Bewley Family
The Bewley family moved to Pope Co., Arkansas sometime around 1829, as they appear on the 1830 Pope County census. Listed as heads of household are :
John M. Buley
Mahlon Bewley
Robert Buley
"Rev. Mahlon Bewley along with his 4 preacher sons, Rev. John M. Bewley, Rev. Robert S. Bewley, Rev. George W. Bewley and Rev. Nelson Bewley, founded the first church, which was Methodist, at Boiling Springs near Hector in Pope County. Rev. Mahlon Bewley lies in an unmarked grave in Bewley Cemetery on the N.E. corner of Pine Hill, also Rev. Nelson Bewley; Rev. John M. Bewley in the Bewley Cemetery on Gumlog Creek near Pea Ridge Mt.; and Rev. Robert S. Bewley in the Langford Cemetery near Scottsville.
Rev. Robert S. Bewley preached at Dwight Mission the first Sunday in January 1829, and at the conclusion of the sermon, Rev. Cephas Washington shook hands with him and stated "you have this day preached the first Methodist sermon in Pope County." He preached in Little Rock in 1831, in a little log church house belonging to the Cumberland Presbyterians. Rev. George W. Bewley held a revival for three days in 1830 on Piney Creek, in which 53 persons were converted. Rev. John M. Bewley established Methodist Churches at Bewley Chapel, on Pine Hill, Methodist Chapel at Old Lake was used as a meeting place for the Union Militia in the Pope County Militia War, he established the Southern Methodist Church at Dover and was the Pastor several years. In Miss Mae Russell's writings of Russellville, she mentioned that Rev. John M. Bewley and Rev. John Williamson acted as town criers on Sunday morning walking the streets, extorting people to attend church. Rev. John M. Bewley preached at the Methodist Log Church House located somewhere near where Oakland Cemetery is today."
(My Study of the Tripp Family by "Bob" Tripp, taken from the Pope County Historical Quarterly
1966-1971.)
Federal Population Schedules, Arkansas Census 1840:
Bewley, J. M. Gumlog Township
Bewley, Anthony Liberty Township
Bewley, Robert S. Liberty Township
Potter, Lewis Liberty Township
