Submitted by John P. Sartin, his Great Grandson Thanks John!

In the 1850’s, Newton County was one of the prettiest place in our new country. The Little Buffalo River was full of water and flowed through the valleys formed by the Ozark Mountains. The river is bordered by beautiful white limestone bluffs, across from fields and hollows made small streams as it winds around this section of Northern Arkansas. As time went on, every distinctive land mark was given a name and these names are still used today.

This was a land of swift clear springs and deep forests with intermittent valleys, fields, caves, and meadows. The forest provided timber for cabins and homes and the caves provided temporary housing until housing was built. There was a great variety of game that was easily available to the hunters and trappers and the rivers and streams were fully stocked with fish that could easily be caught by traps or fishing. The area was sparsely populated by a few Indians and settlers.

The first family member to explore this area was probably John (Johnny) PHILLIPS, Jr. who was thought to have been a guard on the 'Trail of Tears', which was a series of movements that moved the Cherokee Indians from their native lands in the East onto the Cherokee Reservation in Indian Territory of what is now the State of Oklahoma. This is in Eastern Oklahoma near the town of Tahlequah. The trails to Tahlequah passed near Newton County, which would have been an easy day’s ride.

Johnny was a brother to Jesse Walter PHILLIPS (b. 2 January 1811, NC-d. 1881 Johnson County, AR, who was the father of my great-grandfather, Daniel Russell PHILLIPS. Johnny was impressed with the area and he strongly encouraged his brother to move to Newton County after Jesse sold his homestead in Morgan County, Tennessee.

Jesse married Miriam Permelia EVERAGE (b. 1809, NC-d. 1886 Johnson County, AR) in about 1833 in North Carolina and they remained there until their first child, Dinnah was born and then in about 1835 they moved to Morgan County, Tennessee. My great grandfather, Daniel, was the sixth child and third son from this union and was born in Morgan County, Tennessee on August 27th, 1846.

When Daniel was thirteen, Jesse moved his family to Newton County and settled on a farm in the Pleasant Grove Township near the small town of Hickory Grove. that was west of the present day town of Nail.

After the start of the Civil War, Daniel could hardly wait until he became sixteen, so he could enlist in The Union Army. On April 18th 1863 he signed up for the Company L, Second Regiment of the Arkansas Cavalry Volunteers under the command of Colonel John E. Philips. He re-enlisted at Belafonte, Boone County for three more years on service on May 14th, 1864. He was discharged at LaGrange, Fayette County, Tennessee. His areas of action were mostly in the northwestern part of the state.

While serving in the war, Dan married Clarissa BRAZELL of Newton County, a daughter of James BRAZELL, who had died many years prior in Illinois. When he returned to Newton County, he quickly started his civilian life with his new bride on a farm located about twenty miles south of Jasper, where they made their home until 1869. They then moved to a farm near Parthenon and Dan opened a general mercantile business. He also engaged in farming and worked 180 areas of fertile land along the Little Buffalo River. He was a shrewd businessman and soon accumulated some wealth to show for his endeavors.

Dan and Clarissa had eight children and they are as follows.
1. Permelia M. PHILLIPS, born August 29th, 1865 in Newton County and died on January 16th, 1875. She is buried in The Union Hill Cemetery.

2. Henry Raymond PHILLIPS, born on October 27th, 1867 in Newton County and died on February 3rd, 1947. He and his wife are buried in The Union Hill Cemetery.

3. Sarah PHILLIPS, born on February 8th, 1870, in Newton County and died on February 10th, 1874. She is buried in The Union Hill Cemetery.

4. Lewis PHILLIPS, MD, born on May 22nd, 1873 in Newton County and died on August 2nd, 1918 and he is buried in The Union Hill Cemetery.

5. John (Johnny) Mathias PHILLIPS, born on February 3rd, 1877 in Newton County and died on December 4th, 1945. He is buried with his wife ,Cora Royce in The Union Hill Cemetery.

6. Nancy PHILLIPS, born on February 5th, 1880 in Newton County and died on October 30th, 1898. She is buried in The Union Hill Cemetery.

7. Daniel Russell PHILLIPS, born on March 12th, 1883 in Newton County and died on ______________, He is buried in _________________________________________.

8. General Sherman PHILLIPS, born on January 12th, 1886 and died on November 21st in Carthage, Missouri and is buried in The Wild Rose Cemetery in Webb City, Missouri. He is my grandfather.

In 1910, while Dan and his family were living on his 180 acre spread on the Buffalo, Clarissa became ill and lingered for a while and then died on August 15th, 1910. She was buried in the family plot on Union Hill.

During her final illness, she was cared for by Harriett Allison Ricketts, who with her three sons, had come to live in the Phillip’s home. On October 29th, 1910, she and Dan were married by T. D. Henderson. Dan had been married 76 of his 94 years. The couple later moved to Jasper and operated a café, a butcher shop and finally a rooming and boarding house. At some point in time, they operated a grist mill in Parthenon.

There were two daughters born from this second marriage and they are as follows.

1. Mary Jane PHILLIPS, born on August 21st, 1911 in Jasper and she died on October 22, 1986, in San Diego, California and is buried in the Forest Park East Cemetery in League City, Texas.

2. Cora Lea PHILLIPS, born on February 3rd, 1915 in Jasper and she is still living. Cora Lea is probably the only living child of a Civil War veteran.

'Uncle Dan' as he was often affectionately called was a Methodist and he donated the land where the present Jasper Methodist Church is located. He was a republican and an active mason. He was a member of the Royal Arch Chapter of Jasper and was the treasurer for 41 years. He was also a member of the Vanderpool VFW Post 470F and he was commander in 1917. When he was quite old, he would ride a spirited horse to Cowell to attend lodge and then make the long trip back thru the night to his home. At the time of his death (1941) he was the last charter member of the Buffalo Lodge (Now Wayton) near Parthenon and the oldest mason in the County and one of the oldest in the state. Along with his many fraternal and business activities. he also served as three years as deputy sheriff of Newton County.

Some remember that in his final years, he would sit for long hours in a porch swing and was always happy to have anyone stop by and chat awhile.

After an illness of five days, death came to Uncle Dan on January 19th, 1941. His funeral was held in the Methodist church with preaching by Cyrus Hudson and assistance by the pastor, Reverent Carl Shelton. Burial was in the Union Hill Cemetery along side his first wife.

Harriett Allison-Ricketts PHILLIPS was born in Green County, Missouri on October 3rd, 1873 and was the daughter of William Henry and Sarah Jane Houston Allison. She died on July 6th, 1942 and was buried in The Jasper Cemetery.

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