This collection points you to death notices and obituaries printed in southeast Arkansas newspapers before 1929. Those pages are in the public domain, and the Library of Congress has scanned many of them for its Chronicling America project. Each entry gives the name exactly as it was printed, the town, a short summary in our own words, and a link straight to the page scan so you can read the original notice yourself.
How to read these entries
- Names and dates come only from the notice. The text of these old pages was read by computer (OCR) and then checked by hand. Where a name, date or place is hard to read, the entry says so. We never fill in a guess.
- “Date not stated” means the notice did not give a date of death. The newspaper’s issue date tells you the death happened before then.
- Old wording. The summaries use plain, present-day language. Some of these papers used terms for people that are offensive today; we do not repeat them.
- Browse by county, town or decade with the menus below. Choose “All” to clear a menu.
What is here so far
The entries come from The Monticellonian of Monticello (Drew County) for 1898 and 1901 to 1918, The Dermott News of Dermott (Chicot County) for 1917 and the Cleveland County Herald of Rison for 1920. The Monticellonian also printed notices sent in from neighboring counties, so a few entries are for people in Ashley, Bradley, Desha and Lincoln counties. We have not found scanned papers from before 1929 for Ashley, Bradley, Dallas, Desha or Lincoln counties. For those, see the newspaper microfilm listed on our genealogy resources page. We will keep adding entries as we read more issues.
Some deaths reported in these papers were violent, including lynchings. They are not listed here yet. They are being reviewed separately so they can be presented accurately and with care.
Notices about young children are left out of this list to respect families.
For more ways to trace your family, see our genealogy resources and the historic cemeteries guide.
Showing 28 of 28 notices.
| Name as printed | Death | Town and county | Summary | Newspaper source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miss Tommie Henry | Wednesday, Sept. 7, 1898 (the day number is hard to read) | Not clear Died at her aunt's home on a plantation whose name is partly unreadable. The item was reprinted from the Arkansas City New Enterprise. | Daughter of H. L. Henry. She died of swamp fever at the home of her aunt, Mrs. Herron, and was buried at a cemetery that appears to be Holly Grove (the name is partly unclear). | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), Sept. 16, 1898, page 3. View the page scan for Miss Tommie Henry (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for Miss Tommie Henry (machine-read text) |
| Dr. Jones First name not given in the notice. | Aug. 23, 1898 | Not clear Died at the home of a Mrs. Barr (initials uncertain). The place name is too faint to read in the scan. | A physician, 77, who practiced in this county soon after the Civil War, later moved to Dardanelle and St. Louis, and came South for his health about two years earlier after being stricken with paralysis. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), Sept. 23, 1898, page 2. View the page scan for Dr. Jones (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for Dr. Jones (machine-read text) |
| Mrs. S. D. Purser Initials as printed. A later line gives her husband's initials as D. S. | Sept. 12, 1898 | Near Washington, Hempstead County Born and raised in Drew County. | The editor's oldest sister, 50. She married in Drew County in 1868, lived in Texas for a time, then settled in Hempstead County. She had been ill with consumption for several years. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), Sept. 23, 1898, page 3. View the page scan for Mrs. S. D. Purser (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for Mrs. S. D. Purser (machine-read text) |
| E. R. Cotham Some letters of the name are garbled in the OCR text; check the scan. | Saturday, Sept. 24, 1898 (one digit is faint; the 24th was a Saturday) | Monticello, Drew County | A leading Monticello businessman, 51, who died after about two months of typhoid fever. He sat on the city council and the school board and was a steward of the M. E. Church, South. The paper described a very large funeral procession. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), Sept. 30, 1898, page 3. View the page scan for E. R. Cotham (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for E. R. Cotham (machine-read text) |
| Mrs. Cornish (born Nora Lambert) Printed as "Mrs. Cornish." Her maiden name comes from a reprint in the Oct. 7, 1898 issue, page 2. The two reports give her husband different first initials. | A Tuesday morning shortly before Sept. 30, 1898 (exact date not stated) | Little Rock, Pulaski County Born and raised in Monticello. Her parents lived in Dermott. | She died a few hours after giving birth to a stillborn baby, in the same week the family lost its eldest daughter. The Oct. 7 reprint says they were buried together at Mount Holly Cemetery. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), Sept. 30, 1898, page 3. View the page scan for Mrs. Cornish (born Nora Lambert) (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for Mrs. Cornish (born Nora Lambert) (machine-read text) |
| L. C. Hammel Surname as the OCR text reads it ("Hammel" or "Hammil"); check the scan. | Jan. 1901 (the day is unreadable in the OCR text) | Not stated, Bradley County | Born in Tennessee in 1829, he died in Bradley County aged 71. A wife, two daughters, a son and several grandchildren survived him. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), March 1, 1901, page 3. View the page scan for L. C. Hammel (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for L. C. Hammel (machine-read text) |
| Miss Adreen Allen First name as the OCR reads it; check the scan. | Nov. 12, 1901 | Not stated, Drew County | Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Allen. She died of consumption after several months of illness and was a longtime member of the Missionary Baptist Church. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), Nov. 22, 1901, page 3. View the page scan for Miss Adreen Allen (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for Miss Adreen Allen (machine-read text) |
| Mr. Fletcher Burks | Monday, Nov. 18, 1901 | Wilmar, Drew County | Son of the late George Burks, described as a quiet citizen in the prime of life. He was buried the next day at Green Hill graveyard and left a widow and three young children. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), Nov. 22, 1901, page 3. View the page scan for Mr. Fletcher Burks (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for Mr. Fletcher Burks (machine-read text) |
| Mr. J. A. Cason | Date not stated | Monticello, Drew County | A committee of the Monticello Baptist Church published resolutions in his memory. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), Nov. 22, 1901, page 2. View the page scan for Mr. J. A. Cason (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for Mr. J. A. Cason (machine-read text) |
| Mr. Robert Wells | Date not stated | Monticello, Drew County | The Monticello Baptist Church published resolutions in his memory, praising him as a respected citizen who attended and supported the church faithfully whenever his health allowed. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), Nov. 22, 1901, page 2. View the page scan for Mr. Robert Wells (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for Mr. Robert Wells (machine-read text) |
| Sallie Koonce Headed "Mrs." but the notice calls her "Miss Sallie" and describes her as a devoted daughter. | Saturday, Sept. 6, 1902 (the year is misprinted in the OCR text) | Wilmar, Drew County | A native of Fayette County, Tenn., she came to Arkansas with her parents about two years earlier and made her home in Wilmar. A member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, she was ill only a few days. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), Sept. 18, 1902, page 2. View the page scan for Sallie Koonce (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for Sallie Koonce (machine-read text) |
| Henry Pierce | Oct. 2, 1902 (one digit is faint) | Fountain Hill, Ashley County | Born near Raleigh, N.C., in 1825, he came to Arkansas in 1856 and settled in Drew County. A longtime Missionary Baptist, he died at home after several years of failing health. An elderly church member led the burial service because no minister was present. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), Nov. 20, 1902, page 2. View the page scan for Henry Pierce (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for Henry Pierce (machine-read text) |
| David F. Curry | Feb. 7, 1903 | Lacey, Drew County Preacher in charge of the Lacey Circuit. | A young circuit preacher, born in Prairie County in 1876, who had just begun a second year on the Lacey Circuit when he died of pneumonia. He left a wife and a baby. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), March 5, 1903, page 2. View the page scan for David F. Curry (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for David F. Curry (machine-read text) |
| William Bulloch Printed "Wm. Bulloch." | July 1903 (he lived 69 years and 6 days) | Near Collins, Drew County | Born in Meriwether County, Ga., in 1834, he came to Arkansas in the 1850s and farmed six miles south of Collins for nearly 47 years. He served in the Confederate army from 1862 to the end of the war and came home to rebuild his farm. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), Sept. 17, 1903, page 2. View the page scan for William Bulloch (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for William Bulloch (machine-read text) |
| A. H. McDonald | Oct. 8, 1903 | Lacey, Drew County Printed "Lacy." | Born in Alabama in 1841 and a Civil War veteran, he came to Arkansas about 1865, spent two years at Monticello, then farmed at Lacy before opening a store there. He taught a Sunday school class. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), Nov. 19, 1903, page 2. View the page scan for A. H. McDonald (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for A. H. McDonald (machine-read text) |
| Dr. I. H. Sykes Initials and his town ("Line, Ark.") are unclear in the OCR text; check the scan. | March 1905 (the day is unreadable) | Not clear Buried in the cemetery at Snyder. He practiced in Drew and Ashley counties. | A 29-year-old physician, born in Montgomery County, Miss., whose family settled at Ely about 12 years earlier. He trained at Beauvoir College and the Memphis Medical College and left a young wife and a baby. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), May 4, 1905, page 2. View the page scan for Dr. I. H. Sykes (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for Dr. I. H. Sykes (machine-read text) |
| E. P. Gaines | Monday, Nov. 6, 1905 | Monticello, Drew County Born in Chicot County. Lived at Lake Village from 1900 until moving to Monticello in 1905. | About 35, he was the son of a Confederate regimental surgeon. He ran a business at Lake Village before taking a job as a traveling salesman for a Memphis hardware firm. Masons buried him in Oakland Cemetery after a five-week illness. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), Nov. 23, 1905, page 2. View the page scan for E. P. Gaines (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for E. P. Gaines (machine-read text) |
| Virginia Culpepper Printed as "Virginia, wife of R. B. Culpepper" (initials unclear). | May 13, 1906 | Not stated, Drew County Buried in Union Ridge Cemetery. | A wife of 26 years and mother of eight children, six sons and two daughters, all of whom were with her at the end. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), July 5, 1906, page 3. View the page scan for Virginia Culpepper (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for Virginia Culpepper (machine-read text) |
| Anna E. Hill | June 1907 (the day is unclear) | Lacey, Drew County Printed "Lacy." | Born in 1863, the daughter of Calvin and Emily Spencer, she married J. M. Hill of Lacy in 1885. A Methodist for 15 years, she left her husband and two children. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), June 27, 1907, page 2. View the page scan for Anna E. Hill (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for Anna E. Hill (machine-read text) |
| Judge Daniel James | June 9, 1907 | Florence, Drew County | Aged 71, a former educator and public official in Alabama and Mississippi who moved to Arkansas for his health two years earlier. He was wounded four times in the Seven Days battles near Richmond. Buried at Mt. Tabor Cemetery. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), June 27, 1907, page 2. View the page scan for Judge Daniel James (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for Judge Daniel James (machine-read text) |
| George W. Curry | June 14, 1907 | Monticello, Drew County | Born in Virginia in 1857 and raised in Illinois, he lived in Kansas before coming to Drew County in 1890 and Monticello in 1898. He fell ill with pneumonia at Stuttgart and died at home. The Monticello Baptist Church published memorial resolutions. Buried in Oakland Cemetery. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), July 11, 1907, page 2. View the page scan for George W. Curry (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for George W. Curry (machine-read text) |
| Mrs. M. L. Thomasson Printed "Mrs. Jas. M. L. Thomasson" or similar; check the scan. | Sept. 1907 (the day is unclear; burial was on the 20th) | Monticello, Drew County | About 50, she lived in Drew County nearly all her life, on a farm southeast of Monticello before the family moved to town. She left a husband, a son and two daughters and was buried in Union Ridge Cemetery. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), Sept. 26, 1907, page 2. View the page scan for Mrs. M. L. Thomasson (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for Mrs. M. L. Thomasson (machine-read text) |
| Joe N. Collins Middle initial unclear in the OCR text. | Oct. 25, 1908 | Tyro, Lincoln County | Born in Shelby County, Tenn., in 1825, he moved to Arkansas in 1856 and lived around Tyro for more than 50 years. The OCR text says he was elected to the Arkansas Legislature in 1881. He was a Missionary Baptist and was buried with Masonic honors. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), Nov. 5, 1908, page 2. View the page scan for Joe N. Collins (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for Joe N. Collins (machine-read text) |
| Pierce Graves | Sept. 16, 1915 | Near Florence, Drew County | Aged 59, a lifelong Methodist who died at home after a short illness. A wife, three daughters and a son survived him. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), Oct. 7, 1915, page 4. View the page scan for Pierce Graves (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for Pierce Graves (machine-read text) |
| Emmanuel Courtney | A Wednesday in the week before Jan. 4, 1917 (exact date not stated) | Collins, Drew County | One of the oldest settlers of the Collins community, aged 73. He was buried at Becker cemetery south of Collins, and two sons and two daughters survived him. | The Dermott News (Dermott, Ark.), Jan. 4, 1917, page 5. View the page scan for Emmanuel Courtney (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for Emmanuel Courtney (machine-read text) |
| S. E. Camp | Feb. 25, 1918 | Selma, Drew County Born at Shanghai, the old name of Selma. Died at Amarillo, Texas. | Born in 1851, he spent almost his whole life in Drew County. He married Minnie Chambers in 1889 and left a wife, four children and his aged mother. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), March 29, 1918, page 5. View the page scan for S. E. Camp (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for S. E. Camp (machine-read text) |
| Mrs. Roxie Carter | July 25, 1918 | Dumas, Desha County | Aged 40, a Baptist and mother of nine. She was buried at the Old Union Cemetery. | The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), Aug. 2, 1918, page 5. View the page scan for Mrs. Roxie Carter (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for Mrs. Roxie Carter (machine-read text) |
| M. W. Whayne | Friday, Jan. 2, 1920 | Warren, Bradley County Died at his daughter's home in Warren. Buried at Kingsland. He had lived in Rison for several years. | The pastor of the First Baptist Church of Warren conducted the funeral. Six children and several grandchildren survived him. | Cleveland County Herald (Rison, Ark.), Jan. 8, 1920, page 5. View the page scan for M. W. Whayne (Library of Congress) Also: OCR transcription for M. W. Whayne (machine-read text) |
Sources
- Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress. Accessed . Page scans and OCR text (machine-read transcriptions) for every entry..
- The Monticellonian (Monticello, Ark.), Library of Congress. Accessed . Page images contributed by the Arkansas State Archives..
- The Dermott News (Dermott, Ark.), Library of Congress. Accessed .
- Cleveland County Herald (Rison, Ark.), Library of Congress. Accessed .