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Some of the Blacks followed this route, some members of the family moved from North Carolina to Alabama and on to Arkansas and one family moved from North Carolina to Alabama, to Illinois and then to Arkansas.
Jonathan Black, either a nephew or cousin of Samuel Black, was the first member of the family to be in Union County. By 1829 he was well established and well known and when the County was created November 2, 1829, from territory taken from Clark and Hempstead Counties (9) he was elected county judge and his son, Jonathan Black Jr., was elected sheriff. Union County at that time embraced all of Bradley and Ouachita Counties and a part of Calhoun County.
When the first court of record was held March 12, 1830, Jonathan Black, "duly elected, qualified and commissioned judge," presided. Few items of business appear of record for that term of court. Judge Black approved Alexander Beard's bond for coroner which was signed by Beard, Charles H. Seay and Hugh Bradley and acknowledged before Dr. John T. Cabeen, clerk of the court (10) . He also approved Thomas O'Neill's bond for county surveyor, signed by O'Neill, Bradley and James Waters (11).
By the April term of court the affairs of the county had increased. Judge Black opened court April 19, 1830, at thehome of John Nunn which was the place designated by law for holding court. Francis C. Berry's claim for Five Dollars was approved. What service had he rendered the county? John Nunn, Samuel D. Sloan and Joseph Neely were sworn in as justices of the peace for Union County, Cote a Fabre Township and Franklin Township respectively (12). It was on this day that Jonathan Black, Jr., "the duly elected and commissioned sheriff of Union County," presented his bond for Six Thousand Dollars signed by Jonathan Black, Jr., John Nunn, Jacob Watkins, Samuel D. Shaw, James Williams, Benjamin Gooch and Oliver Brown (13).
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9. Centennial History of Arkansas, Dallas T. Herndon, Vol. 1, p. 810, The S. J. Clark. Publishing Company Chicago-Little Rock, 1922.
10. Union County Deed Book "A" p. 1, El Dorado, Arkansas, 1952 Hereafter this
11. Ibid., p. 2.
12. Ibid., p. 1. Note: Early records of Union County are found in various books with no regard of where they should be. The earliest marriages are recorded in Deed Book A which also contains much of the early records of the County Court.
13. Ibid., p. 5.
