Goodspeeds Biographies

for Franklin County AR

 FRANKLIN COUNTY, AR BIOGRAPHIES - U - Z

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SOURCE: History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford,
Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Co.,1889.
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John N. Volentine is the second born and only surviving child in the
family of five children born to Andrew and Winnifred (Stevenson) Volentine, natives, respectively, of North Carolina and South Carolina. The grandparents of our subject were natives of England, who
immigrated to the United States in an early day, and were farmers by
occupation. Andrew Volentine was born in 1806, and after reaching his maturity married and removed from his native State to Wilkinson County, Ga., where he remained until his death, which occurred in 1836. The mother of John N. Volentine was born in 1808, and was a daughter of Henry and Dilla Stevenson, parents of twelve children, of whom Winnifred was the fifth. The mother died in 1840, and her daughter died in Franklin County, Ark., in 1879, a member of the
Baptist Church. After the death of Andrew Volentine, in 1836, Winnifred Volentine married Edward A. Morgan, in 1838. He was born and reared in England, near London, and died in Wilkinson County, Ga., in
1854. John N. Volentine was born June 19, 1830, and was reared in
Georgia, where he remained until 1856, when he located on a farm in
Clark County, Ala. In 1862 he enlisted in Company I, Wirt Adams' regiment, Confederate army, and served until April, 1865, when he was
wounded in the thigh in a skirmish near Gainesville, and returned
home, where he was detained until his company surrendered. In 1867 he
went to Carroll County, Ark., by wagon, and December 24 settled on the
farm where he has since lived. He has 540 acres, all fenced, and 200
acres under cultivation, and is one of the most enterprising and
prominent farmers of the county. In 1853 Mr. Volentine married Eliza
Dales, a native of Houston County, Ga., who died April 11, 1866, the
mother of five children, viz.: Louisa, wife of T. L. Bradley, of
Franklin County; John T., Dora V., Jesse B. and Mary J. (deceased).
Mr. Volentine subsequently married Mary F. Franklin, by whom he has
one child, Alice. Politically Mr. Volentine is a Democrat. He takes an
active part in educational matters. John T. Volentine is a school-
teacher, and has given general satisfaction. Alice Volentine taught
school five months the past winter and spring, and also during this
fall. She has been thus occupied three years.

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Wiley B. Wagner, one of the oldest citizens of Mulberry Tp., Franklin
Co., Ark., was born in Tennessee on the 8th of September, 1833, and is
a son of Absalom and grandson of Solomon Wagner. The latter was a
native of Virginia, and at an early day removed to Franklin County,
Tenn., and was a soldier in the War of 1812. His son Absalom was born
in Franklin County, Tenn., about 1803, and died in Crawford County,
Ark., in 1843. He was a wealthy farmer, and was married, while a
resident of Tennessee, to Miss Susan Russell, who was born in the same
county as himself, and died in 1860, aged about fifty years. Eight
children were born to their union, three of whom are living: Mark H.,
Lydia (wife of Solomon Wagner) and Wiley B. The latter remained at
home until 1852, then made the overland trip to California, and
remained in that State six years, working part of the time in the
mines. The rest of the time was spent in working on the ranches and
teaming, at which he was quite successful financially, but he spent
his money almost as fast as he earned it. He returned home via the
Isthmus of Panama and New Orleans, and after a short time came to
Franklin County, Ark., where he has since made his home. He owns 153
acres of as fine land as there is in the county, all of which was
earned previous to the Rebellion. In the fall of 1861 he enlisted in
the Confederate army, and served for about three years, being a
participant in a number of hotly contested battles and skirmishes.
January 1, 1860, he was married to Mary E. Nixon, who was born
December 18, 1839, and thirteen children have been born to their
union: Belle D., wife of Moses Fisher; George R., Martha H., Robert
S., Joseph B., James I. and Cassie Lee. The following children are
deceased: Mark H., Phoebe, wife of George Fisher; Lydia F., wife of
Joshua Fisher; Amanda and two infants. Mr. Wagner is a member of the
Primitive Baptist Church, and is a Democrat in his political views.

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M. H. Wagner, Jr., farmer and stock dealer, of Franklin County, is a
native of Crawford County, Ark., born on February 10, 1840, and is the
son of Absalom and Susan (Russell) Wagner, the latter a daughter of
Capt. Russell, who participated in the Florida War. The parents spent
their early days in Middle Tennessee, and came to Arkansas in 1833,
where they passed their last days. The father was a native of
Tennessee, was one of nine brothers, and was of English and French
extraction. The mother was also a native of Tennessee. M. H. Wagner
was reared to farm life, and has followed this occupation thus far
during life. He is the owner of 120 acres of land, and is considered a
successful farmer. He was married in this county, in 1866, to Miss
Serena, daughter of James and Irene Heard, and a native of Crawford
County, Ark. To this marriage were born twelve children, seven now
living: Sula, James, Cyrus, Franklin, Robert, Welch and Fred. Those
deceased were named Richard, Emma, and three infants. The mother of
these children died January 29, 1888, and left a large circle of
friends to mourn her loss. Mr. Wagner is a member of the Masonic
fraternity, Pleasant Hill Lodge No. 233, is a Democrat in politics,
and is a member of the Baptist Church. In connection with his farming
interests, he is also engaged in stock-raising, and is one of the
thorough-going farmers of the county. The grandfather of Mr. Wagner
was an intimate friend of Gen. Jackson, and corresponded with him for
some time. An uncle of Mr. Wagner has one of the letters in his
possession at the present time.

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G. W. Wagner, blacksmith, was born in Crawford County, Ark., December
29, 1851, and is the third of nine children born to his parents, A. J.
and Frances (Night) Wagner, both natives of Franklin County, Tenn.,
where they lived for a number of years and then moved to Crawford
County, Ark. The father died in 1886 and the mother in 1885. The
former was a farmer by occupation, but also carried on the blacksmith
business in connection with his farming interests. His son, G. W.
Wagner, assisted his father on the farm and in the shop, thus early in
life learning the blacksmith trade. In 1867 he immigrated with his
parents to Franklin County, Ark., and here he has since resided. He
was married in 1875 to Miss Mary J. Knight, who was born in Franklin
County, Tenn., July 22, 1851. This union resulted in the birth of
three children: Oscner, Wallace and Olen. Mr. Wagner is the owner of a
house and five acres of land in the village of Mulberry, and aside
from this has fifty-five acres of excellent land, all the result of
his own industry and good management. He is a Democrat in his
political views, and a member of Arkansas Lodge No. 61, I. O. O. F.

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Samuel H. Weaver, a retired farmer of Hurricane Township, Franklin
County, was born to William and Mary (Smith) Weaver, in Jackson
County, Ala., February 2, 1825. The grandfather, William Weaver, a
native of Virginia, and a farmer all his life, first removed to
Carolina, thence to Tennessee, and afterward located in Alabama. He
was a Democrat in politics, and lived to be very old, dying in 1824.
The father of William Weaver, and the grandfather of Samuel H., was
born in Carolina in 1803; he was reared in Tennessee, was married in
1821, and settled on a farm in Jackson County, Ala., whence he removed
to Arkansas in 1848, locating in Jefferson County, where he followed
farming until his death in 1857. Mrs. Mary Weaver, mother of Samuel
H., was born in Virginia, and removed to Alabama with her parents in
1819; she died in 1833, leaving a family of five children, only two of
whom are now living: Samuel H. and Alexander. In 1838 Mr. Weaver
married a Mrs. Russell, who died in 1871. Mr. Weaver departed this
life in 1857. In 1846 Samuel H. Weaver enlisted in the Mexican army,
and served one year; he then returned to Alabama, where he located on
a farm. The following year he married Elizabeth Finney, who died
December 23, 1850, leaving two children: Mary E. (now the wife of
Richard M. Burgess) and James C. (a minister of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, South). In 1854 Mr. Weaver married Elander J. Floyd,
daughter of Rev. Enoch Floyd, of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Of
the four children born to this union, two are living: David N. and
Enoch R. Mrs. Elander Weaver died in 1862, and Mr. Weaver subsequently
married Jane Newberry, by whom he had two children: Isabella C. and
John R. Again losing his wife, who died at Ozark in 1869, Mr. Weaver
married Mrs. Martha Lane, nee Gibson, of Ozark, who died September 16,
1888. Mr. Weaver served as a captain of militia during the late war,
and in 1869 located in Franklin County; he lived in Ozark, and engaged
in farming until 1881, when he removed to his present farm. He has
been an active worker in the church [p.1283] since 1840, where he is
now class-leader. He owns a fine farm, and makes his home with his
children. Enoch R. Weaver, M. D., was born in Jackson County, Ala.,
March 26, 1860, and was educated at Ozark, Ark. He read medicine with
Dr. Smithers, and subsequently attended the Missouri Medical College,
at St. Louis, where he graduated in 1883. In November, 1883, he
married Eliza, daughter of Elias D. Turner, a prominent attorney of
the county, who served as lieutenant and captain in the late war. Mrs.
Eliza Weaver was born August 27, 1863, and is now the mother of three
children: Addie M., Elias N. and Minnie B. Mr. and Mrs. Weaver are
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and Mr. Weaver is
also a member of the A. F. & A. M. He owns a well-improved farm of
eighty acres, and enjoys a large medical practice.

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Prof. Bartley M. Welton, farmer and teacher, was born in Madison
County, Ark., October 20, 1851. His father, William, was born in
Illinois, and until seventeen years of age made his home in that
State. In 1836 he came to Arkansas, locating in Madison County, which
he assisted to divide into sections. He also helped to divide Franklin
County into sections, and here married Mary J. Stokes, a native of
Tennessee, who was reared here. After his marriage he lived in Madison
County fourteen years, farming and freighting from Fort Smith. In 1861
he came to Franklin County, and later served in the Southern army
until the year the war closed, and on his return from the Price raid
in Missouri he was taken prisoner in Benton County, Ark., and was
retained at Fayetteville, Ark., until June, 1865, when all of the
armies were disbanded. He then came to his home in Franklin County,
where he remained until his death, which occurred in 1879. Mrs. Welton
is still living in Franklin County. Our subject was but nine years of
age when he accompanied his parents to this county, where he received
the rudiments of his education. He afterward attended the University
of Fayetteville, but left when a member of the sophomore class, and
began life as a teacher. Since 1875 he has taught school every year in
Franklin County, with the exception of one term, when he had a school
in Johnson County. February 24, 1878, he was united in marriage with
Amanda Stewart, who was reared and educated in Franklin County, and is
a daughter of William Stewart, deceased. Mr. Welton now lives on a
farm adjoining the old home place, and for the past ten years has
successfully engaged in farming in connection with teaching. He was
deputy sheriff under R. Q. Shores, and deputy sheriff under W. L.
Huggins last year, the present sheriff, and at present is deputy
assessor under J. B. Fulks. He has served as justice of the peace two
terms, and is at present justice of the peace of Limestone Township.
Mr. Welton is a Royal Arch Mason, and for three consecutive years has
served as Master of his lodge; he is also an official of the chapter.
Mrs. Welton is a member of the Baptist Church, and is the mother of
the following children: Lawrence, Luther and Lular (twins), Virgil,
Myrtie, Ruth, Burl and Idus L.

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N. W. Whitlock, retired farmer, and a resident of Section 15, where he
has forty acres, is a native of South Carolina, born in October, 1817,
and son of James and Betsey Whitlock, both of whom died when their
son, N. W., was quite small. He was reared to farm life, and this has
been his occupation through life. In 1840, while in Georgia, he was
married to Miss Dulina Burch, daughter of Jesse W. and Sallie Burch,
and a native of North Carolina, born in 1825. They have eleven
children born to this union, ten now living: J. H., a farmer, of
Pleasant Hill; W. P., of Crawford County; Jesse T., of Crawford
County; Mary J., wife of W. Nichols, of Franklin County; James M., of
Franklin County; Elizabeth, deceased; Sallie, wife of George Jackson,
of Crawford County; Josie, wife of John Love, of Crawford County; N.
M., of Franklin County, and Samuel F., also of this county. Mr.
Whitlock is a Democrat in politics, and he and wife are members of the
Baptist Church.

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John H. Whitlock, whose name is synonymous with the farming interests
of Franklin County, Ark., was born in Floyd County, Ga., November 6,
1841, and is a son of N. W. and J. E. Whitlock, whose sketch precedes
this. The subject of this sketch attained his growth in his native
State, and his early life thus far has been spent in farming. He was
married in Georgia, in 1864, to Miss Nancy A. Farmby, who was born
October 29, 1841, and by this union they became the parents of seven
children, three now living: Ida E., Mollie A. and Mattie D. Mr.
Whitlock is the owner of 240 acres of good land, 175 acres under
cultivation. All this he has made since the late war. He is a member
of the [p.1284] Masonic fraternity, Pleasant Hill Lodge No. 233, also
a member of the Odd Fellows lodge, Lone Elm No. 61, and is engaged in
farming and dealing in cattle, horses and mules.

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Ambrose Williams was born in Washington County, Ark., in the town of
Fayetteville, January 8, 1836, and is a son of James and Mary
(Cureton) Williams. The parents were born in Tennessee, and after
coming to Arkansas lived in Webb City, Cane Hill and Fayetteville. The
father died in Texas in 1846. The mother was a member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, and her death occurred in 1872. The following are
the four children of whom she was the mother: John, Ambrose, Alexander
(deceased), and Sarah, now Mrs. Eubanks. Alexander died while serving
in the Confederate army under Gen. Hineman at Fort Smith. Ambrose
passed his early boyhood in his native county, and in 1855 went to
California, where he farmed and engaged in mining for eleven years. He
then located in Mill Creek Township, Franklin County, where he now
owns a farm of 460 acres, 220 of which are finely cultivated, and upon
which Mr. Williams has erected a gin-mill. In the winter of 1887-88 he
visited California. In 1888 Mr. Williams was married to Melinda
McClain, daughter of Thomas Milam. This lady had three children by her
first husband, of whom one is living, Thomas J. McClain, postmaster at
Cecil. Mr. and Mrs. Williams have had five children, two of whom are
deceased. Their children were named as follows: Alfred W., William A.,
John, Margaret E. and Nellie.

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James H. Williams was born in Carroll County, Ark., in 1841, and is a
son of Lewis and Nancy (Shropshire) Williams, natives of Tennessee,
who located in Carroll County, Ark., in 1840. The father, who was a
farmer all his life, died in 1843, leaving three children, viz.:
Wesley, William and James H. Wesley and William were killed during the
late war. After the death of her first husband Nancy Williams married
Henry Nelson, who died in 1854, the father of one child, Adaline, now
the wife of James Stelfer. The mother subsequently married Sam Crooks,
by whom she had three children, viz.: Amanda, who married James
Robinson; Miranda, the wife of Joseph Perkins, and Willis. Mr. Crooks
died in December, 1887, and his widow lives on her father's old
homestead. She is well along in years, and is a member of the
Christian Church. The maternal grandfather of our subject, James
Shropshire, was a native of Tennessee, from which State he removed to
St. Francis County, Ark., and afterward to Carroll County, where he
lived a number of years, locating finally in Franklin County. He died
in Yell County. In 1861 James H. Williams enlisted in Company A, Fifth
Arkansas Regiment, and served until the close of the war,
participating in the battle of Pea Ridge and others. After the
surrender he returned home and turned his attention to farming. In
1866 he married Emily Smith, who was born in 1846, and is a daughter
of Arthur Smith, who came to Arkansas from Alabama in 1860; he served
in the late war, and died at Pine Bluff April 7, 1864. To Mr. and Mrs.
Williams have been born twelve children, viz.: Mary A., wife of J. J.
Ward; Martha J., William W., Lewis A., Nancy M., Florence E., Robert
H., Anna D., Columbus M. and John M.; Sarah and Jane F. are deceased.
As a result of hard work and good management, Mr. Williams has 300
acres of a fine tract of land under cultivation, and also owns and
operates a cotton-gin and corn-mill; he also conducts a general
merchandising business, which he established in the spring of 1888. He
takes an active interest in educational and public enterprises, and is
a Democrat politically. Mrs. Williams is a member of the Christian
Church.

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Judge John H. Wilson was born in Cape Girardeau County, Mo., March 12,
1827. His father, Benjamin Wilson, was born and grew to manhood in
Virginia, and when of age went to Missouri, where he married Virginia
Johnson, a native of Virginia. Mr. Wilson was a soldier in the Black
Hawk War, and after coming to Missouri farmed in Cape Girardeau County
until his death in 1869. John H. passed his boyhood and youth in his
native county, and at the age of twelve began to clerk in a mercantile
store, and at the age of twenty went into business with his uncle, in
which he continued until the outbreak of the war. In 1860 he was
elected judge of the county, which position he held several years. He
voted against the adoption of the Drake Constitution in 1865, and the
same year moved to Water Valley, Miss., where he engaged in the
mercantile business until 1881. He was there elected may or of the
town for three years, and held the office of Yalobusha County
treasurer for two years. In 1881 he sold his business, and, coming to
Franklin County, [p.1285] Ark., located at Mulberry, and established a
mercantile business, which he conducted until 1886. After being
elected county judge of this county he took up his residence in Ozark,
proving himself to be an invaluable acquisition to the community. Mr.
Wilson has held several local offices, and while in Water Valley for
many years was president of the school board of directors, and was one
of the prime factors in the building of the best public school in
Mississippi. He was married in 1851, in Cape Girardeau County, to Miss
M. S. Harris, a native of that county, and daughter of Dr. E. W.
Harris. This lady died at Mulberry in 1865, leaving eight children: E.
H., of Little Rock; Mollie E., wife of A. P. Jernberg, of Water
Valley; Benjamin W.; Sallie J., wife of Jesse Miller, of Oregon;
Samuel G., John W., Anna May and Lee Gray. In September, 1886, Mr.
Wilson married Mrs. Tosie Pickel, daughter of Gen. Jesse Miller. Mrs.
Wilson is a native of this county, where she was reared and educated,
and she and Judge Wilson are active members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. The latter is a Royal Arch Mason, and belongs to the Knights
of Honor. He is one of the stockholders of the Canning Company in
Ozark, and one of the original promoters of the enterprise.

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Dr. W. A. Wilson, Jr., physician and surgeon, and now a resident of
Mulberry, is a native of Mississippi, born September 20, 1854, and is
the son of W. A. and Emily (Stigleg) Wilson, both natives of Ohio and
of Scotch-Irish descent. The father is also a resident of Mulberry,
and his sketch will appear elsewhere in these pages. W. A. Wilson,
Jr., attained his growth in his native State, and received a fair
education in the common schools. In 1875 he attended the medical
college at Mobile, Ala., and also the medical university at
Louisville, Ky., graduating from the latter institution in the spring
of 1879, after which he commenced practicing, and has followed his
profession ever since with remarkable success. He came to Mulberry in
1883, where he is residing and where he has an unusually large
practice. He is the owner of 400 acres of land, 300 under cultivation,
and in connection with his practice carries on his farming interests.
He was married in 1882 to Miss Lucy L. Alford, daughter of Henry and
Elizabeth (Beck) Alford, both of whom are natives of Mississippi. The
daughter was also born in Mississippi in 1865, and by her marriage to
Mr. Wilson became the mother of two children, Frederick and an infant.
Mr. Wilson is a member of the Masonic and Odd Fellows lodges, and he
and Mrs. Wilson are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a
self made man, and all his property was made by his own efforts.

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Abner P. Woodruff is one of the prosperous farmers of Franklin County,
Ark., and was born in Surrey County, N. C., January 3, 1823. His
parents, Samuel and Keziah (Burch) Woodruff, were born in North
Carolina January 24, 1793, and in 1802, and died in Georgia and
Arkansas January 26, 1863, and October 29, 1885, respectively. They
were married in their native State, and there made their home until 1827, when they moved to Campbell County, Ga., and in 1838 they moved
to Floyd County, where the father died. He was a farmer throughout
life, a member of the Methodist Church for many years, and held the
office of justice of the peace for a number of years. He was of
English birth. His wife, who was of Irish descent, bore him nine
children, five of whom are living, Abner P. being the eldest son and
the second child. He has followed the career of an agriculturist all
his life, and now owns 1,000 acres of some of the finest land in
Franklin County, 400 acres being in a highly cultivated condition. He
has always paid considerable attention to raising stock, and has
acquired his property by his own energy and good management. During
the late war he was engaged in furnishing ammunition to the
Confederate Government. September 5, 1847, he was united in marriage
to Miss Elizabeth Lawrence, a daughter of Bennett Lawrence. She was
born in Floyd County, Ga., in 1828, and died there a short time before
Mr. Woodruff moved to Arkansas. She was a member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, South, and became the mother of five children, two
of whom are living: Alfred U., and Judith E., wife of J. D. Tyson.
Those deceased are Alice, who died November 28, 1885, being the wife
of John T. Greer, and twenty-eight years old at the time of her death;
Charles M., and Nancy J., who died in infancy. September 5, 1872, Mr.
Woodruff married B. A. Plunk, a daughter of James Ingraham, and widow
of A. G. Plunk. She was born in Mississippi November 3, 1839, and her
union with Mr. Woodruff was blessed in the birth of four children: K.
B., T. V., Jim Anna and A. P. Mr. Woodruff has always affiliated with
the [p.1286] Democratic party, and while in Georgia held the office of
justice of the peace for many years. He is a man of push and
enterprise, and has always given his aid in furthering the causes of
education and religion. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, South, and his wife is a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian
Church.

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