Welcome to a Grave Reminder!

Graveyards are a reminder of those who have gone before us. They are a connection to our ancestors and the history of a time and place.

I have always been fascinated by graveyards - even as a kid. I remember walking through a cemetery near where we lived and imagining who the lives of the people whose names were etched into the stones. Graveyards are peaceful, beautiful places to me.

Graveyards are a wealth of genealogy information. Filling in the gaps in family history and turning up a surprise or two that were unknown to the present generation. A child who died early and was not listed in the family tree is one of the more common occurances.

Graveyard Tip: I have learned to bring the family tree when I go in search of a cemetery where an ancestor is supposed to be buried. I often find many members of the extended family and family by marriage buried there. If I neglect or forget to bring the family tree list, I usually find I could have photographed several more stones and probably found even more information.

Kinnibrugh Cemetery

Kinnibrugh Cemetery - Farmington, Washington County, Arkansas

I have been researching my brother-in-law's family tree recently and found many of his ancestors are buried in the Northwest Arkansas area. Some of these ancestors were supposed to be buried in Kinnibrugh Cemetery in Farmington.

I went in search of the cemetery one Saturday, dragging my reluctant 12-year-old daughter along for the ride. I found the directions online and they took me to a parking lot next to some sort of maintenance building behind the high school baseball fields. After wandering around a little bit, I found the small fenced in cemetery behind a small ballfield and some bushes. I was pleasantly surprised to see someone was mowing it. I know all you other graveyard hounds also appreciate a mowed graveyard - cuts down on the potential for hidden snakes and other nasty critters.

Wandering through this graveyard revealed many broken and unreadable gravestones along with some in decline that will soon be like the rest. It seems like some of the gravestones may have been replacement stones - particularly for some of the more prominent citizens of the area.

After taking photos of the headstones of the ancestors - I photographed the rest of the gravestones and cemetery. I realized from my brother-in-law's family tree list that there were several other relatives buried in the cemetery.

I headed home to do some research. There was a surprising amount of information since many of the graves belonged to prominent Farmington citizens of the time.

On the Washington County Genealogical Sociaty website - I found a picture of the 1908 Old Hawthorne School reunion with several familiar names listed. The men's long beards and women all in long dark dresses give us a peek into the styles of the day and I now have faces to go with a few of the names etched in the stones. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~arwcags/html/photos_10.html

Wilson Shreve (1808-1891)

Barbara Mock Shreve (1810-1891)

(brother-in-law's ancestors)

From the University of Arkansas Library Website http://dante.uark.edu/specialcollections/findingaids/shreve.asp#S3
Shreve Family Papers, 1810-1975

"Wilson Shreve (1803-1891), his wife, Barbara Mock (1810-1891), and their son, William Franklin Shreve (1834-1911), migrated from Miller County, Missouri, to Farmington (Washington County), Arkansas, in 1850 where they engaged in general agricultural pursuits. William Franklin married Millie Brown (1849-1919) in 1867 and had three children -- Alfred Walter, H. Ben, and H. W. Shreve. "

Shreve descendants still live on some of the original family land in Farmington.

James Kinnibrugh: 1792-1843

Jane Moore Kinnibrugh: 1799-1872
In 1833, James & Jane Kinnibrugh moved to Washington County, Arkansas and settled in an area called "Prairie" that eventually became Farmington

According to the 1840 census of Prairie, Washington County, AR - James & Jane may have had 9 children as their household lists 12 people with 1 male about James age and 2 females about Jane's age (I assume this includes Jane's sister Mary since she's listed with Jane in 1850 and 1860.)
Source Citation: Year: 1840; Census Place: , Washington, Arkansas; Roll 20; Page: 284.
Source Information:
Ancestry.com. 1840 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Sixth Census of the United States, 1840; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M704, 580 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C

By 1850, James had died and Jane is listed in Prairie, Washington County, Arkansas with the following children:
Jane M. - 51, Born 1800 in Virginia
Jane - 23, Born 1827 in North Carolina
James - 18, Born 1832 in Alabama
Isabella - 16, Born 1834 in Arkansas
James - 12, Born 1838 in Arkansas (why are there two James'?)
John - 8, Born 1842 in Arkansas
Mary Moore, 56, Born 1794 in Virginia (Jane's maiden name is Moore - this is her sister)
Source Citation: Year: 1850; Census Place: Prairie, Washington, Arkansas; Roll M432_31; Page: 400; Image: 205.
Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C

I have yet to find a definitive list of the Kinnibrugh children and it seems we have children with the same name (i.e. James) and just to make things even more interesting - there is also an older John Kinnbrugh living in the area at the same time as the younger John living with his mother Jane in 1850.

Also in the cemetery there is a J.W. Kinnibrugh buried who died Dec. 12, 1863. A possible son of James and Jane. A little research on Ancestry.com and I find a Civil War Prisoner of War record for a James W. Kinnibrugh, Private, Confederate, Arkansas 2nd who died of a lung infection on December 27, 1863. Could this be our J.W.? The dates are close but not the same.

Civil War Prisoner of War Records, 1861-1865 > Confederate > Selected Records of the War Department Relating to Confederate Prisoners of War, 1861-1865, Page 532





William Henry Engels: 1830-1917
Isabella Kinnibrugh Engels: 1834-1925



William Engels was a prominent land holder and grist mill operator. He was also the founder and postmaster of Farmington. He married Isabella, the daughter of James and Jane Kinnibrugh.

Following is an exerpt from the University of Arkansas Library special collections information which has many letters, documents and photos of the Engels, Kinnibrughs and related families...
"William H. Engels (1830-1917) was a farmer, miller, and postmaster in Farmington, Arkansas. Born in Batesville, Independence County, William left home in 1852 to seek work in Fort Smith were he clerked for the firm of Sutton, Griffith & Co. In 1854 he drove a herd of cattle overland to Stockton, California, following in the footsteps of his brother, Abraham Allen Engels, who had removed to Oregon two years previous. By 1856 William had returned to Arkansas where he married Isabella Kinnibrugh (variously spelled Kinnibrough, Kinnebrew, or Kinebrough) and they settled in Farmington. Isabella also came from pioneer Arkansas stock, being the daughter of James Kinnibrugh and Jane Moore Kinnibrugh who had come to Washington County in 1833. William Engels earned his living as a miller and farmer, although he also laid out the original townsite of Farmington, operated the post office for a time, and became active in the local Methodist Church." http://libinfo.uark.edu/SpecialCollections/findingaids/engels.html

The Encyclopedia of Arkansas gives details of William Henry Engels life and many contributions to the Farmington area.
http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=1005

An interesting story about William Engles cattle drive to California:
http://www.engle-family.org/bios/pengelsjr/whengels.htm

More on Kinnibrugh Cemetery in another blog posting...