Parish History
by: John T. Cupit
Submitted by Cindy Prince
Note- I did not correct any spelling, I typed the article just as it is written - Cindy.
Beauregard News, Friday, March 13, 1953, page 10
Continuing with the history spoken of in the last article, I will take some of the individual families and give the locations of their homestead and some of the history of their arrival. Later the genealogical records of each family will be given.
Among the early settlers of the region of what is now Southwest Vernon and Northwest Beauregard were the following families.
W.A. Davis who settled on Bundicks Creeks in what is known as the Ikes Community. He came to Louisiana in 1847 from Pike County, Miss. Arsan Leblue came, I believe, from Calcasieu in the early days and settled on Clear Creek, a branch of Bundick, about five miles northeast of the Village of Rosepine. He came about the 1840's. Daniel Cooper came at an early date and settled on Bundick Creek in Southern part of Vernon Parish, near the John C. Davis place, what we know as Diamond Mills Community. We have no other information on this family except that he had a girl who married Addison Phillips before the Civil War and after the war settled near the head of Bundick, south of where Camp Polk now is. William Hanchey settled near Dry Creek in the early fifties. He reared five sons; James Hanchey, John Hanchey, Jeff, Etch, and Tobe Hanchey Sr., of any girls I did not get their names.
John Hanchey was the father of Augustus Hanchey, Thomas Hanchey, John Hanchey and Sereno Hanchey. James Hanchey was the father of Tobe Hanchey, Al Hanchey, James Hanchey, John Hanchey, Jap Hanchey, Howard Hanchey, Elias Hanchey and Benjamin Hanchey.
William Bishop Sr. settled on Bundicks Creek about 6 or 7 miles north of Dry Creek about the time of the Civil War. He reared two sons that we have been given the names of. They were William Jr. and Elijah Bishop. Some of their descendants are I.M. bishop of DeRidder and Walter and Robert Bishop of DeQuincy. I think that a Bishop girl married a Mr. Ford and moved to Desoto Parish.
M.D.A. Cole came to Louisiana at an early date and settled near Smyrna Baptist Church on Whiskeychitto Creek. He married a sister of Joseph Hall and had four sons and five daughters, namely M.C., Joe, Dave, and Ab Cole and Vanna, Mary, Nannie, Kate and Nettie Cole.
Matthew Mathis settled in this territory at an early date and his wifes name is not known. He had 3 sons: John, WIlliam amd Mitchell. The daughters were Mary, Josephine, and Harriet Mathis.
The father of Benjamin and Daniel Stracener was an early settler also. In the same community were Jacob Simmons, the ancestor of Mr. John Simmons and James SImmons, the ancestor of Webb Simmons. Some of the others whose history I do not know were the Austins, Armstrongs, Tremains, and probably a few more in this region along Bundicks and east of the same stream.
Wiliam Green, called the tanner, settled on Bundicks Creek, in the region of what is called Kipling, before the Civil War. Only two of his children are given: Walton and Lionel Green who live in DeRidder.
More could have been given if I could have contacted some of these descendants. I may do so at a later date and give a more complete history of the family. In my next article I will take the Anacoco Creek and west of the same and name families of the early days who settled in this region and also some of territory between DeRidder and Merryville.
Beauregard News, Friday, April 17, 1953, Section 2, page 6
As I continue with family names, I again name those east of the KCS Railway. I will eventually get to those west of the road. If I repeat just remember that I have pages and pages of data and have been given some of it twice. I shall not repeat any information if I can help it, except where I get a more complete detailed information. That will occur as we proceed.
I do not think that I mentioned the W.A. Davis family having settled on Bundicks int he community known as Ikes. He came there before 1840 from Pike county, Mississippi, and will be given more fully later. The Hamilton's came at an early date and settled in the Sugartown community. I am told that their names were Warren, John and Isaac.One of them, Warren I believe was a preacher. I was told also that they had no animals for working their crops and the men pulled the plows while their wives guided them in preparing their land. Most of the cultivation was done with hoes. The present resident of Beauregard know their descendants.
James Miller, who if I am not mistaken, is a brother to Levi came at an early date. He married Laura Lindsey, daughter of W. B. Lindsey. Some of their children were Walter, Samuel, Edgar, Ras, and Web Miller. The girls names are not known.
W.B. Lindsey, wife not known, had Monroe, Albert, Bolan, Laura Lou, and Mary Lindsey. These two families were down Dry Creek way. William Green of the same community, wife not known, had John, Wiley, Frank, Newton, Moses, Bill, George and Ophelia Green.
Isom Bailey settled on Bundick north west of Dry Creek and only one child is known at this time, that is Alfred Bailey.
A Mr. Bradford settled in the Dry Creek community and the only one of his children given me was William or Bill Bradford.
In the Sugartown community was Dr. Farquahar who had a son H.C. Dr. Farquahar was a merchant in Sugartown. Many of his descendants are still in Beauregard. Other merchants of Sugartown were Ashley and Penneger. They left for other towns later.
In the region southeast of DeRidder were the Shirley family. These names have been given me. Before I list them let me as a question, "Did the Shirley family originally come from South Carolina". I would use a more complete history of the family if someone of family will prepare it for me.
D.A. Shirley, wife's name not known, had the following children: Ed, Alex, Calvin, Dave, Warren, James, Carl, Tine, (Is it Voluntine) and if any girls, I do not have them. Ed Shirley's children were Jackson, Marian, Daniel and Emma. I cannot place these exactly as my notes do not say. They are: D. A. Shirley Jr., John Shirley and Walter Shirley.
Out on Whiskichitto was a Mr. Joe and a Mr. Jonathon (Jack) Gibson. They lived near Smyrna Church.
I am told that Saddler Johnson had sons Phillip, who lived near Craven, Harvey, who moved out of Sabine near Starks, and Hardy Johnson.
A Burl Ford settled on Bundicks and two of his children were Louis and Pleasan Ford.
I believe it is said that a Mr. Bundick settled on the Creek that bears his name. North of the Diamond Mill community it was called Smith's Creek for a Mr. Smith that lived up further on the creek.
I am told that Mr. Ainsworth settled the place near Diamond Mill first and then came Mr. John C. Davis about 1885. Mr. Ainsworth had a daughter who married John Keel. Her name was Amanda.
In the Eastern part of the parish was a Mr. Heard. I have the names of two of the children. John Heard of whom I have no infirmation. George Heard and Millers are some way related.
A Mr. Hill lived on the property which later became the John C. Davis place. I have no information on him.
Mr. Benjamin Loftin settled on Bundick Creek about five miles from DeRidder. He had Benjamin Jr., Bud, William and a girl who married Mr. Joe Hall. I do not have anything more except that the descendants of the Loftin and Hall families are related to some of the Simmon's families.
A Mr. Simmons came to Louisiana from Mississippi and married a native of St. Landry Parish. His son James was born in 1833 in Louisiana. James obtained his education in the Calcasieu Parish schools. He married first Jemima Cole and had Joseph Simmons who married Alex Shirley. Mr. James Simmons married 2nd Eliza Barintine. Their children were James Simmons who married Madge Hall, daughter of Joe Hall who had married Miss Loftin, daughter of Ben Loftin. The children of James Simmon's Jr. are not all given, but, Webb Simmons is well known and is an offical of the City of DeRidder and James Simmons III is principal of the Sugartown High School. Ab F. Simmons, Mrs. Ira Martin, Mrs. Salem Myers, Mrs. John Eason.
Uriah Hodges settled on Bundicks about seven miles from DeRidder. His wife is not known. The only son given me was John Hodges. We are told he built the first grist mill in that community.
Beauregard News, Friday, May 1, 1953, Section 2, page 5
As I come into my article this week I will give a short report on a family who settled near Merryville to start with. A Mr. E.L. Cannon, born in 1835, settled about five miles above Merryville, and was the post master of the post office of Loretta. He was Justice of the Peace at the same time. He was appointed or given his commission in 1875 by Governor Nichols. Mrs. N. J. Ward of Merryville still has the commission that was issued. Mr. Cannon married Eppsie Lemon and they had one son, John H. Cannon, deceased. Mrs. Ward is the daughter of John H. Cannon. If there were any other children of John H. Cannon I do not know of them. I visited what I am told is the Cannon Cemetery at Bethlehem Church just a short distance from Merryville, but found only one marker there with the name Cannon on it. Two graves with markers were Robert Lee Sullivan, born 1890, died 1939 and Alice Cannon Sullivan, born 1889, died 1933. I wondered if this Alice was of the same Cannon family.
Since we have just read an article on the death of Mr. Samuel Wingate who was buried at Cooper Cemetery and he was of a family of early settlers of Beauregard, I am giving a brief report on the Wingate family. Three names have been given me, Tobe, Bob and Judge, other than this I do not know their given names. They settled in the antibellam days below Merryville. Tobe I am told settled on Sabine River near Bancroft. The other two went into Texas. Bob went to Beaumont and engaged in cattle raising. Judge went to Orange and engaged in the lumber business. Tobe was the father of two sons and one daughter. There may be others but I do not have them. Thomas Wingate moved to Vernon Parish and was once Sheriff of the parish.
Samuel Wingate, who lived to be 101 years old, has recently passed away. He left 304 living descendants. He was the father of 23 children, 15 of whom are still living. He was married three times. The surviving children are Grover C. Wingate, Mrs. Ida Carrol, Sammie Wingate, Mrs. Ida D. Lott, Hubert Wingate, Joe Wingate, Russell Wingate, Mrs. Nannie D. Reese, Mrs. Effie D. Davis, Mrs. Minnie D. Willis, Mrs. Lucille D. Marshall, David Wingate, Mrs. Hena West, Mrs. Gertie Pritchard, and Van Wingate. The only wife of Sam D. Wingate that I have the name of was Ava Ann Jarrell, born August 4, 1866, died August 18, 1918. Mr. Wingate was born about 1852 and died 1953. The Wingate girl, sister of Thomas and Samuel Wingate, married J. E. McMahon.
I am giving a brief account of a few other families who settled in Beauregard and Vernon Parishes in the early days. I do not have any detailed information on them. I suspect if I tried to give all of some of the families, the paper would have to leave all other items out. Among these settlers were the Fowlers and if anyone knows anything about the family and will furnish it I will use it. The only one mentioned had a small mill and gin on Palmetto Creek near the place called Pleasant Hill some 80 or 90 years ago. This mill was not the modern water wheel type but was an over shot wheel. The wheel was propelled by the water filling propellors and forcing the wheel to turn.
Another early family was the Cagle family. Raliegh, Noah and Ike Cagle were among the earliest. Their father is not known, nor do I have any data except that Henry Cagle is a descendant of the family.
The Frazar family was mentioned in an earlier article, but if someone will prepare or furnish me with data, I will use it. Dr. Frazar is the most prominent one of the family that I have known. How about some of you Frazars furnishing an article for publication?
Here is one of the most numerous group of the parish, I suspect. In the early days Ira, Berry, and Mid Cooley came to what is now Beauregard Parish. They were the fathers of John, Mid Jr., Berry, Asa, Jeff, Sterling, and Bud Cooley. Which were the fathers of whom I do not know. As I have stated they are probably the largest family in descendants of any in Beauregard. I have had the pleasure of meeting many of the descendants and have taught quite a few in schools of Beauregard. The three older Cooleys, I am told, came from near Meridian, Mississippi. Mid Cooley Sr., I am told, moved to Texas and died there.
Moving up into Vernon Parish we find that one Augustus Evans settled near Burr Ferry in very early times, probably by 1840. He married Matilda Abbott. They were the parents of Zack, Gus Jr., David and Neut. Augustus Sr., had a brother who came about the same time but I have been unable to get his name. He was the father of one son that I know of. His name was Jeff Evans. Jeff had several children. Three I know were T.M.(Mat), John and Bob Evans. Some of the grandchildren of Jeff Evans are well known by me. Among them are Richard, Henry Thomas, T.C., Mrs. Docia Simpson, Mrs. Crawford Fletcher, Carrie Evans, all of Rosepine, La., and S. A. Evans and John Evans of DeRidder. A sister of these two eldest Evans married a Mr. Montgomery and moved to Beaumont, Texas. Dr. Alvin A. Evans of DeRidder is a son of Neut Evans. Dr. Evans has several children, one of whom married Jessie Cain and another married Mr. Knippers of DeRidder, La.