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Archiver > ARIZARD > 2001-05 > 0990354381


From: Jean Mayfield Cuevas <>
Subject: Re: [ARIZARD-L] Everett Family
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 05:26:21 -0500
In-Reply-To: <t990303527.c55.u917380@d700300516.iopener.net>


Eleanor,

This account might interest you. This is taken from the Jehoiada J. SAMS
Journal, chapter 21:

The Futt and Everet War
Chapter 21
At an early date the Everet Brothers come to the valley of
White River. They first came to Lawrence county on Black River,
and a short time afterwards they moved to White River and settled
in the west end of Izard County, in that part which is now
situated in Marion County.
Their families consisted of old Sim, and Jess and old Bart.
A part of them were mechanics, if not all. They were noted for
being men of honestiy and uprightness in all their transactions.
But they were celebrated for their activity, manhood and bravery.
They were given a right smart to fighting with their men and few
men could handle them in a combat.
It was old Jess who encountered John P. Houston, a brother
of Old Sam Houston who was first Govenor of Texas. Old Jess and
Houston met at the Mouth of Big North Fork the county seat of
Izard county at that time and got to talking of the removal of
the county seat. They had got to pretty plain talk, when Houston
said, "that no one but a D---- raskal would want the county seat
moved," then jumped to his feet and made a move as if to draw a
pistol. But Everet was watching him and had a pistol out and
cocked. He presented it to Houston's breast and told him that if
he made amove he would shoot a hole through him that a ground hog
could walk through. This man Houston was Circuit Clerk at the
time and had been for several years. he was a good lawyer when
not under the influence of whiskey. The report followed him here
that he had killed two men in South Carolina. He brought a large
library here with him.
He finally drank himself to death at Maj. Wolf's at Mouth of
Big North Fork, Arkansas, 1836. After Yellville was laid off as
a town, Hansford Futt, a man of some property settled there. He
was perhaps a North Carolinear, and not generally liked.
After a time a difficulty grew up between the Everet and
Futts, and continued to grow year after year as it was occasionly
rekindled by combats in which the Everets came off best. This
feud progressed for some ten years or more and finally resulted
in the formation of two hostile parties know as the Futt and
Everett parties. There were few citizens who were not in some
way or other indentified with one or the other of these parties.
In the meantime old Jess Everet had gone to Texas, but the
contention did not abate by his leaving Young men had grown uup
with all the bitterness of the contention engrafted in their
bosom.
In the summer of 1848 Jess Turner had an appointment to
speak at Yellville as Presidential Elector. This called out a
great number of people, and among them the Futts and EVeretts
were well represented, and a preliminary fight or tow rallied the
fighting men of both sides in line.
At this critical moment a terrible whirlwind swept over
the crowd, scattered their hats and filled the air with dust.
This so confused the crowd that they dispersed, for a time. The
Everet party, who lived in the country mounted their horses and
rode off, but before they had got out of hearing the noise of
another row reached their ears. The Everets wheeled their
horses, dashed back dismounted and then the fight commenced in
earnest. In a few moments four or five men were killed and
several others knocked down and wounded. There were four
brothers named King, who figured as champions on the Futt side.
Old Sim and Bart Everet seemed to be the most dreaded by the
Futt gang, and it was said, that they were held by their arms and
shot by the Futt gang. They both were killed and young France
Everet was wounded. All that were killed were of the Everet
gang, the Futts having taken advantage of them in the charge.
Young France immediately left for Texas for his uncle Jess. Old
Jess, on receiving France's report made his will, armed himself
took young France and a man by the name of Stratton and come back
to Arkansas. They arrested the King brothers over toward the
Arkansas river, and started to Yellville with them. They took
them a short distance and killed three of them. The fourth one
made his escape.
Soon afterwards a shot was fired at Old Hamp Futt from
ambush without taking effect. He then quartered himself at home
with a strong guard about his house. Old Jess Everets could not,
now get to himm.
A writ was placed in the hands of the sheriff for Old Jess.
The sheriff took about one hundred men and went to where old Jess
was known to be, and finding him, he found that old Jess had more
men than he had. Old Jess offered fight and told the sheriff to
"pull in". Old Jess had his men under the brow of a hill ready
for action. He run un and down the hill telling the sheriff that
if he wanted to fight to just fire on gun. Old Jess told his men
to hold themselves in readiness and not fire until he gave the
command and then give them hades.
The sheriff would not accept the change. He went back to
town and made an application to the govenor for five hundred
militia.The malitia succedded in capturing old Jess, Stratton and
Young Jess.
They put them in the Smithville jail, in Lawrence county,
Arkansas. Soon after a party of about twelve men went and broke
the lock of the jail and liberated them. They then mounted them
on horses and rode away in triumph.
The news of old Jess being liberated made old Hamp stick the
closer to his quarters. Some months after old Jess was liberated
old Hamp stepped outside his door just at day light one morning,
and was washing his face, when a ball was fired at him striking
the bowl in which he was washing. After some months of fruitless
efforts to get old Hamp, Old Jess was known to go to Texas, where
he died soon after. It was generally believed that Jess Everett
left some oneless known to Hamp Futt than himself to watch Futts
movements.
There was a man killed occasionally. Old Hamp still kept
close quarters. These times kept on for about twelve months when
old Hamp got to going around, generally between to other persons.
In this situation he was shot from ambush with a long range gun,
whilst walking in a retired street. He died in a few days after
being shot. he told his friends to let his be the end of this
affair. This was known as the Futt and Everet war.
I will give you a more extended account of the opening of
the Smithville Jail. If I was not there, there were others that
were. There were only twelve there I know, for I made the
crowbar that broke the lock. It took two men with the crowbar to
brake the lock of the jail. If any of you wish to see the
crowbar you can find it by coming to my house in Fulton County.
It has been forty eight years since this happened.
The hostilities of this Futt and Everet was lasted about
twenty months, during which time there were about fourteen men
killed. The parties of this war, who escaped, dispensed to other
countries. It was generally thought that the sympathies of the
outsiders were largely with the Everets.
I will tell you a little more that happened about this war,
concerning old Mat, Adams and Dearl Woods, his son-in-law. It
seems that Dearl Woods had got tired of the war. He sent word to
Adams, wanting to knowif he would go home and have no more to do
with the war if he would be in any danger. Old Mat sent word
back that he thought not, providing some one diden't have a wet
load in their gun they might try at him to see if it would fire.
(D)Earl was on the Futt side and Mat was on the Everet side.
Old Mat Adams was a brother to Peter F. Adams who killed Dr.
Huff, that I have spoken of before in these pages. I was well
acquainted with the Adamses. They were good farmers and stock
raisers, and made money. They were pure grit, but peaceable men
when you let their business alone.
Chapter 22
About the year 1830 Judge James Wren and the Hightower
family come to Izard county from the vicinity of Bolingreen,
Kentuckey. Judge James Wren was a remarkable man for his habits
of industry and christianity. It was throught his
instrumentality that the first baptist church was organized in
Izard county Arkansas. In the year 1830, he got a few scattering
Baptist together and sent to Spring River and got a Baptist
minister to organize a Baptist church near the mouth of Piney
Bayou. I was present at the organization of the church.
Judge Wren never aspired a great deal to office. H was,
however induced to accept a term or two as county Judge of Izard
county. When he come to Izard county he brought with him six
children. He had had no death in his family up that time, but at
this writing they are most all dead as are most of the first
settlers of the White river valey.
In those good old days it was not imposible for young men to
get to the highest office, although our school oportunities were
few. Schools were not plenty then as they are here now, and fat,
slick headed boys, who slept at night rarely ever derived any
benefit from them. However there were a class of boys who grew
up in the valey of White river, in that time, who would do honor
to that or any other time or country. Of these might be
mentioned some of the Wolf boys some of the Harris boys, some of
the Jeffrey boys, some of the Trimble boys, some of the Coker
boys, some of the Miller boys and many others whom I could
mention. One of this class of boys got to be governor of
Arkansas, one of the Jeffrey got to legislature, and one of these
gents was elected three terms as county Judge of Izard county
arkansas and declined a fourth term. I do not believe in any man
holding office more that three terms. [hand writing says,
something like "possibly ? Trimble might be mentioned in this
connection]
























At 03:18 PM 5/19/01 -0500, you wrote:
>I am looking for any records or indications that this Everett family was
>in Izard Co. I have the tax lists from Little Rock which indicate that
>JEREMIAH Everett lived in Izard Co. in 1833. I really think he might have
>died there shortly afterwards as he is never seen on paper again.
>
>If your ancestors were living in Izard Co. in 1833, they would have known
>my Everetts. The six sons of Jeremiah--John, Sims, Bart, Haney, Jesse,
>Ewell(Thomas)--blazed a trail thru every courthouse from E TN to
>AR. Things came to a head in the late 1840's over in Marion Co. where
>they finally settled. Have you heard of the Tutt-Everett War of Marion
>Co. AR. Well, this is the family I'm looking for.
>
>Any suggestions would be appreciated.
>Thanks.
>Eleanor
>
>
>==== ARIZARD Mailing List ====
>The US GenWeb site for Izard County can be found at:
>http://www.pastracks.com/states/arkansas/izard/

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