William Nicholas Yates

EARLY SETTLERS OF CANE HILL BY ELLEN EARLE RICHARDSON - 1955

page 14 YATES, HAGOOD, COULTER, LEWIS, BEAN, RUSSELL, BUCHANAN

Mr. Yate's father, James Yates, came to Cane Hill later than some others of the family. The grandfather, Nicholas Yates, had fought with Jackson and was in the battle of New Orleans. About 1822 or a little later, he and half of the family came to Point Remove, on the Arkansas River.

There, the fifteen children in the family of William Nicholas Yates and his wife, Elizabeth Hays Yates, and this list of the children was given by Mrs. Etta McColloch, a great-granddaughter: William, Jane, Eliza, Richard, Keturah (married a Mr.Bates.), Nicholas, Adline, James, Elvira, John; Mary, Louis, Joseph, Martha and Benjamin.

Mary died when only 18 years old.

Martha married Mr.Ingram.

Joseph went to Corvallis, Oregon.

Benjamin lived in New Orleans and three of his children came in the early 80's to Cane Hill, where the two boys, Bigelow and Claude, went to school, and the sister Belle taught music.

Martha married Mr.Ingram.

Later, Claude lived in Austin, Texas.

James married Martha Talkington, daughter of Rev. Isaac Talkington, in 1841 and it was after that that he moved to Cane Hill.

Two of their daughters married Moore brothers: Allie and Han Moore; Helen and Dave Moore, whose first wife was Katherine Myers, niece of Uncle Jimmie Russell's wife.

Another daughter, Eliza, married Sam Pylant Russell and lived in the village of Cane Hill where their two children; Allie and Ollie, still live.

The youngest daughter married Allan Bellar, who is still living at Wickes, Arkansas. Mrs. Bellar lived only a few years, dying when her three children, Bertha, Mamie and Claude, were small. Relatives kept the children until they were grown. There was a son Berkley who died young.

James Yate's second wife was Malinda Russell and they were married in 1855.

Her father, John Russell, had moved here from Tennessee when she was 3 year old. After the father's death, she and her brother, James Pulaski, lived in the home of their uncle, J.B. Russell.

Children of this second marriage were: George, who married his cousin, Lizzie Hagood; William Welch, who married Maude Richmond and lives at the home where Mrs. Richmond, his mother-in-law, lived when her chiidren were small.

Mrs.Richmond later married Mr. Christian.

Louis Huber, the youngest son, married Charlie Irwin's daughter Annabel.

There were three daughters: Alta, wife of Wes Kirkland; Annie, wife of Norris Leach who lived in Montebello, California; and May, wife of Earle Carter·; brother of Henry Carter, Mrs. Charlie Irwin and Mrs. Bess Burns

Three of Nicholas Yate's children married Hagoods.

Three was Larry (his name may have been Nicholas, too) who married Elizabeth Hagood and lived on the Hill at the place now owned by Booth Campbell.

Their children grew up there. Dr. W.N. married his cousin Belle; and Clem lived at Booneville; and Jim was State Auditor for years. A daughter, Tommie, was Mr. Henry Pyeatt's first wife. Mary married Burn Morrow, and Sug married Mr.Little.

Eliza Yates married Louis Hagood. Their home was the one with the spring on it that belonged to the two brothers, the place Lonnie Earle bought from the Tom Reed estate.

One of their sons, Galitzon, died at Okalona, Mississippi, during the War between the States.

Another son, George, married: Annie Morrow, daughter of Uncle John Morrow of Cove Creek, and made his home at Cane Hill until his childern were almost grown when he moved to Fayetteville, then to Oklahoma. He died in 1837.

Mattie married W. D. McBride, the one who was postmaster at Cane Hill for along time. They, too, moved to, Fayetteville, then to Oklahoma. Both are buried in the Cane Hill cemetery.

Laura married Capt. W. C. Braly, living some years with Mr. Braly's mother and his sister, Miss Fannie, in the old Braly home at Clyde, then some years at Cane Hill, many years at Fayetteville, then some years at Washington D.C.

After the death of Mrs. Braly, Mr, Braly married her sister Mary, whom the family always called "Pet". They lived at Lincoln.

Adeline Yates, married Cephas Hagood and their home was at Cane Hill.

Their oldest daughter was married to Eli Bellar and after her death he married her sister Mattie.

It seems that he was a brother to Allen Bellar who married Jennie, daughter of James Yates.

Another daughter of Cephas and Adeline was Julia, who married Milton Buchanan who was called "Bud". They lived in Waco, Texas.

Lizzie a younger daughter, married her, cousin, George Yate's, and lived at Lincoln.

There were other Hagoods besides those that married Yates, and there were Garvins and Davidsons.

Back in Virginia on Apri1 21, 1789, Thomas' Garvin had married Elizabeth Young, daughter of James Young, Andrew Young signing as surety, and William Hook and John Dickey signing witnesses.

Sarah, their datighter, married William Hagood.

James Hagood was a blacksmith, one of a long line of fine men serving the community in that way. Whether the calling is a character builder is a question not answered here but it is a fact that most of Cane Hill's blacksmith's from earliest times down to the present have been men of high character, upright, dependable, and·well loved. There were Uncle Larry Yates and his brother James, Sam Russell, Alec Andrew, .Pleas West,. and some others who should be remembered, but whose names are not at hand. Uncle Rankin Pyeatt did some blacksmithing, being a man who knew how to do a great many things.

When James Hagood son was in Fayettetteville some years back; Uncle Gus Lewis said. to him; "I don't know how good a man you are, but I kmow you are not as good as your father; they don't happen often."

James Hagood's wife was Susan Crumley, a sister to Mrs. Inks, mother of Mrs. Eliza Pyeatt, Mrs. Sue Swope, Mrs. Sarah West; and Tom, Bob, Patton and Jim Inks. Their home was the place now owned by Clint Davis, the house being a double log house with open hall in between the two main rooms.

Mr.Hagood was killed at home by Federals during the War.

Em, the oldest daughter, married Tim Whittenburg and lived in Greenville, Texas.

Sadie married Buck Russell and lived at Cane Hill for years, then they too moved to Texas.

Jim married Sallie Blackburn; twin sister to Dr. T. W. Blackburn, and lived in Memphis.

There were three other, boys. Tom who lived at Cane Hill many years; and Doak and Gum who lived in Texas.

Like the Nicholas Yates famiiy, the Coulter family from East Tennessee had tifteen children. Some of them may have grown up: before they moved to Arkansas, but most of them grew up and married here.

Jemmima was the one who eloped from the Truesdale home the night that Sarah Jane Truesdale married young White McClellan, to marry Bob Moore who was from Pennsylvania. They lived before the war at, Clyde, but; when their home was burned by Federal soldiers, they bought the lost and built the house where, Miss Kate lives now. Their daughter Callie (Mrs. Frank Braiy) remembers that there was much fighting at the time their house was burned and there were many dead and wounded around the house. A Colonel Jewell died there, a Federal officer from Kansas. At one time there were six coffins on their front porch.

There were no sons in that family, and when Uncle Bob and jemima, or Aunt Dick as she was called, were old, the daughters, with Miss. Mat at their head, cared for the parents and kept the home together. Miss Lizzie taught school for many years. May married Dr. Griffith.

Ann Coulter married J. B. Russell. There is more about them in another place in this manuscript.

Marian married John Lewis, a pioneer blacksmith of Fayetteville, whose home was where the old stone store was, the building occupied by Hunt's. His blacksmith shop was across the street to the north.

Will Lewis came to Cane Hill to live with his uncle, Maurice Wright, and later married Mr. Wright 1st daughter.

After her death he married Lizzie, daughter of G.W.M. Reed of Fayetteville, and they bought the place on Jordan's banks that had been Uncle Pylant's home before the War, and built the house still standing, belonging to Virgil Walker. They reared their children here, and in later years moved to Siloam Springs.

Mr. Lewis had three sisters; two of them lived at Cane Hill, Kate married Sam Smithson and was living at the spring afterward called Monte Ne, when her husband died.

She and her two daughters then came to Cane Hill, living first in the house where Jim Little lives, the place belonging to Mr.Lewis at that time.

Then Mr.Lewis built the house just south of Miss Kate's, the house now owned by Mr.Pitts, and she lived in it for some years, When Mr.Lewis sold that house to the Methodist Church to be used as a parsonage.

Mrs.Smithson moved to the house just north of the red brick school now Herbert Pyeatt's.

Another sister, Mrs. Joe Mitchell, spent her married life on the farm that now belongs to Maurice Cruse, and there her seven children spent their early years.

The third sister, Jennie, married first a Mr. Phillips, then married Col. M.F.Lake of Viney Grove. Mr. Lake's daughter by a former marriage, Ella, taught music at Cane Hill.

Ruth Coulter married Maurice Wright, a brother to the Mr. Wright whose family was murdered. They owned the Lon Moore place, then the place where Ollie Russell lives. Mr. Wright taught school for a time and for some years was a merchant. The firm name was Wright & Lewis.

Rebecca Coulter, too, spent her days at Cane Hill. She married Mr.Kirby and their home was south of Clyde; the farm still known as the Kirby place.

Two of their sons, Tom and Chris, stayed on at Cane Hill when they married and had homes of their own.

Thomas and his wife Jennie lived on the old home place when their children were growing up but moved later to the house that Chris Kirby built on the old Hill property. The Mehaffys live there.

On the list of Revolutionary soliders in Washington Courity the name of Christopher Kirby. The name of the Mr. Kirby who married Rebecca Coulter was Henry Franklin and he was too young to have been a soldier in that war, but it was possible that this Christopher was his father and that he came here when an old man to live with his son. This seems likely, since Henry Franklin and Rebecca named one of their sons James Christopher.

This younger Chris Kirby and his wife (Mollie Irwin) lived on Flat Rock branch near where Hazel and Tony Baucum lived, then for several years in a 2-story house directly in front of the Lewis home.

Mr. Kirby then bought Mrs. Hill's place, stayiilg some years in the old house before building the house standing nearer the street.

Another Kirby son, Will, married Jennie Irwin, sister to Mrs. Chris Kirby and Charlie Irwin.

Letitia Coulter married Mr. Meyers and died while still young, leaving. four small children. They went to live at Uncle Russell's.

Polly married a Mitchell and lived in Missouri.

Margaret married a Monkress and lived in Texas.

Eliza married a Gilbreath. There were three sons: John, James ·and Alex. This doesn't account for all of the fifteen, but perhaps they didn't all come to Arkansas.

James Bryant Russell, whose wife was Ann Coulter, lived below Clyde, on the farm Paris Colburn owns, in the house that was torn down when Buford Colburn built the new-house. The house was not large and there were seven children in the family, yet somehow they managed to take·in and care for eight orphan children of relatives, giving them the same educational advantages they gave their own children. Four of these orphans were children of Letitia Meyers, Mrs. Russell's sister; Katherine, Will, Jim and Em;- two were grand-children, Willie and Tom May; and two were children of .Mr. Russell's brother John, Melinda and Pulaski. The May children had a negro, Smith and they brought him with them. Also, Mrs. Russell had two: negroes to help them with the work, Jeff and Cynthia.

Uncle Russell was good at propagating apple trees and for some years ran a nursery.

His son "G" and family lived in the home with him when he was old and about 1880, possibly earlier: they traded places with Sam Cole; and Uncle Russell's last years were spent at that place, the one Mr. Arts bought from Mr. Karnes.