Valentine Kimes Jr. (1811 - 1892)

Born 17 Apr 1811 in Franklin, Virginia, USA

Ancestors

Husband of Martha (Stell) Kimes — married about 1840 in St. Francis, Arkansas, USA

Descendants

Died 25 Nov 1892 at age 81 in Crawford, Arkansas, USA

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Biography

Valentine Kimes, Jr. was born the 17th of April, 1811 in Old Virginia, Franklin County, Virginia ^[1] to Valentine Kimes, Sr. and Mary Elizabeth Custer. In the fall of 1811, when Valentine, Jr. was six months old, the family moved to the north fork of the Holston River in Washington County, Virginia where they remained for fifteen years. In about 1826 he went to Overton County, Tennessee with his father. ^[2] It is not clear if the entire family moved here or if father and son went for a visit. His father’s half-brother, Conrad Keim was living in Lincoln County, Tennessee at this time. The family moved to Tennessee sometime between 1825 and 1831. Then in 1831 Valentine, Sr. moved his family including most of his grown children and their respective families to the Virginia settlement on Clarke’s Creek in Wayne County, Missouri. Some slaves accompanied them on their move. Valentine, Jr.’s parents remained in Wayne County the rest of their lives. ^[3]

Valentine, Jr. could read and write. As a young, single man he became partners with another man who planned to start schools in parts of Missouri and Tennessee but changed his mind when he got to know the dishonest man better. At the age of 21, in about 1832, Valentine started stilling. He thought he would make his fortune but all he did was learn to drink too much. He had problems with drinking for quite a few years. Sometime after 1848, when he was married and had children, his belief and faith in the power of God helped him give up drinking and later chewing tobacco.

When Valentine was about twenty-five years old he almost cut through his knee, severing the main artery. The ends of the “artery” drew back and clotted, which stemmed the flow of blood and saved his life. The injury became infected and he came down with “lock jaw” (tetanus). During his painfully slow recovery he got scarlet fever and pneumonia. It was at this time, when all around him thought he would die, that he “joined the Church.” After several terrible months he recovered enough to begin teaching school while he continued to build up his strength. From comments he made in his memoirs it appears his leg remained stiff the rest of his life.

The Kimes family’s oral tradition is that Valentine traveled to Georgia sometime in the late 1830’s and arrived back in St. Francis County, Arkansas with the William Stell family about 1839. ^[4] The Stell Family did relocate from Georgia to Arkansas about that time. It is believed that the Kimes and Stell families knew each other previously but this is only supposition. ^[5] Valentine Kimes, Jr. and Martha Stell were married in 1840 in St. Francis County, Arkansas. ^[6] Valentine was about 29 and Martha was about 19.

Martha Stell was born the 9th of December, 1821 in South Carolina ^[7] to William Stell and Martha “Patsy” Gentry. ^[8] Her parents moved their family to Georgia. Here her brother was born about 1837. Martha’s mother, Patsy, later lived with Valentine and Martha Kimes and is buried in the Kimes Cemetery, in Crawford County, Arkansas.

Valentine and Martha’s first son, Francis Marion was born in 1842 in St. Francis County, Arkansas (eastern Arkansas near the border between Tennessee and Mississippi). ^[9] They moved to Wayne County, Missouri (south-eastern Missouri) by 1844 where their next four children were born: David G. in 1844, James Madison in 1846, Marilza Jane in 1848, and Hiram Nelson in 1850. ^[10] The family moved to the northern part of Crawford County, Arkansas (north-western Arkansas bordering Oklahoma) shortly after the 1850 census, probably in 1851. Thomas Henry was born in Van Buren, Crawford County, Arkansas in 1852. Their other six children were also born in Crawford County: Louisa Adeline in 1854, triplets: Lazarus, Martha Bush, and Mary Elizabeth in 1856, John L. in 1858, and Joseph S. in 1861. ^[11]

Valentine homesteaded 160 acres of land near Chester, Crawford County, Arkansas. He filed the application for his homestead the 21st of May, 1869 but I believe he settled on this land much earlier. At the time of his application he had improved the property by building a home, smoke house, cribs, and stables and he was cultivating 35 acres. ^[12] He had to clear this land before he could cultivate it.

The Homestead Acts that applied to Arkansas land were approved by Congress in 1862,1864, and 1866. Valentine was probably unable to make his application at that time because of the Civil War. It appears that he and his family were probably squatting on what was considered government land. The government encouraged settlement on lands in the public domain. He states in his application that he began living in the house the 21st of May, 1869 but this is also the same date he made his application and it lists all the improvements he had already made to the land, including building the house. So he must have been on the land before this date. The application for homestead was approved for patent the 10th of June, 1876.

Valentine set aside a space for a Family Cemetery on this property and later registered it as the Kimes Cemetery (later also known as Westview Cemetery). ^[13] The earliest grave in the Kimes Cemetery is that of Lazarus Kimes, one of the triplets. It is marked “Infant son of V. and M. Kimes, born and died 8-8-1856.” This supports the idea that the Kimes family was living on the property long before the application for homestead. The cemetery lies about one mile west of where the Kimes Tower stood between Chester and Cove City, Arkansas. It is also not far from the David G. Kimes homestead. The “Kimes Tower” was a manned Forest Service lookout tower that was later torn down for safety reasons when the Forest Service could no longer afford to man it. The last Kimes grave in the cemetery is that of “Frank Kimes, born 1-15-1875, died 4-29-1967.” He was a son of Francis Marion Kimes, Valentine, Jr.’s first child. There were at least 39 marked graves in the cemetery in 1976. ^[14]

Both Arkansas and Missouri saw much conflict between groups of southern and northern supporters during the Civil War. Both states joined the Confederacy. Valentine was a Union sympathizer and his oldest sons, Francis and David, fought for the North. ^[15] According to his memoirs, he and his family were threatened by “marauders and bush whackers” several times between the years of 1861 and 1865 and were forced to leave their home in Crawford County, Arkansas and several homes in Missouri as well.

Valentine spent a month hiding with the Federal troops after southern supporters searched the Kimes home in Arkansas and told Martha they’d kill him when they found him. It is not known which year this happened. (He did not enlist in the army.) He then sent for his family and they all headed for Benton County, Missouri arriving the 1st of August. The 22nd of October, with winter coming and only about a week’s provisions and half a bushel of corn for the stock they headed south toward Springfield, Missouri. Their first night on the road it snowed about five inches and got bitterly cold. They stopped at an empty house in Hickory County. The next night a company of Federal soldiers camped in front of the house and left them a ten day supply of corn and hay for the horses. The Kimes family got a job gathering corn and soon had enough supplies for the winter.

While in Hickory County five men stopped and threatened Valentine’s life again. Instead of killing him they burned down the house after allowing the family to remove their possessions. They left Hickory County, Missouri the 17th of April and ended up in Stone County, Missouri the 25th of April where they found a vacant house with plenty of good land on Crane Creek. They worked fencing off about 15 acres but when this was completed they were out of provisions. There was no wheat in the entire county. Valentine and another man traveled by wagon for five days until they found a man with wheat to sell. They bought 10 bushels. The next week Valentine returned and bought another load of wheat and 40 pounds of bacon. They raised two crops of corn in Stone County so they must have been there about two years.

Valentine taught school when not farming during this time. Their Stone County home was robbed by marauders who would have killed him and James had they been home instead of at school about four miles away. The Kimes family probably returned to their homestead in Arkansas sometime in 1865. Valentine’s oldest child, Francis Marion Kimes, got married in Crawford County, Arkansas the 15th of September, 1865 after his discharge from the Union army.

The 16th of December, 1887 Valentine and Martha sold their home and 160 acres in Arkansas to R. M. Johnson. ^[16] This was the same land they had homesteaded. ^[17] They then moved into a new home in the family yard on the Crawford County, Arkansas, homestead of their son, David G. Kimes, which was near their old homestead. Joseph Leander Kimes and his brothers, helped their father, David, and neighbors build the house for Valentine and Martha. ^[18] That house was gone by 1926.

Valentine died the 25th of November, 1892 in Crawford County, Arkansas. Martha died the 21st of June, 1908. It is said by some that she died at the home of her son, Thomas Henry Kimes. He lived off the south road about 3 miles west of Chester, Crawford County, Arkansas. Both Valentine and Martha are buried in the Kimes Cemetery (also known as Westview Cemetery) in Crawford County, Arkansas. ^[19] They had twelve children.

Compiled and written by Susan Kimes Burgess October 15, 2023

Sources

1. ↑ Memoirs of Valentine Kimes written by Valentine Kimes, Jr.
2. ↑ The Goodspeed Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northwest Arkansas, published in 1869, article about Francis M. Kimes. We have been unable to locate Valentine, Sr. on any census lists in 1820 or in 1830 at this time.
3. ↑ All information in this paragraph and the following two paragraphs are from the Memoirs of Valentine Kimes written by Valentine Kimes, Jr.
4. ↑ Family oral history told by 1) Moody Kimes from old Kimes relatives and 2) Viola Kimes, daughter of David G. Kimes told this story to her daughters, Beda and Meda Mayner. There is no written documentation to prove this story.
5. ↑ E-mail from Virginia Pierce to Susan Kimes Burgess the 3rd of November, 1998.
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1840," FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XHBX-K94 : 13 August 2017), V Kimes, Johnson Township, St Francis, Arkansas, United States; citing p. 195, NARA microfilm publication M704, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 20; FHL microfilm 2,474.
7. ↑ Goodspeed’s History of Northwest Arkansas, printed in 1889 and Kimes Cemetery List annotated by Dale Cradduck.
8. ↑ Letter from Dale Cradduck to Mrs. Burrell, undated.
9. ↑ Valentine, Jr. is listed in St. Francis County, Arkansas in the 1840 Arkansas census so he must have been living there at that time.
10. ↑ 1850 Census of Wayne Co., Missouri : p. 292-197, Line 24, dwelling 198, Family 206. FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V5PD-7GX : Thu Oct 05 10:41:06 UTC 2023), Entry for Valentine Kimes and Martha Kimes, 1850.
11. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M87R-TSQ : Wed Oct 04 10:01:09 UTC 2023), Entry for Valentin Kunes and Martha Kunes, 1860.
12. ↑ Homestead application of Valentine Kimes, Jr., May 21, 1869.
13. ↑ The Kimes Cemetery is about 25 miles north of Ft. Smith, AR exit off I-540. Go NW about 2 miles to Chester, AR. Continue NW parallel with the railroad tracks turn left staying on the hard surface road, crossing the RR tracks and Clear Creek (?) and continue up Kimes Mtn. Rd. Go straight west past McCaslin Branch. The hard surface ends about 3 miles up the Mtn. And the gravel/dirt road continues past Norman Hollow about 3 more miles to Five Points. Do NOT take Road FR 1720 that turns right/North. Do NOT continue West on Road FR 1717 as it just continues toward Hwy 220 (North-South) and the Lee Creek area. Do NOT take Road FR 1730 that goes SW toward Cedarville. At Five Points, there is a FIFTH (un-numbered) road going SSW about 2 miles to the old Harmon house. Continue on about ½ mile past the old Harmon house (the road looks like a driveway) to the Kimes Cemetery on the left. There is an 8 foot cement cross next to the fence visible from the road/driveway enscribed with “Kimes Cemetery.” This is the 2 acre cemetery which was part of the Valentine Kimes, Jr. homestead. The road past the Kimes Cemetery entrance dead ends quickly at a private residence. You have to return to the Five Points area to leave. Have plenty of gas.
14. ↑ Kimes Cemetery List annotated by Dale Cradduck January 28, 1976.
15. ↑ All information in this paragraph and the next three is from the Memoirs of Valentine Kimes written by Valentine Kimes, Jr.
16. ↑ Bill of Sale received of R. M. Johnson from Valentine Kimes and Martha Kimes.
17. ↑ Description of the two properties matches exactly: the W ½ of the S. West ¼ and the S. ½ of the N. West ¼ of Section 26 in Township 12 N. of Range 31 West, from the Bill of Sale and the Homestead application.
18. ↑ According to Beda Mayner Harris of Celeste, Texas.
19. ↑ "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/QVV5-LMPK : 13 December 2015), Valentine Kimes, 1892; Burial, Chester, Crawford, Arkansas, United States of America, Kimes Cemetery; citing record ID 28350260, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

• "BillionGraves Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KSGM-PYH : 15 September 2015), Valentine Kimes, died 25 Nov 1892; citing BillionGraves (http://www.billiongraves.com : 2012), Burial at Kimes Cemetery, Chester, Crawford, Arkansas, United States.
• "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MNC9-LYY : 12 April 2016), Valentine Chism, Arkansas, United States; citing p. 8, family 68, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm