Do you have an Arkansas ancestor who flew too close to the sun? That could mean that he or she fell from grace at the peak of power because of excessive risk taking, or was simply mischievous, wayward or wanton in other ways.
Born in 1839, Arkansas-born John Selman was called a “wicked lawman and vicious outlaw” for patterns of crimes across several states. Lawman and alleged horse thief Wyatt Earp was a well-known name in Arkansas lore. Ever hear of Van Buren-born “Killin’ Jim” Miller?
At Ancestry.com, the “Fort Smith, Arkansas, Criminal Case Files Index, 1866-1900,” researchers can find initial information and supporting documents in other collections. In 1876, Alfred Jones’ crime was straightforward – “liquor.” Investigate your own wayward ancestors or engage in a fascinating overview of others’ black sheep and records at the Arkansas Black Sheep Ancestors website.
Criminal, mentally challenged, rebellious or careless ancestors possessed their own special magic and offer critical life lessons for us, but they are challenging to fully research, understand and contextualize.
Finding the Wayward and the Wanton in Arkansas and Beyond
Initial research about our wayward ancestors begins with the typical database or paper record searches for birth, marriage, military, land/voting and death records. That’s sometimes the easy part. Gather what you can from extended family members. Information archived by them often provides helpful details about ancestors who got in trouble, but the embarrassment of having legendary ancestors sometimes means there’s little documented trail within family records. There may be a good deal of family lore, and that’s at least a place to start to learn about the standouts in our trees. Follow those Arkansas family stories!
Head to a branch of the Arkansas State Archives or search the Archives’ online databases. The good news about a wayward ancestor is that he/she often made the papers. There is microfilm at many Arkansas libraries and archives. Using databases like the Library of Congress’ (free) Chronicling America, Genealogybank.com, Newspapers.com and other free and subscription newspaper databases can open up a treasure trove of information that helps us document ancestors in America. (Some Italian-American, German-American and Swedish-American newspapers are included at Chronicling America.) Try using an ancestor’s name plus an additional key word like “robbery” to narrow a search. This database is from 1789-1963, but all newspapers are not there for that length of time. Many online newspapers may be investigated at the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies and at the Central Arkansas Library System or many other local libraries across the state.
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Immigrant ancestors often appeared in newspapers in their countries of origin, too. Increasing numbers of online international newspaper databases allow us to read, and see English translations of, articles about their illegal or destructive activities.
Like other forebears, these often had predictable patterns of behavior that were repeated from location to location. Many ancestors who came to Arkansas were fleeing military service in Europe. In America, their mischievous, independent and sometimes illegal ways continued.
Helpful Collections and Databases Showcase the Wanton Ancestors
We’re in luck! Significant collections about notorious ancestors in many countries have become available online in the last 15 years. These vary by time period. (We must remember that archives, historical societies and municipalities still house many collections that are not online, so checking there in person is crucial.) Not only are there registers for prisoners, but there are also descriptions of the prisoners, photos and sometimes court case information that allows us to capture the flavor of the era. For non-criminal but troubled ancestors, check databases for hospitals, almshouses and orphanages, especially in large cities like New York.
Most of our families have ancestors who didn’t always live in Arkansas. And the wayward and wanton, in particular, liked to be fleet of foot. A search of “Criminal” in the Ancestry.com Card Catalog brings up 17 collections in England/Wales, Scotland, Australia and America. U.S. circuit criminal court case files are also available, as are registers from notorious prisons like Sing Sing in New York. FamilySearch.org has a wiki that explains about United States Court Record available here.
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At the Arkansas Blacksheep Ancestors site, there are helpful listings by county of such records as state penitentiary inmate lists, court records, and land, will and financial records that can help you piece the story together. There are even photos of some inmates, too. Findmypast.com recently added several million new records in its “England & Wales Crime, Prisons, and Punishment” collection. And if you’re looking for female scofflaws in particular, there’s a blog post about wayward women in crime records at blog.findmypast.co.uk
Here’s a helpful and often overlooked tip: When looking for criminal or “troubled ancestor” records in a particular country/location, join a Facebook page dedicated to that area’s genealogy. Researchers familiar with local collections there will often graciously point you to the right resources for the time period.
Quelle Horreur! Embracing Your Natural State Ancestor’s Story
We often find fascinating or humorous aspects in the lives of our wayward ancestors, but they can also bring a certain heaviness that leaves family members with weighty emotional baggage. These ancestors’ antics and hardships can drain us, and can also make us wonder whether their genetic make up and troublemaking tendencies “means” something about us. We must deal with how much information to share with other family members about our discovery. Some people are hesitant to acknowledge that any member of the family tree wasn’t perfect, or at least respectable. Every Arkansas ancestor’s life has lessons for us. Sometimes a lesson can be not to behave as the ancestor did. Sometimes we are forced to consider the context of the activities historically and to learn that our ancestor’s behavior, if not good, actually wasn’t that unusual.
We can choose to bestow, as our risk-taking ancestors probably requested of the authorities, mercy and not justice. By discovering more about our wayward ancestors, as Jared Anderson wrote in a hymn, we thus “breathe life into these dry and thirsty souls” once again.
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Jeanne Rollberg is a genealogist with American Dream Genealogy and Research who is also on the boards of the Arkansas Genealogical Society and the Friends of the Arkansas State Archives. She teaches genealogy classes at LifeQuest of Arkansas.
