Centennial history of Arkansas, Part 81

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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Army Corps, which continued in action in that sector from November 2d to November 11th, and from November 13, 1918, until February 16, 1919, was stationed at Pont á Mouzon, France, going from there to Le Mans, the debarkation center. On March 26th the troops sailed for the United States, landing at New York city on the 1st of April and being demobilized at Camp Pike, Arkansas, where Lieutenant Landers received his dis- charge on May 16, 1919. Going at once to Conway, he spent the next two years as an instructor in the preparatory department of Hendrix College and in 1921 came to McGehee as superintendent of the school here. This is a class B, four-year high school, employing eleven teachers, and is one of the accredited schools of the state. Mr. Landers' thorough training and natural qualifications well fit him for the duties which devolve upon him and under his capable direction the school is making splendid progress. He keeps in touch with the most advanced thought of the day in regard to the control and manage- ment of public schools and is actuated by a spirit of progress that takes cognizance of all improved educational methods.

In 1918 Professor Landers was united in marriage to Miss Lois Bolls of Conway, Arkansas, and they have a daughter, Anna Bernice. They are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, South, in the work of which they are deeply interested, and Professor Landers is serving on the board of stewards and is also a teacher in the Sunday school. Thoroughness and efficiency have ever characterized his work and his professional career has been one of continuons advancement. He holds to high ideals in relation to the maintenance of the schools and is doing all in his power to advance educational standards in his district, his influence being ever on the side of progress and improvement.

IRWIN MARCUS STERNBERG, D. D. S.

Dr. Irwin Marcus Sternberg, engaged in the practice of dentistry in Fort Smith, where he was born in 1882, is a son of M. and Sarah (Oppenheimer) Sternberg. The father came to this city in 1881 from Ozark, Arkansas, having previously resided in that city for six years, while prior to 1875 he made his home in Illinois.

Dr. Sternberg is the youngest of a family of four children. He was reared in Fort Smith and was graduated from the city high school with the class of 1900. He later attended the Washington University at St. Louis, in which he pursued his professional course, being graduated therefrom in 1907 with the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery. He then returned to his native city for practice and opened an office here. His success from the outset has been continuous and his life stands in contradiction to the old adage that a prophet is not without honor save in his own country, for in the city of his nativity Dr. Sternberg ranks with the ablest, having probably the largest dental practice here. Moreover, his high professional standing among his colleagues and contemporaries is indicated in the fact that in 1908 he was elected secretary of the Arkansas State Dental Association and by reelection was continued in that position until 1913. He was elected a member of the Arkansas state board of dental examiners in 1913, his incumbency in the position continuing until 1924 and from 1913 until 1919 he served as secretary of the board. In 1910 he organized the local dental society and became its first president, while in 1915 he organized the Northwest Arkansas Dental Society and was made its first president, continuing in the position for two years. He not only holds to the highest standards of the profession himself but seeks to advance efficiency in dental practice at all times and his work has been a stimulant to the efforts of others. He was the pre- liminary dental examiner of western Arkansas and of eastern Oklahoma.

Dr. Sternberg was married to Miss Bertha Levinson, a daughter of M. P. Levinson, formerly of Kansas City but now deceased. Dr. and Mrs. Sternberg have twin daughters, Ione and Leone, six years of age. During the World war Dr. Sternberg was secretary of the local advisory board of Crawford, Sebastian and Scott counties and did most efficient work to further those activities which were the support of the government and constituted the home defense back of the firing lines on the western front.

GARLAND S. RUMPH.

Garland S. Rumph, a partner in the firm of Rumph & Tyson, retail grocers at Camden, was born near this city, in Ouachita county, September 26, 1878. His father, Dr. J. B. Rumph, who died in 1888, at the age of sixty-five years, was a physician and surgeon of Camden who practiced through the surrounding counties and was very successful in his chosen profession. He was also selected to represent Ouachita county in the state legislature during the administration of Governor Garland and thus in many ways left

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the impress of his individuality and ability upon the public life and thought of the community. He was a native of South Carolina and he served through the war as surgeon in the Confederate army. In 1840 he came to Arkansas and was one of the early pioneers of this vicinity, settling near Camden. His reason for coming to Arkansas was the desire to have better game hunting, which led to his settling on a place near Frio and Tulip Creek. The family is distinctively American for several generations back but is of Scotch and Irish descent. Mr. Rumph was united in marriage to Miss Martha Proctor, who is still living in Camden at the age of seventy-five years. She came to this section of the country from Meriwether county, Georgia, the family driving across the country with ox team and wagon to Holly Springs, Arkansas, in the early pioneer times. They were an American family through many generations. Her father, Elias Proctor, and her brothers, Jim and Tom, served throughout the Civil war. Mr. and Mrs. Rumph were married near Camden, Arkansas, and became the parents of six children, four daughters and two sons, all of whom are yet living.

Garland S. Rumph was the third in order of birth. He was educated in the country schools and in the schools of Camden and he started out in the business world as a clerk in the employ of M. P. Watts & Brothers of that place. In 1901 he turned his attention to the retail grocery business in connection with Mr. Tyson, of whom he became an equal partner, the firm style of Rumph & Tyson being assumed. This connection has been continued to the present time and the business has long since been placed upon a most substantial basis. They enjoy an excellent trade as the result of their close applica- tion, thoroughness and earnest desire to please their patrons. They have ever recognized the fact that satisfied customers are the best advertisement and they have always main- tained high standards in the personnel of the house, in the line of goods carried and in their general business methods.

At Camden, on the 19th of October, 1904, Mr. Rumph was united in marriage to Miss Mae 'Gardenhire, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Gardenhire of Tennessee. They have become parents of a son and two daughters: Dorothy Mae, fourteen years of age: Frances Elise, thirteen; and James Harvey, a lad of twelve.

Mr. Rumph has taken an active and helpful interest in public affairs and for the past ten years has served as a member of the city council. He belongs to the Chamber of Commerce, also to the Knights of Pythias and to the Methodist church. His member- ship relations indicate clearly the nature of his interests and the rules that govern his conduct.

JOHN FRANKLIN SIMMONS, M. D.

An active and honorable career was that of Dr. John Franklin Simmons, physician, real estate dealer and banker, whose activities contributed to the substantial develop- ment of the community in which he made his home and whose sterling worth of character was attested by all who knew him. His pronounced characteristics were those which measured up to high standards of manhood and citizenship, so that deep regret was felt throughout Pine Bluff and this section of the state when Dr. Simmons died on the 1st of October, 1920. He had attained a venerable age, having passed the eighty-seventh milestone on life's journey, for his birth occurred near Florence, Alabama, on the 11th of February, 1833, his parents being Robert E. and Nancy (Smart) Simmons. He enjoyed liberal educational opportunities, attending the schools of Florence, Alabama, and Tullahoma, Mississippi, and winning his professional degree upon graduation from the Jefferson College at Philadelphia. It was his desire to engage in the practice of medicine as a life work and he first opened an office in Memphis, Tennessee, where he remained until 1868 and then removed to Jefferson county, Arkansas. Here he purchased a plantation and in connection with its man- agement he continued in the practice of medicine and surgery, devoting many years to that calling. At length, because of failing health, he retired from the profession and removed to Pine Bluff, where he made investments in real estate. He acquired large property holdings in the city and in addition to his plantations near Pine Bluff he also held valuable real estate in the city of Memphis. His sound judgment further directed his investments in banking enterprises and he became a stockholder in vari- ous strong financial institutions. At times he was a director of the Citizens Bank of Pine Bluff and also of the Simmons National Bank and became the first president of the latter, which from the beginning has been recognized as one of the safe and progressive moneyed institutions of the county.

When the country became involved in Civil war Dr. Simmons enlisted at Tullahoma. Mississippi, in 1861, joining Captain Hardin's Company, Colonel Mott's Regiment, Wilcox Brigade, in Virginia. After the battle of Manassas Dr. Simmons became very ill with measles and during a storm his tent was blown down and he contracted a severe cold

DR. JOHN F. SIMMONS

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and cough. He was then sent to the hospital in Oxford, Mississippi, and remained an attendant there until the close of hostilities.

On the 27th of November, 1895, Dr. Simmons was united in marriage in Memphis, Tennessee, to Miss Emma Louise Hunter, a daughter of Theophilus John and Sue (Walton) Hunter. Her father, Lieutenant Theophilus Hunter, was one of the first in his locality to join the Confederate army, becoming identified with Captain Tom Wilson's Company and participating in every battle with General Walthall's Brigade until wounded and captured at Lookout Mountain. He was a great-grandson of Colonel Theophilus and Jane (Lane) Hunter of Raleigh, North Carolina, the former a soldier of the Revolutionary war. To Dr. and Mrs. Simmons were born two daughters: Theola, who became the wife of Captain Russell E. Lambert of Monticello, Arkansas; and Lucille, the wife of Henry A. Jones, who is connected with the Simmons National Bank of Pine Bluff. The weddings of the two daughters were among the most notable social events of Pine Bluff.

Dr. Simmons was a democrat in his political views but was never an aspirant for public office. He belonged to the various Masonic bodies, exemplifying in his life the beneficent spirit of the craft, and he was a member of the Pine Bluff Country Club and other social organizations. He likewise held membership in the First Methodist Episcopal church, of which he was one of the officers, and his aid and influence were ever potent factors in the advancement of moral and civic standards in the community. He ever sought the uplift of the individual and the progress and improvement of his city and he took great delight in advancing the standards governing both. His own record constitutes an example which others might profitably follow if they desire to win success and a good name simultaneously. In the practice of medicine Dr. Simmons rendered signal service to his fellowmen and in the conduct of his real estate and banking interests the public was a beneficiary, for his labors were an element of general progress, as well as of individual success. More- over, the thoroughly reliable methods which he always followed brought to him also that good name which is rather to be chosen than great riches.

RICHARD CONNER LIMERICK.

Richard Conner Limerick, who since his discharge from the army in the World war has made his home in Little Rock, is now filling the office of chief engineer in the state highway department. He was born in Natchez, Mississippi, February 15, 1892. His father, John A. Limerick, a native of Mississippi, was born in Rodney, May 15, 1869, and for many years has engaged in business at Natchez as a commission merchant. His political endorsement is given the democratic party. He was married January 21, 1890, in Natchez, to Miss Jane Gustin Conner, who was born in that city February 9, 1872. Their three sons are John A., Richard C. and Aylett B. Limerick.

Educated in the Natchez public schools, Richard C. Limerick was graduated from the high school with the class of 1909. He afterward entered the University of Missis- sippi as a student in the engineering department and won his B. E. degree upon gradua- tion with the class of 1913. He then started out in the business world at Philadelphia, Mississippi, as engineer in charge of the construction of twenty miles of improved highways.

With America's advent into the World war Mr. Limerick responded to the call for troops. He was living in Natchez and on the 16th of May, 1917, he went to Fort Roots, Arkansas, where he entered the Officers' Training Camp, winning his commission as first lieutenant on the 20th of July. On the 26th of November of that year he was sent overseas and was commissioned captain on the 16th of August, 1918. On landing in France he was at once transferred to the office of the chief engineer, A. E. F., and there remained until leaving France on the 22d of January, 1919. He arrived in the United States on the 1st of February and received his honorable discharge at Washing- ton, D. C., three days later. The president of France conferred upon him the decoration of the Knight of the Order of the Black Star, Legion of Honor, and he received a citation from General Pershing for distinguished and meritorious service.

Captain Limerick took up his ahode in Little Rock in 1919 and on the 1st of July, 1921, was appointed state highway engineer of Arkansas, in which capacity he is now serving, his thorough professional training and previous experience well qualifying him for the duties and responsibilities that devolve upon him in this connection.

Captain Limerick was married September 8, 1917, at Leland, Mississippi, to Miss Martha Ryan Feltus, whose birth occurred at that place October 15, 1897. She is a daughter of James A. V. and Katherine (Berkeley) Feltus. Her father, born in Missis-

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sippi, was a Confederate soldier and is now deceased. Her mother is still living in Mississippi. Mrs. Limerick was graduated from All Saints College, a girls' school at Vicksburg, Mississippi. There is one son of this marriage, Richard Conner, Jr., born December 23, 1919.

Captain Limerick has always voted with the democratic party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He belongs to the Delta Psi, a college fraternity, and is affiliated with the Presbyterian church.

C. E. JOHNSEN.

('. E. Johnsen, living at Ashdown, is widely recognized as one of the most forceful, ambitious and progressive young attorneys and leading members of the bar of south- western Arkansas. He is numbered among the worthy native sons of this state, his birth having occurred at Lockesburg, Sevier county, on the 26th of July, 1888. His youth was spent on a farm and his education was obtained in the graded and high schools of Lockesburg. When nineteen years of age he took up the profession of teaching, which he followed until he had attained his majority and during the same period began reading law. He continued his law studies until admitted to the bar in 1911 and two years later was admitted to the supreme court. His initial experience as a practitioner was obtained at Delight, in Pike county, where he remained until the fall of 1918, when he came to Ashdown, here forming a partnership with S. S. Langley that was maintained until 1921. In the latter year he entered into partnership with Ben Shaver, with whom he is now associated in practice as a member of the firm of Johnsen & Shaver, which is accorded an extensive clientage. He is a lawyer of wide learning who prepares his cases with great thoroughness and care and presents his cause with notable strength. His arguments are sound, his deductions logical and his reasoning forceful and he seldom fails to win the verdict desired. He has made a most creditable record as deputy prosecuting attorney for his district.

Mr. Johnsen is a worthy exemplar of the Masonic fraternity, exemplifying in his life the beneficent spirit and teachings of the craft. He has always remained in Arkansas and enjoys high standing in both professional and social circles of the community in which he makes his home.

JOSIAH NICHOL.

Comparatively few who are identified with banking interests in Arkansas have been so long associated with financial interests as has Josiah Nichol, now the vice president of the Simmons National Bank. Thirty years have been added to the cycle of the centuries since he became an active factor in this great and vital field of labor and through the steady development of his powers he has advanced step by step until he now occupies a position of prominence with the banking fraternity of the state. Born in Pine Bluff, in 1874, he is a son of Charles Alexander and Nannie ( Williams) Nichol. In the paternal line he is descended from an old Virginia family that sent its representa- tives into Tennessee in pioneer days. This family included Captain John Nichol, who served in the War of 1812. The father, C. A. Nichol, was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and was a son of William Nichol. In the Williams line the records can be traced back to England and with the emigration of representatives of the name to the new world settlement was made in Virginia. The great-grandfather, Willoughby Williams, was a Virginian by birth and a soldier of the Revolutionary war, aiding valiantly in winning independence for the nation. His son and namesake, Willoughby Williams, Jr., was at one time sheriff of Davidson county. Tennessee, and was prominently connected with the state militia, serving with the rank of colonel. In 1846 he purchased an extensive tract of land in Arkansas and became a man of large wealth prior to the Civil war. He was a warm personal friend of Andrew Jackson and numbered among his close associates many distinguished men of both this state and Tennessee. He died in 1882, at the venerable age of eighty-six years, having long survived his wife, who departed this life in 1844, at the age of thirty-six years. She bore the maiden name of Nancy D. Nichol. Among their children was McH. Williams, who was born in Nashville, Tennessee, August 28, 1831, and who in early life was brought to Arkansas, where, like his father. he became actively and prominently associated with the material development and public interests of the state.

Josiah Nichol, son of C. A. and Nannie (Williams) Nichol, pursued his education in the schools of Pine Bluff and started out in the business world as an employe of the

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Merchants & Planters Bank of this city, in the year 1892. He received thorough training in various departments of banking while associated with that institution and in 1903 he became connected with the Simmons National Bank, in which he has been successively promoted until he is now bending his efforts to administrative direction and executive control in an official capacity, being the vice president of this time-honorod and sub- stantial institution. He is today regarded as one of the ablest bankers in Arkansas, eminently progressive in all that he undertakes and at the same time most carefully safeguarding the interests of depositors and of stockholders alike by reason of his sound judgment and clear vision in all matters pertaining to the development, the growth and the policy of the bank.

Mr. Nichol was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Martin of Warren, Arkansas, a daughter of Henry G. and Fannie E. (Bailey) Martin. Their religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church, of which they are loyal and helpful supporters. Mr. Nichol is likewise identified with several fraternal organizations, including the Benevolent Pro- tective Order of Elks, the Knights of Pythias, the Woodmen and The Maccabees. He has served as the treasurer of the Red Cross and during the World war he was district chairman of the Liberty Loan organization during the five Loan campaigns. In politics he has always given stalwart allegiance to the democratic party and for eight years has been a member of the state central committee, assisting in devising plans for furthering the growth of the party and securing the adoption of its principles. His life has been actuated by a spirit of loyalty in relation to all vital public interests in Pine Bluff and in the state.

AUGUSTUS M. FULK.

The name of Fulk is written large on the pages of Little Rock's legal history. Judge Francis M. Fulk was a distinguished member of the bar of the capital city for a number of years and associated with him were his two sons, Judge F. Guy Fulk and Augustus M. Fulk, the latter the immediate subject of this review. He was born in Little Rock, January 15, 1878, his parents being Francis M. and Florence M. (Parsons) Fulk, who are mentioned at length on another page of this work. Liberal educational advantages were accorded him. He attended the public schools until graduated from the Peabody high school and then, determining to make the practice of law his life work, he matriculated in the law department of Columbian University, now the George Washington University of Washington, D. C. There he completed his course as a graduate of the class of 1897, the Bachelor of Law degree being at that time conferred upon him as it was upon his brother. The two sons were then admitted to partnership by their father, under the firm style of Fulk, Fulk & Fulk and the association was maintained through- out the remainder of the father's life. The brothers then continued in practice together and A. M. Fulk, like the others of the family, has made a most creditable name and place for himself at the Pulaski county bar.

On the 25th of April. 1900, in Little Rock, Augustus M. Fulk was married to Miss Elizabeth Kane, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Martin and Rosanna (McCann) Kane, both of whom were natives of Ireland. Coming to the new world they resided for a long time in Philadelphia, but both have departed this life, the death of the father occurring in 1918. Mr. and Mrs. Fulk have become parents of five children: Francis M., born in 1901; Martin K., born in 1902; Augustus M., born in 1904; and Elizabeth and Catherine, twins, born in 1916.

Mr. Fulk has always given his political allegiance to the democratic party, becoming a stanch advocate thereof on attaining his majority. He is well known in club circles, belonging to the Lakeside and Spring Lake Clubs. He is also a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. A lifelong resident of Little Rock, he has so directed his efforts and his interests as to enjoy at all times the respect and confidence of his fellow- men, while his professional attainments are the direct outcome of his thorongh study of the law, the careful preparation of his cases and his ability in presenting his cause before the court.

RUFUS J. NELSON.

A prominent representative of agricultural interests in northwestern Arkansas is Rufus J. Nelson, who is actively identified with farming and is also editor of a farm journal. He has closely studied the questions which he discusses through the columns of his paper and his opinions are based upon practical experience and broad knowledge. His labors, therefore, are constituting a valuable element in agricultural progress in this part of the state. Mr. Nelson was born near Washington, Hempstead county, Arkansas,

Vol. II-83

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December 6, 1870, and is a son of Sam H. and Alice C. (Wyatt) Nelson. The father was born in Leon county, Texas, and was a representative of one of the old southern families, his father having been a native of North Carolina, whence he removed to the Lone Star state, settling in Montgomery county at an early period in the development of that district. His remaining days were spent in Texas. After reaching adult age Sam H. Nelson began farming in Texas, where he resided for a number of years. Abont fourteen years ago he removed to Texarkana, where he engaged in raising fruit and also in truck gardening. He planted the first orchard in Sevier county and there successfully engaged in raising peaches. In September, 1910, he came to Washington county, settling on a farm with his son and here again he turned his attention to truit raising. He and his wife still make their home near Fayetteville and he has long been regarded as one of the capable and successful horticulturists of the state. His theories have found practical demonstration and the results achieved have heen most satisfactory. Mr. Nelson has always voted with the democratic party and is unfaltering in his allegiance to its prin- ciples. His military record covers service with the Fourth Arkansas Regiment of the Confederate army through a period of four years. During this time he participated in several hotly contested engagements, including the battles of Pea Ridge, Murfreesboro and Chickamauga. He married Alice C. Wyatt, a native of Little Rock, Arkansas, and the daughter of John Preston Wyatt, a native of Kentucky, who took up his abode in Little Rock at an early day. Mrs. Nelson is a member of the Baptist church and by her marriage she became the mother of nine children, three of whom are living: Rufus J .; O. C., a farmer, residing at Eagle Town, Oklahoma; and S. E., a landscape gardener, living at Wichita Falls, Texas.

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Centennial history of Arkansas, Part 81

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