7th edition Greene County, AR History by Benjamin H. Crowley

MORE ABOUT OLD SETTLERS OF GREENE COUNTY
Gen. Crowley Gives Many Personal Reminiscences
of the Old Timers and the
Doings of Their Day.
FIRST TERRITORIAL REPRESENTATIVE
Career of Dr. Melton, a noted
Physican Before the
Civil War,
HISTORY OF OLD PIONEERS
Founder of Croft Bible College-Friar
and his Famous Race Horse . . . Uncle
Dan Gray a Great Coon Hunter . . . Joke
on a Missouri Campaigner.

Dr. George B, Croft was one of the early settlers of the county, and was probably the first physician to locate in what is now Greene County. He was the first representative the county sent to the territorial legislature. He lived to a great age, and left his estate to the Christian church, of which he was a member, and left a will that it should be used to establish and maintain, a college for the education of the youth of that denomination, the condition being that the school be founded on his homestead, and in accordance with his direction. The Croft Bible College has been erected on the place, which is in section 22, township 17 north, range 4 east, and the institution is in every way worthy of the church and of the man who founded it. Dr. Croft , in his early days on the farm, was a great hunter, and when his dogs treed a coon he would climb the tree for the animal, rather than shoot the hide full of holes, which would injure its market value.

Dr. Croft was a man of fine sense, and spent the last years of his life in preaching the gospel as a minister of the Christian church, or Campbellite, church. He was founder of the church of tha denomination on Sugar Creek, which is still kept us up as a place of worship by that religious sect. He married Sarah Harris, sister of John and William Harris, and Capt Ben Harris, who lived in Poinsett county, and after whom Harrisburg, the county site was named. Mrs. Croft was a very intelligent lady, having been born and reared in Virginia, and was fairly well educated for the times. She survived her husband several years, and died at the old homestead, where she lived for something near fifty years. She was a great reader, and few persons in her day were better informed on public events, especially on political affairs. She and the Doctor were both Democratic, and southern to the manor born.. When the war came on they went to Texas, remaining their until it's close, when they returned to their old home in Greene County. At the beginning of the war, it was conceded that the Crofts had the finest residence in the county. During the militia troubles here just after the war closed, Dr. Croft left the state and went to Kentucky, where his relatives lived. After the clash ended he returned to Arkansas, bringing with him his brother, Logan R. Croft, and his family. Mrs. A. T. Chaffin, is a daughter of the last named Gentleman, and Mr. Thomas Croft, a respected and honored citizen of Poland township is his son. Dr. Croft and his estimable wife had no direct descendants, and after the war closed, the Dr. gave each of his oldest and most faithful Negro's forty acres of land and a mule performing literally the promises of the abolitionists to the southern slave.

As previously stated, Dr. Croft gave his home place to the Christian, or Camellite, church, to be used as a site for a school for that religious denomination.

Thomas Crowley, the oldest son of Benjamin Crowley and Ann Crowley, was born the 18th day of March, 1796. He came across to Greene county a single man, but soon thereafter married Cynathia Campbell , who was an aunt of Judge James C. Brookfield, a very prominent lawyer of Jonesboro, but he did not live long, and died with issue. His widow married Judge D.W. Lowe, of Batesville, Arkansas, and raised a family among them Gus Lowe, who was in the auditor's office under William R. Miller, at the outbreak of the war. Gus was afterwards book-keeper and general business manager for J.H. Dowell commission company of St. Louis, MO., until the death of Major Dowell.