CHARLES HERBERT GILSTRAP aka JACK MY FATHER
born may 1, 1909 saint paul, madison county, arkansas
died december 19, 1961 monroe, ouachita parish, louisiana
married
RUTH PERRY ROWAN LYNN [MOTHER] april 30-may 1, 19___
born august 22, 1906 _________
died february __, 197___ west monroe, ouachita parish, louisiana
this is thought to be the first photograph of our parents after their marriage -
it is taken at the home of MAMA STRAP in winnfield, winn parish, louisiana -
the newspaper article announces the marriage of our parents at exactly the hour of midnight saturday, april 30 - therefore, the date[s] on their marriage license are april 30 and may 1 - planned by them so as to have the two dates with may 1 being the birthday of our father - their wedding ceremony was performed by Reverend John S. Rankin at the First Baptist Church in Seagraves Texas - their witnesses were Mildred McGaha and Mr. Coty of Seagreaves - our mother at that time was the night cashier at the Club Cafe in Seagreaves and our father was employed in Seminole where they made their home -
children of this union
JERELYN CHARLENE GILSTRAP born october 29, 1940
JENEAN CORETTE GILSTRAP born august 11, 1943 sedro woolley, skagit county, washington
CHARLES GORDON GILSTRAP born september 14, 1945 __________ died march 27, 1991 _________, ____ county, arkansas
OBITUARY OF CHARLES HERBERT GILSTRAP
From: January 4, 1962 Winn Parish Enterprise News-American
Chas. H. Gilstrap Is Buried Here Saturday, Dec. 30
Funeral services for Charles Herbert Gilstrap, 52, of Monroe, were held at 10 a.m. Saturday, December 30, 1961, at the Southern Funeral Home Chapel in Winnfield with Dr. W. L. Holcomb officiating. Burial was in the Winnfield Cemetery.
Acting as pallbearers were Harper Terrill, Jim Watts, Welby Willis, Gordon Bullitt, Hovey Harrell and Raymond Dubois.
Gilstrap, who was in the construction business in Monroe, spent his boyhood in Winnfield, and moved to Monroe after World War II. He died Friday in a Monroe hospital after a short illness. He is the son of Mrs. Charles Gilstrap, Sr., of Winnfield.
Besides his mother, he leaves his wife; two daughters, Jerlyn Gilstrap and Mrs. Jenean Fuller, all of Monroe; two brothers, J. M. Gilstrap of Monroe and Bill Gilstrap of Winnfield; three sisters, Mrs. E. E. Nash and Mrs. Norman Smith, both of Winnfield, and Mrs. A. V. Ratcliff of Minden; and one grandchild.[this is the actual newspaper obituary - however, some of the information is inaccurate and/or other is missing - but quoted verbatim for authenticity purposes here]
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CHARLES GILSTRAP
MY GRANDFATHER - PAPASTRAP
born june 15, 1884 winslow, washington county, arkansas
died june 2, 1946, coffeyville, kansas
married CLARISSA CAROLINE McGALLIARD - MAMA STRAP - on july 2, 1904
born august 24, 1884 in _________, arkansas
died ________, 1972, winnfield, winn parish, louisiana
When PapaStrap and MamaStrap married, he was just a month over the age of 20 and she was just a month short of her twentieth birthday. They were both residents of St. Paul, Madison County, Arkansas at the time of their marriage and here is a copy of the marriage license issued to them june 29, 1904, for their july 2, 1904 marriage:
LAURA MAE GILSTRAP born _________, 1905, _________ died ___________, 19___ winnfield, winn parish, louisiana
MILDRED FAY GILSTRAP born _______, 1907 _________ died _________, 19___ _______________
CHARLES HERBERT GILSTRAP [AKA JACK] born may 1, 1909 ________, died december __, 196___,monroe, ouachita parish, louisiana
JESSE MARION GILSTRAP born ______, 1914 _________ died __________ _______________
MARY FRANCES GILSTRAP born ________, 1915 ___________ died ____________ _________________
WILLIAM CLARK GILSTRAP born ____________, 1921 ______________ died _________1956 winnfield, winn parish, louisiana
CARL GILSTRAP born _________, 19___, _____________ died _________,19___ winnfield, winn parish, louisiana
Biography of Charles Gilstrap*
Source: Chambers' "History of Louisiana", 1925.
Submitted by Greggory Ellis Davies,
Winnfield, Winn Parish, La.
Charles Gilstrap was born at Winslow, Washington County, Arkansas, June 15, 1884,
the son of Jesse and Frances A. Yoes Gilstrap. His parents were born at the same
place. The father spent his active business life in the timber and mercantile
business. All of the sons of this family worked in the same industry. They are
W. C., T. J., J. F., W. O., and Charles.
Charles was educated at Fayetteville, Arkansas, and at age nineteen, engaged in
the timber business, supplying ties and timber to the Kansas City and Southern
Railway. In 1920 he moved his operation to Winn Parish, Louisiana, first to
Dodson, then Winnfield. He was the founder and active head of Southern Tie and
Timber Company headquartered at Winnfield, incorporating same in 1924. At that
time J. S. P. Porter became vice-president and L. H. Pace, secretary-treasurer.
In 1904 he married Miss Clara McCallard, of Madison County, Arkansas. They had
four sons and three daughters: Max, Fay, Charles, Jr., Carl, Jessie, Francis,
and Betty.*
- *It should be noted that not all this
information is accurate - however, it is
reproduced here verbatim as reflected in the
original document -
==================================================================
In 1918, at the age of 34, PapaStrap completed and signed this military draft registration card -
this card indicates MamaStrap's middle name as "Carolina" and not "Caroline" - since it is
completed in papastrap's handwriting, one would assume that it is correct as it is
plainly written - but everything else i have shows her middle name "Caroline" -
perhaps he simple made an error and put an "a" on the end of her name - i do not know -
- this 1918 draft card shows their home in Mayfield, Washington County, Arkansas, at this time - papastrap's employment is that of material and warehouse man for a company called Mid-Co Gasoline Company in Billings, Nohle, Oklahoma - this is a short synopsis of that company and its pipeline business:
MID-CO TRANSPORTATION COMPANY 1st
Serial 7s. Dae quarterly Sept., Dee.»
Mar. and Jane 15th, as follows: $50,000
from Dec. 15, 1919, to Dee. 15, 1920, and
£55,000 from Mar. 15, 1921 to Jane 16, 1923.
Dated June 15, 1919. Interest payable Sept.. Dec, Mar. and June 15 at Trustee's office.
Tax Status—Payment of Federal Income
Tax not assumed by the company.
Authorized $800.000
Outstanding 800,000
Purpose of Issue—To provide funds for the purchase of forty-five miles completed pipe line from Mid-Co Gasoline Company's refinery at West Tu!a;i, to the Winona pool In the Osage Nation, Oklahoma, and for constructing and equipping a six-inch Une from Black Bear, where it connects with the Mid-Co Gasoline Company's eight-Inch line to Billings field, to a point on the Winona line, a distance of about 66 miles, passing through the Osage oil fieidS.
Denomination—Coupon, $1.000, registrable as to principal.
Trustee—Continental & Commercial Trust & Savings Bank, Chicago.
Redeemable as a whole or in part on any Interest date at 101 and interest upon SO days notice.
Sinking Fund—The Mid-Co Petroleum Company and the Mid-Co Gasoline Company, Joint Jessees, guarantee the payment of both principal and interest by depositing with the Trustee on*the 15th day of each month, beginning July 15, 1919. amounts equivalent to the monthly accruals of both principal and Interest of all outstanding bonds of the Mld-Cc Transportation Company.
Guaranteed by endorsement by M. M. Travis, president and principal stockholder of the Mid-Co Petroleum Company and Mid-Co Gasoline Company.
Organization and Control—Ownership and manne*merit of this company is practically the same as that of the Mid-Co Petroleum Company and the Mid-Co Gasoline Company, these, three compank-s belnp operated as one organization. Mid-Co Petroleum Company and Mid-Co Gasoline Company Jointly lease and agree to control, maintain and operate this company's pipe line, paying In consideration thereof a monthly rental sufficient to meet monthly accruals of both maturing principal and Interest of this bond Issue. Also to pay all taxes, cost and expense of replacing and opera ting properties of the company. This lease remains )n full force and effect during the life of these bonds and may not be cancelled, modified, assigned or surrendered as long as any of these bonds or interest thereon are unpaid, without the consent of the Trustee.
Secured by a first lien on all the property of the company and on its lease to the Mid-Co P. trolrum Company and the Mid-Co Gasoline Company, Joint lessees.
Original Market—Offered June. 1919, by Stern Brothers & Company. Kansas City, Mo..
Knd Bolger, Moeeer & Willaman, Chicago, at prices to yield from 7% to 7%% for various....
source:
http://books.google.com/books?pg=PA798&lpg=RA1-PA798&dq=Midco%20Gasoline%20Co%2C%20Billings%2C%20Oklahoma&sig=mJzbNKKuPTpMpuHsUYKC5mi6UiA
================================================================
the image here of the 1930 winnfield, winn parish, louisiana, census shows the residence of mamastrap and papastrap on maple street [lines 48-50 pg. 1] -
this was, in fact, their home until papastrap lost the house in a poker game, so the story goes - and they then bought the house on north boundary street that we grew up in and that they both lived in until their deaths -
- the main story of his death is that PAPASTRAP, born june 15, 1884, at the time of his death june 2, 1946, lived in winnfield louisiana with my grandmother [mamastrap] - however, when he died, he was in coffeyville kansas with my father accompanying him by car from louisiana upon the death of my grandfather's brother - my great uncle had just died two days previously of a heart attack, on friday, may 31, 1946 [within hours of june 1] and papastrap and my father had traveled to coffeyville for his funeral which was to be monday - the night before the funeral, papastrap went to bed in his hotel room about 8:00 pm and my father retired to his own room - the next morning, at 8:00 am, my father went to papastrap's room where he discovered my grandfather dead - also from a heart attack, as it turned out - papastrap was 61 years old - his brother who had just died was 60 - papastrap had seven [7] siblings, including his brother who had just died * -
papastrap was born june 15, 1884
papastrap died june 2, 1946
papastrap's father died in june 1933
his mother's mother was born in june 1837
mamastrap's father died in june 1908
his brother [who just died] died on may 31 within hours of june 1946 and was buried june 1946
his brother [who just died] was married in june 1925
his brother who had just died were born in june [1886]
another brother died in june [1970]
two [2] sisters died in june [1961 and 1950]
papastrap's date of birth numerologically is 33 and his date of death is 11 - both master numbers
his brother's [who just died] numerological death date is 11
papastrap, his brother and my father all died of a heart attack
the last time my father saw papastrap alive was 8:00 pm - he found him dead at 8:00 am
[*i do not have the date of death for one of the siblings]
OBITUARY FOR CHARLES GILSTRAP
[PAPASTRAP]
Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483
**********************************************
http://usgwarchives.org/la/lafiles.htm **********************************************
From: June 7, 1946 Winnfield News-American
Charles S. Gilstrap Funeral Conducted Wednesday A. M.
Prominent Winnfield Lumberman Dies Of Heart Attack
Funeral services for Charles S. Gilstrap, 61, who died of a heart attack early Monday morning at Coffeyville, Kansas, were conducted at the chapel of Southern Funeral Home at 10 a.m., Wednesday, with the Rev. Alwin Stokes, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, officiating. Interment was in the Winnfield Cemetery.
Mr. Gilstrap's death was preceded Friday by that of his brother, T. J. Gilstrap, also by heart attack and also in Coffeyville. Charles Gilstrap and his son, Jack, of Winnfield, had left Saturday by automobile for Coffeyville to attend T. J. Gilstrap's funeral on Monday. Charles Gilstrap retired at about 8 p.m. Sunday, and was found dead at 8 a.m. Monday by his son.
Born June 15, 1884, Mr. Gilstrap had long been a resident of Winnfield and had been prominent in the Louisiana lumber industry for 35 years and had operated a number of pine and hardwood mills in this state. He was general manager of a lumber mill at Bremerton, Wash., several years ago and was operating a lumber sales office here at the time of his death.
He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Clara Gilstrap, Winnfield; four sons, William C., Charles, Jr., and Carl Gilstrap of Winnfield and Jesse Gilstrap of Monroe; three daughters, Mrs. May Nash and Mrs. Norman A. Smith, both of Winnfield, and Mrs. Fay Ratcliff of Minden; his mother, Mrs. P. A. Gilstrap of Fayetteville, Ark.; two brothers, William Gilstrap of Fayetteville and James Gilstrap of Coffeyville, Kansas; and a sister, Mrs. Mary Castile of St. Paul, Ark.
Pallbearers at the funeral Wednesday included Bryant Sholars, Hasson Morris, Harley B. Bozeman, R. W. Oglesby, Joe Emerson, and Tracy L. Harrel.
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JESSE GILSTRAP
MY GREAT GRANDFATHER
born august 5, 1859 woolsey, washington county, arkansas
died june 6, 1933 st paul, madison county, arkansas
married
FRANCES ABIGALE YOES [aka FANNY] on July 5, 1877
in winslow, washington county, arkansas
born november 22, 1862 greenland, arkansas
died april 17, 1952 fayetteville, arkansas
[Full credit to Marguerite Gilstrap's "Our Gilstrap Grandparents" notebook, Washington DC, December 1977, from which the following is taken, with much love, gratitude and appreciation for allowing us, the great grandchildren, to know our family] BOTH my great grandparents were born in washington county, arkansas, and were descended from colonists who came to this country in the mid-18th century and who fought in the revolutionary war, with their grandchildren beginning to move westeard in the early 1800's -
all four of FANNY's grandparents were in what is now washington county, arkansas, by 1830, six years before arkansas became a state - JESSE's father's parents [THOMAS JOHN GILSTRAP and ANN MARY McCLENDON - section below] arrived in the county by the mid-1840's -
FANNY was born in a cabin in the path of soldiers gathering to fight the battle of prairie grove - JESSE's father died within six [6] months of his enlistment in the union army -
the young couple grew up in the shadow of the aftermath of that tragic war - they began their married life on a little farm near the home of her parents, JACOB YOES [photo left] and MARY ANN REED [photo right] [more about JACOB and MARY ANN below] -
with the coming of the railroad, JESSE joined FANNY's father and brothers in operating stores along the frisco line - at the age of forty-nine [49], JESSE retired from the mercantile business and seven [7] years later, bought the farm where they lived and spent many happy visits with their grandchildren - JESSE died in 1933 and was the first death in their immediate family - FANNY outlived two of their daughters and three of their sons when she died at the age of 89 in 1952 -
seven of FANNY's and JESSE's children were born in the first eleven [11] years of their marriage and their youngest child was born after they had been married for twenty-one [21] years - the children were all bright and healthy and their parents took great pride in them all -
children of this union WALTER COLUMBUS GILSTRAP born july 6, 1878 died january 18, 1946
MARY ELIZABETH GILSTRAP born november 23, 1879
LUCY MAY GILSTRAP born may 29, 1881 died may 6, 1941
ROSA BELL GILSTRAP born december 8, 1882 died june 1950
CHARLES GILSTRAP [aka PAPA STRAP] born june 15, 1884 died june 2, 1946
THOMAS JACOB [JAKE] GILSTRAP born november 10, 1886 schaberg, crawford county, arkansas
died may 30, 1946
married JESSIE STEWART june 17, 1925
JAMES FRANKLIN born may 10, 1888 mountainsburg crawford county, arkansas
died _______
married JOSEPHINE MARROW born 1881 died 1971
WILLIAM OLIVER McKINLEY born september 8, 1899 westford, washington county, arkansas
died________
married EULA MARIE LINDLEY on december 12, 1921
this tintype image [left] is of JESSE GILSTRAP, WALTER GILSTRAP and a friend tom king and is the oldest picture of JESSE and his and FRANCES ABIGAIL'S son, WALTER - here, WALTER appears to be about six years of age, so the photo would date about 1884, shortly after JESSE went into business in winslow, arkansas - JESSE's bowtie is a bit off-centered and he has a somewhat glazed look which might suggest that they were on a holiday and had a drink or two -
this image of FRANCES ABIGAIL and BABY was made at the same time, about 1884 - the infant she is holding is CHARLIE [PAPA STRAP] - in this photo, also from a tintype, FRANCES ABIGAIL is twenty-two [22] years old and probably had traveled by buggy or wagon or perhaps even by train to have it done -
the picture below of the the couple's sons was made in 1906 in fort smith, arkansas, when the family gathered for the funeral service of GRANDFATHER YOES - WALTER had lived with his grandparents in van buren, arkansas, when he attended fort smith business college - JAKE would soon begin work in a bank in alma in which the YOES family had an interest - the brothers were devoted to each other, enjoyed visiting together and were each eager to help the other in time of trouble - CHARLIE [PAPA STRAP], JAKE and WILLIAM found their careers in the lumber business from the beginning - JIM later went to work for JAKE and WALTER, who had added a lumber yard to the store at saint paul, owned and operated a lumber yard in fredonia, kansas from 1940 until his death -
left to right are WALTER, CHARLIE [PAPA STRAP], JAKE, WILLIAM, JIM -
in 1912, FANNY [photo below right] is about 50 years old and is a small [5'2"], cheerful lady with a muffin face, dark brown eyes and dark brown hair that she wears parted in the middle and drawn into a bun a the back of her headand any tendrils that are loose, are curly - she is kind and friendly and externally busy -
JESSE [photo below left] is tall [6'], slender, erect with bushy blond brows over his deep blue eyes - his thick hair and handlebar mustache are both light brown - he wears a dark blue suit with coat and vest, white shirt with stiff collar, a string bow black tie and black high top shoes - and a black hat -
they live in a white cottage in the middle of the block across the street from WALTER and his wife NELL JETER and their children, MARGUERITE and DICK, in saint paul, arkansas - at this time, in addition to two of their sons, JAKE and WILLIAM OLIVER McKINLEY, living with them are FANNY's mother, GRANDMA BROCK, then 73 years old and frail and deaf, and BESS LANSDALE, FANNY's neice, who is about twenty [20] years old - BESS is slender, with fine features and about FANNY's height and coloring - JAKE is tall like his father and is about 26 years old, has his mother's dark eyes and hair and round face - WILLIAM OLIVER McKINLEY is a lively 13-year old with his mother's coloring and frame -
nearby live three other sons, WALTER, age 34, and his wife NELL JETER and their children, DICK and MARGUERITE; CHARLIE [PAPA STRAP], age 28, and his wife CLARISSA CAROLINE McGALLAIRD [MAMA STRAP] and their four [4] children, MAE, FAY, JACK [CHARLES/DADDY], and CARL; JIM aged 24, and his wife KATE SWITZER; and MARY who is thirty-two [32] years old, with her husband SILAS CASTEEL -
that same year, 1912, ROSE, then 29 and WILL ANDERSON and their boys, EARL, BURL AND new baby HERBERT, will visit from their home in vian, oklahoma, where WILL has a store - LUCY, 31 years old and married to TOM ELLIOTT, write letters often telling about their children and the happenings of the nation's capitol and send pictures of their children, JESSE, MARY FRANCES and VIRGIL - they live in mount ranier, maryland, and TOM is with the US Treasury - his first job had been with the brooklyn nany yard when JESSE visited them then when his first grandchild and namesake was still a baby -
JESSE retired in about 1908 from the mercantile business, being worth about $20,000 at that time, with part of it his earnings and savings and part an inheritance from FANNY's father - JESSE's income is from rents on leases on the land they inherited and from interests, with loans paying 12 percent, risky ones at 15% -
the furniture in their cottage is simple and functional - an iron bedstead in the living room and two iron bedsteads in each of the bedrooms - there are nice old handmade pieces, too, a table, chest and pie cupboard that were believed to have been made by someone on FANNY's side of the family, maybe her grandfather, CONRAD YOES - there is a little cane-seat high chair which is probably the oldest piece and is thought to have been new when THOMAS JOHN and ANN MARY GILSTRAP got it for JESSE in 1859 - it was used by all eight of JESSE's children and now by his visiting grandchildren -
there is a large picture in the livingroom that dominates the entire room - it's an enlarged photograph in a gilded frame of a very handsome man - FANNY's father, JACOB YOES [see photo above, left] - also in the home are books - there are new sets of the Harvard Classics and the Cambridge edition of Shakespeare that belong to JAKE - others in the shelves belong to BESS, acquired when she was a student in the College of the Ozarks - there is also a novel, a story of romance in Oklahoma Territory, called "Jack Brainerd" and it is written by JOHN W YOES, one of FANNY's brothers - the book was released in 1904 by Eastern Publishing company in boston -
across the street, WALTER and NELL have the 11th edition of the Enyclopedia Britannica and KATE and JIM have joined the National Geographical Society - also in their home are The Literary Digest, The Ladies Home Journal and Delineator magazines - the daily papers come from Springfield Missouri and Fort Smith, Arkansas -
the home of JESSE and FANNY also has mucical instruments, a violet and a cornet, both which were hung on the wall - JESSE played country music he had heard all his life on his fiddle - always solo - and the horn belonged to JAKE - there is also a shotgun on the living room wall but the GILSTRAP men were not hunters, nor fishermen, although WALTER had a set of fishing rods in a leather case [used only once] -
in 1908 WALTER and NELL went with her brother, ED JETER, and his wife, ANNIE JETER, and the JOHN GILLS to boxley, believed to be in newton county, to fish on the buffalo river - the story goes that they went to pettigrew by train and arranged to use teams and wagons from the sawmills - the ladies and children traveled in the rig with the men and their helpers driving the three wagon which carried tents, cots and other camping equipment - one wagon was loaded with hay for the horses and mules - in those days, the trip required an overnight stop - but they had forgotten the suger and went to a nearby farm to buy some - however, the farm family, recent european immigrants speaking little english, welcomed them into their home and were unwilling to take a cent for the molasses they shared - the buffalo river was clear and sparkling and the fish large and abundant - they all had a glorious time -
but when they got back to saint paul, JESSE was furious - WALTER had missed the masonic ceremonies for a mr. welton's funeral - it seems that the masonic lodge was JESSE's church - and he and his sons, except for young WILLIAM, attended meetings, held office and took part in the funeral services for fellow masons - the lodge rooms were on the second floor of the school building - FANNY told the story to her grandchildren of how her father, JACOB YOES, having been taken prisoner during the civil war - as he rode through a pass where he would be a target, he held his hand up in a masonic signal and was unharmed -
FANNY's social life was family and church centered - she was a shouting methodist and was known to ferventl cry, praise the lord, amen! during sermons - the church she attended was the white one on a hill by the schoolhouse, an interdenominational church that served ministers of various protestant faiths - a presbyterian minister, brother stockburger, would come once a month from fayetteville and NELL, KATE and JIM were in his flock -
there was another church in saint paul on the same street as their house and just a block away - the church of christ or campbellites as they were also called - that congregation was about 20 families in size and they sang without accompaniment, with their only musical instrument a tuning fork -
during the summer months, a singing teacher spent two or three weeks teaching members and anyone else music with shaped notes - the young people in the family attended the singing school and revivals, too - and those who did stay home could hear the singing and sometimes, the sermons as well - in the summer of 1912, there were no street noises, nothing after the train had made its daily run and the mills had closed for the day - there were no buses, motorcycles, cars - only bird calls, the lowing of cattle, barking dogs, croaking frogs and the roar of a falls that comes into existence down the mountain back of the house after a long rainfall -
throughout their lives, JESSE and FANNY were early risers and went to bed early, too - FANNY had chores from sun up till sun down and JESSE's retirement did not affect her schedule - there was no electrical power in saint paul then - they used wood for cooking and heating - WILLIAM was old enough to help bring in the wood, draw the water for washing, the cow and chickens and his pony - and sometimes milking the cow - the GILSTRAP children were taught to take on chores at an early age -
WILLIAM was also the one who brought in the groceries and seed from the store - by wheelbarrow - in 1912, the family bought flour and sugar in 50 pound bags, lard in 25 pound stands and at least five pounds of coffee at a time - the coffee was in the bean, and ground fresh each morning -
the GILSTRAPS like other families in the community ate chicken on sunday - cured pork - bacon or sausage - the rest of the time - there was no butcher shop and no refrigeration in any of the stores - freshly slaughtered beef was bought occasionally from farmers or townsment who arranged to sell it to people who could use it at once -
FANNY cooked three hot meals a day year round and often baked cakes - she would always set an extra plate or two on the table and was never flustered when there was unexpected company -
one of FANNY's granddaughters, MARGUERITE, remembers always being surrounded by adults in her grandparents' home - uncle JAKE teased her - she listened to their talk which was often about health - catarrh, female complaint - she remembered her grandparents also went to hot springs to take the baths -
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JACOB YOES
born September 3, 1839 died February 6, 1906
married MARY ANN REED January 17, 1858 Washington County Arkansas
Yoestown, Arkansas - The community of Yoestown received its name from Jacob Yoes, owner of the large plantations on the Arkansas River.
Colonel Yoes, Sergeant in the United States Army at the close of War in 1865, [photo left] was the owner of large mercantile interests along the Frisco railroad at Mountainburg, Chester, Armada, Winslow and West Fork and when he became United States Marshal for the western district of Arkansas in 1889 he began to convert his mercantile interests into lands. In February 1892, he bought the Dillard James lands, 707 acres, and established headquarters at Moore’s Rock.
In 1901 he acquired two hundred acres of the Sidney Austin land to escape the inconvenience and danger of overflow of the Arkansas River. Col. Yoes moved his headquarters to this tract. On this tract, he built a large cotton gin, with seed houses, cotton houses, warehouses, a blacksmith shop, saw mill, grist mill and large store building all for the use of the public. He also built a large eight-room dwelling and thus a wilderness became a prosperous business center, through the organizing genius of one man. Since his death in 1906, the citizens have honored his name by calling the place Yoestown. Pg. 410 History of Crawford County by Clara B. Eno, published by the Van Buren Press Argus 1951.
THE STORY OF THREE WOMEN
A CIVIL WAR CASUALTY
by Robert G. Winn
Flashback Volume 27 No. 1
The three women who dug the shallow grave to bury a young man that dark night during the War Between the States had no thought of establishing a cemetery. Their only purpose was to give the murder victim a decent burial which would not be discovered by bushwhackers who had fired the fatal shot, and also to avoid retribution that might fall upon them if they themselves were suspected of harboring a member of the enemy forces.
Whether the men who killed the youth were southern sympathizers or merely renegade bushwhackers is not known, as the two accounts of the shooting and the identity of victim in detail.
One version of the story as told by Miss Orphie Edmisten to Mrs. Iris Collier, present owner of the farm on which the cemetery is located is as follows:
It is during the Civil War when most of the able-bodied men were away fighting in the Union or Confederate armies. Jacob Yoes, owner of the farm, was with the Federal troops. His young wife, living alone on the farm, had been joined by two other young wives whose menfolk were away. The identify of the women is not positive. One was a Mrs. Poor; a second was a Mrs. Center. All three of the names are those of earliest pioneers in the southern part of Washington County.
As they went about their tasks of keeping the house and doing what farming they could in the absence fo their men, the women were always alert, listening for any sounds which might herald the approach of the soldiers or marauding bands of dreaded renegade bushwhackers. At the sound of horsemen approaching, all the livestock, poultry or produce that could be hidden was quickly concealed. Much of the fighting in the mountains was carried on by guerrilla groups foraging over the country, taking what they could get their own survival.
As the women worked on this particular day, they were alerted by the sound of a gunshot not far away. Soon horses were heard approaching and a band of renegades rode up the gate. They could be either outlaws or Southern sympathizers in search of Northern soldiers. Mrs. Yoes greeted the men from the doorway of her log cabin. The leader inquired whether she had seen a young soldier. She replied that she had seen no one. The two other women, standing in the background, verified her denial. Three of the men dismounted and with drawn weapons at the ready. The men searched through the house and the outbuildings. Satisfied that nobody was hiding on the premises, they departed without foraging for food or livestock. The were obviously in pursuit of someone who had eluded them.
The women were greatly disturbed by the hot they had heard and the search by the bushwhackers. Who was the object of the search? Was the person one of their own men, trying to return home for a short time away from his regiment? Was he a friend or neighbor - or some other outlaw lurking in the vicinity? As they were thus speculating, they heard a low moan from the weed covered garden near the house. Not knowing what to expect - whether the sound was actually coming from someone in distress or was a decoy to lure them to some unknown danger - they waited. Soon a blue-clad figure was seen moving toward the house and a feeble call for help was heard. Then a young Union soldier appeared. While the women stood immobile with fear and surprise, he dragged himself to the front step, collapsing in a pool of his own blood. Obviously, he was seriously wounded. The shot that the women had heard earlier had found its mark, but the victim had managed to conceal himself, apparently giving the impression that the bullet had missed its target. The men had come by the house and searched in the belief that they had lost their prey.
As quickly as possible, the women tried to bandage the ugly wound, and they managed to get the soldier into the house, out of sight in case the outlaws should return. In spite of their efforts to save him, however, the young man died that day. He was a stranger. A search of his clothing failed to reveal any identifying information. Fearing for their own lives if the outlaws should return and find them digging a grave, the women decided to conceal the body as best they could until after dark and to bury it in the woods across the field from the road and house. They wrapped the body in blankets and, protected by the darkness, carried it across the field and into the even darker protection of the forest. There, they dug a shallow grave and after offering prayers for solace to whoever the family of the youth might be, the women committed the body to the earth. As they feared reprisals if it was discovered that they had performed this act of mercy, they disguised the grave as much as possible to conceal the fact that the earth had been disturbed. Leaves and trash were raked over the spot. A native field stone was placed at the head, but in such a way that a casual observer would think it merely lay there, not that it marked the last resting place of a young man who had been shot down so ruthlessly.
* * * * * * *
The other version of the incident - told to Mrs. Elsie Center Jones of Fayetteville - is that the teen-aged son of one of the women was in the house with the three women when the bushwhackers were seen approaching. The boy wanted to run out the back door and hide in the woods. His mother, thinking that because of his small stature, the men would not harm him, talked him into staying. She feared that the men would shoot anybody seen fleeing from the house. However, when the outlaws entered the room and saw a young man as large as some youths serving in the military forces, they killed him on the spot. A secret burial at night agrees with the first version. The difference in the stories is that the second version identifies the youth as a member of a local family. The mother was rumored to have grieved the rest of her life, feeling that if she had permitted her son to run as he wanted to do, he might have escaped. Thus, she blamed herself for his death.
Nobody interviewed now knows which version is correct - only that a young man was shot and was buried in the woods and that the location became the Yoes-Collier Cemetery.
The log cabin still stands. Mrs. Collier says that for many years, when rain dampened the step, a dark spot appeared, indicating the place where the young man’s blood had soaked into the wood.
* * * * * * * *
At the top of the hill known as West Mountain, on the road from Winslow to the Devil’s Den State Park, turn left off the blacktop onto the dirt or gravel road, follow this road, keeping right at all forks for the 1.2 miles to the cemetery. No sign of any kind names the place. It is known now as Yoes-Collier, simply because of the ownership of the l and. Only the earliest day Yoes are buried there, and none of the Collier family.
JACOB became a US Marshal after the war and was known as "the one who cleaned up the last of the 'tough gangs' " - 
census records of June 1, 1870 show that JACOB [aged 30] and MARY [aged 32] lived in West Fork Township, Washington County, Arkansas, where they owned and lived on a farm valued at $2,000 with personal property approximating $1000 - living with them at that time were these children; namely, Conrad aged 10, "L" a female aged 9, James aged 5, "Jill" [name illegible], female aged 7, and GA Yoes, a male one year old - also listed is a JD Loftin [name not legible], a white male aged 17, who is listed as unable to read or write and is shown as deaf/dumb/blind/insane - the identity of this person is not known to me -
George A Yoes ["GA" in census], born in 1869 in Winslow Arkansas went on to become a law enforcement officer also serving under Judge Isaac Parker, the Hanging Judge, like his father, Jacob - George married Margaret E Green - he died in 1947 in Washington County, Arkansas -
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THE LAW ENFORCEMENT DAYS OF JACOB
courtesy of Kathy Weiser's Legends of America
Jacob "Blake Jake” Yoes (1839-1906) - One of the best known of Judge Isaac Parker’s U.S. Marshals, Yoes was also a miner and an entrepreneur. Born in 1839 in West Fork, Arkansas to Reverend Conrad and Kissiah Bloyed Yoes. He left home at the age of 17, later married Mary Ann Reed, and worked in the lead mines in Granby, Missouri. In 1862, he enlisted in the First Arkansas Cavalry of the U.S. Army where he fought in the Battle at Prairie Grove. During his service, his primary task was fighting bushwhackers, of which, he is said to have killed about 50 men. Along the way, he took shots in both hips and the left leg. In 1864, he refused a 1st Lieutenant's commission and was discharged.
In 1870, he established a country store near Winslow, about 25 miles south of Fayetteville, Arkansas
and about the same time, was elected as the Washington County Sheriff. Yoes' entrepreneurial spirit continued as he built a number of stores all along the Frisco Railroad between Fayetteville and Fort Smith, established a flour mill, and owned interests in a canning factory and several hotels. Later, he would also serve in the Arkansas legislature.
Photo of Fort Smith Courthouse and Jail [right], ca. 1875 - courtesy of Fort Smith National Historic Site and Kathy Weiser's Legends of America.
In May of 1889 he was appointed U.S. Marshal of the West District of Arkansas with 200 deputies under his command. Later, he developed a number of real estate interests and the community of Yoestown, Arkansas was named for him. Jacob Yoes died February 6, 1906 and was buried in the National Cemetery at Fort Smith, Arkansas. YOESTOWN The community of Yoestown received its name from JACOB YOES, owner of large plantations on the Arkansas River. Colonel Yoes, Sergeant in the United States Army at the close of the War in 1865, was the owner of large mercantile interests along the Frisco railroad at Mountainburg, Chester, Armada, Winslow and West Fork, and when he became United States Marshal for the western district of Arkansas in 1889, he began to convert his mercantile interests into lands. In February 1892, he bought the Dillard James lands of 707 acres and established headquarters at Moore's Rock. In 1901 he acquired 200 acres of the Sidney Austin land to escape the inconvenience and danger of overflow of the Arkansas River. Col. Yoes moved his headquarters to this tract. On this tract, he build a large cotton gin, with seed houses, cotton houses, warehouses, a blacksmith shop, saw mill and large store building all for the use of the public. He also built a large eight-room dwelling and thus, a wilderness became a prosperous business center, through the organizing genius of one man. Since his death in 1906, citizens have honored his name by calling the place Yoestown. [pg. 410 History of Crawford County by Clara B. Eno, published by the Van Buren Press Argus 1951]
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JACOB YOES FAMILY
JACOB's father
WILLIAM CONRAD YOES
born _____ died _____
married KIZIE BLOYD on ____________
KIZIAH [KIZIE] BLOYD YOES
born _________died__________
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THOMAS JOHN GILSTRAP
MY GREAT GREAT GRANDFATHER
born 1836 died 1862
married ANN MARY MCCLENDON
born 1839 died 1914
in 1836, my great great grandfather was born in tennessee to ISAAC and LOCHIE DAVIS GILSTRAP - the 1840 census shows his parents in macon county missouri and ten [10] years later, in cove creek township, washington county, arkansas - his great grandfather, PETER GILSTRAP, along with three brothers, came to this country from the british isles in 1749 and settled on the east coast in craven county, north carolina - PETER GILSTRAP fought in the revolutionary war -
his father, ISAAC, a confederacy sympathizer, was a slave owner in missouri and when war broke out, ISAAC's oldest son JESSE, then 38 years old, a millwright living in "the narrows" [now called mountainburg], "took with him 17 recruits to the federal army at cassville, missouri - when colonel larue harrison obtained leave to organize an arkansas regiment, JESSE GILSTRAP raised the first field company" - he was made a captain and THOMAS JOHN was made a first lieutenant - other recruits were their brothers, BENJAMIN and WESLEY, and their brother-in-law, REUBEN BURROWS -
on august 29, 1858, THOMAS JOHN married ANN MARY McCLENDON, with the marriage being witnessed by JOHN THOMAS' younger brother, WESLEY - ANN MARY was the daughter of JOSEPH BARNWELL McCLENDON [1792-1865] and JANE LODEN [1797-1841] and was born in 1839 in bledsloe county, tennessee - JAND LODEN died when ANN MARY was but two [2] years old - JOSEPH McCLENDON, after her death, remarried and the family moved to washington county, arkansas -
a year after THOMAS JOHN's marriage to ANN MARY, when their first baby, JESSE, was born, JOHN THOMAS' mother, LOCHIE GILSTRAP, served as midwife, according to the pension records in the archives -
in november 1862, THOMAS JOHN died of pneumonia at cross hollows, benton county, arkansas [his date of death is listed elsewhere as november 3, 1863] - REUBEN was killed in the battle of prairie grove in december and BENJAMIN died of pneumonia in january - JESSE was assigned to what we would now call guerilla warfare and a year later, mustered out of the service on charges of "lax discipline, sleeping out of quarters without leave, failing to make proper company reports and uncleanliness of person" - in the files at the archives, there is an eloquent defense contained in a letter to general rosencranz - he was given an honorable discharge and elected to the legislature - sadly, he, too died a young man in 1866 - of the brothers, THOMAS JOHN is the only one buried in the national cemetery in fayetteville, arkansas -
four years after the death of THOMAS JOHN, at the age of 30 years, ANN MARY McCLENDON GILSTRAP married WILLIAM HAMILTON BROCK [Major]
[born june 1826 in north carolina and died march 27, 1912 in fayetteville, arkansas]
on december 10, 1868, with the ceremony being performed by justice of the peace, Guilford Center, in washington county, arkansas - copy of marriage recordation below:
Major Brock had also been married previously, to SARAH EMMALINE SINIARD 1825-1866, with whom he had at least five [5] children: Martha Ann 1851-1904, Huet 1852-1916, Mahala Catherine "Kitty" 1855-1928, Amanda "Mandy" J 1859-1912, and Mary Louise Brock 1864-1941-
His parents were ISAAC [TEXAS] BROCK 1805-1901 and LUCINDA CAROLINA HILL 1810-1849 - just as an aside, ISAAC was renown for his longevity as the man who lived three [3] centuries - at the age of 74, he joined the confederate army in 1861 and served four [4] years as a blacksmith -
DOUBLE CHECK SOURCES ON PARENTS
ANN MARY McCLENDON GILSTRAP
in order to receive a pension for her husband's service in the union army, information about her marriage and the legitimacy of the baby was necessary, which is why it is recorded in the archives - the pension she received after THOMAS JOHN's death was $17.00 per month until her remarriage - in 1904, at the age of sixty-five [65], ANN MARY [see photo to the right] was considering a divorce from her second husband, WILLIAM BROCK, who had left home several years before - their six children were all grown and again, with a divorce, she could qualify for the pension from THOMAS JOHN, her first husband - however she had to obtain statements from numerous neighbors in west fork, arkansas, about her need for it and that she had no property - thereafter, her pension was restored in 1906 and she drew $17.00 a month until her death on november 17, 1914 - she, too, is buried in the national cemetary in fayetteville, arkansas -
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ISAAC GILSTRAP
MY GREAT GREAT GREAT GRANDFATHER
born 1799 died 1877
march 22, 1822 - tennessee
married LOCKIE DAVIS
born 1801 died 1873
=========================================================================
BENJAMIN GILSTRAP
MY GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GRANDFATHER
born 1766 died 1806
married WINIFRED MUMFORD
==========================================================================
PETER GILSTRAP Jr.
MY GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GRANDFATHER
born 1735 died 1797
married MARY JANE BRIGHT
born 1764 died 1802
==========================================================================
PETER GILSTRAP Sr.
MY GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GRANDFATHER
born abt 1705 - died between oct 1767-28 apr 1768 in new bern, craven county, NC
1730 in Somerset Maryland married
RACHEL AYDELOTT
born abt 1710 in Somerset, Maryland
died ________ in _________
[daughter of BENJAMIN H AYDELOTT and SARAH FOOKS]
"According to family tradition one.*
Thomas (some say Peter) came from England somewhere between 1725 and 1750. Some say he had three sons, others that he had four sons. Their names were Peter, Phillip, John and Idlett. According to some their names were James, John Idolet and Peter.
There was a tradition that they all took part in the Reveloutionary War. That two were killed in the war. That they settled in Virginia. That the Elder ( Peter) Gilstrap lived to a good old age. As he grew old and childish he wanted to return to England. He was left at home one Sunday with some grandchildren while older members of the family went to church. He took and axe and wandered off into the woods and was never seen again. It is supposed he was destroyed by wild animals. His axe and hat were found. Also where he had digged in the groung supposedly for water.
Peter went south and settled in North Carolina.
Note: Also from this letter Mary stated "I have queried more that one person who has listed Thomas as the father of the brothers in Craven County NC and without exception have been told that the source was William Henry Gilstrap of Taocma records. You will note that he does not say Thomas was the father-Obviously someone read this info of his and took it as verification - It was published in his biography and that may be where it was picked up as Thomas"
*The above copied from a letter written by Mary Cassad to Robert Gilstrap dtd 5 June 1989 . [copy of letter on file in Robert Gilstrap's file. ID # 3633 - (Excerpt from the W H Gilstrap collection at the Washington State Historical Society, Tacom a Washington. Copied 19 May 1989 by Mary Casad, San diego, CA)
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THOMAS GILSTRAP
MY GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GRANDFATHER
born abt 1705 St Peter Nottingham England - died ______ in __________
june 18, 1693
married
HANNAH HASELING
born St Mary Nottingham, England
=============================================================
JAMES GELSTROP
MY GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GRANDFATHER
born abt 1640 [England?] - died _____ in ________
married _____________ on___________ in______________
born_________ died___________
winifred alwilda "ruth" perry
ruth 1909
ca. 1910
ca. 1911
ca. 1912
handwritten notes on back of photo above indicate
1917 - 11 years of age
handwritten notes [left] on reverse of photo above written by ruth perry
1919
1922 - age 16 years
1925-1930
1925-1930
1926-1927
1926
late summer 1930
1930
ca. 1930
ruth perry raines lynn
1934 christsmas
december 1934
