This bulletin board has been closed. If you have a question about local or regional history. Please post your question to the Fort Smith History Forum Google group.

Will Bourland:
My name is Will Bourland. My Great Grand Father was William A Bourland. He was Captain of Police and killed in the line of duty in 1933. I have been trying for some time to find either an original or a copy of a 1933 Captain's Police badge. I want to put together a plaque in his memory. I have a picture of him with his badge and a patch from Fort Smith Police department, all I need now is a badge. I have been in contact with the Police Chaplin, Ben Stevens; he is the one I got a police patch from. Any help you can give me would be appreciated. I can be reached at wabourland@hotmail.com. Thank you.

Ron Wisnia:
I am trying to find out about my Grandfather who was shot in Arkansas early in the 1900's. The only one that seems to match is Edward Brooks from Sebastian died Feb 4, 1915. Volume Number 12 Roll Number 19141923 Certificate number 1140. When I checked on ordering it they said it would be almost $50.00. I am not even sure this is the correct one. Do you have any ideas how I can find out if this is my Grandfather and what it would cost me to get a copy without going through Ancestry.com.

My Grandfather was married to my Grandmother Lucy. My Dad was very youngso I know he was shot between 1913 and 1917 but there are no other Edward Brooks about the right time. My Grandfather went by Edward Watson Brooks, E Watt Brooks, or Watt Brooks. That is one reason I am not sure. I am hoping to find out how he got shot and where he is buried. Do you know who can help me?

My father has passed away and I live in Oregon so I can not research this first hand at this time. So if you have any ideas I would appreciate it.

Thanks
rwisnia@yahoo.com

Jillian Denman:
I am also looking for a picture of the Paris, AR old hotel that burned down. ... Any other information needed would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to your response.

Thanks.
denman.jillian@gmail.com

Karla:
I am trying to find out if anyone has a diagram of the actual burial PLOTS that maps out where each person was buried at the Nowland "aka" Nolan "aka" Newlon cemetery, on Newlon Rd.  When the school obtained the cemetery, all they recieved was names that were compiled by volunteers and they aren't in the order of Rows. I am attempting to compile this info, as there has been so much vandalism to the cemetery, and was hoping that some where, some place, the records of where each person was buried, may of been handed down the generation and that someone may be able to let me know. I would greatly appreciate any correspondance.
 
Sincerely
Rozie10263@aol.com

Jack James:
Please post this on your site!
Thanks!
 
I am looking for any photos of Lavaca Arkansas whether it is landmarks, people, .....whatever.  I really need photos of the train depot, the cotton gins, the theater, feed store and the like.  I am also in search of photos of the ferry at Arbuckle Island.
 
If anyone has a copy of the 1903 Sebastian County Atlas, I would appreciate a look at it!  Especially page 91!  I understand there is a photo of the Lavaca Train Depot there. 
 
Contact me at jackwjames@aol.com!
Thanks for your assistance! 

Chuck Raney:
Chuck is looking for any information League Park which in the early 1900s was near where Kay Rodgers Park is today.
He is also looking for any information about the city golf course which was between 21st and 24th Streets on Rogers Avenue in the early 1900s. Contact Chuck at:
cdraney@cox-internet.com.

Jim Gaddis:
Bvt Major Richard C. Gatlin (1809-1896) of the 7th US Infantry was commander of Fort Smith on four different occasions between 1851 and 1857.  He married Mary Ann Gibson, daughter of Sallie Nicks Gibson of Fort Smith, in 1857.  He formally surrendered Fort Smith to the Federals in April 1861 then early in the Civil War served as commanding general of the North Carolina Department.  He was North Carolina’s Adjutant General from 1863-1865.  After the war he retired to Oakland Farm in Sebastian County and moved into Fort Smith about 1881.  He died at Mt Nebo, AR in 1896 and is buried at Fort Smith National Cemetery.  Any details, letters, diary entries, newspaper articles, tales, or dialog concerning Gatlin’s many years in Fort Smith would be most appreciated.
monument@esn.net
(June 2004)

Cris Riedel:
I'm looking for a McDaniel family from the Ft. Smith area.  The info I have is: My grandmother Annie was born in AR 1859 or '60. There is an "A" born in 1860 to William and Martha inWhite county; a Meda Ann born to John and Ellen in Sugarloaf, Sebastian County. She married John Ross Mayfield in IT in 1883. She had an uncle Stephen, born in TN 1849 or '51, fought in the Civil War; died in 1929 in Warner, OK. She had a sister or cousin Johnnie E McDaniel, who married a Marion J Maples in Fort Smith in 1892 — marriage certificate says she was from Central, Sebastian County AR. The McDaniels were part Cherokee — don't know if it was husband or wife, though. Any info or advice for further searching would be grealtly appreciated!
CrisRiedel@aol.com
(June 2004)

Tom Moreland: Mr. Moreland contributed the information and anecdote below. "Dad [Earl Wesley Moreland] told me a story about caddying there. It was a really coveted job because a boy could make pretty good money from tips. In order to keep down the number of those applying to be caddy, there was an unwritten rule. In order to be accepted, a boy had to run the gauntlet of existing caddies. All the caddies would get a big switch and line up facing each other. The "applicant" had to run down the middle of the two lines and each caddy would take his best shot with the switch. Dad told me this certainly kept down the number of aspiring caddies."

Tom Moreland also has informed fortsmithhistory.com that he believes the plot of land shown above along North O Street is all that remains of the course and it is about to be relandscaped. (April 2004)

Do you remember Rolling Knolls golf course? E-mail us your memories.

Ben Boulden:
In 1994, I did a study of prostitution in Fort Smith for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. Now I am looking to expand that into a history of vice in Fort Smith. If you have any knowledge about gambling, bootlegging, prostitution or drugs in the city from the 19th century to the mid-1970s, I'd love to hear from you; especially of interest to me are former policemen, lawyers and judges. Confidentiality is guaranteed.
benboulden@sbcglobal.net
(March 2004)

Joyce Holder:
Concerning my Dolan/Burrow ancestors, who lived in Marion Township in 1880, I am looking for parents of Susan Dolan, who was born about 1856, perhaps in Tennessee.  She married Jesse Burrow,  after 1870, and in 1880 they were living in Marion Township, Sebastian County, Arkansas, with three children, age 6 and under.  Both Susan and Jesse had died by 1900.  Their oldest child, Nan, grew up and moved somewhere near Heber Springs to get married, but died before her wedding day.  She was buried in her wedding dress.   
Mrs. Joyce Holder
408 Parkview Av.
Jonesboro, Ar 72401
Tel 870-932-3466
(March 2004)