Centennial history of Arkansas, Part 102

Author: Herndon, Dallas T. (Dallas Tabor), b. 1878
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Chicago, Little Rock, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 1172

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Dr. Perkins pursued his education in an academy at Tabor, Iowa, at Grinnell Col- lege and in the State University of Iowa at Iowa City, thus laying broad and deep the

DR. CHARLES F. PERKINS

Vol. 11-41

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foundation upon which to rear the superstructure of professional knowledge. Having determined upon the practice of medicine as a life work, he became a student in Rush Medical College of Chicago, in which he was graduated with the class of 1886. For fifteen years thereafter he remained in Chicago in the active practice of his profes- sion, in which he made steady progress, and during that period he taught anatomy in Rush Medical College for five years and was a member of the Cook County Hospital staff for a period of four years. He also became identified with the Second Regiment of the Illinois National Guard as surgeon, so serving for five years with the rank of major. In 1899 he removed from Chicago to Shenandoah, lowa, where he engaged in medical and surgical practice for five years or more and then came to Arkansas, settling first at Springdale, where he owned and operated a farm in connection with his medical prac- tice. His interest, however, has always centered in his profession and in 1916 he opened an office in Rogers, where he has since engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery. As the years have passed he has promoted his knowledge and increased his efficiency through postgraduate work in Augustana Hospital of Chicago and through four visits to the Mayo Brothers Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, thus gaining intimate and com- prehensive knowledge of the methods followed by America's foremost surgeons. Dr. Perkins makes a specialty of surgery and the medical profession throughout the state acknowledges his pronounced ability in this field.

On the 5th of June, 1895, Dr. Perkins was united in marriage in Bentonville, Arkansas, to Miss Edith Marie Clarke, a native of Macomb, Illinois, and a daughter of Christopher Columbus and Martha (Lea) Clarke, who removed from Macomb, Illinois, to Bentonville, Arkansas, in 1883, the father becoming a groceryman of that city. Both have now de- parted this life.

Dr. and Mrs. Perkins hold membership in the Christian church and she is particu- larly active in church work and in the church societies. Dr. Perkins also belongs to the Masonic fraternity and to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and he has member- ship in the Rotary Club. Practically his entire time, however, is devoted to his pro- fessional interests and duties, which are constantly increasing, and he has membership in the Arkansas State Medical Society and the American Medical Association and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Through the proceedings of these bodies he keeps ahreast of the trend of the times in connection with medical research and in- vestigation. He acted as chairman of the advisory medical board of Madison, Benton and Washington counties during the war period. His skill in surgery is today widely acknowledged and his services in this particular are songht throughout the northwestern section of the state.

JAMES M. LITTLEFIELD.

James M. Littlefield, a prominent and successful cotton broker, of Fort Smith, operating on the cotton exchange and also engaged extensively in cotton raising, was horn in Gorden county, Georgia, in 1872, a son of Asa and Mary Littlefield. His youthful days were spent under the parental roof at the place of his nativity and his education was acquired in the public schools there. He came to Fort Smith in 1886 when a youth of fourteen years. He had begun to earn his own livelihood when but eleven years of age and was at first employed at farm labor in the Indian Territory. Following his removal to Fort Smith he secured a situation in a planing mill, then conducted by the firm of J. G. Miller & Company and afterward by the firm of Dyke Brothers, with whom Mr. Littlefield continued for seven years, his long term of service with that company indicating fully his capability and trustworthiness. He next went to Kansas, where he engaged in the butchering husiness and also dealt in cattle for seven years.

Returning to Fort Smith in the fall of 1898, Mr. Littlefield here embarked in merchandising and also followed farming at Braden, Oklahoma. He resides in Braden, although conducting his brokerage business in Fort Smith and likewise directing the activities of the cotton exchange. In addition to his activities of this character he established a cotton gin and merchandise business in Peno, Oklahoma, and likewise owns and conducts a store at Spiro, Oklahoma. His business interests are extensive and important and contribute in substantial measure to the commercial and industrial growth and development of the community in which he operates. He likewise has extensive farming interests in Peno and Braden, Oklahoma, cultivating about seven thousand acres of land, of which four thousand is devoted to cotton raising, while the remainder is given over to the raising of alfalfa, potatoes and corn. Mr. Littlefield was the originator of a particular type of cotton, which is bred and put upon the market under the trade name of Arkoma Acla. It has become quite famous among

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the trade on account of its fineness and silkiness of fibre and its extra length of staple. It also has a very high lustre and, moreover, is a very early variety of cot- ton, so that through the production of this plant he has cotton ready for the market soon after others are starting to cultivate their crops. Mr. Littlefield conducts an extensive cotton brokerage business and operates a board which furnishes quota- tions for the various interests which require them. He handles perhaps between three and four thousand bales of cotton of his own per annum and in addition buys and sells a large amount on speculation.

Mr. Littlefield was married in 1899 to Miss Minnie Spencer of Fort Smith, a daughter of Sam Spencer, and their children are: James, who is associated with his father in business; Irene, who acts as bookkeeper in the Spiro store; Bessie; Asail; Spencer; and Dorothy. Mr. Littlefield belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and has attained the thirty-second degree of Scottish Rite Masonry. He is like- wise a member of the Mystic Shrine and is an exemplary representative of the craft. He belongs to the Rotary Club and during the recent war he was head of the Council of Defense at Braden. He also took a leading part in all war activities, in the Red Cross drives and in other movements tending to uphold American interests and advance the welfare of the soldiers in camp and field. His activities have made him well known and his business interests have brought him to a central place on the stage of commer- cial and financial activity in Arkansas. He carefully studies every question that has to do with the development of his business and his judgment is sound and re- liable, while his sagacity is keen and penetrating. One meeting him is impressed with his forcefulness and resourcefulness and at once recognizes the fact that he belongs to that class of men whose business enterprise and progressiveness constitute the substantial foundation upon which is built the progress and prosperity of community and commonwealth.

J. W. WILSON.

J. W. Wilson, practicing at the bar of Danville, his large clientage being the indication of his ability in his chosen profession, has resided in Danville since 1916. While he has spent the greater part of his life in Arkansas, he is a native of Buffalo county, Nebraska, where his birth occurred in 1873, his parents being James and Sylvia (Haytor) Wilson, natives of Knox county, Tennessee, and of Iowa, respectively. The father was a representative of one of the old southern families, being a son of John Wilson, who was born in Tennessee and spent most of his life at Knoxville, that state. He was a farmer and stock raiser, owning a large amount of land and many slaves, but lost heavily at the time of the Civil war. The maternal grandfather of J. W. Wilson was William Haytor, who was born in Iowa and spent his last days in Idaho, having devoted his life to farming and to the min- istry of the Baptist church.

The marriage of James Wilson and his wife was celebrated in Nebraska, where both had located in early life. The father was a Confederate soldier, serving for four years during the Civil war, and on several occasions was wounded. He was also captured and for eighteen months was held as a prisoner of war at Camp Morton, Indianapolis, Indiana, there remaining until the close of hostilities. After the war he removed to Kearney, Nebraska, and did scout duty for the government during the building of the Union Pacific Railroad for three years. He also did some contract work on the road at a later period. In 1880 he removed with his family to Arkansas, settling in' Logan county. His wife had died at Hot Springs, Arkansas, in 1874 and his death occurred in Yell county in 1902. He had been the owner of a farm in Logan county. To Mr. and Mrs. Wilson were born two children, the elder being Joseph, a farmer of Belleville, Arkansas. The mother was a consistent member of the Baptist church. Politically Mr. Wilson was a democrat, supporting the party from the time that age conferred upon him the right of franchise.

J. W. Wilson was but seven years of age when the family home was established in Logan county, where he attended the rural schools and afterward the high school at Paris. Later he devoted four years to teaching and subsequently engaged in merchandising in Belleville. It was his desire, however, to become a member of the legal profession and to this end he studied law under private instruction and was admitted to the bar in 1910. He first opened an office in Belleville, where he practiced until 1916, when he came to Danville and entered into partnership with J. E. Cham- bers. The firm is prominently known, occupying an enviable position, the partners devoting their entire time to law practice, to the abstract and to the real estate busi- ness. In the meantime Mr. Wilson has become the owner of considerable land in

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Yell county and his real estate activities have been an important source of revenue to him.

In 1893 Mr. Wilson was married to Miss Effie Huckaby, who was born in Yell county, a daughter of Dr. D. F. Huckaby, for many years a practicing physician of that county. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson became parents of three children: Ruth, the wife of Noble Hunnicutt, a teacher of Muskogee, Oklahoma; Lynn, who is deputy circuit clerk at Danville; and J. B., who is twelve years of age and is attending school.

In his political views Mr. Wilson has always been a democrat but never an office seeker. He is well known through fraternal relations, being a Royal Arch Mason, a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and also of the Woodmen. Both he and his wife belong to the Baptist church and they are highly esteemed in the community where they live, the hospitality of the best homes being cordially extended them. Each displays many sterling traits of character that have gained for them high position in public regard.

JOHN WILLIAM CRAWFORD.

John William Crawford, a lawyer of ability, who from the outset of his career, recognized the fact that advancement and success must attend upon industry, determi- nation and thoroughness combined with fidelity to the interests of his clients, has throughout the period of his practice displayed those qualities which are essential for advancement at the bar. Moreover, his name now figures in connection with many important forensic contests that are chronicled in the court records and in a notable number of these he has won verdicts favorable to his clients. Mr. Crawford is a native of Georgia, his birth having occurred in Lee county, that state, November 3, 1852, his parents being William H. and Caroline E. (Thomas) Crawford. The father was born in Washington, D. C., and was a son of William H. Crawford, Sr. The latter was born in Virginia, a representative of the distinguished Crawford family of that state. His father with six sons removed to South Carolina and William H. Crawford, Sr., after- ward became a resident of Georgia. He was recognized as one of the leading states- men of his day and also attained distinction as an attorney. He left the impress of his individuality and ability in marked measure upon the nation's history, serving as sec- retary of war and later as secretary of the treasury. He was also appointed minister to France and negotiated with Napoleon on vital matters of that period. He served in the United States senate and was an avowed candidate for the presidency when he suf- fered a stroke of paralysis, removing him as a possibility for that office. In bis declin- ing years he served as circuit judge. He was a man of notable intellect, who delved deep to the root of any public matter under discussion and he was ever actuated by a marked devotion to the general good. He stands out prominently as a figure on the page of national history and at all times association with him meant expansion and elevation.

His son, William H. Crawford, Jr., came to Arkansas in December, 1858, and set- tled in Lincoln county, which was then a part of Arkansas county. Unlike his father he did not seek to figure prominently in connection with statecraft but devoted his life to upholding the legal and moral status of the communities in which he lived, en- gaging in the practice of law and also in the work of the Presbyterian ministry. Thus in a different line he exerted a widely felt influence for good, though one that was less spectacular than his father's career. He departed this life in Pine Bluff, April 14, 1883 His wife, Caroline E. Thomas, was a daughter of John Thomas, a native of Georgia. who had one son, Jett Thomas, who came to Arkansas, establishing his home in Lin- coln county. The parents of John William Crawford were married in Georgia and they became the parents of six children: Martha, the wife of Dr. S. W. Jones; Ruth; Juliet; Anna, the wife of John C. Crenshaw; William H .; and John William.

John Crawford Crenshaw, a son of Mrs. John C. Crenshaw, was graduated from Center College at Danville, Kentucky, and became a Presbyterian minister. He is now serving as a missionary to China. His brother, John Llewelyn Crenshaw, was also graduated from Center College and likewise from Princeton University. He attended the congress of chemists at Boston, delivering a lecture there, after which Andrew Carnegie immediately offered him a position as chemist on the Carnegie board of original research: He served in France during the World war as a chemist to devise destructive gas. He now occupies the chair of chemistry at Bryn Mawr. Mattie Crenshaw, a sister of the two sons just mentioned, is the wife of S. Burleigh, a celebrated English war corres- pondent. David Dudley Crenshaw, another son, became a lawyer of Dermott, Arkansas, and died in October, 1921. Thus in the younger generation the family is sustaining the high reputation which has long been associated with the ancestral record.

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John William Crawford, whose name introduces this review, was educated at the college in Georgetown, Kentucky, of which his uncle, Nathaniel Crawford, was serving as president. After leaving that place he returned to the farm in Lincoln county, Arkan- sas, and in 1878 he came to Pine Bluff. A review of the broad field of business with its limitless opportunities along industrial, commercial, agricultural and professional lines led him to the determination to enter upon the practice of law and with this end in view he became a student in the law office of Carlton & McCain. In June, 1879, he was admitted to the bar and through the intervening period, covering forty-three years, he has been engaged in active practice in Pine Bluff. To an understanding of uncommon acuteness and vigor he added a thorough and conscientious preparatory training, while he exem- plified in his practice all the higher elements of the truly great lawyer. He is con- stantly inspired by an iunate inflexible love of justice and a delicate sense of personal honor. As few men have done he has seemed to realize the importance of the profession to which he devotes his energies and the fact that justice and the higher attributes of mercy he often holds in his hands. While he was well grounded in the principles of common law when admitted to the bar he has continued through the whole of his pro- fessional life a diligent student of those elementary principles that constitute the basis of all legal science and this knowledge has served him well in many a legal battle before the superior and appellate courts, where he has won many cases. Nor have Mr. Craw- ford's activities been confined alone to his law practice. He was elected to the state senate and served through 1889 and 1891, during which time he sponsored a bill to compel railways to pay a discharged employe immediately upon his leaving the service. He also promoted a bill to amend the poll tax law. He is known in financial circles as a director of the Cotton Belt Savings & Trust Company.

Mr. Crawford was married in 1882 to Miss Martha V. Hudson, a daughter of Hon. James A. Hudson. She is a woman of broad civic spirit and of splendid philanthropic achievements. She was a prime factor in the work of raising funds for the building of the Davis Hospital, devoting ten or twelve years to this task. This is now owned and operated by the Baptist State Convention of Pine Bluff and is an institution of which the city has every reason to be proud.

Mr. Crawford was active in war work, stanchly supporting all those agencies which made for the welfare of the country and its task of forming a strong home defense for the soldiers, who were fighting for democracy on the battle fields of Europe. Both Mr. and Mrs. Crawford are consistent members of the Presbyterian church, in which he is serving as an elder and in all branches of the church work they have taken active and helpful part. Mr. Crawford's lines of life have been cast in harmony with those of an honored ancestry and in person, in talents and in spirit he is a worthy scion of his ruce.

JOSEPH W. HOUSE, JR.

It has been said that one of the most difficult things in life is to maintain a reputa- tion established by one's forhears. Invidious comparison is apt to creep in and the individual is not judged by what he has accomplished but by a record made by others. Notwithstanding all these, however, Joseph W. House, Jr., has gained a creditable and enviable position as a representative of the Little Rock bar. He is a son of Colonel J. W. House, eminent attorney, who is now practically living retired. The father is known as the Grand Old Man of Arkansas and is uniformly beloved by reason of what he has accomplished in his professional capacity, as a citizen and through his close fidelity to the highest standards of life in every relation. His son and namesake was born in Searcy, Arkansas, October 29, 1886. The removal of the family to Little Rock enabled him to become a pupil in the excellent public schools of this city and he passed through consecutive grades until graduated from the high school with the class of 1904. His appetite for education was unsatiated and he then entered the University of Arkansas, in which he won his Bachelor of Arts degree upon graduation with the class of 1907. In the meantime he had determined upon the practice of law as a life work and in preparation for the bar he went east, entering the Columbia Law School of New York city, in which he won the LL. B. degree upon graduation with the class of 1911. He was thus splendidly qualified for his professional work and returning to Little Rock en- terei upon active practice. Stimulated by the example of his father he has made splen- did use of his time, talents and opportunities and with him each day has marked off a full faithed attempt to know more and to grow more. His clientage has long been of a most important character and he possesses comprehensive knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence as shown in his handling of his cases. The earnestness, tenacity and courage with which he defends the right as he understands it challenges the highest

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admiration of his associates. He invariably seeks to present his arguments in a strong clear light of common reason and sound logical principle.

On the 2d of September, 1915, in Little Rock, Mr. House was married to Miss Julia Clarke, who was born in Helena, Arkansas, and is a graduate of Vassar College. They have become parents of one child, Ellen Clarke House. The parents belong to the Presbyterian church and their social position is one of distinction. Fraternally Mr. House is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. Politically he is a democrat, recognized as one of the party leaders of the state and from 1917 until 1919 he served as chairman of the state central committee. Further analysis of his life record brings forth the fact that his was an honorable and honored ancestry and in talents, in person and in character Mr. House is a worthy scion of his race.

PHILIP EMERSON THOMAS, JR., M. D.

Dr. Philip Emerson Thomas, Jr., is one of the more recent additions to the medical profession in Little Rock, but already he has made for himself a creditable place, practicing in Little Rock, with offices in the Boyle building. He is a veteran of the World war, having done active duty in France, Belgium and Germany ere he returned to his native land to take up the active practice of medicine and surgery. He was born in Clarendon, Monroe county, Arkansas, June 15, 1890, and is a represen- tative of old families of this state. His father, Philip E. Thomas, was born at Hickory Plains, Arkansas, in 1856 and the mother is also a native of this state. They reside in Clarendon and the father, who is a graduate of Washington University of St. Louis, in which he completed a medical course, is now devoting his attention to the practice of medicine and surgery. He acted as medical examiner for the draft in the World war and gives his political allegiance to the democratic party. To him and his wife were horn five sons and three daughters, all of whom are living.

The youthful days of Dr. Philip E. Thomas, Jr., were spent without event of special importance, his time being largely given to the acquirement of a public school education until he was graduated from the high school of Clarendon with the class of 1909. Having determined to make the practice of medicine his life work, he then entered the Memphis Hospital Medical College, now the medical department of the University of Tennessee, and completed his course as a member of the class of 1913. He then located for practice in Clarendon, where he remained until after America's entrance into the World war. In May, 1917, he responded to the country's call and became a lieutenant of the Medical Corps, serving as such until March, 1919, when he was promoted to the rank of captain and was discharged with that rank on the 6th of August, following. He went overseas in August, 1918, being sent first to St. Florent, France, and afterward to Souilly, where he was located when the armistice was signed. With his command he was then sent into Belgium and afterward into Germany with the Army of Occupation, there remaining until he received his discharge. In May, 1920, he came to Little Rock, where he entered upon active practice as a member of the firm of Saxon, Patterson & Thomas. His broad experience through private practice and through his military service well qualified him for the onerous professional duties that are now devolving upon him.

In October, 1917, occurred the marriage of Dr. Thomas and Miss Louise Nancy Walls, who was born in Holly Grove, Arkansas, in January, 1894, and was graduated from the State University in 1915. She is a daughter of James A. and Julia (Patter- son) Walls, who are still residents of Holly Grove. To Dr. and Mrs. Thomas has been born a son, Philip Emerson Thomas (III).

Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Dr. Thomas has voted with the democratic party. Fraternally he is a thirty-second degree Mason and member of the Mystic Shrine and is also connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. His religious faith is manifest in his membership in the Second Presbyterian church and in his loyalty to those high standards which have their root in the Christian religion.

D. C. AMBROSE.

A great writer has said: "The newspaper is the great educator of the nineteenth century. There is no force compared with it. It is book, pulpit, platform, forum, all in one. And there is not an interest-religious, literary, commercial, scientific, agricul- tural, or mechanical-that is not withiu its grasp. All our churches, and schools and colleges, and asylums, and art galleries feel the quaking of the printing press." For

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Centennial history of Arkansas, Part 102

Author: Herndon, Dallas T. (Dallas Tabor), b. 1878 Publication date: 1922 Publisher: Chicago, Little Rock, The S. J. Clarke publishing company Number of Pages: 1172

Author: Herndon, Dallas T. (Dallas Tabor), b. 1878
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Chicago, Little Rock, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 1172