PIONEER SETTLERS OF LINCOLN COUNTY, ARKANSAS

John Malone & Mary (Grumbles) Owen
with son John Malone Owen, Jr
Abt 1910

Compiler: Donald Earl McKinney Jr, Alma, KS
These notes were compiled from materials gathered for many years by personal research & correspondence. I am especially grateful to the following relatives, whose research, photographs, stories & oral traditions, along with my own, helped us all gain a better understanding of our family heritage.
Great-Aunt Angie Greer of Ozark, AR, a granddaughter of John & Mary Owen
Great-Grandmother Ada's original family history files pertaining to the Owen & Grumbles families

JOHN MALONE OWEN was born 1 May 1854 near Blue Mountain, Tippah County, Mississippi. He was the son of JOHN ERR & MARGARET ELIZABETH (OWEN) OWEN who settled in Tippah County from Morgan County, Alabama during the 1840's. His parents are believed to have been 2d cousins, whose ancestors were all farmers of Welsh descent.

John Malone Owen or "Johnnie" as he was called when he was a young man, came to the Palmyra area of Drew County, Arkansas of what is now Lincoln County during the 1860' with his parents.

Johnnie's father, John Err Owen, was the the son of WILLIAM & ELIZABETH OWEN who left Fairfield County, South Carolina about 1807, crossed the Cumberland Mountains & settled in Hardin County, KY but are believed to have also settled briefly in Smith County, Tennessee before heading for northern Alabama. Johnnie's mother, Margaret Elizabeth, was the daughter of LARKIN & MARGARET (ELLIOTT) OWEN, who also left Fairfield County, SC & made the same journey across the mountains to Kentucky & Tennessee. Larkin is believed to have been the first cousin of William Owen, both bringing their families to northern Alabama about 1815.

While in Lincoln County, Arkansas, young Johnnie married MARY BARBARA GRUMBLES on 23 June 1872. She was born 30 Aug 1856 in Union County, Arkansas, the extreme southern part & was the daughter of JAMES H. & MARTHA BARBARA (COOK) GRUMBLES. When Mary was about 4 years old, her mother died & her father married her step-mother, Mary McCain. They moved to nearby Bradley County before settling in Lincoln County during the 1860's. Mary's father served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War with Company D, 37th Arkansas Infantry. He later moved to Nashville, Howard County, Arkansas where he was a prominent miller, merchant & banker who also served several terms as Justice of the Peace.

Mary, however, remained with her husband on their farm in Lincoln County, raising a large family of 5 sons & 2 daughters. Three children died in infancy. They were prominent members of the Baptist Church. Mary died 24 June 1912 and was buried in the Owen plot, near her husband's parents, in the Palmyra cemetery. John Malone Owen, passed away near 5 years later, 24 Apr 1917 & was buried beside his wife.

Children of John Malone & Mary (Grumbles) Owen:

Child 1: HENRY LEE OWEN
Born: 27 Mar 1873 Lincoln County, AR///Died: 13 Apr 1942 >br>Married: Jennie Wynn

Child 2: ADA OWEN
Born: 12 Dec 1874 Palmyra(Lincoln) AR///Died: 19 Dec 1971
Married: Horace Gordon Thomasson

Child 3: MARY FRANCIS OWEN
Born: 15 Dec 1876 Lincoln Co AR///Died: 5 Jan 1951 Pine Bluff AR
Married: Virgil Tucker

Child 4: CREED TAYLOR OWEN
Born: 1 Oct 1878 Lincoln Co AR///Died: 17 Oct 1879 Lincoln Co AR

Child 5: ROBERT LARKIN OWEN
Born: 20 Jul 1880 Lincoln Co AR///Died: 13 Oct 1881 Lincoln Co AR

Child 6: JAMES CLEVELAND OWEN
Born: 19 Aug 1884 Lincoln Co AR///Died: 5 Jan 1963 Lincoln Co AR
Married: Mary Ollie Russell

Child 7: CLYDE TANKERSLEY OWEN
Born: 21 Dec 1887 Lincoln Co AR///Died: Feb 1973
Married: Effie Reed

Child 8: CLIFTON B. OWEN
Born: 2 Feb 1891 Lincoln Co AR///Died: 14 Feb 1956
Married: Ollie Miller

Child 9: JOHN MALONE OWEN, JR
Born: 3 Nov 1900 Lincoln Co AR///Died: Jun 1984
Married: Doris Blythe