| Notes |
- b. 1797 White COunty Tenn Source??
per J. Randal Houp:
After their marriage Joel and Rachel settled on a farm in White County, Tennessee and lived there several years before finally coming to Arkansas in early 1832.
Joel Plumlee, Sr and his family left White County, Tennessee on the 29 March 1832 and headed west fo the territory of Arkansas. They traveled in an old fashioned wagon drawn by two yoke of oxen and a man who traveled with them to be company. The family traveled to Nashville, Tennessee and then to the Ohio River at Ford's Ferry and then to Chester on the Mississippi amd from there to Fayetteville, in the Territory of Arkansas.
From Fayetteville, they traveled to their final destination point, which was War Eagle, four miles northwest of Huntsville, in what was then Washington County, now present day Madison County, arriving Tuesday, the 29 May 1832.
Joel Plumlee, Sr. and his family located on a homested about 6 miles northwest of Huntsville on War Eagle and erected a log cabin. That winter they cleared and fenced about 8 to 10 acres of land. Joel Plumlee can be found listed on the Washington County tax list in 1836. Arkansas had only become a territory in 1819 and was still a howling wilderness with an abundance of wildlife such as deer, turkey, bear, panther, wildcats, wolves, and even a few elk. According to William Plumlee, his father Joel killed 72 deer in the summer of 1833, killing as many as six in one day.
While still living in Washington County, Joel's father, Isaac Plumlee died in White Counnty, Tennessee in 1835.
Denton Plumlee, as previously mentioned a brother of Joel Plumlee, Sr., along with his family also came to Arkansas in 1832. It is very interesting to note at this time a deed record that was found at the courthouse in Sparta, White County,Tennessee, dated the 3 January 1836.
Joel and Denton Plumlee, both of the County of Washington, Territory of Arkansas sell 175 acres, more or less, on the south side of Caney Fork in White County, Tennessee to a William B. Cummings for $1000. This had been the same land that Joel and Denton Plumlee had purchased from a Thomas H. Clarke for $500. on the 1 February 1826.
Early tax records of the Territory of Arkansas and of the State of Tennessee indicate that only one brother, Denton Plumlee, along with his family came to Arkansas along with Joel Plumlee. William Plumlee, their brother did not come to Arkansas in 1832 as indicated by previous Plumlee researchers and historians, but instead left Tennessee and settled in Carroll County, Arkansas in 1837, showing up on the tax record that same year. It is easy to consider the fact that Joel Plumlee, Sr. had a brother by the name of William Plumlee and also a son by the name of William Plumlee, which would no doubt cause confusion in anyone's gealogical research.
Joel Plumlee, Sr. lived on this land in what is now Madison County, Arkansas until the 7 April 1837, when he moved to where Berryville is now located. He built a house near a large ever-flowing spring north of the town proper and cleared a small farm. His home was located about 250 yards north of the Old Mill Spring at what is now the corned of College and North Main Streets. On July 1838 the first Baptist Church was formed in Carroll County at the home of Joel Plumlee, Sr. and was known as the Union Baptist Church. Church services were held one a month at Joel's home until sometime in 1839 when a church was built located 5 miles north on Clabber Creekand was known as Blackjack. Joel Plumlee,Sr., and his family lived on this land for 12 years until 1849. During this time he was elected and served as Justice of the Peace in Carroll County. In 1849 he sold part of his land to Herderson Blackburn Berry from Alabama and moved to Taney County, Missouri, (now Stone County). Henderson Blackburn Berry opened a store and was soon followed by others, thus was the beginning of Berryville, Arkansas.
In 1850 we find Joel Plumlee, St and his family in Swan Township, Taney County, Missouri, which two years later became Stone County with the County seat at Galena. His occupation was a farmer with a real estate valued at $300. Again in Stone County, Joel Plumlee, Sr. seved as a Justice of the Peace and can be found performing two wedding ceremonies; one of Henry Seats to Jane Roberds on the 30 April 1852 and one of James Ragan to Mary Jennings on the 20 May 1852. Joel, and his family returned to Carroll County, Arkansas around 1854 and settled in Prairie Township. Although we find Joel Plumlee, Sr and his family listed in Prairie Township, in Carroll County, Arkansas, on the 1860 census schedule as a farmer with his real estate valued at $1600, and his personal estate valued at $1545, he is not found on the 1860 tax list. He is found recorded in 1859 with the following 280 acres valued at $1600. 1/2 of N.E. 1/4, Section 32, Township 20, Range 24, containing 80 acres;S.E.
1/4 N.E. Section 32, Township 20, Range 24, containing 40 acres; W, 1/2 N.E. Section 29, Township 20, Range 24, containing 80 acres; and N 1/2 N.W. Section 28, Township 20, Range 24, containing 80 acres. There is little doubt that Joel had acquired much of this land from his brother William Plumlee, who had left Carroll County in 1858 and settled in parker County, Texas, Joel and his family remained in Arkansas until the outbreak of the Civil War and once again moved to Missouri settling on the White River in Stone County, Missouri.
This 75 acres of land is best described by Deed Book D, located at the Stone County, Missouri courthouse in Galena as the following: Nineteen acres and 35 hundredths of the southwest fraction of the sourthwest Section 14, Township 22, and Range 24. Nine acres and 33 hundredths southeast fraction of southwest Section 15, Township 22, and Range 24. 48 acres abd 25 hundredths, northeast fraction of northeast Section 22, Township 22, and Range 24. Unfortunately today this land is now inundated with the damming of the White River, which formed Table Rock Lake in the 1950's.
In February of 1863, Joel Plumlee, St. died in Stone County, Missouri.
The exact burial location is not known, but most likely occured on his land which was mentioned earlier as now being part of Table Rock Lake.
The Corps of Engineers did everything they could to assure all graves and cemteries were relocated, but if Joel Plumlee, Sr.'s final resting place did not have a marker of some kind then it was never relocated. Some Plumlee cousins,including Lorus Plumlee, now deceased, of Berryville, Arkansas and Denton Plumlee of Oak Grove, Arkansas, both great-grandsons of Joel Plumlee, Sr., claim that his grave was moved and that he is buried just north of Kimberling City, in Stone County, Missouri on a small hill on the left as you are heading north out of town. Denton Plumlee and I visited this cemetery in October of 1983, but never did find a marker with Joel Plumlee Sr.'s name on it.
Joel Plumlee Sr.'s land in Stone County, Missouri, earlier described, was sold to a Miles F. Reed for $300. on the 17 of July 1869, by the legal "heirs of his estate " . The legal heirs listed and who signed this document were: William Plumlee, Joel Plumlee, Frances M. Plumlee, Montgomery Plumlee, Isaac Plumlee, and Nancy Johnson. This document was witnessed and signed by the following: D. McElyea, Joseph Standlee, David Leonard, adn Gideon White. Almost the same document was again recorded on the 1st day of July 1875, but this time also included the names of Sarah L. Peebles and Nancy J. Manley. Research has determined that these were daughters of Elizabeth (Plumlee) Carr, a daughter of Joel Plumlee,Sr. Elizabeth (Plumlee) Carr had died in Stone County, Missouri around 1856 and evidently the daughters felt they were legal heirs of Joel Plumlee, Sr. and should have been included. The second document just listed their names and it appears nothing was changed and Miles F. Reed retained the land as well as the original agreement.
Joel Plumlee, Sr. still owned land in Carroll County, Arkansas upon his death. It wa a number of years later that Joel Plumlee, Jr. was made the administrator of his father's estate and through probate court this land was sold on the 30 September 1878 for $160. to Dr. Isaac Plumlee, Joel Sr.'s oldest son.
On the 1880 census of Eastland County, Texas, we find Rachel Plumlee, the widow of Joel Plumlee, Sr. living with her ildest son Isaac Plumlee and his family. She later returned to Carroll County, Arkansas and died the 17 or 18 February 1888 and was buried at the Blackjack Cemetery, located a little over 4 miles north of Berryville.
There were 11 known children born to the union of Joel Plumlee, Sr. and Rachel (Simmons) Plumlee. The 1840 census of Carroll County, Arkansas possibly indicates as well as Lorus Plumlee, a great-grandson, that here may have been 12 children born. I have a ston feeling that there were 12 children and that one was a daughter named Margaret Plumlee, but I have no proof of this and it is only an assumption on my part. Taking for granted though that the first children born were customarily named after their parent's parents then the name Margaret would have been a likely choice, as Joel's mother was Margaret Plumlee. The Margaret Plumlee that is buried on a farm northwest of Berryville and has the death date as 1845 could be this Margaret Plumlee, mother of Joel Plumlee, Sr. that possible came to Arkansas to be near her family. The 11 known children of Joel and Rachel were: (see siblings in charts).
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1797 - 1863 (66 years)
