Edward Franklin "Frank" Cuzick

Eda Franklin "Frank" Cuzick

Great-great-great Grandfather James Water Cuzick, born 1799

in Kentucky, a Campbellite Minister married Sarah (Tiffany),

August 9, 1822 in Williamson County, Tennessee. He moved to

Missouri and died in Missouri or Arkansas. They were the

parents of great-great grandfather Thomas Clay Cuzick, a veteran

of the Mexican War. He was born in Kentucky and came to

Arkansas about 1873, from Missouri. He and his wife, Sarah

"Sallie" (Dobbs) were married in Dade County, Missouri, October

18, 1849. They settled around the community known by all

the old settlers as Odell. It is actually made up of an area extending

from the old Dobbs Cemetery, on the north, to the Liberty

Hill Cemetery on the south. Located in the remote hill country

about 12 miles south of Morrow, Arkansas, and about 6-1/2 miles

east of Evansville. Many of the old roads are still outlined by the

rock fences built by pioneers who came into the area about 1866

or earlier. The main part of the little village of old Odell was

almost on the Crawford-Washington County line.

Thomas Clay Cuzick and his son Williams Rufus moved into

the Odell area when it was called Stop in about the 1800s and

purchased one of the general stores. They became postmasters for

a number of years. Thomas Clay Cuzick and his son William

Rufus were thought to have had the largest general store this side

of Van Buren for many years. While William Rufus was

postmaster at Stop, he did not like the name, so later when the

Post Office was moved across the line into Washington County, it

was named Odell.

William Rufus and his wife Emma Tyler (Self) were the

parents of my grandfather Eda Franklin "Frank" Cuzick, who

took over from his father, as store owner and Postmaster. Both

father and son pulled teeth for those in need.

Frank was the oldest of seven children: Thomas Oscar, Rufus

Walter, Martha Myrtle, Eugene Clay, Anna Maude and William

E.

Frank Cuzick served as Justice of Peace for several years. He

performed marriages from 1918 to 1924 in Crawford County

Marriage Book "K". He was known as E. F. Cuzick, also.

He was president of the Liberty Hill School Board, School

District No. 76 (I have copies of two teacher's contract for the

years of 1934-1935, where he had signed them). He and his wife

Minnie Elizabeth (Jones) roomed and boarded teachers in their

home.

Minnie E. (Jones) was the daughter of Thomas and Miriam

(Reed) Jones, who also, was another early store owner and

carried the mail from Evansville to Stop, then on to Rosedale.

During this time there were no mailboxes, but mail was carried

in oilcloth pouches and hung on a gate post or a tree in a designated

place near the home of each patron.

Frank and Minnie farmed a large farm near Odell. A few

remains remind one of the last old homesite. The

U. S. Government bought their farm and the other farmers as

well in that area, to make it into a National Forest in the 1930s.

Frank and Minnie raised eight children out of eleven. My

mother, Martha Maude (Cuzick) Loftin being one of them.

I can remember spending Christmas at my grandparents'

home there on Odell Mountain as we called it. Also, the pie

suppers at the little church and the family dances in my

grandparents' home, where we children slept on pallets, while

our parents danced.

Frank and Minnie moved to Stilwell, Oklahoma, from Odell

in 1937. They lived there a while, then moved near Morrow,

Arkansas. In January of 1939, they moved to Washington State,

where they remained until their deaths. Five of their married

children moved to Washington with them, two later on. My

mother, Maude, lived her entire life in Washington County,

Arkansas.

The eight children were: Emma (Cuzick) Davidson, Rosie

(Cuzick) Tibbits, Bill, Maude (Cuzick) Loftin, Dan Rufus

"Rube", Tom and Hazel (Cuzick) Young.

The sons all worked in the timber as loggers, also, the son-inlaws,

after settling in Shelton, Washington. Three children are

alive at this writing; Dan, Rube, and Hazel, and they live in and

near Shelton, Washington.

By: Mrs. lcephine Loftin Sears