 |
| Indians, preachers, midwives at Tom Thumb Spring |
|
| Question: While hiking recently, I discovered Tom Thumb Cemetery close to the Erbie area. One stone caught my eye, and I would like any information you have on T. J. Jayland, whose deeply cut stone shows a hand with the finger pointed upward. I find this is an odd name for a cemetery, so is there a story connected? |
| Answer: There are many stories about how the Tom Thumb area was named, and most are connected to the spring located on a plateau or bench at Gaither Cove just across the Boone/Newton County line. Artifacts found prove that Shawnee and Osage Indians once lived in the vicinity of the spring, and after their departure, early white settlers believed that the spring had healing, magical water. |
| The water is clear and odorless. Some say it has a slightly alkaline taste, similar to springs located around Eureka Springs. People flocked to the area in the mid-1850s in search of its healing power, and local settlers often carried home some of the magic water. |
| But let's get back to the cemetery and the stone you are asking about. |
| Dr. T. J. Jayland is a story all in itself. |
| Little is known about Dr. Jayland's life before his arrival at the spring. He was born in New York in 1826, was a botanical doctor and a Quaker. Probably he had read about the healing waters of Arkansas, since many magazines and newspapers touted places like Eureka Springs, Hot Springs and even Elixer Springs, and like many seeking medicinal water, had chosen to come to Arkansas. |
| Jayland was a small man, reported to be about 5 foot 2 and weighing only 125 pounds. Could it be that Tom Thumb Springs was named by or for him? |
| He became an active part of the Gaither Cove community and homesteaded 160 acres around the spring of 1879. Neighbors who visited Jayland told of his little cabin, built almost underground, with a hearth and a fireplace used for cooking and heating. The doctor smoked a cob pipe and kept extras on the mantel, often lending them to friends who stopped by for a visit. |
| The population of Tom Thumb Spring reached by some estimates as many as 1,000, with some living in tents and staying for only a short time. Fifteen to 20 houses were built in the village, occupied by preachers, midwives, doctors and even an elderly Indian, who had visited the area as a boy. |
| At the height of Tom Thumb Spring's popularity, some residents reminded Jayland of an earlier promise he made to divide the land he owned. When he refused, saying, "God would not sanction the commercialization of his gift to mankind," it caused great animosity toward the doctor. The population dwindled to only 20 or so people, and houses in the area were left vacant. |
 Dr. Jayland's stay at Tom Thumb Spring ended one night when an unknown person climbed onto the roof of his cabin, saturated it with oil and lit it. The doctor escaped, but his home was a total loss. He moved to the Basin community and lived there until his death on January 31, 1891. His friend Elijah Harp, Jr. carried his body in a wagon to the Tom Thumb Cemetery where he was buried near a slanting rock, which the doctor had pointed out prior to his death. The upward pointing finger on his stone is surely "pointing" his soul to heaven, as this is the meaning given by those who study gravestone inscriptions.
The gravestone about which you inquired was erected by another friend. It reads, "T. J. Jayland, Died January 31, 1891, aged 65 years, 6 months and 27 days, Erected by his friend, M. T. Brisco." Old records show that Jayland sold his homestead around the spring to Mr. Brisco in 1880.
There is much more to be told about Tom Thumb Spring. One great story by Sammie Rose and Pat Wood appears in the July-September 1991 issue of the Boone County Historian. It includes the David Wilbur Beck story, along with factual information about Gaither Cove and people who lived there during Dr. Jayland's stay. Back issues of the Historian are available at the Boone County Heritage Museum. |
| Located on the corner of South Cherry and Central Avenue, the museum is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Striving to preserve the history of Boone County and its people is the ultimate goal of the Boone County Historical & Railroad Society, Inc. We invite you to become a part of this organization. |
| This column appears Fridays in the Harrison Daily Times. Mail questions to Boone County Heritage Museum, P. O. Box 1094, Harrison, AR 72601. Marilyn Smith can be contacted at bchm@alltel.net |
|
|
 |
|
|
