Arkansas Ties

This giant stag is located in front of the new Nature Center in downtown Little Rock.  Sculpted by Tim Cherry.  You can follow this massive beast from start to finish on Mr. Cherry’s website: Tim Cherry. Beautiful work!

The Stag at the foundry with sculptor Tim Cherry.

Genealogy Expo

The 1st Annual Genealogy Expo will be held Saturday, April 30. The event will be held from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM at the Russellville Outdoor Living Center Recreation Building. There is no charge for admittance and no charge to set up a table with your information or as a vendor. Tables and chairs will be provided. The Expo is sponsored by the River Valley Genealogy Society. The Society was formed in 2009 with a goal of being a genealogy research help group. Members volunteer to help others with their research and “brick walls”. The group covers six counties which include Conway, Faulkner, Perry, Pope, Van Buren and Yell Counties.

The Genealogy Expo is an opportunity for those who are interested in genealogy to come together and share information and photos. Those who wish can reserve a table to display their family histories and photos. Visitors will be able to browse through the tables and hopefully make a connection with someone who is also researching their family lines. Many happy connections have been made in the past at such events. This is a great opportunity to share information as well as photos and documents. Vendors with genealogy related materials are also welcome. There will be vendors on hand with various books, CDs and other resources for sale. The sponsor of this event, River Valley Genealogy Society, will have tables set up with the various genealogy helps and aids for research as well as information about the society. The Society has recently compiled an obit book which will be available for purchase. A genealogy bulletin board will be set up where visitors can post queries and contact information in hopes that someone who visits will also be researching those lines.

Please make plans to attend the Genealogy Expo. For more information or to reserve a table contact River Valley Genealogy Society at rivervalleygenealogysociety@gmail.com or call 501-354-4428 or 501-208-4213.

Linda has gathered us up some more cemetery decoration days:

Cato/Frenchmen Mountain UMC & Cemetery
Cato & Frenchmen Mountain Rds.
Northwest Pulaski County

Decoration Day and Homecoming the first Sunday in June. This year this will be on Sunday, June 5th. They have a business meeting, worship service, potluck and decorating of the graves. Watch the paper for times.

Sumner Cemetery
North Central Pulaski County
Cabot, AR

Decoration Days the 3rd weekend in May, this year May 14th and 15th.

You may mail donations to:
Sumner Cemetery
C/O Trustee Kenneth Boyd
2507 W Cleland Rd.
Cabot, AR 72023

Bethel United Methodist Church Cemetery
7417 Jacksonville Conway Rd
Jacksonville, AR 72076-7615

April 30th and May 1st

Hickory Plains on Highway 38 between Des Arc and Cabot will be May 8, Mother’s Day Sunday.

Oak Grove Cemetery-Lonoke County
Oak Grove Road & Hicks Road
Austin/Cabot AR – May 1st.

These are great days to take your kids out to the cemeteries and introduce them to their ancestors!

The Twenty-second North Arkansas Ancestor Fair will be held June 3 & 4,
2011 in Marshall, Arkansas. Friday is seminars on finding Civil War
soldier ancestors and Searcy and surrounding counties in 1861, including
“Recruiting for Dixie” and “The Peace Society (and Chain Gang)”.
Saturday is the Genealogical Swap Meet with tables & chairs for all
family historians, genealogical socfieties and vendors.

For more information, including places to stay and eat, go to:
www.ancestorfair.us
or contact Shirley Gray at: shirleysdream@windstream.net

Desmond (Arkansas Research) has sent us photographs of the University of Central Arkansas World War II memorial located in Faulkner County.  These memorials amaze me…these are the students from ONE school.

On February 22, 1946, a memorial service was held in Ida Waldran Auditorium to remember those alumni who died in World War II.  In the same year an Oak tree was planted in memory of each fallen student.  The stately Oaks line Donaghey Avenue and stand in front of Wingo, McCastlain and Bernard Halls.

We are your fellow alumni who answered our nations call to arms. We did our duty and died young in the service of our country.  We ask that you remember the price of freedom.

UCA (University of Central Arkansas) Alumni Killed in World War II

Sgt. Fred Aiken, Army

Lt. Arthur H. Allen, Army Air Forces

Sgt. Milford Pete Atkinson, Army Air Forces

Lt. Jack Baldridge, Army

Ens. Ray Barnett, Navy

Pfc. Jarrell M. Bryant, Army

Lt. Edward W. Butler, Jr., Army Air Forces

Sgt. Norman Ray Byrn, Army Air Forces

Sgt. Johnnie Callahan, Army

Capt. Opie Chick, Army

Lt. Col. Joseph A. Day, Army

Lt. James A. Debell, Navy

Cpo. Troy Deere, Navy

Capt. John C. Ford, Army Air Forces

Lt. Ray Bob Foster, Army Air Forces

Lt. Charles M. Frizzell, Army Air Forces

Pfc. Leo Hamberg, Army

Capt. Louis P. Ingram, Army Air Forces

Sgt. Orland D. JOnes, Marine Corps

Lt. William E. Kennamer, Army Air Forces

Sgt. James H. Mabry, Army

Lt. Robert H. Maddox, Army Air Forces

Lt. Elizabeth B. McGuire, Womens Army Corps

Lt. Reynolds Middleton, Army Air Forces

Capt. Robert T. Mills, Army Air Forces

Capt. Raymond A. Mitchell, Army Air Forces

Lt. Arville Morris, Army Air Forces

Lt. Robert C. Murphy, Army Air Forces

Pfc. Clay A. Nix, Jr., Army

Pilot Officer Joe Parrott, Jr., Royal Canadian Air Force

Lt. Ralph L. Pemberton, Jr., Army Air Forces

Lt. James N. Phillips, Army Air Forces

Capt. Thomas J. Robbins, Army

Ens. Charles L. Rogers, Navy

Lt. Lawrence Rushing, Army Air Forces

Lt. William Russell, Army Air Forces

Lt. Virgil S. Schoeppel, Army Air Forces

Pfc. Ralph D. Sims, Jr., Army

Pfc., James A. skipper, Army

Lt. Thomas J. Smith, R., Army Air Forces

Lt. Walker Tedford, Army Air Forces

Lt. Carl Tobey, Army Air Forces

Sgt. Blake Treece, Army Air Forces

Capt. Glen F. Vick, Army Air Forces

Cadet James U. Walker, Jr, Army Air Forces

Lt. Aljah Buck Wright, Navy

So we now know this is Levy United Methodist Church located in North Little Rock, Arkansas.  Lets see if we can identify some more of the people.  Let us know if you can identify anyone.

Brian Brown has published a new article in his series on researching your Civil War Ancestor.  Not to be missed if you are doing any research in that time period.

• Using War-Time Records to Research Your Confederate Ancestor

Dear Friends,

The 5th Annual Memorial In May Cemetery Preservation Conference of the Preservation of African American Cemeteries (PAAC, Inc.) will be held on May 13 – 14, 2011 at Washington State Park, Washington, AR,

Archeologists, historians, genealogists, cemetery preservationists, church secretaries, funeral home directors, cemetery associations and those interested in learning the proper techniques in documenting, preserving, restoring, protecting and properly maintaining Arkansas cemeteries and gravesites will gather for a two day workshop.

The registration form and schedule of the two day conference is located online at: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~paac/.

We invite all persons interested in the restoration, documentation and preservation of your area cemeteries to please attend. If you have already met this task, we ask that you attend and share your experiences with those in attendance. Please circulate this registration form to your many social and civic organizations, churches, libraries and community groups. Also attached is a Media News Release, please feel free to submit this information to your local newspapers and other media outlets.

Tamela Tenpenny-Lewis
Chapter President
ttenplewis@aol.com

Editor’s Note: If you have any interest in Arkansas Cemeteries, this looks like a wonderful conference to attend with some great speakers lined up. – Pris

From Elizabeth Ruch:

Date: April 23rd, 2011

Name: Ecore De Fabre – French Explorer Reenactment

Time: 10am -4pm

Where: White Oak Lake State Park’s Pavilion

In 1783, a French trader named Fabre settled on a bluff above the Ouachita River and called the settlement “Ecore Fabre,” which is the present city of Camden, Arkansas. In honor of the French trapping days, White Oak Lake State Park is hosting the third Ecore de Fabre Event! Meet reenactors demonstrating the presence of the French trappers in this part of Arkansas during the 1780s. Discover history through demonstrations of what life was like during this time period. There will be a public battle at 1pm. This is a great event for the whole family.

Admission: Free

White Oak Lake State Park – 563, Highway 387

Bluff City, AR 71722.

Call 870-685-2748 for more information

So here are some more blowups of the following picture.  Maybe your grandma and grandpa were in there.  Wolff’s Studio, North Little Rock.  ArkansasTies@gmail.com.