2. “I am fierce with the
fierce.”
Clan Chisholm Motto
3. December 25, 2013
By: (The children/spouses and grandchildren of Kennith Terry Chism)
Christy Halliday (Chism), Billy “Allan”, Katie & Aubrey Halliday, William “Kent” &
Laura Chism, and Fay, Ava, & Levi Chism,
Rose Chism,
And Tyler Chism
4. Origins
• This name is formed from the Norman „chese‟ which meant „to choose‟, and „holm‟ which is
a Saxon word that meant „meadow‟.
• The early Chisholms came across the North Sea and the lands they claimed in
Roxburghshire, Scotland became a feudal barony. The original Border seat was the barony
of Chisholme.
• Tradition stating that the Chisholms were a Norman family who arrived in England after the
Norman conquest of 1066. According to the Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia
the Chisholm name was known in the Scottish Borders since the reign of Alexander III of
Scotland. In early records the name is written as "de Cheseholme", eventually later
becoming Chisholm.
5. Chisholm
Gaelic Name: Siosal
Motto: Feros ferio (I am fierce with the fierce)
Badge: Fern
Lands: Roxburghshire and Invernesshire
Origin of Name: Placename, Roxburghshire
Pipe Music: Chisholm's March
Current Chief: Hamish Chisholm of Chisholm, The
Chisholm
7. Alexander De Chisholm
• Birth: About 1190, in England
• Death: After 1248, Chisholm, Roxburghshire, Scotland
Notes:
The Ragman Roll of 1296, listing the supporters of England‟s Edward I mentions Richard de
Chisholme and John de Chisholme. The seal used by the family shows a boar‟s head which
represented the traditional story of two Chisholm brothers who saved a king from a wild boar.
(The story is that three of Alexander‟s ancestors-Alexander, Donald and Hugh, were the only
three Chisholm men to survive-out of the fifty who fought to defend Prince Charles, at
Culleden. These three sheparded the prince away, and across the country. Hugh vowed, after
shaking the Prince‟s hand at the end of their journey, he would never shake another man‟s
hand. (He kept his vow for life.)
8. Alexander De Chisholm, 1190
John De Chisholm, 1210
Richard “Robert” De Chisholm,
1236
Sir John De Chisholm, 1258
Lord Alexander De Chisholm,
1290
Chief Robert “Richard” De
Chisholm, 1302
Chief Robert De Chisholm, 1358
Sir Robert De Chisholm, 1422
9. Edmund De Chisholm, 1453
Sir James Chisholm, 1495
James Chisholm, 1531
Richard Josiah Chisholm, 1613
James Chisholm, 1657
John Chisholm I, 1681
John Chisholm, 1704
10. Benjamin Elisha Chism, 1750
Benjamin Chism II, 1796
JH “James” Chism, 1830
Enoch Earl Marvin, 1892
Gabriel “Gabe” Lewis Chism, 1868
Glen Franklin Chism, 1924
11. Chief Robert “Richard” De Chisholm-the
Knight
(Alexander‟s great-great-great-grandson)
• Birth: 1302, Paxton, Scotland
• Death: Chisholm, Roxburghshire, Scotland
• Notes:
In 1334, he married Ann Lauder, heiress of Quarrelwood. He fought against the
English at the Battle of Neville‟s Cross in 1346, and was taken prisoner with King
David II. He was released eleven years later. In 1359, he succeeded his grandfather as
Constable of Urquhart Castle, and later became Sheriff of Iverness and Justiciar of
the North. He was the last to hold lands in both the north and south of Scotland. He
divided his estates amongst his youngest children.
12. Chief Robert De Chisholm, V
(son of Chief Robert “Richard” De Chisholm)
• Birth: 1358, Chisholm, Roxburghshire, Scotland
• Death: 1376
Notes:
Governor of Urquhart Castle (on the shores of the Loch Ness). Married to
Margaret Halyburton, “The Lady of Erchless”. Erchless Castle was sold in
1937.
The Story Goes…..
13. The Lady of Erchless
Erchless Castle, though thus intimately associated with war, has also a traditional romance of love, the story of which
is still current in the locality, though dates are lacking. About six miles from the Castle, on the other side of the Beauly
River, stands the Castle of Beaufort, the ancient seat of the Clan Fraser. It so happened at one time that Fraser, the
Lord of Lovat, had an only daughter whose welfare was his chief concern. Reared beneath the shelter of Beaufort
Castle and encircled by the unremitting care of her father and brethren, she grew up to womanhood. The young
Chief of the Chisholms had seen the maid and had fallen captive to her charms; but the two families were then at
feud, and though the lady reciprocated his affection no marriage seemed possible. At length Chisholm decided to win
his bride at the point of the sword; and one moonlight night, accompanied by a few of his faithful followers, he
waylaid her near some well-known trysting-place and bore her away to his own territory. With commendable caution
he refrained from carrying her to Erchless Castle, where she would be first sought for, but rather took her to a lonely
isle in Loch Bruirach where he deemed her safe from discovery.
14. Meanwhile the Frasers had found out about the loss of their beloved Lady.
They soon discovered the spot which the youthful lover had chosen. What will not man endure when love and
beauty is his reward? But the odds against The Chisholm were fearful; and when his lady clung to his arm and
implored him to resign her again to her kindred rather than risk his life, her very entreaties impeded his
swordsmanship. With his left arm supporting her whom he valued as dearer than life, he strove to beat back the
weapons of his enemies; and though his defence was a gallant one, of what avail was his prowess against so
many? Had he remained on the mainland some fleet horse might have borne him into the wilds of Glen Elchaig or
the barren shelter of Mealfourvounie; but the dark waters of the loch encircled him. Bearing up his precious charge
he again essayed the combat, even though overborne by his assailants, but the moon was overcast by a flying scud
which swept across the sky, and in the temporary darkness which was thus produced the fatal thrust which was
aimed at his heart by one of her brethren was received by herself! Sinking breathless, lifeless to the ground, the fair
cause of this deadly tumult yielded up her breath, and lay before the speechless and agonized combatants in the
chill embrace of Death!
16. Edmund De Chisholm, born
1453
Birth: 1453, Perthshire, Scotland
Death: 1500
Notes:
Married Lady Jean Graham. They had
two sons: Bishop W De Chisholm and James
De Chisholm (our direct ancestor).
17. Bishop W De Chisholm
(son of Edmund De Chisholm and brother of James)
From an early date a branch of the clan was settled at Cromlix, or Cromlics, in Perthshire, which includes the episcopal city of Dunblane. At the
Reformation, this branch produced in succession three bishops, all of the name of William, each of whom strenuously opposed the tenets of the
Reformation.
Bishop W De Chisholm, who died in 1564, was notorious for his moral shortcomings, and seized the pretext of the Reformation, when church
lands were being cast into the melting pot, to alienate the episcopal estates of Dunblane to his illegitimate children.
The second of these bishops, Bishop W‟s nephew-Bishop William, of Dunblane, who was appointed co-adjutor to his uncle in 1561, and
succeeded him as Bishop in 1564, acted as envoy for Mary Queen of Scots from 1565 to 1567.
Before 1570, like several other Catholic Scottish bishops, he withdrew to France, where he was appointed Bishop of Vaison. In 1584 he became
a monk of the Chartreuse, and latterly was prior of the Chartreuse at Lyons and Rome.
This bishop also was succeeded by a nephew, who became bishop of Vaison in 1584. He was notorious for his intrigues in Scottish affairs in
1602, when, in the interest of the Scottish Catholics, he endeavored to obtain the cardinalate. He was rector of Venaissin from 1603 till his death
in 1629.
Finally, by the marriage of Jane, only daughter of Sir James Chisholm of Cromlix, to James, second son of David, second Lord Drummond,
who afterwards became Lord Maderty, the lands were carried into the family of that nobleman, and gave his descendant, Viscount Strathallan, his
second title, which is still carried by his descendant, the Earl of Perth, though the superiority of the lands afterwards passed to the Earl of
Kinnoul.
19. Richard Josiah Chisholm
(great-great-great-grandson of Robert De Chisholm and Lady
Erchless)
• Birth: 1613, London, Middlesex, England
• Death: 1670, Lancaster, Virginia Colonies
• Notes:
Emigrated from England to Virginia, February 1642, with the new Virginian
Governor-William Berkeley. He married Margaret Isham, and they had at least
6 children, including James Chisholm (our direct ancestor), born 1657, in New
Kent County, Lancaster, Virginia. James married Ann Carter, and John Chism I,
was born in 1681, in Lancaster Virginia.
20. A famous connection…
Richard Josiah Chisholm had 7 siblings.
One of which was his older sister Agnes,
born 1560. Agnes married John Napier,
credited with the invention of logarithms.
John Napier, the “Father of
Logarithms”
21. John Chism, I
(Richard Josiah Chisholm‟s son)
• Birth: 1681, Lancaster, Virginia Colonies (Polecat Creek, Mattapony River
Valley, in Old St. John‟s Parish)
• Death: April 1734, Virginia Colonies (Caroline County)
• Notes:
John was a lawyer. He married Elizabeth Bradley, and had three sons: John (our
direct ancestor), William, and James.
22. The Famous “Chisholm Trail”
Connection
Birth: 1805, Eastern Tennessee
Death: March 4, 1868, at Left Hand Spring, near present-day, Geary,
Oklahoma
Notes:
Jesse Chisholm, born 1805 in East Tennessee, was the great-great-grandson
of John Chisholm the first, born 1681. (lineage below)
John Chisholm, 1681
William Chism (our John Chisholm, 1704‟s brother)
Captain John Chisholm, 1755
Ignatius Chisholm (Jesse‟s father), 1778
Before his death, he was credited with the Chisholm Trail, the route taken
during cattle drives through Indian Territory (preset day Oklahoma), from
Texas to Kansas in 1826.. Ironically, he never drove cattle on the trail named
for him. He was also a frontier trader who first worked amongst the plains
Indians and served as a mediator in their dealings with the Cherokee Nation,
the Republic of Texas, and the United States.
Jesse first came to Arkansas with his mother (the Cherokee Indian sister of
“Corn Tassle” Chisholm) and two brothers (John and William) in 1810. They
moved to the Cherokee Nation in the late 1820‟s, and settled near Fort
Gibson in what is now eastern Oklahoma.
23. Chisholm first emerged into history as a member of a gold-searching party that explored up the Arkansas River to the
site of present Wichita, Kansas, in 1826. Four years later, he helped blaze a trail from Fort Gibson to Fort Touscon,
and in 1834, he was a member of the Dodge-Levanworth expedition, which made the first official contact with the
Comanche, Kiowa, and Wichita, near the Wichita Mountains in southwestern Oklahoma.
In 1836, Chisholm married fifteen-year-old Eliza Edwards, daughter of Creek trader James Edwards, who
operated a trading post situated on the right bank of the Little River about three miles above its confluence with the
North Canadian River. From there, Chisholm made trading ventures onto the prairie, becoming close friends with
tribe leaders. Jesse learned many languages, and was a sought-after interpreter and guide.
Jess Chisholm was known to buy and/or negotiate the trade for children that had been captured by different Indian
tribes. If he couldn‟t find them a home, he adopted them.
Jesse met Sam Houston (President of the Republic of Texas) during his role as a guide and interpreter, and the two
became relatives, when Sam married Jesse‟s aunt-Talahina “Tiana” Chism (she was the daughter of Ignatius Chism &
his second wife-Martha Rogers).
During the 1840‟s, Chisholm assisted the Republic of Texas and the Unite States in bringing American Indian
leaders to treaty councils in which he served as an intermediary and interpreter. Following the 1846 Treaty of
Comanche Peak, Chisholm accompanied an Indian delegation to Washington, D.C. where he interpreted President
James K. Polk. He died while trading with American Indians on Salt Creek, from food poisoning. It is said that Jesse
ate bear or buffalo meat that was rancid and had been cooked in a copper pot.
His grave reads:
“No one ever left his home cold or hungry.”
24. Sam Houston and Tiana
Sam Houston, President of the
Republic of Texas
Talahania “Tiana” Chism
25. John Chism
(son of John Chism, I)
• Birth: 1704, St. John‟s Parish, Virginia
• Death: October 9, 1792, Amelia County, Virginia
• Notes:
John got 400 acres in the Little Fork of the Sherando River January 21, 1733, and 400 acres on the Stanton
River in December 1736. John married Eleanor (Ellender) Gillington, and they lived in her father‟s household a
short time. (It is believed that Eleanor was full-blooded Cherokee). He gave the couple 200 acres on Flat Creek
in 1743 that they sold to John Cook in 1754.
As a young man, John studied at the same school that President George Washington later went to. John
also received education from his uncle James Chism-who was personal secretary to Governor Spotswood and Sir
Thomas Fox.
John and Eleanor had 22 children (Sara “Sallie”, the youngest, was adopted). Many of his sons were heavily
involved in the military.
26. John & Eleanor Chism
Captain John Chism
James David Chism
Elizabeth Chism
Absalom Chism
Adam Chism
Elisha Chism (Twin)
Captain Elijah Chism (Twin)
Isham Chism
Chloe Chism
Anna Chism
Priscilla Chism
Sarah “Sallie” Nee Hightower
(adopted)
Thomas Obadiah Chism
Samuel Chism
Lego Chism
Jesse Chism
Nicholas Chism
Mary Chism
Grace Chism
Phoebe Chism
Benjamin Elisha Chism
(our direct ancestor)
27. John & Eleanor‟s oldest son‟s family tree
Captain John Chism
First Marriage &
Children
Margaret Davis
James Chism,
birth unknown
Sarah
Kilpatrick
James
Chism, 1758
Elijah
Chism, 1760
Sarah Chism,
1765
Second Marriage &
Children to his
“seventh cousin”
Anna Chism, 1777
Isham Russell
Chism , 1775
Captain John “Red
Buck” Chism, 1779
Elijah Kaufman
Chism, 1779
Dempsey Chism,
1784
Amelia “Milly”
Chism, 1780
Elijah M. Chism,
1785
Jesse Chism, 1785
Sarah “Sallie” Chism,
1788
Pheriba “Phoebe”
Chism, 1787
28. Child of Captain John:
Dempsey Chism family, son of Captain John Chism
Top far right: Mary Cash ChismDempsey‟s wife
Seated right: Julia Ruth Chism, wife of
John Walter Wallace
29. Children of Captain John Chism:
Amelia. Chism,
Fereby‟s older sister
Pheriba Jane Chism,
daughter of Captain John
Chism
30. Child of Captain John Chism:
Captain John “Red Buck” Chism, Captain John Chism‟s son, with wife, Margaret Chism
(Davis)
Captain John “Red Buck” Chism received letters, as a young man, from Andrew
Jackson while he was President, telling of his exploits at Horseshoe Bend.
Captain John "Red Buck" Chisholm lived out his last days with his favorite son Ben
Frank Chism, at his home, in Texas.
Captain John took his family bible, containing family records, and other personal
belongings to Texas with him when he moved.
Captain John “Red Buck” Chism
&
Sarah Greenwood Chism (Kilpatrick,
another one)
Rufus King Chism
John M. Chism
Lucinda F. Chism
Norton G. Chism
Enoch Parsons Chism
Alexander Claiborne Chism
James Elijah Chism
Colonel Ben Frank Chism
Angelina C. Chism
Izilla Kilpatrick Chism
Joseph McHenry Chism
Louisa Jane Kennedy Chism
John “Red Buck” Chism,
grave
31. Reverend Enoch
Reverend Enoch
Parsons Chism, son of
Captain John “Red
Buck”
John Alexander Chism (and sons), son of Rev.
Enoch Parsons Chism (bottom left)
Reuben Chism (top left), John Enoch (top right),
Campbell Parsons (bottom right)
Emma McDougal Chism, daughter
of John Alexander
Rosa Lee Chism,
daughter of John
Alexander
Captain John “red Buck” Chism
lineage, through his son, John
Alexander
32. Grandchild of Captain
John Chism:
Captain John “Red Buck‟‟ Chism‟s son, Col. Ben Frank Chism
Colonel Ben Frank Chism
&
Didama Chism (Bowen)
Jennie Nancy Davis (Chism)
33. Great-grandchild of
Captain John Chism:
Jennie Nancy Davis (Chism) and Lillie
Davis, her daughter. Jennie was the
daughter of Ben Frank Chism, son of
John “Red Buck”
34. Thomas
Obadiah
Chism‟s sonObadiah
Chism, as a
young man
Two of Obadiah‟s children:
Mary Ann “Polly” Chism (left) and Lucinda
Chism (right)
John
& Eleanor Chism
Thomas Obadiah
Chism
Patty An Chism
Betsey Ann Chism
Mary Ann Chism
Susanna Chism
John W. Chism
Gillington Chism
James L. Chism
Melinda Chism
Thomas E. Chism
Thomas Obadiah
Chism, son of John &
Eleanor
Obadiah Chism
Elijah Chism
Gillington Chism, son of
Thomas Obadiah Chism
35. Benjamin Elisha Chism
(son of John & Eleanor Chism)
• Birth: 1770 (records vary)
• Death: 1827, Rocky Bayou, Izard County, Arkansas
• Notes:
It is believed that Ben was married twice-once to Springflower Elizabeth Dark, the daughter of Chief George Adam
Dark, son of Chief George Adam Dark Ottowa. (Springflower‟s nephew is the notorious “Bill Dark”, of Marion County,
Arkansas).
Ben married Winifred Russell last. She died in Izard County, Arkansas in 1820. Ben (also called Elisha) mentions her in
his 1827 will. Ben and Springflower had 4 children (one was adopted); “Winnie” and Ben had about 5 children. Benjamin
chism, II was born to Springflower and Benjamin Elisha. Ben lived in the Rocky Bayou Township of Izard County, Arkansas.
Ben‟s son, Benjamin Chism, II married Mary “Polly” Walker; they had 11 children, including J.H. “James” Chism. One of
their children was adopted from “Dellie” Dark-the mother of the notorious “Bill Dark” of Arkansas. Dellie‟s husband was so
cruel, that she gave her little daughter-”Mary” to Ben II and “Polly” to raise.
36. Some of Benjamin Elisha‟s other family…
• Captain Elijah Chism (Benjamin Elisha‟s older brother) earned his title in service to
General John Sevier on the Etowah Campaign against the Cherokee Indians. He was also a
delegate from Hawkins County, North Carolina, and called in 1789, to ratify the United
States Constitution. Chisholm‟s Ford in Hawkins County, was named for him.
• Captain John Chisholm (Benjamin Elisha‟s oldest brother)was a scout in the army (a spy),
under Colonel Robert Slaughter, and is listed on the Virginia payroll, as “OspyO”.
• Elizabeth, (Ben‟s oldest daughter), married John Thomas Gray, and the two had 6 children,
including Hartwell B. Walker-who applied on the Dawes list, and was denied.
37. Dawes Application
Number
Hartwell B Walker
Cherokee
211, page 250
brother James on it too
John Gray, husband of
Elizabeth (right)
Hartwell B. Walker, son-in-law of
John & Elizabeth Gray (both right).
He married their daughter Elizabeth
Ann Gray. Hartwell is also the
nephew of Elizabeth Chism Gray, as
his mother is Eleanor (Chism) Walker
(Elizabeth Chism‟s sister)
Elizabeth Gray (chism)-Benjamin Elisha
Chism‟s oldest daughter
38. 1850 Census, showing the
household of Benjamin Chism
Benjamin Chism, age 50
Polly, age 47
William, age 23
Benjamin, age 22
Wenney, age, 19
James, age 17
Elizabeth, age 14
Thomas, age 10
Isham, age 8
Henderson, age 6
Washington, age 3
39. Early Izard County was divided into townships.
Rocky Bayou Township, Izard
County, Arkansas
Rocky Bayou township was created before 1836.
The name was changed to Lunenburg between
1870-76.
Today, Rocky Bayou is a stream, located near Sandy
Fiat Road, Izard County, Arkansas.
40. Trail of Tears and Dawes List
Dawes List Chisholm’s (followed by Census card number):
Eliza 16298
Buster 16300
Nancy 30870
Webster 30871
Lizzie 30872
Ollie 30873
Davis 30474
Lillie 30875
Sallie 30876
John 30877
Lucy 30878
Rosa 30879
Alice 32197
James 32198
Harry 32199
Daniel 32200
41. Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears went through Baxter and Marion Counties. There is a marble plaque on the Baxter county court
house. Denton Ferry Road (was Denton's Ferry at White River back along time ago)Also known as Talbert's
Ferry.
It continues north of Flippin and into Yellville, on the west, where Highway 202 is now. Shawnee town (Yellville
now) was a trouble town. Indians sold whiskey. Because of this, they bypassed the actual town on the Old
Military Road.
Trail of Tears ended March 26, 1839, and more than four thousand graves behind them.
It started May 1838, with an escort of 4000 regulars and 3000 volunteers under General Winfield Scott.
They crossed Marion County in the winter. Some were poorly dressed and ill-clad. They forded the white river
and made camp.
42. Benjamin Chism II
(son of Benjamin Elisha Chism)
• Birth: 1796
• Death: 1860
• Notes:
Ben Chism, II, married Mary “Polly” Walker and they had 11 children.
Ben died 1860, in South Carolina, and Polly, 1860, in Arkansas.
43. J.H. James Chism
(son of Benjamin Chism)
• Birth: 1830
• Death: May 18, 1865, Fort Smith, Arkansas (Buried at: Andersonville National Cemetery, Georgia), grave
1186
Notes:
James was a scout (spy) in the Arkansas 10th Regiment, Company D, Infantry, for the Confederate army.
(He was also in the 7th Regiment, until both Regiments merged). The 10th Regiment was organized July 1861, in
Springfield, Arkansas. James‟ muster roll indicates he signed on in 1862.
The 10th Regiment was part of the garrison that surrendered at Port Hudson, Louisiana on July 9, 1863,
leaving James a Prisoner of War (POW) for a time.
JH married Sarah Jane Blankenship in 1850, and the couple had 4 children: Benjamin Chism, III, Emily
Jane (married Wilkins), Gabriel “Gabe” Lewis Chism, and Sally “Sarah” Chism.
44. James JH Chism Military Records:
A copy of James‟ receipt roll for clothing in the
army.
Sallie Sarah Nee
Hightower, adopted
daughter of JH and
Sarah Jane Chism
45. A Dark Story from Sarah Jane Blankenship‟s (JH James‟ wife) Family…..
Elijah Blankenship (Sarah Jane‟s brother) was about 7 years younger than his wife, Sarah Jane Goodrich
Blankenship, and they had five children together, Poline, Mary, Elijah, Jerusha, Altha. They lived on Pine Ridge just
off state hwy 56.
Elijah was cruel to his family and a heavy drinker. He was known to spend their money on liquor instead of
providing for his family. It has also been said that Elijah would hide the money under rocks to keep it away from
Sarah Jane. Elijah would come home drunk and beat Sarah Jane and threaten to kill her. Instead of whipping his
children, Elijah would make them place their hands on a hot wood stove for punishment.
Sarah left Elijah sometime around August 1877. Elijah had this notice printed in The Melbourne Clipper on August
7, 1877
“Notice
Is hereby given that my wife Sarah J. Blankenship has left me without just cause and that I will not be
responsible for any debt, contract, or promise she may make from this date henceforth. This
September 13th, 1877. Signed Elijah Blankenship”
But, by 1880 Sarah Jane was back living with Elijah. Sometime in 1880, Elijah came home very drunk and said
when he got up one of them is going to die. Sarah was unable to take the abuse anymore. So sometime during the
night Sarah sewed a sheet around Elijah so he could not move when he woke up. Sarah then took an ax and struck
Elijah in the neck cutting his Jugular vain and took the children and hid.
46. Elisha Blankenship story continued…..
Some how Elijah managed to get out of the sheet and get on his horse, or mule. Elijah was able to get to the
end of their lane before falling from his horse and bleeding to death. Some believe Elijah made to the Doctor in
Brockwell and got treated. After he healed he moved north and started a new family.
It has been said it was Sarah Jane‟s half brother, Tom Rushing, who killed Elijah. Sarah admitted to the
murder because the courts would be more lenient on a woman.
During the preliminary hearing the judge, who is believed to have been Judge Cap Hanley Sr, said “You should
have chopped the old devil‟s head off a long time ago”.
The judge dismissed the case.
We may never know which one killed Elijah or what was said at the hearing because all the records of the
hearing were lost when the court house burned down on the morning of April, 11th 1889.
48. John Green Chism and second wife Sarah E. Huff
with children. John Green is JH James‟s nephew.
John Green was the son of William Chism, JH‟s
oldest brother.
Thomas Marion Chism and
wife Alabama Reeves Chism.
Thomas is the brother of
John Green.
49. Gabriel Lewis Chism
(son of JH James Chism)
• Birth: March 30, 1865, Old Joe, Arkansas
• Death: March 11, 1922, near Newburg, Arkansas (Sudden Stroke)
Notes:
“Gabe” only had one ear, due to the fact that a mule bit the other one off!
Gabe married Elizabeth “Betty” Blankenship in 1889. Betty was from Izard
County, Arkansas. The couple had 8 children. Betty died in 1899 during the
birth of her son-Owen Chism.
50. How “Old Joe, Arkansas” got its name
Sometime before 1873, a slave named "Little Joe" (belonged to Robert Lackey) went up the
mountain to feed cows and was caught in a terrible storm and killed.
To honor his memory, people in the area nicknamed the mountain and area after him. Later,
post office officials wanted to name the post office there Little Joe, and after some
negotiations, settled on the name "Old Joe".
Joe is buried in the Galatia Cemetery near Old Joe, now in Baxter County, Arkansas.
53. Gabriel‟s big brother…
• Benjamin James Chism, III was a private in Company D, Arkansas
Infantry, 10th Regiment, and was a scout. It was said that he lied about his age
to get in. He was also a coal miner, and had a silver mine hidden in Marshall,
Arkansas, behind a water-fall (according to his daughter, Mary “Swecia”
chism). Military records show him as “James B. Chism”.
54. Benjamin James Chism, III death
certificate
Benjamin was 77 years old at his time of
death on October 21, 1929, in Clarksville,
Johnson County, Arkansas.
He died of Cancer of the face and head.
Notes:
Ben‟s grandson-Noah Jefferson Chism was a
hay truck driver and helped to move hay into
the aircrafts for “Operation Hay Lift” to the
cattle that were freezing back East in the
1940‟s. He can be seen loading the hay in a
short “news reel” that was shown in movie
theaters during that time.
55. Enoch Earl Marvin Chism
(son of Gabriel Chism)
Birth: August 14, 1892, Old Joe, Arkansas
Death: March 4, 1966 (Buried in the Optimus, Stone County, Cemetery)
Notes:
Marvin had a crippled leg when he was about 43 years old while playing
baseball and sliding into a rock base. He walked with a cane from there on
out.
At one time, he bought cattle and drove them to the stockyards at Calico
Rock, Arkansas. The railroad then shipped the cattle to St. Louis, Missouri, to
the large stockyards.
Marvin married Mae Idell Collins December 3, 1920, and they had 12 children
69. Glen Franklin Chism
• Birth: 1924
• Death: 2008
An avid woodsman and deer hunter. A good father who loved his family greatly. As a young
man, he worked on the family farm and at age 14, he began working at a sawmill. Glen and
Jarlene picked cotton in the southern part of Arkansas and sometimes traveled to
Washington for the fruit harvest. At one time, Glen's family traveled to Michigan and picked
berries. Later he worked on Don Ruff's turkey farm at Mountain Home. He was always
outside doing something: cutting wood, building fence, or working on a piece of farm
equipment. He enjoyed riding his four wheeler and farming. Jarlene and Glen liked living at
Culp, and raising cattle. Everyone was always welcome at their home.
74. Helen (Chism) and Joe Woods, with their
sons: Scot and Chris. Helen is Glen‟s
daughter.
Glen, Jarlene, and grandson Randy (Connie
Corter (Chism) is his mother.
75. Glen‟s daughters: Lisa, Connie, Helen (Randy in
front)
Paul Chism, Glen‟s
oldest son, and his
oldest two children
Tony and Tracy
Chism