Individual Details

HETTIE ALINE JANE HOLLABAUGH WIFE OF JAMES ALEXANDER THOMAS
[ 1842-1923 ] BY CARMEN [ TAYLOR ] BENNETT WIFE OF A.O. BENNETT
[ MRS. A.O. BENNETT BOX 577 PADUCAH TEXAS 79248 ]
*************************************************************************************
THE WORDS OF CARMEN TAYLOR BENNETT [ 1904-19-?? ]
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I have been hesitant to begin the final version of this story of our Grandmother, Hettie Aline Jane [ Hollabaugh ] Thomas. Born October 22 1842 in Wayne County Tennessee. I find that every visit to the research center reveals new materials on her life and the lives of her people, but I have learned too that only those parts of history that are put into writing are preserved.
Since I plan to write a paper on the Hollabaugh Family in general, I shall include in this story only that part of there story that relates to Hettie Jane Hollabaugh Thomas, immediate family Her mother Martha Depriest
Hollabaugh, and father George A. Hollabaugh Son of George C. Hollabaugh and brother of Jacob Hollabough [ note the different spelling of the last name f Wayne County Tennessee by the Tennessee River close to Watts Bar, and Watts Dam one of only seven on the Tennessee River Valley Project. George A. Hollabaugh was born in Wayne County Tennessee in 1814. died in 1857 in Searcy County North West Arkansas in 1857. Martha Depriest Hollabaugh, 1820 - 1907 and Hettie's brothers, John A. Hollabaugh, Born 1838 in Wayne County Tennessee. Emanuel Hollabaugh Born in 1840 Wayne County Tennessee, Thomas Hollabaugh Born in 1849 Leslie Searcy County Arkansas, sister's Mary Catherine Hollabaugh Born in 1836 in Wayne County Tennessee. Rosanna Hollabaugh Born in Leslie Searcy County Arkansas.
Because I have been able to learn so little about the Calvin P. Thomas family and our Grandfather James Alaxander Thomas 1841 - 1868 I shall include them in this dissertation.
The project itself has been a fascinating one - almost a consuming one. My cheif interest in preserving any part of history is ever with hope that my progeny will rolate to the past in a personal way, that they will study history ever aware of the fact that by way of there forebears they have been a part of it all, even back to the time when those long-armed, stoop-shouldered cavemen carved there history on the walls of caves.
Searcy County Arkansas, the setting for this paper was organized in 1836 with Lebanon as its county seat. The seat of Government's name was later changed to Marshall in honor of John Marshall Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1801 -1835.
The Hollabaughs were not in Searcy County when the first Federal census was taken in 1840 . The 1840 census had the following information on it.
The * Head of the family, Number of free * White males under 5 years
Number of free * White Males over 5 years and under 10 years, over 10 and under 15, over 15 under 20 and over 20 under 30 and over 30 under 40 and over 40 under 50 and over 50 under 60 and over 60 under 70 and over 70 under 80 and over 80 under 90 and over 90 under 100 and over 100 years.
Number of free * White Females under 5 over 5 under 10 over 10 under 15 over 15 under 20 over 20 under 30 over 30 under 40 over 40 under 50 over 50 under 60 over 60 under 70 over 70 under 80 over 80 under 90 over 90 under 100 over 100 years. * Number of Male Slaves under 10 over 10 and under 24 and over 24 and under 36 and over 36 and under 55 and over 55 and under 100 and over 100 years * Number of Female Slaves under 10 and over 10 and under 24 and over 24 and under 36 and over 36 and under 55 and over 55 and under 100 and over 100 years. Number of Free Black Males under 10 over 10 and under 24 and under 36 and over 36 and under 55 and over 55 and under100 and over 100 years. * Number of Free Black Females under 10 and over 10 and under 24 and over 24 and under 36 and over 36 and under 55 and over 55 and under 100 and over 100 years. * Number of Individuals engaged in mining, agriculture, commerce, manufacturing, and trades, navigation of the oceans, navigation of the lakes, canals, and rivers. learned porfession and engineering. The Number of * Deaf and Dumb whites under 14 and over 14 and under 25 and over 25..... Note! Searcy County was not listed on the 1840 census. But Calvin P. Thomas was listed with some 100 heads of families.
Grandfather Thomas Thomas had filed on land some nine miles west of Marshall to the right of the road as one drives southwest on Highway 65 as the hill peaks and is marked by the sign Silver Hill.
The best I can determine the Hollabaughs came to Wiley's Cove The name was that of an Indian Chief and would later be changed to Leslie in the 1840's. the name honored an early-day doctor of the area.
I was told that a part of the Thomas's first log cabin is still there.On my trip there in the summer of 1977, I found one building built as the early settlers built them, but it was in such an excellent state of repair, I questioned the information. However I did take pictures of it.
Grandma Hettie Aline Jane Hollabaugh, was listed on the 1850 census as having been born in Arkansas on October 22 1842. I assume that Grandfather James Alexander Thomas and Grandmother Hettie Jane Aline Hollabaugh Thomas , also homesteaded land. To homestead , a person was required to make application to the General Land Office. 160 acres was the limit for free land pay a small fee, and then would be required to live on the land at least six months in each year for three years making certain improvements each year. With proof of having met these requirements the state gave the homesteader a patent to the land.
When Grandma Hettie Aline Jane Hollabaugh Thomas was born on Oucober 22 1842, she joined a household made up of, besides her parents, as Sister Mary Catherine, who had her sixth birthday nearly a month before, a Brother John, who was four and a Brother Emanuel, just past two.Those first -- named siblings had been born in Tennessee, Wayne County. They had made the long trip About 800 miles as the crow flies plus the Mississippi River.
to Arkansas with there parents who were part of a wagon train. There were no other children for several Years. Maybe there were birthing problems of infant deaths, but next came Thamas W. Hollabaugh born in 1849 and lastly, Rosanna born in 1852 who was to remain the baby of the family.
To you who read this, this may seem to be a simply a listing of names, but after my trip to there old home in Wiley's Cove, Leslie they became " real people in the flesh." Even our Mother Martha Alice Taylor, was to be taken there, to that same home as an infant to grow up there in the home of our widowed Great Grandmother Martha Depriest Hollabaugh. I remember now, of Mama Martha Alice " Little Mattie" Thomas Taylor speaking of Great Aunt Catherine's Mary Catherine Hollabaugh children and how they all catered to her " Little Mattie "in there games because "Little Mattie" was smaller than they and did not fare well. All of that checks today in light of our trip for the Shipman land, and Great Aunt Mary Catherine's secound husband was Ervin Shipman, her first husband was killed in the Civil War. It was made all more interesting by the fact that the wife of Great Aunt Mary Catherine's grandson Leslie Shipman now past 80 years old as of 1977
went with us to the places of interest. She was a bright cherrfull. and active little lady and we fell in love with her.
The names of the places and people of whom she spoke of had lain totally dormant for years, but when she spoke of them again they aruosed themselves from the dark receases of my mind and I wished for Grandma and Mama again and wished they could shar that experience with me. I knew that Mama had clambored over those zigzagging rail fences and those neatly built rock fences that separated her home from the Shipman home many times, and
had probably given Grandma much practice in mending her clothes, a task at which Grandma was a specialist. The Shipman descendents still own land all around there and I took pictures of the house in which Great Aunt Mary Catherine lived up untill the time of her death and where Great Grandmother Martha Hollabaugh lived untill her death in 1904 at age 84. It was a rewarding experience even though it was an exhauting one.
I feel sure that the Hollabaugh's spelled Hollabough in Wayne County Tennessee and Texas were respected members of the community for they were to become in time leaders in the fields of education, politics, and finance. They were German people since the Early Roman Empire times from the Middle and upper northern Rhine River Area, and they brought with them to the new world the traits frugality, prudence, thrift and skilled workmanship common to their German heritage. Such characteristics were in good stead
when the family arived in Northwest Arkansas in the earley 1840's It was a primitive area of mountains, rocks and forests. I thank Mr. Orville McIntyre
experssed it beautifully in his history of Searcy County " Searcy County, My Dear", published by the Mountain Wave in Leslie and copyrighted in 1963 when he paid tribute to his and our forebears, and I quote, " Our ancestors obviously provided some of the horny hands, blistered feet, sweaty brows, stiff backbones, stout harts, and willing minds who dug out of the rugged hills a shining jewel which I am proud to call " Searcy County My Dear". I enclosed an enlarged picture of that little house in each of the memory books that I have prepared for my daughters, and I call your attention to the decorative touch over the entry way.,such an adornment was the exception where materials were not readly available, time was scarce and tools were crude. I do not thank for a moment that this was there first home. Neighbors told us that it was much larger when they lived in it, that one room had torn away. They could not have built such an impressive home to start with , for migrants to a new and undeveloped area had to put first things first. mony was scarce and wages were low. Tere was some mining - chiefly salt peter found in the caves and of which they made gun power, that alone with the making of barrel staves, and day labor porvided their mony income. Maybe you would be interested to know that possum skins brought 10 cents, skunks 35 cents, coons 50 cents, mink 70 cents gray fox 60 cents. red fox 40 cents the early teachers drew $ 15:00 per month.
No there was no time for frills when those people arived. After some type of crude shelter was erected, then the clearing of the land, planting and tending the crops took precedence, and those rail and rock fences did not erect themselves.
I do not know if the Thomas and the Hallobaugh's were early day friends in Searcy County I doubt if they knew each other well because the Thomases lived on one side of Marshall on Bear Creek same area as the Watts while the Hallobaugh's lived near Wiley's Cove Leslie about 8 miles as the crow flies. Since Calvin P. Thomas was Searcy county judge in 1848 to 1850, the men folks were probably acquainted. Calvin P. Thomas liked to set high and look down on the judgement. note the Thomas were of German people back ground, I dont know how Grandma Hettie Aline Jane Hollabaugh met James Alexander Thomas, but I can tell you by his picture he was very, very handsome man. I thank Grandma must have been very pretty gril for her features were given and her figure remained trim and petite as long as she lived.

Birth	22 Oct 1842	Wayne County, Tennessee
Marriage	25 Apr 1860	Searcy County, Arkansas - James Alexander Thomas
Death	22 Apr 1923	Paducah, Cottle County, Texas
Burial		Garden of Memories Cemetery, Paducah, Cottle County, Texas
Burial		Paducah Cemetery, north side, section one, Paducah, Texas

Spouse	James Alexander Thomas (1841 - 1868)
Child	Sarah Catherine Thomas (1861 - 1941)
Child	Bolen Floyd Thomas (1863 - 1911)
Child	Alexander Preston Thomas (1864 - 1865)
Child	Mattie Alice Thomas (1867 - 1942)

Father	George Archibald Hollabaugh (1814 - 1857)
Mother	Martha DePriest (1821 - 1904)
Sibling	Mary Catherine Hollabaugh (1836 - 1910)
Sibling	John Archibald Hollabaugh (1838 - 1928)
Sibling	Emanuel Fountain "Fount" Hollabaugh (1840 - 1936)
Sibling	Roseanna B. Hollabaugh (1851 - 1934)