The Ozark mountain region of Arkansas and Missouri has long suffered from the stereotypes of the illiterate, backwoods, shiftless hillbilly which has fueled the tourism industry since the 1950’s. The surreal images of barefoot men and women with corncob pipes, moonshiners, and unkempt half-dressed children have served to attract the attention of those who know little or nothing about the Ozarks and the history of its people. These depictions are a disservice to the diverse cultural and rich historical story of the region.

Those uninformed about the Ozarks are often unaware that the early settlers, including the American Indians, came to the wilderness frontier for a better life and to enjoy the isolation afforded by the rugged terrain. While various American Indian populations had passed through the Ozarks for centuries, their assimilation after the 1803 Louisiana Purchase with white settlers is complex and often ignored. Likewise, the diverse backgrounds of the white settlers around Missouri’s White River and Arkansas’s Buffalo River are not well understood by many of their descendants. While a number of these descendants continue to make the Ozarks their home, many others populate the United States from coast-to-coast.

This book is a personal narrative about pioneer settlers of the Arkansas and Missouri Ozarks. The main focus is on those who came to the area between the White and Buffalo Rivers as early as the 1820’s. The work is intended to be of interest to the descendants of these people as well as for those interested in gaining a more granular perspective beyond the traditional academic and cultural writings about the Ozarks.

The story of these early pioneers is depicted through nine essays that contain images and relevant genealogies intended to preserve the past and provide a foundation for future inquiry. These essays and their respective focus include:

Buffalo: Arkansas Ozarks, Newton County; Jeremiah and Susannah (Self) Daniels; Lewis and Martha (Casey) Daniels; William E. and Nancy (Strode) Daniels; Jesse E. and Martha (Coe) Casey.

Shiloh: Arkansas Ozarks, Newton County; Thomas and Mary (Wright) Self; Hugh Solomon and Ellen (Ferguson) Wright; Thomas J. and Martha Elizabeth (Winn) Hood.

Union Grove: Arkansas Ozarks, Newton County; Henry Gilbert and Mary Anne (Ray) Ramsey; Bascumb and Marcenia Ramsey.

Wayton: Arkansas Ozarks, Newton County; John Henderson; William and Sirene (Stallcup) Slusher.

Osage: Arkansas Ozarks, Carroll County; Daniel and Jane (Holden) Conner; John and Rebecca Ann (Taylor) Conner; George W. and Kisiah (Seay) Taylor.

Dogbranch: Arkansas Ozarks, Carroll County: Henry Logan and Elizabeth (Godwin) Pryor; Andrew J. and Lucy (Conner) Pryor.

Carrollton: Arkansas Ozarks, Carroll County; John and Kesiah (Sneed) Watkins; Paschal T. and Eliza (Holt) Watkins; John Larkin and Eliza (Bohannon) Holt: Dr. William Larkin and Sarah Belle (McCleery) Watkins.

Eagle Rock: Missouri Ozarks, Barry County; Albert Moors Sr. and Angeline (Wilder) Farwell; Albert Moors Jr. and Eliza Jane (Pyatt) Farwell; Cornelius and Mary Ann (Harris) Pyatt.

Corinth: Missouri Ozarks, Barry County; William Sheppard and Rachel Jane (Dotson) Fogg; Frank and Clara (Farwell) Fogg.

About the Author

Roger B. Daniels is a native of the Ozarks. A life-long fascination with his people, both white settlers and American Indians, provided the motivation to capture their history in his work, Ozark Pioneers: Essays, Images, and Old Genealogies. As an academic who has spent over three decades teaching and conducting research, this is his first non-academic publication.

Professor Daniels earned three degrees in accounting including a Ph.D. from the University of Mississippi, an MBA from Missouri State University, and a bachelor’s degree from College of the Ozarks. He currently lives in Charleston, South Carolina where he has been a professor of accounting for the past thirty years.

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