I'm a retired educator, the official County Historian & Archivist, Pres. of the 400 member Polk County Historical & Genealogical Society, founder/editor of the PCHGS Quarterly, and the History of Polk County, and 4 day a week volunteer at the little genealogy library I established here in Benton 18 years ago. I'm the former heritage columnist for the local newspaper, the 'Polk County News', and help numerous people to 'find their Grandpa'!

Although I am not related to the majority of families whose memorials, pictures, or bios I post, I do maintain a lot of them on behalf of close family members who do not 'do' Internet. We have fairly large family files, pictures, and obituaries and I love to share those as I have time. And anyone is welcome to use the bio info and pictures, both markers and people, that I add.


My basic family surnames are Ansel and Rutha Tipton Bailey from Buncombe County, North Carolina; Revolutionary War Patriot Col. William Porter who fought in the Battle of Kings Mountain and was in the NC Legislature for many years after the War (wife Mary Gilkey); The Holdens, Garrisons, and Owenbys from NC to Fannin County, Georgia; and John M. and Jane Ann Rogers Griffith, NC to GA.

Hubby James' side of the family is Jonathan Presswood, Esybous Maynor, Womac, Buckner, Clayton, William and Sophia Moore Dennis, and the 'brick wall' we all have, Harrison and Thaney Clayton Hughes. Harrison married 2nd Elmira Silcox in Polk Co. TN then moved to Arkansas by 1880 with his 2nd family, Price, Burt, Lafayette, Byrum and Sis.

I'm a retired educator, the official County Historian & Archivist, Pres. of the 400 member Polk County Historical & Genealogical Society, founder/editor of the PCHGS Quarterly, and the History of Polk County, and 4 day a week volunteer at the little genealogy library I established here in Benton 18 years ago. I'm the former heritage columnist for the local newspaper, the 'Polk County News', and help numerous people to 'find their Grandpa'!

Although I am not related to the majority of families whose memorials, pictures, or bios I post, I do maintain a lot of them on behalf of close family members who do not 'do' Internet. We have fairly large family files, pictures, and obituaries and I love to share those as I have time. And anyone is welcome to use the bio info and pictures, both markers and people, that I add.


My basic family surnames are Ansel and Rutha Tipton Bailey from Buncombe County, North Carolina; Revolutionary War Patriot Col. William Porter who fought in the Battle of Kings Mountain and was in the NC Legislature for many years after the War (wife Mary Gilkey); The Holdens, Garrisons, and Owenbys from NC to Fannin County, Georgia; and John M. and Jane Ann Rogers Griffith, NC to GA.

Hubby James' side of the family is Jonathan Presswood, Esybous Maynor, Womac, Buckner, Clayton, William and Sophia Moore Dennis, and the 'brick wall' we all have, Harrison and Thaney Clayton Hughes. Harrison married 2nd Elmira Silcox in Polk Co. TN then moved to Arkansas by 1880 with his 2nd family, Price, Burt, Lafayette, Byrum and Sis.