[slippednfell]

Hi. It's been a while since I've posted. I did a search and I scanned pages back to about 35 for info on the Oxley, Timbo, Leslie areas and really didn't find anything about these areas. I would love to learn more about this area in general.

I know this area is in Searcy & Stone Counties, just north of Van Buren County. I know that all three are dry counties. I've also recently just finished the book "Hill Folk" so I know Leslie was active in the lumber trade and at one time had a population of 2000 residents.

I am interested in any regional history, folk lore or stories any of you may be willing to share.

Thank you in advance.

[Old Fossil]

I'm surprised no one has responded to your request. I have been all over that country but know no details that you need. Sorry. Maybe someone will speak up soon.

[slippednfell]

Thank you for posting, Old Fossil.

I thought I had read posts from people that seemed to have quite a bit of history knowledge and others that had traveled around quite a bit.

Perhaps it is the proximity to Christmas that has people busy.

I've further gone back 55 pages looking for possible related posts.

I would love to learn anything about the area that anyone would like to share even if it is not historical.

[Old Fossil]

Have you done a Web search for those communities? I "Googled" them and found good, basic, info on Timbo and Leslie, but little on Oxley. If you haven't already don't that you may give it a try.

[slippednfell]

Yes, I was able to find some basic info. Wikipedia had some info on how Timbo came to be named Timbo, which I found to be very interesting.

I was hoping that there would be some people that grew up in the area or had family in that area that had some first hand knowledge to share or even stories that had been passed down through the generations.

My boyfriend is from SE AR. He joined the military and after 20 years, retired from where he was last stationed, in upstate NY. He has only been back to visit family from time to time and wanted to move back permanently. We purchased some land in the area and will eventually be retiring to the area.

We have visited several times and stopped at the Natural Bridge of AR. Last time, we just missed the Chuck Wagon races in Clinton. We have yet to see the Folk Music festival / museum in Mountain View. We've stopped at the Western Store and marveled at all the beautiful furniture and furnishings. We've eaten at the place on Main St in Leslie and at the house converted into an eatery heading out of Leslie on hwy 66.

I tend to be more interested in the past than what is going on right now. There is something about learning the history of an area that really makes you appreciate and value it more than if you breeze through it without a second thought.

[Old Fossil]

I fully understand interested in the past. That's why I enjoy archeology so much. Often when we are working an archeology site we fantasize having a time machine and seeing what was really happening and not what we think was happening. We also talk about the probability that the Indians or pioneers are looking down on us and laughing at us digging in their trash heaps, or toilets.

Our family has always enjoyed visiting the Folk Center at Mt. View. I prefer staying in one of the cabins on the property, but our daughter has found a Bed & Breakfast a mile or two out of town she prefers. It's a new structure (about five years old) and not a converted building which makes it more convenient. It may be called "Oak Manor", or "Oak [something]". I'm not sure.

Maybe someone will eventually answer your questions.

[slippednfell]

We will be headed down in the Spring for a visit. Perhaps we will be able to get some history from the locals.

Thank you for your input Old Fossil. I appreciate it.

[maryrichards]

Hi:
My mother was born and raised in Oxley, Arkansas. Her parents lived there until their deaths in the 1970s. She was one of 5 children born to Eli & Flora Goodman. Her brother, Rufus Doyle lived in Timbo all his adult life.
When I was growing up in Marshall, Ark. we went to visit them often. When I was real little there was a family named Redman that had a small country store there that eventually went out of business. The only other business there was the Mt. Zion Baptist Church. The lane to my grandparents home is just across the dirt road from the church. I think it is still standing. I remember going to their house and picking wild paw paws and in the fall we would gather up all the black walnuts and sell them for Christmas spending money.
My grandfather's parents and an aunt were murdered by the KKK in that area shortly after moving there from Kentucky. They buried the bodies in the woods and it took a while for the family to figure out what happened to them. Then during WW1 my grandfather's brother Levi was shot in the back by Sheriff James Barnett. The excuse he gave was that my great uncle was resisting going into the military. The old folks around always said that was not the real reason. They said he was jealous because Uncle Levi could sing better than him. They also said he was a member in good standing with the KKK and he hated Uncle Levi for being a Jew.

As I said, my uncle Doyle lived and farmed in Timbo until his death in 2012. He also had a band that went on the road from time to time. He played any musical instrument he could get his hands on even though he never had lessons. His band played the entry march for President Kennedy's visit to Little Rock just before he went to Dallas.

I still have family living in that area.

[slippednfell]

Thank you for sharing! You sure know a lot about your family history and I found the info about the area very interesting.

[cgoodmanmumma]

Am related to the the Eli/Levi Goodman family of Searcy Co Arkansas, as learned recently through the Family Tree Goodman DNA project. Would love to learn more about this family. Any information you could share would be greatly appreciated.