Reminiscences of Bygone Years

by 

~Zachariah Van hoose~

1823-1827

Far back in the dim shadows past, my mind wanders, reviving the memory of persons, places, objects, events, thoughts, sayings, customs, fashions and a thousand other little matters that appear on the tablets of memory, some of which are indelibly fixed thereon, whilst others are of fainter lines, and still others appear to come and go -- according to the light thrown upon them, appearing quite distinct at one moment and then again becoming exceedingly dim and shadowy-- changing, dissolving, assuming new shapes and forms, as often takes place in one's dreams at night.

I first see myself a little child, not more than 3 or 4 years old of age. Father, mother, sisters and brothers all at one large hewed log house, kitchen  with great chimneys, fireplaces to them, bright crackling fires burning in those fireplaces. The house is on a public road and among the hills in far-off Kentucky. Our home with its surroundings was a world within itself. I knew nothing far beyond it. People came and went, stopped at our house, were entertained, talked, laughed, ate and drank, and went off again. I knew not whither.

I can remember that I had white or flaxen colored hair; wore little coats of linsey, colored blue, and made like those worn by small girls. Sometimes wore long shirts made of flax, coming down to my ankles, and no other clothing but this for summer weather! I can see my eldest sister Rachel as a girl of 11 or 12 years doing house work, spinning on a "big wheel" and mother spinning flax on a "little wheel". Rachel also looked after me a good deal, washed my dirty face and hands, and often took me off with Mary and brother Pete into the woods after berries, grapes, papaws, plums and red haws, walnuts, hickory nuts, hazel nuts and chestnuts. Often saw snakes, squirrels and many birds on those jaunts. I can remember a colored woman named "Junie" or "June" and a colored man named "Danl" or Daniel, who lived with us about that time and both of whom I greatly loved and who loved and cared for me a good deal.

I can also remember being sick and of Father nursing me in his arms, and seeming to be much concerned over me. Of Mother, too, dosing me with does of raw Garlick, tansy, worm seed and other nauseous things. Not long after this, I can remember of seeing Mother holding a baby brother on her lap, in our main sitting room, and of seeing a man called Dr Hopkins, feeling the pulse of "little George" (as we called him) and all hands were very much concerned over the affair, as baby was quite sick and getting his breath with great seeming difficulty. Can now see the old Dr. take a sharp lancet from its case, bare the baby's arm and stick the glittering instrument in the flesh, which caused a little flow of blood. This was caught in a vessel of some kind and the Dr. took a spoonful of this blood and caused the sufferer to swallow it. That made a lasting impression on me! Poor baby died soon after. I was not able to realize the fact, as I had never before, seen a dead person. I felt of its face and found it cold, its eyes closed as in sleep, but not breathing and panting, nor wheezing, and I was dumbfounded in wonder and amazement. They told me that my little brother was dead and that we would have to cover him up in the ground and that I would see him no more.

All this seemed very strange to me. He was buried near the house, on an eminence, and spot what held with a kind of sacred veneration and we were ever filled with awe and solemnity on passing or viewing the spot where the first human being was covered up in the earth, that we had seen dead and buried

Time passed on for a year or so, and a young man named Tolton Leek, one of Father's work hands, sickened and died at out house and on his death bed requested to be laid away beside little George, which was accordingly done. That was the second dead person seen by us, and there today slumbers the inanimate dust of those bodies, side by side, awaiting the Resurrection of the departed.

After the death of this infant brother, another boy was added to our family and was named James. The same is J. H. VanHoose of Fayetteville, Ark. Still another boy in due time was added to the household and he was christened George Washington, and is now living in Arkansas.

About the time of this event, I was confined to bed with synuvitis of the ankle joint and with the Bloody Flux (which prevailed at that time - 1832) and came near "passing in my cheeks"! Grandmother V______ died of same malady that year and so did many of the old and young, in Floyd County, Ky, that same season, of the dread scourge named above.

All of our family suffered more or less from it, James was at the point of death for days and weeks. I too was like to die from the combined effects of that and the terrible condition of my ankle. Lost several pieces of bone from the region of the join of right ankle &c. For a year or more I was forced to go on crutches after the worst was over.

Prior to this (at 4 or 5 years of age), Old Billy Smith of Prestonsburg, the County seat of Floyd County, came along one evening and took me home with him (10 miles up the River above where we lived) and there I stayed for a week or more. That was my first visit to Town that I can remember! It was quite an adventure in my life! Thought I had seen nearly all the world! Town (as we called it) contained about 200 inhabitants! Possibly not near so many. There I formed a number of acquaintances -- little boys and girls and several older persons.

Old Dr. Tolbert was one of these. I remember of going upstairs in his building and there finding about a half bushel of worm seed, cleaned and lying in a pile on the floor in a corner of the room, and knowing that Mother gave them to us chaps, for a worm remedy, I therefore filled my breeches pocket with the fragrant seed for future use!

Some years subsequent to this (when 9 years old), I was again taken to Prestonsburg, there to be treated by Dr. Herriford, for my diseased ankle (spoken of before), and was boarded at the house of Philip Strother, a good old Methodist Preacher. Remained there 3 or 4 months. Went around on crutches, attended school part of the year and was treated by Dr. H____ who was a descendant of Pocahontas! or was said to be! He extracted quite a number of splinters and pieces of bone from the region of my ankle joint (the right one). No one can tell how I suffered from that foot and the mental suffering caused by being away from home and friends, though kindly treated by Mrs Strother and all the family. The family at that time consisted of the old Preacher and wife, daughters Frances, Deborah and sons Joseph and Anthony. They also had a married daughter Hannah, who lived in the same town.

Here I made the acquaintance of the Mayo's, the Friends, Everels, Harrises, Mays, Derossetts, Whittens, Waldeck and Wallace, Davises, Strattons, Halems, Lanes, and many others. Sandy River bounded the town on one side, and the town was in the river bottom. I remember the old "Gum Spring" near the edge of the river, under a high bank. Did not have good, cold, bold running springs like we are blessed with here in the "West"! I had returned from there and was at home when the "stars fell" (here is inserted the date 1822, unknown source-mkg) and, as it happened, not one of our family witnessed the great henomenon. Many people were alarmed, thinking the Last Day was at hand. Old Prestonsburg was terribly stirred up. The people prayed and screeched and groaned and wailed. Old Mrs. Strother shouted and took on, expecting every moment to hear Gabriel's Trump sounded (so 'twas said) while Frances and Deborah, who were pretty wild gals, screeched, raved and wrung their hands, held on to their Ma and besought her to pray for them, but she just shouted away and told them it was too late to pray now, that she had often warned them of this, but that they would not take heed, and that now she could do nothing for them. It was too late, too late now!

When I returned home from Prestonsburg, father carried me in his lap on horseback so as to keep from hurting my lame foot. I was very anxious to get home to see all the family and the other chaps were as anxious to see me. James was then only 3 years old, and hearing them say that father had gone after me and would be home with me that evening, he slipped off, ran away and met us half a mile from home on the road to town, and some distance out in the dark woods. I can see yet, how he looked and acted when he saw us meeting him. He was waddling along, running and tired, almost to fainting, and crying out, "Dack, Dack! I see Dack!" Not far behind him was some of the family in pursuit of him, on the hunt of him rather. Paintsville, now the County seat of Johnson County, was then in Floyd County, and was only 3 miles, or perhaps a little more from our farm. We used to attend school at that place. Brother John, who was 4 1/2 years older than me, used to ride (in winter time) and take me behind him, both riding in the same saddle. In this way I could keep warm, and John served as a North Breaker to me. At that time I was only 5 years old, James Franklin was our teacher. On Christmas 1828, at that school, the large boys "barred the teacher out" and made him treat. I got too much of it. And I remember that John left me all night at old Billy Ramey's, the old miller, and there and then I sang "Leather Breeches" for the benefit of one Hiram Leathers, a sweetheart of Miss Millie Ramey, the miller's daughter.

Along about this period Father ran a Distillery and made barrels of whiskey! Thought it was all right and proper! Fed large numbers of hogs on still slop, as it fattened hogs very fast. After a time he became convinced that he was doing wrong and quit that business altogether. Old Judge Robbins of Mt. Sterling, the Circuit Judge of our district, was a strong temperance man and made the first temperance speech (said to be) that was every made in the country. That speech decided Father in his convictions or wrongdoing and caused him to quit making and vending ardent spirits. He lost a large amount of money in the operation, taken as a whole, as he had made quite an out-lay to get the thing in full operation. Jack Beck, his old distiller, was much grieved at being thrown out of business and left for other pastures wherein to pursue his avocation. So much for that.

After the recovery from my sore foot, I was left with a stiff ankle joint and walked on the ball of my foot and walked with some difficulty. At 10 1/2 or before 11 years old, I was put to plowing and did constant service in that way whenever plowing was done, and that was fro March till August. It was an uphill business for me at first, but after a time I got along much better and was said to be a very good plow-boy. At any rate, I got lots of it to do and plenty of other work besides!

While crippled, on account of my diseased ankle and having been confined for a long time at home (3 months or more), in order to gratify my desire to be out of doors, my Father would take me astride of his neck, support my diseased and painful foot in his hands, and in this way would carry me all over the farm, to my great delight.

On one occasion, I remember we visited a turkey pen at the lower end of our "old field" on Jennie's Creek, a mile from the house, and found a wild turkey caught in the pen! I was much excited over this and wanted to crawl into the turkey trap through the trench leading in, but Father would not let me, as he said the turkey would hurt me with its wings. So Father went in himself and broke its neck and we took it and went on our way, the turkey being added to Father's burden.

A few years prior to this event, some wild bears invaded this same field and made havoc among the roasting ears growing therein. They would visit the field at night and kept hidden in daylight. Several attempts were made to start them with dogs, but it so happened that they did not come on those nights when the hunters were looking for them. They were cunning bears and not easily taken in.

After ceasing to search for them, Old Uncle Levi VanHoose was looking for squirrels one day not far from this same field and very unexpectedly came across old Madam Bruin and her dusky children, probably waiting for night to come so as to slip into the corn again. He fired on them with a squirrel shot and killed on the Mrs. B's children, whereupon she emigrated and was never heard of in those parts afterwards. So we had good bear meat to eat, in compensation for the stolen roasting ears.

Raccoons, also, were accustomed to invade our cornfields and we generally caught and killed a lot of them to pay for it. We had good dogs and they often caught game of various kinds--treed foxes and wildcats, coons and possums. Some of these were shot and killed with a gun, and others caught by cutting down the trees and letting the dogs on them.

Jennie's Creek ran through our farm and it was there I caught my first fish, and in its waters learned the art of swimming. Trapping for patridges and hunting rabbits was pleasant past-time in winter. Pheasants were very plentiful there and were excellent to eat. They resemble our prairie chickens of this country (Arkansas-mkg)

We had a good peach orchard and also a pretty good lot of apple trees, all of which bore fruit in great abundance about every 2d or 3d year. That was rather a poor wheat County; we raised but little of it and what we did raise had to be cut with the reap-hook or the old scythe-cradle. Then we had to tramp it out with horses or thresh it out with flails by hand power! We then took it (a bag full at a time) to the water mill or horse mill, had it ground. Then the women folks had to "sarch" each mess as 'twas used. Our "sarches" (as people called them) were made something like a sieve -- only the hoop contained a bottom of muslin instead of wire or horse-hair.

I can remember when there were no bolting machines in all the region. One was finally put up in the "Big Paint" mill, 3 miles from us, and then Old Henry Dixon added on to his horse mill, 3 1/2 miles off. These were at first turned by hand, but after a little while were geared to the other mill works and run by the same power that turned the mill.

We used to wear a good deal of home-made cloth, "Kentucky jeans", linsy woolsey and flax and also cotton. Tow-cloth was also worn by a good many. We kept a flock of sheep and mother and the girls spun the wool and wove it into cloth for clothing and made many blankets and coverlets. They also made some sheets out of flax. Mother was a great flax spinner and made a large amount of that into cloth. I have worn flax shirts and pants of her make, when a little boy. People did not buy so many store goods in those days. Even our winter shoes were home tanned and home made. We had to make out with 1 pair a year -- that is we boys. Sometimes the girls would be favored with a store pair for summer wear.

While I was only a small child, not large enought to do any farm work, father took a family of Negroes to keep and feed, for their help. This family consisted of Old Anthony and Rose, his wife, some large and som small girls and several boys, some larger, some smaller, making 8 to 12 in all. Father furnished them a house on the "burnt Cabin" end of our land and kept them all for one or two years, but the expense of keeping them so far over-ran the profits from the small amount of labor gotten out of them that he (father) was glad to get rid of them again. Then we hired "Patsy" and her brother "Macy" whom we kept for a long period. They have been set free by a "will", Patsy to be freed at 21 and "acy" as 25. Prior to these times they were to be hired out for cash. Last I heard of them they were free and doing well, out at Mt. Sterling, Ky. Several other darkies were hired and lived with us from time to time, but father never tried to own any of them as he looked upon slavery as a curse and always said it would ________ perhaps in a dissolution of the Union, or at any rate a great evil to country and people.

In those days we had great fun and good times making maple sugar and molasses. There was a large number of those trees on our place and we made shugar in the latter part of winter and early spring, almost every year. Those were time to be remembered, as we had a great deal of fun mixed with ourt labor and enjoyed the time hugely. We had a camp erected in the woods, a furnace built filled with kettles, large poplar trough dug out to hold water in, at camp -- small trough to catch the water at eeach tree tapped and horses and barrels and halfsleds to haul in the shugar -water to camp. And then at night we stayed in camp, boiled down the water, told stories, listened to the hooting owls, dried off syrup in a skillet and ate hot shugar with paddles of clean wood, and drank spice-wood tea made with the shugar water, ate cold lunch &c &c Happy were we then.

Our old home, of which I have already spoken was situated on the main road leading up the Sandy River country. It was 9 or 10 miles below Prestonsburg (the County sear) and was 3 or 3/12 miles above Paintsville, which was then in Floyd County but since then has been cut off by a new division of counties and belongs. Johnson County and is County seat of that new County.

Father bought and located on this old farm soon after he and mother married, which event happened in 1812 or 1813 (am not exactly certain which one of those dates). Nearly all of my brothers and sisters were born there, only two of them being born in the far West, as this country and Arkansas were then called. I was the first one born in the big new house situated on the road just mentioned a few lines back. Brother Peter was next to me, then George (who died when an infant) the James H., next another named G. W. VanHoose, next one called Jacob Monroe, then a sister called Elizabeth, H.B., and Narcissia were born in Arkansas. Rachel, John and Mary were all older than myself.

The house referred to was built of hewed poplar logs, was two stories high, had large brick chimney, a huge fireplace below and a smaller one upstairs. House cealed, had good pine floors and was furnished with several glass windows. The "upstairs" was the most pleasant part of the house. There was also a large kitchen built at the southwest corner of our dwellings and to it was built a large stone chimney and a fireplace adapted to cooking in those days. A large swinging iron crane was fixed in the jam of this fireplace, to hang pots and kettles on. Our house has a long porch on the front or east side and one also one the west, that extended up against the kitchen and made a very convenient passway into that department.

We had smoke house, stables and other outhouses, a good paled-in garden, in which we used to pick up scores of Indian arrow points made of very hard reddish-colored flint. The spot had once been an Indian Village, or at least a noted camping ground for them. This whole region was at one time their grand hunting ground and must have been a perfect Indian heaven! as it abounded in all kinds of game when new and its streams were full of fishes and the woods full of nuts, fruits, berries &c &c, all in lavish profusion. The climate was also mild and the whole face of the country was covered with heavy forests. The surface of the country was uneven, there being hills, ridges, hollows, valleys and many undulations and uneven places.

The hills, many of them, had pine trees on the tops, sometimes spruce and there were lots of cedar trees along the river bluffs. Beech and poplar grew in profusion and many large chestnut trees were found on the mountain sides and sometimes in the vales. Many other trees and shrubs grew there, that are not to be found in the western states, or at least west of the Mississippi River.

The whole country was full of fine timber, a great deal of which was cut and floated down the river to market. We also used to cut, saw and make thousands of barrel and hogshead staves and peel cords of tan bark, all of which we shipped in flat boarts built for the purpose, to Cincinnati and other markets. Some of my early lessons in sawing were taken, sawing logs for staves. That was hard work for a boy. We cut white oak trees that were 3 feet diameter and worked them into staves, one tree sometimes making over a 1,000 of them. This lumber business was carried on there to a very considerable extent at that time and still more afterward. The saw-log business became all the rage nearby in after years, tens of thousands being cut, hauled to the river, rafted or floated down to market at different points along the Ohio River.

About 1828 Grandfather Mankins, Uncle George Lewis, Uncle John Mankins and others of our relatives on the mother's side and all of whom have a place in my early recollections, sold out their lands in Kentucky and emigrated to Illinois, going in old blue-colored wagons, drawn by fine horses. I can well remember the grief of friends, various scenes of the starting -- Mother and Granmother and Mother's younger sisters parting -- they going to wilds of the Far West and we and others of the conexion remaining behind. It was almost like being parted by death itself, as we supposed the separation was probably to be one of forever as to the present life.

Several of us camped with them the first night, at a place called "The Dopp Hole" in Big Paint Creek, which was 3 1/2 miles below where we lived and was only 2 to 3 miles from where they all started, which was "Long Horn Bottom", 6 miles from where we lived. The starting road led up the stream called Big Paint and was west in direction.

After staying a while in Illinois, some of them returned to Kentucky ans some stayed longer in Illinois. "Old Uncle Wat" Mankins, a brother to old Grandfather Peter Mankins, was one of this number of first emigrants from that region and he did not return. Those that returned to Kentucky soon became dissatisfied with Kentucky and again struck out for the Illinois and settled in Vermillion County of that state.

The "Milk Sick" and the extreme weather soon made them seek a more congenial clime and they all sold out there and come out here through Missouri. Passing right throught the little settlement in this region now called Springfield, and wandered on down into Arkansas Territory,and settled in Washington County, Middle Fork of White River. This was about 1833 or 1834.

They were well pleased with Arkansas and now believed they had at last found the "promised land", flowing with milk and honey! They all either bought claims that had been laid on lands, or settled new places. In this way they became permanently settled and all seemed perfectly satisfied with the new country, its climate and everything else. It was truly a desirable place at that period for pioneers and those who were fond of hunting. Game was in great abundance and of almost every variety. The woods were full of wild bees, bears, deed, turkeys, coons, panthers and a hundred varieties of animals and fowls, with a handsome sprinkling of snakes and lizards. Wild fruits and nuts were found in profusion. The lands were fertile, water excellent, and timber good and in greatest abundance. There were also a few scattering stones to be found in many places!

Grandfather and Grandmother Mankins now had most of their children settled in the new country, close to them -- those of them that were married -- for they still had 2 boys and 4 girls single and with them. And now they resolved to have the others left in Ky., namely Bracken Lewis and Mother. Uncle William Mankins (one of their sons) a married man had also remain in Ky., but he had been killed at Paintsville about 1833 or 4 by a horst stunning his head against the corner of a house. Henry Mankins, another son of theirs, had been killed in Ky. prior to their leaving for Ill., was killed with a prisn pole in opening a large board cut.

So these two old people, Grandfather M and Grandmother M paid us a visit in the early springtime of the year A.D. 1836, with the intention of getting us off for the newly found Canaan of the Far West. We were all rejoiced to see them and early listened to their account of Arkansas and their many adverntures and ups and downs since we had parted with them years before.

Uncle B. Lewis (who was Mother's own brother) soon sold out, land and everything that could not be taken along and emigrated along with the old folks as the returned home to Arkansas. All traveled by steamboat, after reaching the mouth of Sandy, the same way that Granfather and Grandmother had gone back there. Wagons were not in the move now. Father sold his land while they remained with us but we could not get off that spring, much to the regret of all concerned. We had too much business to settle up to get away on such short notice.

About this time, or not far from this, Old Griffith Dickerson and family and his son-in-law A. Steele came into our part of Ky. and settled on John's Creek 4 or 5 miles miles above us in Floyd Co. Mr. D and wife had 4 sons, Thomas, the eldest, who was a man of 30 years perhaps, was rather weak-minded, from a spell of fever which injured him severely when a small boy. Two other sons, Silas and James, were young men, about grown, and were bright and intelligent boys, Silas being the older one. There was a young boy named John, 10 or 12 years old, being the youngest member of the family. There were three single daughters, Martha, Jane and Nancy, the latter not grown. They had 2 or 3 daughters married before coming to our country, Steele's wife, a Mrs. Gillis and one (don't now remember the name). They were a good and very interesting family and we neighbors with them and became warmly attached.  John, the boy, finally sickened an died. James and Silas were industrious and skillful at any and all kinds of labor and often helped father in boat building to carry of lumber and tan bark in, and by that means and on account of his jovial disposition became a great favorite in our family. Silas also was greatly liked by all of us. He was the elder of the two and was then about 20 years of age (1836). More of them hereafter. Time passes on.

I will now speak of father's brothers, of whom he had several, and 2 sisters. Uncle James V____ was older than father by 2 years. He and Aunt Betsy, as we called her, had 11 boys and 1 girl! Felty was next to father (no, I mistake, it was Levi that came next to Father, and then Felty)! Uncle Reuben was next, Jesse next and Thomas was youngest. Aunt Betsy and Sally were along between the boys. Both of them married men named Price. Richard and Moses. Aunt Betsy married Richard, who was uncle to Moses, the husband of Sallie. The two girls, the ones named, were alive at last accounts, and only one of my uncles, Uncle Jesse. A numerous progeny followed in the wake of all those named, and are scattered over a good deal of territory.

I remember that when a small boy it used to afford me great pleasure to get off a visit to Uncle Feltie's or to Uncle Jim's! Feltie's good wife was named "Jemima", a very good and kind woman was she. Her maiden name was Borders and her folks lived below us on the Sandy River and were among the good old pioneers of that region. They only had one son John and one girl (I believe). Uncle Levi had several sons and daughters. John and William were two of these, the older of the boys, born to his first wife who was a Miss Clark. He also had 4 daughters by this wife and several sons and daughters by a second one.

John and Bill, as we called the boys named, were playmates of brother John and myself and often worked with us and fished and played a great deal with us. They lived very close neighbors to us for a long period of time. I loved them as well as my own brothers, I believe. They would fight for John or myself at the drop of a hat and drop the hat themselves if the other fellows were imposing on us. I remember many interesting things connected with them and us but too tedious to mention and would be uninteresting to others who may read these lines. Poor fellows, we would like to see them if still alive, or to hear from them, which we have not for many long years.

The grave hath swallowed up most of those I have named long since and in a few brief years there will be none of them left to tell the story of their youthful days of any of the events connected with former years, neither theirs nor mine. Time works wonderful changes and soon lays us all away, to await the grand reunion that will ultimately take place, no doubt.

Father sold his farm to old Billy Harris, a neighbor of ours, as before stated, in 1836, before Grandfather M___ and uncle B. left for Arkansas. But we still remained on the place for a year, made a crop, and in selling out we reserved the right of getting out a large board-load of barrel staves and another boat-load of tan-bark and stacked it in the woods to cure. This work and the hauling of the stuff to the river bank occupied most of the spare time from crops, for the years '37 and '38.

In '37 we deserted our old and long occupied home and moved to the River a mile or so away, so as to be handy to our hauling and boat building, for we had two big boats to build to carry off the lumber. This we proceeded to do. We cut our gunwale trees, poplars, one of which furnished us a pair of gunwales 84 feet in length, 7 inches thick, 2 feet 2 in at the bow-rake and about 20 in. at the stern-rake. Of these, with the other timbers necessary, with 2 in. plank for bottom and sides, we constructed the larger boat. We built the smaller one, in which we carried the tan-bark, 60 ft. long and 18 ft. wide and sided up 6 ft. high from the bottom of the boat inside. The larger one was sided up the same way. In this one, when ready, we placed 53,000 staves and heading; in the other about 30 cords of bark. It was very serious job to do all this work, as we had to haul the bark off of the mountain top, a mile or two away, and the staves from many a hollow and branch bottom, 1 to 3 miles away from the River .

About a year, perhaps not so long as that, before getting ready to move, our oldest sister Rachel was married to James P. Dickerson, one of those young men spoken of a little back. Before this, however, or about that time, as I remember, Old Father Griffith Dickerson and his son Silas went on exploring expedition to find some goodly land to which they and other friends would emigrate provided they found a place to suit.

They made their way into the far-off Missouri, visited various points and determined on it as their future home. Old Uncle G_______ returned and left Silas on Gasconade River, where he engaged at work in a saw mill and told his father he would remain there until he, the father, returned to Kentucky and moved their folks all out to Missouri and then rejoin them where they expected to settle. But, poor fellow, he sickened and died there and none of us or his own folks ever saw him again. This was a sad stroke to his parents and the family.

After Dickerson's return home we all set to, in order to get off to the west. They and their son-in-law, Alexander Steele, all sold off their immovable property. We did so, too. We built a small boat in partnership, I believe; covered it and had it made comfortable, for all of us to ride in and carry what household goods we wanted to carry along. There were 4 families to occupy it - Dickersons, Steeles, our own family and James D and sister R., who had not been long married as stated before.

We went ahead in getting our large lumber boats ready for their loading and getting it all collected on the banks of Sandy convenient to load. The spring of A. D. 1839, was now come and this spring was to see us off, make or break. Our boats were loaded, the oars made and hung, the moving boat was also finished and equipped -- all in readiness to receive its precious cargo of anxious children and many an older one not much less anxious. There were about 25 souls altogether, to occupy the little moving boat bound for the Far West.

This was indeed one of the most exciting and interesting periods of all our past history, the late War not excepted! I had been once to the Ohio River two and a half years prior to this. Father and I took our wool to a carding machine over on Twelve Pole, in West Virginia, 60 or 65 miles from home; and we then went over from there, 15 miles or more, to the mouth of Guyan River at Guyandotte -- there to see an old gentleman named Thomas Buffington, with who father lived for a long period when a boy and who he loved and venerated as a father.

That was my first view of the great beautiful Ohio. The River happened to be very full at the time; the driftwood running, the waters muddy and foaming so as to make it quite a sight to me. The River looked to be a mile in width and run with a very strong current. Then and there I saw my first steamboat. 'Twas in the Fall of 1837. Saw 4 boats while there and stayed one day and night. The city of Guyandotte, opposite to Buffington's was a sight to me, truly. 'Twas a very handsome town and larger by far than all the other towns and villages put together than I had ever seen! Had then see only Prestonsburg, Paintsville, Louisa (at the forks of Sandy)

Buffington was very glad to see father, who he had never seen since father was a boy, perhaps not older than I then was (14 years). He also and so did his wife, take on over me a good deal. We enjoyed that visity greatly. The old folks shed tears she we bade them adieu, telling father that they would meet him in the good world to follow this life. We never saw them more from that day to this.

We went back to the carding factory, got our rolls and when we reached the forks of Sandy River, at Louisa, where we crossed on our horses, going to the Ohio -- we now had to ferry over, as the backwaters from the Ohio River had reached that point, 35 miles above the mouth of Sandy. There was at least 6 or 8 feet plumb water of the back waters at this place.

I had much to tell on reaching home, of my adventures and what had been seen by myself and father. I felt that I was a muchly traveled individual, had seen most of the enlightened world, Arkansas excepted, which we hoped to see too before a very great while! Other members of our family had not been so fortunate as myself in the way of travels and sightseeing. John had been to Cincinnati once with father and Rachel had been to Mt. Sterling when almost a grown young lady, but I had seen the majestic Ohio River, steamboats, and a city of some size and many other interesting things and important personages. Oh, how I could now interest the younger boys with stories of my travels and adventures connected therewith. This about 1 1/2 years prior to the interesting preparations for our move the the western country, mentioned some distance back.

Our preparations were now nearly completed. Boats loaded, tied up, moving boat ready to be filled when needed. Only waiting for a rise in Sandy, of depth sufficient to float our heavily laden lumber boats over the shoals in safety. Oh! the anxiety, the dread for fear the required water would not come till the spring would be too far advanced to make the journey before the hot weather to be encountered down on the Mississippi and on the Arkansas Rivers.

We had a great deal of hot weather and sickness (at least some of them had) but I cared for none of these provided we could only get started. The novelty of a move, seeing the sights, seeing new countries, big rivers, steam boats, great cities, new people, and our kindred and friends in Arkansas -- the idea of getting to a land full of wild animals, game, honey and a thousand other interesting things (to say nothing of Indians). All these things made the younger ones of our colony stand on tiptoe of expectation and become exceedingly impatient of delay.

Finally the river began to rise -- 1, 2, 3 ft. and still crawling slowly up the banks. It was now the 3d day of May, 1839. Next day was set for the grand start. The long looked for event was come at last and we were actually on the even of starting. It was 3 to 4 miles up the River to Dickerson's where the moving boat was moored to the bank and where were Old Father Dickerson and family, Sister Rachel and James D., and Steel and his family. I was dispatched up there in the evening, to stir them up and to appraise them of the fact that next day we expected to loose the cables of our large lumber boats and set them afloat on the rolling waters of the Big Sandy, just above "Hell's Gate" and plough through that dangerous pass as a start to Arkansas! and that we wanted them all to be aboard the boat in due time and come floating down the tide and join the starting flotilla on its western journey.

I stayed up there that night, May 3d, but cannot say that I slept, for I was too much excited and too anxious for that. Next morning we got everything ready in good time, and loosed cable and floated down to wher our large boats were tied up and there we landed to get our family aboard. The River bank at this point, the upper end of Hell's Gate shoal, was lined with people, our many friends and relatives gathered to see us off and bid us a last adieu, a long farewell. Many were the tears shed that day and many hearts were sad. We finally took our leave, loosed the cables of our boats, and at 1 or 2, perhaps as late as 3 p.m. we were sailing down the stream to never more return. Z. V. H.

 Story Submitted and Courtesy of

~ William "Bill" Liddle ~

ZACHARIAH  VANHOOSE  the son of JOHN B. and LYDIA LEWIS VANHOOSE was born August 13, 1823 in Floyd Co., Kentucky, and died May 23, 1887 in Dade Co., Mo.  He married MILDRED R BARRETT May 05, 1867 in Washington Co., Ar..  She was born December 04, 1836 in Washington Co., Ar. He was a Surgeon during the Civil War  and according to Charles Parson's "The Van Hoose Family of Eastern Kentucky" book, he was educated for medicine at Louisville Kentucky, taught at Arkansas College and practiced medicine at Springfield, Mo.

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