Hello Amos...Arkansas

My dad, J.R., and I decided to take a small Saturday afternoon trip to Amos, Arkansas, and to see what other excursions there would be on the way. On our way up Highway 126, we decided to go to the Old Cooper Cemetery about 2 miles south of Midway. Copper is a small cemetery. My great, great grandfather & grandmother, Burton & Sarah Girkin, are buried here at the center of the cemetery. Originally, they were natives of Jefferson County, Kentucky. Once they were married, they moved to Illinois and started a family. Burton's father & mother, Joseph & Luraka Gherkin, and grandmother Sarah Gherkin (born 1776) stayed in Kentucky. (...Notice the spelling of the name changed from Gherkin to Girkin...) In 1877, Burton & Sarah came in a covered wagon from East Nelson, Moultrie County, Illinois. The family moved to a farm in Baxter County owned by W. B. Jordan farm 6 miles northwest of Mountain Home, Arkansas. The family then moved to Trimble Flat, Baxter County in 1894 after Burton's death. They bought a homestead from the Suggs Family on Bruce Creek. Burton Girkin was born in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky died in here in Baxter County March, 1879, only two y ears after being in Baxter County. Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, and died February 15, 1901. Here is her obituary from the Baxter Bulletin.

Here is a list of their children:

• Narcissus “Nare” Girkin: Born March, 1867, in Illinois. She married Mr. W.S. Perryman.
• Joe H Girkin: Born March, 1869, in Illinois. He was a Baxter County Assessor and married Edna Pierce.
• Martha “Mattie” Girkin Born September, 1870, in Illinois. She married William.W. King.
• Charlie Girkin Born April, 1874, in Illinois. He married Jennie Kazar..

Today, their graves are only large pieces of unmarked limestone.
Family knowledge is the only thing that marks their resting place today.
Their graves are below.According to Of Grave Importance, cemetery book of Baxter County, the oldest grave in the cemetery is of an A. W. Cooper, who was buried in 1864 and was reported to have been killed by "Bushwackers."

Next, we went on Highway 178 and went to Lakeview which was once called Amos. We pulled down the road pass the Lakeview City Hall and drove by the entrance of the Amos Cemetery. Dad want to see if the old Amos church/school house was still standing.
This what we found. It is located down the hill from the cemetery about 100 yards. Trees and brush are closing in on the old building. If you look closely, you can see the bell tower. Also, there is an addition to the front part of the building.

Here's the front view. Notice the broken tree limbs from the recent ice storm.

This is the Methodist Church that held the funeral of my great grandfather William Franklin McNeil and great grandmother Mary "Mollie" Girkin McNeil. This is also the school house that all the McNeil children, such as Eunice McNeil Anderson, went to. As you look through the door, you will notice a sheetrock hallway. This part is the addition made on to the building for extra classrooms in the early 1960's. Looking on in the background is the stage area with a hole in the back wall for the stove pipe. The building is completely stripped of every artifact and ornament. The floor is 70% gone and the area is sadly filled with trash.

Here is the view from the stage.

We then walked back to the Amos Cemetery to take a view of some of the family tombstones.

Great, Great Grandmother & Grandfather. Their foot markers are below.

My Great Grandmother & Grandfather's resting place.


This is the almost forgotten stone marker of W. Frank & Mollie McNeil's small children who passed away: Susan Geneva McNeil & Ralph Herman McNeil.

These three tombstones are some of the prettiest I've seen in a long time. They belong to two great, great aunts and my great, great uncle, Steve Wayland.

Great, Great Aunt Emma Elizebeth Wayland

Great, Great, Great Aunt Aseneth M. Wayland

Great, Great, Great Uncle Stephen J. Wayland. He is the brother to Thompson Henderson Wayland buried in the Norfork Cemetery.

These are the tombstones of Uncle William W. King & Aunt Mattie E. Girkin King. Aunt Mat was grandma Mollie McNeil's sister. The Kings lived on Trimble Flat in the late 1800's -1900's.

Later on we decided to travel on to Bull Shoals and visit Newton Flat Cemetery and then headed on to the Flippin Cemetery. While at Flippin Cemetery, I happened to find a long, lost aunt, Judy Francis "Fannie" Anderson Gibson. She was born in Gainesboro, Tennessee, and came to the Ozarks on a steamboat and landed on McBee's Landing.

The Waylands & McNeils: Family Roots in Baxter County, Arkansas

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Above is a picture of my great, great grandfather & grandmother:
Thompson "Henderson" Wayland & Louisa W. Snow


This is a small documentation of some of my family roots in the Ozarks. Hopefully, this will help answer questions for family and friends alike.

My great, great, grandfather & mother:

Thompson Henderson Wayland & Louisa W. Snow

Thompson Henderson Wayland was born on September 16, 1836 in Lawrence County, Arkansas. He died on November 14, 1913 in, Baxter County, Arkansas, and was buried in Norfork Cemetery, Baxter County, Arkansas. A picture is also posted of Henderson Wayland in the Mountain Home City Hall lobby stating he was the Mayor of Mountain Home, Arkansas in 1901.

Henderson married Louisa W. Snow on May 7, 1856, in Lawrence County, Arkansas. Thompson Henderson Wayland, "Henderson" as he was known, was a member of J.R. Shaler's regiment and Capt. R.C. Matthews' Company during the Civil War. He applied for a pension at age 72 and proof of service given.

They had the following children:

1. Susan Hester Wayland was born on June 26, 1860 in Iuka, Izard County, Arkansas. She died on November 16, 1905, and was buried in Trimble Flats Cemetery, Baxter County, Arkansas. Susan married James Franklin McNeill on June 11, 1877.
2. Caroline Wayland was born on 10 Feb 1862 in Iuka, Izard Co., Arkansas.
3. Cynthia "Syntha" Ann Wayland
4. James Harrison Wayland was born on 1 Oct 1867 in Iuka, Izard Co., Arkansas.
5. Benjamin F. Wayland
6. Mary Belsoria Wayland

Henderson & Louisa's Obituaries -Both are buried at Norfork Cemetery, Baxter County, Arkansas.

Baxter Bulletin newspaper September 20, 1912.

Mrs. T. H. Wayland and Mrs. Sarah Cunningham of Norfork, both old and respected citizens of Baxter County died last week. They leave many relatives and a host of friends to mourn for them.

Baxter Bulletin newspaper November 21, 1913

Uncle Henderson Wayland Dead.
Henderson Wayland an old settler in the seventies, for years a justice of peace at Norfork passed away Saturday and was buried Sunday at Norfork. The Waylands were among the first settlers in the west part of Baxter County. Mr. Wayland is survived by a brother, S. J. Wayland of Mountain Home and a married sister who lives in the south part of the state. His wife died about a year ago.

Next, my great, great grandfather & mother:

James Franklin McNeil IV & Susan Hester Wayland

James Franklin McNeil, IV was born on May 8, 1858, in Iuka, Izard County, Arkansas, and died on an unknown date. He married Susan Hester Wayland was born on June 26, 1860 in Iuka, Izard County, Arkansas. She died on November 16, 1905, and was buried in Trimble Flats Cemetery, Baxter County, Arkansas. Susan married James Franklin McNeil IV on June 11, 1877.

They had the following children:

1. William Frank McNeil was born on July 7, 1879 in Iuka, Izard County, Arkansas and died on June 9, 1948 in Amos, Baxter County, Arkansas.
2. John H. McNeil was born on Dec. 15, 1877 in Iuka, Izard County, Arkansas and died in May 1920 in Hulbert, Cherokee County, Oklahoma.
3. Mary (Molly) J. McNeil was born on Nov. 11, 1883 and died on Apr. 19, 1969.
4. Jesse Hogan McNeil was born on Oct. 25, 1881 and di ed in 1913.
5. Benjamin A. McNeil was born on Nov. 19, 1887 and died on Feb. 1, 1965.
6. James Monroe McNeil was born on Nov. 7, 1885 and died on Jul. 2, 1959.
7. Joseph Henry McNeil was born on May 1, 1890 and died in M ay 1944.
8. Hester B. McNeil was born on Apr. 1, 1894 and died on Aug. 16, 1894.
9. Charles W. McNeil was born on Apr. 11, 1892 and died on an unknown date.
10. Louisa Etta McNeil was born on Jan. 31, 1895 and died in 1915.
11. Eva “May” McNeil was born  on May 23, 1903 and died on June1, 1997.
12. Stephen E. McNeil was born on Feb. 7, 1899 and died on Aug. 31, 1972.

Next, my great grandfather & mother:

William Frank McNeil & Mary "Mollie" Girkin

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Picture taken in Flippin, Arkansas, about 1944

Mary "Mollie" Girkin 1900 
Picture taken at Carr Studios in Mountain Home, Arkansas.

                       

                                           Mary "Mollie" Girkin McNeil circa 1957

-->William Frank McNeil was born on July 7, 1879 in Iuka, Izard County, Arkansas and died on June 9, 1948 in Amos, Baxter County, Arkansas. He married Mary "Mollie" Girkin. She was the daughter of Burton Gerkin and Sarah Martin and was born on July 14, 1875 in East Nelson, Moultrie County, Illinois and died on October 3, 1958 in Theodosia, Ozark County, Missouri. Both are buried at the Trimble Flats / Amos Cemetery in Baxter County, Arkansas.

They had the following children:

1. Eunice McNeil was born on February 23, 1906 and died on September 30, 1990.
2. James Bert McNeil died on an unknown date.
3. Hogan McNeil died on an unknown date.
4. Lurkie McNeil died on an unknown date.
5. Susan Geneva McNeil was born on May 10, 1904 and died on Aug. 2, 1904.
6. Ralph Herman McNeil died in March 1916.

Picture of Uncle Bert & Uncle Hogan McNeil taken in Baxter County, Arkansas, circa 1918.

Next, my grandfather & grandmother:

Mack Anderson & Eunice McNeil

Mack Anderson was born on Feb. 24, 1890 in Mammoth, Ozark County, Missouri and died on May 5, 1962, in Mammoth, Ozark County, Missouri. He married Eunice McNeil. Eunice, daughter of William Frank McNeil and Mollie Mary Gerkin, Eunice McNeil was born on February 23, 1906,in Amos, Baxter County, Arkansas and died on September 30, 1990, in Bull Shoals, Marion County, Arkansas.

Grannie Anderson's house in Mammoth, Missouri, as I

remember it in the fall time of the year.

This picture was taken in November of 1989.

This is a current picture of the old home place taken in June of 2008.

Mack & Eunice Anderson are buried in the Mammoth Cemetery, Ozark County, Missouri.