Centennial history of Arkansas, Part 11

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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Mr. Anderson was united in marriage to Miss Mary Ellen Nix, a daughter of J. D. Nix of Hunter, Arkansas, and they have become parents of one child, Mildred Ellen. In the social circles of Clarendon, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson occupy an enviable position, having many warm friends who esteem them highly, while the hospitality of the best homes is freely accorded them. They are members of the Baptist church and in his fraternal relations Mr. Anderson is a Mason, loyally following the teachings and pur- poses of the craft, as he does the injunctions and principles of the church.

W. K. TUCKER.

W. K. Tucker, one of the reliable citizens of Morrillton, is the county treasurer of Conway county. He is a native of this county, his birth having occurred on the 10th of December, 1889, a son of T. S. and Mollie (Adams) Tucker. The paternal grand- father, Wilson Tucker, was born in Georgia and farmed in that state until he came to Conway county, in 1859. He made the trip overland with oxen and suffered the usual privations and hardships of those early days. He located on what is now known as the old Evergreen place and he had to clear his heavily wooded land himself. There was an abundance of wild gime to be found in the vicinity of the homestead and Grandfather Tucker was a great hunter. Upon the outbreak of the Civil war, his sympathies being with the south, he enlisted in the Confederate army in 1861. His death occurred in Little Rock from pneumonia, which was contracted during his service in the army when he was exposed to all kinds of weather and was poorly clothed and fed. He is buried in the Confederate Cemetery at Little Rock. Hyman Adams, the

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF ARKANSAS

maternal grandfather, was born in Conway county and farmed here until his death, at the age of twenty-six years. T. S. Tucker was born in Georgia, in 1857, while his wife was born in Conway county, this state, in 1871. He received his education in the schools of Conway county, then primitive log structures, and upon putting his textbooks aside engaged in farming on his own account. After his marriage he bought three hundred and sixty acres of good land, which he cleared himself and brought to a high state of cultivation. He split rails and fenced in his land. The first cotton gin he built on his place had a horse press, but after that burned he erected another gin with a modern press. He won prominence in that connection and also as a general farmer and stock raiser. For eight years he served as county assessor of Conway county. Subsequently Mr. Tucker retired from farm life and removed to Morrillton, where he is now engaged in the mercantile business, assisted by two of his sons. In every undertaking with which he has been connected he has achieved substantial success and he is ranked among the representative business men of Morrillton. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Tucker four children were born: Samuel Othella, engaged in the mer- cantile business with his father; W. K., whose name initiates this review; Ben H., also associated in business with his father; and Nettie M., the wife of Noah Maxwell, an extensive farmer in Conway county. The family was reared in the faith of the Cum- berland Presbyterian church and fraternally the father is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Tucker has always voted with the democratic party, in the interests of which he has ever taken an active part.

In the acquirement of an education W. K. Tucker attended the public schools of Conway county and later enrolled as a student in the Choctaw high school. Upon the completion of his studies he secured work as a clerk in a grocery store in Morrillton, which position he held for one year. He then clerked in a mercantile store here for two years and at the termination of that time became manager for the Standard Oil Company's station. He held that position for three years and then sold Chevrolets and Republic trucks to agents throughout the county for a period of two years. Subsequently he became timekeeper for road construction on the public highway for one and one-half years. He ran for and was elected to the office of county treasurer of Conway county in 1920, taking over the duties of that office on January 1, 1921. As a public official he is demonstrating his ability to serve the public in a most efficient manner and is indeed proving a faithful custodian of the public funds.

Mr. Tucker was united in marriage to Miss Jessie Shewmake, a native of this county and a daughter of George Shewmake, a well known farmer and merchant of Morrillton. Mr. and Mrs. Tucker have hecome parents of a son, Charles Benjamin. The family is affiliated with the Presbyterian church and fraternally Mr. Tucker is identified with the Ancient Order of United Workmen. Since attaining his majority he has given his allegiance to the democratic party and is a firm believer in the principles of that party as factors in good government. He is a wide-awake and progressive citizen and his election to the office of county treasurer came to him as the expression of public faith and confidence on the part of his fellow townsmen.

EDMOND ECKHART BEAUMONT.

Edmond Eckhart Beaumont, auditor of the Bankers Trust Company of Little Rock, it a native of the capital city, his birth having occurred October 28, 1892. He is a son of Eckhart Lucius and Sophie (Kohler) Beaumont, the former born at Aransas Pass, Texas, in 1871, while the latter was born near Stuttgart, Germany. In the year 1888 Mr. Beaumont removed to Little Rock, where his remaining days were passed, his death occurring November 7, 1917. He had for a number of years survived his wife, who died March 8, 1908, in Little Rock. They were the parents of three sons, all of whom are living.

Edmond E. Beaumont obtained a public school education and was graduated from the high school with the class of 1911. After leaving school he entered the employ of the Southwestern Tile Company, with which he remained for several years and in 1911 he secured a position in the Old State National Bank, being a representative of the transit department. On the 31st of December, 1913, he left that position and went to the Exchange National Bank as manager of the transit department, there continuing until the 31st of December, 1917. At the latter date he joined the Bankers Trust Com. pany as chief clerk and on the 1st of February, 1918, was advanced to the position of auditor, in which capacity he has continued. He has made steady and substantial progress in banking circles for one of his years and his high standing is indicated in the fact that he has been elected to the presidency of the Junior Officers' Club of Little Rock Bankers. Since 1911 he has been a member of the American Institute of Banking,

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF ARKANSAS

the Little Rock chapter, and has served as vice president and president of the local organization.

On the 28th of October, 1912, in Little Rock, Mr. Beaumont was married to Miss Irene Lola Hutton, whose birth occurred in this city July 7, 1893. They have become parents of a daughter, Muriel Ruth, born August 4, 1914. Mr. Beaumont has always been a democrat in his political views, but never an aspirant for office. He and his wife belong to the Hunter Memorial Methodist Episcopal church, in the work of which they take active and helpful part. Mr. Beaumont is now serving as secretary and treasurer of the board, doing all in his power to advance the moral progress of the community and uphold high standards in his native city.

H. L. STERNBERG.

H. L. Sternberg, devoting his attention to law practice at Stuttgart, comes to this state from St. Louis. His birth occurred in that city in 1879, his parents being Charles and Emma (Jennings) Sternberg. The father was born in Centralia, Illinois, and was a son of Frederick Sternberg. On leaving Illinois he removed to St. Louis, where he still makes his home. During the Civil war he served as a drummer boy in the Confederate army. His wife is a daughter of John Jennings, who was born in England, and her birth also occurred in that country. She accompanied her parents to the new world, the family home being established first in St. Louis, while later a removal was made to Bluffton, Missouri.

H. L. Sternberg pursued his education in the public schools of St. Louis and then in preparation for law practice he attended the Washington University of that city. He not only prepared for the practice of law but likewise became an expert stenographer and this has been of much assistance to him in his professional career. He was admitted to practice at Pine Bluff, Arkansas, in 1907, and was appointed official court reporter of the eleventh judicial circuit. His work as a reporter has brought him comprehensive knowledge of the law and of the methods employed by attorneys. He came to Stuttgart in 1919 and in the previous year he reported the proceedings of the Arkansas con- stitutional convention. He was official reporter of the state senate in 1911. He has attained a notable degree of efficiency in his reportorial work and in 1918-1919 was president of the Southwest Shorthand Reporters Association. He reported the 1921 meeting of the American Investment Bankers Association, the meeting being held in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has reported hearings of the Interstate Commerce Com- mission, the Federal Trade Commission and also the Oklahoma State Medical Associa- tion conventions. He is now deputy prosecutor for Arkansas county and is connected with much important litigation heard in the courts of his district.

Mr. Sternberg was married in 1901 to Miss Lillian E. Wright, a daughter of H. G. Wright. He has an interesting military chapter in his career, for he is a veteran of the Spanish-American war, having served as a member of Company H, First Missouri Regiment. His uncle, Dr. George M. Sternberg, was surgeon general of the United States army during that war. Fraternally Mr. Sternberg is connected with the Elks and with the Woodmen. He belongs to the Episcopal church, in which he is a lay reader, and he is greatly interested in all that pertains to moral progress and to the uplift of the individual. In this connection he organized the Boys' Club of one hundred and twelve members and is a director of the Boys' Choir. He is seeking in every possible way to safeguard the youth of the country and to surround them with such influences and advantages as will make for honorable manhood and upright citizenship.

WILLIAM JACKSON WHITE.

One of the most successful business men in Pope county is William Jackson White, who for a half century has been identified with mercantile interests in Russellville, and he is also prominently connected with many other important enterprises, all of which have profited by his cooperation and keen sagacity and have constituted valuable factors in promoting the development and upbuilding of the town. He was born in Gordon county, Georgia, in 1852, and his parents were J. M. and Florida (Miller) White, both natives of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The father was born March 23, 1820, and the mother was born in 1822 and they were married in South Carolina, re- moving to Georgia soon afterward. The father cultivated a plantation in that state until 1869, when he came to Arkansas, opening a mercantile establishment at Ellsworth, in Logan county, which he continued to conduct until 1872. He then came to Russell-

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF ARKANSAS

ville and in association with his son, W. J. White, engaged in general merchandising and the business is now being successfully operated by the subject of this review. Mr. White, Sr., also had financial interests and was the owner of valuable holdings in land but was not active in business after taking up his residence in Russellville, having accumulated a substantial competence through the capable management of his affairs. Mrs. White was a charter member of the First Methodist Episcopal church of Russell- ville, with which her husband was also affiliated, and his political allegiance was given to the republican party. He was one of the early postmasters of Russellville and one of the most prominent and highly respected residents of his community. His father, Logan White, was also a native of South Carolina, later came to Arkansas, and died in this state at an advanced age. His wife had reached the venerable age of ninety- three years at the time of her demise. Their son, J. M. White, died March 23, 1892. and his widow survived until 1908. In their family were twelve children, of whom four are living: William Jackson, of this review; Mary A., the widow of Freeman S. Casper and a resident of Denver, Colorado; J. W., who is engaged in merchandising in Russellville; and Helen, the wife of Jesse Leonard, who is identified with the hardware business here.

William Jackson White attended the high school at Ozark, Arkansas, and on starting out in life for himself he acquired a third interest in a small store, of which his father and E. E. Eggleston were part owners, having thirty-six hundred dollars invested in the enterprise. Prices were high at that time and their capital was not sufficient to enable them to carry a large stock of goods. The partnership was dissolved at the end of the first year and Mr. White and his father took over the business, which was soon placed upon a paying basis, owing to the untiring efforts and excellent management of the son, who assumed entire control of the undertaking. As the business expanded he was obliged to seek larger quarters and in 1886 he erected a large two-story building, eighty hy one hundred feet in dimensions, in which he has since conducted his interests, which with the passing years have constantly developed, having now assumed extensive proportions. Mr. White owns practically the entire block in which his store is located and nearly all of the block in front of his establishment, while he also has large land holdings in Pope county. He has likewise become the owner of a farm in Colorado, comprising several hundred acres of land, and is specializing in the raising of Per- cheron and coach horses, of which he has a very fine grade. A substantial home stands on this property and here Mr. and Mrs. White have spent their summers for the past twenty-three years. Subsequently the firm of White Brothers & Company, composed of W. J. White, Jr., J. W. White, Jr., and J. W. White, Sr., repurchased the interests in the old retail establishment that our subject and his father established May 14, 1872, the building being owned by our subject. He was one of the organizers of the Norwood Wholesale Grocery Company, which was formed at Russellville about 1915, and is now vice president of this company. The Norwood Wholesale Company maintain stores at Conway and Morrillton, Arkansas, in addition to their Russellville establishment, Mr. White being owner of the building in which the business is conducted at this point. He is considered one of the most successful merchants in Pope county and is also well known as a financier, having for thirty-two years served as vice president and one of the directors of the Peoples Exchange Bank of Russellville, of which he was the organizer in 1890. His activities have covered a wide scope and his connection with any undertaking always insured a prosperous outcome of the same, for his efforts have heen resultant factors in everything which he has undertaken.

In 1899 Mr. White was united in marriage to Miss Lizzie Allen, a native of Grenada county, Mississippi, and a daughter of James Allen, who was for a number of years one of the prominent merchants of Russellville. Mr. and Mrs. White have had no children of their own, but their kindness of heart has prompted them to rear four children, namely: Eugene Shinn, who is connected with the government mail service, being employed in the office of the chief clerk at Little Rock; Hazel Jones, the wife of Arthur Winn, who is also identified with the mail service and resides at Joplin, Missouri; Vernon Shinn, who is engaged in the wholesale mercantile business at Russell- ville; and Sadie Jones, the wife of S. J. Ross, who is also connected with mercantile interests here.

Mr. and Mrs. White are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and his political allegiance is given to the republican party. For two years he served as postmaster of Russellville, being appointed by President Garfield, and resigned at the end of that period. He has also been a member of the town council and in public affairs has ever taken a deep and helpful interest. His life has been a very active and useful one and he is now living largely retired in Russellville, at the age of seventy, devoting his attention to the supervision of his extensive interests. Along the path of opportunity open to all he has reached the goal of notable success, his progress being due to the fact that he has recognized and utilized opportunities which others have passed heed-

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF ARKANSAS

lessly hy. He has always followed constructive methods, hending his energies to ad- ministrative direction and executive control, and his business activities have at all times balanced up with the principles of truth and honor. His life has been an ex- emplary one in all respects and from pioneer times until the present his name has been inseparably associated with the work of progress, improvement and upbuilding here.

COLONEL LOGAN H. ROOTS.

From the time when he first entered Arkansas, Colonel Logan H. Roots was a devoted and stalwart champion of the state, an untiring worker for its advancement, an unfaltering supporter of its highest ideals and a most valuable contributor to all those forces which have made for the greatness and advancement of the commonwealth. He came to the state as a veteran of the Civil war and in fact was still an officer of the U. S. A. when he made investment in a cotton plantation near Little Rock. He became one of the pioneers in the development of much of Arkansas' greatness, just as his ancestors had taken part in laying the foundation for New England's settlement and growth. In tracing the ancestral line one finds that Josiah Roots, in the year 1634, landed on the New England coast after crossing the Atlantic on the old sailing ship. Hercules. The law requirements of that day necessitated that each emigrant bound for the new world must produce "certificates from the minister where they last dwelt, of their conversion and conformity to the orders and discipline of the church and that they had taken the oath of allegiance and supremacy" hefore being allowed to embark. Robert Gorsham, curate of Great Chart, England, under date of the 20th of March, 1634. did certify not only of "ye sayd Josiah Rootes," but also of "hys familie ancestrie," facts ohtained from the "parish records and other bookes of entrie" and "certify'd," showing that the Rootes family, of Norman origin, had heen largely interfused with Saxon blood and that representatives of the name were "ever reputed valyant in war and honourabel in peace." Moreover, the members of the family were represented as men of "great statturs," possessed of keen minds, inflexible integrity, thrift and inde- pendence and practical godliness. These sterling traits have heen marked in each suc- cessive generation down to the present time. Among the descendants of Josiah Rootes in the fourth generation was the Rev. Peter Philanthropos Roots, A. M., who was a distinguished Baptist clergyman and the author of a volume on baptism. He also spent eighteen years in the mission field, preaching in seventeen different states in the Union and also in Canada, traveling more than two thousand miles in this work and delivering more than two hundred sermons annually. His life was one of great usefulness and activity and he died at his home in Mendon, New York, December 26. 1828, when in the sixty-third year of his age.

Benajah Guernsey Roots, the youngest son of the Rev. Peter Philanthropos Roots, was born in Fabius, New York, April 20, 1811, and became a resident of Illinois in 1838. He left the impress of his individuality in large measure upon the history of his adopted state, especially in connection with his earnest and effective championship of the cause of public education. He became the president of the state board of educa- tion of Illinois and at the same time contributed in large measure to organized efforts for moral development, heing an active member of Bible societies, Sabbath schools and other organizations for religious work. He was likewise identified with various benevo- lent societies and, moreover, was connected with agricultural societies looking to the further material development of the state. He was married October 20, 1834, to Martha Sibley Holt of Wilmington, Tolland county, Connecticut, and . they became the parents of three sons who reached adult age: Oliver Guernsey, who was horn in Wilmington, Connecticut, April 11, 1836, and who died November 3, 1856. at New Orleans, Louisiana, where he was acting as principal of a high school; Philander Keep, who was born at Wilmington, Connecticut, June 4. 1838, and who became a valued resident of Little Rock; and Logan Holt, whose name introduces this review. Martha, a daughter of the family, is the wife of J. C. Kimzey of Duquoin, Illinois.

Colonel Logan Holt Roots was born in Tamaroa, Perry county, Illinois, March 26, 1841. His home training had definite effect upon his character. Into him were instilled the principles of kindliness and tenderness, as well as of indomitable integrity and inflexible honor. He was taught courtesy and respect for his elders and was constantly impressed with the fact that life is a reality, carrying with it many duties and burdens and that character is best developed and refined in the university of hard knocks. There were comparatively few play-days in his youth. He was stimulated to acquire the best education possible and he early displayed special aptitude in mathematics. When but fifteen years of age he was occupying a man's position in connection with the civil engineering corps engaged in railroad location and construction. Ambitious to further

COLONEL LOGAN H. ROOTS

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF ARKANSAS

his education he entered the Illinois State Normal University when a youth in his six- teenth year, being the youngest male student in that institution. He afterward taught school for a year and then returned to the university, where he was graduated with valedictorian honors as a member of the class of 1862. The Civil war was already in progress and his patriotic spirit prompted immediate enlistment. He joined the army before returning to his home and became an officer of the Eighty-first Regiment of Illinois Volunteers. His business qualifications led to his appointment as quarter- master of the regiment and soon afterward he was transferred to the commissary depart- ment of the army, with which he continued until the close of hostilities, winning rapid promotion. He served on General Sherman's staff during the notable march from Atlanta to the sea, having charge of the entire supplies for the vast army under Sherman's com- mand. As a member of the general's staff he participated in the grand review in Wash- ington, D. C., in May, 1865, and when General Sherman came west Colonel Roots was assigned to duty in Arkansas.

The natural advantages of the state at once attracted him and before resigning his position as an officer of the army he had purchased a cotton plantation. He greatly developed his property, making it a paying investment, and as the years passed he came more and more into prominence as a public official. In 1872 he was elected to the presidency of the Merchants' National Bank and instituted a most safe and conservative policy, yet one that did not interfere with substantial progress and growth. In fact, under his guidance the hank developed so continuously that it became the foremost financial institution of the state and its thorough reliability was impregnable. It was his great ambition to aid materially in the development and upbuilding of the south- west and to this end he became closely associated with various banking institutions, which constitute the real heart of the commercial body, indicating the healthfulness of trade. He was quick to extend aid to manufactories and this aid was always based upon a firm belief in the value of the enterprise. His judgment was particularly sound and his discrimination keen. Beyond his banking business he had large investments in cotton-seed oil mills and in many manufacturing enterprises of Arkansas. He was a member of the directorate of the gas light, cotton mills, waterworks, state fair asso- ciation, cooperate interests and other important companies having to do with the steady development of the commonwealth. He was likewise one of the directors and a member of the executive committee of the Texas & St. Louis Railroad and he became the presi- dent and largest stockholder of the Southwestern Telegraph & Telephone Company, which company was the licensee of all telephone exchanges in Galveston, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Waco, Dallas and Fort Worth. In fact Colonel Roots was the father of the telephone system of the southwest and the value of his service in this connection cannot be overestimated.

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Centennial history of Arkansas, Part 11

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