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16. Nancy Dickens
Nancy Dickens was called "Nancy Mack" to distinguish her from her cousin,the wife of Bennett Dickens who was known as "Nancy Ben". She was also amember of the Ebeneezer Methodist Church.
Malachi Dickens' family lived near the Ebeneezer Mathodist Church forwhich George Green, Sr. gave land in 1842. Malachi was a member of thechurch. He married his cousin, Nancy , the daughter of Rebecca Green andSamuel Dickens, and the grandaughter of George Green, Sr.
79. Asbury Dickens
Ashbury Dickens died on May 3, 1863 in the Baqttle of Chancellorsville,Va.
Elijah Hillman (Hilmon) Green was born and raised in Halifax County,North Carolina. Elijah, a biblical name, was probably given to him by hisparents both for religious reasons and to honor his mother's grandfather,Elisha Pittman. Elijah and Elisha have generally the same biblicalmeaning. His middle name probably came from Jesse Hillman.
In the area where he lived, there were many families by the names ofGreen, Nevill, Shearin, Dickens, Hux and Minga who intermarried. Thismakes genealogy for this area somewhat challenging. For example, the1843 list of students in Halifax County School District #2 has two JesseGreens, one of whom is the son of Elijah and Malissa Green and the other,likely, the son of George Green, Jr., Elijah's uncle. How to sort outthe parents of Elijah from all the other Greens living in Halifax Countyin the first half of the nineteenth century has been a difficult problem.
It appears that Jesse Green was the father of Elijah H. Green. Signspoint to and earlier marriage for Jesse Green before his 1818 marriage toSarah Shearin. If his age in the 1820 census is correct, he would havebeen at least 34 years old when he married Sarah Shearin, a rather oldage for a first marriage during this era.
At this time in North Carolina, no license or bond was required for achurch wedding. Therefore, there would be no official record of anearlier marriage unless the church kept its own records. For weddingsperformed in a home or other private setting, the official record wouldbe that of the marriage bond signed by the groom or bondsman. So, it isassumed that Jesse Green married his first wife, a daughter of Jesse andTemperance Hillman, in a church setting. This was likely to have beenthe Ebeneezer Methodist Church where his father and grandfather wereactive.
-------------------------------------------THESE ARE SOME OF THE FACTS POINTING TOWARD JESSE GREEN AS THE FATHER OFELIJAH H. GREEN:
1. The families of George Green, Sr., father of Jesse Green, JesseHillman father of an unknown daughter who was Jesse's first wife, andThomas R. Nevill, father of Malissa Nevill, were close neighbors in theHeathsville area.
2. In the 1820 census, Jesse Green and Jesse Hillman are next doorneighbors, in households #149 and #150, respectively. In Jesse Green'shousehold there is a boy age 0-10 who could be Elijah Hillman Green, bornin 1812.
3. In the 1840 Halifax County, NC census, the first after Elijah'smarriage to Malissa Nevill, the couple were living in the sameneighborhood as George Green Sr. and Jr. and Thomas R. Nevill and hisfather, Benjamin. Jesse Hillman and his wife have died;
4. Besides being neighbors, there were close personal ties between theGeorge Green and the Thomas R. Neville families:
- - - Thomas R. Neville married Sarah T. Green, a daughter of GeorgeGreen, Sr. and sister to Jesse Green. Elijah Hillman Green marriedtheir daughter, his cousin Malissa Neville, a common practice inthose days;
- - - In 1818, Thomas R. Neville was bondsman for the marriage ofJesse Green and Sarah Shearin;
- - - After Jesse Green's death and Sarah's remarriage to JacobDickens, Thomas R. Neville provided security for Ransom Shearin's1830 guardian bond for Jesse Green's orphans by Sarah Shearin Green;
- - - Thomas Neville was the bondsman for the 1822 marriage ofJesse's brother, George Green, Jr., to Temperance Hart;5. Elijah Hillman Green named first son Jesse Albert, after his fatherJesse Green and his wife's brother Albert Nevill;
6. He named his first daughter Sarah, after Sarah Green Nevill, MalissaNevill's mother;
7. Jesse Green's first daughter was named Martha (for whom?). Elijahnamed his second daughter Martha;
8. Elijah Green named a son George Willis Green, for his grandfather,George Green, Sr.;
9. Elijah Green's middle name was Hillman, for Jesse Hillman probablyhis grandfather;
9. In a list of those who voted in a 1839 election for Congress, a"Hillsman Green" is listed sixth behind George Green, Sr., indicatingthat they probably journeyed to the polling place together. ElishaGreen, George's son, is listed shortly after Elijah's name;
10. Elijah had several land transactions in the early 1840s with EgbertLewis, a brother-in-law of his deceased father, Jesse Green (Lewismarried Lucretia Green);
11. Jesse Green and his father were staunch Methodists; so was Elijah.
So with a small leap of faith, I am proceeding on the assumption thatJesse Green, son of George Green, Sr. the Revolutionary War soldier, wasthe father of Elijah Hillman Green.
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Although no guardianship records have been found, there is circumstantialevidence that Thomas Nevill, Elijah's furture father-in-law, took Elijahinto his household after Elijah's mother and Jesse Green died. The 1830Federal census for Halifax County shows a young man age 20-30 in ThomasNevill's household. At that time, Thomas and his wife had not beenmarried long enough to have a son of this age. But it is close to theage of Elijah born in 1812.The first official record of Elijah H. Green's presence in Halifax Countywas a bond for his marriage to Malissa Eunice Nevill, daughter of ThomasR. and Sarah Green Nevill. Thomas Pierce, a neighbor, signed the marriagebond.
His obituary states that he was "saved" at the Pierce's Campground inthat county in October 1839, five years after his marriage to MalissaNeville. Established in 1850, the Pierce's Campground Methodist Church,located near Pierce's Crossroads in mid-Halifax County between Weldon andAurelian Springs, is still an active place of worship. "Camp meetings"were held on this site as early as 1829, well before the first church wasbuilt.
The 1840 census for Halifax County shows Elijah as the head of ahousehold consisting of one boy less than five years old, three men ages20-30 (Elijah and Malissa's brothers Drury and Albert?), two girls lessthan five years, one girl 15-20 (who?) and one woman of 20-30 years(Malissa).
On October 22, 1836, Elijah H. Green bought 255 acres from Francis Jonesfor $700 (Halifax Co., NC DB 30, p. 49). The deed described the land as"...adjoining the lands of Sarah W. Burton, William Sturdivant andothers.." and then gave the metes and bounds of the property. The deedwas witnessed by Leonard Daniel and Frederick A. Jones and was proved inthe February 1838 session of the Halifax County court. His next landpurchase was on February 20, 1840 when he bought 17 1/2 acres for $35from M. T. Ponton, a county official (Halifax Co., N DB-30, p. 296).This land was described by metes as bounds in the vicinity of BeaverdamSwamp, Henry Horn's corner, an arm of Thicket Swamp, WilliamCarstarphen's corner and an arm of Beaverdam Run. The deed was witnessedby E. Wilkins and J. H. Kirkham and was registered by the court on March2, 1840.
He sold the same tract to Egbert Lewis, Jesse Green's brother-in-law, onFebruary 1, 1841 for $45 Halifax Co., NC DB-31, p. 13). That deed waswitnessed by George Nevill and Albert Nevill, Elijah's brother-in-law.On January 12, 1842, Elijah H. Green bought a parcel of 31 1/2 acres for$60 from the same Egbert Lewis (Halifax Co., NC DB-31, p. 177). Thisland adjoined Benjamin Perkins, Albert H. Nevill and others unnamed.Benjamin Perkins became a member of the family when he later marriedSarah Shearin Green Dickens, Elijah's step-mother. Drury A. Nevill,brother of Albert and another of Elijah's brothers-in-law and James D.Perkins witnessed the deed.
So by early 1842, Elijah H. Green owned a considerable amount of landand, as a consequence, must have been deep in debt. By the end of thatyear his financial roof had caved in and he was virtually, if notliterally, bankrupt. A deed dated November 26, 1842 states that "..E. H.Green, owing to sundry misfortunes is at present unable to discharge hisjust debts and is willing to assign all his property for the benefit ofhis creditors" (Halifax Co., NC DB-31, p. 291). By this instrument hisproperty was turned over to William W. Brickell, an attorney, whoassumed the responsibility for selling it on May 1, 1843 or thereafter tosatisfy a list of named creditors. We do not know what "misfortunes"afflicted him but, in his endebted condition, it could have been thefailure of a single crop due to a drought or a hurricane. In any case,it was understandable that he would look to new horizons for the securityof his growing family.
In 1845, a decade after Arkansas became a state, Elijah Hillman Greenmigrated with his wife and four children (a fifth, George Willis Green,was born on the way to Arkansas) from Halifax County, North Carolina toTulip in Dallas County in that state. His wife, Malissa Eunice Nevill,died in Tennessee enroute to Arkansas, probably as a consequence ofgiving birth to George Willis Green. During the decade of 1845-55 manyplanters - and others less landed - from Northern North Carolina,Southern Virginia and Tennessee made the trek to Dallas County, Arkansasin search of cheap land and new opportunities. Mary Bingham Woodworth,the future wife of Edwin Samuel Taylor, made this journey fromneighboring Granville County, North Carolina two years after ElijahHillman set out.
In the 1850s Tulip became a prosperous farming and business center.Community leaders placed great value on education and in that decade theyestablished the Arkansas Military Academy for boys and the Tulip FemaleCollege. As a consequence, by the time the Civil War erupted Tulip wasknown as "The Athens of Arkansas". The first monthly magazine publishedin Arkansas, "The Tulip", was started in the town.
Starting with meager assets, Elijah Hillman Green soon became asuccessful farmer and a community leader. In 1847 it appears that he didnot own any taxable property. He was taxed only for a poll, or head,tax. In 1848 he bought 80 acres of Federal land. The 1850 Federalcensus showed that he had real estate valued at $250. By 1851 he owned160 acres valued for tax purposes at $500 and two slaves taxed at $800.Typical of those times, slaves were usually worth more than the land onwhich they worked. In 1859 he added l60 more acres of Federal land tohis holdings. When the Civil War began, Elijah owned 500 acres and fiveslaves. The war took a heavy toll on Dallas County's economy. By 1867his land was worth only a fraction of it's pre-war value, his slaves hadbeen freed and his taxable property had plummeted from $6,300 to $920.But he persevered and eventually restored his farm to profitability.
He was active in civic affairs and served as Treasurer of Dallas County1872-74 when the County seat was at Princeton. He also served as countyand probate judge 1878-80 and again from 1886-88, an office he held atthe time of his death. His portrait hangs in the Dallas CountyCourthouse in Fordyce, Arkansas. It depicts a man of lean face with afull head of hair, a bushy white beard and eyes that gleamed like a manwith a mission in life.
In 1873 Elijah and Drury Nevill, his brother-in-law, deeded an acre ofland as a building site for a school and a non-denomenational church for"colored" people. A few years later, he and his third wife, MarthaLantorn, deeded an acre of land below Round Hill, near Willow, for abuilding site for a Methodist church. This was for Caldwell's ChapelMethodist Church, named for Rev. James E. Caldwell an early circuitpreacher in the area and a favorite of the Taylor and Green familes.Nothing remains of the church but it's cemetery, unused by 1998. Ten ofthe nineteen graves there are for Greens. Throughout his life, ElijahGreen was a devout and active Methodist.
For a brief time he owned a general store in Tulip which he bought fromIra W. Butler in 1884. He operated it as the E. H. Green & Co. until1888 when, probably after his death, it was bought by Herbert Matthews.
Elijah H. Green made his will on June 18, 1888 and died six daysafterwards. Under its' terms he left to his wife, Martha, for her lifehis farm consisting of about 240 acres; all household furniture andkitchen equipment; two horses or mules, as she may choose; three milkcows and calves; his sheep, lambs and hogs; one years supply ofprovisions for her and her family and for the livestock and one hundreddollars. After his wife's death the land was to go to his two daughtersby his third wife, Martha Lantorn Green. In addition, the daughtersreceived one hundred dollars each. The balance of his estate was to bedivided equally between his five children by his first wife, MalissaNeville Green. His wife, Martha, and his son George Willis Green, werenamed as executors of his estate.
An obituary printed in the November 10, 1888 issue of the ArkansasMethodist, stated: "His moral and religious worth, as well as hisefficiency in official relations both in Church and county, was evincedby the fact that for thirty-five consecutive years he had been a leadingmember of the Board of Stewards of the Tulip circuit besides fillingother important offices in the church as class leader, trustee, andSunday-school superintendent, and had been repeatedly elected to variousoffices of public trust, and was at the time of his death county andprobate judge."
We do not have definite proof of the identity of his parents or siblingsin North Carolina. Grandma "Cattie" Taylor's (nee Mary Martha CatherineRebecca Green) family notes list the following unidentified Greens whocould have been brothers of Elijah Hillman Green: 1. M. A. Green d.April 19, 1877, and 2. R. J. Green d. January 10, 1909. Her notes alsolist an M. H. Green b. Madison County, Alabama March 20, 1848. It ispossible that he is the son of one of the two Greens above.
Elijah H. Green is buried in the Tulip Cemetery, Dallas County, Arkansas.
The Nevill name is often spelled Neville but I have been told that theold English spelling was "Nevill". In view of that, I have arbitrarilychosen to use Nevill.
Malissa Eunice Nevill's father was Thomas R. Nevill and her grandfatherBenjamin Nevill (#3). In his will, Benjamin Nevill gave to her a Negrogirl named Ciller.
Malissa died in 1845 in Tennessee while enroute to Arkansas, probably ingiving birth to George Willis Green. It has been said that she is buriedin the Campground Cemetery in Hardaman County, Tennessee. Two ofMalissa's brothers, Drury and Albert, migrated to Dallas County, Arkansasabout the same time as Elijah Hillman and Malissa, perhaps in the samewagon train.
Sarah Hightower was a sister of Martha Hightower, the stepmother ofMartha Ann Mann who married George Willis Green. Another sister, RebeccaSusan Hightower was the wife of Alanson Lea of Caswell County, NC who in1847 led a wagon train from there to Dallas County.
After the death of her husband, Martha L. Green inherited his farm forher lifetime. After her death, the land was to go to their twodaughters. She is buried in the Tulip Cemetery.
Lucretia Francis Green made her will on December 23, 1885 leaving twotracts of land of 40 acres each to her husband, William D. Green, for hislifetime with reversion after his death to his granddaughter, LulaShearin (Halifax Co., NC WB-6, p. 416). The will was witnessed by J. N.Shearin and J. E. Dickens
105. Rosa C. Minga
Rosa C. Minga is buried in the Minga graveyard, near the Hux property.
James Hardy Nevill married his first cousin, Amanda C. Nevill. He diedduring the Civil War at Elmira prison.
Amanda Nevill's orphaned children were raised by her sister, Martha E.Nevill Shearin.
117. Lewis Walter Nevill
Lewis Walter Nevill occasionally added an "e" to his last name but hisemployment record with Caledonia Prison always spelled his last nameNevill. Lewis Walter's children were the first generation toconsistently spell their last name Neville.
The Nevill name is often spelled Neville but I have been told that theold English spelling was "Nevill". In view of that, I have arbitrarilychosen to use Nevill.
Malissa Eunice Nevill's father was Thomas R. Nevill and her grandfatherBenjamin Nevill (#3). In his will, Benjamin Nevill gave to her a Negrogirl named Ciller.
Malissa died in 1845 in Tennessee while enroute to Arkansas, probably ingiving birth to George Willis Green. It has been said that she is buriedin the Campground Cemetery in Hardaman County, Tennessee. Two ofMalissa's brothers, Drury and Albert, migrated to Dallas County, Arkansasabout the same time as Elijah Hillman and Malissa, perhaps in the samewagon train.
Elijah Hillman (Hilmon) Green was born and raised in Halifax County,North Carolina. Elijah, a biblical name, was probably given to him by hisparents both for religious reasons and to honor his mother's grandfather,Elisha Pittman. Elijah and Elisha have generally the same biblicalmeaning. His middle name probably came from Jesse Hillman.
In the area where he lived, there were many families by the names ofGreen, Nevill, Shearin, Dickens, Hux and Minga who intermarried. Thismakes genealogy for this area somewhat challenging. For example, the1843 list of students in Halifax County School District #2 has two JesseGreens, one of whom is the son of Elijah and Malissa Green and the other,likely, the son of George Green, Jr., Elijah's uncle. How to sort outthe parents of Elijah from all the other Greens living in Halifax Countyin the first half of the nineteenth century has been a difficult problem.
It appears that Jesse Green was the father of Elijah H. Green. Signspoint to and earlier marriage for Jesse Green before his 1818 marriage toSarah Shearin. If his age in the 1820 census is correct, he would havebeen at least 34 years old when he married Sarah Shearin, a rather oldage for a first marriage during this era.
At this time in North Carolina, no license or bond was required for achurch wedding. Therefore, there would be no official record of anearlier marriage unless the church kept its own records. For weddingsperformed in a home or other private setting, the official record wouldbe that of the marriage bond signed by the groom or bondsman. So, it isassumed that Jesse Green married his first wife, a daughter of Jesse andTemperance Hillman, in a church setting. This was likely to have beenthe Ebeneezer Methodist Church where his father and grandfather wereactive.
-------------------------------------------THESE ARE SOME OF THE FACTS POINTING TOWARD JESSE GREEN AS THE FATHER OFELIJAH H. GREEN:
1. The families of George Green, Sr., father of Jesse Green, JesseHillman father of an unknown daughter who was Jesse's first wife, andThomas R. Nevill, father of Malissa Nevill, were close neighbors in theHeathsville area.
2. In the 1820 census, Jesse Green and Jesse Hillman are next doorneighbors, in households #149 and #150, respectively. In Jesse Green'shousehold there is a boy age 0-10 who could be Elijah Hillman Green, bornin 1812.
3. In the 1840 Halifax County, NC census, the first after Elijah'smarriage to Malissa Nevill, the couple were living in the sameneighborhood as George Green Sr. and Jr. and Thomas R. Nevill and hisfather, Benjamin. Jesse Hillman and his wife have died;
4. Besides being neighbors, there were close personal ties between theGeorge Green and the Thomas R. Neville families:
- - - Thomas R. Neville married Sarah T. Green, a daughter of GeorgeGreen, Sr. and sister to Jesse Green. Elijah Hillman Green marriedtheir daughter, his cousin Malissa Neville, a common practice inthose days;
- - - In 1818, Thomas R. Neville was bondsman for the marriage ofJesse Green and Sarah Shearin;
- - - After Jesse Green's death and Sarah's remarriage to JacobDickens, Thomas R. Neville provided security for Ransom Shearin's1830 guardian bond for Jesse Green's orphans by Sarah Shearin Green;
- - - Thomas Neville was the bondsman for the 1822 marriage ofJesse's brother, George Green, Jr., to Temperance Hart;5. Elijah Hillman Green named first son Jesse Albert, after his fatherJesse Green and his wife's brother Albert Nevill;
6. He named his first daughter Sarah, after Sarah Green Nevill, MalissaNevill's mother;
7. Jesse Green's first daughter was named Martha (for whom?). Elijahnamed his second daughter Martha;
8. Elijah Green named a son George Willis Green, for his grandfather,George Green, Sr.;
9. Elijah Green's middle name was Hillman, for Jesse Hillman probablyhis grandfather;
9. In a list of those who voted in a 1839 election for Congress, a"Hillsman Green" is listed sixth behind George Green, Sr., indicatingthat they probably journeyed to the polling place together. ElishaGreen, George's son, is listed shortly after Elijah's name;
10. Elijah had several land transactions in the early 1840s with EgbertLewis, a brother-in-law of his deceased father, Jesse Green (Lewismarried Lucretia Green);
11. Jesse Green and his father were staunch Methodists; so was Elijah.
So with a small leap of faith, I am proceeding on the assumption thatJesse Green, son of George Green, Sr. the Revolutionary War soldier, wasthe father of Elijah Hillman Green.
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Although no guardianship records have been found, there is circumstantialevidence that Thomas Nevill, Elijah's furture father-in-law, took Elijahinto his household after Elijah's mother and Jesse Green died. The 1830Federal census for Halifax County shows a young man age 20-30 in ThomasNevill's household. At that time, Thomas and his wife had not beenmarried long enough to have a son of this age. But it is close to theage of Elijah born in 1812.The first official record of Elijah H. Green's presence in Halifax Countywas a bond for his marriage to Malissa Eunice Nevill, daughter of ThomasR. and Sarah Green Nevill. Thomas Pierce, a neighbor, signed the marriagebond.
His obituary states that he was "saved" at the Pierce's Campground inthat county in October 1839, five years after his marriage to MalissaNeville. Established in 1850, the Pierce's Campground Methodist Church,located near Pierce's Crossroads in mid-Halifax County between Weldon andAurelian Springs, is still an active place of worship. "Camp meetings"were held on this site as early as 1829, well before the first church wasbuilt.
The 1840 census for Halifax County shows Elijah as the head of ahousehold consisting of one boy less than five years old, three men ages20-30 (Elijah and Malissa's brothers Drury and Albert?), two girls lessthan five years, one girl 15-20 (who?) and one woman of 20-30 years(Malissa).
On October 22, 1836, Elijah H. Green bought 255 acres from Francis Jonesfor $700 (Halifax Co., NC DB 30, p. 49). The deed described the land as"...adjoining the lands of Sarah W. Burton, William Sturdivant andothers.." and then gave the metes and bounds of the property. The deedwas witnessed by Leonard Daniel and Frederick A. Jones and was proved inthe February 1838 session of the Halifax County court. His next landpurchase was on February 20, 1840 when he bought 17 1/2 acres for $35from M. T. Ponton, a county official (Halifax Co., N DB-30, p. 296).This land was described by metes as bounds in the vicinity of BeaverdamSwamp, Henry Horn's corner, an arm of Thicket Swamp, WilliamCarstarphen's corner and an arm of Beaverdam Run. The deed was witnessedby E. Wilkins and J. H. Kirkham and was registered by the court on March2, 1840.
He sold the same tract to Egbert Lewis, Jesse Green's brother-in-law, onFebruary 1, 1841 for $45 Halifax Co., NC DB-31, p. 13). That deed waswitnessed by George Nevill and Albert Nevill, Elijah's brother-in-law.On January 12, 1842, Elijah H. Green bought a parcel of 31 1/2 acres for$60 from the same Egbert Lewis (Halifax Co., NC DB-31, p. 177). Thisland adjoined Benjamin Perkins, Albert H. Nevill and others unnamed.Benjamin Perkins became a member of the family when he later marriedSarah Shearin Green Dickens, Elijah's step-mother. Drury A. Nevill,brother of Albert and another of Elijah's brothers-in-law and James D.Perkins witnessed the deed.
So by early 1842, Elijah H. Green owned a considerable amount of landand, as a consequence, must have been deep in debt. By the end of thatyear his financial roof had caved in and he was virtually, if notliterally, bankrupt. A deed dated November 26, 1842 states that "..E. H.Green, owing to sundry misfortunes is at present unable to discharge hisjust debts and is willing to assign all his property for the benefit ofhis creditors" (Halifax Co., NC DB-31, p. 291). By this instrument hisproperty was turned over to William W. Brickell, an attorney, whoassumed the responsibility for selling it on May 1, 1843 or thereafter tosatisfy a list of named creditors. We do not know what "misfortunes"afflicted him but, in his endebted condition, it could have been thefailure of a single crop due to a drought or a hurricane. In any case,it was understandable that he would look to new horizons for the securityof his growing family.
In 1845, a decade after Arkansas became a state, Elijah Hillman Greenmigrated with his wife and four children (a fifth, George Willis Green,was born on the way to Arkansas) from Halifax County, North Carolina toTulip in Dallas County in that state. His wife, Malissa Eunice Nevill,died in Tennessee enroute to Arkansas, probably as a consequence ofgiving birth to George Willis Green. During the decade of 1845-55 manyplanters - and others less landed - from Northern North Carolina,Southern Virginia and Tennessee made the trek to Dallas County, Arkansasin search of cheap land and new opportunities. Mary Bingham Woodworth,the future wife of Edwin Samuel Taylor, made this journey fromneighboring Granville County, North Carolina two years after ElijahHillman set out.
In the 1850s Tulip became a prosperous farming and business center.Community leaders placed great value on education and in that decade theyestablished the Arkansas Military Academy for boys and the Tulip FemaleCollege. As a consequence, by the time the Civil War erupted Tulip wasknown as "The Athens of Arkansas". The first monthly magazine publishedin Arkansas, "The Tulip", was started in the town.
Starting with meager assets, Elijah Hillman Green soon became asuccessful farmer and a community leader. In 1847 it appears that he didnot own any taxable property. He was taxed only for a poll, or head,tax. In 1848 he bought 80 acres of Federal land. The 1850 Federalcensus showed that he had real estate valued at $250. By 1851 he owned160 acres valued for tax purposes at $500 and two slaves taxed at $800.Typical of those times, slaves were usually worth more than the land onwhich they worked. In 1859 he added l60 more acres of Federal land tohis holdings. When the Civil War began, Elijah owned 500 acres and fiveslaves. The war took a heavy toll on Dallas County's economy. By 1867his land was worth only a fraction of it's pre-war value, his slaves hadbeen freed and his taxable property had plummeted from $6,300 to $920.But he persevered and eventually restored his farm to profitability.
He was active in civic affairs and served as Treasurer of Dallas County1872-74 when the County seat was at Princeton. He also served as countyand probate judge 1878-80 and again from 1886-88, an office he held atthe time of his death. His portrait hangs in the Dallas CountyCourthouse in Fordyce, Arkansas. It depicts a man of lean face with afull head of hair, a bushy white beard and eyes that gleamed like a manwith a mission in life.
In 1873 Elijah and Drury Nevill, his brother-in-law, deeded an acre ofland as a building site for a school and a non-denomenational church for"colored" people. A few years later, he and his third wife, MarthaLantorn, deeded an acre of land below Round Hill, near Willow, for abuilding site for a Methodist church. This was for Caldwell's ChapelMethodist Church, named for Rev. James E. Caldwell an early circuitpreacher in the area and a favorite of the Taylor and Green familes.Nothing remains of the church but it's cemetery, unused by 1998. Ten ofthe nineteen graves there are for Greens. Throughout his life, ElijahGreen was a devout and active Methodist.
For a brief time he owned a general store in Tulip which he bought fromIra W. Butler in 1884. He operated it as the E. H. Green & Co. until1888 when, probably after his death, it was bought by Herbert Matthews.
Elijah H. Green made his will on June 18, 1888 and died six daysafterwards. Under its' terms he left to his wife, Martha, for her lifehis farm consisting of about 240 acres; all household furniture andkitchen equipment; two horses or mules, as she may choose; three milkcows and calves; his sheep, lambs and hogs; one years supply ofprovisions for her and her family and for the livestock and one hundreddollars. After his wife's death the land was to go to his two daughtersby his third wife, Martha Lantorn Green. In addition, the daughtersreceived one hundred dollars each. The balance of his estate was to bedivided equally between his five children by his first wife, MalissaNeville Green. His wife, Martha, and his son George Willis Green, werenamed as executors of his estate.
An obituary printed in the November 10, 1888 issue of the ArkansasMethodist, stated: "His moral and religious worth, as well as hisefficiency in official relations both in Church and county, was evincedby the fact that for thirty-five consecutive years he had been a leadingmember of the Board of Stewards of the Tulip circuit besides fillingother important offices in the church as class leader, trustee, andSunday-school superintendent, and had been repeatedly elected to variousoffices of public trust, and was at the time of his death county andprobate judge."
We do not have definite proof of the identity of his parents or siblingsin North Carolina. Grandma "Cattie" Taylor's (nee Mary Martha CatherineRebecca Green) family notes list the following unidentified Greens whocould have been brothers of Elijah Hillman Green: 1. M. A. Green d.April 19, 1877, and 2. R. J. Green d. January 10, 1909. Her notes alsolist an M. H. Green b. Madison County, Alabama March 20, 1848. It ispossible that he is the son of one of the two Greens above.
Elijah H. Green is buried in the Tulip Cemetery, Dallas County, Arkansas.
Reobert Warren served in the Civl War on the Confederate side.
On January 23, 1856, Elijah K. Nevill sold his daughter Sarah T. Nevill102 acres for one dollar per acre.
The will of her mother-in-law, Sarah T. Nevill, left Emily F. Nevill landin Enfield which was Lot #2 of the L. H. B. Whitabker estate plus somefurniture (Halifax Co., NC WB-6, p. 305).
Elijah Shearin was killed in a train wreck near Suffolk, Virginia in 1861.