Rilla Louise Renfroe "Riller Jones"

Saving this picture as I am sending the original to Rilla’s daughter in Missouri.

Esther Marie Powell

Esther was born November 19, 1968 in Russellville, Arkansas.
She passed away unexpectedly on January 1, 2020.

Marie was preceded in death by her Father, Clayton Powell,
paternal grandparents, Willis & Hazel Powell, maternal grand-
parents, Manual & Esther Morales, and uncle Alex Morales.

Marie leaves behind her husband, Jaime Salinas Sr. of Dallas, TX, son, Manual Emiliano (Susie) Salinas of Dallas, TX, daughter, Monica Leeanne Salinas of Dallas, TX, stepsons, Jaime Salinas Jr. and Isaac Abel Salinas, stepdaughter, Celina Rose Salinas, mother, Angie Morales (Lonny Ortega) of Fort McKavett, TX, sister, Amber Morales or Menard, TX, grandchildren, Jewel Sky Castillo, Juan Esequiel Salinas, and Ja’Naya Jayde Salinas.

Visitation will be at Heritage Funeral Home Friday night January 10, 2020 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. and Rosary from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Graveside service will be Saturday, January 11, 2020, at 3:00 p.m. in the Morales Cemetery in Ft. McKavett.

The back says Sunday March 3, 1979 at Betty's playing in school swing.  

She left her
He left her
They left her
I left her
You left her
We left her
She left us!

Marie's Gravemarker, front and back

Mr. Wheeler, sixth grade teacher

Mr. Wheeler was my sixth grade teacher and the grade school principle all the six years I attended.  He was a good teacher that tried to teach beyond the books.  I have wondered what happened to him.  On Ancestry I found his picture in the Green Forest School Yearbook.

I remember him as always wearing black rimed glasses but in his 1959 yearbook photo he is not wearing glasses. He was unmarried when he taught school here and I do not believe he ever married. As I remember it he grew up somewhere close to here but to the east of our town.  He lived in Suggs apartments above the laundry mat right by the school, but as I remember it he had a home or farm where he came to Green Forest from.

Find a grave says he was born July 13, 1915 in Johnson County, Arkansas and died in 2008 in Harrison. His parents were William Henry and Margaret Ann (Self) Wheeler. It looks like he lived in Newton County after he retired from 40 years of teaching.

Here are some pictures from the yearbook.

1959

1966

1967

1968

Daniel K. Powell

D. K. Picked tomatoes and used the money to buy this bike.  He looks about 14.

Jacob Shank's Land

Jacob Shank was buried in the little cemetery about a quarter mile from my house in the old cemetery in the neighbor's field.  A few years ago, only the top 6 inches of his grave marker was visible.  George used his tractor to pull the stone from the ground and reset it on the grave.

George Working at the cemetery.

Jacob's grave before.

After George cleared the brush and started digging out the stone.

The stone reset.

At the time of his death, Jacob Shank owned land in Section 32 of TS 20N / 22 W which is where part of the land we own is located.  In his will dated just a few days before his death in 1884, he gives the legal description of this land and states it was known as the Dixon farm.  He leaves his land south of Dry Creek to his wife, Mary Shank. His land north of Dry Creek he leaves to his daughter Ruth Ann Kincaid stating that her husband was not to receive any of the estate.  He owned approximately 216 acres lying along both sides of Dry Creek consisting of the part of Uncle Floyd's farm along Dry Creek, all of the original Hugh Morris farm, and the back 40 of Grandpa Powell's farm. I had known Jacob owned land near here, but had not mapped out the location.

Here is a map of section 32 showing land owners from a few years back.  I have outlined Jacob's land in red/yellow.  Aday land is marked with just and A above and to the left of Jacob's land. The hash marked land is owned by someone named Renfroe.  And, I marked in Dry Creek with a blue line because the gray line was hard to see.  If you click on the photo, you can see a larger view.  The little 16 acre notch on the left side of this land Shank owned is interesting.  I wonder if there was not a house located on this piece of a quarter section. Sixteen acres is about a third of a quarter. There is really nothing to indicate where the house would have been within the land description.  

This has the legal description of Jacob Shank's land from his will, with approximate location outlined in blue.  The cemetery where Jacob is buried is marked with a yellow dot.  This is the best I could do with limited drawing tools in Windows 10.  I just think all this is very interesting.

Old Picture Identified

Larry’s Mom on the left and the one on the right was unknown.  I put the picture at a Newton County site.  The person’s sister said she thought it was her sister.  Sister is still living and confirmed the other girl is Genice Gregory Burkart.  Genice is related to me through the Gaddys.

Jeptha Vinen Smith’s Grandson

 Seems like his name was Thaddeus Smith.  Here he is showing how agile he is touching his toes to his nose at age 64.  He died in Oklahoma.