BIOGRAPHIES

Sharp County Arkansas Genealogy Trails

ABERNETHY, J. L.

ADAMS, William Jasper

BAIRD, Jeremiah Pitt

COCHRAN, James P.

COLLINS, David

DAVIDSON, Sam H.

DURHAM, Dr. John O.

EDWARDS, Wiley Marshal

ENGLISH, Charles W.

FORD, David R.

Mr. J. L. Abernethy of Evening Shade, Sharp County, Ark., was born at Morganton, on  the Little Tennessee River, in Loudon County, East Tenn., on the 3rd of March, 1835.  He is the youngest son of Rev. Berry and Myra (Cobb) Abernethy, formerly of Lincoln County, N. C.  The Abernethy family are purely Scotch-Irish blood.  As early as the sixteenth century, Rev. John Abernethy, a dissenting minister of the Presbyterian faith, in the Highlands of Scotland, attained great distinction as a theologian and author.  Later, Dr. John Abernethy, another member of the family, who emigrated to London, was greatly renowned as a physiologist and surgeon.  He was a pupil of Sir Astley Cooper, and gave medical lectures for thirty-five years at St. Bartholomew Hospital.  He wrote and published many books on medical and kindred topics.  McIlwain, in 1835, published a book entitled, "Memoirs of Abernethy," which was re-published in America by the Harpers, and is extensively read.  Mr. Abernethy's ancestors came to America prior to the Revolutionary War, settling first in Virginia and then in North Carolina.  To a man they stood for the colonies, and against the British.  His parents emigrated from North Carolina to Tennessee seventy-four years ago.  Rev. Berry Abernethy was licensed to exhort by Bishop Asbury, and to preach by Bishop Roberts, of the Methodist Church.  In his day, he was a minister and revivalist, and well known in the Holston conference.  In 1844 he went with the Church South, and fully maintained his Christian character as a minister and a citizen for about sixty years, and died at Rhea Springs, Rhea County, East Tenn, in 1871, aged eighty-eight years.  Mr. Abernethy's mother is still living at the age of eighty-nine years, and is a hale, hearty and active old lady--a woman remarkable for her strong native intellect, and is thoroughly posted in the great events which have transpired during her long and pleasant life.  The parents had eight children:  Eliza D., Susan R., Martha M. and Artie A.; John C., A. Sylvester, James T. and Joseph L.  Eliza D. and Sylvester are dead; balance, except the subject of this sketch, now living in East Tennessee.  Dr. John C. Abernethy is an eminent physician and surgeon.  He was surgeon of the Sixty-second Tennessee Confederate Regiment and Brigade, surgeon of Gen. Vaughan's bridgade at Vicksburg.  James T., who was residing in Missouri at the beginning of the war, adhered to the Union side of the controversy, and became colonel of the Tenth Tennessee Cavalry.  The subject of this memoir was educated at the Morganton Academy, under the Rev. T. K. Munsey, and Hiawassee College, under Profs. Doak, Bruner and Duncan.  He first studied medicine with Dr. Bickwell, at Madisonville, Tenn., and attended lectures in 1855-56 at the University of Nashville.  Subsequently, in 1861, he enlisted in the Confederate service.  He enlisted as a private in Capt. Cawood's company, Forty-third Tennessee Regiment, commanded by Col. J. W. Gillespie and Lieut. Col. D. M. Key, now United States judge, residing at Chattanooga.  He was soon transferred to the medical service, and was assigned to duty at Loudon Post, in charge of the sick and wounded, where he remained until the spring of 1863.  He then resigned for the purpose of aiding Col. John A. Rowan in raising the Sixty-second Tennessee Regiment, with a view of being surgeon in the field.  After the formation of the regiment he was, on account of domestic afflictions, compelled to decline the position, and his place was filled by his brother.  Mr. Abernethy retired to Rhea Springs, and had no further connection whatever with the war of the States.  He began the study of law in August, 1863, and gave it unremitting attention for more than two years, when he was licensed to practice by Judge E. T. Hall of Knoxville, Tenn., and Chancellor D. C. Trewhitt of Chattanooga, Tenn.  He was first admitted to the bar at Washington, Rhea County, Tenn.  Subsequently he removed to Knoxville and practiced there until 1870, when having professional business in Arkansas, he visited that State, and was so well pleased with the country, and especially with his prospective wife, that he removed to the State of Arkansas and located at Evening Shade, the county seat of Sharp County, where he has since remained engaged in the practice of law, and in farming.  In 1880 Mr. Abernethy was the Democratic elector on the Hancock and English ticket, for the Fourth congressional district of Arkansas, and made a thorough canvass of the same.  He is now serving his third term as State's attorney for the Third judicial circuit of Arkansas, and is faithfully discharging the duties of the office to the best of his ability.  In 1858 he was married to Miss Mary A. Johnston, a daughter of James H. Johnston, a leading citizen of Monroe County, Tenn.  By her he had three children.  One, Joseph L., is dead; the others Allie and Effie, their mother having died July 9, 1863, he brought to Arkansas in 1871.  They are accomplished young ladies.  John B. McCaleb, an attorney of good promise, married Miss Allie, and they have three children.  Robert E. Huddleston married Miss Effie.  They reside at Ash Flat, and have charge of the high school at that place.  Mrs. Huddleston is an accomplished music teacher, and now has charge of a large class of pupils.  In the fall of 1871 Mr. Abernethy married the widow of James S. Shaver, on Reed's Creek, Sharp County.  She was the daughter of James P. Monger, deceased, and is a native of Roane County, East Tenn.  The Shaver and Shelby families are closely connected, and were noted people in Southwestern Virginia and Upper East Tennessee many years ago.  Mrs. Abernethy had one son by Mr. Shaver, James R. Shaver, who is now engaged in the study of law in his step-father's law office.  Mr. and Mrs. Abernethy had three children:  Artie and John Loudon living and Elsie Pearl, who is dead.  Mr. Abernethy owns a farm of about 400 acres, situated on Piney Fork of Strawberry River, one and a half miles from town.

-Source: Biographical & Historical Memoirs of Northeast Arkansas, c1891, Goodspeed Publishing Co, p. 735-737.

WILLIAM JASPER ADAMS

William Jasper Adams, a farmer of North Township, one mile south of Armstrong postoffice, was born in Pulaski County, Mo., May 16, 1836, being the fourth child of a family of nine children. He was raised in Missouri, receiving his limited education in the common schools. September 2, 1859, he married Miss Sarah M. Lee, who was born in Phelps County, Mo., September 2, 1842, and died January 13, 1878. She was the mother of seven children (five of whom are living): William M., John H. (deceased), Elizabeth (deceased), Halcoyn (wife of Alex. Smittle), Orlena, Bethelda and Thomas S.
Mr. Adams married his second wife, the widow Gardner, in February, 1879; she was a daughter of Wiley and Matilda Jones, of Tennessee, who were among the early settlers of Phelps County. They have had two children: James M. and Nettie M.
Our subject worked three years in Public Iron Works, was two years in the livery stable business, and has been a farmer. In 1887 he came to Sharp County, Ark., where he now resides. He has about 120 acres of land, some eighty-five under cultivation. May 11, 1861, he enlisted in Company G, Confederate army, and served about four years, having been wounded in the right arm by a gunshot. He was in the battle of Lexington. He is a member of the Knights of Honor; in politics is a Democrat, having cast his first presidential vote for Buchanan. His wife is a member of the Baptist Church. Our subject's parents were William and Charlotte (Malone) Adams, who were born and raised in Washington County, Ky., he having been born in 1808 and she in 1811. Mr. Adams was a farmer and came to Pulaski County in 1833, his nearest neighbor being twenty miles away. He returned to Kentucky in 1840, remaining till 1843, when he returned to Pulaski County, his father coming with him, and settling on the Merrimac in Dent County. He died August 18, 1885. He was a son of Coonrod and Rebecca (Hawk) Adams, who died in 1846 and 1848, respectively. They were about the first settlers of Dent County, and were of Dutch descent. --Transcribed by Anna Newell, July 2006--Source: Biographical & Historical Memoirs of Northeast Arkansas, c1891, Goodspeed Publishing Co, p. 737.

JEREMIAH PITT BAIRD

Jeremiah Pitt Baird, one of the early settlers and leading farmers of Union Township, residing one and one-half miles east of Williford postoffice, was born in Smith County, Tenn., October 10, 1824, the son of Jeremiah and Mary (Pennington) Baird. His father, of Scotch descent, was born in Rowan County, N. C., about 1785, and died in Lawrence County, Ark., in 1857. He married in North Carolina, emigrated from that State to Kentucky in 1817, resided there for one year, when he moved to Smith County, Tenn., and from there to Lawrence County, Ark., in 1841. Mrs. Baird was born in Montgomery County, N. C. near 1791 and died in Lawrence County, Ark., about 1851. Our subject, the only child living of a family of nine, received most of his education after arriving at maturity, his parents being poor, and he being obliged to work instead of attending school. After coming to Arkansas he lived with his parents till their death. In 1859 he married Miss Susan A. More, who was born in Tennessee about 1830, and died October 8, 1884 in Lawrence County. In 1888 he married Isabelle (Wassen) Crawford, a widow. Mr. Baird enlisted in 1863, in the Union Army, in company C., First Missouri Cavalry, participating in the battle of Jenkins' Ferry, and was discharged in 1865. He has resided on Spring River since 1841, and has about 200 acres of land, eighty-five under cultivation. He has held the office of justice of the peace several terms in Lawrence County, and was one of the assistants of the county court, when it consisted of the judge and two justices. He is a Republican, voting first for Zachary Taylor. He and his wife are members of the Christian Church, as was his first wife. Mr. Baird is an influential citizen, well-to-do and highly respected. (Transcribed by Anna Newell, Nov. 2006--Source: Biographical & Historical Memoirs of Northeast Arkansas, c1891, Goodspeed Publishing Co, p. 737-738.

JAMES P. COCHRAN

James P. Cochran, of the firm of J. P. Cochran & Son, general merchants and dealers in farming implements, was born in De Kalb County, Tenn., in 1832. His parents were William T. and Jane K. (Duncan) Cochran, of Smith and DeKalb Counties, Tenn., respectively, being married in the latter place. The parents moved to Dresden, Weakley County, Tenn., when James was very young, and resided there until their decease, Mr. Cochran dying in 1862, and his wife several years after their arrival. The elder Cochran was a tailor and clothier, and later in life, established a general merchandise store. He built up a large trade, and was one of the most popular merchants of that section in his day, bearing a reputation for honesty and enterprise that has been well guarded by his son. He fought in one of the Indian Wars, and was a member of the I.O.O.F. His father, Henry Cochran, of Scotch-Irish descent, died in Smith County, Tenn., where he had resided for a great number of years. The mother of James P. was a member of the Christian Church, and died in that fiath. Her father, Josiah Duncan, was an old resident of De Kalb County, Tenn., where he died. James P. Cochran is the eldest of two sons and three daughters. He was educated at the Dresden (Tenn.) Academy and schools in the vicinity, receiving a good English education and business training. At thirteen years of age he held a position of trust with a firm in Dresden, and remained with them eight years. The experience gained in commercial life during that time made him one of the shrewdest business men in his section, although just attaining his manhood and shortly aftward he entered into partnership with his father, in the same place, and continued with him until an excellent opportunity was presented at Hickman, Ky., to which place he removed and established a livery business. Mr. Cochran's marriage occurred at Dresden, in 1857, to Julia, daughter of David and Harriet Shaver, natives of Tennessee, where Mr. Shaver died, when his daughter was very young. The mother afterward moved to Sharp County, where she died a few years later. Mrs. Cochran's death occurred on the 27th of December, 1866; she was the mother of one son and one daughter. Mr. Cochran was again married on January 10, 1870, his second wife being Miss Martha M. Shaver, a sister of his first wife, this lady dying March 23, 1886. In 1861 he moved to Salem, and established himself in business, but was compelled to close up on account of the war. In 1865 he was appointed clerk of Fulton County, and in 1866 was re-elected, and held the office for three years. He moved to Sharp county in 1869 and in 1872 was elected clerk of Sharp County, holding that office for four years. He next occupied the present building and commenced a commercial career, and since then has been one of the most successful business in Sharp County. The firm has a fine stock of goods valued at $5,000. Besides this Mr. Cochran owns several good farms and some 2,000 acres of land in Sharp County. He is a representative merchant, a shrewd and fair-dealing business man, and one of the most progressive citizens of this section. He has in his possession the first dollar he ever earned, and has kept it as a menento of the early days when he had nothing in the world but his own pluck and determiniation to succeed. In politics Mr. Cochran is a Democrat, and in religious faith a Methodist, as also were his two wives.
(Transcribed November 2006 by Anna Newell--Source: Biographical & Historical Memoirs of Northeast Arkansas, c1891, Goodspeed Publishing Co, p. 738.

DAVID COLLINS

David Collins, a farmer of North Township, nine miles northeast of Afton postoffice, Fulton County, was born in Indiana, June 2, 1835. His grandfather, Aaron Collins, who was born in North Carolina and married there, moving to Morgan County, Ind., and afterward coming to Missouri about 1834, where he died. David's father, Stephen Collins, was born in Kentucky about 1800, but came to Indiana with his parents when quite young; there he married Mary Lang, moving to Missouri in 1837, and in 1863 went to Lawrence County, and died there in 1864. Our subject's mother was born in Ohio about 1801, and died in Fulton County, Ark., in 1881. She was the mother of five children, David being the third; he was raised in Douglas County, MO, his schooling being limited to three months. He lived at home till after his father died, and in 1867 married Miss Martha Hopper, who was born in Indiana in 1841. They have a family of twelve children: Lee, Aaron T., Rosa T. Daniel N., David (infant), now living. Mr. Collins was a resident of Lawrence County for six years, and has resided in Sharp County since 1869. He has 160 acres of land, twenty-five acres of which are under cultivation. In 1862 he enlisted in the Confederate army, and served about two years. In politics he is a Democrat, his first presidential vote for Cleveland. He is a good citizen and highly respected.
(Transcribed November 2006 by Anna Newell--Source: Biographical & Historical Memoirs of Northeast Arkansas, c1891, Goodspeed Publishing Co, p. 739.

SAM H. DAVIDSON

Sam H. Davidson of Sharp County was born near Camden, Benton County, Tenn., January 29, 1846.  He is a son of John Wallace and Susan L. (Prance) Davidson, born in Huntsville, Ala., in 1814, and Montgomery County, Tenn., in 1818 respectively.  The parents were married in Humphreys County, Tenn., in 1836, and lived in that State, at Camden, until 1865, when they moved to Graves County, Ky.  In 1866 they lived a short time at Jackson, Mo., but during that year changed their residence to Randolph County, Ark., and in 1867 to Doniphan, Ripley County, Mo., thence to Evening Shade, Ark., in 1869, where the father died in October 1870.  Previous to 1852 the elder Davidson was clerk of the circuit court of Benton County, Tenn., and after that year he practiced law up to the time of his death.  In 1859-60 he was a member of the Tennessee legislature, representing Benton and Humphreys Counties in the house, and was present at the extra session that paved the way for the secession of Tennessee, giving earnest support to the vigorous war measures of the governor, Isham G. Harris.  For many years he was a zealous Mason, and was a member of the Methodist Church from 1865 until his death.  His father, John Davidson, was born in Virginia or North Carolina during the latter half of the eighteenth century, removed to and was an inn-keeper in Huntsville, Ala., and died there in 1815.  His mother was Mary Wallace of Scottish ancestry, noted for her beauty and culture among the early settlers of North Alabama.  The father of John Davidson was Abraham Davidson, a native Pennsylvanian, a soldier of the Revolution, who settled in North Carolina, and afterward in Montgomery County, Tenn., and who died in Benton County, Tenn. in 1838.  The father or grandfather of Abraham, James Davidson, was a native of Scotland, who came with his family, and settled near the Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania, and claimed to be the first Davidson to settle in North America.  The mother of Sam H. Davidson is still living, a devout Christian, and has been a member of the Methodist Church for more than forty years.  She is a daughter of John Prance of Scotch and Irish descent, who died in Montgomery County, Tenn.  His wife, Mary Cooper, was born in Montgomery County, Tenn., and died in McCracken County, Ky.  Sam H. Davidson is the seventh child of five sons and five daughters, of whom seven are still living.  He attended the Camden (Tenn.) Academy until 1861, when the Civil War closed up the schools of West Tennessee, after which he pursued his studies at home until the latter part of the war, when he enlisted, serving first in the Tenth and afterward in the Nineteenth Tennessee Cavalry, and taking part in many sharp engagements and brilliant dashes, under Gen. N. B. Forrest, during his operations in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mississippi.  In 1866 he began the study of law with his father, and in 1868 he was examined and admitted to practice in all the courts of the State of Missouri, by the circuit court of Ripley County, at Doniphan.  In 1869 he came to Evening Shade, and at the first term of the circuit court of Sharp County, held by Judge (afterward Governor) Baxter, he was admitted to practice in the inferior courts of Arkansas.  A few years afterward, on examination, he was licensed to practice in the supereme court of Arkansas, and his practice has extended through Fulton, Izard, Sharp and Independence Counties, and in the supreme court at the capital of the State.  In 1870 he served as county attorney for Sharp County; in 1872 the Governor appointed him county superintendent of public schools.  In 1872-73 he was editor and part owner of the Sharp County Herald, a Democratic newspaper.  He has frequently been called by his brethren of the bar to preside as special judge of the circuit court in Fulton, Izard and adjoining counties.  In 1874 he was defeated for delegate to the constitutional convention, but in 1876 after a sharp contest, he was elected to the lower branch of the General Assembly, and after this term expired he was re-elected without opposition, and at the organization, in 1879, received a very flattering vote for speaker of the house.  He never sought office afterward, but in 1888, without any solicitation on his part, he was nominated by the Democratic party of the Second senatorial district as their candidate, and after a hotly contested campaign, defeated the Union Labor and political Wheel nominee for State senator, carrying every county in the district, his majority reaching nearly 2,000; and, while he did not seek the place in any sense, he lacked but three votes, on several ballots, of election as president pro tem of the senate (lieutenant-governor) at the close of the legislative session of 1889.  Mr. Davidson is a holdover senator, and will be a member of the session of 1891.  He has been a Mason for about eighteen years, holding membership in the Lodge, Chapter and Council, and has been Master of his Lodge and District Deputy Grand Master, and for more than ten years has served his Chapter as High Priest.  He is also a member of the Knights of Honor, and has held the offices of Past Dictator, Reporter and Grand Representative.  In the State conventions of his party he has served several times on the committee to formulate a platform, and in 1884, he was secretary of the convention held in Little Rock which nominated candidates for State offices, and selected delegates to the National Democratic Convention, at Chicago, that nominated Cleveland.  Mr. Davidson was married in 1870 to Virginia, daughter of William and Frances French, and has five children.  He has a pleasant and comfortable home at Evening Shade, a number of town lots there and in other villages, and about 1,000 acres of land in various portions of the county.  He is devoted to his family and his friends, and an earnest worker for the promotion of the material prosperity of Arkansas.  (Transcribed June 2008 by Anna Newell--Source: Biographical & Historical Memoirs of Northeast Arkansas, c1891, Goodspeed Publishing Co, p. 739-740.)

Wiley Marshal Edwards, a leading farmer, was born in Wilson County, Tenn., January 8, 1836, where he was reared and received his limited education.  In 1859, while yet unmarried, he started West to seek his fortune, locating in Sharp County, Ark., where he has since resided.  His parents were Michael and Sarah (Bennett) Edwards, who were born in Tennessee in 1812 and 1815, respectively, his father having died in 1886 in Tennessee, where he had always resided, with the exception of 1871 and 1872, when he was in Arkansas; the mother of Wiley died in Tennessee in 1876.  His grandfather, William Edwards, was a native of South Carolina, but came to Tennessee in an early day.  In this family there were seven children, four of whom are living:  Sarah (residing in TN), Rebecca (residing in TN), Robert H. (residing in Jackson County, Ark), and the subject of this sketch, who was the second child.  In June, 1861, Mr. Edwards enlisted in the Confederate Army, Company E, twenty-first Arkansas Regiment, under Capt. Nunn, and served for four years, participating in the battle of Corinth, Miss.  At the close of the war he returned to Sharp County and married Mrs. Maria (Simson) Barnett, a widow, in 1874; she was born on the farm where our subject now resides in 1849 and died in 1879.  By this marriage there were three children, John B., Marshall W., William O.  In 1880 he married Anna Lock, a native of Tennessee, she having been born in 1858.  They have six children:  James C., George, Etta, Orra and two not named.  Mr. Edwards has 800 acres of land, about 200 cultivated, located on Strawberry River.  This is a fine stock farm.  Mr. Edwards is a member of Maxville Masonic Lodge, and is a Democrat, having cast his first vote for Gen. Scott.  (Transcribed July 2008 by Anna Newell--Source: Biographical & Historical Memoirs of Northeast Arkansas, c1891, Goodspeed Publishing Co, p. 741.)

Charles W. English, a farmer, of Union Township, four miles west of Ravenden postoffice, was born in Sharp County, Ark., June 19, 1850, the son of Edward N. and Sarah (Hudspeth) English.  Edward N., a farmer, of English descent, was born in Tennessee; he was in the service of the Confederate army, was taken prisoner, and died at Alton, Ill., in 1864.  He came from Tennessee, with his parents, to Sharp County, in an early day, his father being one of the first settlers.  Our subject's grandfathers were Samuel Hudspeth and Stephen English.  His mother was born in 1826, and reared in what is now Sharp County; she is yet living, and the mother of six children, of whom Charles W. was the eldest.  He was educated in the common schools of Sharp County; in 1867 married Miss Sarah Williford, who was born in 1850 and reared in Sharp County, and died in 1871.  She was the mother of three children, none of whom are living.  He married Miss Mollie Fair in 1873; she was born in Sharp County in 1857, and died in 1883.  By this marriage he has four children, three living:  Green T. E., Saphronia and Rhoda B.  In June 1888 he married Miss Nancy S. Howard, who was born in Lawrence County, Ark., in 1860.  Mr. English has resided where he now lives since 1878, having 270 acres of land, about sixty acres on Spring River bottom, all in cultivation.  He is a Democrat, having cast his first presidential vote for Greeley, and is a good citizen, highly respected and well-to-do.  (Transcribed July 2008 by Anna Newell--Source: Biographical & Historical Memoirs of Northeast Arkansas, c1891, Goodspeed Publishing Co, p. 741-742.)

DAVID R. FORD

David R. Ford, a well-known farmer, ginner and miller, of Sullivan Township, was born in Smith County, Tenn., in 1827, and is a son of James G. and Martha (Rowland) Ford, of Smith County, born in 1803 and 1802, respectively.  The parents lived in that county until the year 1844, and then moved to Arkansas, and settled on White River, in what is now Stone County, where they lived among the early settlers for the rest of their days.  The father died in 1866, and the mother in 1868, both members of the Methodist faith.  The elder Ford was a farmer by occupation, and a soldier in the Seminole War, in Florida.  He was a son of Zachary Ford, of Virginia, one of the early settler of Smith County, Tenn., where he farmed and held the office of justice of peace for a great many years.  The Ford family are of French descent.  David Rowland, the father of Mrs. J. G. Ford, was born and reared in North Carolina, and was also one of the early settler of Smith County, Tenn., where he died at an advanced age.  David R. Ford is the third child of three sons and five daughters, and moved to the State of Arkansas with his parents in 1844.  In 1855 he was married to Martha P. Headstream, daughter of John and Harriet Headstream.  The father was a native of Sweden, and a sailor for a number of years before coming to America.  He was married in Tennessee, his wife's native State, and moved to Phillips County, Ark., afterward to Monroe County, where he died.  Twelve children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Ford, of whom eight sons and one daughter still survive.  Soon after their marriage they settled at a point about eight miles above Batesville, where they resided until February, 1887, when Mr. Ford concluded to move to their present farm, some ten miles south of Evening Shade.  He now has 350 acres of land under cultivation, owning altogether about 700 acres, besides operating a cotton gin, corn mill and thresher, and his present prosperity is due entirely to his own enterprise and energy.  Before the war Mr. Ford was captain of a company of militia, and when the outbreak occurred he enlisted in Newton's regiment of cavalry, Arkansas' troops and served about one year and a half.  After the war he was elected justice of the peace, and held the office two years, and in 1874 was elected assessor of Independence County, a position he filled with distinction for the same length of time.  He is a Democrat in politics, and a valuable man to his party, being a strong supporter of his principles.  (Transcribed August 2008 by Anna Newell--Source: Biographical & Historical Memoirs of Northeast Arkansas, c1891, Goodspeed Publishing Co, p. 742.)

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