Researching at Old Independence Regional Museum
More than a museum showcasing artifacts from Old Independence County’s past, OIRM is also a repository for family records, court papers, documents, newspapers, and other paper copies dating back hundreds of years. We keep these records for our patrons who are interested in learning their family’s history.
This week OIRM has been visited by Minna Gray Marinko and Sharon Ann Gray, half sisters living out of state who are visiting our area for a family reunion. Their family’s roots run deep in Independence County, and they have been researching several separate branches delving into the records of the Gray family as well as the Magness family.
Hiram Vardeman Gray moved to our area from Western Kentucky in 1852. Records proved he was an Independence County constable for at least two terms in the 1850s. He was a staunch Union supporter, and when Gen. Curtis came through Batesville in 1862, Hiram gathered around 100 men to join him. Unfortunately Gen. Curtis informed Hiram that without proper authority these men could not join the Union cause. Unphased, the men followed Curtis to Helena where they were finally able to muster in as the First Arkansas Infantry, Company A. By popular vote Hiram was elected captain, but his reign was short-lived; six months after forming, 60 of the soldiers of Company A – including Captain Gray – were dead of measles. Two of Hiram Gray’s daughters are buried at Center Grove Cemetery near Newark. According to legend, Hiram’s widow, Mahala Sweeny, was harassed by the Confederate Army to the point where she left town. Her house was still standing when she returned, but no evidence of her place of final rest exists.
Minna and Sharon have located Hiram Gray within OIRM’s library of tax records. They have also looked for cases where he was constable, including court records, dockets, et cetera. Hiram owned three separate parcels of land, which makes being in the tax records or on deeds likely, although the land itself had flexible borders, which makes pinning down the exact location of his land ownership hazy.
Johnathan and David M. Magness are two other ancestors Minna and Sharon have begun researching. Johnathan, David, and his brother were not exactly law-abiding citizens like the Grays, however. In fact, the three were involved in a murder trial in Tennessee over a dispute with Patton Anderson, who happened to be a close friend of Andrew Jackson, who defended him. The Magnesses swiftly left Tennessee after their trial was resolved, and landed in Arkansas in 1812. Over time, the Magness family amassed at least 4000 acres of property and became a founding family in that area of Independence County.
Minna and Sharon have also been perusing the Independence County Chronicles, which assisted in cross-referencing and showing much better pictures of probate records and other documents difficult to read on microfiche. OIRM has a complete collection of Chronicles, and sells a large selection of these well-researched journals in our gift shop. Come visit any time to research your family tree, and take home a selection of Independence County Chronicles relating to your research.
