Joe Cabaniss' genealogy: A little Cabaniss history Files to download Why this web site Other Cabaniss web sites Notable descendants        of Matthew Cabaniss Searches by other   Elijah, my gg-grandfather: Elijah did what? Elijah's path; GA to AR Union County, AR home Where is Hillsboro, AR Elijah's mother

Elijah's Long Trip to Union County, Arkansas, and a Little About Union County. Return to Elijah Did What? As narrated in Elijah Did What?, when discharged from his service in the War of 1812, Elijah and his onetime comrade in arms, Hezekiah Bussey (b. 1780), headed for Clarke County, Alabama. I'm not sure just why Clarke County was the chosen destination, but my guess is that land was free (or very cheap).      Emmette Hearin places the year of the journey in 1818, which seems about right considering that when Bill Morgan was tracking down another Elijah, he found record of a April 27, 1819, Clarke County, Alabama, land purchase by Elijah Cabaniss.      I don't know the date of Elijah's marriage, but on Clarke County's 1830 Census, Elijah's household is listed as being composed of one male and one female, each at least 30, but under 40 years of age. This union with Joicy Cole (or Cola) is noted in Allen Cabaniss' Cabaniss Through Four Generations: Some Descendants of Matthew and George. Also, I found where Elijah was one of several appraisers of the estate of Jesse B. Kirkland (Clarke County, Alabama) December 30, 1835. (From vol. 239, Alabama Records, page 40.)      Elijah Cabaniss is next found on the 1840 Census of Caldwell Parish, Louisiana, in the company of the Hezekiah Bussey and John Hearin families. Having recently found a web site listing a May, 1838, marriage in Clarke County, Alabama, between Hezekiah Bussey's son, Hezekiah, and Ann Eliza Cato, it seems that Elijah's departure from Clarke County, Alabama, occurred between May, 1838, and early 1840. (See later in this narrative about the graves of Hezekiah and Ann Bussey.) Emmette Hearin writes they "traveled by boat to New Orleans, and from New Orleans to Union County in wagons. They traveled over the old Choctaw trail which had been opened by the government in 1836 and used to transfer the Choctaw Indians to Indian Territory," and "landed at Champagnolle, Ark., the only settlement and post office in Union County...."      Since Caldwell Parish, Louisiana, is only 250 miles from Union County, Arkansas, I feel it's reasonable to conclude that the Elijah Cabaniss, Hezekiah Bussey, and John Hearin families arrived at Champagnolle Landing in 1840 or 1841.      Before it's overlooked, let me provide you with the years of birth for some of those making this trip of some 850 miles. This couldn't have been like a Sunday afternoon walk in the park.   Name Year of Birth  Approximate Age in 1839  Elijah Cabaniss  1794  45  Joicy Cole Cabaniss  1797  42  Hezekiah Bussey  1780  59  Ann Eliza Cato Bussey  1812  27 Click here to learn a little about Elijah's home. Click here to return to Elijah Did What? Return to opening page