William T Winton had come with his parents, John and Mary Winton, from
Scotland to Pennsylvania. They were paying taxes in Dublin Township, Bedford
County, Pa. in 1773 and 1779.William T Winton and his wife, Betsy McClelland,
had seven sons. Their youngest son, George Winton is the one who lead the wagon
train headed for Texas that ended in what later became Polk County Arkansas.
Johan Velten Shultz {1710-1745} came from northern Germany aboard the
ship,"Pennsilvania Merchant" arriving in Philadelphia the 10th of September,
1731. He and his wife, Maria Eva Stocker, lived in Lancaster County, Pa. and had
five children including Martin Shultz who married Julianna Stentz. Martin Shultz
was first a shoe maker and then a physician.. one of the few surgeons in the
American Revolutionary War.
Valentine Schultz was the son of Martin Shultz. Valentine Shultz and his
first wife, Catherine Kinnerson had several children. Catherine 'Kate' Shultz
was their oldest daughter and she is the one who married George Winton.
The Winton Brothers and the Valentine Shultz's family lived as neighbors on
the Tennessee River in Tennessee before it was a state. About 1806, George
Winton married Valentine's daughter, Kate Shultz. All of these settlers
"squatted" on Indian land before the county {rhea Co.} was formed and the state
made their claim on the land legal. Later most lost the land or had to refile
and purchase their land because of North Carolina first grants. Instead they
decided to move on.
George Winton was a captain in the US Army and had his own company in the war
of 1812. He was later described, "he had a heart of gold and the ability of a
born leader." George must have begun feeling the lure of the west because he
announced he was taking his family to Texas.
Immediately the heads of seven families joined the proposed wagon train.
Eventually there were 150 people on this wagon train that never made it to
Texas. Most of the 150 people on the wagon train were related either by blood or
by marriage. It has been said by a descendent that some of the families had bags
of gold and that even a few slaves were on the wagon train.
This list of names of the wagon train families comes from a number of
personal family histories and may or may not be completely accurate:
Winton...Shultz...Arnold...Jones...Quinton...Pirtle...McDaniel...Adams...Nobles.
Other names have been remembered but no proof offered. Some of these
families may have been in the wagon train:
Green...Griffeth...Scott...Warren...Dugan...Walker...Banks...Doaks...Henderson...
Elliot...Cagle...Gann.
The wagon train started from Mayfield {Graves County} Kentucky. In the fall
of 1833, from the southern part of Missouri the wagon train headed south into
Arkansas Territory on the way at last to southwest Texas. They crossed the
Arkansas River at VanBuren and rolled into Fort Smith. On November 16, 1833 they
were encamped in Fort Smith, Arkansas..That was the night the stars fell, a
meteorite shower that was long remembered by these travelers. One family, the
Jones', had a baby born that night and they named him Isaac.
Heading west from Fort Smith on the military road they were soon in the
Indian Territory. They headed south to the Red River stopping at Fort Towson.
The soldiers told them not to cross over into Texas because the Indians were on
the warpath and it was dangerous. At Fort Towson, they were told of a trading
post in Arkansas Territory that was run by a man named Billy McLain who was from
Kentucky and was also the Indian agent. They thought perhaps they knew this
fellow so they headed back east into Arkansas Territory then north to the
trading post at Ultima Thule.It is located about 8 miles west of present day
DeQueen, Ark. There were no settlements or roads north between the trading post
at Ultima Thule and Fort Smith at that time.
They did indeed know McLain, he had left Baldwin, Kentucky a short time
before they left Mayfield, Kentucky. He welcomed them and invited them to pitch
camp at his doorstep and turn their cattle, horses, and mules onto his meadow
ranges. It was almost Christmas time and the women planned a big dinner in
celebration of their safe passage this far.
The men discussed with their friend where they could go to settle. He told
them of an area about 50 miles north called Rich Mountain that was much like the
hills of Tennessee. There was rich fertile land and clear running water, and
much game reported in this area.
After sharing a cheery Christmas dinner with their friends, the men set off
on a trek north to see the area Captain McLain had told them about. What they
found convinced them that this was a good place to bring their families and
build their homes. They forgot about going to Texas.
When the men arrived back at the trading post they excitedly told their
families about this new place and they lost no time breaking camp. These
settlers had in their possession almost everything that was needed to begin a
new life. Getting those possessions to their new homeland would prove to be a
very big problem. To make a way for the wagons around the foot of the mountains,
the men had to cut trees, move hugh rocks, clear cane brakes and underbrush. The
women and children had to drive the wagons and herd the cattle behind the men.
While camped one day on the creek near where Gann is now, George Winton said,
"Boys, this is as far as I am going, this looks good to me. Right here is where
I stay."
The men of the wagon train got busy and by nightfall they had built him a
cabin and the next day they roofed it. He lived the next two or three years in
this house. It was located on the bank of Rock Creek. Later he built a larger
house which was still standing a hundred years later.
George And Kate moved into their new home. She set a hen and resumed her
spinning started in Kentucky. They probably had only three children young enough
to be living at home. The older boys moved on to find a place to set up their
own households.
The Shultz' and part of the group went on towards Rich Mountain until they
reached a place that was called Camp Ground, and is now called Rocky. The Winton
brothers went south. Hiram Kennison Winton settled at a creek two miles south of
his parents and that is how Two-Mile Creek got it's name. Kennison Shultz, who
on their arrival settled at the Sulpher Springs near Rocky, sold out in the fall
of 1838 and moved over on the creek east of Hatfield. This creek was about six
miles from George Winton's place and that creek soon got the name of six-mile
Creek.
Wood, water and land determined the location for settlements and homesteads
and this area was abundantly blessed with all three. The area was criss-crossed
with clear running streams and rivers. A spring for fresh water could be easily
found. Along the streams was good bottom land. Farms were of a necessity small,
for their tillage was in the hand labor of the farmer and his family. There were
few towns as we know them. Instead, there was a trading center where you would
find a general store, a blacksmith shop, sometimes a cotton gin or "press" and a
grist mill. Schools and churches were located in or near these trading centers.
These early people all had a very firm belief in education and they had a very
strong faith in God. Usually among their possessions was a bible which
represented their faith and also served as a record of their vital
statistics....their family history.