HOWARD COUNTY TOWNSHIPS

HOWARD COUNTY TOWNSHIPS

Arkansas Genealogy Trails

MADISON TOWNSHIP

Contributed by Christine Walters

Madison Township gives the first settlers of the present Dierks Area. Madison Township in the 1840's and 1880's covered roughly the territory surrounding Dierks. The western boundary was Saline River, the south by Messer Creek over to Fellowship, through Green Plains to a few miles north of Dierks and back west to the Saline River. In 1840 Madison Township had approximately 38 households on the census including Kesterson, Props, Dorsey, and Westbrook. In 1870 there was listed: John, William , Samuel and Thomas Kesterson. --Excerpt from the "HOWARD COUNTY HERITAGE"
The early settlers of Madison Township were a hardy, determined people, who for the most part lived by farming the land. One of the most important ways to socialize was to gather in each others homes and help one another with hard chores. The church was a vital part of our ancestors lives. Early church records are very scare and for various reasons many were lost. Early churches were located at Old Liberty, north of Dierks, Kolbtown, west, Possum Hollow and Oak Hill, south, Green Plains east and Fellowship. Some of these churches were community buildings and schools combined. Several faiths met at different times in one building. The most prominent church in early township history was Baptist. The first church was a log house on the old Fort Towson Road. It probably burned during the civil war. The church was rebuilt around 1880. Property for this building was sold to the church by Samuel and Sarah B. Kesterson. Among the early pastors there were: T. H. Westbrook, T. F. Westbrook, Jim Westbrook, C. H. Tippert. Early members were Hardy J. & Phereby Jane Briscoe Westbrook, James Price, and Dick Tollett. Early settlers in the Fellowship area were: James W. Risco and family, Allen T. Westbrook, John Kesterson families, Daniel Tollett, Michael and Annis Price. Kestersons were also found in the Possum Hollow area south of Dierks as well as Westbrooks and Beans. In the Town of Smyrna there was also found families of Kestersons.

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