In its early days, Washington County was a diverse area that attracted many settlers who were eager to set up homesteads and farm the land. When Arkansas became a state in 1836, the county led the way in education and was a prosperous place to live and work. This volume explores the lives of several generations of early residents and the ways in which they survived in some of the most rugged country west of the Mississippi. The photographs in this collection, many of which date back to the late 1880s, serve as priceless reminders of the real-life stories of early Ozark homesteaders. Enhanced by an informative and entertaining text, these vintage snapshots also provide the reader with views of early organizations such as the Young Americans and the Home Demonstration Clubs, and political groups such as the local "petticoat government," which was touted as the first of its kind. In Washington County, Arkansas, you will discover the area's plentiful apple orchards and strawberry fields, its sawmills and gristmills, and its canneries and prosperous businesses along the railroad line. Rare scenes of local reunions, river baptisms, singing schools, parties, and county fairs are also brought to life within these pages.

"The 1865 sheriff's census of Washington County, Arkansas, is the only county census known to exist from this enumeration. Its importance lies in having been taken just nine months after the end of the Civil War when the county was still recovering from major loss of life and property." Destruction of homes, schools, farms, and businesses, and confiscation of livestock and crops was wrought by both Union and Confederate forces. Washington County's 442 claims for personal property reimbursement filed with the Southern Claims Commission after the war were by far the greatest number of any Arkansas county. The war took a heavy toll on the county population which was down by 9,000 from the 1860 federal census. The census contains names, age groupings, and groupings by gender for white persons; free persons of color are identified only by name and gender. The census is arranged chronologically and includes names of several (but not all) townships: Clear Creek, Elm Spring, Mars Hill, Illinois, Vineyard, Cove Creek, Mountain, West Fork, White River, Richland, Prairie, and the city of Fayetteville. Cane Hill and Brush Creek Townships are not named, even though they existed when the census was taken. This book may enable researchers with roots in northwest Arkansas to identify their ancestors who first appeared or who had remained in Washington County during the difficult years of 1861 through 1865. Agricultural statistics are on the microfilm from which this information was copied, but are not included in this book.