Arrington family donates cherished heirloom

Submitted by:

Edith Faye Redden

Dickenson County Historical Society President

On Saturday, November 9, 2019, Dickenson County Historical Society was honored to receive a donation from the Arrington family. The Arringtons donated a dress which had been handmade and worn by Sarah Jane Duty Arrington, the wife of Newbern Arrington. The dress was a cherished family heirloom that the Arrington family wished to share with those who treasure the culture and history of the area.

Several descendants of Sarah Jane Duty Arrington attended the Historical Society’s annual Tea to present the dress to the Historical Society. Members of the family who attended included Janice Busic, David M. Arrington, Richard W. Edwards, Marie Arrington, Bruce Arrington, and Susie Shrader. David Arrington and Janice Busic formally presented the dress to the Historical Society.

Estimated to be over 100 years old, the dress had been placed behind glass in a beautiful, custom made wooden case. The case measures 50 inches by 26 inches. The dress is now on display at the Historical Society office in Clintwood.

Sarah Jane Duty was born in Dickenson County, Virginia, on March 15, 1867, which was shortly after the Civil War. She was the second daughter, and second child of thirteen children born to Dr. John Duty and Nancy Barnett Duty.

Her father, John Duty, had served in the Confederate Army, and was also a doctor who rode horseback to treat patients throughout the area. The community of Duty was named for him. Dr. John Duty was also a primitive Baptist preacher and was the founder of Duty View Primitive Baptist Church on Indian Creek at what is now known as Bee, Virginia.

On September 16, 1882, at the age of 15, Sarah married Newbern (Nubern) Henderson Arrington at the home of her parents. Newbern was born November 3, 1864, in Dickenson County. He was the son of John Francis and Martha A. Sykes Arrington. Sarah’s father, John Duty, was the officiating minister. Immediately after the ceremony, the bride and groom mounted their horses and rode down Russell Fork River to a little cabin on a mountaintop at Cannady, Virginia.

Newbern and Joe Owens had built the cabin in preparation for the marriage of Sarah and John. Joe was a deaf-mute who had been raised as a brother to Newbern in the home of Andrew Owens. In reality, they were not related by birth but were brothers by choice.

Sarah and Newbern would live on that mountaintop for the rest of their lives together. They raised 14 of their own children, plus a few grandchildren. They expanded the cabin as the family grew. It was eventually a two-story house with a dog-trot and kitchen in back. Joe always lived with them and was a surrogate parent to the children.

Sarah and Newbern Arrington’s children were:

1. Nancy Arrington was born on December 22, 1883, and died on February, 1951. She married Ruben M. Sykes on March 27, 1902. Nancy and Ruben Sykes had the following children: Lonnie B, Sarah Earsel, Mosco, Arvil, Myrtle, Eva Mona, Pierce, Ermma, Banner, Dillo G., Eula, and Ruben

2. Martha Arrington was born about 1886. She died in Michigan. Martha married James H. Robinson on March 3, 1904. Martha and James H. Robinson had the following children: Robert “Bob” Henry, Clita Agnes, Clara, Macie, Bert, and Sarah.

3. John Robert Arrington was born September 22, 1888. He died on June 5, 1960, in Dickenson County. Robert was married to Nellie Bell Sykes on April 5, 1908. Robert and Nellie Arrington had the following children: Luri Mona and Smith.

4. William Harrison Arrington was born on November 27,1890. He died on June 27, 1977 in Washington County, Virginia. William married Alta Belle Fuller. William and Alta Belle Arrington had the following children: Daniel Ray and Katie Jo.
5. Rachel Matilda Arrington was born on July 15, 1893 in Cannady, Virginia. She died on September 6, 1930. She married Harmon Owens, on October 12, 1912. Matilda and Harmon Owens had the following children: Greathel, Guy P., Emily Gay, Lonnie, Bruce Carter, Fannie May, Clara Imogene, and Beulah.

6. America Virginia Arrington was born on September 23, 1896. She married Fred C. Raines on May 27, 1914 in Buchanan County. America and Fred C. Raines had the following children: Edith, Edna Fay, Theodore, Lucille, Fred C., Jr. Miles Q., Robert Douglas, Mary Geneva, and Donald Paul.

7. Ellen Arrington was born on November 6, 1898. She died on December 27, 1914. Ellen married Walter Olney Owens on September 17, 1919 in Buchanan. Ellen and Walter Owens had the following children: Clifford Bernard, Evelyn Elaine, and Leon.

8. Elihu Graden Arrington was born on December 21, 1900. He died on May 17, 1988. Graden married Carrie Deel, Eura Jackson, Mollie May Sutherland and Robie J. Sykes. Graden and Carrie Arrington had one son, Anthony Wayne. Graden and Mollie May Arrington had one daughter, Betty Ann.

9. Minerva Ethel Arrington was born on December 10, 1902. She died on May 8, 1978 in Abingdon, Virginia. Ethel married Arthur Deel on December 17, 1919. Ethel and Arthur Deel had two children, Evelyn Faye and Curtis Edgar.

10. Bonnie M. Arrington was born on December 17, 1904. She died on October 4, 1998. Bonnie married Cowan Grayson Edwards on May 17, 1922. Bonnie and Cowan had the following children: Agnes Irene, Laurie Marie, Olney Edwards, and Cowan Grayson.
11. Hattie Mae Arrington was born about 1907. She died in Detroit, Michigan. Mae married Roy Granville Selfe on March 30,1926. Mae and Roy Selfe had two children: Billy and Jerry.

12. Earl C. Arrington was born on November 14, 1909. He died on January 13, 1943. He married America Claris “Clara” Sykes on August 22, 1931, in Russell County, Virginia. Earl and Clara Arrington had two children: Phyllis Ann and John Earl.

14. Haskel Bernard Arrington was born on September 13, 1913. He died on November 6, 2004, in Bristol, Tennessee. Haskel married Dorothy Tess Sutherland and Ruby Kiser. His third wife was Julia Osborne Cooper. They were married on September 18, 1948, in Dickenson County. Haskel and Julia Arrington had three children: Julia Elizabeth, David Mark, and Patricia Ann. Haskel Arrington was a well known banker in Dickenson County

Newbern Arrington died in 1938 and Sarah Duty Arrington died on October 2, 1941 at the age of 74. Both are buried in the family cemetery on the mountain where they lived at Cannady, Virginia.

The Historical Society would like to thank Janice Busic for providing us with the above information.

All of our newspapers articles are reprinted in the Historical Society’s Stories of Yesteryear booklets. Currently, Volumes 1-12 are available for purchase. For more information about this article, or any of our publications, or to make corrections or additions to an article, to purchase a local history book, or to inquire about a Historical Society event, please contact the Historical Society office at 276-926-6355, P. O. Box 52, Clintwood, Va., 24228, or dchs1880@gmail.com. If no answer, please leave a message (which includes your name and phone number) and one of our volunteers will return your call. Or contact Edith Faye Redden at 276-926-4117.