GEORGIA CARAVAN of 1852
BATES, ABERNATHY, EDWARDS,
VANDIVER, McBEELES, ANDERSON
The Mena Star
2/30/1930
Interesting News Polk County
Folks
J.P. Saunders, field
representative of the Star
THE ABERNATHY FAMILY
The
hardihood of the pioneer is exemplified in the Abernathy family of big Fork,
for while the youngest in the family is nearly 60 years old, there are still
eight children living—Mrs. Laura Scott
of Montgomery County, 80; Mrs. Nancy Leonard of Okla., 78; Mrs. Margaret Darymore Mena, 75; Rufus,
Big Fork 73; Philip, big Fork, 71; James, Big Fork, 67; Sina,
Big Fork, 62; and Joshua Big Fork,
59. Their parents came with the
Bates, Edwards and Vandivers in 1852, from Georgia. That was 77 years ago—when Arkansas was almost as much of an
infant as were the two little babies they brought with them. When people were few and far between,
when great forests covered the uplands and canebrakes and lowlands. When bears and wolves and panthers and
wildcats prowled through the brush in search of whatever prey might come across
their path. When deer turkey and
squirrel and free-range hogs supplied every want in the way of meat the people
needed. And clear waters were studded with myriads of fish.
The
older Abernathy was born in North Carolina and went to Georgia in the
earlier day. His wife was a
Vandiver. He lived at different places after his arrival here—on the
head of Butcherknife, on the Caddo west of Norman and just east of Big
Fork. In the caravan that came
from Georgia were Enoch Vandiver,
father of Mrs. Abernathy, Fleming Bates,
Wesley Bates, and others. About 70 people in all. Some say
they were over two months on the trip, others six weeks. All accounts
agree that the journey was made in winter
and that the water in the bayous and flat lands was partly frozen over. They
had to cut blackjacks on the Grand Prairie, east of Little Rock, and pile them
to make their beds on to keep them out of the water. They cut trees across the bayous from each side the tops
coming together in the center, for the women and children to cross on. While the teams and wagons swam
across. Mr. Abernathy waded the
icy water and held the wagon bed to keep it from floating off. Others doubtless
did the same thing with their wagons.
Ice was frozen over these waters each morning. After they got out of the swamps they held prayer and
thanksgiving service, so thankful were they to be relieved of such hardships. It was a pleasure to hear the wagons
rattle over the rocks and hills after the weeks spent in the mud and water and
ice.