Family History

Hi there, come on in and sit a spell. These are the very words you would have heard from anyone of my family members. Time was taken to enjoy one another’s company and friends. Times were very hard around here, not so many years ago. The area around the Buffalo River didn’t progress along with other areas and cities around the nation. The people who lived here worked their fingers to the bone just to survive and provide a decent way of life for their families. My mother’s family is from the Buffalo River. Sure in the early 1800’s Abraham Villines and his wife, Martha, moved into this area from North Carolina, but the river seemed to take hold of this family and it hasn’t let go. So we proudly say we are from the Buffalo River. My daughter is now the 6th generation of this family to live on the same property we own today. However she is the 8th generation of Villines descendants who have lived along the Buffalo River.

Records are hard to find and traveling conditions made record keeping difficult but this is what we know: The exact time of arrival in what is now Newton County is unknown, but the family was established on the Upper Buffalo River by 1837. Emigrants coming from Tennessee usually followed the southwest trail out of Missouri and into Arkansas. From there they followed a path crossing the White River and then found a recently cleared road to the little frontier settlement of Carrolton. They then crossed over the mountain to the headwaters of the Buffalo River. There were no roads in this area at the time, only well worn trails that had been formed from the centuries of use by grazing animals and the Indians that hunted them. The trail then entered the valley where Whitley Creek joins the Buffalo River. It was near here that two families in the party Abraham was traveling with established homes. Abraham proceeded on down river and settled under the high bluff near what later became known as Center Point. Abraham lived there the rest of his life. His children married and established homes nearby. The only clue to his death is a statement by his granddaughter, Susan. She stated that he was killed by bushwhackers during the Civil War. She further stated that he was very old and was killed with a bayonet. The women buried him by the trail where he was killed. His wife Martha died in 1862 and is buried at Beechwood Cemetery located in Lost Valley.

My mom has told me many times that she never wondered what she would be doing on Sundays- she knew she would be in Sunday school and church with her family. More times than not the preacher and his family would join them for lunch and stay the day visiting. Faith in God is huge part of our family life and always has been. My great grandparents attended the little church in Low Gap & my family still attends that church today. After their loyalty & faithfulness to God, nothing was more important than family. Love for one another held this family together through some very hard times. Everyone knew how blessed they were to have each other and be able to be together each day.

Another large part of their lives was hunting, fishing, trapping and gardening. They were completely self-sufficient. They lived entirely off the land, even making their own molasses and maple syrup. They scraped by, but they didn’t feel like they were missing out on anything. Their needs were met and they had family and friends. Electricity and indoor plumbing were slow in coming and considered frivolous.

Music was engrained in the family as well. Every member of my mom’s family could play some type of instrument. Everyone who knew my grandpa Boyd knows he could play anything with strings. He could pick up any instrument that had strings and in a very short time have it mastered. No one in the family could read music it was all by "ear". Bluegrass and gospel are the two dominant types of music here.

So now I should to let you know, I am a photo junkie. I love old photographs of my family and anyone else who catches my attention. Click here to view a few family photos that I love and I hope you enjoy them as well. Thanks for stopping by.