The Hurst family has been in Marion County since 1811 when pioneer John Hurst came with Abram Wood to lower Big North Fork. Hurst had married Rachel, Abram's sister. Both had been married before so when John Hurst, Jr., "Old Jacky", married Nancy Wood, daughter of Abram, they were not related.
Children of pioneer John Hurst were: John, Jr.; Betsy; Martha; Sarah; Katie; and Polly. Their descendants are many.
John, Jr. and Nancy Wood were parents of: Robert, Alex, and Mary Adams. Their children were: Huldah, who married, first, George Layton, and, second, James B. Wilson; Ann, who married, first, Sam Seawel and, second, Dee Cox (their daughters were Ruby and Rena Cox); Henry, who married Kike McKinney; Bob, who married Pauline Fields; Nell, who married __________ Jernigen; Virgie, who married Gus Seawell; and Ran who married Lena Tatum.
Alex married Agnes Adams and their children were: John, whose wife was Lizzie Johnson; Arthur who married, first, Mary Agnes Cowdrey and, second, Alma Carriter; Tom, who married in Oklahoma; Helen, who married James Johnson; Lella, whose husband was Walter Horner; Ina, who married Crate Dalton; and Jim.
Mary married John Briggs. Their children were Jack, who married Edith Brooksher and became the father of William, Jewel, Lon, Worth, Carl and Levy; Bob, who married Julia Stevens; Andy, whose wife was "Sis" Hutchinson; Ella, who married, first John Bawcum, and second Jake Noe; Rebecca, who married Doc Cowdrey; and Eliza, wife of __________ Bryan (or Bryant).
Betsy, daughter of pioneer John Hurst, married Jack Dean. Their only child was Richard Dean, who married Martha Cowan, daughter of Alfred Cowan. Richard and Martha went to Texas. The youngest of their seven children is Myrtle, whose first husband was Aud Melton and whose second husband was John Q. Adams, Jr.
Martha, another daughter, married B. King and their children are: John, whose wife was Jennie Stanley; Shelte, who married Laura Phillips and later Gertie Jobe; Sis, who married J. Y. Phillips; Fount, whose wife was Zee Jobe; Mattie, who married Charley Willingham; Council, who married Bob Gilley; and Barnett, who married Gertrude Richardson.
Sarah Hurst married Silas Farrier. Katie married _______ Tutt. Polly married Shelte Williams and their son Wils married Matilda Phillips, daughter of John G. Phillips. They (Wils and Matilda) were the parents of John, who married __________ Mears and James, who married, first, Lucy Higgs and, second, Cora Layton. James and Lucy were the parents of Ed Williams. James and Cora were the parents of a girl who died while very young, and a son, Jamie, who died in his twenties.
William Hurst, son of pioneer John Hurst, married Narcissa Magness, daughter of pioneer James Magness, the first white settler to settle near Shawneetown (Yellville). One child, John D. Hurst (Uncle Jacky) was born in 1847. His mother died when he was eight days old. She was the first white person to be buried in the Patton Cemetery. Uncle Jacky was reared by his mother's sister, Patsy Magness, who married Solomon Wood, son of Judge William Wood. Uncle Jacky married Mary Ann Burch, daughter of Henry Burch.
The children of Uncle Jacky and Mary Ann Burch Hurst were: Seth, who married Cressie Matthews; Walter, who married Stella Messick; Gus, who married Arkie Newton; Frank, whose wife was Eula Matthews; William, who married in Texas; Mittie, the wife of Francis Lancaster; May, who married Thomas Wooten; Bob, whose wife was Fay Lovelady; and Theodore, who married Annie Shavenstein.
Uncle Jacky lived to be quite old. He was an interesting man as his memory was very good and reached back far into the early days of Marion County. Many of the people were his relatives and he could tell stories of the past that could hold his listeners spellbound.
Reprinted with permission from History of Marion County edited by Earl Berry, copyright 1977.