First let me thank Mr. Hobgood and Mr. Taylor for your response to my cry for help.
I am aware of the many unthankful people who now believe some one owes them something.. Believe me if I could possible do so I would take care of this myself, but I am far away and unable to do this myself.
It is my hope that an Arkansas organization will think it worthy to preserve this Grave has he contributed much to Arkansas. He did his duty.
St.James Cemetery is located in St. James, Arkansas it is directly behind the Methodist Church.
for your convenience the web site is:
www.accessgenealogy.com/cemetery/arkansas/stone_county.htm
close to the bottom of the cemeteries listed is St. James, click on it. run down the list of graves and close to the bottom is Mary Caroline Wall... This is the Wall plot
Grandison M. Wall, His wife Mary, son Major Townsend and Mary C. are interned there. I have a picture of the graves.
At the Arkansas Secession Convention 5-30-1861 it was agreed
Arkansas would appoint a home guard or equivilent to the Minute Men.6-29-1861 this was implemented and Grandison M. Wall was appointed for Franklin Twnship.,Stone County.
My understanding is this appointment was to landowners and prominent men of good character.
In 1862 Grandison enlisted in the Arkansas Volunteers at Hess Ferry. (O'Neils)
Record reads:
Wall, G.M.
Regiment 8th AR. Calvary
Side Confederate
Company F
Soldiers rank in Pvt.
Soldiers rank out Pvt.
8th Regiment, Arkansas Calvary Crutes compendium contains no history for this unit.
Sifakis- Compendium of the Confederate Armies-Arkansas
Arkansas 8th Calvary Regiment AKA/ Arkansas Second (Morgans)
Calvary Re/organized with 12 Co's.by charge of disignation
of the 5th Arkansas Calvary Regt.on 12-12-1863. Surrendered
by Gen. E. Kirby Smith 5-26-1865.
Battles: Camden Expedition Mar-May 1865
Poison Springs 4-18-1864-1865
Marks Mill 4-25-1864
Prices Missouri Raid 9-10-1864 ( Gen. Sterling Price)
Mariaisdes Cygnes 10-1864.
Grandison M. Wall was parolled out 6-1865
his description read.. 5'8" Fair complexion, blue eyes
age 44 years.
Grandison died Aug. 16, 1901
He had founded and operated the Walls Ferry across the White River abt. 1/2 Mile south of where Lock 3 is located today for 50 years. In addition to the Ferry he owned a warehouse where he stocked food staples,small farm equipment, seeds and etc.for the settlers. ( the necessities for survival)
From 1851 he ran his own private post office out of the warehouse. Excepting mail from the settlers that he carried to Batesville and put on the boats back to New Orleans. He also excepted anything they had brought and carried it back to the warehouse. The Steamboats was only able to travel as far as Batesville up the White River.
Discussions had gone on for many years about getting a railroad through that area to help improve the economy. Before his death Grandison signed papers giving the railroads passage through his properties. His sons &
widow honored this wish of Grandisons and gave the railroads a 100'wide strip through the lands. Grandison owned land on both sides of the river. He had bought the Waugh place which was the scene of a Civil War battle at Waugh's Pond. By 1902-1903 Walls Ferry had become a good size settlement with the river workers putting in the dam & locks. The railroad was laying tracks and many of the workers hung out down around the river nights gambling and drinking. Walls Ferry had became a wild place. The U.S. Postal Service put in an office designated Walls Ferry post office in 1903.
In 1908 Gransison's son closed the Ferry forever. Gradually with no Ferry, the settlement just gradually diminished. The U.S. Post Office closed down about 1915.
Grandison contributed much to Arkansas and to the community, I feel his grave should be preserved.
Any help at all will be greatly appreciated.
please email me directly at B29wendover@wmconnect.com
thanks Elisa