The Turnbo Manuscripts
by Silas Claiborne Turnbo
1844-1925
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BEFORE LEAD HILL WAS A TOWN
By S. C. Turnbo
Yellville Bill Coker built the first dwelling house and the first store house and sold the first goods where Lead Hill Boone County, Ark. now is. When the town first started up it was called Center Point. This was in 1868. Yellville Bill Coker married Miss Mary Trimble daughter of Allin Trimble in 1862. After the death of Mr. Coker his widow married James King son of old Uncle Boby King. Mrs. King died at Harrison Arkansas October 9th 1906 and is buried In the cemetery there. She was born on her fathers old home place on the right bank of White River In Franklin township Marion County Ark. May 15, 1846. Bill Coker her first husband received interment in the Lead Hill Cemetery. A number of years before the town of Lead Hill had a beginning, Mrs. Ainey Coker Indian wife of Joe Coker lived in a log cabin on the Marion Wilmoth land. Cherokee Joe Coker lived in a small cabin near the Big Spring below where Lead Hill is but after this Joe built a better house of hewed pine logs that he hauled from the Pineries. Mr. R. S. Halet who was born in Cannon County Tennessee March 25 1832 and has lived on White River and near it since 1839 gives me the following account of going to school one term where Lead Hill now is several years before the breaking out of the civil war. The school was taught by a man of the name of Rumsey in a small log hut which stood on the north side of the hollow where the Kelly Spring is and we used water out of this spring. The teacher was from Saint Louis Missouri. I remember that the teacher got drunk before he received his pay for teaching the school and when he was able to travel he went back to Saint Louis and never come back any more, being ashamed to return back to face his students after getting dog drunk, he sent word for those oweing him to send him his pay which they did. Mr. Halet said that among the other students who attended this school were Betty and Jane McCord sisters of Dave McCord. Tom Stalbings and his sister Sarah Stallings and Bill Flirppo. Also Jim and Mich Coker sons of "Prairie" Bill Coker and little Jim Coker son of Cherokee Joe Coker, and Mary Ann Coker daughter of Joe Coker and his Indian wife Mrs. Ainey Coker, two other sons of Joe Coker also went to this school whose given names were Dan and Henderson. Dan Coker was afterward a famed violinist.
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