Samuel J. Walker, general merchant and stock dealer, was born in Stewart County, Tenn., in 1829. His parents were John and Susan (Thomas) Walker, the former born in Virginia in 1804, and the latter in Tennessee in 1806. The parents were married in Stewart County, where they resided until the year 1852, and then moved to what is now Sharp County, and lived there until the time of their death. John Walker's father was Samuel Walker, who was born in Ireland and fought in some of the early wars of this country. He was a blacksmith and wood-worker by trade, and moved to Tennessee when John was a boy, where the latter grew to manhood and was married. Samuel J. is the fourth child of a family of eight sons and four daughters. He moved to Sharp County, Ark., with his parents, and was married in that place to Miss Elizabeth Baker, a daughter of Newton and Harriet Baker, of Sharp County. Mr. Walker lost his wife in 1874, after a happy married life, and also a son. His second wife was Mrs. Mary Duncan, a widow lady, and a daughter of Ephraim and Olive Perkins, of Missouri, and by this marriage he has three children: Minnie J., Maudee and Samuel. With the exception of one year's residence in Randolph County, Mr. Walker has lived on his present place ever since his arrival in Arkansas. He then had only two acres of land under cultivation, which he had fenced in a very primitive manner, but has increased the number to 300 acres under cultivation, and owns about 1,500 acres altogether. He is also an extensive dealer in stock, merchandise and general trading, and is one of the most successful and energetic men in Sharp County. Mr. Walker has secured all of his prosperity by his own efforts since the war. Before that event he had considerable real estate and farms, but lost everything, and after peace had been declared he started in life without a dollar. He served three years in the Confederate army, and was a member of Wood's battalion, on Gen. Price's staff. After two years' service he was discharged on account of disability, and six months later re-enlisted in Col. Love's regiment as a private, where he remained until the close of the war. Few men served their country better than Mr. Walker did, while fighting for the Confederacy. He took part in a great many engagements, and was with Price on his memorable raids through Missouri. At home he was captured by the enemy and taken prisoner in the fall of 1863, and was held about two months at Pilot Knob, afterward taking the oath of allegiance. Later on he was forced into the service again, and surrendered at Jacksonport. In politics, Mr. Walker was a Whig, and cast his first vote for Scott, in 1852, but since the war he has become a true Democrat. He has been a member of the A. F. & A. M. (now belonging to Wilson Lodge No. 132, at Hardy), for twenty years, and has in that time helped to organize two lodges, also holding all of the principal offices. He is also a member of the Knights & Ladies of Honor, and the Famous Life Association at Little Rock, having belonged to the latter for five years. Mrs. Walker is also a member of the same association. Mr. Walker is a gentleman of great popularity in this locality, and is also counted as one of its wealthiest men. He is full of energy and life in all enterprises, and Sharp County has in him a citizen of whom she may feel proud.
 

David D. Walker, a retired farmer, residing in Hardy Village, was born in Stewart County, Tenn., November 16, 1844, but came to Sharp County with his parents, who were among the early settlers, in the winter of 1852. His father, John Walker, died in Sharp County, and his mother, Susan (Thomas) Walker, died in the same county in 1874. Of a family of twelve children our subject and a brother are the only living members, David being the eleventh. He was raised in Sharp County, but his education was very limited, he having had no opportunity of going to school. In 1866 David married Miss Permelia Webb, who was born in Tennessee, in 1844, the daughter of Thomas J. and Batharba Webb. Mr. Webb was born in Arkansas and his wife in Tennessee, both having died in Arkansas. Mr. Walker's family has consisted of eight children (two of whom are living): Sarah H. (deceased), Susan M. (deceased), Mary E. (deceased), Samuel J. (deceased), Lucy Ann, John W. (deceased), Margie E. (deceased) and Newton R. Mr. Walker has about 300 acres of land in Hardy Township, some 200 being under cultivation. In 1864 he enlisted in Capt. Adams' company, in the Confederate army, and served till the close of the war, participating in the battles of Martin's Creek and Dardanells. He is a member of Wilson Lodge No. 132, A. F. & A. M., at Hardy, and is a Democrat in politics, having cast his first presidential vote for Seymour and Blair. He and his wife are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
 

Joshua Wann, county and circuit court clerk of Sharp County, was born in Jackson County, Ala., in 1836. His parents were the Hon. Joshua and Lydia (Collins) Wann, born in North Carolina in 1796, and Virginia in 1800, respectively, who emigrated to Kentucky with their parents, and were there married. They afterward moved to Tennessee, and from there to Alabama, where young Joshua was born, and then came to what is now Sharp County, Ark., where the father died shortly after their arrival. The mother was a Missionary Baptist, and died in that faith in the year 1879. She was a daughter of Thomas Collins, a native of Virginia and of English descent. The elder Wann commanded a company of soldiers during the removal of the Indian tribes from Alabama and Georgia in the earlier days, and later in life was a representative from Jackson County, Ala., when the capital was situated at Tuscaloosa. He held the office f assessor and collector of that county for several years, and was a member of the A., F. & A. M. in good standing. He was in the battle of New Orleans, in the War of 1812, and died in Jackson County, Ala., before young Joshua was born. Joshua Wann is the seventh child of four sons and six daughters. One of his uncles, William Wann, was at one time a member of the Tennessee legislature, and died in Lawrence County, Mo. His brother, Landen A., fought in the Mexican War, and died at Tampico during the campaign. Joshua Wann received his education at the common schools, and early in life, the father being deceased as well as the elder brothers, the support of the family devolved upon him. In 1860 he was married to Miss Zilpha J., daughter of Dr. Burwell and Edith Dawson, of North Carolina. Dr. Dawson located in Independence County, Ark., about the year 1857, and wrote for his family to join him there, but upon their arrival they found that death had been before them, and the husband [p.759] and father had passed away. Mrs. Dawson survived her husband until after the war, and died in Sharp County. Mr. and Mrs. Wann have one daughter, Laura A., wife of G. S. Jernigan. The family resided on a farm in Scott Township until 1886, when Mr. Wann was elected to his present office, and then removed to Evening Shade. He was re-elected in 1888, and has filled the office in a highly creditable manner. He gave three years' service to the Confederate cause, and held the rank of captain of Company B, Thirty-fifth Arkansas Infantry, for three years, performing heroic work in Texas, Louisiana and Missouri. He was at the battles of Prairie Grove, Little Rock, Saline River, Jenkins' Ferry, and many others, and later on joined Gen. Price's army, and commanded a company of cavalry in Col. M. D. Baber's regiment. He was present in all the raids through Missouri and Kansas, and was actively engaged until the surrender at Jacksonport, in 1865. In politics, Mr. Wann has been a Democrat all his life; in 1874-75 he represented Sharp County in the legislature, and was present during the first session after the adoption of the new constitution. He is a charter member of Reed's Creek Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and has been master, warden and secretary. He also belongs to the Knights and Ladies of Honor and Eastern Star at Evening Shade. Mrs. Wann has been a member of the Missionary Baptist Church since her youth, and is a devout Christian. Mr. Wann's success has been due entirely to his own shrewdness and ability, and he is one of the most popular and influential citizens of Sharp County. He has an interest in a small farm in Scott Township, and is an enterprising and progressive man.
 

Capt. John M. Wasson, a prominent citizen of Sharp County, Ark., is the eldest of a family of six children, and was born in Lawrence County, Tenn., in 1835. He is a son of William Lee and Jane (Matthews) Wasson, born in 1810 and 1813, respectively, in the State of Tennessee, where they resided until 1841 and then moved to Searcy County, Ark., but soon afterward came to Lawrence County, Ark. The elder Wasson was one of the pioneers of that section, and settled on a large farm, which he made one of the most successful in Lawrence County, and in connection with which he ran a blacksmith shop until his death, in 1867. His father, John Wasson, of Scotch-Irish descent, died in Lawrence County, Tenn. Capt. Wasson's grandfather, Thomas Matthews, was a successful farmer during his life, and is also buried in Lawrence County, Tenn. The Captain received a “log cabin” education in his youth, and studied one term in Smithville. Upon reaching his maturity he was offered a position in one of the firms at Smithville, and remained with them for several years, afterward going into partnership in the grocery business at Evening Shade with L. S. Bobo, under the firm name of Wasson & Bobo. In the fall of 1861 he enlisted in Company B, of the Twenty-first Arkansas Infantry, and commanded that company as captain until the fall of Vicksburg, where he was captured and paroled and then came home. He was again captured at home in 1863 and imprisoned for a short time at St. Louis, and from there taken to Camp Chase, Ohio, and then again transferred to Johnson's Island, Ohio, where he was held until May, 1865, and then paroled and returned to his home. Altogether he was kept a prisoner for one year and a half, and soon after his release he surrendered in June, 1865, at Jacksonport. Capt. Wasson fought well for the cause he undertook, and received many words of praise for his gallant actions during the war. His operations extended through Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi, and he took part in the battles at Corinth, Baker's Creek, Black River, siege of Vicksburg and many others. While at the first-named battle he received a gun-shot wound in the right leg and left arm, and in his career through the war had many thrilling escapes from death. In 1866 he was married to Amanda, a daughter of William and Frances French, born in Bowling Green, Ky., in 1820 and 1824, respectively, who immediately after their marriage moved to Arkansas and settled in Lawrence County, where the father died when Mrs. Wasson was a little girl. The mother was afterward married to Col. James H. McCaleb, who died in May, 1885. Mrs. Wasson was born in that portion of Lawrence County which is now [p.760] Sharp County, and is the mother of nine children, of whom seven are living. After the war Capt. Wasson entered into commercial life at Evening Shade, but finding that farm life was more congenial, he carried on that business, and at present has a fine farm. consisting of seventy-five acres under cultivation, about eight miles northwest of Evening Shade. In 1876 he was elected clerk of Sharp County and served two years, and was again elected in 1880, filling the office with credit. He has been a Democrat in politics all his life, and is a member of the Masonic order at Evening Shade, also belonging to the Knights of Honor at the same place. Mr. and Mrs. Wasson, both, have been members of the Christian Church in good standing for several years.
 

Allen Weaver, one of the first settlers of North Township, resides at what is known as Indian Camp Spring, located near Martin's Creek. His great-grandfather, William Weaver's father, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and fought by the side of Gen. Washington. The grandfather was also William Weaver. His wife was Kesiah Weaver, who died in Tennessee at an advanced old age. The father of our subject, James Weaver, was born in 1812, in North Carolina, but came to Tennessee with his parents when two years old. He was there married to Jane Whitted, in 1836. She was a native of North Carolina, and died January 29, 1875, in Sharp County. In 1851 James Weaver came to Polk County, Mo.: in 1852 went to Crawford County; the next year to Oregon, and in 1857 to where our subject now lives, where he died June 18, 1889. On coming to this place he purchased from the government 240 acres of land, at 12½ cents per acre; there are now eighty acres under fence. The subject of this sketch is the only child of James and Jane Weaver, with whom he resided until their deaths. His education was limited, and mostly received at home. September 7, 1865, he married Miss Josephine Hollinay, of Knox County, Tenn., born in 1840, a daughter of Zachariah and Eliza Hollinay, her father born in North Carolina, and her mother in Tennessee. Mr. Allan Weaver's family consists of six living children, two having died: Eliza J. (deceased),
 born September 15. 1866; William A., born September 7, 1867; Margaret E., born October 3, 1862 (deceased); Joseph L., born August 15, 1870; Delila D., born March 21, 1873; Joseph N., born April 14, 1876; John W., born December 12, 1877, and Orlean S., born November 26, 1881, died November 28, 1883. Mr. Weaver enlisted, on the 12th of September, 1863, on the Federal side, in Company D, Tennessee Regiment of Light Artillery, and was discharged July 20, 1865, at Nashville. He was in the battle of Nashville, and numerous skirmishes. September 2, 1878, he was elected justice of the peace for North Township, and reelected in 1880 for another term, having been an able and efficient officer. In polities he is a Republican, but was formerly a Democrat. He owns 200 acres of land, having given forty to his son, William, who was recently married. Winsted postoffice was established at Mr. Weaver's house July 1, 1888, he being appointed postmaster. When he first located here the nearest postoffice was ten miles on Martin's Creek, called Red Bank, and his nearest neighbor two miles away. He and his wife are members of the Missionary Baptist Church. On this farm are traces of an ancient silver mine, supposed to have been worked by the Spaniards.

 
J. M. Williams, proprietor and owner of Evening Shade carding factory and saw and corn-mills, was born in Sharp County, in 1858. His parents were John W. and Margaret (Worley) Williams, of North Carolina and Tennessee, respectively. who were married in Tennessee, and came to what is now Sharp County, about the year 1854, where they resided until the demise of the father, in 1871, and his wife, in 1888. Both were members of the Baptist faith for many years. The alder Williams fought in the Confederate army almost from the beginning to the end of the war, and had many a narrow escape from both death and the enemy, although on one occasion he was severely wounded, and at another time was captured. He was a son of Joseph Williams, of North Carolina; he was a member of the A. F. & A. M., Evening Shade Lodge. Michael Worley Deitch, the grandfather of J. M. Williams, died in Tennessee, and was a well known resident of that State. J. M. Williams is the fourth son of three sons and five daughters, and did not receive much education, owing to limited school facilities. He began farming for himself at the age of twenty years, and continued in that occupation for three years. He then turned his attention to milling, a business for which he seems to be especially adapted, and has remained at it ever since. In August, 1879, he was married to Sarah, daughter of Lewis Graddy, but lost his wife in 1884, and by this marriage had two children, one of them, a daughter, still living. In 1886 he was married to Mattie, daughter of John W. and Emma Bristow, natives of Boone County, Ark., who moved to Sharp County after the war, where Mrs. Bristow died. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Williams, of whom one daughter is still living. Mr. Williams is a member of the A. F. & A. M. (Evening Shade Lodge), and has been junior deacon for two years, and is also a member of the Order of Eastern Star. He is one of the most enterprising and popular citizens of Sharp County, and a man who takes every opportunity to make that county one of the most progressive in Arkansas.
 

Samuel Yates, farmer, of Union Township, six miles north of Martin's Creek postoffice, was born in East Tennessee, July 24, 1830; son of Nathaniel and Margaret (Davis) Yates, both natives of Tennessee, born in 1803 and 1805, respectively, where they each died. Nathaniel Yates was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. Our subject was the fourth of a family of seven children, five of whom are now living. He was raised in Tennessee, receiving his education in the common schools. In 1853 he married Miss Jane Davis, born in Tennessee in 1829, the daughter of Benjamin and Eleanor Davis, who both died in Tennessee. Mrs. Davis is the mother of eight children, all living: Eleandora (wife of C. C. Reaves), Mary M. (wife of Robert Wood), Nancy C. (wife of Broadfoot Wells), John, William (in Texas), Thomas A., Benjamin N. and John S. In 1871 Samuel Yates came to Independence County, Ark., resided there till 1881, when he removed to Sharp County, where he now lives. He has 160 acres of land, about fifty of which are under cultivation. He is now serving his third term as justice of the peace of Union Township, and gives good satisfaction. He is a Democrat in politics. Mrs. Yates is a member of the Baptist Church.
 

Lemuel A. Yeager, a well-known and prominent farmer of Piney Fork Township, was born in White County, Tenn., in 1827. He is a son of Solomon and Nancy (Dearing) Yeager, born in East Tennessee and South Carolina, respectively, and married in White County, Tenn., where they resided until the year 1850, and then moved to what is now Sharp County, Ark., the father dying there in December, 1886, and the mother several years previous, both of them being members of the Baptist faith. The elder Yeager was a farmer, and for twelve years justice of the peace in White County, Tenn. He was afterward elected county and probate judge of Lawrence County, for two years, and for six years in the same capacity at Sharp County. He was a son of Solomon Yeager, of Virginia, who fought in the Revolution, and whose parents came originally from Germany to this country. Lemuel A. Yeager's grandfather, John W. Dearing, was a South Carolinian, who lived many years in White County, Tenn., and died in the northern part of Missouri, Lemuel was the second child of two sons and one daughter, and received a good common school education in his youth. He was married, in 1846, to Louisa, daughter of John and Elizabeth Robinson, of Virginia and North Carolina, respectively, who resided in White County, Tenn., when Mrs. Yeager was born. Nine children were the results of this marriage, of whom eight are still living, In 1850 Mr. Yeager and his family moved to what is now Sharp County, Ark., and, in 1861, settled on the farm where he now resides. The land was but very little improved at that period, and covered with timber, but since then he has cleared sixty acres, and put them under cultivation, and owns altogether about 240 acres. In 1868 he was elected sheriff of Lawrence County for four years, but when Sharp County was brought in he refused to move to Lawrence County, and resigned his office after one year's service. In politics, he was formerly a Whig, but is now a Republican.

 On the overwork'd soil Of this planet enjoyment is sharpen'd by toil; And one seems, by the pain of ascending the height, To have conquered a claim of that wonderful sight.–Meredith.