I,  J. G. Heaslet, of the State and County aforesaid will endeavor to gine some dates and insidences in the history and lives of the Heaslets, and other relations.  -----I will proceed as follows; to-wit:
My Grandfather, Geo. W. Heaslet was born in East Tennessee on Feb. 17, 1782 and died in middle Tennessee in the year 1867 at the age of 85 yrs.  My Grandmother died in 1824.  Her maiden name was McEldry. (“Marry McEldry”)  She and Grandfather were married in the year 1806 and to this union were born 3 daughters and 3 sons.  John the oldest child died in the year 1824, Age 17 yrs.  My father, James Heaslet next oldest was born April 14, 1809.  The daughters I have no dates to give only their names  Rachell Jane, Asberene, and Mary W.  The next a son, Geo. W. Heaslet Jr.  Grandfather Heaslet married the second time.  I have but little account of this, only that three was born to this union.  Two sons and one daughter, the last dying in infancy.  The oldest, son, William was a Confederate soldier and died in prison in Ohio.  M. W. Heaslet was born Oct. 19, 1843 and lives in Clinton, Ky.  (Note.M. W. Heaslet died in April 1926 since the above was written )  I have but very little knowledge of my Mothers people either historical or  otherwise.  My Grandfather on Mothers side was Wm. Edwards.  He died some where in Arkansas in the year 1823.  My Grandmothers maiden name was Stanten.  “Sarah”.  My mother said the family moved from Illinois when she was 3 yrs. old to Ark. then called the Louisiana Purchase at that day.  There was a very large family of my Mothers folks.  13 children, 7 sons and 6 daughters.  The sons names are as follows:  Nichlas, Elijah, Joseph,Ninyou, Thomas and William.  The daughters names are as follows:  Maryanne, Rebecca, Sousan, Nancy, Mourning my mother and Sarah.  My father was born and raised near Knoxville, Tenn. and left there at the age of 21 yrs. And landed in Cane Hill, Ark.  in Washington Co. in Dec. 1830.  My father and mother were married Oct. 18, 1832.  To this union were born 10 children, 4 sons and 6 daughters.  Their names, births and deaths as follows:  Mary Jane born Sept. 14, 1833.  Died Oct. 29, 1918.  William E. born May 9, 1835.  Died Aug 16, 1863.  Asberene born Apr.29,1837.  Died Oct. 2, 1922.  Narasissa born Dec. 1838.  Died Jan, 1839.  Geo. W. born Mch. 29, 1840.  Died Apr. 8 1863.  Francis M. born Feb. 22, 1842.  Died Oct. 31, 1862.  There is at the present time 4 of us still living.  They are Joseph G. born Aug 2, 1844. (Note J. G. Heaslet died May 13, 1926 since the above was written) Sarah M. born Nov 28, 1846.  Amanda Belle born July 27, 1849. Martha ?. born Sept. 11, 1851.  My father died Sept. 28, 1880.  My mother was born Jan 25, 1812 and died Sept. 20, 1881.  There were both burried in the Heaslet cemetary on the old Heaslet homestead 2 miles northeast of Decatur, Benton Co. Ark.  My father-in-law, Hiram Gholston emigrated from eat Tenn., Hawkins Co. with his family in the year 1850 and came to Ark.  He owned a nice farm on the beautiful north fork of the Spavinaw and it was there I fell in love and courted his youngest daughter, Anis.  She was a beautiful woman, and we were married on the 12th of July 1866.  To this unions were born 10 children.  Their births and names as follows:  John F. born July 26, 1867.
Wm. P. born Oct.16, 1869.  Nicholas S. born Sept. 30, 1872  Thomas T. born May 14, 1875.  Walter M. born Feb. 9, 1878.  Florence born Aug. 28, 1880.  James born Jan. 5, 1883, died Aug 28, 1884.  Pleasant G, born Feb. 2, 1885.  Oliver S. born Jan. 30, 1888.  Infant girl born Aug 8, 1890. (Born dead).  My dear companion was born in Hawkins Co. Tenn. on July 29, 1850 and died May 24, 1913, in Benton Co. Ark. And was burried at Bethel cemetary 2 miles south of Gravette.  My father-in-law Hiram Gholson died in Mason Valley, Ark. Feb 18, 1876 and was burried in Springtown cemetary.  His widow also died in Mason Valley on the 11th of July 1890 and was burried by his side.  The Gholson children are as follows: Henry, Geo.,Jane, Madison, John, who was killed by the Mo. Militia in Gordon Hollow Benton Co Ark on Nov. 9 1863 and was burried in Bethel cemetary.  Pleasant, Mary and Anis, all of those have passed out of this mode of existance and are resting with the silent majority from whence no one has ever returned.

There is one thing that is remarkable about fathers and mothers children.  There was ten children and there was only one  natural death by sickness in this family for a space of eighty-five yrs.  When the civil war broke out in the spring of 1861 a good many men in their thirties and boys in their teens were anxious to be enlisted in some company for to protect the Confederate States.  A man by the name of Daniel McKisick that had served in the Mexican War and knew something of the tactics, he made up a company of Cavalry and two of my brothers, William and Francis joined the company, and I wanted to join so bad I didnt know what to do with myself.  But father wasnt willing, and I stayed at home that year and helped to make the crops.  The Goverment laid off a camp ground on Beatys Prairie for the soldiers and called in Camp Walker.  It was in about a mile of Maysvill, Benton Co. Ark.  There was companies made up all over the State and brought up to Camp Walker to drill them so they would be effecient in the menuvers of fire-arms.  The troop stayed here and drilled till the last of July when they broke camp and
marched up in Missouri near Springfield.  There also was some Texan Troops that was rushed upthere just in time for the Wilson Creek battle. The Southern army hadnt been in Mo. but a few days when Gen. Lyons who commanded the Federal troops marched against them at Wilson Creek  on the morning of Aug. 10, 1861 and a hot battle raged for several hours terminating in favor of the Southern troops.  Gen. Lyons being among the killed.  There was a considerable number of the boys on both sides killed and wounded.  My brother William had his right thumb shot off and cut in eleven places in his left side caused by a bomb bursting close to him.  After this battle the State troops were disbanded and nothing more of note  was done in our country during the remainder of the year.  I joined Capt. Jo Hardens company about the 4th of July 1862 near the town of Bloomfield that was built up after the war ended.  In the latter part of the year, Capt. Harden was promoted to the office of Major and W. H. Hendren being our 1st Lt. was promoted to be the Capt. of our Co. “B” as it was the second Co. of volunteers made up in the Regiment.  I served in this Co. till the end of the war.  We had a very large Co.  We had over one hundred men when first made up.  I will give some of their names that lived in my neighborhood.  F. M. Heaslet, my brother, Steve Fair, Frank Fair, Geo. Fair, Jo Fair, Yell Hastings John Phillips, Bill Phillips, Jim Harmon, Ben Harmon, Murph Harmon, Jim Covey, Welk Covey, ?. H. Setser, Jake Setser and Jim Wilson.  The country we occupied during the summer and fall of 1862 was the Indian country and south Missouri.  There was but little done of note during the summer, tho we done some hard riding and scouting around. About the first of Sept our Brigade moved to New Tonia in Mo.  Out army hadnt been there but a few days till the Federal forces were brought against us and we had quite a battle the result was in favor of the Confederates.  We captured considerable spoils and taken a good amny prisoners.  The Federal forces fell back for reinforcements and in a few days they marched against us again.  There was about twenty of us soldiers on picket guard the night before they drove us out.  There was three of the guard taken from my Co, Steve Fair, Yell Hastings and myself.  We heard the Federals coming an hour or more before daylight.  It was about daylight when they came in sight of us nearly a half mile off.  We formed a line and ordered them to halt, and they wouldnt halt worth a cent, and we fired at them.  They didnt return fire, and we loaped off  into town, and when we got to town and army was on the run and we concluded to run too.  Steve Fair, Yell Hastings and myself stayed together and we run thru the retreating army and didnt find our Co.  We got to Pineville and went to the hotel and got our dinner and came home that night a distance of about 66 miles we came that day.  In a few days the Federal Army came in down into Benton Co. and camped on the Gholson farm on north Spavinaw.  There was at this time the most of our company was in this country and while they were scouting around a scout of Federals ran into a bunch of our boys and my brother Francis was killes on the 31st of Oct. 1862.  My brother was killed about ten miles west of Bentonville on the ridge between the two Spavinaws.

If you have any questions or comments or if you would like to have more information about the Civil War and Pension Records of the men who served in these Companies, contact  Bryan Howerton or Jeri Helms Fultz