Our Arkansas Roots

by Donna Swagerty Shreve

Be careful what you make fun of because it can come back and bite you. Years ago a girl friend of Brad shared that she had relatives from Arkansas. I rudely laughed thinking she had backwoods roots. I mentioned that I was planning a trip to the midwest which was going to include Arkansas. I wanted to visit the land of my various ancestors. John and I had a wonderful trip in 2009 that took in doing research in four different states. The one state where we both felt uncomfortable was Arkansas and we left one day earlier than planned. Even though John was born in Savannah, Georgia, we were not tuned into the southern culture we encountered in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Recently a relative was looking at property in Arkansas. I told her we had roots in Arkansas without realizing just how deep they were. After some research into the family tree, I found 15 connections to Arkansas from relatives who were born, died or resided for a few years in Arkansas. In all fairness to the other states, we have two branches of our family represented. Interesting enough those two branches did not get together until both branches came to California decades later.

3 great grandmother Anna Manning (1782 – 1845)

arrived in Arkansas from Tennessee in 1829

died in Benton County, Arkansas 1845

Swagerty-Aldrich line

3 great grandfather Thomas Oliver Swagerty (1782 – 1838)

arrived in Arkansas from Tennessee in 1829

died in Benton County, Arkansas 1838

Swagerty-Aldrich line

3 great grandfather David Stephens (1790 – 1839)

residence 1825 – 1839 Benton, Arkansas

Swagerty-Aldrich line

3 great grandmother Nancy Tyler (1805 – 1880)

residence 1825 – 1860 Benton, Arkansas

Swagerty-Aldrich line

3 great grandfather Andrew Jackson Inman (1815 – 1887)

residence 1851 – 1860

Boone-Brown line

2 great grandmother Mary Ellen Stephens (1819 – 1893)

residence 1831 – 1863

Swagerty-Aldrich line 

3 great grandmother Rebecca Elizabeth Nanney (1827 – 1887)

residence 1851 – 1860

Boone-Brown line

2 great grandfather Thomas Jefferson Gilliland (1820 – 1897)

died in Harrison, Arkansas 1897

Boone-Brown line

2 great grandfather Mary Ann Cloud (1834 – 1876)

died in Carrollton, Arkansas 1876

Boone-Brown line

2 great grandfather Isaac Landers Swagerty (1829 – 1897)

born in Benton County, Arkansas 1829

Swagerty-Aldrich line 

2 great grandfather Lydia Inman (1847 – 1919)

residence 1851 – 1860

Boone-Brown line

 great grandfather Sampson Clayton Swagerty (1851 – 1931)

born in Benton County, Arkansas

Swagerty-Aldrich line

2 great grandfather Robert A. Brown (1850 – 1880)

born in Carrollton, Arkansas 1850

Boone-Brown line

 great grandfather Jesse Charles Brown (1872 – 1928)

born in Carrollton, Arkansas 1872

Boone-Brown line

 grandmother Mary Virginia Brown (1900 – 1943)

born in Arkansas City, Arkansas 1900

Boone-Brown line

My next step is to set up a geographical timeline and chart the migration of our ancestors across our country. The more one researches, the more patterns and interesting facts emerge.

478 words

9/13/2021

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