William and Abigail found a beautiful site four miles west of old Ellsworth, on the north slope of Pine Ridge. There was an excellent spring of copperas water which proved, over the following 130 years truly to be "never failing". There are also two other good springs on the 40 acre site. Due to the lineage of the Cokers and Churchman, the place was known and remembered as "Cherokee Springs". No longer needing the land on Calico, they sold it to John Frost in 1859.
Abigail died about 1869 and William died in 1874. Both were buried in the little family plot at the home place by the spring. None of the Churchman family lived at Cherokee Springs after William's death. He was never able to complete his purchase of that property. The United States granted that section of land, along with many others in this part of the state, to the Little Rock and Ft. Smith Railroad Co., in the 1850's to promote settlement in the region. The railroad people were interested in selling larger tracts of land. Since William only wanted the 40 acres containing the springs, cabin and clearing, the transaction was not made final.
Father: John Wesley Churchman, b. 1774 in Virginia
Mother: Francis ??, b. 1779 in North Carolina -- d. After 1850 in Yell County, Arkansas
Family 1:
Family 2: Abigail "Abbie" Jane Coker, b. 1819 in the White River country (now Marion County, Arkansas) -- d. ca 1869 in Arkansas -- daughter of William Coker and Elizabeth Hudpath
Sources:
Direct Descendants Chart | Complete Descendants Chart |