The Definitive Account of a Notorious Arkansas Crime
Remembering Ella: A 1912 Murder and Mystery in the Arkansas Ozarks
A young woman murdered, a seething mob, a swift arrest, and a trial based on circumstantial evidence.
In the days before DNA analysis, could justice prevail?
Remembering Ella is the haunting true story of the murder of Ella Barham and the hanging of Odus Davidson in the northern Arkansas Ozarks.
A Trial Based on Circumstantial Evidence
The 1913 Trial of Odus Davidson: The Official Witness Testimony
In this companion book, read the exact testimony each witness gave during this famous trial.
Ella Barham
Slender, blonde, blue-eyed Ella lived with her family on their farm in Boone County, located in the rural Ozarks of northern Arkansas.
A favorite in her community, Ella’s beauty and vivacious spirit attracted numerous suitors. In her free time, Ella enjoyed the company of her family and friends, liked to read, and was fond of beautiful flowers.
A Brutal Crime
Ella’s young life came to an abrupt end on the afternoon of Thursday, November 21, 1912. Her assailant waylaid her at the corner of the community’s cemetery when she was returning home from an errand.
Search parties found her dismembered body late that night, scattered over a hillside.
An autopsy proved she had been raped.
Odus Davidson
This vicious crime sent shock waves through the Ozarks, sparked the threat of mob violence, and made national news. It shattered all sense of trust and security that had existed in Ella’s community for decades.
Authorities swiftly charged a neighbor, 29-year-old Odus Davidson, with the crime. Locals were determined that he be convicted, and threats of mob violence ran so high that he had to be jailed in another county to ensure his safety.
But was there enough evidence to prove his guilt? If so, had he acted alone? What was his motive?
The Trial of Odus Davidson
Discover the truth as Remembering Ella leads you through the last day of Ella’s life, her disappearance and the resulting search, the finding of her body, the suspects’ arrests, the inquests, and the indictment.
Take a front-row seat in the packed courtroom in Harrison, Arkansas, where more than 35 witnesses testify at Odus Davidson’s trial while a seething mob clamors for justice outside.
Follow the attorneys as they appeal the case to the Arkansas Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Return to Harrison for the public hanging of Odus Davidson.
An Execution
Odus Davidson was the last person to be legally hanged in Boone County, Arkansas, before the state changed its method of capital punishment to electrocution.
In many people’s minds, the murder of Ella Barham remains unsolved and divergent stories and legends about it persist.
Read the book, explore the mystery, and decide for yourself: Was justice served?
Remembering Ella
Written by Ella Barham’s cousin, Remembering Ella weaves local, regional, and state history into its narrative as well as short biographies. It draws on the transcript of Odus Davidson’s trial and other official case file documents, hundreds of newspaper accounts, Barham family documents, Ozarks beliefs and customs, early twentieth-century law, genealogical records, and more.
Remembering Ella is rich with history. Go back in time and experience the rural Ozarks as it was in the early 1900s, a place where farming was a way of life and church gatherings, Sunday visits, spelling bees, pie suppers, and picnics were the hallmark of entertainment.
What Others Are Saying About Remembering Ella
“Remembering Ella takes us back to what should have been the ‘good old days’ in the rural Ozarks of northern Arkansas, but it’s hard to imagine a more gruesome and heartbreaking murder story than this one, an event so terrible that it scarred a community for decades. Yet Nita Gould, drawing on years of research and long-hidden artifacts, manages to tell the story with a combination of painstaking detail, objectivity, and compassion.”
—BROOKS BLEVINS, A History of the Ozarks, Volume I: The Old Ozarks
“Remembering Ella superbly tells this story of murder and a possibly flawed trial which results in the execution of the defendant. The author, Nita Gould, is a cousin of Ella Barham, but this book is no mere sentimental homage to a long-dead relative. Gould is a fine self-trained historian and a relentless researcher, and her writing is engaging. Most importantly, the author makes an ultimately successful effort to write a balanced account which is fair to the memory of Ella Barham as well as the man executed for her murder, Odus Davidson.”
TOM DILLARD, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
“Among a crowded and thriving field, author Nita Gould has written a stand-out exemplar of the True Crime genre … This engaging work … includes historical, cultural, and genealogical tidbits about life in the Ozarks during a time period when the reality of the rural Ozarks often resembled the backwater stereotype that still plagues modern depictions of the region … It’s a glimpse into life before the technological revolution tore a hole in the social fabric … Gould does a thoroughly credible job maintaining her neutrality, despite her blood ties to the victim … You should read Remembering Ella. She’s worth your time.”
VICTORIA HOWERTON, Elder Mountain: A Journal of Ozarks Studies
“Remembering Ella is a compelling read as the reader revisits a rural world, its traditions, and intimate personal interactions … The author should be praised for attempting to present a definitive study of an event some one-hundred-plus-years-old that has been long the focus of local folklore and conjecture. Given her exhaustive study of newspaper accounts, legal documents, and the small number of available interviews, she presents a thorough account of the crime and the events surrounding it … This book is worth the read … It transports the reader into the well-established yet frontier-like culture of the Ozarks as it existed in the early 1900s.”
— MILDRED DIANE GLEASON, Arkansas Review: A Journal of Delta Studies
"Remembering Ella takes the reader far beyond the central story of murder and justice. At every opportunity, Gould includes meticulous facts that illuminate the Arkansas court system in the early 1900s as well as everyday life in a rural Ozark community during that time. I must admit, there are parts … that I struggled with because they are so dense with detail. But I applaud Nita Gould for her commitment to sharing every stone she upturned in the interest of bringing this tragic story to light.”
— SUSAN YOUNG, Arkansas Historical Quarterly
"Remembering Ella: A 1912 Murder and Mystery in the Arkansas Ozarks is a solid account of a terrible event. But it is also a valuable snapshot of life in the Ozarks in the early twentieth century and of Arkansas's state legal system. It is a valuable addition to the history of the Natural State.”
— AARON MCARTHUR, The Journal of Southern History
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About Author Nita Gould
Hello! Welcome to my site!
Ella was my first cousin, twice removed. I inherited her remaining possessions and spent more than a decade researching and writing this book to tell her story. It was something I believe I was meant to do - it was a labor of love.
I am a direct descendant of the Barhams of Boone County, Arkansas. My mother, a fourth-generation Ozarker, was born and raised in Boone County. My great-grandfather Barham and Ella’s father were brothers and owned a general store. My grandfather knew Ella well because they were first cousins and lived only five miles apart.
I am a student of Arkansas history, a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and a preservation enthusiast. I successfully nominated several Boone County properties to the National Register of Historic Places, including my Barham ancestral home.
I live in Oklahoma with my husband and two cats. I spent my career in technology, but my passion is wandering the hills of the Arkansas Ozarks and exploring its history!
Thank you for visiting my site and for remembering Ella!
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