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October 15, 1827 | ||
Help Wanted | ||
Arkansas Trails has several counties and projects up for adoption. If you would be interested in adopting a county or project look at the Arkansas Trails County Page. If you find one that you would like to adopt e-mail the State Administrator State Administrator.[ Being a County or State Administrator is fun and rewarding. If you have an interest in the history of Arkansas and the genealogy of it's residents please consider it. If you think "there is no way I can do this" there are many people ready, willing and able to help you. It's not near as difficult as you might think. ] | History |
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Lafayette County was formed on October 15, 1827 and named in honor of Marquis de Lafayette, a French military hero and American general who fought during the American Revolutionary War and who toured the US in 1824/25 upon the 50th anniversary of the founding of the nation. The local pronunciation of the name is "luh-FAY-ut". The displacement of thousands of farmers by the New Madrid Earthquakes also contributed to the settlement of Louisiana Purchase lands. The quakes and war prompted President James Monroe in 1815 to survey and offer lands from the purchase to veterans and displaced farmers. He chose surveyor William Rector to direct the office at St. Louis, Missouri, with responsibility for all U.S. lands west of the Mississippi River. Rector's nephews, Henry Conway and James Sevier Conway, participated in the surveys. One result was that James Conway acquired hundreds of acres of fertile land along Red River as part of what was called Long Prairie. Before James Conway settled on the prairie, however, a small caravan of post—War of 1812 pioneers on flatboats had arrived in 1819. Other than their origin in Wilson County, Tennessee, a few miles east of Andrew Jackson's Hermitage, and their recent service in the War of 1812, they were bonded by intermarriage. East Tennessean James Conway would also marry one of them. One leader of the group was Colonel James Bradley, who in 1813 had been ordered by General Jackson to lead his troops to Natchez for the defense of the "southern country." Thomas Dooley also served at New Orleans, and his name appears several times in Jackson's documents at the Hermitage. George Duty served in the War of 1812 and lived a few miles from the Hermitage. William Crabtree Sr. was a resident of middle Tennessee before Jackson and also served in the war. The first years for the settlers on Long Prairie were especially difficult. Weather, isolation, unhappy (mostly Caddo) Indians, swamp creatures (snakes, wolves, bears, etc.), inadequate medical care, and other uncomfortable wilderness conditions afflicted the community. Several members of the families died during the first few years, and by 1826, the year James Conway married Polly Bradley, a significant segment of the group moved 100 miles eastward. One of Polly's uncles, Hugh Bradley, led some of the families to a portion of Union County that would become Bradley County, named for him. | Links |
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Free Records Search at Familysearch Org | ||
Lafayette County Cemetery Listings on Arkansas Gravestone Project | ||
Lafayette County Cemetery Listings on Interment Net | ||
Lafayette County Cemetery Listing at Find A Grave | ||
Arkansas Dept of Health | ||
Arkansas Dept of Health Division of Vital Records, Slot 44 4815 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 661-2174 Fax: (501) 663-2832 |
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Arkansas State Archives | ||
Arkansas History Commission One Capitol Mall Little Rock, AR 72201 501.682.6900 [email protected] |
The History Commission, the official state archives, is a facility in which those interested in Arkansas history may engage in research. The staff does not undertake research requests from the public. The Research Room is open from 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M., Monday through Saturday. It is closed on state holidays. If you are traveling long distances, please call to confirm hours/days of operation at 501.682.6900. | |
Arkansas Genealogical Society
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Circuit Clerk 1 Courthouse Square Lewisville, AR 71845 Phone (870)921-4878 | County Clerk 1 Courthouse Square Lewisville, AR 71845 Phone: (870) 921-4633 | E-Mail Lists and Message Boards |
Arkansas Mail List on Rootsweb | ||
Lafayette County Mailing List on Rootsweb | ||
Lafayette County Message Board on Rootsweb | ||
Lafayette County Message Board on Genforum | Adjacent Counties |
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Hempstead County |
Nevada County |
Columbia County |
Miller County |