The Karnes Crowbar

Stirman Karnes and his wife, Gladys Dove (Curtis) Karnes moved to Cane Hill from West Fork, Washington County Arkansas, July 10, 1920. They both were descendants of the Andrew Karnes -Elizabeth Howry family. Stirman's parents were Charles William Karnes (1868-1944) and Alta Alexander (1873-1966), and his grandparents were John Karnes (1841-1920), Rachel Winn (1843-1915), and William Alexander, (1823-1912) Mary Johnson (1843-1908). Gladys' parents were Robert Graham Curtis (1869-1925), and Effie Stockburger (1874 to 1949), and her grandparents were Franklin Farris Curtis (1833-1902) and Narcissa Jane Karnes (1835-1916), and Alexander Stockburger (1858-1926), Sarah Carroll (1855-1925). John Karnes and Nar-cissa Jane Karnes were children of Andrew Karnes (1796-1890) and Eliza Howry.

According to a history booklet written by Bernice Rachel Karnes, 1983 entitled George Karnes and Descendants, she writes: George Karnes, Sr. was born in Germany. He was in Botecourt County, Virginia as late as March 20, 1798 when he sold his land. In 1797 he bought land in Hawkins County, Tennessee. His five sons and one daughter were born in Botecourt County, Virginia. All but the last son, Andrew were children of his first marriage. In April, 1794, George married Elizabeth Persinger. In 1796 Andrew was born.

Stirman Karnes family - 1946 - of Cane Hill. Back row: Merrill Karnes Brown, Charles Curtis Karnes, Stirman Warren Karnes, C. Marguerite Karnes Deaton. Front row: Helen Allean Karnes Moore, Gladys Karnes, Stirman Karnes, Wanda Karnes Irwin.

George Karnes, Sr. made a will in Hawkins County, Ten-nessee on 14 October 1816 in which he named six children and wife, Elizabeth. George died after 1816, and Elizabeth died August 9, 1839, age 81. Her death is recorded in Andrew's Bible. Both are buried in unmarked graves near Rogersville Tennessee. According to Prentiss Price, genealogist of Hawkins County, Tennessee. . .

Andrew left Tennessee in 1851, and came to a place south of Elkins in Washington County, Arkansas.

In 1852 Andrew came to West Fork where he stayed on the same place until his death in 1890. In 1820 Andrew married Eliza Howry, daughter of Reverend Daniel Howry and Susannah Wax. Susannah was the daughter of Henry Wax and Margaret Gerschwind.

Stirman Karnes moved to Cane Hill after receiving an ap-pointment to the position of rural mail carrier by the Civil Ser-vice. On July 12, 1920, he began a mail route that covered the area south and southwest of Cane Hill; and he carried the mail to that area until his retirement, December 1, 1966.

Stirman was born in West Fork, March 27, 1897. He had spent his entire life in West Fork before moving to Cane Hill with the exception of time spent in the military service during World War I from September 1, 1918 to December 23, 1918 arriving home on Christmas Eve, 1918. He graduated from West Fork High School and was married to his childhood sweetheart (Gladys) on April 28, 1918, at West Fork. He and Gladys had grown up as neighbors and their fathers were first cousins.

After the death of Gladys, April 11, 1966, Stirman married Grace Raines Webb, May 24, 1970, and they still reside in the Karnes Home at Cane Hill (1987). Grace was a native of Ten-nessee.

Gladys Dove was born in West Fork, August 15, 1897, and had spent her entire life there before moving to Cane Hill. She graduated from West Fork High School and attended teacher's institutes and normal (as they did at that time) to prepare for teaching school. After being certified to teach, she taught at the following schools in the West Fork vicinity: Manilla, Round Mountain, Sugar Hill and Sycamore. She commuted by horse-back from the home of her parents to some of the schools. Her teaching career ended in December 1918 when Stirman returned from the army. After moving to Cane Hill with her husband and first child, she lived there in the same house until her death from a heart attack, April 11, 1966. She was buried in the Cane Hill Cemetery. Gladys was active in her church and community, serv-ing on the original board of directors of the Ozarks Rural Electric Cooperative.

Both Stirman and Gladys were members of the First Chris-tian Church in West Fork, and later became members of the Cane Hill Presbyterian Church.

The following six children were born to Gladys and Stirman. All were born in Cane Hill with the exception of Gladys Merril the oldest, who was born in West Fork and moved to Cane Hill with her parents. Other children were Carlyn Marguerite, Stir-man Warren, Charles Curtis, Helen Allean and Wanda Jean. All graduated from Cane Hill High School; all attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, and all were members of the Cane Hill Presbyterian Church.

Stirman Karnes and Gladys Curtis married in West Fork, April 28, 1918.

Gladys Merril was born March 17, 1919, at West Fork. After attending the University (1936-1939), she taught school at Sum-mers High School, Summers (Washington County), Rogers High School, Rogers (Benson County) and Morrow High School Morrow Washington County, all in Arkansas. She moved to Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas, in June 1944. There she worked at the First National Bank for a short time, at Singer Sewing Machine Company as sewing instructor, at the Sebastian County Tax Collector's Office, and at Hurley Insurance Com-pany, Inc., as office manager and salesperson. On May 2, 1964 she married Maurice Glen Brown, a native of Marion, Illinois who had spent his adult life in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma before moving to Fort Smith in 1963, where he was co-owner of Brown-Norcross Chrysler/Plymouth car agency. After Maurice's death, November 17, 1966, (burial was in Cane Hill Cemetery) Merrill returned to do college graduate work and has been employed by the Fort Smith school system until the present time (1987). She has one step-son, Jay Scott Brown, who resides in Norman, Oklahoma.

Carlyn Marguerite, born December 20, 1920, attended the University 1938-1941, taught school two years, (one year in Cane Hill Elementary School and one year at Sunset Elementary in Rogers, Arkansas) before moving to Tulsa, Oklahoma, July 7 1943. There she went to work as a service representative in the business office of Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. On June 4, 1960, she married Freddie Howard Deaton, a native of Okemah, Oklahoma, who was principal of East Central Junior High School which was later annexed to Tulsa Public Schools until he retired in June 1980. During her tenure with the telephone company, Marguerite was advanced to a position in management where she served for several years until she retired in March 1981. She and Howard moved to Claremore Oklahoma, in 1985, where Howard keeps horses—both thoroughbred and quarter horses, at his farm "Howard Deaton's Breeding Farm". Howard and Marguerite had no children...

Stirman Warren (known as "Son") was born August 21, 1923 at Cane Hill. He attended the University of Arkansas one year (1941-42) before his being drafted into the army during World War 11 at the age of 19 years. During his army training, he at-tended the University of West Virginia in 1943. On January 3 1943, he married Lillian West of Cane Hill, his high school swee-theart. After his army discharge, March 13, 1946, he and Lillian lived in Tulsa until they divorced in July 1949. While in Tulsa he worked for Santa Fe Bus Company and International Har-vester Company. Late summer of 1950, he returned to Cane Hill and re-entered the University of Arkansas where he completed his degree in agricultural engineering in January, 1954. In Oc-tober 27, 1951, he married Peggy Lou Mason of Prairie Grove, Arkansas. They lived in Tulsa for a short time, and then moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where he was with International Harvester, then Dowell Division of Dow Chemical Company and moved to Midland, Texas. He was in Midland until 1962, and then transferred to Fort Smith, Arkansas, when Dowell opened a business there. He and Peggy had five children, one of whom died at the age of 15 days—Jennifer Sue, born August 3, 1962, and died August 18, 1962, and is buried in the Karnes plot in the Cane Hill Cemetery The other four were boys: Stephen Warren, born February 157 1953; Randall Clark, born June 13, 1957 John David, born January 7, 1965 and Paul David, born January 4, 1970. Stephen Warren married Kathy Schneider of Fort Smith in July, 1971, and they had one son, Stephen Cory born February 1, 1972. They later divorced and he married Pamela Sue Shoemaker of Liberal, Kansas on December 10, 1980. They have two sons, Samuel Clayton born March 1, 1983 and Travis Warren, born July, 1984 Randall Clark married Merriam Dawn Higginbotham of Fort Smith on December 6, 1975. They have two sons; Randy Michael, born January 3, 1977 and Daniel Jacob, born May 24, 1979. John David married Penny Ann Taylor of Havana, Arkansas on April 22, 1985. They have one daughter, Jenifer Nicole, born September 27, 1985. Paul Edward was not married as of 1987. After Warren and Peggy divorced in October, 1973, he married Wanda Jean (Sloan) Morris, May 26, 1979, with whom he lived until his death from cancer December 6, 1980. From this marriage he had two step-daughters, Carol Jean (Morris) Tuck of Fort Smith and Kathy (Morris) Anderson of Wichita, Kansas. Warren was interred in the Cane Hill Cemetery.

Charles Curtis (known as "Squirt") was born December 6, 1925. Upon completing high school, he was drained into the World War 11 army at the age of 18 years, and served until he was discharged, April 23, 1946. After he returned home, he attended the University of Arkansas for two years (1946-1948). He was married to Martha Lee Cuzick of Morrow, Arkansas, January 30, 1947. They lived in Lincoln, Arkansas, where they operated a cafe "on the square" of Lincoln while he attended the University of Arkansas. In 1948, he went to work for the Bank of Lincoln. In January, 1970, he was promoted to president of the bank and continued in that position until his death from a heart condition, January 18, 1974. He was interred in the Cane Hill Cemetery. During his life in Lincoln, he had also ventured into farming and real estate developments in the Lincoln area. He and Martha were the parents of two children; Brenda Sue, born August 16, 1948 and preceded her father in death March 17, 1962, from cancer and was buried in the Cane Hill Cemetery; and Larry Curtis, who was born October 30, 1950, and now lives in Lincoln and is vice president in the Bank of Lincoln. Larry graduated from the University of Arkansas, and married Charlotte Wright of Lincoln. They have three sons: Phillip, born September 5, 1974; Bart Curtis, born April 15, 1977; and Whitney Lee, born August 5, 1981.

Helen Allean (known as "Sis") was born December 30, 1927. After completing high school in 1944, she worked one year before entering the University of Arkansas in the &11 of 1945. She did two years of college work to receive a secretarial degree, then worked one year for the Veteran's Administration in Fayetteville. She re-entered the University and completed her degree in personnel administration management in 1950. She taught school one year at Farmington, Arkansas, and then went to work as a secretary for Service Pipe Line Company (an oil pipe line company) in Tulsa, Oklahoma on April 7, 1951. On May 3, 1958, she married Ralph Gene Moore, a native of Vinita, Oklahoma; they lived in Vinita where her husband was in busi-ness with his father, C. R. Moore Motor Company, later moving to Pryor, Oklahoma opening a subsidiary of Moore Motor Com-pany. They are the parents of a son and daughter, Michael Karnes Moore, born March 2, 1960 and Ann Elizabeth born Oc-tober 20, 1963. Michael graduated from Fort Hays University Hays, Kansas, and married Bonnie Barclay of Arlington, Kansas on June 18, 1983.

James Clark Irwin, Wanda Karnes Irwin married December 26, 1949 in Cane Hill Presbyterian Church.

Wanda Jean was born February 24, 1930 in Cane Hill. She entered the University of Arkansas after completing high school in Cane Hill in 1946. After two years at the University (1946-48) she taught school in the Cane Hill High School for one year before it was consolidated with the Lincoln High School in the fall of 1949. She then taught the fall semester there before she married. On December 26, 1949, she married James Clark Irwin a native of Clyde (near Cane Hill), and moved to Prairie Grove. James was the first vocational agriculture instructor in the Prairie Grove High School, and opened the department there in 1948. In January, 1950, Wanda returned to the University and completed her degree in business education in the spring of 1951. On June 1, 1951, she, James, and their two month old son moved to Clyde and lived on his family farm homeplace. James was then principal of Morrow Elementary School, Morrow, Arkansas until 1954 when they moved to Tulsa with their two sons, and James taught in the Tulsa School system the year of 1954-55. They returned to Clyde in 1955 and James became the vocational agriculture instructor for the Lincoln schools until July 1960, when they and their three children moved to Springdale, Arkansas where James became an executive vice president with Tysons Foods, a poultry firm. He worked with the firm until November, 1982, when he took early retirement due to heart surgery. Wanda had a real estate agency there, "Irwin Town and Country Properties" from October 1978 to 1982, and is now serving on the board of directors of the Bank of Lincoln. James continued to manage his family poultry and cattle farm at Clyde to the extent that he was able, and has served on the Springdale City Council from 1969 to the present time. The three children born to James and Wanda were: James Stirman born April 2, 1951, Charles Clark born August 9, 1952 and Paula Kay born July 25, 1955. All three are graduates of Springdale High School and the University of Arkansas. James and C. Clark were members of the Razorback football teams and Phi Delta Theta fraternity 1969-1973. Paula Kay was a member of the Chi Omega Sorority.

James Stirman moved to Little Rock, Arkansas in 1974. He became a member of the Appraisal Institute and is engaged in appraisal and commercial real estate. On May 20, 1978, he married Judy Beth Showalter of Tuckerman, Arkansas. They have two children: Jill Shannon, born June 26, 1979 and James Clark Irwin, II, born March 12, 1987.

Charles Clark Irwin moved to Houston, Texas, in 1975, and was employed with Conoco Oil Company, but returned to Springdale in 1978, and became Vice President of Tyson Foods in the transportation department. He married Georgi Ann Spillman of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in April 25, 1980. They are the parents of two daughters: Carrie Marie born June 8, 1983 and Lauren Kristen born October 11, 1986.

Paula Kay Irwin was married to Terry Lynn Parson of Huntsville, Arkansas, on January 8, 1977 while a senior at the University of Arkansas, and later taught music at Elkins High School and Springdale Elementary Schools. She was divorced in February, 1980 and continued to teach elementary music and high school music in the Springdale Schools until the spring of 1982. On June 19, 1982, she married David Stephen Herdlinger of Springdale, an attorney with Jacaway, Herdlinger and Stanley firm. They are the parents of two daughters: Hannah Kay, born June 26, 1983 and Hailey Ann born August 30, 1982.

More history of the James Clark Irwin family can be found elsewhere in this Washington County History.

The Karnes family is very proud of its heritage in West Fork and Cane Hill in Washington County, Arkansas. They have always taken an active part in their church and community, and have been interested in its welfare. They are a native family, with ancestors moving to Washington County in 1851.

Rv: Wanda Irwin

This list is on the web at https://members.tripod.com/~spiel/karnes1-2.html with the links already activated.

If you would like to have your web page included in this list, please let me know.

Corley, Karnes: I am looking for any information regarding Daniel Spain Corley who married Susan Howry Karnes. Daniel is the son of George and Willie Corley. No further information is known about his parents. Kimm Antell, 910 Cypress Station #1503, Houston, TX 77090; schmidt@chariott.com; http://chariott.com/~schmidt/.

Karnes: I am still looking for information on William F. Karnes born PA about 1816, moved to Quincy, IL and died there in 1849. Also Nicholas Karnes and wife Mary. Probably born in PA in 1780's. They had several children. One was Sarah Jane Karnes born in PA in 1810. They moved to Cincinnati, OH and died there. Thanks again, Dottie Carque; carque@csinet.net

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A physician visited a California mental institution and asked a patient "How did you get here? What is the nature of your illness?" He got this reply:

"It started when I got married and I guess I should never have done it. I got hitched to a widow with a grown daughter who then became my stepdaughter. My Daddy came to visit us, fell in love with my lovely stepdaughter, then married her. And so my stepdaughter was now my stepmother. Soon my wife had a son who was, of course, my daddy's brother-in-law since he is the half-brother of my stepdaughter, who is now, of course, my daddy's wife. So as I told you, when stepdaughter married my daddy, she was at once, my stepmother. Now since my new son is brother to my stepmother, he also became my uncle. As you know, my wife is my step-grandmother since she is my stepmother's mother. (Don't forget that my stepmother is my stepdaughter.) Remember, too, that I am my wife's grandson. But hold on just a few minutes more. you see, since I'm married to my step-grandmother, I am not only the wife's grandson and her hubby, but I am also my own grandfather. Now can you understand how I got put in this place?"

I respect your privacy and do not want you to be overcome with a newsletter that you do not want. (Especially if you have one person with the surname of Karnes who is the step-daughter of your 3rd cousin 5 times removed and you would rather do research on your 4th great-grandfather, Benjamin Franklin, than you would on the Karnes person.J) If you would like to be removed from the mailing list, please e-mail me at schmidt@chariott.com and I will remove your name and address promptly and you will not be added in the future. That is, unless you request it. Thanks!