John L Walsh and his brother, William James Walsh both lived in Dallas County, Arkansas prior to the Civil War. John & William have been born in Virginia and moved to Arkansas prior to the war. They were both listed in the 1860 Federal Slave Census as owning slaves. John, living in the Wapanoca Township was shown to own 30 slaves. William, living in the Princeton Township was shown to own 14 slaves. They were both planters (farmers) raising cotton. The Walsh Shop probably refers to their center of operations.
John Walsh would have been 22 at the start of the war, while his brother William would have been 38. John married Louisa Flowers from Tennessee and William married Henrietta Holmes from Virginia. Both had children that lived in Dallas County for many years after their deaths. Another Walsh living in Dallas County during that time was John Garland Walsh. He was not directly connected to the John & William branch of Walsh’s.
Information provided by Mike Walsh.