April 4, 1977 -- As told by Earnest Dobbs
NOTE: I have left all the misspellings etc here...And probably added a few typos!

“The life and legend of George Dobbs Family starting in 1855. According to a picture I have made in 1890, as far as we can tell the Dobbs family was George, his wife Margaret Barns and 5 children as follows: Ida, William Henry, Mont, Nancy and Lilburn. Not knowing anything of their lives up to now, George I suppose was about thirty five years old at this time. He had lost one eye at this time and later lost the other one, spending 30 or 35 years as a blind man.

As time went on the kids began marrying off. Ida married and Edwards man and raised two children, Harry and Dove. Then she married Cal William’s and raised four children of which three were triplets; Mary, Elizabeth, john and Otto. Then she married Larkin Whitmire ho had 4 boys and 2 girls, Ozro, Henry, Bivell, Rhey, Ann and Eddie. Then Aunt Ida lived a widow the rest of her life and lived to a great old age. She died in the 60’s and was buried in the Ward Cemetery at Saffell, Arkansas.

Going back to George, not having any of his family around and maybe not hearing of them, I suppose he had a very lonely life as he became blind at a young age and lived 30 or 35 years in darkness. He died about 1919 or 1920 of heart attack. I guess he was found in his chair on the Albert Hufsteadler farm north of the Fred Pritchet place just across the road from the Johnny Allen Farm. He was buried in the Stranger’s Home Cemetery.

Then Margrett lived a widow for a few years, met a minister from Doniphan Missouri by the name of Larough, married him, moved to Doniphan to live. He passed away about the 50’s and was buried at Doniphan. She was 94 years old when she passed away. 1938

The older son, William married a girl by the name of Vinia England from Dalton, Ark., where they settled down and started life together and raising a family. The raised 9 children, 6 boys and 3 girls. Their names are Edward, Sylvia, Nora, Nellie, Henry, Earnest, Hershel, Delphard (Dude) and Leonard. Times were hard and we had a hard time getting by. We would make a crop in the hills, then come to the bottoms in the fall and pick cotton till bad weather; Then go and gather what crop we had. We keep that up until 1913, we moved to now known as the airbase or College City. We picked cotton that fall., rented some land and made a crop the next year. Next year we moved to Stranger’s Home staying there two years. We bought an 80 acre farm from Dr. J. C. Neece moving there 7th day of December, 1917, stayed there until 1924, rented 80 acre from Tom Alison, 1/2 mile up the road. Then moved to the Tom Alison farm for 2 years Moved to the Charley Fender farm at Mt. Zion, which is now known as the Pecan grove this side, south, of the airbase. Then in 1928 moved to the John Lester farm at Moran. In 1934 moved to Cash, Arkansas rented the Hilles Place from Claude Gregory which is now the Buddy Jarley farm. In 1935 moved to the Lamue farm at Clover bend. Stayed there two years, then moved to the Sloan farm and stayed two years. Then Papa bought 80 acres again from Doctor Neece in the bottoms joining the longmire farm which is now the Maxie Light farm. Papa, Mama, and Fay lived there and called it home until March 1946. Mama passed away and was buried in the Stranger’s Home Cemetery. I had been to California but came back August of 1945, rented land from Arthur Mathis. Dad and I were farming together. We made that crop, Papa and Fay got dissatisfied. I bought Dad out and he went to California and Fay went to Oklahoma. Dad came back from California going to Doniphan to live with Grandma. After spending a year or two up there he came back to Russell, Arkansas, where he met a woman named Hattie. After a while, Dad and Hattie were married and lived around there 2 or 3 years. Then Dad got sick and was brought to Sylvia’s to recover. In the meantime, Hattie got sick and died, so Dad stayed on at Sylvia’s. He moved out to the back to have his privacy till he got disable to take care of himself. Then he went back into the house with Sylvia and stayed until his death in 1961. He was buried in the Stranger’s Home Cemetery.

Mont, the next son, married a girl named Delie Smith, having two brothers, Jim and John Smith, lived at Hoxie, Ark..They moved to Strangers Home, raised two boys, Wiley and Hubert. Hubert died young and so did Delie; not knowing just when or how. Then Mont lived alone for a while, married Laura Dodson who had been married to a Watson, raised one son, Henry and had 3 Dodsons: Edd, Woodrow, and Christine. Laura and Mont had one child who died young. Laura died soon after leaving Mont alone again. Later, he married Betty Manns who had two brothers, Mark and John Stolniker. Betty had been married twice having two girls by a Joley, Beulah and Lois, and a girl Marie Manns. Betty and Mont raised two boys and a girl-Boyce, Floyd, and Imogene. They moved from Strangers Home to Fender living there a few years. Betty died and was buried at Strangers Home Cemetery, leaving Mont alone again. In a few years he met a woman by the name of Lille Housdan and they were married. She lived a few years, passed away and was buried in Lawrence Memorial Park, having some children of her own living close. Mont then was a widow again. Kids were all married and gone. He lived alone for awhile then went to Wiley’s to make it his home, not living long. He was found dead in bed I suppose a heart attack. Was buried in Lawrence Memorial Park. I don’t know what year.

Nancy the younger daughter, married a man named Sam Hufsteadler. They lived at Stranger’s Home community raising eight kids; Albert, Mammie, Joe, Hermon, Beatrice, Harry, Paul and Liddy. They moved to the Eaton community for a while. Sam disappeared leaving Aunt Nancy with a bunch of kids to raise. She lived a widow for a few years, the kids marrying off. She met a man named Truax, married him. They lived together a few years and separated, leaving her alone. She lived with the kids part time, and going to Doniphan to live with Grandma some, then finally going to Popular Bluff to live with Harry. She took sick and died and was buried up there.

Now, to the younger son Lilburn. He married a girl named Rosie Crane who had two brothers, Burn and Walter Cran, lived at Oxlie, Mo..Don’t know how long they stayed around here but later they went to Oklahoma. They raised three girls, and a boy, names were Lucille, Bethel, Ruby and Eugene. He was farming in Oklahoma, share cropping I suppose. He was shot and killed in a crop dispute. I guess this happened in the early 1920’s. Grandma, Dad, Uncle Mont and Albert Hufsteadler went out for the funeral services. Then after a while Aunt Rosie came back to live, moving to Oxley, remained a widow. Lucille married Carl McDonald, no children. Bethel married Elvis Mobley raised a family of 5 or 6. Don’t know anything about them. Elvis died, left Bethel a widow and she still is as far as I know. Rubby married and had 2 or 3 girls, was living at Oxley. She died young. I guess her family is still around there. Eugene married and in a few years went to California and is still out there.

Raising no family, in the 1940’s Carl and Lucille went to California and spent a few years. Sometime during the time Aunt Rosie went out there too. Carl and Lucille and Aunt Rosie came back to Doniphan to retire. Aunt Rosie is in a rest home and Carl and Lucille are just living taking things as sthey come.

Betty Dobbs Wilson

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