BOB SAMUELS                  1368-ARK/#070                                   047
         FROM MY MOTHER'S MOTHER I LEARNED THAT ON MY MOTHER'S SIDE MY ANCEStOR
CAME WITH DE SOTO FROM SPAIN WHERE SHE WAS EDUCATED AT MADRID. FROM SPAIN SHE CA
ME TO HAVANA, CUBA, AND FROM THERE TO TAMPA, FLORIDA. FROM FLORIDA SHE CAME TO S
OME POINT IN ALABAMA. FROM THIS PLACE SHE CAME TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND THE
EAST BANK AND CROSSED WHERE IT IS CALLED GAINES LANDING. AFTER THEY CROSSED THE
RIVER THEY WENT TEN KILOMETERS FROM THERE, TRAVELED NORTH  FROM THERE TO WHERE A
RKANSAS COUNTY IS CLOSE TO THE MOUTH OF THE ARKANSAS RIVER. HERE THEY CAMPED AWH
ILE. WHEN THEY BROKE CAMP THERE THEY TRAVELED NORTHWEST TO BOILING SPRINGS. MAKI
NG THEIR WAY FROM HERE THEY CROSSED THE QUACHITA RIVER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF ARKA
DELPHIA. THEY TRAVELED ON, CROSSING LITTLE MISSOURI RIVER BELOW WALLACEBURG. HER
E THEY FOUND SOME INDIAN MOUNDS. THEN THEY TRAVELED ON A TRAIL FROM THERE TO WAS
HINGTON, TURNED INTO WASHINGTON ADN TOOK A TRAIL TOWARD COLUMBUS AND TURNED OFF
TO THE RIGHT AND CROSSED WHAT IS KNOWN AS BEARD'S LAKE. THEY CROSSED LITTLE RIVE
R AT WARD'S FERRY AD CROSSED THE SALINE RIVER. TRAVELING NORTHWEST THEY REACHED
WHITE OAK SHOALS WHERE INDEX IS NOW AND CROSSED OVER INTO WHAT WAS MEXICO AND TR
AVELED TO A PLACE CALLED KAWAKE LOCATED WHERE WADE (?) NOW IS.
         AFTER CAMPING HERE FOR A WHILE THEY CAME BACK INTO ARKANSAS TO SOME POI
NT NEAR RANDO, CROSSED RED RIVER AT DOOLEY'S FERRY, WENT TO COOLA FABRA AND BACK
TO BOILING SPRINGS HERE A GOLD MINE WAS FOUND AND A QUARREL ENSUED AND IN A FIGH
$ DE SOTO WAS KILLED. THEY CARRIED HIS BODY OVERLAND AND BURIED HIM IN THE MISSI
 SSIPPI RIVER BETWEEN GRENSVILLE AND VICKSBURG. THE REMAINING FORCES OF THE EXPE
D
ITION RETURNED TO SPAIN.
         SOMETIME IN 1816 MY MOTHER'S MOTHER WAS BORN. MY MOTHER'S WAS SPANISH.
MY MOTHER SAYS SHE WAS WELL EDUCATED MOTHER AND HER MOTHER HAVE SPANISH MIXED WI
H NEGRO BLOOD. I HAD A SISTER NAMED MARY AND A BROTHER NAMED JOHN.
         ARMARILLA, MY GRANDMOTHER CAME HERE oROM C BA cqROdGH tO&GArn SLANDING
. HER SON EDMIN AND HER HUSBAND WERE WITH HER. THEY CROSSED THE MISSISSIPPI RIVE
R AND SHE SAID THEY STOPPED AT THE OLD DE SOTO CAMP. A SHORT DISTANCE WEST OF TH
IS PLACE THEY MET TWO MEN -- NICK TRAMMEL AND JOHN MORROW WHO PROFITTED IN NEGRO
SLAVES. MY GRANDFATHER AND MOTHER EMPLOYED THESE MEN TO GUIDE THEM TO COOLA FABR
E CAMDEN. FROM LITTLE RIVER TO DOOLEY'S FERRY THESE MEN CARRIED THEM TO WACO, TE
XAS. THEY KILLED MY GRANDFATHER AND KEPT MY GRANDMOTHER FORCING HER TO MARRY EIT
HER A HALF-BREED MEXICAN, AN INDIAN OR A NEGRO. IT WAS NEAR WACO IN HICKMAN PRAI
RIE THAT MOTHER WAS BORN. THE BOY EDMIN WAS RETURNED TO DOOLEY'S FERRY AND REMAI
NED IN THE VICINITY UNTIL HE WAS ABOUT SEVENTEEN YEARS OF AGE. HE THEN LIVED IN
THE VICINITY OFLITTLE ROCK ABOUT SIX MONTHS BEFORE RETURNING TO MEXICO. MY GRAND
MOTHER SAID THAT MISTER TRAMMEL AND MISTER MORROW PROBABLY THOUGHT HE MIGHT CAUS
$ TROUBLE AND KILLED HIM AS SHE NEVER SAW HIM AFTER HE RETURNED FROM LITTLE ROCK
 . MOTHER WAS HELD IN LAFAYETTE COUNTY AT A POINT WHERE THE RIVER CROSSED AND JO
I
NED BOWIE COUNTY TEXAS AND WHERE LOUISIANA BOUNDED THE SOUTH.
         DE SOTO TRAVELED BY LAND NOT BY BOAT. HE HAD A FORCE OF AkOUT 550-PnsO
NS. THE WOMEN DRESSED AS MEN. MY GRANDMOTHER WAS WITH HER HUSBAND.
         MY MOTHER WAS A SLAVE. SHE WAS HELD IN BOWIE COUNTY, HICKENS PRAIRIE, B
Y BOB TRAMMEL. THEY KEPT HER LOCKED UP AND I HAVE HEARD MOTHER SAY THAT SHE USED
WHALE BONE, CARD BATS AND A SPINNING WHEEL. FINALLY THEY GOT SO HOT BEHIND THE T
RAMMELS IN 1847-48, THEY PULLED UP STAKES AND WENT DOWN ON THE GUADALUPE RIVER A
ND CARRIED MY MOTHER'S MOTHER DOWN THERE. BEFORE THEY LEFT DAVE BLOCK WENT ON TR
AMMEL'S BOND AND GOT MY MOTHER. HE MADE MY MOTHER HEAD HOUSEKEEPER SLAVE. SHE HA
D BEEN TAUGHT SPANISH. SHE WAS TALL AND FAIR WITH STRAIGHT BLACK HAIR. SHE WAS M
ARRIED TO DICK SAMUELS, MY FATHER.
         AFTER THE WAR MY FATHER WAS ELECTED HEMPSTEAD COUNTY CLERK IN 1872-ON T
HE REPUBLICAN TICKET. HE COULD NEITHER READ NOR WRITE SO WAS CLERK IN NAME ONLY
SECURING ONE OF THE WHITE MEN TO ATTEND TO THE OFFICE. BY TRADE HE WAS A BLACKSM
ITH.
  X   XXX
STP