My Genealogy Hound

Joshua Bare, farmer and stock raiser of St. Francis Township, is a fair sample of what can be accomplished by industry and perseverance. Although starting life with a limited amount of this world’s goods, he is now one of the substantial farmers of the county, and is the owner of 240 acres of land in the home place, with 160 acres cleared, on which he has good buildings. Aside from this he is the owner of another tract of land in the township, one and a quarter miles from the home place, consisting of 160 acres of timber land. He also possesses some 320 acres in the St. Francis bottoms, with about 100 acres cleared, and has an interest in 205 acres of other lands, all the result of industry and good management. Mr. Bare was born in Crawford County, Ind., December 13, 1833, and is the son of Jacob Bare and Nancy (Copple) Bare, the latter of German descent. The father was born in Virginia but was reared in Indiana. After marriage he settled in Crawford County of that State, where he followed farming until about 1843, when he moved to Illinois and settled in Jefferson County. He resided there up to 1868, when he came to Arkansas, and located in what is now Clay County. Here he died in February, 1877. He served as sheriff and deputy sheriff in Indiana, and was quite a prominent man. Joshua Bare was reared in Jefferson County, Ill., and came to Arkansas in 1855, locating in Clay County, but what was then Greene County, and entered eighty acres of land. He then bought eighty acres near Brown’s Ferry, resided there about fifteen years, after which he sold this, and bought the place where he now lives. He has been four times married; first, to Miss Susan Williams; then to Nancy Brown, who bore him one daughter, Peggy A., wife of John Nettle; his next marriage was to Mrs. Nettle, a widow, who bore him four children: Clarissa (wife of Wiley Thomas), Joshua, Bettie and Arabella. Mr. Bare’s fourth marriage was to Mrs. Marietta Sarver, a widow, and the daughter of Jacob Sarver. Three children were born to this union: Jacob, Mattie and John Harry. When Mr. Bare first came to the State it was a comparative wilderness, and for about eleven winters he was engaged in trapping. He has killed bear, wolves, wild cats, lots of deer, turkey and small game. He would average about $200 worth of furs annually at that business. Mr. Bare has been a member of the I. O. O. F. for thirteen years. Mrs. Bare belongs to the Christian Church. An interesting volume might be written of many of Mr. Bare’s hunting expeditions, but space will permit mention of only the following: In 1867, one of his neighbors, Billy Maner, a single man, had struck camp some seven miles south of where our subject lived, in a wild locality on Old River. Mr. Bare went on one occasion to spend the night with him, but found the unsuccessful hunter without food. Starting the next morning with a determination to return only after he shot something, he traveled some distance, occasionally seeing game which could not be secured. Later on, while not far from camp, he killed two wolves, and being of a humorous disposition, the thought was suggested to pass off this meat upon the unsuspecting Billy as venison. Bringing a portion of the animal to headquarters (together with a squirrel), and assuring him that a large buck had been killed, the mess was eaten by the victim of Mr. Bare’s joke, with a casual remark as to its toughness, etc. Subsequently the truth was told. Imagination rather than words can picture the result of such a revelation. In 1876 a three-days’ hunt was indulged in by Mr. Bare, two of his nephews and a little negro boy. Starting with a cart and a yoke of oxen, they drove into a bottom farm, proceeding horse-back until about a mile from their camping ground, when fresh bear tracks were discovered. Before very long an effort to secure bruin was commenced, and proved fruitful. While waiting for help to remove the animal (which weighed about 400 pounds) a large buck was killed by Mr. Bare. These furnish but mere instances of his good fortune with the gun and rifle.