Joshua Allen Hearne

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6th. Generation
Joshua Allen Hearne

Joshua Allen Hearne (Moses Sr., James, William, Thomas Sr., William 1st Immigrant)
bn. 30 Oct. 1808, Old Lincoln Co., N.C.
d. 24 Feb. 1889 Near Russellville, Pope Co. Arkansas.
md. Jane Campbell Gunn 18 Jan. 1831.

The Children of Joshua Allen Hearne and Jane Campbell Gunn:
1. Moses Alexander bn. 1831 , Lincoln Co., North Carolina.
d. After 1900 in Redding, CA.
Struck out for the Goldfields of California after 1850 with brother John Allen
never to return to Arkansas.
Bought Property in Mono County California in 1892.

2. John Allen bn. 1837, Old Lincoln Co. N.C.
d. unknown.
Returned to Arkansas from California Goldfields in 1870s.
3. James Lee bn. 18 Jan. , 1841, Old Lincoln Co. N.C.
d. 21 Jan. 1861, Pope Co., Arkansas.
4. Twin Babes bn. 1843, Pope Co., Ark., died in infancy.
5. Marcellus Greene bn. Oct. 17, 1845, Pope Co., Ark.
md. Griselda J. Raymond Aug. 17, 1865, Pope Co. Arkansas.
Marcellus died in Ellis Co. Texas, on Feb. 15, 1913 and is buried in Tarrant Co. Texas at Mt Olive Cemetary near Fort Worth. He was Company Sargeant of Co. 'F', Arkansas 1st. Cavalry (Confederate). See Link below for further info on Marcellus. In 1892, M.G. and family moved on to Texas. First to Ellis Co.
and then Fort Worth. He ranched near Diamond Hill.
6. Purnell (Fin) Finley bn. Pope Co. Ark. 1846.
md. Sarah C. Tomery, Pope Co. Ark.
Served in Ark 1st. Cavalry with brother Marcellus.
Pernell (Fin) died in Ellis Co. Texas after 1889 but before 1892.
7. Mary Jane bn. 1849, Pope Co. Ark.
md. James Franklin Darr. See link below for further info on Mary Jane Hearne.
8. Joshua Orr bn. 16 March, 1855., Pope Co., Ark.
md. Martha (Mattie) I. Harkey., The daughter of Daniel Cicero Harkey, who was the son of James Harkey and Lucretia Yarberry of Pope Co. Ark.
J. O. Hearn died 11 March, 1923, in Cushing, Okla. Mattie was bn. 25 Nov. 1855 and d. 6 Sept. 1936, Cushing, Okla.
Hearne Family in Arkansas

In 1803, the year Moses and Mary Hearne were married, the U.S Senate ratified the treaty with France that sealed the Louisiana Purchase doubling the size of the Nation for 15 Million dollars. Just two years after Lewis & Clarke explored this new America, Joshua Allan Hearne was Born to Moses and Mary Hearne in 1808.

On Jan. 18, 1831, Joshua Allan Hearne married Jane Campbell Gunn. Jane Campbell was the daughter of Alexander Gunn and Bedy Oak Gwin of Iredell Co. N.C. who settled near Statesville, North Carolina, before moving to Lincoln Co.

Alexander Gunn served 7 years in the American Revolutionary War. He died in 1830. Jane Campbell came to live with her older brother, Alexander Conner Gunn, that same year. Alexander Conner farmed near Long Creek, close to Moses Hearne.

After the birth of their son, James Lee, in January, 1841, 33 year old Joshua Allan Hearne and wife Jane Campbell Gunn with children Moses and John, and infant James Lee, began the long trek to Arkansas River valley.

A good many of the pioneers of Pope and Yell counties Arkansas were from the Pisgah area of North Carolina. This is why There is a "Pisgah" Road, "Pisgah" Cemetary in the area around Russellville. Also, in the Pope County Library Genealogy section there is just as much information available for North Carolina as Arkansas.

From William Oates Ragsdale book "They Sought a Land, A Settlement in the Arkansas River Valley 1840 - 1870" The University of Arkansas Press, Fayetteville, 1997.

Joshua Allan Hearne, took out land patents for Homesteads on July 10, 1844. It seems that a year would be too much time to get just a seven hundred miles, but these folks had no roads, railroads, and had to pretty much hack they're way through the mountains of North Carolina, Tennessee, cross the wide Mississippi River then trail there way through Missouri, and then into northern Arkansas. All this time contending with changing seasons, and driving their stock before them.

The land that Joshua and Jane chose was a few miles from the Arkansas River. That country is mostly level, but land still had to be tilled around the hills canyons and ravines. Joshua's land had a fairly large hill on it, so the 120 or so acres he had was by no means all tillable.

Joshua and Jane's Homestead is just a few hundred yards north of Pottsville and a little southeast of Russellville just off of todays Pisgah road. On one corner of the homestead the local farmers built Pisgah Cemetary in which Joshua and Jane are now buried, including Twin Babes, 20 yr. old James Lee, and one grandson, Homer Clearance, son of Marcellus.

Some of the Hearne's neighbors were the Potts, Williamson, McCormick, and Falls, Gunns, and cousins John and Phillip Froneberger with whom Joshua and Jane Campbell had come to Arkansas. They all set up tents and wagons around Dr. Russell's cabin until they could stake out farm land.

Just seven years after arrival in in Pope Co., oldest sons Moses Alexander and John Allen left the homestead, and struck out for the goldfields of California. Moses Alexander never returned to Arkansas. He became a Stage Coach "Station Manager" and bought property property in Mono County in 1892. John Allen returned to Arkansas in th 1870s, married and raised a family there.

One researcher has stated that in January of 1861 amidst great strife present in the area over the question of secession from the Union, third son, James Lee Hearne (among others) was killed. He was only 20 years old. This was four months before Arkansas seceded from the Union and plunged itself into a long and bloody war. James Lee was laid to rest under an oak tree in the Pisgah Cemetary not to far from the Hearne Homestead. According to the letters of Marcellus, James Lee helped build this cemetary.

In 1862, 17 year old fourth son Marcellus Greene and 15 year old fith son Fin Hearne enlisted with many of his friends in the 1st Arkansas Cavalry, Stirmans Battalion, Co. 'F', under Captain Russell. Marcellus was immediately made Company Corporal and was very quickly promoted to Sargeant. In later years Marcellus would write, now and then, to the Russellville Courier-Democrat Newspaper. He is our link to that time. So, even though he is just the great grandfather's brother, I will give him more than a few words.

So, during the war years the only people left on the homestead are the father, Joshua Allan, Jane Campbell, and daughter, Mary Jane, 10 years old in 1861, and youngest son, Joshua Orr Hearne, just six years old at wars start in 1861.

Soon after the war, in 1868, daughter Mary Jane had married war hero and prominent farmer and businessman John Franklin Darr.

Also about this time Jane Campbell, wife of Joshua Allan Hearne, together with youngest son, 12 year old Joshua Orr left the husband and homestead and moved in with the daughter Mary Jane Hearne Darr leaving the husband, Joshua Allan Hearne completely alone on the homestead after this divorce. We have nothing to suggest what prompted this divorce, but tragedy amidst war very often visits havoc on families. It seems that the immediate family was not so generous with their father, Joshua Allen, because henceforth most of the children dropped the "e" from the end of the name in protest over this turn of events.
So, today our family branch are "Hearn" instead of "Hearne".

In 1872, Joshua Allan married a Widow, Margaret (Hoffman) Harris. It was the second marriage for both as Margaret was previously married to Adolfus Harris, who had passed away. They had one dau., Ella, who lived and died in Russellville.

The following is Joshua Allan Hearne's Last Will and Testament.
In keeping with normal practice Joshua Allen named his children by order of age and left token amounts to those children who were no longer in the area and were not expected to return. Nothing is to be had by reading between the lines.

    12 January, 1889 - filed 14 March, 1889.

    To son Mosas A. Hearne $1.00.
    To son Marcellus Greene Hearne $1.00.
    To son Pernell Finley Hearne $1.00.
    To dau. Mary Jane Darr $1.00.
    To dau. Ella Hearne $100.00 when she arrives at the age of 18 years.
    Remainder of estate to be equally divided between the children of Joshua Orr Hearne,
    living at the time of my death as they reach full age.
    Executer, James M. Harkey.
    Signed Joshua A. Hearne (X)
    Wts; C.E. Cambell, W.D. Williamson
    Clerk: R.B. Hogins.
What I find most interesting about this Last Will & Testament is the Executer of the Estate. I have not found out yet how James M. Harkey is related to J.O. Hearne's wife, Mattie I. Harkey, but I am supposing that he is Mattie Harkey's brother.

Following is the Obituary of Jane Campbell Gunn Hearne

    JANE CAMPBELL HEARN

    Jane Campbell Hearn was born in Fayetteville, N.C., September 5, 1811,
    departed this life, March 23, 1891, aged seventy nine years, six months
    and eighteen days.
    She married Joshua A. Hearn, of Lincoln County, N.C., Jan 18, 1831,
    emigrated to Pope County,Arkansas, arriving Dec 10,1841. She was the
    mother of nine children, five of whom still live to mourn their loss.
    She professed religion about 1842, and joined the old school
    Presbyterian church at Norristown, AR, under the ministration of Rev.
    John Belch and Cephas Washburn. She was one of the nine charter members
    of that church.
    After the war the church became extinct and she became a member of the
    same church at Mount Zion, Rev. J.S. Wilbanks pastor. The last few years
    of her life she was a member of the M.E. Church, south at the Cove.
    When asked by the writer of these lines a short time before her death,
    if she felt ready to go if called, she answered: "Yes I am ready and
    waiting to go at the Master's bidding. My last days are the happiest of
    my life. I can trust Him for I know all is well."
    Another mother of Israel is gone; and we trust all is well.
    A Friend

    Notes regarding Hearne, Harkey, and Darr families in Pope Co., Arkansas.
    Grave Monument of Joshua Allen Hearne, Pope. Co. Ark., Pisgah Cemetery.
    The Letters of Marcellus Greene Hearn.
    History of the Choctaw Removals by Jerri Rogers Chasteen.


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