the "attorney" working with her to help fill out the various forms, had almost certainly not known the contents of the 1898 document). The pension office clerk is apparently saying that, given these inconsistencies, he can't send that final payment until he has evidence that Kessiah is indeed deceased and that Mary Williams is not going to show up later and claim she is the true, legal, next-of-kin. There appears to no evidence in the pension file that this letter was ever responded to.

Image 2540A seems to be sort of a summary sheet containing brief notes about various items submitted by Cyntha for her application.

Image 2544A is a similar summary sheet for William C, which includes a notation of the date the pension office was notified of his death (upper left hand corner).
[S379] 1870 United States Census, Missouri, population schedule, Wood and Richland Townships, Texas County, pp 16 and 17, Household 111, William C Fields; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed by Carl Fields Jan 2006) , based on NARA Microfilm Publication M593.
[S424] 1920 United States Census, Arkansas, Newark Town, Big Bottom Township (ED 26) Independence County, p 5B (Image 47), Household 114, Clarence Fields; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed by Carl Fields 10 May 2005) , based on NARA Microfilm Publication T625.
[S509] 1900 United States Census, Arkansas, Fairview Township (ED 37), Independence County, 18B, Household 320, George M Fields; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed by Carl Fields 28 July 2005) , based on NARA Microfilm Publication T623. Head of household's middle initial was incorrectly listed as "C" in Ancestry.com's original index for this census.
[S510] 1900 United States Census, Arkansas, Fairview Township (ED 37), Independence County, 18B, Household 319, Henry W Johnson; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed by Carl Fields 28 July 2005) , based on NARA Microfilm Publication T623.
[S543] Moses Johnson, "History", Journal of the Historical and Genealogical Society of Douglas County Missouri,, this journal does not employ volumes or numbers, (May 1989) (published by the Douglas County Historical and Genealogical Society, Incorporated) .

The authorship of this article is complex. The credited author is Moses Johnson. However, portions of the article are internally credited to his youngest son, Alfred Lee Johnson. In addition, the article seems to include a short excerpt from an unknown third writer (and the sections credited to Moses and Alfred Lee may have been edited this third writer -- or by a fourth person). Portions of the article deal with Moses Johnson, but are written in the third person. The article contains a typographical error for the year of death of Moses Johnson; he died in 1924, not 1942, which is the date listed in the article. Hereinafter cited as "History". A second version of this material appears in OZAR'KIN (Volume X, Number 1, Spring 1988 -- this journal is published by the Ozarks Genealogical Society). The title of the OZAR'KIN version of the article is "Pioneer Settlers in Early Douglas County, A History written by Moses Johnson," Submitted (and edited and annotated) by Judy Johnson Erickson. This OZAR'KIN article contains additional material by Judy Johnson Erickson.
[S544] Judy Johnson Erickson, "Pioneer Settlers in Early Douglas County, A History written by Moses Johnson", OZAR'KIN Volume X, Number 1 (Spring 1988), publication of Ozarks Genealogical Society, Incorporated. Hereinafter cited as "Pioneer Settlers in Early Douglas County". A second (not identical) version of this material appears in Journal of the Historical and Genealogical Society of Douglas County Missouri. The title of the Journal of the Historical and Genealogical Society of Douglas County Missouri article is "History", which is credited as having been wriitten by Moses Johnson. This Journal of the Historical and Genealogical Society of Douglas County Missouri article contains additional material by other authors.
[S595] Russel P. Baker, Arkansas Prior Birth Index, Volumes I - VII, CD-ROM (Little Rock, Arkansas: Arkansas Geneological Society, 2009). This is information from the Arkansas Department of Health, Division of Vital Records, Little Rock, Arkansas, (www.healthyarkansas.com).

Baker (credted here as "author" or "compiler," is probably more like a lead editor or team leader. The actual work was done by a team of volunteers.

The 2009 version of the CD cited here contains the cumulative index compiled from information released up the beginning of 2009. Arkansas birth certificates cannot be released to the public until 100 years after the birth. This consists of prior Arkansas births up to the end of 1908, which were registered between 1942 and 1954.

Some additional information about the Arkansas Priior Birth registrations is contained in an article by Susan G. Boyle, "The Arkansas Prior Birth Certificate of Mary Missouri Roy," The Arkansas Family Historian, Volume 48, Number 1, March 2010.

The following information (of particular interest to Carl Fields in March 2010) is included on this CD (format is: Child's name, birth mother's maiden name, date of birth, Year certificate was issued, Binder, Volume, and Certificate Number -- the last four items are related to how the certificate is filed, all of these births were in Independence County): Mamie Howard Chamberlain, Georgie Ada Conn, 28 Jan 1890, 42, 2, 045, 1048; Joseph Cephus Chamberlain, Georgie Ada Conn, 16 June 1877, 42, 3 011, 257; Benjamin Frankiin Chamberlain, Georgie Ada Conn, 42, 3, 011, 256; William Orvil Fields, Sarah Johnston (sic), 4 Dec 1898, 42, 2, 079, 271; Pearl Platt, Etta Jones, 16 Feb 1900, 42, 1, 230, 2840; Ollie Mae Prince, Mary E Coulson, 21 Feb 1897, 52, 1, 028, 5443; William Clay Prince, Mary E Coulson, 5 Dec 1905, 42, 1, 236, 3962; Mary Frances Prince, Mary Means, 3 Feb 1887, 51, 1, 052, 10157; and Leaman Conway Cantrell, Mary Francis Greenfield, 12 Sept 1908, 54, 1, 005, 810.
[S650] G.M. Fields Cemetery Marker, Blue Springs Cemetery, Newark, Independence County, Arkansas; Carl Fields, read July 2000 (and on other dates).
[S656] Clarence Fields Cemetery Marker, Greenwood Memory Lawn Cemetery Phoenix, Arizona; Carl Fields, 5 March 2005. In Block 9, Section 20. The "marker name" used in this citation most likely corresponds to the name on the marker or on burial records (e.g., married surnames may appear for women). The name "Greenwood Memory Lawn Cemetery" was in use in March 2005 (and is current as of May 2013). This cemetery was created in 1989 by the merger of the adjacent Greenwood and Memory Lawn Cemeteries. Several family members were interred before that merger, so their burial records, obituaries, death certificates, etc., will use one of the older names, probably most commonly the Greenwood name.
[S657] Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes (The Dawes Commission), NARA M1301, Applications for Enrollment of the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914, microfilm publication (468 microfilm reels : 16 mm) (Washington, D. C.: National Archives and Records Service, 1983).

The original (paper) records are at the National Archives and Records Administration's (NARA's) Southwest Region (Fort Worth, Texas). They are within Record Group 75: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1793-1989. The microfilms are available from the NARA and from the Family History Library (FHL, Salt Lake City, Utah). The microfilm numbers assigned to these microfilm reels by the FHL is described in the FHL "catalog" available via FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org). The NARA microfilm has been converted to digital images available on the internet from a fee-based web site: Fold3 (http://www.fold3.com). The NARA and Fold3 web sites have several "aids" that provide additional descriptions for these packets.

The "Dawes Packets" of primary interest to this web site are from a collection of 75 related families. Each of these related families was "headed" by an adult who claimed to be a member of one of the five tribes. Minor children were also eligible for grants of land, were included within the packets prepared for the heads of the 75 individual families.

Each family was assigned a number that starts with the letters "M. C. R." The "M. C." part of the number stands for "Mississippi Choctaw" (the tribe they were applying for). The "R" is said at several places to mean "Refused" or "Rejected". However, based on internal evidence, Carl Fields now suspects the "R" really stands for something like "registrant." The basis for suspicion is that the number (including the "R") seems to appear on certain correspondence generated for some applications before a final determination was made (i.e., before the application was indeed rejected). Examples are in letters sent to the applicant (or his or her "attorney") requesting additional information.

The commission's evaluation of the eligibility for all of these related families was facilitated by consolidating their applications under the application of a family headed by John H. Bennight. His family seems to have chosen as the "leader" of set of consolidated applications because it has the lowest M. C. R. number. The commission staff generated several hand-drawn family trees for these related families -- apparently in an effort to understand how they were related to one another and to the ancestor who was claimed to be a member of the Choctaw tribe. These hand-drawn family trees are in John H. Bennight's file.

The list that follows provides the relationship for: (1) head of each of the 75 related families; (2) the M. C. R. Number (written as MCR for brevity); and (3) the FHL microfilm number. The NARA film number (within microfilm publication M1301) for these records is given in parentheses following the FHL film number. The list that follows omits the phrase "et al." that follows the name of the family head for those families that have minor children.

John H. Bennight
Benjamin Franklin Freeman
George Edward Freeman
James Edward Freeman
Becky Whitson
John F. Turnbull
Julia A. James
William H. Wood
Lovie J. Baldwin
Henry W. Johnson
William J. Freeman
Mary E. Reynolds
Andrew Jackson Wood
James W. Wood
Charles H. Wood
Josie Watson
James L. Wood
Joanna Van Amburgh
Sarah C. Fields
Polly Ann Wallace
James Henry Howard
William Jefferson Howard
Martha Jane Hafner
Mary J. Bowden
William C. Wallace
Rollins J. Freeman
James K. Freeman
John W. Freeman
Jane Houchins
Ella P. Wilson
Mary E. Wake
Eva E. Wallin
Elaina Freeman
Sarah Jane Baldwin
Alcia Reess
Clarissa J. Gravenmeir
William R. Freeman
Bennett Freeman
Julita Clinton
Alexander Clinton
Eldrige Clinton
Samuel G. Wood
Henry Wood
Columbus P. Wood
Margaret Woodward
Lydia Jane Owen
Floyd Woodward
Annis Lousia Fisher
Partheais J. Head
Mithroe F. Brown
Maud O. Garrison
Phobee Dobbs
James Turnbull
Alabeth Johnson
William A. Turnbull
Moses F. Johnson
Easter E. Fortune
Rebecca McDaniel
Isaac M. Johnson
John H. Cowperthwait
May H. Crawford
Pearl M. McBride
Kliza Jane Lamme
Mary A. Ross
Ida McDaniel
Winnie Packard
Pearlee Fields
Drucilla Pruitt
William J. Freeman
Samuel P. Freemen
William M. Wood
Frank Webb
Martha Webb
John Clinton
Loranza D. Wood

MCR 6255    1439951 (154)
MCR 6439    1439953 (156)
MCR 6440    1439953 (156)
MCR 6441    1439953 (156)
MCR 6442    1439953 (156)
MCR 6599    1439955 (158)
MCR 6600    1439955 (158)
MCR 6601    1439955 (158)
MCR 6602    1439955 (158)
MCR 6603    1439955 (158)
MCR 6604    1439955 (158)
MCR 6605    1439955 (158)
MCR 6633    1439955 (158)
MCR 6634    1439955 (158)
MCR 6635    1439955 (158)
MCR 6637    1439955 (158)
MCR 6638    1439955 (158)
MCR 6639    1439955 (158)
MCR 6644    1439955 (158)
MCR 6658    1439955 (158)
MCR 6685    1439956 (159)
MCR 6687    1439956 (159)
MCR 6689    1439956 (159)
MCR 6690    1439956 (159)
MCR 6691    1439956 (159)
MCR 6693    1439956 (159)
MCR 6694    1439956 (159)
MCR 6710    1439956 (159)
MCR 6711    1439956 (159)
MCR 6712    1439956 (159)
MCR 6713    1439956 (159)
MCR 6714[   :TAB:] 1439956 (159)
MCR 6715    1439956 (159)
MCR 6716    1439956 (159)
MCR 6717    1439956 (159)
MCR 6719    1439956 (159)
MCR 6720    1439956 (159)
MCR 6721    1439956 (159)
MCR 6801    1439957 (160)
MCR 6802    1439957 (160)
MCR 6803    1439957 (160)
MCR 6812    1439957 (160)
MCR 6813    1439957 (160)
MCR 6814     1439957 (160)
MCR 6820     1439957 (160)
MCR 6821 1439957 (160)
MCR 6822    1439957 (160)
MCR 6823    1439957 (160)
MCR 6824     1439957 (160)
MCR 6825    1439957 (160)
MCR 6826    1439957 (160)
MCR 6879     1439957 (160)
MCR 6880    1439957 (160)
MCR 6881    1439957 (160)
MCR 6882    1439957 (160)
MCR 7045    1439959 (162)
MCR 7046    1439959 (162)
MCR 7047    1439959 (162)
MCR 7076    1439959 (162)
MCR 7110    1439960 (163)
MCR 7111    1439960 (163)
MCR 7112    1439960 (163)
MCR 7113    1439960 (163)
MCR 7123     1439960 (163)
MCR 7230    1439960 (163)
MCR 7232    1439960 (163)
MCR 7235    1439960 (163)
MCR 7236    1439960 (163)
MCR 7239    1439960 (163)
MCR 7255    1439961 (164)
MCR 7331    1439961 (164)
MCR 7356    1439962 (165)
MCR 7396    1439962 (165)
MCR 7407    1439962 (165)
MCR 7415    1439962 (165)

The files seem to have been "scrubbed" to remove certain non-original items prior to their being microfilmed ("non-original" here meaning not generated by commission employees). For example, several files contain letters to the commission indicating that these letters transmit other documents (such as marriage certificates). However, these transmitted documents do not seem to have been microfilmed (and thus not converted to Fold3 documents). Thus some files that exist today on microfilm are likely "thinner" than they once were.

The list given above of names, MCR numbers, and FHL microfilm numbers was primarily generated from the FHL online catalog. Carl Fields has examined only perhaps ten of these files. He accessed some of the files from the FHL microfilm (via loan to his local Aiken Family History Center – as they were called at that time, their name may be changing to something like FamilySearch Centers as of 2013). Others were examined through what is now called the Fold3 web site (generally via accessing this site at Family History Centers or libraries – he may have accessed some of these files when Fold3 web site operated under its former name, Footnote.com).

The presence of short series of consecutive MCR numbers probably represents instances where relatively close family members traveled together to Indian Territory to appear before the Dawes Commission (here the word "close" could mean "closely related" or "living closely to one another"). The rows on the table containing MCR Numbers 6439 through 6441 are an example of such an apparent family group.

The following paragraphs provide additional information about the Dawes Commission and the Mississippi Choctaw tribal registration.

Several members of an extended family applied to the Dawes Commission around 1903 for land allotments, claiming to be members of a segment of the Choctaw Indian (Native American) tribe, known (in the commission’s terminology) as Mississippi Choctaws. All applications from members of this family for admission to the tribe were eventually rejected. However, certain documents associated with their application are now publicly available and contain substantial family history information. Surnames associated with the extended family of primary interest in this research include (but are not limited to): Ball, Freeman, Clinton, and Johnson.

These land allotments were related to actions by the US government to divide land in Oklahoma (what’s now the state of Oklahoma – in 1903 the eastern part was Indian Territory and the western part was probably Oklahoma Territory). The land had previously been held in common by five tribes (often referred to as the “five civilized tribes”), although generally each tribe had a separate block of land (there may have been some confusing exceptions to this). Each tribal block was apparently, in effect, owned by the tribal government. The division was to grant land to individual members of the tribes. The five tribes were: Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Creeks, and Seminoles. The Dawes Commission was set up by an act of congress to facilitate this land division (although while the commission was in existence, congress passed other laws affecting the commission’s actions).

This episode in American history is documented in several places, perhaps most noticeably in two books:

Carter, Kent. The Dawes Commission and the Allotment of the Five Civilized Tribes, 1893-1914. Orem, UT: Ancestry.com, 1999.

and

Debo, Angie. And Still the Waters Run; the Betrayal of the Five Civilized Tribes. (Princeton, N.J.): Princeton University Press, 1973. I think there may also be a University of Oklahoma edition of the Debo volume.

A major theme of the Debo volume appears to be injustices done to native Americans during (and following) the land division. The volume by Carter is largely an administrative history of the commission itself.

The “Mississippi Choctaws” are, in effect, a subdivision of the Choctaw tribe. During the forced westward migration of the Choctaw tribe in the 1820-1830 era, some members of the tribe were promised land allotments in the state of Mississippi, under Article 14 of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek (signed in 1830). The primary purpose of the treaty was to force the majority of tribe members to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi (Indian Territory was later combined with Oklahoma Territory, which became the state of Oklahoma in 1907 – the actions of the Dawes Commission were apparently part of the process of Oklahoma becoming a state). (Sadly, neither of the two books mentioned above describes the origin of the delightful name: Dancing Rabbit Creek. The site where the treaty was signed is in east central Mississippi (http://en/wikipedia.org/wiki : accessed 2 Sept 2013).)

Apparently some members of the tribe did remain in Mississippi. However, some of those who remained in Mississippi, and who had been promised land there, never received that land (apparently largely through federal government inefficiency and incompetence). The activities of the Dawes Commission attempted to alleviate this situation by introducing a procedure for families who were entitled to land in Mississippi in 1830, but had not received it, to obtain some of the divided land in Oklahoma (over 70 years later). The commission’s work with respect to these “Mississippi Choctaws” was complicated by lack of documentation. This was, in part, because (1) poor record-keeping in conjunction with administering the treaty in the 1830s and (2) much of the small amount of documentation produced in the 1830s had been lost during the ensuing 70 years (some land records had been lost when courthouses burned – some of these courthouse burnings were apparently the result of military action during the Civil War).

The special procedures developed for the Mississippi Choctaws seem to have, in effect, introduced a mechanism for persons whose Native American genetic ancestry was small and/or questionable to, in effect, apply for “free land” in what would become the state of Oklahoma. There were attempts by persons with questionable eligibility to obtain land allotments at other points in the Dawes Commission processes, but the Mississippi Choctaw situation seems to have had the largest number of applicants.

The Dawes Commission work relating to Mississippi Choctaws is described at several places in the book by Carter, including (but not limited to) pages 26, 73-77, 82, 85, 86, 138-140, and 224. In particular, the Carter book mentions (1) several lawyers who “recruited” applicants for tribal membership “in hopes of getting half of any land that might be allotted” (page 73) and (2) that 24,634 people had applied for recognition as members of the Choctaw tribe under what was, in effect, a special exemption to normal procedures to correct previous injustices to the Mississippi Choctaws (page 85). It is unclear if the number 24,634 refers to all applicants, or to adults. In the case of the Ball/Clinton/Freeman/Johnson/etc family, many adults who applied also had minor children, each of whom would also have been entitled to a (smaller) land allotment, had tribal membership been granted.

The Dawes Commission procedures generally required applicants to appear in person before the commission (or representatives of the commission). Apparently, the commission felt that actually looking at the applicant (to confirm applicants “looked like” Indians) was a major factor in preventing persons without Indian ancestors from being added to tribal rolls. The files of the commission include verbatim transcripts of interviews (appearances) before the commission representatives. This provides a record of actual spoken words of family members. Unfortunately, what they say is usually not very illuminating (and is constrained by being an answer to a direct question from a member of the commission). The brevity and the similarity of the answers given by the family members (from the transcripts in the relatively few of these files that I have examined) made me suspect they might have been coached by an attorney.

Most questions seem to be asked by members of the commission (or possibly by designated representatives of the commission). In a few instances, questions are asked by other named individuals. In some cases, attorneys acting for the applicants are identified -- and, in one file that was examined (William Henry Wood), where an attorney is identified, supplemental or clarifying questions by the attorney are recorded in the transcript. In at least one other file, "additional" questions are asked by a named individual, but his role does not seem to be identified. That person is probably an attorney, whose name was omitted by oversight.

It is likely that these attorneys would have received a significant fraction of any land that would have been allotted to the family members, had the tribal memberships been granted.

The two books mentioned above obviously contain far more information about the Dawes Commission and the land allotment process than is contained in this brief summary.

Much later (1940s), the Mississippi Choctaws (those who remained in Mississippi, even after distribution of the Dawes Commission land allotments) organized themselves as a separate tribe and have been recognized as a tribe by the federal government. The term "Mississippi Choctaw" thus has a somewhat different legal/legislative meaning today (2012) than it did around 1903 (although, in another sense, some people who are "Mississippi Choctaws" today are probably descendants -- or distant relatives -- of some of those who were "Mississippi Choctaws" in 1903).

The application for each adult for tribal membership under the Dawes Commission was given a number (a file number, apparently). For the Ball/Clinton/Freeman/Johnson/etc families, these numbers all start with the letters M. C. R. Carl Fields was initially given to understand this stands for something like Mississippi Choctaw Rejected (or possibly Mississippi Choctaw Refused). However, information in the book by Carter has led Carl Fields to suspect it stands for Mississippi Choctaw Registrant. This seems to be consistent with the internal information in the files, which suggest file numbers were assigned before an eligibility determination was made.

The Fold3 web site appears to contain a complete set of images of these applications, based on microfilm copies made of original records (applications and certain supporting materials, but apparently not ALL supporting materials – some materials were apparently discarded, at least for applications that were rejected). Fold3 refers to these files as Dawes Packets.

The Fold3 web site provides additional general background information about the files of the Dawes Commission relating to applications to be recognized as members of tribes (and thus eligible to receive allotments of the land that was being divided). This descriptive material is at: http://www.fold3.com/page/2847_dawes_packets/

The Fold3 description is heavily slanted toward using the Fold3 web site to find specific information from with the set of documents (packets). The Fold3 description also includes a series of links to other sources of background information (outside of Fold3 – some of this information is on National Archives web sites). These other sources of information are called “Related Resources.”

The national archives’ official name for the applications is: Applications for Enrollment of the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914, NARA M1301.

The Dawes Packets are contained within the following record group: Record Group 75: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1793-1989.

Carl Fields “found” these Dawes Commission files via a reference in Kimberly Archer’s Rootsweb WorldConnect database (http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi : accessed (most recently) on 2 Sep 2013). Caution: there appear to be several versions of Kimberly Archer’s family information on WorldConnect. Some the versions appear not to refer to the Dawes Commission information.

If page images exhibits are included here as exhibits, the number of exhibited pages may be less than the number of pages from the file that exist on microfilm.

For children listed in the Dawes applications, page images for their Dawes files are included in citation for the "Choctaw" parent in the digital (XenonSheepdog web or database) versions of this compilation.

Later addition (August 2015): Carl Clarence Fields, a grandson of Sarah Clementine Johnson (Fields), took an autosomal DNA test using a kit manufactured by the Family Tree DNA company (FT-DNA Kit # 396578). The results of this test did not detect any Native American ancestry in his DNA. Sarah Clementine claimed to be 1/16 Native American (Mississippi Choctaw) in the material she submitted to the Dawes Commission. If that is correct, Carl should be 1/64 Native American, or roughly 1.5%. (Although, it is likely that even a “pure bred” “Native American” might have some European ancestry in the early 1800s, when this alleged “Native American” ancestor was born. Thus, the “roughly 1.5%” value should probably be viewed as an upper limit.)

This negative result for Carl’s Native American ancestry can be interpreted as providing some degree of confirmation to the decision of the Dawes Commission in rejecting the claim of Sarah Clementine and the various members of her extended family.

However, Carl’s understanding, as this is written on 15 March 2015, is there is some variation in these “ethnic heritage” results from various autosomal tests (administered by different commercial companies). As of this date, Carl has not yet submitted autosomal tests to other companies (nor has he submitted the FT-DNA test results to each of the various web sites that enable further analyses to be performed).
[S669] Carl Fields, "Notes and Observations -- and Hearsay Personal Recollections -- about George McClellan Fields" :

Notes and Observations by Carl Fields:

There are three parts to this endnote: (1) personal notes by Carl Fields (mostly stories various people have told him – G. M. Fields died several years before Carl was born); (2) excerpts transcribed from a photocopied scrapbook of (mostly) clippings from the Newark Arkansas newspaper; and (3) transcribed notes Carl took while doing family history research in Arkansas in July 2005. With respect to the third item (1) not all of these notes relate solely to G. M. Fields and (b) in July 2005 Carl did not have enough experience with his digital camera to realize he could have photographed microfilmed document off the microfilm viewer display screen (instead he made handwritten transcriptions, which probably contain some errors).

This endnote contains certain items that have been incorporated into the narrative for GM Fields. This material was used to construct those portions of the narrative

PERSONAL NOTES BY CARL FIELDS

[This information is from Carl Clarence Fields, initially written August and September 2004, revised/edited May 2012, based on certain documents and memories of things people told him over the years – some are probably “family folklore.”]

Ruby Fields (Magness) once told Carl Fields that her father (who she called “Papa”) had a “crooked finger” which he said was an injury incurred when he was bitten by a snake while swimming. I have a vague memory someone told me the story of this incident – together with the sight of his finger -- may have been used to teach his children (when they were very young) the kind of bad things that can happen when children sneak off to go swimming when they are supposed to be in school.

Owned (or was part owner of) Newark Lumber Co for many years in first third of 1900s. One partner in this business was brother-in-law, Henry Johnson (but it is not clear that Henry Johnson was involved in this particular business for the entire time that GM Fields operated it – or that he was involved in day-to-day operations, since he lived several miles away in Pleasant Plains, Arkansas). See article by A. M. Rankin in August 1978 issue of Douglas County Historical and Genealogical Society Journal.

Did not leave will; his estate was not finally divided and settled until about 1967. My understanding is that under Arkansas law at that time for someone who died intestate, this particular estate couldn't be divided until after his widow's death (1948) because rentals for certain properties in it were providing income to his widow. The children (heirs) of his son Clarence, who predeceased GM, may also have been an issue (some of the five were minors at the time of G.M.'s death in 1937).

Listed as George W. Fields in at least one 1870 census index -- and maybe in the census itself, the writing is obscure (for Texas Co MO, apparently he lived in Douglas County, but the way the census was organized that year, certain townships within Douglas County were grouped with Texas County – or these townships may have been temporarily transferred to Texas County for a few years around 1870).

Went by name "G. M." in Arkansas, possibly because Arkansas was a former Confederate state and George McClellan was the name of a Federal (Union) Army general who was prominent in 1862.

The former family home (on the road to Blue Springs Cemetery), the site of which my dad and uncles referred to as the "old home place" burned in 1938, which is probably at least part of the reason why only a small number of family photographs and documents have survived into the early 2000s. His widow (or perhaps the estate) later built a smaller house on the same site. It was an estate rental property in my boyhood memory in the 1950s.

Another memory that I have is that when I attended elementary school in Newark, there was a cornerstone near the northeast portion of the building that listed G.M. as a school board member at the time an addition to the original building was erected around 1912 (I believe the original building was constructed around 1903, it had a separate cornerstone). I suspect these cornerstones were not conserved when the building was demolished around 1958.

Shorty Moore (a barber in Newark during much of the 1950s -- he worked with Frog Woodruff) told me that he had worked for my grandfather G.M. for a while (before Shorty became a barber). He said that G.M. was different from "regular" employers in that he didn't have regular paydays. He paid people when they asked him for it. Shorty said that he was really short of money before he asked that first time (not understanding the "system" at first).

My dad told me that for a time after marriage to Sarah Clementine (my dad's mother) they lived in Oklahoma where they had a wagon and a team or horses or mules and he worked as an independent contractor hauling items associated with construction of a railroad in that state. I heard a story that they lived in a tent during that time (actually, I had an impression that it was some type of combination of a tent and a partly- below-grade "dirt" building -- possibly dug into an embankment or hillside in some way – there are sometimes called “dugout” homes).

My dad also told me that at some time (around the 1890s, I think, but I'm not sure) he had a lumber business where he and Henry Johnson (I think) would buy (or perhaps claim) plots of land (or perhaps timber rights on plots of land) and essentially build a sawmill on the spot, to process the wood as they cut it down. A sidebar to this story were that one plot of land was in a valley so steep that they knew they would not be able to get the "sawmill" (steam powered?) out of the valley at the time they installed it. The price of abandoning the equipment was factored into their costs. Another sidebar story is that during one period of "hard times" (perhaps the "panic" of the early 1890s?) they kept working their mill and stockpiling lumber for when better times returned. He said they (the two owners) would take lumber out in a wagon and barter with people for food and clothing and other supplies and they "pay" the employees in goods, rather than cash.

My dad told me he (G.M.) was a member of the Ku Klux Klan, I presume around the time of 1915/1916, when it was (for a short time) revitalized by the silent movie "Birth of a Nation." In the Bill Freeze scrapbook (described below) a couple stories from around this time mention "night riders" but the KKK is not explicitly mentioned.

Also, my dad told me that around this same time (or perhaps in the 1920s) he played a role in getting vote of black people in Newark. Story is that he (and most businessmen in the community) were Republicans, as, at that time, were the black people (Republicans being the party of the great emancipator, Lincoln). The businessmen accompanied the black people to pay their poll taxes (with the idea that they would not be turned down if so accompanied – the merchants may have actually paid the poll taxes for some or all black voters). The "other side" of this story is that it didn't matter, the Democrats had enormous majorities and the small number of blacks in this county could not influence an election. I got the impression that the only effect of a large Republican vote was to have "bragging" rights with other Republicans within the state (and/or perhaps to have a larger role in selecting delegates to the national convention or in patronage decisions during Republican national administrations). If the black population had been large enough to influence the election result, this effort might not have been successful (or attempted).

BILL FREEZE PHOTOCOPIED SCRAPBOOK PAGES

At the time of the Newark AR centennial celebration (around 1992, I believe), Bill Freeze printed up (by "xerox" copy) many copies of his family scrapbook, which is largely based on clippings from the town's newspaper (from around 1900 to 1958), The Newark Journal. I obtained a copy of this in Sept 2004 and went thru to locate references to the G. M. Fields family. These are noted here (for some clippings, the exact day and month is not available).

Listed as a director (one of 7) of The Bank of Newark, March 6, 1908 (in advertisement).

Mentioned as "driver" of effort to organize a Horticultural Society to encourage fruit and berry growing, May 15, 1908.

Mentioned a member of coroner's jury in shooting death of George Crosser, Jr., March 5, 1909.

Listed as president of Newark Improvement Co. (set up to build a new commercial building in Newark) and as spending a day in Batesville on business -- undated, probably in early- or mid-August 1910.

Various items are listed for sale by Newark Lumber Co. on June 2, 1911 (paper appeared to be a weekly issued on Fridays in this era). Items include hay baling wire, mule shears, wagon sheets and bows, ironing boards, harness gear.

Listed as a director of First National Bank on occasion of dividend payment. 1912.

Listed as one of four owners of Newark Improvement Co., which, in turn, was owner one of several buildings destroyed by fire, 1914. Also, on same page of scrapbook, listed as owner of a newly opened "poultry house".

Listed as buying $1,000 war bond.
[S752] Sarah C Fields Cemetery Marker, Blue Springs Cemetery, Newark, Independence County, Arkansas; Carl Fields, read July 2000 (and on other dates). The WikiTree web site (accessed in late October, 2014, lists a different date, 12 Feb 1871, whose source is not known; this grave marker source for the 1 Feb 1871 date is probably also the source for the Miller Report. The current (2014) marker inscription was created around 1968 when several older grave markers on the family plot were replaced. The current inscription was probably transcribed from the earlier markers.
[S846] News of Other Days, Batesville Guard, Bateville Arkansas, 7 Aug 2012, 13. The article states that news was received "this morning" (presumably the publication date, 24 Feb 1911) "of the death of the daughter of G. M. Fields, which occurred this morning" and that his wife had died on Monday (in 1911, 24 Feb was a Friday and the previous Monday was 20 Feb). Both wife and daughter were said to be "victims of a complication of measles." The article also stated" "Mr. Fields is one of the best known and highly respected citizens of the county."

Carl Fields notes: (1) "complication of measles" is consistent with family folklore that he remembers hearing while growing up as a youngster in the 1950s and (2) in that era the Guard seemed to be quite generous with phrases such as "one of the best known and highly respected citizens of the county" (especially with respect to businessmen who might someday choose to advertise in the newspaper).

This 1911 information appeared in the "101 Years Ago" section of the column during 2012. This item has originally appeared in the Guard on 24 Feb 1911. The "News of Other Days" items are themselves re-runs. The 24 Feb 1911 item had previously been published on 24 Feb 1993. By 2012, the reprinted "New of Other Days" items had gotten somewhat out of phase with the calendar, so they were not appearing near the anniversary of the original publication.
[S856] Alinda Miller (Lee's Summit, Missouri (she later moved to Lone Jack, Missouri)) to Carl Fields (Aiken SC), letter (with multiple enclosures), transmitting selected family information; privately held in Carl Fields (paper files). The enclosures to the letter were:

1. Selected items from Civil War Pension File of William C. Fields

2. Papers (handwritten) associated with divorce of William C. Fields and Mary (Williams) Fields

3. Newspaper "clippings" (copies) concerning robbery of William C. Fields and his family's reprisals and related extracts. Newspaper stories deal with events in Mountain Grove, Missouri. The publication dates seem to be between 14 Aug 1885 and 4 Sep 1885. The source (or sources) of the extracts are unclear, but at least one is from the Cabool Weekly Record. The first extract is undated (but is probably from 14 Aug 1885, based on the pattern of dates). The others (those relevant to the Fields family) are from 21 Aug 1885 and 4 Sep 1885.

4. Correspondence from 1990s and 2000s related to an incident involving William C. Fields being abducted by a gang of 6 or 8 men on or about 13 Sep 1870. He claimed to be held for about 6 hours. The only one of the 6 or 8 who was named was "Bud" Layton. The correspondence indicates the "gang" may have been associated with the Alsup family, who were in political power in the area at that time (an Alsup may have been Douglas County sheriff at that time, although in 1870 W. C. Fields lived in a (normally "Douglas County") township that was transferred to adjacent Texas County for about 2 years (roughly 1870-1872). One of the items of correspondence transcribes an affidavit, which might be from Texas County records (the Douglas County courthouse burned around early 1886, so it is doubtful that a Douglas County court record would have survived). The transcription suggests William C Fields might have been a constable in 1870.

5. Correspondence from late1990s dealing with the possibility that William C Fields might be a descendant of Allen Fields, who was a son of Nathaniel Fields of Rockingham County, North Carolina. This possibility is based, in part, on a search of 1820 and 1830 census records for families with male children in age ranges consistent with the known birth date of William C Fields.

6. Copies of selected pages containing cemetery records of W. C. Fields, Kessiah Jarman, and E. A. Fields (Amanda Elliott Bowman Fields).

7. Collection of family group sheets sent to Alinda by Shirley Macomber. Sheets were prepared by Rosemary Ahrent.

8. Extract from an unidentified newspaper with story on it concerning marriage of Lindsey Fields and Martha Taylo.

9. Misc. transcriptions of selected census records between around 1860 and 1920.

10. Family group sheet for family of Aaron Francis and Alabeth Johnson along with xerox-type copies of selected family photographs.

11. Probate papers for Cynthia Elliott Fields

12. Copy of article "Pioneer Settler in Early Douglas County: A History Written by Moses Johnson," submitted to OZARKIN (published in Vol. X, No. 1) by Judy Johnson Erickson (Boyd TX).
[S860] Bureau of Land Management, "Land Patent Search," digital images, General Land Office Records, (http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/PatentSearch : unknown cd.
[S1368] Arkansas Bureau of Vital Statistics Department of Health, birth certificate (delayed -- filed 21 May 1942) , William Orvil Fields, date of birth: 4 December 1898; Department of Health, Little Rock. This delayed birth certificate seems to contain some errors (or, at least, inconsistencies with other information). William Orville's mother's maiden name is given as Johnston (not Johnson -- the primary witness, H. W. Johnson, William Orville's uncle, had some in-laws named Johnston, so there could have been some confusion). Also, the place of William's birth was given as Newark, when it was more likely Pleasant Plains (some miles distant from Newark). Finally, the birth place of William's father was listed as West Plains, Missouri. There IS a West Plains in southern Missouri (Howell County), so this is not impossible. However, this location has not been associated with the family in other other context so far as is known as of August 2014.

Arkansas began birth registrations in 1914. The state had a system by which persons born earlier than 1914 could obtain "delayed" or retroactive certificates. The system was revised around 1942. Because of this, William Orville's 1942 certificate has a different appearance than the one issued for his younger brother, Ralph, in 1940 (and the two certificates were filed differently in state records -- William's was filed under the year 1898 (and became a public record 100 years after his birth), while Ralph's was filed under 1940, the year it was issued (and will not become a public record until 2040).
[S1473] Members of the Douglas County Historical and Genealogical Society, Douglas County, Missouri -- Personal Property Assessment List of 1885 (P. O. Box 655, Ava, Missouri 65608: Douglas County Historical and Genealogical Society, August 1990). Volume was examined by Carl Fields at Mid-Continent Public Library, Genealogy and Local History Branch, Independence, Missouri. Call Number at that library is Gen 977.883 D745d. Most of text of book consists of page-image copies of handwritten manuscript pages (probably from the original handwritten tax rolls. The names appear to be listed alphabetically within each township.

An individual named Wesley Wood is listed as owning property in Clinton Township during 1885. However, the only Wesley Wood that Carl Fields has in his data base (as this is entered, in June 2015) was born around 1903. This "1885 Wesley" may be connected to this family, but, if so, that connection is not known as of June 2015).
[S1480] Independence County, Arkansas, County Clerk, "Deed Records".

This file was examined (and digitally photographed) by Carl Fields on 12 June, 2015. He examined only deeds indexed under Fields during this trip (not Johnson), and only deeds listed in the Grantee Index (i.e., only property purchases, not sales, which would be located via the county's separate Grantor Index). In addition, the examinations were only for the period from around 1897 to around 1916. The several Johnson deeds noted here appear because they are in conjunction with properties purchased in associated with G. M. Fields. One deed for property that was sold was located, but that was essentially by accident; the purchase deed was registered, and then followed immediately by a sale deed for the same property.

The Grantor Index included Deeds and also Deeds of Trust, which seem to record financial arrangements were a special kind of "Grantee" has provided a loan (note) to the normal "Grantee" (the one actually taking possession of the property). The special "Grantee" is given the right to later have property sold at auction if the note is not paid off ("satisfied"). Although the Deeds of Trust are listed in the same index volumes as the regular deeds, they are in a separate series of volumes (but are numbered similarly: A-1, B-2, ..., A-2, B-2, ...etc). There were three Deeds of Trust noted in the Grantee Index related to G. M. Fields that Carl was unable to locate on the day he was in the county's Deed Vault during the June 2015 trip. All of these were in a volume that seemed to be numbered "Y-2" (on pages 202, 212, and 476 of that volume). Carl found what seemed to be Y-2 in the appropriate series, but nothing related to G. M. Fields appeared to be present on those pages. This is a issue deferred to a future trip to the vault.

The name R. R. Ratton appears in one or more transactions examined during the June 2015 trip. Carl recalls hearing his father and/or aunt and uncles discuss a Ralph Ratton when Carl was a boy probably during the 1950s.
[S1487] Independence County, Arkansas, County Clerk, "Deed Records (Deeds of Trust)".

This file was examined (and digitally photographed) by Carl Fields on 12 June, 2015. He examined only deeds indexed under Fields during this trip (not Johnson), and only deeds listed in the Grantee Index (i.e., only property purchases, not sales, which would be located via the county's separate Grantor Index). In addition, the examinations were only for the period from around 1897 to around 1916. The several Johnson deeds noted here appear because they are in conjunction with properties purchased in associated with G. M. Fields. One deed for property that was sold was located, but that was essentially by accident; the purchase deed was registered, and then followed immediately by a sale deed for the same property.

The Grantor Index included Deeds and also Deeds of Trust, which seem to record financial arrangements were a special kind of "Grantee" has provided a loan (note) to the normal "Grantee" (the one actually taking possession of the property). The special "Grantee" is given the right to later have property sold at auction if the note is not paid off ("satisfied"). Although the Deeds of Trust are listed in the same index volumes as the regular deeds, they are in a separate series of volumes (but are numbered similarly: A-1, B-2, ..., A-2, B-2, ...etc). There were three Deeds of Trust noted in the Grantee Index related to G. M. Fields that Carl was unable to locate on the day he was in the county's Deed Vault during the June 2015 trip. All of these were in a volume that seemed to be numbered "Y-2" (on pages 202, 212, and 476 of that volume). Carl found what seemed to be Y-2 in the appropriate series, but nothing related to G. M. Fields appeared to be present on those pages. This is a issue deferred to a future trip to the vault.

The name R. R. Ratton appears in one or more transactions examined during the June 2015 trip. Carl recalls hearing his father and/or aunt and uncles discuss a Ralph Ratton when Carl was a boy probably during the 1950s.
[S1490] Probably "Happenings of Local Interest, Mostly About People," or a similar section on local news items, Newark (Arkansas) Journal, 20 Jul 1922, (Volume 22, Number 14); microfilm, Independence County Library.

Microfilm images from issues published between approximately mid-1922 to mid-1923 were examined by Carl Fields at the Independence County library around June 13, 2015. Items relating to individuals and families covered in this database were photographed. The reason Carl was examining these particular issues was that they included issues from 1923. Carl was interested in finding an obituary for Alma Childress (whose married surname was Craig). He knew (from a grave marker) that she died in 1923, but probably did not previously know her actual date of death. Digital images (from photographs) are retained in Carl Fields electronic/digital files (TMG Version 9.05 Exhibits Folder). As this is written (24 Aug 2015), Carl hopes to return to the Independence County Library some future time to examine microfilm images of additional issues of this newspaper.
[S1493] Probably "Happenings of Local Interest, Mostly About People," or a similar section on local news items, Newark (Arkansas) Journal, 7 Sept 1922, (Volume 22, Number 21); microfilm, Independence County Library.

Microfilm images from issues published between approximately mid-1922 to mid-1923 were examined by Carl Fields at the Independence County library around June 13, 2015. Items relating to individuals and families covered in this database were photographed. The reason Carl was examining these particular issues was that they included issues from 1923. Carl was interested in finding an obituary for Alma Childress (whose married surname was Craig). He knew (from a grave marker) that she died in 1923, but probably did not previously know her actual date of death. Digital images (from photographs) are retained in Carl Fields electronic/digital files (TMG Version 9.05 Exhibits Folder). As this is written (24 Aug 2015), Carl hopes to return to the Independence County Library some future time to examine microfilm images of additional issues of this newspaper.
[S1494] Probably "Happenings of Local Interest, Mostly About People," or a similar section on local news items, Newark (Arkansas) Journal, 31 Aug 1922, (Volume 22, Number 20); microfilm, Independence County Library.

Microfilm images from issues published between approximately mid-1922 to mid-1923 were examined by Carl Fields at the Independence County library around June 13, 2015. Items relating to individuals and families covered in this database were photographed. The reason Carl was examining these particular issues was that they included issues from 1923. Carl was interested in finding an obituary for Alma Childress (whose married surname was Craig). He knew (from a grave marker) that she died in 1923, but probably did not previously know her actual date of death. Digital images (from photographs) are retained in Carl Fields electronic/digital files (TMG Version 9.05 Exhibits Folder). As this is written (24 Aug 2015), Carl hopes to return to the Independence County Library some future time to examine microfilm images of additional issues of this newspaper.
[S1495] Probably "Happenings of Local Interest, Mostly About People," or a similar section on local news items, Newark (Arkansas) Journal, 21 Sept 1922, (Volume 22, Number 23); microfilm, Independence County Library.

Microfilm images from issues published between approximately mid-1922 to mid-1923 were examined by Carl Fields at the Independence County library around June 13, 2015. Items relating to individuals and families covered in this database were photographed. The reason Carl was examining these particular issues was that they included issues from 1923. Carl was interested in finding an obituary for Alma Childress (whose married surname was Craig). He knew (from a grave marker) that she died in 1923, but probably did not previously know her actual date of death. Digital images (from photographs) are retained in Carl Fields electronic/digital files (TMG Version 9.05 Exhibits Folder). As this is written (24 Aug 2015), Carl hopes to return to the Independence County Library some future time to examine microfilm images of additional issues of this newspaper.
[S1499] Probably "Happenings of Local Interest, Mostly About People," or a similar section on local news items, Newark (Arkansas) Journal, 14 Dec 1922, (Volume 22, Number 35); microfilm, Independence County Library.

Microfilm images from issues published between approximately mid-1922 to mid-1923 were examined by Carl Fields at the Independence County library around June 13, 2015. Items relating to individuals and families covered in this database were photographed. The reason Carl was examining these particular issues was that they included issues from 1923. Carl was interested in finding an obituary for Alma Childress (whose married surname was Craig). He knew (from a grave marker) that she died in 1923, but probably did not previously know her actual date of death. Digital images (from photographs) are retained in Carl Fields electronic/digital files (TMG Version 9.05 Exhibits Folder). As this is written (24 Aug 2015), Carl hopes to return to the Independence County Library some future time to examine microfilm images of additional issues of this newspaper.
[S1502] Probably "Happenings of Local Interest, Mostly About People," or a similar section on local news items, Newark (Arkansas) Journal, 18 Jan 1923, (Volume 22, Number 40); microfilm, Independence County Library.

Microfilm images from issues published between approximately mid-1922 to mid-1923 were examined by Carl Fields at the Independence County library around June 13, 2015. Items relating to individuals and families covered in this database were photographed. The reason Carl was examining these particular issues was that they included issues from 1923. Carl was interested in finding an obituary for Alma Childress (whose married surname was Craig). He knew (from a grave marker) that she died in 1923, but probably did not previously know her actual date of death. Digital images (from photographs) are retained in Carl Fields electronic/digital files (TMG Version 9.05 Exhibits Folder). As this is written (24 Aug 2015), Carl hopes to return to the Independence County Library some future time to examine microfilm images of additional issues of this newspaper.
[S1504] Probably "Happenings of Local Interest, Mostly About People," or a similar section on local news items, Newark (Arkansas) Journal, 1 Mar 1923, (Volume 22, Number 46); microfilm, Independence County Library.

Microfilm images from issues published between approximately mid-1922 to mid-1923 were examined by Carl Fields at the Independence County library around June 13, 2015. Items relating to individuals and families covered in this database were photographed. The reason Carl was examining these particular issues was that they included issues from 1923. Carl was interested in finding an obituary for Alma Childress (whose married surname was Craig). He knew (from a grave marker) that she died in 1923, but probably did not previously know her actual date of death. Digital images (from photographs) are retained in Carl Fields electronic/digital files (TMG Version 9.05 Exhibits Folder). As this is written (24 Aug 2015), Carl hopes to return to the Independence County Library some future time to examine microfilm images of additional issues of this newspaper.
[S1507] Probably "Happenings of Local Interest, Mostly About People," or a similar section on local news items, Newark (Arkansas) Journal, 19 Apr 1923, (Volume 23, Number 1); microfilm, Independence County Library.

Microfilm images from issues published between approximately mid-1922 to mid-1923 were examined by Carl Fields at the Independence County library around June 13, 2015. Items relating to individuals and families covered in this database were photographed. The reason Carl was examining these particular issues was that they included issues from 1923. Carl was interested in finding an obiturary for Alma Childress (whose married surname was Craig). He knew (from a grave marker) that she died in 1923, but probably did not previously know her actual date of death. Digital mages (from photgraphs) are retained in Carl Fields electronic/digital files (TMG Version 9.05 Exhibits Folder). As this is written (24 Aug 2015), Carl hopes to return to the Independence County Library some future time to examine micrfilm images of additional issues of this newspaper.
[S1508] Probably "Happenings of Local Interest, Mostly About People," or a similar section on local news items, Newark (Arkansas) Journal, 26 Apr 1923, (Volume 23, Number 2); microfilm, Independence County Library.

Microfilm images from issues published between approximately mid-1922 to mid-1923 were examined by Carl Fields at the Independence County library around June 13, 2015. Items relating to individuals and families covered in this database were photographed. The reason Carl was examining these particular issues was that they included issues from 1923. Carl was interested in finding an obiturary for Alma Childress (whose married surname was Craig). He knew (from a grave marker) that she died in 1923, but probably did not previously know her actual date of death. Digital mages (from photgraphs) are retained in Carl Fields electronic/digital files (TMG Version 9.05 Exhibits Folder). As this is written (24 Aug 2015), Carl hopes to return to the Independence County Library some future time to examine micrfilm images of additional issues of this newspaper.
[S1518] "Henry W. Johnson of Pleasant Plains Dies Here Yesterday -- Was Retired Merchant and Lumberman of That Community", The Batesville Guard (Batesville, Arkansas), newspaper, 19 Feb 1945.
[S1522] "SHIPS BREEDING STOCK TO MISSOURI, Newark Man Sells Young Bull to Missouri Farmer," page 1, Newark (Arkansas) Journal, 4 Jan 1923, (Volume 22, Number 38); microfilm, Independence County Library.

Microfilm images from issues published between approximately mid-1922 to mid-1923 were examined by Carl Fields at the Independence County library around June 13, 2015. Items relating to individuals and families covered in this database were photographed. The reason Carl was examining these particular issues was that they included issues from 1923. Carl was interested in finding an obiturary for Alma Childress (whose married surname was Craig). He knew (from a grave marker) that she died in 1923, but probably did not previously know her actual date of death. Digital mages (from photgraphs) are retained in Carl Fields electronic/digital files (TMG Version 9.05 Exhibits Folder). As this is written (24 Aug 2015), Carl hopes to return to the Independence County Library some future time to examine micrfilm images of additional issues of this newspaper.
[S1554] "Arizona Voter Registrations, 1866-1955," database with images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com. The Ancestry.com database was "published" at Provo UT, USA, by Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., in 2016. It cites Great Registers (of Voters), Arizona History and Archives Division, Phoenix, Arizona. The images are scans of double (side by side) pages (with each line containing the information for a single voter. In the 1920s the information is handwritten, but it appears typed sheets began to be used in 1930. The names are grouped by the first letter of the voter's surname, but otherwise do not appear to be in alphabetical order (and the information does not appear to be in chronological order of registration either). The information collected for each voter includes items such as height, weigth, gender, and "color", all apparently for identification purposes (although, in the era when the register was handwritten, "color" seems to have been filled in mostly only in situarions where the voter was other than "white" or "caucasian"). In the years when the registers are handwritten, the book apparently also contains an example of the voter's actual signature. Since most of the information on each line (for the years when the information is handwritten) is in the same handwritting (probably that of a clerk), it's unclear how the signatures were collected. Possibly the intial registration information was collected on a card, which was transcribed on the book, except for a signature block, which was somehow transferred ("pasted"?) onto the pages in the books of registered voters. Each voter had at least one number. In the handwritten years, this appeared to be sequential over the whole county, and the voter also had a "registrant file page" number. Later, when the lists began to be typed, the voter numbers have fewer digits; they may sequential within each precinct. In certain instances, the voter registration for several family members appear on the same page of the book of registered voters (either because they shared the same surname, they lived in the same precincts, or they registered to vote at the same time (or for two or all three of these reasons). In these instances, the citation may be for multiple family members on the same page image. In some instances, specific page and precinct numbers are not listed on the page image.
[S1903] 1930 US Federal Census, Arkansas, population schedule, Newark Town, Big Bottom Township (ED 32-3) Independence County, p 9A (Line 13), Household 202 (Dwelling 202), George Fields; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed by Carl Fields 9 April 2020), based on NARA Microfilm Publication T626 (roll ???, image ???, FHL microfilm roll 2339812). The Ancestry.com transcriber read the Household (or Family) number as 451, but CCF reads it as 453.

Travels in an Undiscovered Country

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