From Virginia to Arkansas and Back (1850 - 1880) (find, search, free) - Ancestry research, historical records, genetic analysis, sharing data, locating family - City-Data Forum

queensgrl · 09-04-2011, 06:03 PM

The timeframe is an estimate but I was doing research on my family and discovered that they (slave owners & slaves) moved from Charlotte Court House, VA to Ozan, AR sometime in the mid 1800s (before the War) but then they all returned to Virginia.

Can you think of any reason why this may have happened?

CAVA1990 · 09-04-2011, 06:30 PM

Seems odd. All my VA ancestors just kept moving West. I'm the first to return, over 150 later.

ArkansasSlim · 09-04-2011, 08:42 PM

I have been to Ozan and think of it as one of the many "sawmill towns" in AR in the early 1900s (teens, 20s, 30s) that pretty well dried up when the mill shut down in the 40s. I was not aware that it predated the C.W. Now I gotta find out. But that didn't answer your question

did it? I would suspect that was cotton country during that time, but I just proved, above, I don't know anything about it

so now I gotta find out more.

bjh · 09-05-2011, 09:31 AM

Possibly to do with a belief that slavery would be ended in VA but continue in western states?

Clearly that became a moot point.

EnricoV · 09-05-2011, 11:24 AM

Some people moved westward in early days in hopes of making their fortunes, getting free (or almost free) land from the government. If it didn't work out, sometimes they moved back.

I had an ancestor who did much the same, moving to Louisiana from Georgia. Family lore has it that they left everything and went back to Georgia, even leaving the plates on the table.

ArkansasSlim · 09-06-2011, 02:31 PM

Does your info specifically state "Ozan Arkansas"? I asked a professional historian on Arkansas matters who I often communicate with on similar subjects, and he said the community post office was first established in 1852 as "Pine Grove" and changed to "Bingen" in 1881. He said his reference material also states it was "Goodlett" in 1880 and changed again in 1884.

He also wrote that he didn't have a WAG of why they returned to VA unless, as written earlier, they did not find in AR what they expected.

Again, I didn't answer your question

but gave you more than you really wanted to know