Centennial history of Arkansas, Part 8

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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William P. Downs, father of Mrs. Hamilton, was a graduate of the Lagrange (Va.) College, while his wife was a graduate of the college at Athens, Alabama. In 1854 they removed to Texas and he soon won place as one of the eminent educators of the state, becoming the second president of the Waco Female College, which posi- tion he filled to the time of his early death at the age of thirty-two years. To him and his wife were born four children, three of whom are living: F. F., who is the president of the First National Bank at Temple, Texas; P. L., vice president of the bank; and Mrs. Hamilton. Mr. Downs was an exemplary follower of the Masonic fraternity and he gave his political allegiance to the democratic party.

The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton was blessed with six children, five of whom are living. Claude, who died in infancy in Ireland, was interred in the family hurying ground in White Church cemetery, where the Hamiltons had interred their dead for three hundred years. The others are: Mary Fort, the eldest, who is the wife of Roswell Sears Lander, a Boston man who belongs to one of the prominent old New England families and who is now engaged in the manufacturing business in Little Rock; Eileen Kathleen, who is the wife of Dr. Neal Carothers of New York. He was the first young man in Arkansas to win the Cecil Rhodes scholarship, after which he received a degree at Princeton and later was a teacher in that university; William J., the eldest son, who has charge of his father's business, was president of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce and was chairman of the local board of the Council of Defense during the World war; Andrew C., a civil engineer, who was graduated from the University of Arkansas and is now a well known contractor in road building in Arkansas. A. C. Hamilton, Jr., married Hallie De Vaney and they have a daughter, Katherine Howard; and Scott Downs, the youngest, who was a prominent student of the University of Arkansas and entered the service in the World war, going overseas with the rank of lieutenant. He now travels for the A. C. Hamilton Company and has charge of the orchards. The family circle has twice been broken by the hand of death-first when Claude departed this life while the family was visiting in Ireland and again in 1913, when Mr. Hamilton was called to the home beyond. He never took an active part in politics but voted with the democratic party. He was chosen to represent Texas as commissioner to the World Exposition in Paris, France, in 1889, and, accompanied by his family, went to that country. Mr. Hamilton's position as Commissioner to the Exposition brought to them many courtesies and opportunities which were not enjoyed by the ordinary tourist. They spent two years in Europe, principally in Ireland. In 1909 Mr. Hamilton and his daughter, Miss Eileen Kathleen, visited the city of Mexico and while there they were presented to President Diaz. One of Mr. Hamilton's strongest ambitions was to give his children every possible educational advantage and every opportunity for travel. Again and again, accompanied by some member of his family,

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CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF ARKANSAS

Mr. Hamilton took trips in this and foreign lands, making thirteen voyages to Europe. His business attained to great proportions, and when he wished for rest or recrea- tion he would go to some of the best libraries of America, and selecting the best books of great authors, would find his relaxation in reading, sometimes for weeks at a time. His home life was largely ideal and the closest companionship existed between husband and wife, based upon their mutual interests, their love for all that is uplifting and their hopes and desires for their family. Storing his mind throughout life with all that is best in the hroad field of literature, Mr. Hamilton came to he a splendid writer and excellent public speaker. It was not that he prepared for such things but that his brain was a storehouse from which he drew at will for argu- ments, for narratives, for discussions or illustrations. Association with him meant expansion and elevation. He was a constant stimulus to the best that was in others and when he died his life called forth a tribute such as is seldom given or deserved in this day when in large measure self-interest seems to reign supreme in the in- dividual and in nations. A friend wrote: "The death of this remarkable man is a heavy loss to the town where for many years he was a conspicuous figure in business, social and religious circles. Blessings brighten as they take their flight. This is especially so when a good man dies. So devoted was our friend to his daily toil, the management of a great enterprise, that only his death can teach us how admirable was his patience, his perseverance, and his self-sacrifice. Made of finer clay, cast in a larger mould, he lived on a higher plane than the average man. He was resourceful, believed in the Irish proverb that 'When God closes one door he opens another,' and so in every place of responsibility he filled the measure. His heart was sensitive to pain and wrong as the needle of a compass to a disturbing influence. To say or to do a harsh thing gave him nights of solitude and sorrow. To him a sordid deed was appalling, and a wound, a crucifixion. He was as true a gentleman as ever broke bread at the circle of a court. He kept his heart with diligence because he believed that in the heart are the issues of life. He was rich in what he was rather than in what he possessed. He believed money valuable as a means, never as an end, and so he used it for the comfort of his home, the advancement of his religion and the pleasure of his friends. He had a genius for work, whether in dealing with the problems of business life or the study of a great book. He read the best literature both of the present and the past. His information was varied, extensive and accurate. His memory was phenomenal, and he had the imagination of a poet. To confine such a mind to the details and the drudgery of a great business was like hitching a race horse to a plough. To the minister of the evangel of Christ this lovable man was the most sympathetic and helpful friend. He had the listening ear and the under- standing heart. He knew the value of an encouraging word and how to speak it in a sincere and modest way. When he ventured an adverse criticism it was given in a gentle and winsome spirit that won both gratitude and affection. While we carry with us the heavy sorrow of his death we are cheered, strengthened and in- spired by the lessons of his life, and the certainty of his reward."

FRANK TOMLINSON.

Frank Tomlinson, a cotton broker of Pine Bluff, was born in the city which he still makes his home in the year 1874, his parents being Frank and Mary (Bronson) Tom- linson. The father, a native of Florence, Alabama, was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Moses Tomlinson, who lived for many years in the vicinity of Florence. The father served with the Confederate army during the Civil war, joining the troops when a mere boy and acting as orderly on the staff of one of the generals. He served throughout the war and was wounded in action. Later in the '60s he came to Pine Bluff and entered the employ of Jacob Fies. In 1870 he established business on his own account as a general merchant and prospered as the years passed by. He also accumulated extensive cotton acreage and was prominently identified with the cultivation of that crop in his section of the state. He wedded Mary Bronson, a daughter of Dr. Asa and Lucinda (Simpson) Bronson. Her father was a native of Tennessee and was an extensive planter after coming to Arkansas. Her mother was born in Fairfax county, Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Tomlinson, Sr., became the parents of eight children, three of whom are living: Lonise, Asa and Frank. The others died in infancy. The daughter married Will Nolan of New York and they had one son, Will, who served in the World war. The father of this family died in 1888. The mother is living, now making her home at Pine Bluff.

Frank Tomlinson was educated in the schools of Pine Bluff and in Jordan's Academy. He subsequently entered the coal business and later was engaged in railroad office work.

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF ARKANSAS

Since 1896 he has been engaged in the brokerage business and in 1909 he entered the cotton business as a buyer and seller. He has made for himself a creditable place in connection with the cotton industry in this section of the country and he today has one thousand acres planted to cotton. His business affairs are wisely and capably managed, owing to his diligence, determination and laudable ambition.

In 1897 Mr. Tomlinson was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Roane, a daughter of Samuel C. and Minnie (Hunn) Roane. They have become parents of three children: Frank Roane, May and Horace Hunn. Fraternally Mr. Tomlinson is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. During the World war he served as county chairman of the Liberty Loan drives and as district chairman of the War Savings Stamps campaign. He was also active on the County Council of Defense and in con- nection with the Red Cross, doing everything in his power to maintain the stability of the home lines, which constituted the financial defense of the firing lines on the western front in Europe. Mr. Tomlinson has always lived in Pine Bluff and his history is as an open book, which all may read. Diligence, adaptability and perseverance have been marked features in his success, which has increased year by year and which is the merited and legitimate outcome of his personal effort.

C. H. C. HOWARD.

C. H. C. Howard, engaged in the insurance business at Beebe, is a representative of ancestral lines that can be traced back in New England to the year 1640. It was in that year that Thomas Howard landed in this -country and established his home at Norwich, Connecticut. The line comes on down through Benjamin and Thomas to William Howard, the great-great-grandfather, who was a native of Massachusetts and was killed at the battle of White Plains, while serving in the Revolutionary war. His son, Abel Howard, was a native of Sturbridge, Massachusetts, and was the father of Dr. Abel Howard (II), who was born in Hartford, Vermont, and who wedded Mary E. Hunt, a native of Connecticut, and they hecame the parents of eight children: Abel T., Mary E., George A., Julia A., George, Austin, Sophia and Elizabeth. The last two named are still living. The first of this family, Abel T. Howard, was the father of C. H. C. Howard. He married Anna H. Cutts and both were natives of Vermont, the former born in West Hartford and the latter in North Hartland. In the maternal line the ancestry can also be traced back to a remote period. The grandfather, Hampden Cutts, was a native of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and was a graduate of Harvard University. He exerted a widely felt influence over the history of his state, serving as probate judge for many years and also as representative in the state legislature. He was descended from Robert Cutts, a native of England, who on crossing the Atlantic in 1640 settled at Kittery, Maine. The line comes on down to Richard (I) and Richard (II), who was a major in the War of Lewisburg in 1745. He was the father of Samuel Cutts, who in turn was the father of Edward Cutts, a native of Kittery, Maine. The last named was the father of Hampden Cutts, who wedded Mary P. S. Jarvis, who was also of notable New England parentage, her father, William Jarvis, serving for eight years as American consul at Lisbon, Portugal.

It will thus be seen that C. H. C. Howard is descended from distinguished ancestry in both the paternal and maternal lines. His parents were teachers of liberal education and broad culture. The father was graduated from Dartmouth College, while the mother was a graduate of the Tilden Ladies' Seminary at Lebanon, New Hampshire. At their marriage they began teaching, becoming teachers in high schools and later in the Glen- wood Collegiate Institute at Matawan, New Jersey, where they remained until 1872. They afterward removed to Brooklyn, New York, and Mr. Howard taught in private schools for some time. He devoted the last ten years of his life to envelope manufac- turing. He was born in 1830 and died in 1899, while his wife, who was born in 1835, departed this life in 1889. They were consistent members of the Presbyterian church and Mr. Howard was also identified with the Masonic fraternity. To him and his wife were born seven children, three of whom died in infancy, the others being: C. H. C .; Mary, the wife of R. W. King of Montclair, New Jersey; Charles T., who is connected with the city department at Los Angeles, California; and Eliot, an electrician of Brook- lyn, New York.

C. H. C. Howard was born in Brattleboro, Vermont, September 5, 1862. Having acquired a public school education he later attended the Adelphi Academy at Brooklyn, New York, and for five years was assistant librarian in the Astor Library of New York city. He came to Arkansas in 1890 for the benefit of his health and entered newspaper work at Beebe, where for ten years he was editor and publisher of Current Topics, which was afterward merged into the White County News and for a year he remained as

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF ARKANSAS

editor of the latter publication. He then sold out and was employed as a bookkeeper in Beehe, while later he took over the fire insurance business and is now representing nine different companies. In this connection he has gained a good clientage and his business is one of large extent.

On the 12th of September, 1894, Mr. Howard was married to Miss Effie M. Bartley, a native of Fulton, Missouri, and a daughter of S. N. and Virginia ( Berry) Bartley, who were also natives of Fulton. The father became a merchant of Beebe and also assistant cashier of the Bank of Beebe. He was likewise prominent in public affairs, serving as mayor of the town and as treasurer and recorder at different times. He died October 1. 1915, at the age of seventy-two years, his birth having occurred in 1843 and he is sur- vived by his wife, who still makes her home in Beehe. Their daughter, Mrs. Howard, however, departed this life November 1, 1915, leaving a son, Elwin who is pursuing a scientific course in the Westminster College of Fulton, Missonri.

Mr. Howard is a member of the Christian church and his political belief is that of the democratic party. He served for four years as city recorder of Beebe and is an honorary member of the New Hampshire Historical Society, also a corresponding mem- ber of the Maine and Vermont Historical Society and the New England Historical and Genealogical Society. He is likewise thus identified with the Essex Institute of Salem, Massachusetts. He has recently published a history of the Cutts family, also of the Sparhawk family and a history of the Pepperrell family. He also wrote the Pepperrell portraits and a small pamphlet of the life and public service of General John W. Phelps. His authorship includes a volume entitled Brattleboro in Verse and Prose and he has in manuscript the history of the Carter family. His life has been cast in harmony with the records of an honored ancestry. In both lines he comes of families of strong intellectual force and high ideals and he has ever proven a worthy scion of his race.

DR. JOHN L. GREENE.

Dr. John L. Greene, optometrist of El Dorado, enjoying an extensive practice as the result of his comprehensive scientific knowledge and practical skill, was born in Ruston, Louisiana, on the 9th of August, 1873, his parents being Malaciah B. and Mary Jane (Gathright) Greene, the former a native of Alabama, while the latter was born in Union county, Arkansas. Both, however, were reared in Louisiana, to which state they accompanied their parents during their early childhood.

Dr. Greene spent his youthful days in Lincoln parish, Louisiana, and completed his education in the Fellowship high school of that parish. When a youth of sixteen years he began work at the hench in a jewelry and optical store in Shiloh, Louisiana, and served his apprenticeship under A. J. Mashaw of Palmerville, that state. In 1893 he returned to Ruston, where he established himself in the jewelry and optical business, there continuing until 1896, whence he removed to Junction City, where he was suc- cessfully engaged in business until 1912. However, in 1906 he bought out the jewelry business of Constantine & Fuller in El Dorado and conducted the two stores until six years later, at which time the Junction City store was closed out, but the El Dorado store was continued until February 1, 1921. For some years previons to the latter date Dr. Greene had been a consistent student of optometry and his jewelry business had become only a means to an end. In 1903. he attended the Kansas School of Optometry at Topeka, Kansas, and in 1905 he pursued a course in optometry at Atlanta, Georgia, while in 1912 he attended the Needles Optical Institute at Kansas City, Missouri. Thus continuing his studies along this line so that his ability was constantly increasing, he finally closed out his store on the 1st of February, 1921, in order to give his entire attention to the practice of optometry. He then opened offices in the Security Bank & Trust building, where he is now located and at the present time he is concentrating his undivided attention upon his profession. He is splendidly qualified for the work by thorough training and is most conscientious in the performance of his professional duties. Since 1915 he has been a member of the state examining board of optometry and has throughout this period served as secretary and treasurer of the board. He belongs to the Arkansas Optical Society and utilizes every means that will broaden his knowledge and promote his efficiency in his chosen calling.

Dr. Greene was married on the 24th of December, 1893, to Miss Elizabeth Pauline Mitchell of Schoudrant, Louisiana, and they have become the parents of three children: Alonzo Maughan, Clara Mitchell and Muriel Alice. Dr. Greene belongs to El Dorado Lodge, No. 13. A. F. & A. M .; also to El Dorado Chapter, No. 114, R. A. M .; El Dorado Chapter,No. 280, O. E. S .; and all of his children are likewise members of the Eastern Star, while the son belongs also to El Dorado Lodge, No. 13, A. F. & A. M. Dr Greene is identified with the Scottish Rite bodies, having attained the thirty-second degree in

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF ARKANSAS

Albert Pike Consistory, No. 1, A. & A. S. R. He belongs to the El Dorado school board and has always taken an active interest in educational work and in civic affairs, sup- porting all those plans and measures which look to the development of the community intellectually or to the promotion of those interests which are a matter of civic virtne and civic pride. He and all of his family hold membership in the Baptist church, in which he is serving as deacon and no good work done in the name of charity or religion seeks his aid in vain. By reason of his intense and helpful interest in the material, intellectual, social and moral welfare of the community he is classed with El Dorado's foremost citizens and highly honored men.

OSCAR HUGH WILSON.

From pioneer times to the present the Wilson family has played an important part in the development and upbuilding of Pope county, and Oscar Hugh Wilson, a large landowner residing in Russellville, is a worthy representative of a name that for many years has stood as a synonym for enterprise and integrity in business circles of north- western Arkansas. His birth occurred in old Norristown, Pope county, on the 25th of August, 1872, and his parents were R. J. and Cassandra (Ford) Wilson, the former of whom was born near Russellville, Arkansas, September 20, 1835, while the birth of the latter occurred near Shreveport Louisiana. The father is a veteran of the Civil war, in which he served with the rank of captain, enlisting in 1861. He was formerly an agriculturist but later became one of the leading merchants of Russellville, and in 1890 he organized the Peoples Exchange Bank, of which he has since been president. He is a man of exceptional business ability, enterprise and determination and is the largest landholder in this vicinity but is now living retired in Russellville at the advanced age of eighty-seven years and is one of the most substantial citizens and highly respected pioneers of Pope county. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, a demo-' crat in his political views, and fraternally is identified with the Masons. Mrs. Wilson passed away in 1884, leaving four children, of whom the subject of this review is the eldest; Kate, who married Joe Jacobson, has six children and the family reside in New Mexico; Stella is the wife, of John J. Duffie, who is engaged in the export business in South America; Walter is the owner of a large farm near Woodson, Arkansas, on which he makes his home.

In the acquirement of an education Oscar Hugh Wilson attended the schools of Bell Buckle and Lebanon, Tennessee, and after completing his studies he returned home in order to assist his father in caring for his large mercantile and farming inter- ests. For a number of years he conducted the Russellville establishment but since the sale of the enterprise a few years ago has had charge of his father's land interests, in addition to which he is managing his own property holdings, which are also extensive. In the control of his business affairs he displays much of his father's executive ability and keen sagacity and his efforts have been crowned with a substantial measure of success.

In 1894 Mr. Wilson was united in marriage to Miss Nancy Kerr Rankin, a native of Russellville and a daughter of W. H. Rankin, who was formerly identified with farm- ing interests but is now living retired in Russellville. To this union have been born four children: Margaret, who graduated from the State University of Arkansas with the A. B. degree and is now the wife of T. Bennett Freeman, a leading merchant of Marianna, Arkansas; Estelle, at home; Evelyn, who is a student at the State University; and William W., who is a senior in the Culver Military Academy of Indiana.

The family are all members of the Presbyterian church and Mr. Wilson was sent as a delegate to the constitutional convention of 1917. He is widely and favorably known in Pope county, where he has spent his life, and in matters affecting the welfare and progress of his community, county and state he has ever been deeply and helpfully interested. He is a worthy son of a distinguished sire and is ably sustaining the tradi- tions of one of the oldest and most highly respected families in this part of the state.

WILLIAM M. PHILLIPS.

William M. Phillips, district manager for the Morris Packing Company of Kansas City, Missouri, with headquarters at Fort Smith, where he controls extensive and impor- tant interests, at the same time maintaining his residence in Hartford, Arkansas, was born in Auburn, this state, on the 24th of July, 1894, and is a son of W. E. and Louise Ella ( Richmond ) Phillips. He acquired his early education in the schools of Fort Smith

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF ARKANSAS

and of Little Rock and devoted two years to the study of medicine in the University of Arkansas but afterward abandoned his plan of becoming a physician and turned his attention in other directions. He became auditor for the Central Coal & Coke Company and was filling that position when in February, 1918, he enlisted for service in the World war and went to Camp Pike, where he was commissioned a second lieutenant and made bayonet instructor. He was honorably discharged on December 29.

When Mr. Phillips again took up civilian activity he became a salesman for the Morris Packing Company of Kansas City, Missouri, and made so creditable a record in that connection that he was promoted to the more responsible position of district sales manager and is now acting in that capacity, controlling important interests in his present position and displaying those business qualities which ultimately win suc- cess-the qualities of determination, perseverance and sound judgment.

S. A. DIEHL.

The newspaper business is constantly attracting men from the various walks of life, many of whom find in this work a pleasant and profitable occupation. To this class belongs S. A. Diehl, editor and proprietor of the Daily Times-Echo and the Flash- light of Eureka Springs. He became identified with the publication of newspapers many years ago and is recognized as one of the thoroughly experienced and capable men in this line in the state.

S. A. Diehl was born in Fostoria, Ohio, on the 31st of July, 1865, a son of Abraham and Elizabeth (Leonard) Diehl, the former a native of New York state and the latter of Ohio. The father was a member of the Union army during the Civil war, serving for three years. He was a member of Company E, Forty-ninth Ohio Regiment. He received a wound in the leg at Shiloh and was likewise wounded at the battle of Chick- amauga. At the close of the war he returned to Ohio, where he resided until 1871, when he removed to Illinois. He engaged in farming in that state. As one of the repre- sentative citizens of the community he was frequently called to public office and for some time he served as justice of the peace of the community in which he resided. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Diehl six children were born, five of whom are living. S. A., whose name initiates this review. is the oldest. child. The family was reared in the faith of the Evangelical church and Mr. Diehl gave his political allegiance to the repub- lican party, having firm belief in the principles of that party as factors in good govern- ment. He was likewise an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic.

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Centennial history of Arkansas, Part 8

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