An 1840 Arlington Wedding and A Most Dignified Judge

During a visit to the parish, in 1840, there was a wedding at 'Arlington' which is worthy of mention.
The Carroll Democrat, January 24, 1892.
"At that time and for some time previous, there had been a feud between the family of Arlington (the Pattons) and Judge B. (Bosworth) of Tensas, the influence of which was felt through all the ramifications of Carroll Parish society. At the time of the wedding there was but few members of the gospel in the country and the spiritual welfare of the people was not as clsoely looked after as the temporal, and it was occasionally that a man of God put in an appearance, either in town or country. But the contracting parties had so timed the event as to make it strike on his visits, but they made no allowance for bad weather, high water or impassable roads. So when the time came there was no minister to be had, and it became necessary to call in Judge Bosworth, who was regarded by man as Ishmal-ite against whom all arms was raised, and whose arm was against all others. So he was requested to perform the ceremony, which he consented to do.
"When the oars of his skiff was heard on the lake, I was asked by Mr. Patten of Arlington to go with him to receive Judge B., which I did. On his approach to the door, Mr. P. said to him, "Walk in, Judge, we are friends for tonight." The only response was, "Show me the parties to be married".
"Judge Bosworth was a small man, but I thought then, and still think, on that occasion was the most dignified one I ever saw. He was at once invited into the house, the parties to be married were on the floor, when much to the surprise of some, and the alarm of many, and witout any effort of concealment, under each breast of the Judge's coat was a formidable weapon--on one side a pistol, on the other a Bowie Knife. After the ceremony which I think was the most impressive I have ever witnessed, he raised a glass of wine to his lips, saluted the bride and groom, and with a look of defiance, gracefully retired, much to the relief of many.
"The next time I saw Judge Bosworth was on the lake near his home. He had just one hand; the right, I think, shot off in an attempt to take forceable possession of his father-in-law's property. An attempt was made to impeach him as Judge, but like all such it failed, though if half of what was said of him was true, he richly deserved it. But he was a dignified, courageous, and competent judge. He died, I think, a paymaster in the army with the rank of Major to which he was appointed by President Polk. I saw him in Louisville in company with the new President on their way to Washington. The attention he received was marked; indeed there was something about Judge Bosworth that inspired respect to a greater degree than almost any man I know." By Jacob Owen.

Poverty Point

A Rich Culture flourished Eight Centuries before Christ
The time was eight centuries after Egyptian slaves dragged huge stones across the desert to build the great pyramids. The place was a hemisphere away, in North America at a site now in northeaster Louisiana, and the people who fashioned Poverty Point mounds had probably migrated to this part of the world from Asia via the Bering Strait and Alaska.
These ancient people set for themselves was the building of a complex array of earthen mounds near what was then the banks of the Mississippi River. The central group of mounds consists of six rows of concentric octagonal ridges, five to ten feet high, with aisles at the corners leading to the center. The outer octagon measures three-quarters of a mile across. Only about half of the octagonal mounds remain, for Macon Bayou, which flows past the site, has eroded the original complex.
Four other mounds are nearby and noteworthy for their size and shape. Immediately to the west of the octagonal village lies Poverty Point Mound, a spectacular bird shaped mound measuring about 700 by 800 feet at its base and rising about 60 feet into the sky. Motley Mound, is another located due north of the village and is similar in size and shape, although the bird shape lacks a tail. A third earthen mound, called Jackson Mound, lies due south and is like the other two. It has been theorized that the river or bayou washed away a fourth mound twenty centuries ago. It has been estimated that 5 million man hours has been devoted to building these massive structures.
One of the most remarkable aspects of this culture was the peoples willingness to import materials from great distances and their ability to adapt to the environment. An example of the later trait is found in the millions of hard brick-like clay balls found at the site. Made by hand and hardened in the sun, these balls were heated and tossed into food vessels as a method of cooking. It is known that stones were used at the time for this purpose, but since there were no stones at Poverty Point, clay ball were ingeniously substituted. Flint knives and spears were made from stones imported from thirty miles away, and soapstone vessels were made of material from the mountains of North Carolina 500 miles away.
Visit Poverty Point. It is located on HiWay 577, north of Epps, La., about 40 miles west and north of Vicksburg, Mississippi.

East Carroll Parish Headstone Pictures

I took pictures from a few of the cemeteries, the largest was the Lake Providence Cemetery, and some north of there on Hwy 65. Many of the pics, for one reason or another, were not very clear, and I apologize for that, maybe soon I can retake. I have been working on getting these pictures on FindAGrave, but it is very slow. I have a family and a job that I have to take care of also. There or over 2,000 pictures. If you have a request of a headstone in the Lake Providence area, maybe I can zero in on that picture now for you. I have been having requests for pics in Mississippi and south Arkansas and I am really unable to get to take pics for other counties or parishes. I live in Lonoke County, Arkansas and could maybe help with a pic from this area, and also I do a little picture taking up in Craighead County, Ark., since I have family in this area, but that is primarily around the Monette area. I will be continuing to place the headstone pics on FINDAGRAVE, please keep checking back. Please check there to see if your family member's headstone picture is there, and if not I will try to locate it and try to get it on there ASAP or send a picture of it to you by email. I will be spending a lot more hours placing many more pictures on FindAGrave.com

Here is Find A Grave:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=csr&CScn=&CScntry=4&CSst=20&CScnty=1126

P.S. I would appreciate ANY pictures, headstone or individuals pictures, that I can put on FindAGrave, and of course, any other pictures or information for my other research would be deeply appreciated also.

Email me at morechev@ipa.net for more information.

Thanks, Sandy

SONG OF THE CREW OF THE JULIA.

We're a band of dusky darkies,
Who run this river wide,
No matter what the weather is--
No matter how the tide.
On the bully steamer Julia,
Not gaudy nor yet fine
But she's the Queen of the Mississippi,
And the pet of the Anchor Line.

Our captain is a regular brick,
Of that there's no mistake;
'Tis useless sure to tell you,
That his name is William Blake.
William Goebel is his bower,
Charles Quesnel is the same--
Assisted by Pell Thomas,
A full hand for any game.

With George Riley on the lookout,
And his partner, Jimmie Reed,
You can go to bed at nightfall,
And sleep in peace indeed.
For they're two old Jolly stagers,
Upon the stormy deep,
Who guard your lives from danger,
When you are all asleep.

Before we go much farther,
Right here we'd like to state--
Fitzgerald runs the lower deck,
A first class river mate.
And when he cries out "wood pile,"
We light upon a yard,
And the way we make the wood fly,
As a credit to "Kerrigan's Guard."

George Todd is in the cabin,
A steward that's hard to beat,
Assisted by John Harris--
Who fix things good to eat.
And up in "Saratogo,"
Ben Prather sits in style,
And his viands are so tempting,
It causes all to "smile."

Hold on there, captain, hold on!
Let down the stage a minute;
Here's the mail bag for Frank Whiston,
And I know there's something in it.
Yes, indeed, in every letter
There's an order for some mutton,
So buy it for us fresh and good,
And send it back by Sutton.
-----------
May 1875, Carroll Watchman newspaper, Author UNKNOWN.