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The Thumb's Christmas

  Our daughter, Anne, was a prolific artist when she was young. Our refrigerator door was full of her drawings, paintings, and school artwork. She liked to create little books, too, as she was also a natural storyteller. One Christmas when she was about eight years old, Anne wrote and illustrated a Christmas story for her little brother, James. If memory serves, she drew her inspiration from a book she had recently gotten from the library by illustrator Ed Emberley. He wrote and illustrated The Great Thumbprint Drawing Book . In it, Emberley showed how to make a variety of animals and people using a thumbprint as a starting point. The creations are simple and charming. It's amazing what you can do with a blog of ink and a few black lines. It's art that's accessible to anyone. Anne's story is called "The Thumb's Christmas," and is based on our family. There is a thumb with glasses (Anne), a thumb with little hair (toddler James), a thumb with a mustache (Ji...
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RECENT RESEARCH DISCOVERIES: STEPHEN CASEY


Portion of Warranty Deed recorded for Stephen Casey and his wife "N.J" Casey in 1897.1

 

by Nancy Gilbride Casey

Recent Casey research has shed more light on the life of Stephen Casey (1821-abt. 1899). One discovery narrows his arrival in Arkansas from his Tennessee birthplace, while others detail his life as a land-owning farmer and taxpayer.

Arrival in Arkansas - Stephen arrived in Arkansas no later than 23 October 1840, and could have been there as early as 1838.   

Together with his father "Elder J.E. Casey," Stephen Casey represented the Mount Gilead Church at the 2nd annual meeting of the Buffalo Association of Baptists held with Zion Hill Church in Marion County, Arkansas on 23 October 1840. The information comes from meeting minutes; the title  "2nd annual" helps date the organization's founding to 1838. However it is unclear whether either Casey was present at the creation of the association, though it is possible. This association was either organized as, or became, "Hardshell" Baptist.2

1850 Farming Details - By 1850, Stephen Casey resided in Jackson, Newton, Arkansas. He was enumerated in the 1850 U.S. Census Agricultural Schedule as a farmer. He owned 33 acres of improved and 20 acres of unimproved land, kept horses, milch cows, oxen, sheep and swine, and grew Indian corn, peas, beans and potatoes. His farm produced wool and butter, and other goods of "homemade manufacture." The total value of his farm and all it produced in 1849 was $763—in today's dollars, a whopping $27,753.24.3

The table below excerpts Casey's entry in the 1850 agricultural schedule. 

Marion County Taxpayer - Stephen Casey began paying personal taxes as early as 1859 in Marion County, Arkansas; he and his family lived in Blythe Township. He is recorded paying taxes in 1859, 1860, 1865 and 1866, with the gap perhaps due to the Civil War.4

Later records show him paying Marion County taxes between 1887-1894, and offer more detail as to his circumstances. The table below extracts these tax lists. The value of his farm stays fairly steady through the years, but began to decline about 1892, rebounded in 1893, then lost about $100 in value by 1894 (equivalent to nearly $3,300 today).5

By that time, Stephen was in his 70s. In his 1896 application for a Confederate pension from the state of Arkansas, Stephen's doctor, R.J. Pierce noted that Stephen, "...was nearly completely disabled, suffering from near total blindness, angina pectoris, nervous prostration and a back injury, and unable to work." As early as 1880, Stephen was noted as having a "spinal affliction," which may have gotten worse over time, given the rigors of farm labor.6


Casey's tax records after 1894 may be the only way to determine when he died exactly, as his wife Mary Jane may have taken over the tax payments as his widow. Stephen was said to have died about 1899, though no will or probate has been located to date. Several Marion County courthouse fires destroyed most records. After the courthouse burned to the ground in 1887, few wills were recorded in Marion County until about 1900, and none for any man with a Casey surname.7

Stephen's Wives - Stephen was married twice: first to Sarah Wilkins and then to Mary Jane Angel Riggins. The same courthouse fires which destroyed any will he may have had, similarly destroyed any marriage record which might have existed for either marriage. 

Complete Warranty Deed recorded in Marion County, Arkansas in 1897.

However, property deeds do document the fact that Casey has a first wife named Sarah, and a second wife named Mary Jane or Jane:

  • Direct evidence that Stephen had a wife named Sarah was found in a deed of conveyance signed on 10 January 1863, “Stephen Casey and his wife Sarah Casey,” sold 135 acres of land to John W. Mode in Marion County; in the deed, Sarah also released her dower rights.8
  • Similarly, Stephen and Mary Jane Casey sold a parcel of land to J. F. Davis on 7 Aug 1897 in Marian County for $100. The deed, recorded on 9 August 1897, noted "Stephen Casey and N.J. Casey his wife..."9
Interestingly, this was the last land transaction during Stephen's life. His death must have occurred between 8 August 1897 when he signed this deed, and 7 June 1900 when Mary Jane was enumerated by census workers as a widow.10

Until next time...


NOTES

1 Marion County, Arkansas, "Deed Record Book F"' page 379, Stephen Casey & N. J. Casey to J.F. Davis ; County Courthouse, Yellville. Photograph by author. 

2 J.S. Rogers, History of Arkansas Baptists. (Little Rock: Executive Board of Arkansas Baptist State Convention, 1948, p. 313, "The Churches in Buffalo Association...Mount Gilead represented by Elder J.E. Casey and Stephen Casey..."; digital images, HathiTrust (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt : accessed 11 March 2022); citing University of Wisconsin, Madison. Other churches in the association included Crooked Creek Regular Baptist, Wareagle Church, New Hope Church, Salem and Zion Hill. 

3 1850 U.S. Census, Newton County, Arkansas, agricultural schedule, Jackson Twp., n.p., line 9, Stephen Casey, 33 improved acres, 20 unimproved acres; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D14W-99L?i=404 : accessed 21 February 2022); citing FHL film 004300470, image 405. Also:  Agricultural Schedules: 1850 TO 1900, nd, p. 744, "...value of all articles manufactured within the year preceding the 1st day fo June, in or by the family, whether for home use of for sale." Also: CPI Inflation Calculator (https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1850?amount=763 : accessed 17 March 2022).

4 Desmond Walls Allen, "Marion County, Arkansas Tax Records, 1841-1866" (Conway: Arkansas Research, no date), 31.

5 Marion County, Arkansas, Personal Property Taxes, 1887, Blythe Twp., no page number, S. Casey; images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSL2-C3XT-6 : accessed 25 February 2022); citing County Courthouse, Yellville; FHL film 008197950, item 3, image 578. For subsequent years, if page number are visible, they are located on the right-hand page. Also: Ibid, 1888, Blythe Twp., p. 42, Stephen Caisey; images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSL2-JDDJ); item 1, image 48.; Ibid, 1889, Blythe Twp., p. 14, Stephen Casey; images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSL2-J6RB); item 2, image 107; 1890, Blythe Twp., p. 5, Stephen Casey; images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSL2-J683); item 3, image 176; Ibid, 1891, Blythe Twp., no page number, S. Casey; images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSL2-J68T?i=264); item 4, image 265; Ibid, 1892, Blythe Twp., p. 2, S. Casey; images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSL2-J6ML); item 5 image 317. 1893, Blythe Twp., p. 17, S. Casey; images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSL2-JDNJ :);, item 6 image 420. Ibid, 1894, Blythe Twp., no page number, S. Casey; images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSL2-J6XC); item 7, image 490. Also: Encyclopedia of Arkansas (https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/poll-tax-5045/ : accessed 15 March 2022), “Poll Tax.” The fifth Arkansas constitution adopted in 1874, levying “a per capita tax of one dollar per year on every male inhabitant over the age of twenty-one, with the monies collected to be placed in the state’s public school fund.” Additional tax records are being sought from the Arkansas Archive. 

6 Arkansas Confederate Pensions, 1901-1929," database with images, FamilySearch (http://bit.ly/2wHWoJG : accessed 6 June 2019), entry for Stephen Casey, (Pvt., Co. B, 14th Arkansas Infantry, Civil War), image 685; citing Arkansas State Auditor, History Commission, Little Rock. Also: 1880 U.S. Census, Marion, Arkansas, population schedule, Blythe Twp., p. 47, E.D. 109, line 39, dwelling 398, family 399, Stephen Casey household; image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYYB-9QRX : accessed 17 February 2022); FHL film 5157269, image 17; citing NARA microfilm publication T9, Washington, D.C.

7 S. C. Turnbo, "Serious Wounds Inflicted on Hunters by Infuriated Bears in the Buffalo Mountains of Arkansas," Springfield-Greene County Library (https://bit.ly/39vRBMv : accessed 30 March 2020), transcription from typescript: The Turnbo Manuscripts, Volume 6. “Steve Casey, who died on Crooked Creek in 1899...” Also: Encyclopedia of Arkansas (https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/marion-county-courthouse-8100/ : accessed 1 March 2022), "Marion County Courthouse," rev. 21 April 2021. 

8 Marion County, Arkansas, "Deed Record Book I"' page 260-261, Stephen Casey & Sarah Casey to John W. Mode; County Courthouse, Yellville. 

9 Marion County, Arkansas, "Deed Record Book F," Stephen Casey & N. J. Casey to J.F. Davis.

10 1900 U.S. Census, Marion, Arkansas, population schedule, sheet 5, E.D. 79, Blythe Twp., line 46, Mary Casey, age 61; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7602/images/4119758_00735 : accessed 21 February 2022).




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