ARKANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY, Volume 12 (Spring-Winter 1953), p. 225     THE BLACKS OF UNION COUNTY   By ANNIE LAURIE SPENCER El Dorado, Arkansas Few families have been interwoven with the history of a county as have the Blacks of Union. The first county judge; the first sheriff; the man who surveyed the first town lots in El Dorado; one of the early county surveyors; and one of the three commissioners who located the City of El Dorado were members of this family. From 1830 to 1880 no family worked harder for the good of the county and no family contributed more toward the establishment of Union County's government, roads, towns, schools and churches. And today there are only two known members of this family in Union County who carry the name: Mrs. Charles T. Black, 118 South Newton, El Dorado, the widow of Doctor Black, whose two sons are also doctors but live elsewhere, and Elmer Black, Strong, a descendant of Marcellus Black. These are the only two Blacks of the early Blacks in the county now, but in 1850 seventy members of this family were in it. The early story of the Black family could be that of thousands of other families who sought new homes in the American Colonies. Robert, James, Thomas, and Samuel Black came together from Ireland in time to be established before the American Revolution. They were single men, sons of Samuel and Agnes (Glenn) Black and as Scotch as any Scotchmen could be whose family had lived in Ireland for two generations. They landed in Philadelphia, moved on to Cecile County, Maryland. There James Black married Elizabeth Rogers. With the Alexander family they moved to Mecklenburg County, North Carolina (1). __________________________ Copyright 1953 by Annie Laurie Spencer. 1. David Russell Papers, c1836, owned (1940) Mrs. Josephine McKay, Pickens, Mississippi.           Contents  Words  Study Questions  Related Sites Next