Centennial history of Arkansas, Part 171

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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GEORGE WILSON DENISON.

A name figuring prominently upon the pages of Little Rock history is that of George Wilson Denison, whose contribution to the city's development was real and valuable. He was born at Sacketts Harbor, New York, August 10, 1840, and came to Arkansas in 1865 to fill the position of registrar of the United States land office. He belongs to one of the old and well known American families, being a descendant in the eighth generation of Captain George Denison, who served as a soldier under Cromwell in the English wars. William Denison came to America in 1631 as the progenitor of the family on this side of the Atlantic. He brought with him his wife, Margaret, and his three sons, Daniel, Edward and George. The boys were sent back to Eng- land to be educated and later George served under Cromwell in the English wars. William Denison had also brought John Elliott as a tutor when he came to America in 1631. His son, Captain George Denison, on returning to America, removed to Connecticut and became a historic figure in that state. George Denison (II) was united in marriage to Miss Mary Gorham Howland, a daughter of John Howland. who was one of the Mayflower passengers. Thus from the earliest period in the colonization of the new world the ancestors of George Wilson Denison figured prominently in connection with the founding of the great American republic and the same spirit of progress has prompted George W. Denison to become a factor in the upbuilding of the west. After serving in the United States land office until 1876 he retired from that position to engage in the wholesale drug business in Atlanta, Georgia, while subsequently he concentrated his efforts and attention upon coal mining in Kentucky.

Returning to Little Rock in 1887 Mr. Denison remained a resident of the city until his demise. He was married in 1870 to Miss Olivia Cochrane Vandegrift, a member of one of the old Dutch colonial families, and Mr. Denison invested largely in Little Rock real estate and the Denison addition on Capital Hill was laid out and subdivided by him, while Denison street and George street in this city are both named in his honor. No man accomplished more for the development of the city than did he. His plans were always carefully formulated and carefully executed. and based upon a real recognition of conditions and of possibilities for future development, he labored along lines that brought most satisfactory results. A life of great usefulness was ended when he departed this life in March, 1916, honored and respected by all who knew him.

The eldest daughter of Mr. Denison, Lina Vandegrift, was born December 1, 1872, at Little Rock and on the 8th of December, 1891, became the wife of Lewis W. Cherry, a native of Memphis, Tennessee, who for many years was a leading manufacturer of Little Rock and is now living retired. Mrs. Cherry is a prominent figure in social and church circles in the capital. She was christened, confirmed and married in Christ Episcopal church and has always aided largely in its work and in the promotion of its purposes. She is an active member of many clubs and societies, especially those of a patriotic character, being now president of the National Society of Colonial Dames of America in Arkansas, a member of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants in New York, a member of the Daughters of Founders and Patriots, a member of the Society of Colonial Governors through descent from five governors, and a member of the Order of the Crown in America, being of the thirty- seventh generation in direct line from Charlemagne, King of the French, and Alfred the Great. She is also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution through four of her ancestors: Joseph Denison, Joseph Gray, Josiah Ely and Nathan Durkee, who served in that great struggle. Mrs. Cherry was formerly presi- dent of the Edelweiss Club and of the Aesthetic Club. She is a member of the History Auxiliary of Arkansas and the Ingleside Book Club, and was formerly presi- dent of the Kindergarten Club as well as of the Story Tellers League.

Mrs. Cherry traces her ancestry back through various generations to Siegfried the Dane, who was the son of Harold (XIV), King of Denmark, 925 A. D. This line comes from Gorman (I) and Estrude of Flanders, daughter of Arnold the

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Great, the great-grandmother of Matilda, the wife of William the Conqueror, and down through the great Blount family of England, through Charles the (I) and ( 11) and Villa de Aragon, King of Leon. The line comes down to Sir Walter Blount, who was killed at the battle of Shrewsbury and from Lord Montjoy, who was lord high treasurer of England.

The marriage of Lewis Williamson Cherry and Lina Vandegrift Denison has been blessed with three children: Lewis Williamson, George Denison and Carolyn Vandegrift, the last named the wife of William Archie McDonnell. The family home on Rock and Seventh streets is one of the attractive social centers of the city. Mr. and Mrs. Cherry, desiring every possible educational advantage for their chil- dren and realizing the value of travel as a means to this end, made a tour around the world with their children, giving them thus first-hand information concerning the nations of the earth.

HENRY MOORE.

Henry Moore, member of the Texarkana bar, who has continuously engaged in the practice of law since August, 1868, was born at Ruralia, near the present town of Austin, in Lonoke county, Arkansas, December 4, 1844. While he is now seventy-seven years of age, he still remains an active representative of the bar-a man of keen mentality, vigorous, determined and energetic, who has won his successes at the cost of earnest, self-denying labor. Mr. Moore is a son of James Wilson and Elizabeth Guild (Green) Moore. The father was born September 14, 1797, in Milton, Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, and devoted his life to the ministry of the Presbyterian church. He became a pioneer of that faith in Arkansas, removing to Little Rock, in the Arkansas territory, on the 24th of January, 1828. He arrived as a missionary representing the Northumberland Presbytery of Pennsylvania and organized the First Presbyterian church in the capital city on the 27th of July, 1828, with seven members-Jesse Brown, Dudley D. Mason, Mrs. Christiana Mason, Mrs. Priscilla Smith, Mrs. Matilda Hall, Mrs. Catherine Eller and Mrs. Elizabeth Martin. From that time forward he continued his labors in Arkansas and for a considerable period lived at Ruralia, in Lonoke county. He passed to his reward January 28, 1873. His wife was born October 21, 1807, in Trenton, Mercer county, New Jersey, and they were married at that place October 28, 1830. Mrs. Moore was a granddaughter of the Rev. Enoch Green, who was graduated at Princeton (Nassau Hall) in 1760. Mrs. Moore departed this life July 16, 1895. By her marriage she became the mother of eight children: William Enoch, Mary Woods, Charles Beatty, Wilson M., Alexander M., Henry, Philip G. and Elizabeth Lyon. All are now dead with the exception of Henry and Elizabeth L.

Henry Moore pursued his early education in the Sylvania Academy, taught by the Rev. James W. Moore, and after leaving the Confederate army, which he joined in 1862, at the age of seventeen years, and with which he was connected until the close of the war, he entered the University of Virginia. There he pursued his law course and won his Bachelor of Laws degree upon graduation with the class of July, 1868. Soon after- ward he entered upon the active practice of his profession and through the intervening period, covering fifty-four years, has been a representative of the Arkansas bar. Few men have continued for so long a period in active practice in this state and none have enjoyed in fuller measure the confidence and respect of their colleagues and contempo- raries in the profession. For some time Mr. Moore served as clerk of the circuit court of Lafayette county. In the trial of his cases his preparation, thorough and exhaustive, has always been evident in his clear and forceful presentation of his cause and the court records bear testimony to the many favorable verdicts which he has won.

On the 20th of November, 1873, Mr. Moore was married to Miss Katherine Fleming, who was born June 7, 1849, at Lexington, Lafayette county, Missouri, a daughter of James J. and Mildred (Robinson) Fleming, who resided at Dover, near Lexington, in Lafayette county, Missouri. Mrs. Moore was educated in the Elizabeth Aull Seminary at Lexington and by her marriage became the mother of seven children. The living are: Henry Moore, Jr., forty-seven years of age; Mrs. Mildred Carter, forty-five; and Charles Beatty, aged forty. Those deceased are: Paul Fleming, Ernest, Eugene and Philip Flem- ing Moore.

Mr. Moore is a democrat in his political views, having always supported the party and its principles. His military record covered service as a private in A. S. Morgan's regiment of the Confederate army, with which he served from October, 1862, until hostili- ties between the two sections of the country had ceased. In religious faith he has always been a Presbyterian and has long served as elder in the church, while his labors have ever been an effective force in promoting the work of the church and advanc- ing the high moral standards of the commnuity in which he has so long made his home.

HENRY MOORE

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His entire life has been passed in this state, so that for more than three-quarters of a century he has been a witness of the development, growth and progress of Arkansas, his cooperation at all times being given to those plans and measures which are an effective force for public good in the commonwealth.

JOHN EASTMAN COATES.

John Eastman Coates of Little Rock is identified with various important cor- porate interests and has also figured quite prominently in insurance circles. His life illustrates the fact that when determination, perseverance and talent are arrayed against drawbacks and trials the result is almost absolutely certain. The former qualities are invincible-they know no defeat. They have been the potent force in the life of Mr. Coates, bringing him to the creditable position which he now occupies in business and financial circles in Arkansas' capital city.

He is a native son of Little Rock, his birth having here occurred on the 1st of February, 1870, and he is a son of James Coates, United States commissioner, who is mentioned at length on another page of this work. His mother, Frances Emma ( Eastman) Coates, was born in Bangor, Maine, in 1843 and became the wife of James Coates on the 15th of February, 1869. She passed away in Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 10, 1899, leaving a son and a daughter, John Eastman and Elizabeth Hardy Coates, while one daughter, Katherine Cunningham Coates, died in childhood.

John Eastman Coates obtained his education in the public schools of Little Rock, passing through consecutive grades to his graduation from the high school as valedictorian of the class of 1888. Starting out in the business world, he has devoted his attention to fire insurance. Broadening the scope of his activities, however, he has become identified with a number of important business interests. He is now the treasurer of the Democrat Printing & Lithographing Company, a director of the Arkansas Building & Loan Association, vice president of the People's Building & Loan Association and also the vice president of the Little Rock Baseball Association.

On the 10th of November, 1898, Mr. Coates was married to Miss Alice Mitchell, who was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in 1871, a daughter of James and Eliza- beth ( Latta) Mitchell. The father, a native of Arkansas, served as an officer in the Confederate army during the Civil war and passed away in 1904. His wife, also born in Arkansas, departed this life in 1920. For many years they were resi- dents of Little Rock. They accorded their daughter Alice excellent educational opportunities, for after attending the public schools she became a pupil in Hollins College at Hollins, Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Coates are now the parents of three children: John Eastman, born March 27, 1900; James Mitchell, May 22, 1902; and Francis Mitchell, December 10, 1904. The two older sons are in Yale University, John E. being a member of the class of 1922 and James M. of the class of 1924.

In politics Mr. Coates is a stalwart republican and during the World war he served on the Liberty Bond and Red Cross drives, doing everything in his power to uphold the interests of the government. Mr. Coates belongs to the Insurance Club of Little Rock and to several other purely social organizations, including the Quapaw, Rotary, Little Rock Country and Lakeside Country Clubs. His entire life has been passed in Little Rock and that the years have been well spent is indicated in the fact that many of his stanchest friends are those who have known him from his boyhood to the present time.

C. B. PADDOCK, M. D.

Dr. C. B. Paddock is a prominent member of the medical profession in Arkansas, and has been practicing in Fayetteville since 1898. He was born in Utica, New York, on the 18th of January, 1863, a son of Dr. Samuel F. and Mary E. ( Brewster) Paddock. The paternal grandfather, Samuel F. Sr., was born in New York and fol- lowed farming and the banking business until he retired. His death occurred in New York. William Brewster, the maternal grandfather, was descended from an old colonial family, members of which served gallantly in the Revolutionary war. Dr. Samuel F. Paddock, the father of our subject, was born in the house in which his son, C. B., was born, and his father was also born in the same place, which was then called Norwich Corners. Samuel F. Paddock's wife was a native of Great Falls,

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New Hampshire, and a direct descendant of William Brewster of Mayflower fame. Their marriage occurred in New York and in 1858 they came to Fayetteville. He was a graduate of the Rush Medical College of Chicago in 1858 but did not com- mence to practice until after the Civil war. During that conflict he was cashier of the Black River Bank. In 1865 he began practicing medicine in Fayetteville and became a leading physician in the community. For ten years he was examining surgeon for pensions. He also conducted a drug store for some time and was active in those connections at the time of his death in 1885.

Dr. C. B. Paddock received his education in the public schools and the Univer- sity of Arkansas, and determining to follow in his father's footsteps enrolled in the College of Pharmacy at Chicago, from which he was graduated in 1884. On the 28th of March, 1898, he was graduated from the Louisville Medical College and some time afterward he located at Fayetteville, where he has since practiced. Public opinion places him among the representative members of his profession in the state and he has an extensive and lucrative patronage. He still remains a deep student along the line of his activities and has taken postgraduate work at Louisville. He frequently lectures on internal medicine at the City Hospital and he has served as city health officer for two and one half years.

On the 22d of February, 1898, occurred the marriage of Dr. Paddock to Miss Minerva B. Wilkes, a native of Arkansas and a daughter of Amos K. Wilkes, a pioneer farmer of Washington county. To their union two children have been horn: Grace, a graduate of the University of Arkansas, now residing at home; and Charles Samuel, now attending the University of Arkansas. The religious faith of the family is that of the First Christian church and they take an active interest in the affairs of that organization. The fraternal affiliations of Dr. Paddock are with the Masons, in which order he is a Knight Templar and Shriner; he is also a Knight of Pythias and an Odd Fellow and he belongs to the Order of the Eastern Star. His political allegiance is given to the democratic party, he having firm belief in the principles of that party as factors in good government. He devotes his entire time to his professional interests and is identified with the American, State and County Medical Societies.

FLOYD C. WALKER.

Carroll county numbers among its native sons Floyd C. Walker, who as a mem- ber of the firm of Walker Brothers of Eureka Springs, is one of the leading mer- chants of the county. His birth occurred on the 31st of January, 1879, a son of John and Amanda ( McCall) Walker, the former a native of Tennessee and the latter of Texas. The paternal grandfather, John S. Walker, was born in Tennessee, in which state he resided until he came to Arkansas about 1850. He engaged in farming here and was active in that connection at the time of his demise. John Smith McCall, the grandfather on the maternal side, was a native of Texas and he came to Carroll county during the Civil war. He was a farmer and his demise occurred in Van Buren county on the old homestead. John Walker left his native state of Tennessee and came to Carroll county before the outbreak of the Civil war. He bought land here and engaged in farming throughout his life. He was united in marriage to Miss Amanda McCall, who had come to Carroll county with her par- ents at an early age, and to their union ten children were born: Pearl, who is now Mrs. Thomas Moody and lives on a farm in this county; Floyd C., whose name introduces this review; Cora, the wife of Will Elam, a resident of Neodesha, Kansas; Cran; Rosa, the wife of Albert Gentry, a farmer of this county; Ottis, deceased; Digby, associated in the conduct of Walker Brothers; Charles, deceased: Ernest, who is also a member of the firm of Walker Brothers; and one who died in infancy. Cran Walker was for some time an active member of the firm of Walker Brothers, hut upon the outbreak of the World war he put all personal interests aside and was sent to France as a member of the Thirty-eighth Division. He was later transferred to the One Hundred and Third Division of the regular army and he met his death while in action with that division. The family was reared in the faith of the Christian church and Mr. Walker gave his political allegiance to the democratic party.

In the acquirement of an education Floyd C. Walker attended the country schools of Carroll county and later became a student at Clarke's Academy in Berryville. After putting his texthooks aside he engaged in farming until he was twenty-three years of age, and while on the farm he taught five terms in a country school. In 1903 he came to Eureka Springs and having a capital of one hundred

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and seventy-five dollars, he entered the grocery business. He was gratifyingly successful in the conduct of that business and at the end of two years he disposed of it, realizing a substantial profit. He then bought out a dry goods store and in 1913 took two of his brothers, Cran and Ernest, into partnership with him, the firm becoming known as Walker Brothers. Each year has witnessed a substantial growth in the business of the firm and about 1913 a new store building was erected, two stories in height and with a large basement. It is one of the representative business interests of Eureka Springs.

In 1911 Mr. Walker was married to Mrs. Minnie Shumake Martin, a native of Missouri and a daughter of Jesse Shumake, who resided in Carroll county for many years and died here, a respected citizen. By her previous marriage Mrs. Walker has two children: Bruce Martin, twenty-one years of age; and Gail Martin, seven- teen years of age. Mrs. Martin and her sons are consistent members of the Christian church.

Since attaining his majority Mr. Walker has given his support to the democratic party, having firm belief in the principles of that party as factors in good govern- ment. Fraternally he is identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks Lodge, No. 1042, and for two terms he served as exalted ruler of that organization. He is likewise affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. For several years he has been a director of the Commercial Club of Eureka Springs and he is always interested in matters of progressive citizenship, having been a cooperant factor in many projects for the general good.

JUDGE HUGH BASHAM.

Judge Hugh Basham, member of the Clarksville bar, whose record as lawyer and jurist reflects credit and honor upon the judicial history of the state, was born July 25, 1855, on a farm in Johnson county and throughout his life he has continued to make his home in Johnson county, Arkansas, identified with many of the most progressive elements which have led to the upbuilding of the state. He comes of Scotch ancestry, his grandfather having been Jonathan Basham, who was born in S-ot- land and served an apprenticeship at the cabinetmaker's trade in Edinborough. Fol- lowing his removal to the new world he settled in Virginia, where he engaged in the work of his trade for a number of years and at an early period in the settlement of Arkansas he took up his abode in this state. Here he purchased a farm and de- voted the latter part of his life to general agricultural pursuits. He was the father of Olinver Basham, who was born in Virginia and pursued his education in the Old Dominion, after which he came to Arkansas at the age of nineteen years, his birth having occurred April 12, 1819. He was killed in September, 1864, at Pilot Knob, Mis- souri, while serving in the Civil war, having become a lieutenant colonel in the ranks of the Confederacy. In early manhood he married Martha Patrick, who was born in Alabama. April 24, 1825, and was a daughter of John W. Patrick, who was reared in Alabama, to which state he went in his boyhood days. There he was married and in 1828 became one of the pioneer settlers of Arkansas, taking up his abode on a farm about a mile from Clarksville, where he lived for a number of years. In 1849 he went to California, and there made considerable money but afterward suffered losses in a fur- ther attempt to gain a fortune in the mining regions of the far west. He was one of the veterans of the Mexican war. By her marriage to Olinver Basham, his daugh- ter, Martha, became the mother of nine children, three of whom are living: Dilla, the wife of C. O. Kimball, a retired harness dealer of Little Rock; Hngh, of this review; and Dr. Olinver Basham, who resides on the old homestead near Clarksville, having retired from the practice of medicine. Mrs. Basham, the mother, died July 26, 1913. She was a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian church and her entire life was guided by its teachings. In politics Mr. Basham was a democrat and twice represented his district in the state legislature and was also filling the position of state treasurer when the Civil war broke out. He had likewise occupied the position of receiver of the land office in Clarksville for a period of four years. In business he had been very suc- cessful, had an excellent farm and was the owner of six negro slaves. He was a very liberal man, and was constantly extending a helping hand where aid was needed. He took as his salary in the office of state treasurer, war rents which proved worthless after the defeat of the Confederate cause. He, too, had enlisted for service in the Mexican war in young manhood but was not sent to the southern republic, spending the time of his enlistment at Port Gibson. Throughont his life he was ever loyal to any cause which he espoused and none questioned the integrity of his convictions, his

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- terling worth of character commanding for him the respect and confidence of all who knew him.

Judge Basham pursued his early education in one of the old log schoolhouses with its split log seats and other primitive furnishings. He early determined to engage in the practice of law as a life work and began reading in an office, thus continuing his studies until admitted to the bar in 1879. He entered upon the active work of the pro- fession in Clarksville and is today the Nestor of the bar of the city, there being not another lawyer living who was practicing in the Clarksville courts at the time when he begau. Moreover, he has long maintained a position of leadership on account of his abil- ity, the thoroughness with which he prepares his cases and the strength with which he presents his arguments in the courts.

In 1883 Mr. Basham was united in marriage to Miss Emily V. Maffitt, who was born in Clarksville and is a daughter of Richard and Emily (Cox) Maffitt, who were natives of Tennessee and became residents of Arkansas in the early '50s. Her father taught school here for a number of years and later was a physician who engaged in medical practice to the time of his death in 1880. Judge and Mrs. Basham became parents of a daughter. Martha Emily, who is now a teacher in the high school at Monticello, Arkansas. She is a high school graduate and also one of the alumnae of Hendrix Col- lege.

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Centennial history of Arkansas, Part 171

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