Centennial history of Arkansas, Part 162

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. Alexander is a son of William Julius and Margaret Eliza ( Moore) Alexander. His father devoted his active life to the occupation of farming. For several years

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HON. JAMES R. ALEXANDER

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previous to and for more than two years of the war period, however, he suffered from a complicated illness to such a degree that he was little better than an invalid. When sufficiently recovered he was assigned to the supply department, where he remained until the termination of the war. The family was also represented in the struggle, by six uncles, one of whom was killed in battle. The death of William Julius Alexander occurred in September, 1920. His wife, like himself, was born in Asheville, North Carolina, and was a granddaughter of Colonel William Moore, who won his title through service in the colonial army, commanding a regiment in the Revolutionary war, while afterward he was head steward of the Cherokee Indians, in which com- mand he was succeeded by J. R. Alexander's grandfather. Thus the families have been associated and have intermarried for many years, and by reason of this J. R. Alex- ander can claim relationship to many of the distinguished residents of North Caro- lina and other states.

J. R. Alexander acquired his early education in the rural schools of his home county and continued his studies in Newton Academy. In 1882 he came to Arkansas and has since been a prominent citizen here. His plantation is located south of Scott Station- a section typical of the "old south." He has a vast acreage, of which three thousand acres are under cultivation. Unlike most planters Mr. Alexander does not devote all of his land to cotton, only about fifty per cent being planted to the white staple crop .. All feed and supplies needed for the upkeep of the plantation are raised here and at times there is feed to sell to less progressive planters.

While Mr. Alexander has never sought public place or position, yet true to his name and the traditions of the family, he has always been willing to serve his fellow- men but has accepted only such positions as have carried no salary with them and in which his service could be of real value to the public. In this connection it may be mentioned he has been president of the Pink Boll Worm Association, chairman of the organization committee of the Cooperative Marketing Association, chairman for Arkansas of the American Cotton Association, vice president and organizer of the Plum Bayou Levee District, chairman of the Pulaski County Live Stock Association and one of the organizers of the fence commission. For the past four years he has been the president of the State Planters Board of Arkansas. He was the organizer of the Scott Cotton Growers Association that for ten years has marketed the cotton in his locality. He has been called on whenever agriculturists, cotton growers or cattlemen have wanted a representative to attend conventions in any part of the' United States or Canada, and these conventions he has always visited at his own expense, bringing back to his own state the benefit of knowledge gained through the discussion of questions vital in any of these connections. All of these things indi- cate something of the nature and breadth of his interests and foreshadow in a way his activities, for he is not only known as a prominent cotton planter but has also been actively and prominently connected with the raising of live stock. Mr. Alexan- der, together with the late H. F. Auten, inaugurated and financed the first two state live stock shows ever held in Arkansas, which became an annual event and were merged into a permanent organization. He manifests a keen interest in everything that has to do with the development and progress of the state and is very active in road building, filling the position of chairman of Road District No. 3, as well as of Road District No. 10. He was agricultural adviser to the draft board by appoint- ment of the secretary of agriculture during the World war-one of the dollar-a-year men.

Mr. Alexander is now serving his third term in the state legislature and is being urged to accept the candidacy for the senate, but politics have little attraction for him and he ofttimes prefers to perform his public duty as a private citizen. True to his name, however, he is willing to serve his neighbors whenever he can do so without having to resort to the petty tricks of politics and never does he desire pay for his services. He is now the chairman of the honorary board of penitentiary commissioners appointed by Governor McRae. This position, of course, subjects him at times to criticism, but he has the determination and pluck to do what he believes to be his duty to the state in this connection and no amount of criticism can swerve him from a course which he believes to be right. He is a man of iron will and "hews to the line, let the quips fall where they may." The south and the whole United States needs a few more men of the calibre of Mr. Alexander. His spirit in relation to the agricultural progress of the state is indicated in the fact that he organized an extensive tour whereby Thomas C. McRae, then governor-elect, and more than seventy- five members of the state legislature made a tour to Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Mis- souri, to inspect the agricultural colleges of these various states with a view to im- proving conditions in the Arkansas Agricultural College and to promote agriculture at large. He invited Governor McRae and every member of the legislature to make the tour with him and agreed to arrange with bankers and business men in different

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parts of the state to furnish the money to pay the cost of railroad fares, Pullman berths and meals for the party. It was understood that the payment of these expenses in no way placed any obligation whatever on the legislators accepting the invitation, and Mr. Alexander made it one of the conditions of the trip that there be no legis- lation of any kind suggested to the members. Every effort was made to promote the comfort of the guests on the trip and to give them opportunity fully to under- stand and study conditions existing in the different agricultural colleges visited. They were accorded every courtesy by the different states, the heads of the institutions being found truly willing to show and explain what they were doing for the youth of these states. The itinerary was extended to include a visit to the agricultural college at Fayetteville, where they recognized the inadequacy of preparations made for the agricultural courses and the need for development and growth in this particular. The influence of this trip is incalculable and it was the outcome of the idea, the plans and the purposes of Mr. Alexander, who recognized the need for an agricultural awakening in Arkansas, the trip doing much to stimulate effective work along the line of improvement, not only through legislative enactment but on the part of individuals. In 1901 Mr. Alexander was married to Miss Evelyn May Crump, a native of Petersburg, Virginia, and a daughter of John Littleton and Ella (Cousins) Crump, both representatives of old pioneer families of that state. On both sides her ancestors have helped to make and mold colonial and Revolutionary war history, as well as modern events in the Old Dominion. To Mr. Alexander and his wife have been born three children: Robert H., who is a student in Vanderbilt College and who seems to have inherited his full share of Scotch tenacity and pluck, is now majoring in chem- istry with the intention of later pursuing a full agricultural course. Immediately after entering college he was made a fraternity man and was chosen a member of the Blue Pencil Literary Club, which elects ten members each year, and also of the Nemo Club, which elected only two, the membership being limited to twenty-five. He is one of the university's most promising athletes, as well, and he is fully sustaining the tradition of the Scotch Alexanders; the second son, John Littleton, has departed this life; the daughter, Evelyn Crump, completes the family and is the pet of the household. Mr. Alexander was reared in the faith of the Presbyterian church and his wife is a member of the Episcopal church. In politics he has always adhered to the principles of the democratic party. As the days and weeks pass and lengthen out into months and years, Mr. Alexander continues his labors in connection with the development of his individual business interests and with the growth and progress of the state and there is perhaps no man in Arkansas who has contributed more directly and more effectively to the agricultural improvement of Arkansas than he.

ROBERT F. PARKER.

In the course of an active business career Robert F. Parker came to rank as one of the leading real estate men of Hot Springs. For an extended period he resided in Arkansas and after connection with other lines of business he turned his attention to handling realty and in this connection worked his way steadily upward, wining a notable measure of success by reason of the large clientage which he gained in the real estate field. Mr. Parker was a native of Bolivar, Tennessee, and one of a family of eight children whose parents were Mr. and Mrs. Asa Parker. The father owned an extensive plantation in Tennessee and devoted his life to the development and improvement of this property.

Robert F. Parker attended the public schools near his father's plantation and in young manhood he became engaged in the livery business in Memphis, Tennessee. He afterward removed to the state of Texas, where he established a grocery store, carrying on a business there until he removed to Mountain Valley, Arkansas. He next became a resident of Hot Springs, where he established a grocery business and with the rapid growth of his trade was soon conducting one of the extensive mer- cantile houses of this character in the city. As he prospered in his undertakings and saw opportunity for judicious investment he acquired property and in the course of years became a most important factor in the real estate transactions of Hot Springs. In this connection he developed a large clientele and he was at all times able to wisely direct the purchase and the sale of property to the advantage of his clients, while by reason of his many transactions his commissions amounted to a goodly figure annually. He continued thus to operate in the real estate field until the 15th of July, 1902, when he retired from active business.

Mr. Parker was united in marriage to Miss Ophelia L. Culbreath, a daughter of Edward Culbreath. They became the parents of seven children: Daisy I., now

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the wife of S. A. Cisler of St. Paul, Minnesota; Mary E., who became the wife of Dr. J. M. Proctor, a prominent physician of Hot Springs; Gussie, who married T. H. Jackson of Hot Springs; Nannie E., who is the wife of J. W. Dodson; Robert A .; Frank C .; and Frederick B.

The family circle was broken by the hand of death when Robert F. Parker died, his remains being interred in Greenwood cemetery at Hot Springs. Thus passed from the scene of earthly activities one who had been a prominent and well known figure in real estate and in commercial circles of his city. He deserved much credit for what he accomplished, as he started out in life in a humble capacity and by force of character and marked ability worked his way steadily upward. Those who knew him recognized his thorough reliability and commended him for his enterprise and progressiveness. He had many sterling traits of character, among which was his fidelity and loyalty to any cause which he espoused. His religious faith was that of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he was a devout mem- ber, while his political allegiance was given to the democratic party.

CLAUDE B. McDONALD

Claude B. McDonald, veteran of the World war and now filling the office of postmaster at Mansfield, was born in Waldron, Arkansas, in 1894, his parents being S. C. and Roxie (Self) McDonald, the former a native of Arkansas, while the latter was born in Georgia. The father was both a farmer and engineer, devoting his life to the two pursuits. His wife was in early life a school teacher. They became parents of three children: Ernest; Beulah V., the wife of W. G. O'Neill; and Claude B.

Claude B. McDonald spent his youthful days under the parental roof, his boy- hood being passed in the usual manner of the lad of the period and his education acquired in the public schools. This and his home training well qualified him for the practical and responsible duties of life. Starting out in the business world he was employed as shipping clerk by the Pitman Harrison Wholesale Seed Company at Sherman, Texas. Following America's advent into the World war he joined the army and served as a private in an ambulance corps of the Seventy-seventh Division. He was trained at Camp Pike, at Camp Greenleaf and at Camp Merritt and was assigned to Ambulance Company, No. 307. He participated in the entire campaign in the Argonne forest. He was also at St. Vaille, bringing the wounded from the front and was almost constantly under fire. He went through all of the experiences of modern warfare in the performance of his duty, never once faltering, no matter how difficult and dangerous the task assigned him.

Mr. McDonald was mustered out in June, 1919, and returning to his home he was soon afterward appointed postmaster of Mansfield, which position he is most capably and acceptably filling, discharging his duties with promptness and thorough- ness and the patrons of the office find him always courteous and obliging. He is highly esteemed by reason of the sterling worth of his character and all who know him speak of him in terms of high regard. Fraternally he is a Mason and member of the Eastern Star and is a most loyal follower of the teachings and high purposes of the craft.

JUNE R. MORRELL.

June R. Morrell, attorney at law, actively engaged in practice in Ashdown, was born near Lonelm, in Franklin county, Arkansas, September 7, 1886. His youthful days were spent upon the home farm with the usual experiences of the farm bred hoy who divides his time between the acquirement of a public school education, the pleasures of the playground and the task of assisting in the cultivation of the fields. Mr. Morrell completed a high school education and later attended the Springfield Normal and Business College at Springfield, Missouri, thus receiving training that well qualified him for life's practical and responsible duties. When but eighteen years of age he began teaching school, which he followed through the summer months, and while thus engaged he devoted his leisure hours to reading law until he was qualified for admission to the bar in 1909. For a time he was a law student in the office and under the preceptorship of Judge McDonald of Fort Smith and following his admission to the bar he located for practice in Fort Smith, where he remained for a year. He then came to Ashdown, where he is now attorney for the Kansas City Southern and Frisco Railroads and here he also engages in the general practice of law

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with good success, having now a very satisfactory clientage that has connected him with much important litigation heard in the courts of the district,

Mr. Morrell has remained continuously in Ashdown save for a period of six months spent in the World war. He enlisted on the 25th of June, 1918, as a private in the Second Company of the Second Training Battalion and was discharged December 13, 1918, following the signing of the armistice. Mr. Morrell served as city attorney of Ashdown in 1915 and 1916 and is now filling the position of alderman, exercising his official preogatives in support of many measures for the public good. He has some farming interests in Little River county and property in Ashdown which he rents, and these various interests make extensive claims upon his time and attention in addition to his law practice, which is constantly growing.

PHILIP CONE FLETCHER, D. D.

Dr. Philip Cone Fletcher, pastor of the First Methodist Episcopal church, South, of Little Rock, is not only one of the leading preachers of this section of the country but also one of the sterling public-spirited citizens of the capital. He was born at Mount Jackson, Virginia, February 9, 1871, and is a son of Lemuel and Lou Ellen (Smith ) Fletcher. He is descended from the Fletchers of Switzerland, to which famiy the Rev. John Fletcher, one of the co-founders of Methodism, also belonged. He is like- wise a lineal descendant of Miles Fletcher, who settled in Virginia in 1635. Governor Fletcher of New York, and Grace Fletcher, who became the wife of Daniel Webster, were members of the same family in the collateral fine. The father of Dr. Fletcher died in 1896, at Evergreen, Fauquier county, Virginia, his death being deeply regretted by his neighbors and many friends, who esteemed him most highly as a man of culture, refinement and true nobility of character. He was in every way a worthy descendant of his forhears and he came of a family whose ancestral record is indeed most creditable and honorable. Nineteen representatives of the family fought in the Revolutionary war, six of them participating in the battle of Bunker Hill. Lemuel Fletcher fought bravely in the Civil war under General Eppa Hunton. Dr. Fletcher's mother was a direct descendant of Sir Sidney Smith of England and Sir Walter Anderson of Wales. Her father was Major Joseph Blackwell Smith, one of the leading educators of his day. Her great-grandfather in the paternal line was Colonel Thomas Smith, who was one of the influential citizens of the Old Dominion. Her grandfather, William R. Smith, was for many years president of the august bench of Virginia magis- trates. In the maternal line Mrs. Fletcher was a granddaughter of Thomas Towson, founder of Towsontown, Maryland. In her line are James Madison Smith, the brilliant essayist and journalist; Rev. Dr. Thomas Smith, the celebrated Episcopal minister of Virginia; John Marshall, chief justice of the United States: Governor William Smith of Virginia, who served in congress with Webster, Calhoun, Benton, Douglas and other distinguished statesmen; Richard Smith, an uncle, the founder of the Warren Green Seminary at Warrenton, Virginia, and of The Sentinel of Alexandria, Virginia; Dr. William Waugh Smith, the distinguished southern educator and chancellor of the Randolph-Macon system of colleges. Mrs. Fletcher died in the year 1918, at Pasadena, California.

Dr. Philip C. Fletcher was reared in his native state, there pursuing his educa- tion in the public schools and in Buena Vista Academy. His collegiate training was received in the Bethel Military College, from which he was graduated, and in Randolph- Macon College, in which he completed his course with the class of 1890. He afterward attended the Chicago University. Hendrix College conferred upon him the degree of D. D. in 1915. In 1895 he was ordained a deacon and became an elder in the church in 1897. Dr. Fletcher first became a member of the North Georgia conference of the Methodist Episcopal church, South, in 1894. During the twenty-seven years which he has devoted to the ministry Dr. Fletcher has served a full quadrennium at each of the following churches: Central church at Fort Smith, Arkansas; the First Methodist church at Eureka Springs, Arkansas; the Central church at Fayetteville, Arkansas; the Winfield Memorial church of Little Rock; the First Methodist church of Tex- arkana, Arkansas; and the First Methodist church of Little Rock, which is the "cathedral" church of Methodism in this state. Among other churches in which the Doctor has served in his more than a quarter of a century in the ministry may be mentioned the First Methodist Episcopal church, South, of St. Louis, Missouri, and the Union Street Methodist Episcopal church, South, of San Francisco. Dr. Fletcher is now secretary of the Little Rock Conference Sunday School Board, is a trustee of Hendrix College, of Galloway College, and of the Arkansas Girls Industrial School; a member of the Ministerial Alliance of Little Rock, of which he has been president

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for two terms: state chaplain of the Arkansas Commercial Travelers; a trustee of the Methodist Orphanage at Little Rock and was a delegate to the Ecumenical Mis- sionary Conference in New York in 1900.

In January, 1895, Dr. Fletcher was married at Rome, Georgia, to Miss Emmie Jackson, a daughter of Captain Jethro Jackson, representative of one of the pioneer families of the south. Mrs. Fletcher is a college graduate and is a lady of splendid intellectual attainments, as well as of beautiful character, and in every respect has ably seconded and assisted her husband in his work. He speaks of her as "my inspiration." They have made fifty-seven thousand calls in his ministerial life, and the Doctor has several bound volumes-personal journals-in which are recorded each of the calls or visits he has made and the names of those whom he has visited.

In politics Dr. Fletcher is a democrat but never allows his political convictions to warp in any way his service to his parishioners. He is a prominent Mason, having taken the degrees of both the York and Scottish Rites, becoming a Knights Templar and Consistory Mason and also a Noble of the Mystic Shrine. He is likewise an Odd Fellow and a member of the Woodmen of the World. A man of keen and brilliant intellect, he is a gifted orator and cultured speaker. There is nothing dark nor gloomy in his religion and his very presence, as well as his words, carries with it sunshine and hope wherever he goes. He is well known on the lecture platform, having spoken for many Chantauquas, Epworth League conventions, societies and church- es. His lectures have been delivered under the titles of: Imperial Manhood; The Life Beautiful; The Empire of Love; Smiles and Frowns; The Universal Truth; The Real John Wesley; Great Books as Life Teachers; Love, Courtship and Marriage; Beyond the Silent Night; and Playing the Fool. These lectures show a keen insight into human nature, its foibles, its possibilities and its opportunities, and he never fails to make the world better by reason of the mirror which he holds up to nature and the encouragement which he gives to his hearers for the development of the best that is in them.

WADE HAMPTON HALL.

Wade Hampton Hall, occupying a responsible position as chairman of the board of control for state charitable institutions in Arkansas, with offices in Little Rock, was born December 1, 1876, on a farm in Ouachita county, Arkansas, and is the eldest in a family of five sons and two daughters, whose parents were Theodore and Bettie (Terrell) Hall. The father was born on a farm in Independence county, Mississippi, November 29, 1847, while the mother's birth occurred near Charleston, South Carolina, on the 13th of April, 1854. They married in Columbia county, Arkansas, in 1875, and cf their seven children, four sons and two daughters are living. The father devoted his life to the occupation of farming, save for the period of his service in the Civil war. He entered the Confederate army as a private on the 18th of August, 1862, joining Company A of the First Battalion of the Trans-Mississippi department, Major Byrd commanding. He served until the close of the war, when the regiment was dis- banded at Mansfield, Louisiana, Lieutenant Primm commanding the squadron. Mr. Hall was on detached service and acted as a courier most of the time while at the front. He was but fourteen years and nine months of age when he entered the army. When the war was over he returned home and devoted the greater part of his life to agricultural pursuits in Arkansas, thus providing a comfortable living for his family. His political endorsement was given the democratic party. He died May 18, 1913, and is still survived by his widow, who lives on the old home farm in Ouachita county.

At the usual age Wade Hampton Hall became a pupil in the rural schools of his native county and later he continued his education as a high school pupil in Stephen, Arkansas. He next went to Arkadelphia, where he attended the Arkadelphia Methodist College and thus he received a liberal education, well qualifying him for later duties and responsibilities. Having prepared for the bar, he was admitted to practice and at once entered upon the work of an attorney. His progress in this connection was contin- uous and he became recognized as an able lawyer, by reason of the careful manner in which he prepared his cases and the clear and potent reasoning which characterize his presentation of a cause in the courts. He has also become the secretary and treasurer of the Gloster Lumber Company of Gloster, Mississippi. Important public duties, how- ever, claim much of his time. On the 10th of March, 1915, he was appointed by Governor George W. Hays to the office of chairman of the board of control for the state charitable institutions for a term of four years. He continued to act in that capacity until 1919 and was then reappointed by Governor Brough for the ensuing term of six years and throughout the entire period of his connection with the board he has been its chairman. This board has control over the Hospital for Nervous Diseases, the Deaf

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Centennial history of Arkansas, Part 162

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