The Pioneer
Days of
By Dr. James Chamberlain
Throgmorton
Taken from
“Historical Record and Survey
Of
Compiled by
A. A. Weeks,
(Contributed by Pat Isabel Brown, March 2006)
(Illustrated, Price $2.00)
(Photo – Dr. Jas. C. Throgmorton)
I know it is not customary for a man to
apologize for something before he says it, but in this particular instance I shall
digress from the usual course of procedure and ask the kind reader to pardon me
for not being able to furnish data to past events. This is due to my neglect,
not having kept a diary which would furnish me an abstract to which I could
easily refer to refresh my memory.
But even now at my present age, which is seventy-eight
years, many events long past and gone are yet fresh in the fading folds of my
memory. Forty-seven years on the upper deck of an Arkansas pony armed with pill
bag, battling not only against disease, but also buffalo gnats and mosquitoes,
trudging through mud and slush both day and night, often plunging my horse
through dense forest, swimming rivers and lakes to alleviate suffering humanity
--- has given me an advantage of observing many things that I couldn’t
otherwise have seen. This was so discouraging to me that had it not been for
the unbounded hospitalities of Tyronza people I no doubt would have abandoned
my outfit and struck for parts unknown.
It is usually the case with people seeking new homes to
inquire as to the facilities of both church and school.
I shall adopt like method in describing the first church
house I was ever permitted to enter in Tyronza.
This house was located on the north bank of Gibson Bayou,
near where the present house now stands.
It was about 20x40 feet, constructed of huge logs, covered
with clapboards, having at each end a dirt and stick chimney.
This house was used for various purposes, such as church,
school, Sunday School also a voting precinct for elections.
The pulpit or rostrum was constructed of rough boards and
furnished a place for the Doctor of Divinity to stand while dispensing his
circumlocutions as an antidote for sin.
The benches consisted of split logs with the split surface
neatly polished, and holes bored in the convexed part of the log with wooden
pins inserted for legs. This is where the good people quietly seated themselves
and swallowed the doctor’s medicine as he issued it.
When his supply was exhausted and he was no longer able to
further dispense, he would pronounce the benediction. Then a cordial handshaking would take place
between these good people with invitations to those who lived at a distance to
accompany the nearbys home and share their hospitality as long as they pleased.
The door of all houses stood wide open and you were
permitted to walk right in and seat yourself, sing and whistle anything you
liked except “Yankee Doodle” or “Marching Through
Georgia”. During this time the
good matron was busily engaged preparing a good and wholesome meal, which they
were certainly competent of doing.
Their principal mode of travel was by wagon and
horseback. A buggy was altogether
unknown in this country. I have often seen
some of those good women mount a horse and ride a side-straddle for ten or
twelve miles to minister to the sick.
They seemed to be something more than neighbors; in
reality one common family. None of them were rich, but all good and independent
livers, the most of them owned their homes, which were situated near the public
road. Their houses were built of like material as that of their church,
although somewhat differently constructed.
Their farms were usually small, very few exceeding 160
acres of land. The most of them possessed good herds of cattle and bunches of
hogs. After supplying their needs of meat at home, they would drive vast
quantities of cattle and hogs to
After disposing of their surplus hogs and cattle, they
would lay in vast quantities of supplies for home use and bring out in wagons.
The round trip usually took about one week.
Now I am going to tell you something about our city of
Owing to unfavorable circumstances, the town grew very
slowly until 1905, when conditions changed and she commenced to expand. Now at
the present writing we have four churches, one of these a beautiful brick, the
other three neat wooden buildings.
We have a number of stores all beautifully constructed of
brick, carrying in stock everything in dry goods, hardware, groceries,
etc. Two beautiful drug stores, carrying
a full line of drugs. Two neatly constructed brick banks doing a good business.
We have a fine, first-class hotel which is up-to-date in everything. Others not
so costly. We have a very fine brick school building for the primary grades. A
$100,000 high school building underworks, light plant, cotton compress and four
or five modern gins. We have roads that are now being crowned with gravel
radiating from Earle that penetrate East, West, North and South, through our
fertile farming land.
This is now the garden spot of
Earle has a population of about 4,000.
Now I close this article by dedicating a few lines to the
memory of the good citizens or pioneers of former days, the greater part of
whom have cast aside their earthly mantle and gone to live with friends in the
verdant summer land, leaving nothing in the way of tombstone or monuments to
their memory.
But their spotless record while here on earth will grow
brighter at the years go by.
JAMES CHAMBERLAIN THROGMORTON
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Last Updated Tuesday, June 20, 2006