by
Katherine McClure
Will and Effie Ann (Harmon) Horton
Effie Ann Harmon was born January 23,1887, at Cave City, in Independence County,
Arkansas. She was the fourth of five children born to James Louis Harmon and Martha
Jane Crow.
Effie was about three years old when her family moved to Pope County, Arkansas. There
her father homesteaded 160 acres of land a few miles south of Tilly and built a log house
for his family.
James Louis and Martha Jane Harmon were strict but loving parents. They saw to it that
their children attended school and got as much education as was usual for the time. They
taught their children to work and divided the chores among the children according to their
ability to perform those chores. As the children grew in age and ability, their chores grew
in size and responsibility, and the easier tasks were passed down to the younger children.
Martha Jane saw to it that Effie was taught to perform all the activities necessary in some
day taking care of her own house and family. Effie learned to cook at the fireplace where
an iron rod with hooks had been attached at each side of the fireplace. Round bottomed
iron "boiling pots" were hung from these hooks for cooking over the fire. She learned to
bake bread in a baker, which was a round iron pot with three legs so it could be set on
coals in the fireplace. Hot coals were then heaped onto the flat lid of the baker to provide
even baking and browning.
Effie learned how to properly wash clothes. Several buckets of water had to be drawn
from the well and poured into the large iron "wash kettle" to be heated for washing the
clothes. Additional water had to be drawn and poured into two tubs for rinsing the
clothes. Wash wood had to be dragged in from the woods to build a fire around the kettle.
After the fire was built and the water heated, part of the water was put into a large tub
where a rub board was used to wash the clothes clean. Homemade lye soap was used to
rub the clothes with, then some of the soap was whittled into the wash pot where the
white clothes were boiled to get them whiter. The clothes were then lifted out of the
boiling water with a punching stick and put into a tub of clean water and rinsed. "Bluing"
was added to the final rinse water to make the white clothes whiter.
Soap making was another important activity Effie learned from her mother. Ashes from
the fireplace had to be stored in an ash hopper until ready for soap making. An ash hopper
was a large trough made of wood, in which large amounts of ashes were stored and kept
covered and dry all year until spring when it was time to make the soap.The base of the
hopper was slanted just enough that when several gallons of water was poured over the
ashes, the ash-water run off could be caught in containers. This ash-water was the
beginnings of lye soap. It was then mixed with old lard or grease drippings and boiled in a
huge wash kettle. After due boiling, the liquid soap was ladled into containers "to set
up".When the soap was set, it was cut into bars to be used for washing clothes and dishes.
James Louis and Martha Jane always planted a large garden every year. Much of the food
this garden produced was dried for use in the winter months. Effie learned to snap green
beans and string them on a thread to hang and dry. She learned to preserve corn by first
shucking and silking it, then cutting it off the cob and spreading it on a clean cloth to dry.
Other vegetables were preserved in the same way. Fruit was peeled, sliced and laid out to
dry. After drying, the food was placed in sacks and hung for the winter. Both Irish and
sweet potatoes were raised in abundance and preserved through the winter by placing
them in holes in the ground and covering them with a thick layer of straw and dirt to keep
them from freezing. Turnips were preserved in the same manner.
When Effie was about seventeen she met and fell in love with James William Monroe
Horton. They were married on June 25,1905, at Ella in Pope County. Effie was eighteen
and Will was twenty-seven.
Will Horton was born November 21,1878, in Wayne County, Tennessee. He was the
eldest of six children born to John Ellison Horton and Sarah Jane Woody. Will was about
two years old when his parents moved to Arkansas and settled in Searcy County.
The homemaking skills learned by Effie from her mother made it possible for her to enter
into married life with ease. Effie and Will settled in Pope County not far from her parents.
Will farmed the land, and hunted and trapped to provide extra food and income. Will also
dug ginseng and golden seal roots and sold or traded them for needed supplies.
The first four of Will and Effie's children were born in Pope County, a few miles south of
Tilly. Will then moved his family to Una, in Searcy County, which was only a few miles
away from Tilly. Two children were born at Una. Will homesteaded farm land in Searcy
County, where he built a house for his family. Will was restless, however, and soon sold
the
farm. He never owned land again after that time. Will's parents had moved to Douglas
County, Missouri about 1908 and about 1918, Will moved his family to Douglas County
and lived near his parent's for a short time. Will and Effie's youngest child was born in
Douglas County.
Will moved his family to Conway County, Arkansas in 1921. Will was always restless and
was never content to stay in one place for long at a time. The family moved from one farm
to another every year or two. They were a poor family and never had much. Will farmed
for other people and Effie and their children all worked in the cotton patch along beside
Will.
Effie was a religious person and took her children to church and taught them about God.
She and Will saw to it that the children had what was considered a fair education for that
day. Effie taught her six daugters the homemaking skills she had been taught by her
mother. Will taught their son how to plow and plant; hunt and trap.
As the years passed, the children grew, married and left home. They often spoke of the
days of their youth; of both the good times and the hard times they had known. The good
times had brought them joy and happiness and the hard times had made them strong. They
remained near Will and Effie and took care of them until they died. Will died March
4,1952, in Conway County and is buried Friendship Cemetery. Effie died October 2,1963
in Conway County and is buried beside her husband.
Will Horton and Effie Harmon's Children are
Lunie Elsie Leoah Horton
Born: July 18,1906
Bertha Martha Belle Horton
Born: March 28,1908
Sarah Opal Salina Horton
Born: June 4,1910
Orville Tolbert Horton
Born: August 24,1912
Meda McClure Horton
Born: March 1,1914
Maggie May Horton
Born: May 25,1915
Edna Esther Horton
Born: April 30,1919
Children of Will and Effie (Harmon) Horton
Seated left to right:Maggie, Orville,Edna
Standing left to right:Meda, Opal, Belle, Lunie
Taken on October 7,1939
Generation 2
Lunie Elsie Leoah Horton
Lunie Elsie Leoah Horton was born July 18,1906, in Pope County, Arkansas; died
July
31,1980 in Conway County, Arkansas. Married Ausbie Haywood Nichols on August
21,1930 in Conway County.
Ausbie Nichols was born August 26,1908, at Center Ridge in Conway County, Arkansas;
and died November 15,1980 in Conway County. He was the son of Eugene Nichols and
Anna Carroll.
No Children
Bertha Martha Belle Horton
Bertha Martha Belle Horton was born March 28,1908, in Pope County, Arkansas;
died
May 13,1983 in Conway County, Arkansas;Married Roy Maddox Carruthers on
November 24,1948 in Conway County.
Roy Carruthers was born December 26,1898 at Hattieville, in Conway County, Arkansas
and died January 27,1973 in Conway County. He was the son of Robert Carruthers and
Emma Maddox.
No Children
Sarah Opal Salina Horton
Sarah Opal Salina Horton was born June 4,1910 in Pope County Arkansas;died
February
1,1997 at Morrilton, in Conway County, Arkansas;married (1)Harry Hill on August
24,1929, in Conway County, then married (2) William Edward Cupp on March 8,1949 in
Conway County.
Harry Hill was born May 24,1902 and died January 12,1974.
Will Cupp was born February 11,1876 and died December 24,1958.
Harry Hill and Opal Horton's children are
Dorothy May Hill
Born: 1932
Married: Wilmer Gene Holland
Six Children
Esther Opaline Hill
Born: 1935
Married Charles Harold "Buddy" Masters
Five Children
Orville Tolbert Horton
Orville Tolbert Horton was born August 24,1912, at Tilly, in Pope County
Arkansas;died
September 16,1968 in Conway County, Arkansas; Married Elon Groom on January
5,1935 in Conway County.
Elon Groom was born May 24,1914 and died February 8,1999. She was the daughter of
Bob and Susie Groom.
Orville Horton and Elon Groom's Children are
Orla Irene Horton
Born: 1936
Married Robert Roberts
Four children
Jenwyl Dean Horton
Born: 1937
Married: Michael John Miller Jr
Two Children
Betty Joyce Horton
Born: 1939
Married: Roger Winter
One Child
David Tolbert Horton
Born: 1942
Died: 1994
No Children
Darrell Lynden Horton
Born: 1948
Married: Karen Kerspert
One Child
Meda McClure Horton
Meda McClure Horton was born March 1,1914, at Una in Searcy County, Arkansas;
died
July 25,1987, Conway County, Arkansas; Married Joe Galen Henson on December
25,1945 in Conway County.
Joe Henson was born January 25,1900; and died May 12,1973.
No Children
Maggie May Horton
Maggie May Horton was born May 25,1915 at Una, in Searcy County,
Arkansas;Married
Herbert Howard Bridgman on May 4,1940, at Solgohachia, in Conway County, Arkansas.
Herbert Bridgman was born September 26,1916 at Timbo, in Stone County, Arkansas and
died April 26,1994 in Conway County. He was the son of Thomas Jefferson H. Bridgman
and Frances Adaline Catherine Holden.
Herbert Bridgman and Maggie Horton's children are
Katherine Ann Bridgman
Born: 1949
Married: Roy L. McClure
Two Children
Carol Susan Bridgman
Born: 1951
Married: Albert L. Wren
Two Children
Edna Esther Horton
Edna Esther Horton was born April 30,1919 in Douglas County, Missouri (delayed
birth
certificate says born in Conway County, Arkansas); died January 12,1984 in Conway
County, Arkansas; Married Marion Houston Keith on August 29,1946, in Conway
County.
Houston Keith was born April 16,1923, in Conway County Arkansas. He was the son of
Lee Keith and Ellen Flowers.
Houston Keith and Edna Horton had no children.
The song currently playing is titled "When you and I Were Young,Maggie". It was written in 1866. If you cannot hear our music please click here
