S. C. Turnbo: TELLS OF HIS FAMILY HISTORY

On the north side of White River in Keesee Township, Marion Co. Ark. is the old George Fritts farm where he lived from the latter 40’s to the 6 day of September 1859. From this date my parents lived there until they were visited by the angel of death. My mother died in January the 15th in 1868. My father died June 14, 1870. My brother LaFayette (Buddy) died 11 days after my mother had passed over the dark valley and here my sister Mary Lucy Turnbo was burned to death in the month of April 1869.

In 1858 while George Frittz lived here he built a large hued log house on the bank of the river and used water out of a noble spring that gushes out of the river bank a few feet above the level of a low-stage of water in the river. A large pine oak and a small elm tree stand over the spot where this cold bubbling water runs out.

Mr. Frittz was a hunter, farmer and blacksmith. His shop stood on the bank of the river just below where he built the big log house. Here in the shop he smelted lead ore from mines known only to himself and made bullets for his own use to kill the antelope monarch of the forest and the big fat gobblers.

One of his mines where procurred lead ore was suppose to be was on Little Buck Creek near a spring of water known as the "pocket" where in the fall of 1859 the writer picked up several fine chunks of lead ore that Mr. Frittz had left there.

When Mr. Frittz purchased this land there was a few apple trees here and being a man that believed in fruit he went to the small town of Springfield, Mo. and brought a lot of apple scions home with him and set them out. They thrived well and bore excellent fruit. One of these trees stood until after the year of 1903.

The first settler on the bank of the river where Frittz house stood was Jesse Yokum who had credit of settling on more than one bottom on White River. Yokum cleared the land first here above the sloo and which was done in the early 20’s. Mr. Yokum sold out to a man by the name of Masters. He was succeeded by Jesse Journygan who put out the first apple trees on this land which yielded large juicy yellow fruit. After Mr. Journygan left a man of the name of McCary lived here awhile, then he sold his claim to Allin Trimble and Trimble sold it to Frittz and the latter entered the first land in this bottom which was done at Batesville in the month of July 1859. My father gave Mr. Frittz $700.00 for the farm crop and part of the stock on the 6th day of Sept. that same year.

George Frittz, Isaac Westfalls and Davis Bolin started to Texas in an ox wagon. When they all reached Wise Co. Texas, their destination, Mr. Frittz was dissatisfied and after remaining there for a few months he...with his family started back to White River. But the old man did not live to see Arkansas again for he died one night while he and his family were in camp near Sherman, Texas. Isaac Westfield (Westfalls) died in Collins Co. Texas. Davis Bolin returned back to Marion Co. and died near Peel and his remains were the first internment in the cemetary there. Bolin was a son-in-law of Frittz and lived awhile in a log cabin that stood on the flat between here and Reid Keesee place. This place where Bolin built his cabin is known as the Bolin Ridge and the spring where he used water out is called "Sweet Water". Among Frittz son’s were John, George, and Henry. The first two named died in Texas. George enlisted as a Confederate Soldier in a Texas regiment and bravely yielded his life for the South on the bloody field of Shiloh.

One day in 1907 I visited this old home place...it is now known as the Jim B. Rosselle land.

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