George Archer VI

George Archer VI moved to Northeast Arkansas when he was about 43 years old. When he arrived in Arkansas he had already helped settle farms in four different states—North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and twice in Tennessee. He had also travelled over 300 miles in a covered wagon, fought the British in the Battle of New Orleans and was a close acquaintance of Davy Crockett.

Around 1828 , George (who was born around 1785 in North Carolina), his wife, Rachel (who was born in South Carolina), and his family moved to Arkansas, eventually settling in the region that is now Fulton County, close to the current town of Salem. He entered Arkansas before it was a state, probably to claim his 160 acre bounty as a veteran of the War of 1812.

It is uncertain who all moved to Arkansas with George and Rachel. Earlier in Tennessee they had ten boys and one girl living at home. One of these boys is likely their nephew, Berry Archer. In 1830, however, they only have six boys living at home, along with three girls. Two of the girls are young enough to have been born in the intervening years. Since Berry and Merril (their oldest son) are married with children, they aren’t living at home. Based on tax rolls and other documents it’s likely that the boys at home include Stephen, Aaron, William, Andrew and George VII. The other brothers may have remained in Tennessee, migrated on their own to somewhere else or passed away before 1830.

In 1830, Berry and Merril were living next to each other in the Imboden area of what is now Randolph County. It’s likely they were settling land together and staked a claim close to the Southwest Passage (or Military Road). Randolph County was the earliest settled region of Northeast Arkansas and had the greatest access to people and supplies. Close by, in Davidsonville, was the oldest post office in Arkansas. The Military Road and the Current, Black and White Rivers were primary routes for settlers and supplies.

It’s likely the whole family stopped in Randolph County and put in their first crop. All the men were available for clearing, planting, harvesting and cabin building. They would have stayed there for the first year and taken the opportunity to scout out better lands to the west. This would have given them the opportunity to get Merril, Berry and their families set up. After the first harvest, George and the boys would have travelled to the South Fork area and begun clearing the land there. Once the crop was in, they would have moved the family to the new place, leaving Merril and Berry farming the first place.

George was recognized as a community leader early on. In 1829, he was appointed a Magistrate and Justice of the Peace of Lawrence County. In 1835 he was also appointed a Magistrate in Izard County. Magistrates were local law enforcement officials and served as judges in minor cases. JPs were similar to county commissioners and conducted certain government functions. They could also perform weddings. George is recorded as officiating at three different weddings during his term as a JP.

George VI died about 1839 when he was around 54 years old , leaving Rachel as the head of the house. The 1840 Federal Census shows her with her eldest son, Merril, three other unmarried sons and her grandson, James.