Volume 36, Number 3 - Winter 1997
The Wilderness Road, 1876
transcribed by Linda Myers-Phinney
"May the 1st AD 1876
To the Honorable County court of green county. No 11w] we the undersigner and citizens of Christian County no[w] would respectfully petition your honorable body to grant us the right of way or rather change the dutch store and harrison arkansas road to springfield so as to give us all the privilidge of traviling the most pracible [practicable] and direct rout to springfield and further more there is only one fording that we can travil with safety in time of hy waterli.]
the road that we want you to open and change has bin open for 20 years untill resently by james Driden for spite he dames that the road damages him on the account of teamsters burning his railes [.] is this alone reason enough for you to shut us out from your town where all of out wheat and produce from this county and all North arkansas travilsil?] if so foretell to the good citizens on this side of the james river[.] mr james driden lives on the North side of the river so he is independent as to the convinents of othersl.]
we have non we are shut out entirly and this is the only way we can be heard is threw your Honorable bodyl.] We only ask mr driden to gave us 20 feete on the bank of the river for 200 yards and that is land that is worthless to him for it over flows entirly most every springli.] it dont damage him to the amount of $2.00 dollar ayearll.] this road is travel from one to 75
wagons aday in the coton and produce season and is Not seconlid] to any road threw the state but should be looked to as one of the first class roads threw the statell.]
say we turn the trade of North Arkansas the other direction and unless they are most respected than they have bin in the way of roads they will turn Ii.] then your town will then begin to feel the Nead of this and other good roads for the sake of humanity we ask your Honor to give this road and give it ainediatlyl.]
Hour reasons for asking this favor of you is 1 because there is but few fording on the james river that we can hold the botoms that your Honorable body knows and this is one of those placesll;] 2 because we save one mile and one half in distance in 411;] 3 because we save climing one amonkest the worst hills in southwest Mo and places the road on good and fare beter land than at the present[;] 4 because the road injers no one atoll;] 5 because eavory body elce from beginning to Ending is willing to gave the people aroad to travil to springfieldli;] 6 because the road in Christian county is located and surveyed out to the green county line on the old traveled rout and there we stand wating for you to let us come threw according to previous primoss and shoke hands on the half way grounds[.]
the road we ask you to locate is commencing at the
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south boundry of the green county line North of II] [] on the east side of the old Archy Payne farm thence North to the fording ofjames river some 15 rod above the mouth of the Wm B Edwards spring Branch (se qtr of sr tow 28 rang 22 section 26) then north up the Edwards spring by way of M C Edwards thence north west [?] so as to intersect the old road at or near the old James McCroskey place south of gery Pates for which we will eaver beg and pray your Honorable body[.]"
Signed by:
John E. Keltner
John M Keltner
A. G. Webb
John A Keltner
William Smith
Wm Vaughn
T G Coin
[illegible]
J B McLean
David McCauley
T Ray
Isac Rule
W A Wasson
N I Nokes
T Warm
Win Young
George Bowlin
H W Cornog
Joseph Marlyy
[illegible]
T H McCauley
John Soneal
Wilson West
William Rhea
John W McConnell
BFHohn
William Tennis
Milton Brown
J G CBreseal
W C WelLs
P L Keitner
John Collins, county surveyor
John A Gibson
John H Dorr
John King
H B Surber
Kurt Gideon
J W McCafferty
John Wilhite
T L White
Stephen Handy
Jacob Prewett
G H Collins
David Tennison
Georg W Nokes
James W Edwards
T C Duncin
William Hilton
Cyrus Bloomfild
E.P Wade
[illegible]
A A Pendleton
W B Mills
C M Nokes
John Bolin
J T Wade
H Wisener
P Collins
John Gooch
James Wasson
A J Slay
S C Warren
J M Payne
Soliman Bowlin
G W McConnell
John H Goddard
J B Winn
David W[ill]
William Hurst
Milton Estes
J W McConnel
W B Faught
George W Morly
William Wilhite
William North
D M Chesnut
T H White
G A Wasson
Wm Tatoum
James Hammons
Rufus Tyler
James Wilhite
William Brumly
W B Duncin
M P Sanders
John D McCrosky
J H Handy
J M Keltner
James Horn
Wilson Tennis
Samuel T Moses
M L Edwards
P.H.. Kerr
Joseph Inmon
J T Nokes
T W Handy
RA Reese
Albert Stifler
John R Mills
T C Bowlian
[ill] Nortin
E Wade
R Brasel
T A Blevins
J H Keltner
J M Young
George [ill]
A S Wade
P M Keitner
William Smith
J W Standed
T J Cash
W T Brown
W C McConnell
William Jones
A J Reese
John Cook
F M Gideon
C W Bylor
James Haye
J J Gideon, county attorney
AM Melton
G D Collins
James S Jones
N P Ginger
W G McConnell
Thomas T McCauly
E Mayabb
H C Collins
John Collins (marked out but counted)
Jackson Hall
J Keltner
Robert Hedepeth
D J Grumley
A Hammons
AT Stallions
L C Faught
James g Faught
J W Johnson
H H Keltner
Darby Morley
John R Edwards
John W Faught
G Bowlian
E Bowlian
J Melton
S Brasel
G W Blevins
Stephen Sink
J W Young
Ben T Davis
R B Bennett
S D Goddard
Simon Wisner
Alfred Pitts
G T S Brown
Joseph Jones
Danel Stephon
Thomas Crabtree
J S Nornett
LAWilhite
T P Gideon
James Herindon
G H Hand
James Ray
James W Wli
Martin Hancock
T P Martin
Henry Mills
J M Ray
David Wilhite
.John Handy
C C Cuan
G Keltner
James McConnell
Neliton Cox
D M [ill]
W W Gideon
County Court Records Bk D-2, p. 474-5. Petition by Greene Co. residents to continue road from Christian Co. on into Greene Co. July 6, 1876, Signed by M. H. Mack & 24 others.
Greene County Road Petitions, Folder #53, Greene County Archives.
[Names number 178. Transcribed spelling is uncertain on many as original writing is difficult to decipher. Many signatures appear to be by a single individual; if signed by the petition-gatherer for the illiterate this would account for the phonetic spellings 2nd variations of names. Paragraphs are inserted for easier reading. Linda Myers-Phinney.]
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