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Archiver > ARIZARD > 1999-07 > 0930961104
From: Jean Mayfield Cuevas <>
Subject: [ARIZARD-L] YOUNG WHITFIELD, Continued From The Izard County Historian July 1975
Date: Fri, 02 Jul 1999 20:18:24 -0400
"My father, Young Whitfield married Miss Mary Gabriella HERRON on Dec 25,
1898. He was 22 years old and she was 14. To this marriage were born the
following children:
George Hermanb. Sep 221, 1900
Gracie Almab. May 10, 1905, d. Sep 23, 1912
Willie Jadenb. March 13, 1908
Asa Daleb. March 24, 1911
Herron Thompsonb. Sep 24, 1914
Finish Howardb. July 31, 1919
Father worked hard as a farmer all his life, but also felt a calling to
preach the Gospel. He had only received an elementary education in the
Pineville school and later when his children were able to help out on the
farm, he attended two terms at the Mount Olive Academy. He was then 38
years old.
He became a candidate for ordination January 2, 1915 and was ordained at
Pineville on January 7,1917 by the following: Rev. J. S. BONE; Rev. R.L.
KEATHLEY; Rev. G.W. THOMPSON; Rev. A.M. COLSON; Rev. D.R. ROBERTSON, and
Rev. W. A. ROGERS.
A preacher's life in the early 1900's and before was not an easy one. It
was necessary to work hard at some trade, often teaching, but in father's
case it was farming, in order to support a family. They had to travel long
distances, often receiving no payment for their services. Payment was
often made in produce such as vegetables. I remember one time he received
a car load of grapes.
Churches which he served at various times were Hopewell, near Cord; Caney
Springs, near Sage; Mt. Pisgah, in Fulton County; Trimble Flats, in Baxter
County; Glade Community, north of Dolph; Rodney, New Hope, in Independence
County; Barren Fork, now Mt. Pleasant; Strawberry; Harrison; Perogue;
Pineville; Oxford; Bexar; Iuka; Spring Creek; Union; Mountain Grove, at
Byron; Calico Rock; Mt. Olive and Sidney. He also held revivals as far
away as Checotah, Oklahoma.
The first wedding he performed was Gulley SEAY and Stella WAYLAND Seay in
1917.
I remember him telling many of his experiences, a few of which will be
included here. One early incident occurred when he was serving the
Hopewell Church at Cord, Arkansas, about 20 miles east of Batesville. He
went down on the train on Saturday, preached Sunday and Sunday night and
came home on the train on Monday. He had a good riding horse so, some time
in 1917 or 1918 he decided to ride horseback to Cord which was ordinarily a
day and a half ride. But on Sunday night at the close of church services
he received a telephone call that Mother was sick. He was aiming to come
home right away but it being his first trip on horseback in that area, the
natives advised him to stay over until Monday morning. They feared he'd
get lost at night.
He took there advice and started home very early the next morning, followed
the old Jacksonport Road to Sidney, stopped at Porter BONES, fed his horse,
ate lunch at noon and by sundown that night he was home at the old
homestead. The horse he rode that day was a wonderful saddle horse, used
to being rode and gave everything he had that day. he was such a good
horse that Philip WAYLAND offered Father a pair of good work mules in
trade. At the same place he made his famous ride from the Hopewell Church,
he was later offered $260 for one of the mules.
Another of Father's experiences as a minister was in the early 1920s. He'd
been over to the old Caney Springs Church east of Melbourne. It was
halfway between Melbourne and just north of the Sage Road. That time it
was in the Spring of the year and the creeks were up. There was no bridge
over Piney Creek and he drove into the ford. The water came through the
floorboards of the buggy. Both mules went under. Father got out and cut
the tugs. One mule broke singletree and got out. Father went up to the
top of the hill which is now the Atlantic ESTES place to where "Uncle" Tom
RHOADES lived. "Uncle" Tom went with him to help. They took a chain and
pulled the buggy out. Needless to say, he was late getting home that night.
Another of his early experiences was in 1923 when he bought his first Model
T car. He was proud of his new car and wanted to take Mother, myself and
baby brother on a trip. My brother was about 4 and I was 9. Early one
Saturday morning we started out for the Hopewell Church at Cord. It rained
on us all day and it took us all day long to get to the church. We stayed
all nigh with "Uncle" Charley PICKENS. Sunday morning it was still raining
hard. We drove by the church-no one was there-no one appeared. We drove
over to "Uncle" John Pickens and spent Sunday night there. Monday morning
we started back home and we never did even go into the church.
There was little in the way of monetary reward for a preacher in those
early days. There were many, many long trips made when he received nothing
for his services or sometimes less than a dollar. But there was plenty of
good food and fellowship and the knowledge he was doing the Lord's work.
As I mentioned before, Father farmed in order to support his family. He
also raised some of the very best cattle. I remember when he went to an
auction at Mountain Grove, Missouri and bought some of the first Jersey
cows seen in this area and he had one of the finest dairies here.
Father was proud of the fact that he had been a life-long Democrat. He
voted at Pineville precinct, Union Township, for 60 years without ever
missing a general election.
I married Nellie HIVELY on December 25, 1931. To us were born the
following children:
Mary Katherine (Owens)b. Feb 19, 1934
Minnie Joyce (Klein)b. Jul 5, 1836
Carl Deanb. Aug 10, 1938
Gladys Fern (Estes)b. Aug 24, 1942
Betty Gaye (Floyd)b. Nov 12, 1944
Noel Rexb. Jan 17, 1947
-end-
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