Many families deeply rooted in Ozarks hills and hollows
Northwest Arkansas is the birthplace and home to many people who reside here.
However, over the years many people have moved here drawn by the Natural State’s charm and current prosperity as well as unique way of life.
Stephen Lynch of St. Louis and his sister Sheila Lynch Calix of Rogers are children of the most recent owner of the Andy Jack Lynch cabin and the farm on Sugar Creek. Their father, Nuel Lynch, arranged for the preservation of the original log cabin now located in Bentonville. It is the” ‘entry way” to the Peel Mansion and a museum of early frontier life. Sheila and Stephen are great-grandchildren of Andy Jack Lynch’s oldest son, Carlos.
Jen Mason of Seattle, Wash., and Kerry Burtman (who was accompanied by his wife, Mardee) of Kansas City, Mo., are grandchildren of John Lynch, the third son of Andy Jack Lynch and his wife, Malinda Wilson Lynch. In addition to the Lynch connec- tion, Jen and Kerry also have Ruddick family connections that tie them to the original structure that became the Elkhorn Tavern.
The group of descendants also included Leo Lynch of Pea Ridge and his grandsons, Ellis and Hunter Lynch of Cedarburg, Wis., who are descendants of the youngest son of Andy Jack Lynch, Harra (Harry) Lynch. Leo is the grandson and Ellis and Hunter are the great-great-grandsons of Harra. They also have Ruddick connections as well as Cox ties to the Elkhorn Tavern.
The Friday afternoon prior to Easter was devoted to visiting the various Lynch properties on Sugar Creek, the remaining community of Brightwater and connecting to the original John Lynch house now occupied by the Paul Bennett family. Bar- bara Bennett King acted as tour guide and her mother Wanda Bennett, a lifelong resident of the area, provided access to the house — the last standing house constructed by an ancestor of Andy Jack Lynch. The group saw the historic railroad trestle, visited the Civil War site located overlooking the community of Brightwater and drove over part of the Old Wire Road. The afternoon included visits to cemeteries in the area including Liberty and Ruddick cemeteries where longtime residents’ names such as Ruddick, Cox, Carter, Ellington, Ford, Glasscock, Leonard, Tiner and Benbrook, as well as the Lynchs, can be found. A visit to the historic cemeteries would not be complete without a trip to the Wardlaw Cemetery with its scenic view overlooking Sugar Creek. This cemetery is the final resting place of Andy Jack and Malinda Lynch.
•••
Editor’s note: This is the second in a three-part series about the descendants of Andy Jack Lynch, a resident of the Sugar Creek area near Brightwater.