PLEASANT GROVE AND ITS PEOPLE FOR A HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS (130)
The community had some settlers as early as the 1830s. was listed in the Des Ark Township until 1880 when it was changed to Coffey after Dr. John D. Coffey, the father of all the Coffey family that have lived here. At one time it had a Post Office, Stores and a School.
Some of the very first families were of John W. Benton and William Strayhorn, both were here in the mid 1850s. John Benton married Rachell Burkett and William Strayhorn married Mary Jane Burkett, both daughters of William and Rachell (Hughes) Burkett who were in Des Ark Township in
the mid 1840s.
The Benton family settled what is now where Jonn Henry and Susie Coffey live, the Strayhorns settled what we know as the El Benton place, they were first listed in the 1860 census. By 1870 more families had moved into the community, one was Robert L. and Susan Roberson with four married daughters and two sons, Henry and Allen Roberson. One family was Frances, wife of Robert M. Scruggs. Mary B. wife of Sterling Brown, Ann, wife of C.W. Mardis (dtr Emma married Andy Johnson of Floyd) Piety, wife of John Berry Scruggs
By 1880 there were many more families that had moved into the community, Hugh Bell, Caldwell, Lonnie Calhoun, W.R. Cofer, John D. Coffey, Ellenberg, Heggie, Prothro, Sessums, Stroud, Taylor, Wiggs, after 1900 families were Russell, Slaten, Simpson and Washburn, with some of the descendants still living here, (My grandchildren are the 7th generation of the Roberson family.
The Stroud family: The mother, Margaret was a Bradley by birth, married 1st Bradley had one daughter Eliza, 2nd time to John Stroud, had Daniel and Isabell (married Allen Roberson). 3rd time to Sutton, had two children. 4th time to Bartlett, had one son Edgar. Daniel Stroud married 1st time to Emma Wiggs, one daughter, then he married 2nd time to Ann Bell had eight children. Eliza Bradley married 1st Protho and then she married Henry Roberson.
Robert Washburn was 3 months old in the 1880 census of Gray Township, White County, AR. After 1900 he moved into the community and married in 1903 to Ella Stroud. To this union 10 children were born.
Lonnie Calhoun came from Obion County Tenn. after the 1880 census to visit .his father's sister, Mrs. Elvira. Patty, in 1882 he married Lizzie Scruggs one of 11 children of Robert and Frances (Roberson) Scruggs. Son Herbert Calhoun married in 1916 to Lottie Benton (of Steve and Martha Maxwell) Benton. Their daughter Jane Elizabeth was born in 1922, in 1941 she married Harvey Gassaway.
(Steve Benton was one of the 13 children of John and Rachell Benton).
THE CHURCH: An acre of land was deeded for the Cumberland Presbyterian church in the year 1877 by Robert L. and Susan Roberson. The first building was used as a church and school until about 1906 when more land was deeded by Mr. & Mrs. Emmitt Tayor. There were different religions of all the new settlers and one Sunday of the month for one, Cumberland Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and Church of Christ. After the burning of the church in 1917, no church was here until 1935 when one was made of logs, it was then just Cumberland Presbyterian, used until 1960 when the present one was built. The last funeral in the log church was for Ira Stroud, son of Daniel and Ann (Bell) Stroud.
The Church is the center of the community and in circumference from 1/2 to 1 1/2 mile around the church.