James Arnold, 1803-1880, Ware County

by

James Arnold was born on 30 Jul 1803 in what is now Tattnall County, Georgia, the only son of William and Serena (Foy) Arnold. He was raised in Tattnall County and married Mary Higgs there on 13 Oct 1825. Mary was the daughter of John Higgs, a Revolutionary War soldier from the same county. She was born on 17 Jan 1808 and passed away in Aug 1887 at her home near Millwood in Ware County. James Arnold died on 13 Oct 1880.

Their children:

  1. Rena Foy Arnold, born 5 Aug 1826, married (1) about 1846, Christopher Columbus White, married (2) after 1850, William Darley Murray. She died 12 Mar 1911 and is buried at Hargraves Chapel Cemetery in Millwood. Resided with her parents in the 1850 census, along with her two children from her first marriage, Mary and Elizabeth.
  2. Needham Franklin Arnold, born 8 Aug 1828, married in 1851 (1) Harriet Sutton, daughter of David and Mary (Brown) Sutton. After the death of his first wife, he married (2) Cynthia Yawn Vickers. He died on 27 Feb 1909 in Millwood, Georgia, and is buried at Union Hill Cemetery in Axson, Georgia. Children by his first wife.
  3. James Madison Arnold, born 16 Apr 1832, married (1) about 1854, Levicy Griffis, daughter of Juniper Griffis, (2) 6 Aug 1884, Louisa Matilda Poppell.
  4. William Arnold, born 1834, married Hester Ann Murray. Died 9 Aug 1862 in Virginia. One child.
  5. Mary Jane Arnold, born 12 Feb 1838, married (1) David Sears, Jr., and after his death in the Civil War, married (2) David Sutton, son of David and Mary (Brown) Sutton. She died on 23 Nov 1908 and is buried in Zion Hill Church Cemetery in Millwood, Georgia. Children.
  6. Georgia Ann Arnold, born 1841, married Leonard Bartow Ricketson, son of John and Rebecca (Mills) Ricketson. Children.
  7. Martha Ann Arnold, born 5 Oct 1840, married about 1855 (1) Benjamin Franklin Higgs, and after his death in 1866 (2) William Martin Beverly. She died on 8 May 1934 and is buried in Little Utah Cemetery, Axson, Georgia.
  8. John Arnold, born 5 Jul 1843, married Vicy Mills, daughter of F. J. Mills.
  9. Joseph Arnold, born 7 Sep 1848, married Frances Elizabeth Bennett. Died on 10 Aug 1924 and is buried in Bennett Cemetery in Millwood, Georgia.
  10. Harriet Arnold, born 9 Jul 1850, married Randall McDonald Bennett. She died on 3 Apr 1912 and is buried in Bennett Cemetery in Millwood, Georgia.

Around 1828, James Arnold and his family relocated to Ware County, settling in the Millwood area, where they remained until his death.

There is no known record of James and Mary Arnold being members of any church; at the very least, they were unchurched in their later years.

James Arnold’s estate was administered by Warren Lott of Waycross, who was not related to the family. At the time of his death, Arnold owned approximately 750 acres of land across lots 49 and 50 in the 7th district of Ware County. He was also an early property owner in the village of Millwood, acquiring some town lots there as early as 1874. In 1881, his town property was sold at an Administrator’s Sale to Hiram Sears, Sr.

Both are buried in the cemetery at Mt. Zion Baptist Church near Axson in Atkinson County, Georgia.

James Arnold, 1803-1880
Mary Higgs Arnold 1808-1887

Sources

  • Huxford, Folks, Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia, vol. 1, p. 9-10, vol. 4, p. 8, Jacksonville, Florida : Cooper Press, 1951-1967.
  • “Georgia, County Marriages, 1785-1950”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KXJN-1KJ : Mon Jul 08 15:28:08 UTC 2024), Entry for James Arnold and Mary Higgs, 13 Oct 1825.
  • “United States, Census, 1850”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZY6-ZBZ : Fri Jan 17 19:55:45 UTC 2025), Entry for James Arnold and Mary Arnold, 1850
  • “United States, Census, 1860”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZM4-NX5 : Mon Jul 08 04:49:51 UTC 2024), Entry for James Amolee and Mary Amolee, 1860.
  • “United States, Census, 1870”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCQ9-B17 : Tue Jan 21 23:43:30 UTC 2025), Entry for James Arnold and Mary Arnold, 1870. James and Mary resided in dwelling #341 with their servants. Their daughter Harriet Bennett resided in #340, and daughter Rena in #343 enumerated as Serenie Arnold.
  • “United States, Census, 1880”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8P7-97M : Sat Jan 11 09:29:18 UTC 2025), Entry for James Arnald and Polly Arnald, 1880.
  • “United States, Cemetery Abstracts, 1949-1969”, database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPTD-RPLD : 1 July 2021), James Arnold, 1880.
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37218755/james-arnold: accessed March 17, 2025), memorial page for James Arnold (30 Jul 1803–13 Oct 1880), Find a Grave Memorial ID 37218755, citing Mount Zion Cemetery, Axson, Atkinson County, Georgia, USA; Maintained by Southern Belle (contributor 47596870).
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34955354/mary-arnold: accessed March 17, 2025), memorial page for Mary Higgs Arnold (17 Jan 1808–Aug 1887), Find a Grave Memorial ID 34955354, citing Mount Zion Cemetery, Axson, Atkinson County, Georgia, USA; Maintained by d powell (contributor 48137798).

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.