From this time matters quieted down, and although occasional crimes were committed, society resumed the even tenor of its way. In 1849 the “gold fever” reached the county. and many of the citizens became infected with it. From a letter written in April, 1849, to the Van Buren Intelligencer, the following facts concerning the Washington County company which went to California are gleaned.
The company met on April 21, and elected the following officers: Lewis Evans, of Evansville, captain; Thomas Tyner, first lieutenant; P. Mankin, second lieutenant; James S. Vaun, secretary, and Martin Scrimpsher, of the Cherokee Nation, commissary. The company left the rendezvous on April 24, and five days later they had reached Grand Prairie. The company consisted of nearly ninety members from Washington County, thirteen from Madison, nine from Benton and fourteen from the Cherokee Nation. Those from Washington County were as follows: Lewis Evans, Hiram Davis, A. G. Evans, Leonard Shuler, Gus A. Shuler, William Hoge, Enos Slover, Isaac Hale and wife, James Blake, William Wilson, William Goddard, John Van Hoose, George Lewis, Wiley Cosby, Peter Mankins, James Dickinson, Jacob Strickler, Nathan Lewis, John Lewis, Nathan Thorp, John Ingram, John Powers, W. F. Woodruff, John Sanders, James L. Cartwright, J. R. Cline, George C. North, Edward Freyschlag, H. J. McRoy, Samuel McCulloh, James L. McCulloh, George McKey, James Carter, George McClure, K. Crumley, Thomas Creamer, James Morrow, Hugh Morrow, A. B. Crawford, J. M. Mathews, J. P. Kellum, A. B. T. Pyatt, Squire B. Marrs, James Carnahan, John Carnahan, James Pierce, John Carter, Cane Hill, Thomas and Aaron Tyner, William and Hiram Shores, Thomas Maxwell, John Newman, B. Whitley, Christian Freyschlag, Henry Freyschlag, Joseph Chew, William Mallett, W. R. Cunningham, Fred P. Sime, James Ingram, William Crawford, Holy and James Hand, Misses Barbara and Mira Freyschlag, James Cartwright, Isaac Murphy, E. W. Avaid, James and William Irvin, Jacob Meyers, John M. Wham, James Divin, Mathew A. Divin, J. T. Edmondson, A. E. Edmondson, J. S. Crawford, A. A. Crawford, Robert Epperson, C. H. Holmes, J. J. Bean, Oscar Bean and Benjamin Sanders.
Source
History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. Chicago, IL, USA: Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1889.
There is much more on this trip in Cherokee Trail Diaries 1849 and 1850. Published in 1999 [with a second book by the same name in 2001] by the authors above, they are available by going to the website. Also, in your area available by Interlibrary Loan.
Thanks for letting everyone know!
Thank you so much for this website. I am doing research on people who wrote in my great-great-great grandmother’s journal (Martha Ann Maxwell Crawford) and some of those listed in the above (Aaron Tyner and TM Maxwell) wrote entries in her book.
Thank You. I am also interested in Washington County, especially Caughman (Kauffman), Dill, Bloyed, Graham, Cowen, Lynch families and West Fork.