Pages 691-692
James K. Reeder, in connection with agricultural and stock raising affairs, hereabouts, has resided in Perry Conty for the past ten years, sufficient time to render him well known. He was born October 20, 1828 in Carroll County Tenn. and is a son of John K. Reeder and Elizabeth Harris, who were the parents of four children: James K. and Thomas R (twins), Ephraim R. and a sister who died four days after her birth. Ephraim was killed at Richmond during the war and James and Thomas are the only two living. The father died in 1834 when James was but seven years old, and the mother followed him ten years later. At twenty one years of age James was engaged by William Harley, a wealthy Mississippean, to oversee his plantation in that State. He remained with him two years and then returned to Tennessee where he married February 5, 1850, Miss Ruthie Ross, daughter of Samuel Ross of that State. Four children were born to this marriage of whom two are still living: Ephraim T. (who resides in Perry County), and Sarah E. (wife of P. Westbrook, living at Beebe AR). Mr Reeder lost his first wife and was married a second time, the next wife being a charming widow lady by the name of Smith, by whom he had five children, all living but one: William M. (residing in Faulkner County), Joseph R. (of Perry County), James E. (Perry County), Judith C. (wife of Martin Moss, residing in Faulkner County), Martha S. (deceased). Mr Reeder was again saddened by the loss of his second wife in 1870 but on February 20, 1872, was married to Miss Mary E. Bradley, by whom he has had eight children: Henry A., George A., Columbus F., Newton C., Nathan B., Mary F., Eva A. and Harriet E. During the war Mr Reeder enlisted in Company I, Fourth Arkansas Infantry, under Gen McCrea and took part in the battles at Prairie Grove, Helena and the hot engagement on Cash River. At the evacuation of Little Rock he was teken very ill, and thinking that his days were numbered and preferring to die surrounded by wife and children rather than by the panoply of war, he made his escape and returned home. In two months he recovered and went back to Little Rock, where he was mustered in on December 13, 1863, becoming a member of Company G, Third Arkansas, in which he served until the surrender in 1865. He took part in a great many battles but was never seriously wounded, except on one occasion when he was stationed at Louisburg and was sent to round up a number of horses, one of them kicking him very badly. He first came to Arkansas in 1860 and in 1861 settled with his family in Conway County. After the war he moved to the forks of the Cadron where he bought 160 acres of land and resided twelve or thirteen years and then moved to Perry County, where he bought 200 acres of improved land. Since then he has sold some of the land to his boys and has now only ninety acres, with a comfortable dwelling, stables and a fine orchard. In religion he and his wife are members of the Baptist Church, but in politics he sides with no particular party, preferring to cast his vote for the man he thinks most entitled to the office. He is also a member of the Masonic fraternity on the G.A.R. and no man is more interested than he in the welfare and advancement of his county.