Centennial history of Arkansas, Part 31

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

USA > Arkansas > Centennial history of Arkansas > Part 31

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

On the 2d of May, 1894, Mr. Shackleford was united in marriage to Miss Ada B. Dominick, who was born and reared in Arkansas, her father heing the late John Dominick of Pulaski county. They are the parents of two sons and a daughter: John Marshall, Ada May and William Henry. Mr. Shackleford maintains his home upon a farm near Little Rock, where he took up his ahode in 1915, though still actively engaged in law practice in the capital city. He has membership in the Christian church and belongs to the Woodmen of the World. His political views have always been in full accord with the principles of the democratic party, and he has taken an active interest in politics. In 1897 he was elected to represent Pulaski county in the general assembly,

193

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF ARKANSAS

and in 1899 was chosen state senator for a period of four years, so that his service as one of the lawmakers of Arkansas covered a period of six years. He carefully considered the important and vital questions that came up for settlement before the house and was active and influential in the deliberations of the committee rooms. During his sena- torial term he served on the judiciary committee, was chairman of the committee on auditors' and treasurers' books, a member of the committee on charitable institutions and also active in other committee work. He has ever most thoroughly and earnestly considered the problems which affect the welfare of the state and his support of any measure secured to it a still larger following from among those who recognized the soundness of Mr. Shackleford's judgment and his intense public spirit.

STERLING A. MILLER.

Sterling A. Miller, attorney-at-law, practicing at Pine Bluff, was born near Paris, Tennessee, in 1864, and is a representative of an old southern family. His great-grand- father removed from Virginia to South Carolina, and in the latter state Henry Miller, the grandfather, was born. He married a Miss Travis and they removed to Tennessee. The Millers, however, originally came from the Isle of Wight. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Miller were the parents of A. C. Miller, who was born in Henry county, Tennessee, and who served with the Confederate army, being on duty as a member of Captain Johnson's company of a Tennessee regiment. He wedded Virginia Pritchett, also a native of Henry county, Tennessee, and they became parents of three children: Sterling A., Dr. A. H. Miller and J. P. Miller.

The public school system of Tennessee afforded Sterling A. Miller his early educa- tional opportunities, and later he took up the study of law, while in early manhood he also engaged for a time in the dry goods business. He entered upon the active practice of law at Paris, Tennessee, in 1886, and remained a member of the bar of that state until 1894, when he came to Arkansas, settling first at Wynne. In 1896 he removed to Pine Bluff, where he has since followed his profession and with the passing years he has enjoyed a good practice of a distinctively representative character. He tries all kinds of cases and tries them well, and his reputation as a lawyer has been won through earnest, honest labor, while his standing at the bar is a merited tribute to his ability.

In 1888 Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Anna Ezell of Martin, Tennessee, and they became parents of a son, Harry E., who is now engaged in the lumber business at Pine Bluff. For his second wife Mr. Miller chose Anna Haynes of Stuttgart, Arkansas. He belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church and his religions faith has guided him in all the relations of life. His political allegiance has always been given to the demo- cratic party, and he has been called to fill various important offices. He served for four terms as a member of the state legislature, having been elected in 1905, in 1909, in 1913 and again in 1921, so that he is the incumbent in the office. He was elected municipal judge of Pine Bluff in 1922, and his record as a legislator and as a judge is in harmony with his record as a lawyer and as a citizen, being characterized by a masterful grasp of every problem presented for solution and by marked devotion to the general good.

CHARLES McKEE.

Charles McKee, recently appointed state bank commissioner of Arkansas and long actively identified with banking history of the state, makes his home in Little Rock. He was born in Cynthiana, Harrison county, Kentucky, February 17, 1864, and is a son of James W. and Jane (Turney) McKee. The father, born in Bourbon county, Kentucky. in 1848, resided for many years in Cynthiana, Kentucky, and devoted his life to the occupation of farming. His great-grandfather, John McKee, was killed at the battle of Kings Mountain in the Revolutionary war. James W. McKee was married in November, 1859, to Jane McClelland Turney, whose birth occurred in Bourbon county, Kentucky, in October, 1839. They became parents of the following named: William, Eliza, Charles, Julia, Elizabeth, Allie, George, Frank Turney, Jesse and Louise. The wife and mother passed away in 1880. The father survived for thirty-one years, his death occurring in April, 1911.

Charles McKee, whose name introduces this review, pursued his early education in the public schools of his native city, passing through consecutive grades to his gradn- ation from the high school with the class of 1883. Later he studied in Central University, then located at Richmond, Kentucky, but now at Danville, Kentucky, and was graduated

Vol. 11-13

194

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF ARKANSAS

in 1885 with the degree of Bachelor of Science. His life has largely been devoted to banking interests. For eleven years he occupied the position of cashier in the Bank of Fordyce at Fordyce, Arkansas, and in 1902 he became one of the organizers of the Citizens Bank of Hope, Arkansas. The following year he was elected secretary of the Mercantile Trust Company of Little Rock and continued to act in that capacity until 1906, when he became vice president of the State National Bank of Little Rock and held that position until 1910. In 1909 he organized the State Bank Building Company and built the State National Bank building, now the Boyle building, in 1910. He has recently been appointed bank commissioner by Governor McRea, the appointment being made on the 1st of September, 1921. Aside from his connection with financial interests, Mr. McKee has become well known by reason of his activity in other fields. He was principal of the Hope high school in 1887 and president of the Hope Female Institute from 1889 until 1891. He is now the president of the Home Telephone Company of Fordyce, was president of the State Building & Loan Association of Little Rock and president of the North Arkansas Townsite Company of Marianna. He is likewise treasurer of the Arkansas College at Batesville and was president of the Lee County National Bank at Marianna, Arkansas. His activities are thus broad and varied and have been a potent element in the growth and development of the state for a number of years.

On the 4th of January, 1887, Mr. McKee was married to. Miss Mary Anna Lydick, who was born in Cynthiana, Harrison county, Kentucky, in September, 1864, and is a daughter of Andrew Lydick, who made his home for a considerable period in Cynthiana. Mrs. McKee was a graduate of the high school at Cynthiana with the class of 1883. By her marriage she became the mother of a son, George Taylor McKee, a missionary of the Presbyterian church to Africa, being stationed in the Congo Belge. On the 4th of March, 1905, Mr. McKee was married to Mrs. Levitte (Lawrence) McSwine, a widow, and they now have one daughter, Martha.

During the World war Mr. McKee generously gave of his time and means to further the bond drives, being county chairman for Lee county. He has always been a democrat in politics, but never an officeseeker, although he is now filling the position of bank commissioner through appointment of Governor McRea. His religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church and he was made a commissioner to the general assembly of the church and is a ruling elder. He is connected with the Knights of Pythias, the Elks and the Woodmen of the World, and his many friends in these and other organizations speak of him in terms of high regard. He early became cognizant of the fact that those quali- ties which get the individual anywhere are the qualities which inspire confidence and respect. Industry has enabled him to overcome obstacles, sound judgment has enabled him to triumph over difficulties, and step by step he has advanced until he is today a leading figure in commercial circles of his adopted city.

JOHN MELBY HENDERSON, JR.

John Melby Henderson, Jr., county superintendent of schools of Arkansas county and a valued resident of De Witt, was born on a farm ten miles east of this city in 1880. his parents being J. M. and Mollie Henrietta ( Dempsey) Henderson. The family is of English lineage, the ancestry being traced back to John Melby Henderson, who was a sailor in the British fleet under Admiral Peter Parker. The ship on which he served was wrecked off the coast of North Carolina, and Henderson and a companion made their way into the woods after being cast on a shore by the way. Finding a hog wallow, Henderson lay in this and thus managed to keep warm for a time while recovering from the exposure and the fatigue of buffeting the waves. He continued in the new world, becoming the founder of the family in America. The line of descent is traced down to John Melby Henderson (11), who removed from North Carolina to Tennessee, and John Melby Henderson (I11), who left his home in Middle Tennessee, in 1847, to become a resident of Arkansas. His wife was the daughter of James Rust, a descendant of the first settlers of Virginia. He, in turn. was the father of John Melby Henderson, who was born in Arkansas county and who married Mollie Henrietta Dempsey. The paternal grandfather served as a Confederate soldier in the Civil war. He established his home in Arkansas in 1847, and, therefore, went to the front from this state. Mrs. Mollie H. Henderson was a daughter of Andrew Jackson Dempsey, who was born at Lake Charles, Louisiana, whence he removed to Mississippi, while later he came to Arkansas. The father, with his family, settled at St. Charles, Arkansas, in 1868, the mother having previously departed this life. He, too, was a Confederate veteran of the Civil war. His father had served with Andrew Jackson at the battle of New Orleans, in the War of 1812. J. M. and Mollie H. (Dempsey) Henderson are still living, making their home

195

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF ARKANSAS

near St. Charles, and to them has been born four children: John Melby, Jr., Nina, May and Maury W.

After completing the work in the rural schools and high school at De Witt, Professor J. M. Henderson, of this review, continued his education in the Southern Normal, now the Western Kentucky State Normal, at Bowling Green, Kentucky. He later took up the profession of teaching, which he followed in Arkansas county and also in Louisiana. He studied law in the University of Arkansas, completing his course by graduation in 1910, and then located for practice in De Witt, where he remained an active member of the bar until 1918. Two years prior to this time, or in 1916, he had been elected county superintendent of schools and twice he has been reelected to this position, so that he is now serving for the third term. He has instituted many progressive movements and measures beneficial to the school, has advanced the standards of instruction and has been instrumental in raising the salaries of teachers from sixty to one hundred dollars per month in the first grade. He likewise was effective in his cfforts to increase the school term in the rural white schools from five and a half to eight months per year. He introduced club work in the school and amplified the curric- uh.m, introducing new matter and coordinating the school work with the daily life of the child, or, in other words, extending the home life of the child to the schoolroom. It is his ambition to secure an agricultural high school for the community, thereby laying the basis of agricultural training in the common schools. He is a believer in vocational training. He had worked at the blacksmith and carpenter trades in early life, learning much about these trades from his father, who operated a wagon shop in the early days. He feels that there is much to be gained from this manual training, as well as from the intellectual stimulus that comes from the perusal of books. He has introduced many innovations in the school, imparting a fuller knowledge to the pupil of the things which he encounters in his every-day life, and among the subjects discussed in the schoolroom are: Infectious parasites, stock and their habits, seed selection, horticulture, agriculture, home economics, poultry, household arts, ventilation, hygiene, housing for animals, housing for humans, botanical studies, rodents, drainage, sewage, good citizenship, common sense, usefulness, ideals, the attitude of the youth toward elders, and government in its district, county, city, state and national forms. The free discussion of all these subjects in the schools has been a means of stimulating the interest of the children in a number of the vital problems which affect the physical and material welfare and which have to do with many of the vocations into which the children are apt to enter.

Professor Henderson, while doing splendid work in the educational field through the past six years as county superintendent, has also rendered assistance to the com- munity in other ways through capable service as city attorney and as special judge. He is a director of the First National Bank and is the president of the De Witt Publishing Company, which publishes the Enterprise. He carries forward to successful completion everything that he undertakes, and thoroughness, energy and diligence have charac- terized him in every relation of life. During the World war he acted as food admin- istrator in his district. He has developed eight hundred acres of rice land in connection with associates and he owns several small farms, using one of these as a demonstration farm.

Mr. Henderon was married to Miss Bertie E. Jones of De Witt, a daughter of J. L. Jones. Mrs. Henderson's people were also among the early settlers of Virginia. The children horn to Mr. and Mrs. Henderson are three in number: Mary Louise, John Melby and Virginia E. Fraternally Mr. Henderson is a Mason, loyal to the teachings and purposes of the craft, and his religious faith is that of the Baptist church. His lite has always heen actuated by the highest ideals, which he strives to reach by the most practical methods, and the results which he has achieved have been indeed far reaching and effective as contributing factors to the material, intellectual and moral development of the community and to the adoption of high standards of civic activity and of daily living.

CHARLES W. APPLEBY.

Charles W. Appleby is the well-known representative of horticultural and industrial interests in Fayetteville, where he is part owner of a canning factory, while in the adjoining district he has a large fruit farm. A native of Washington county, he was born September 27, 1865, and is a brother of George Appleby, mentioned at length on another page of this work. He acquired his education in the common schools and started out as a farmer, his life having been devoted to a greater or less extent to agricultural and horticultural pursuits. In 1900 he removed to Fayetteville and became associated with

196

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF ARKANSAS

his brother George in the ownership of a canning factory in 1906. In the following year they failed in business and lost all they had. They retained the equity in the canning factory, however, but gave up all their other possessions, which were considerable. With undaunted courage they faced the future and made arrangements to purchase a farm of four hundred and forty acres, placing a small payment on the property and arranging to meet the other payments in the course of time. There was a bearing apple orchard on the place at the time. They have since set out trees until their orchards now cover one hundred and ninety acres and in addition they have one hundred and forty acres planted to strawberries. As the years have passed the careful management of their business interests has brought to them substantial success and they are today men of affluence, their entire possessions having been acquired since 1907. In the propagation of their fruits and the care of their orchards they have followed the most progressive and scientific methods and have accomplished notable results, their labors contributing toward making Washington county one of the widely known fruit centers of the south- west. Charles W. Appleby has charge of their canning factories when these are in operation during the fruit growing seasons. They have three plants-one in Fayette- ville, one in West Fork and the third at Hiwasse. The capacity of their plants is seventy-five thousand cases of tomatoes per season and they ship their products to Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri and throughout Arkansas. Carefully formulated plans and thorough system in carrying out his plans have been potent elements in winning Mr. Appleby the success which is now his.

In February, 1910, Mr. Appleby was married to Miss Mary Lorie Hughey, who was born in Hillsboro, Ohio, whence her parents removed to Fayetteville in 1907. Her father was a chair manufacturer of Ohio and now lives in Florida. Mr. and Mrs. Appleby are well known in Fayetteville, where they have an extensive circle of warm friends. They belong to the Presbyterian church and Mr. Appleby has membership in the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and also in the Rotary Club, in the work of which he has been very active, bis labors in this connection being far-reaching and resultant. In politics he is a democrat but has never been ambitious to hold office, preferring to concentrate his efforts and attention upon his business affairs. That he has most carefully and wisely directed his interests is indicated in the success which he has achieved since sustaining heavy losses in business in 1907. His life should serve as an example and an inspiration to others, showing what may be accomplished through individual efforts.

J. S. LADD.

J. S. Ladd is now living retired in Judsonia and no history of the town would be complete without extended reference to him, for through thirty-five years he was closely associated with its mercantile interests and with the development and progress of the city arising therefrom. His birth occurred near Franklin, in Williamson county, Tennessee, April 9, 1848, his parents being T. G. and Mary Jane (Smithson) Ladd, both of whom were natives of Middle Tennessee and representatives of old families ot that state. The grandfather in the paternal line was Noble Ladd, who was born in Tennessee and belonged to one of the pioneer families of the south. He followed farming and owned slaves to the time of his death, which occurred during the Civil war period. The grandfather of J. S. Ladd on the distaff side was Samuel Smithson, who was like- wise a native of Tennessee, where his ancestors settled during the Revolutionary war period. He spent his life in his native state.

T. G. Ladd, father of J. S. Ladd, was a school teacher, following the profession for forty-five years. A man of liberal education, he held to high ideals in the work of the schoolroom and contributed much to the intellectual progress of the community in which he lived. He afterward engaged in merchandising in Memphis from 1862 until 1865 and he departed this life at the ripe old age of seventy-four years, while his wife died in White county, Arkansas, at the age of seventy-nine. His political support was originally given to the whig party and on the dissolution of that party he joined the ranks of the democrats. He was a Mason and his wife was connected with the Order of the Eastern Star, while both held membership in the Methodist Episcopal church, South. In their family were eight children, four of whom are living, Minerva Ann, Samuel N. and Mary M., having all departed this life, as has Martha E. These were the three eldest and the fifth member of the family. Those who survive are: J. S .; Eliza J., living in Louisville, Kentucky; T. G., of Memphis, Tennessee; and W. F., a resident of Covington, Tennessee.

J. S. Ladd was educated in western Tennessee, where he attended the subscription schools, being largely under the instruction of his father. The year 1869 witnessed his arrival in White county, Arkansas, at which time he purchased bottom land and engaged

197

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF ARKANSAS

in general farming. A little later he removed to Judsonia, where he established a confectionery store but later developed it into a general merchandise house, which he conducted under his own name. He remained an active factor in the mercantile circles of the city for thirty-five years ere he retired from business in 1915 to enjoy in well earned rest the fruits of his former toil.

On the 8th of May, 1870, Mr. Ladd was married to Miss Mollie Vandal, a native of Tennessee, who died in 1885. They had a family of seven children, two of whom died in infancy, while Sarah J. has also departed this life. Lula is the widow of Dr. W. J. Miller, who was a practicing physician of Griffithville and she now makes her home at Little Rock; Pearl is the widow of Eugene Winsott, who was a liveryman of Judsonia; Walker is engaged in the garage business at Newport and at Judsonia; and the youngest child died in infancy. The mother was a consistent member of the Baptist church. For his second wife Mr. Ladd chose Miss Hal Key, a native of Arkansas, and to them were born ten children, seven of whom are living: Clifton, who is a graduate of the Memphis Dental College and is now practicing dentistry in Marvell, Phillips county, Arkansas; Frances, the wife of Carl Garms, a contractor of Little Rock; Mary, the wife of Thomas Wells of Searcy; Catherine, the wife of J. K. Jemerson, manager of a garage at Judsonia ; Ester, the wife of Irvin Winn, a banker of Bald Knob; two children who died in infancy; Johnnie, who died at the age of four years; and Henry and Elizabeth, at home. The mother of this family belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church, South. Politically Mr. Ladd is a democrat and for two terms served as postmaster of Judsonia under President Cleveland. He was also elected constable, being chosen to that office at one time when he was the only democrat elected in the county, a fact indicative of his per- sonal popularity and the confidence reposed in him. He was opposed by a populist. His has been a useful and well spent life and the sterling worth of his character is attested by all with whom he has come into contact. As a merchant he contributed in large measure to the business development of Judsonia and while he has now retired from mercantile pursuits he is still interested in a garage, the company being the authorized Ford agent at Judsonia, handling the Ford supplies and accessories and also the Fordson tractor. Throughout his career Mr. Ladd has been characterized by a progressive spirit and his determined purpose has enabled him ultimately to reach his objective. His career, moreover, proves that success and an honored name may be won simultaneously and his example is well worthy of emulation.

JULIUS S. ALPHIN.

Possessing those qualities which have made him a dynamic force in business circles, Julius S. Alphin has long been identified with a number of the more important com- mercial and financial interests of El Dorado. It is a well known fact that power grows through the exercise of effort and from early manhood Mr. Alphin has labored diligently and persistently, finding in the faithful performance of each day's duties the strength and courage for the labors of the succeeding day. Arkansas numbers him among her native sons, his birth having occurred on a farm about five miles south of El Dorado, in Union county, January 25, 1866, his father being Julius Alphin, Sr., who came from Alabama to this state 'at an early day, settling here prior to the Civil war. He married Miss Martha Phelan, who died when her son, Julius S., was but eight years of age. The father's death occurred in 1896.

Julius S. Alphin was born and reared on the old homestead farm, early becoming familiar with the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops, although his school training was limited. He came to El Dorado in 1886 with a cash capital of hut two dollars and a half and started out in business circles here as a clerk in the store of D. E. Armstrong, with whom he continued for a few months. Step by step he has advanced, owing to tbe wise use he has made of every chance and opportunity that has come his way, and for a long period he has been accounted one of the most active and enterprising business men of El Dorado. He is today one of the largest stockholders in the First National Bank, also a stockholder in the Ritchie Grocer Company, in the Carson Dry Goods Company, in the Taylor-Miles Drug Company, in the El Dorado Oil Mills & Fertilizer Company, in the Warren oil mills, in the First National Bank at Huttig and in other business enterprises. The gradual expansion of his commercial activities has not only constituted a source of individual wealth but has also been a contributing factor to the upbuilding and prosperity of the community. In addition to his other interests he is the owner of ten thousand acres of land in Union county, scattered in every township of the county. Owing to the development of the oil industry he bids fair to become one of the very wealthy men of the state. He also has large property holdings in El Dorado and in the vicinity of the city and his business activities have at

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Centennial history of Arkansas, Part 31

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