William D. Safley is well known and highly respected throughout Buffalo Island Township as one of its worthy and intelligent citizens, public-spirited and of sterling integrity. He was born in Stanley County, N. C., in 1851, and is a son of William B. and Mary Ann (Biles) Safley, natives of North Carolina, where they were reared, educated and married. In 1859 they came to East Tennessee, locating on a farm in Cocke County, where he died, but not until after espousing the Southern cause, and serving valiantly in the Confederate army. The mother and family came to Craighead County, Ark., in 1869, and located in Powell Township, where they remained for several years. In 1881 Mrs. Safley started for Oregon, where she died the day after reaching Eugene City, May 22 of the same year. She was a member of the Baptist Church, and well liked by all who knew her. Mr. and Mrs. Safley were the parents of nine children, all of whom lived to maturity, and eight of whom are still living. They were Mrs. Sarah E. Jackson (deceased), Thomas F., Mrs. Mary L. Heritage, Alexander W., William D. (the immediate subject of this sketch), Julius H., Mrs. Rebecca E. Cox, Mrs. Margaret A. Yarbrough and Mrs. Edosia J. Hawthorne. William D. is the fifth child, and has made his home in this State since 1869. When twenty-four years of age he chose as his life companion Anna E. Stoddard, a native of this State, who died March 16, 1888, leaving a family of five children: David E. (deceased), Sarah M., Joseph F., Rosa Lee and Lillie May. Mr. Safley has since married Mrs. Sarah E. Meachiem, nee Foster, a native of Tennessee, who was the mother of two children by her former marriage. One of them, Willie, is deceased; the other, James E., lives with his parents. Mrs. Safley is a zealous member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Safley made a trip to Oregon and other points in 1888, and has seen a great deal of the world.
 

L. J. Salmons, a substantial farmer of Craighead County, was born in Cherokee County, Ala., April 14, 1839. His father, Jeremiah M. Salmons, who was a native of Franklin County, Ga., and was educated in that State, was a farmer by occupation, and had married Lucinda Waters, born and reared in Georgia. Jeremiah M. Salmons had five sons and five daughters, four of whom live in this county. In politics he was a Whig. L. J. Salmons was educated in Alabama at the Lawrence school, and while yet a young man came to Arkansas. In 1862 he entered the  Confederate service, and was in several engagements, receiving a number of wounds. He was discharged in May of 1865, when he returned home to his farm and devoted himself to its improvement. December 19, 1867, he was united in marriage with Nancy Christian, a native of Craighead County, Ark., born December 26, 1846, and both he and his wife are zealous members of the Baptist Church, and contribute liberally to its support. Mr. Salmons has about 1,880 acres of good land, about 100 of which is very rich soil and the best farming land. He has been justice of the peace in Poinsett County, and has been for five years a member of the school board of directors. He is a prominent member of the Agricultural Wheel, of which he was president for one year. Having made a thorough study of mineralogy and the locating of all kinds of minerals, and having made research throughout the State and discovered gold and other metals in more or less paying quantities, he may be considered expert in all such matters.
 
 
Anderson M. Self, a young and prosperous planter of Craighead County, was born on Crowley's Ridge in 1856. His father, Noble Self, was a native of Alabama, but has been a resident of Craighead County since 1840, at which time his parents located on “The Ridge,” where he grew to manhood and married Miss Emily Mountz, a native of Illinois. He was a soldier in the Mexican War, and served in the Confederate army during the War of the Rebellion, seeing considerable active service in both wars. Three children were born to his union with Miss Mountz: Thomas, Anderson M. and one that died in infancy. Mrs. Self died July 3, 1858, and Mr. Self, by a subsequent marriage, is the father of ten children. He is still a resident of Craighead County, and one of its earliest and best-known citizens. Anderson M. was reared upon his father's farm, receiving but a rudimentary education. He began life's duties for himself at twenty-one years of age, with no capital, but plenty of energy and native ability. He located on his present place in the fall of 1879, and soon after was united in marriage with Miss Rebecca, daughter of Allen Smith, and a native of Georgia. To this union have been born three children: William. Maude and James. Mr. Self owns 234 acres of land, with 135 under cultivation. He also owns and operates a cotton-gin, which, in 1887, turned out 124 bales, and, in 1888, 205 bales. He is a pushing, energetic and thrifty farmer and business man, and has, for the most part, gained what he has by his own endeavors. Mrs. Self is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
 

Stephen Shelton, an enterprising farmer and influential citizen of Craighead County. Ark., was born in Jackson County, Miss., September 22, 1826. His parents. Stephen and Matilda (Martin) Shelton, both natives of the “Old Dominion.” were of Welsh and German descent. Stephen Shelton. Sr., a physician by profession, in 1828 moved his family to Arkansas, and located in St. Francis County, but being displeased with the locality, removed to Mississippi. Later he came again to Arkansas, this time selecting a situation at the mouth of Big Bay, near the site of Wittsburg. After practicing his profession there for a year, he moved fifty miles, near where Harrisburg is now located, twenty years later to near the southern line of this county, where after two years he died. He was one of the earliest and most noted physicians of Arkansas, then a Territory, and patients from hundreds of miles around were brought to him for medical and surgical aid. He is the father of seven children, but only one is now living, one having died before and five after the father's coming to Arkansas. After the husband's death, the mother brought her family to Craighead County, and here resided until 1863, when trouble over the Civil War caused her death. She was about seventy years old. Stephen Shelton was mostly reared in the Territory and State of Arkansas, his widowed mother giving him the best education the country afforded. He had no taste for medicine or surgery, but was reared on a farm and has been engaged in farming all his life. He now owns 197 acres of land five miles south of Jonesboro, about ninety acres of which are under cultivation. While this section was a portion of Poinsett County, Mr. Shelton was deputy internal improvement commissioner, [p.355] was also deputy sheriff and constable, and for four years a preacher of the Christian denomination. He was once offered license, but not deeming himself sufficiently qualified, he thought heat to decline. Mr. Shelton is and has always been a Republican in politics, and has once been constable of Jonesboro Township. He married Mabalia McCracken, daughter of Aquilla and Nancy (Lane) McCracken, and to them have been born the following named children: Matilda J., wife of L. T. McDanield, of Gilkerson; Eliza P., wife of G. Edgar, residing near Jonesboro; Mary A., wife of Prof. Walter E. Dean, educator, of Smith County, Tex.; Thomas B., Nancy J., George W., Louisa, Belle, Stephen A., Francis M. N. and William D. Mr. Shelton was quite a noted and successful hunter of early times. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., a practical and self-made man, and one of the county's earliest and most worthy citizens.
 

William Stephen Shores, a prominent planter of Jonesboro Township, was born in Poinsett County, January 17, 1842. His father, a retired farmer of the same township, and one of the oldest settlers in what is now Craighead County, was born in St. Clair County, Ala., March 2, 1815. The paternal grandparents were William and Mary (Pipes) Shores, natives most probably of Alabama. William Shores was a soldier under Gen. Jackson, and fought in the battle of New Orleans, was taken sick in that city and died in 1815. His widow subsequently removed with the family to Wayne County, Ill., near the Little Wabash River, where she died about 1825. About 1830 the family came to Arkansas Territory and located in Poinsett (now Craighead) County. In those early days game was very plentiful, and Calvin, then about fifteen years of age, worked hard on the farm and had great sport hunting all kinds of wild game. Memphis, the nearest trading point, being seventy-five miles, they had to grate corn and beat it in mortars to get corn-meal, and were subject to the many hardships and privations incident to pioneer life. When he grew to manhood, he bought 160 acres of land in Poinsett County, where he lived twenty-five years. Just before the Civil War he moved to his present location, where he entered eighty acres of land and has since added 200 acres. The ground was covered with a dense forest, so that he and Sol McDaniel took axes and cut a road to enable him to move to his home. By energy, economy and thrift, he has cleared over 150 acres of land and become one of the foremost farmers of the county. He now owns 160 acres, having given to his boys the remainder. He has lived in Arkansas about sixty years, but this last year gave up the cultivation of the farm to his youngest son, Andrew. He has been married four times, his last marriage being with Mrs. Emmaline (Suffell) Nelson, a native of Mississippi. Her parents, Zachariah and Susannah (Cornelius) Suffell, came to Arkansas about thirty-two years ago, locating two miles southwest of Jonesboro. The mother died February 6, 1884, and the father July 4, 1871. Mr. Shore has been the father of sixteen children: William S. (subject of this sketch), married and living on part of the old homestead; Levi, married to Olie Hopkins, living near the home stead; Webb, married to Lane Shelton; Mary, wife of William McGown; Eliza, wife of Lewis Lynch; Alice, wife of Sam Gridsinger; George married to Edna Nealy; Thomas and Andrew, living. He has thirty grandchildren and two great-grandchildren (one living). Mrs. Shore was formerly a a member of the Methodist Church, but is now a member of the Christian Church, of which her husband has been a member for about twelve years. William Stephen Shores resided with his father until his marriage with Aily McGown, who died a few years later. He then married Fanny H. Duke. To them have been born eight children, five living: John C., Marshall A., Alivia H., Thomas H. and Landie L. Mrs. Shores is a member of the Baptist Church, a devout Christian and a charitable lady. Mr. Shores owns a well-improved farm, is a Republican in politics, and was a member of Company A, Thirteenth Arkansas Infantry, serving in Col. Lyle's regiment about seventeen months. Having had but limited educational advantages themselves, and realizing its great importance, both he and his wife are striving to give their children a thorough education.
 

John M. Sipes, a lumber manufacturer of Buffalo Island, is a native of Missouri, born in Buchanan County, July 18, 1840. His parents, Eli and Christina (Rhynes) Sipes, the former born and reared in Pennsylvania, the latter in South Carolina, were married in Perry County, Mo. Mr. Sipes was one of the pioneer settlers of Buchanan County, Mo., having gone there in 1830. In 1856 he moved to Greene County and remained there until his death in 1859. John M. grew to manhood in Missouri, and resided in Buchanan, Perry, Greene, Webster and Barton Counties. He remained on the home farm until his father's death. In 1861 he entered the Confederate service, enlisting in the Eighth Arkansas Infantry, and served until the final surrender. He participated in the battles of Shiloh, Perryville, Murfreesboro, Chattanooga, and many lesser engagements. He was never wounded, taken prisoner, nor lost a day from service. After the war he remained for a time in Arkansas, then want to Missouri. In 1860 he settled in Craighead County, Ark., where he has since resided. When, in 1868, he bought his present farm, it was but little improved; now he has 120 acres, 112 under fence, with a very good house and out buildings. Mr. Sipes began operating a gristmill and cotton-gin in 1881, which burned down in 1887. He then put up a steam saw-mill and cotton-gin, which has proved a very successful enterprise. In the spring of 1865 he married Nancy J. Smith, a native of Kentucky, whose parents died while she was yet a child. This union has been blessed with six children: Joel, Serena, George W., Rose Ann, Julia C. and Henry. Mr. Sipes is a member of the I. O. O. F., and has held all the chairs of the subordinate lodge.
 

William S. Skelton was born in Tennessee, July 14, 1857, and is now one of the leading farmers and stock raisers of Buffalo Island. His parents were John M. and A. C. (Stoddard) Skelton, natives of Alabama. The family came to Arkansas in 1860, locating near Wittsburg, where they remained for about four years and then came to Craighead County, locating first on Cane Island and later on Buffalo Island. Here Mr. Skelton died in 1882, and his wife, since married to G. W. Finch, still resides on the old homestead. William S. Skelton is the second of the family of twelve children, seven of whom are now living, three having died in infancy and the others after reaching maturity. He grew up in Craighead County and began farming on his own responsibility when nineteen years of age, when, July 6, 1876, he married Dora A. Goss, a native of this State, who died the next year, 1877. He farmed on the homestead some time and in 1879 settled on his present farm, then in heavy timber. Now he has under cultivation forty-eight acres of splendid land, and has built him a good home. He also owns one-quarter interest in the Lumsford & Co. cotton-gin. For his second wife he chose Rebecca E. Richardson, and their union has been blessed with four children: Jodella, Jonathan N., James T. and Paul W. Mr.Skelton is progressive and influential, and his wife is a member of the Methodist Church.

 
Allen Springer, merchant and postmaster at Lake City, and a prominent farmer of Buffalo Island, is a native of Indiana, born in Crawford County, of that State, January 4, 1843. His parents, Elihu and Mahulda (Pearson) Springer, both natives of Indiana, were reared and married in that State, and there resided until the death of the former in 1852. Mrs. Springer still survives her husband, who was a prominent farmer and esteemed by all as a worthy citizen of the county. Allen Springer, at his father's death a boy nine years of age, grew to manhood in his native county, receiving his education at the county schools; and in July of 1861 enlisted in the Indiana Infantry, and served until mustered out at Indianapolis, July 29, 1865. He participated in many engagements, among them Shiloh, Champion's Hill, siege and surrender of Vicksburg, siege and surrender of Atlanta, was with Sherman in his memorable march to the sea, and his last engagement at Goldsboro. During his entire service he received but one slight wound, at the siege of Vicksburg. He participated in the grand review at Washington, and when peace was restored returned to Indiana, and engaged in boating on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers until 1870, when he came to Arkansas. He located in Lee County and there engaged in milling for two years, then went to Howard County. Kas., and farmed one year, then came to Craighead County, Ark., locating on Buffalo Island. Here he followed farming until 1880, when he moved to Lake City, where he continued the same occupation. In 1885 he purchased an established mercantile business, and keeps a good stock of dry goods, clothing, boots, shoes, hats, caps, implements, etc. At merchandising he has been very successful, doing an annual business of $15,000. He was appointed postmaster in 1888. June 7, 1867, he was united in marriage with Nancy Ellen Walker, a native of Indiana, born and reared in Crawford County. She died in 1886, leaving two children, Samuel E. and Percy, both promising young men. Mr. Springer married his present wife, whose maiden name was Emily Cummings, in December, 1887, in Kearney County, Kas. She is a native of Indiana, and was in childhood a schoolmate of Mr. Springer. She is a consistent member of the Methodist Church. Mr. Springer owns one farm of 240 acres on Buffalo Island, with 125 acres cleared, and in his home place has 235 acres, with about eighty under cultivation. He has also 200 acres of timbered land. All this property and all that he has, he owes to his own perseverance, industry and excellent management. He is a Royal Arch Mason, and is Master of the Lake City lodge.
 

John H. Stephens is a substantial farmer of Craighead County, and was born in Bedford County, Tenn., June 7, 1826. His father, Wiley Stephens, was a native of North Carolina, and a very successful farmer until his death in 1873. His mother, Mildred (Carlisle) Stephens, was also a native of North Carolina, and both she and her husband lived consistent Christian lives, and were members of the Baptist Church. After her husband's death, she was married to H. Smith, and died in 1886. J. H. Stephens was the eldest of eight children, only two others, William S. and Leander, the youngest, now living. He has 295 acres of land, half of which is very rich farming land, and of this he has cleared about eighty acres. He also gives much attention to stock raising, and owns many fine horses, mules, and Poland-China hogs. He is a Mason, and a member of the Grange, and is popular among his many friends. Both he and his wife, who is a member of the Methodist Church, are liberal to all progressive enterprises.
 

Arnold Stotts. Joshua and Rebecca (Thomas) Stotts, the paternal grandparents of our subject, were natives of Virginia and North Carolina, respectively, and after their marriage remained some time in Virginia, and in 1810 went to Wilson County, Tenn., and in 1827 went farther west to Perry County, where the husband died the same year. Mrs. Stotts married a second time, and about 1850 came to Arkansas, locating near Jonesboro, now Craighead County, where she died about 1853 at the age of ninety-eight years. Of the nine children born to this union only one is now living, William Stotts, one of the oldest and most highly respected citizens of the island. He was born in Wythe County, Va., in 1802, and, being but a child when his parents moved to Tennessee, grew to manhood in Tennessee. In 1843, he came by wagon to Arkansas, and located in what is now Craighead County, below Jonesboro, where he remained till 1878, when he moved to Buffalo Island, where he has since resided. He was first married in 1830 to Frances Thomason, a native of North Carolina, who died February 12, 1877, aged fifty-three years. By this union there were nine children, four of whom are still living: Arnold, Elizabeth (widow of John Garrett), Wiley and Mrs. Sarah Randson. Those deceased are William, Rebecca A., John and two infants. Mr. Stotts' second wife was Mrs. Tempie Cannon, nee Morgan, and both of them are members of the Baptist Church. Mr. Stotts has a small farm of forty acres, with twenty-eight under cultivation, which he cultivates himself and upon which he makes his living and clears about $500 per year. Arnold Stotts, the oldest child of William, and the immediate subject of this sketch, is a merchant and farmer of Stottsville and also owner and proprietor of a cotton-gin and saw and grist-mill. He was born in Perry County, Tenn., in October, 1831, and was but twelve years of age when his parents came to this State. July 18, 1851, he was united in marriage with Cynthia Mattox, born near Gainesville, [p.358] Ark., and daughter of Edward Mattox. This union has been blessed with five children: Mary Ann (wife of J. Tonson), James, Amands (wife of Richard Mangrum), William and Alabama (wife of Walter Skelton). All are married and live around the home place. After his marriage Mr. Stotts located near Jonesboro, and in 1863 moved to Buffalo Island, and in 1881 to his present place. He owns 580 acres of land, and on his home place 320 acres, with 109 under cultivation. In 1874 he began merchandising, and in 1876 put up a cotton gin, a year later adding a saw and grist-mill. He has also a blacksmith shop. When he located on the island there were but four families residing on it, and he has killed deer and bears in numbers. He raised the first cotton crop ever made on the island, and the first year he built his gin, ginned sixty-five bales of cotton, and in 1888 ginned 378 bales. He is one of the leading citizens of the community, and is eminently a self-made man. Mrs. Stotts is a charitable lady and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
 

J. M. Stotts, postmaster of Dee, and a farmer of Greenfield Township, is a native of Craighead County, born December 28, 1842. His parents, Andrew J. and Mary Ann (Crowder) Stotts, were among the first settlers of Craighead County, coming from Tennessee, their native State, in 1836. The father died in 1852, the mother five or six years later. These parents had nine children, five living and residents of this county: William, married to Caroline Pierce; Martha, wife of Abner Patterson; A. J. Stotts, married to Mila Ann Rickles; Thomas, married to Lena Freeman, and J. M. Stotts, the subject of this sketch. Mr. Stotts was reared in this county, and received a fair common-school education, the war breaking out when he was yet a boy. When about seventeen years of age he entered the Confederate army, Thirteenth Arkansas Infantry, and served two years. On Christmas day, 1865, he was united in marriage with Sarah Ann Bishop, a daughter of Jones and Margaret (Holland) Bishop, both of whom are natives of Georgia, and came to Arkansas in the spring of 1861. The father is deceased, but the mother is still living, and is about fifty years of age. To Mr. and Mrs. Stotts were born nine children, four of whom are deceased: Abraham, Hiram, Andy J. and Mary Ann. The living are William Levi, James Warner, Sarah Ann. Marietta and Hattie. Since his marriage Mr. Stotts has been engaged in farming, and now owns a well-improved farm of fifty acres, mostly under cultivation. He was for four years a merchant of Dee, and in November, 1882, was appointed postmaster, which office he has since held. He is a member of Harrisburg Lodge No. 77, I. O. O. F., and both he and his wife are members of the Christian Valley Church.
 

Albert F. Taylor, one of the most extensive farmers and stock dealers of Craighead County, was born in Henderson County, Tenn., in 1824. His parents, Abner and Mary (Baker) Taylor, were natives of East Tennessee, where the father was a prosperous and successful farmer. About 1820 they moved to Western Tennessee, where, being owner of a number of slaves, he engaged extensively in farming. The father died in the “Old Volunteer State,” and the mother came with her family to Arkansas, where she died a few years thereafter. They were the parents of four children, Albert F. being the second child, and the only one now living. He came with his mother to Arkansas in 1838, and located on Crowley's Ridge, now in this county, where he remained for six years, and then moved to Maumelle Prairie, near where he is now living. There he purchased and improved a large farm, and remained on it for sixteen years, and then came to his present location. Since coming to this county he has put in cultivation over 600 acres of land, and now owns over 3,000 acres, with about 500 on the home place, where there are forty acres in clover and timothy meadow, good residence, tenant house, orchards and barns. He has 150 head of cattle, and in connection with his farm operates a cotton-gin. He was married in 1852 to Elizabeth Snodderly, born in Tennessee, who is the mother of seven children, one, Jennie, deceased. Those living are Alanson L., Fergus W., William, Albert F., Jr., John P. and Thomas W. Mr. Taylor is a member of the A. F. & A. M., is a Democrat in polities, and in the late war served eighteen months in the Confederate army.

 
D. H. Thorn, of Jonesboro, a prominent and prosperous farmer of Craighead County, was born in York District, S. C., September 1, 1836. His parents, Jesse and Frances (Miller) Thorn, were both natives of South Carolina. The paternal grandfather, Hezekiah Thorn, also a native of “The Palmetto State,” was a farmer by occupation, and died in the State of his nativity. The maternal grandfather, Jacob Miller, also a farmer, went from South Carolina to Kentucky, in an early day and there died. Jesse Thorn went to Calloway County, Ky., about 1838, and in 1844 came to Craighead (then Poinsett) County, Ark., and located twelve miles south of the present site of Jonesboro. There he remained until 1850, when he removed to what is known as East Bottom, where he settled in the woods, building a little log cabin with clapboard roof and door, and puncheon floor. They were subjected to all the privations and hardships incident to pioneer life, using all manner of crude contrivances for making meal, wearing home-spun and home-made clothing, and, with Memphis as the nearest market, hauling there all produce with wagons and oxteams. Jesse Thorn was the first school teacher in the county, would make his crop and then teach a subscription school for the remainder of the year. He taught for several years, and died in this county in 1873, his wife having died two years previously. They were the parents of thirteen children, only six of
 whom are now living: John N., Alsey S., Dawson H., Martha (wife of G. W. Hubbs), Sarah (wife of Abraham Brown), Caledonia (wife of William Guinn). One brother, William, was killed during the war. D. H. Thorn was but ten years of age when he came with his parents to Arkansas, and, until his marriage, remained with his father assisting in clearing the farm, and then settled near the old homestead where he resided until 1869. He then moved to Jonesboro, where he is now living in his second house in Arkansas. In 1874 he was elected sheriff of Craighead County, and was re-elected each successive election until 1880. He has served four years as deputy sheriff, has been constable and justice of the peace, and has been thirteen times a candidate for minor offices, and been each time elected. He is one of the most extensive land owners in the county, and has about 2,000 acres of land with 500 under cultivation, and has also a large stock farm known as the Miller Mounds. His especial attention is now given to the raising of fine stock. For twelve years he has been engaged in the manufacture of lumber, owning two fine large saw-mills. He was first married in 1858 to Eliza Ford, a native of Tennessee, and they are the parents of three children, all married: William T., Dawson H. and John N. He was again married in 1876, to Cora Henson, also a native of Tennessee, a consistent Christian and member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Thorn is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and a leading citizen of the county. Having been a pioneer citizen, he has witnessed the rapid growth and development of the county, the change from a cane brake to the thriving little city of Jonesboro. By industry, thrift and economy, he has accumulated a competency, and can now enjoy the fruits of his toil.
 

L. G. Thornton, a farmer of Jonesboro Township, has been a resident of Craighead County for twenty-five years. He was born in Wayne County, Tenn., October 17, 1827. His parents, Hosea and Catherine (Hendrix) Thornton, were both natives of the old “Volunteer State.” They were the parents of five children, four sons and one daughter, L. G. being the second child. The father died of consumption when the subject of this sketch was nine years of age, and the mother was married again, to John Baker. They moved to Arkansas just before the War of the Rebellion, and located in Izard County. Mr. Baker gave his life for the Confederate cause, was taken prisoner, and died in prison at Little Rock. The mother died in Izard County, in 1881, aged seventy-nine years. L. G. Thornton was reared on a farm, grew to manhood there, and was married November 7, 1844, to Cynthia Ballard, a native of Hardin County, Tenn, Her parents were Williford and Catherine (Carr) Ballard; the former died in Tennessee, [p.360] and Mrs. Ballard subsequently removed to Izard County, where she died in 1855. They were the parents of four children, three daughters and one son. Mr. Thornton removed to this State in 1849, coming by wagon and water, and settled on a farm of 160 acres in Izard County, at that time nearly all timbered, cleared it up, and lived in that settlement until 1865. He served bravely as a Confederate soldier, being a member of Col. Freeman's regiment, and Capt. Meadows' company. In December of 1864 he started for Craighead County, arriving January 1, 1865; rented for one year, then bought his present farm of 180 acres, on which he has since lived. By dint of hard work and perseverance he has cleared about 100 acres, most of which he rents, himself at present farming only forty acres. Mr. and Mrs. Thornton are the parents of ten children, four of them living: Martha Ann, Henry C. (married to Amanda Garrett, and living in Jonesboro), James M. (married to Mary Travis, and lives on the old homestead), Lewis S. (married to Mary Wood, and is a prominent physician of Big Bay Station). Those deceased were Mary, Sparling, William, Lucy and two daughters who died in infancy. At the time of his death, April 18, 1880, Sparling was a prominent young man of twenty-five, and at that time county clerk of Cross County. While a citizen of Izard County Mr. Thornton was justice of the peace and constable. He is a Democrat, has held local positions of honor and trust, and is a practical farmer and progressive citizen.
 

Francis H. Varner, whose extensive farm is second to but one on Buffalo Island, was born in Dunklin County, Mo., September 6, 1842, and is the son of Thomas Varner, a native of Georgia. The father's first wife lived but a short time, and he was afterward married to Susan Moore, a native of Virginia. They were married in Dunklin County and there engaged in farming for several years, but soon after the birth of Francis H. moved to Buffalo Island, in 1844. Here the father engaged in farming, besides practicing his profession as physician and surgeon until his death, July 3, 1876. His wife survived him several years, dying January 30, 1885. Francis H. is the oldest of the family of seven children, five boys and two girls, all of whom are now living and residents of this island. He was actively employed on the farm until after his father's death, and educational advantages being at that time very limited received but a meager education. He has improved several large farms and of 800 acres has about 175 cleared, and has also a good residence and out-buildings. In connection with his farm he has a cotton-gin and grist-mill. In the latter part of the late war he entered the Confederate service, and surrendered at Wittsburg, Ark. April 13, 1867, he married Tennis C. Lambert, who was a native of Tennessee, but was reared in Arkansas. She died June 10, 1883, leaving the following children: Mary Ann (wife of Dawson Brooks), born January 30, 1868; William T., born January 25, 1870; Corintha J., born October 23, 1873; Tabitha E., born July 28, 1876, and Ava V., born August 9, 1879. Two children died in infancy. December 24, 1885, he was married to Margaret Armstrong, nee Privett, who is a native of Alabama and the widow of W. J. Armstrong. She is the daughter of A. R. Privett, who was born in North Carolina March 19, 1806, and died in Union County, Miss., December 24, 1877. Mr. Varner is a member of the Christian Church and his wife of the Methodist Episcopal.
 

S. A. Warner, president of the Bank of Jonesboro, is a native of Obion County, Tenn., born December 17, 1848. His father, S. A. Warner, was born in North Carolina, March 26, 1800, and in early life moved to Tennessee, where in 1828 he was united in marriage with Miss Martha A. Mosley, a native of Charlotte County, Va. They then resided for several years at Dresden, Weakley County, Tenn., where the father was an attorney in early life, and was popular and successful in his profession. After retiring from his profession, he engaged extensively in agricultural pursuits. In 1859 he came to Craighead County, Ark., locating about three and one half miles from Jonesboro. Here he purchased a vast amount of land, and at his death in October, 1887, owned several hundred acres. He served with distinction as a soldier under Jackson, and was a major in his army. Mrs. Warner died January 15, 1884. They were the parents of ten children, five of whom are now living: Martha A. (widow of Dr. J. D. Hillis), Mary S. (widow of W. A. Brevard, of Hickman, Ky.), Hulda A., (widow of T. J. Ratcliffe), Virginia E. (wife of W. H. Cate) and Samuel A. One son, John Robert, a soldier in the late war, over-exerted himself during the evacuation of Memphis, and died while in service. Samuel A. was but nine years of age when his parents came to Craighead County, and here he grew to manhood, receiving a good education in the Jonesboro schools. When twenty years of age, he began the study of law, attended the St. Louis law school, and in 1870 was admitted to the bar. He entered a partnership with W. H. Cate, and began the practice of his profession. This partnership continued until 1882, when it was dissolved, and Mr. Warner continued the practice alone. Though for many years a successful lawyer, he has now practically retired from his profession, and has turned his attention to commercial pursuits. He represents R. G. Dun & Cos.' Commercial Agency of all the large cities, Wilbur Commercial Agency of Chicago, and Northwestern of New York. He was elected in 1879 to represent his county in the State legislature, serving one term. Mr. Warner is a large property holder, and has been extensively engaged in agricultural pursuits, and now has about 300 acres of good land under cultivation. He has valuable town property, his residence, a magnificent brick, being the finest in the city. It was built at a cost of $15,000, and has all modern improvements, heated by steam, lighted by gas, furnished with hot and cold water, etc. In 1874 Miss Sarah J. Culberhouse became his wife, and two children are the fruits of this union: Samuel A. and Thomas D. Mr. and Mrs. Warner are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and are prominent and popular members of society. Having the public interest in view, Mr. Warner is foremost in the support of charitable, progressive and praiseworthy enterprises.
 

Rev. William Y. M. Wilkerson, a minister of the Christian denomination, and deputy clerk of Craighead County, was born in Lawrence (now Sharp) County, Ark., in 1844, and is a son of Purvey Wilkerson, a native of North Carolina. The father was reared in Illinois, but came to Arkansas in 1836, and married while here, returning the same year to Illinois, where he remained for six years. He then returned to Arkansas, locating in what is now Sharp County, where he improved a large farm, on which he resided until 1863, when he again returned to Illinois. Three years later he started to return to his home in Arkansas, but, before reaching here, died in Perry County, Mo., November 24, 1866. He was devoted to the cause of his Master, and was a deacon in the Baptist Church. The mother is an estimable lady, and still resides in Sharp County, of which she is a native, born in 1821. Our subject and Benjamin W. are the only survivors of the family of seven children. William Y. M. has spent all but five years of his life in this State, and in his youth attended school and assisted on the farm. In the War of the Rebellion he served in the Union army, enlisting first in the Third Missouri Militia, and later in the Fourteenth Missouri Volunteers. He saw much active service, and was slightly wounded at Licking, Mo. After the surrender he went to Franklin County, Ill., and attended high school one year, when he returned to Arkansas, and followed farming and school teaching until 1884, when he was elected deputy clerk, to which office he has since been three times elected. He is a Republican in polities, but stands so high in popular favor that he has been four times elected in a county where there are twenty Democrats to one Republican. Mr. Wilkerson was married in 1876 to Miss Morrilla T. Herren, a native of Alabama, and to this union have been born five children: Rebecca E., Henry M., William A. W., James B. P. and Clarkie G. Mr. and Mrs. Wilkerson are members of the Christian Church, and he has been an ordained minister of that denomination since November 20, 1870. He professed religion in 1860, and since that time has given twenty years to the ministry of the Gospel. He located in this county in 1880, and, through his kindness to the poor, thoughtful consideration of his fellow-men, fervent piety and devotion to his Master's cause, he has won an enviable and lasting popularity.
 

Jacob Williams, a thrifty, self-made farmer of Buffalo Island, was born in Cumberland County, Tenn., in 1829, and is the fifth child of Caleb and Lucy (Jones) Williams, natives of Virginia. The father was born in 1797, and when a young man moved to Kentucky, where he engaged in farming for several years. His wife died about the close of the war, but he, though quite helpless, is still living. They had eleven children, and all but two lived to be grown. Jacob Williams was reared on a farm, and had but limited educational advantages, but through wide practical knowledge, has made himself what he is. When twenty-one years of age, he began farming for himself in Cumberland County, where he remained until 1856, when he moved to West Tennessee. In 1867, he came to Arkansas, locating on Buffalo Island. From heavy woodland, he has cleared 100 acres, and now owns 200, all of which, by his own industry, thrift and economy, he has' made since coming to this State. In 1849 he was united in marriage with Mary Smith, a native of Virginia, and they are the parents of two sons, Dr. Joseph M. and Clarence W. They are highly esteemed in the community in which they live for their strict piety and sterling worth. Mr. Williams and family are members of the Methodist Church.
 

George W. Wilson is a native of Craighead County. Ark., where he still resides, and occupies a prominent position among its farmers. His father, also George W. Wilson, was born in South Carolina, July 30, 1829, was educated in that State, and followed farming very successfully. November 12, 1854, he married Martha Loftis, born in South Carolina, and daughter of Morris and Priscilla (Cantrel) Loftis, who are the parents of eleven children, seven of whom are living in this State. He was a member of the Baptist Church, and died September 7, 1859. George W. Wilson, the immediate subject of this sketch, received his education in Jonesboro, Ark., and married Sarah Stroud, a native of Tennessee, and daughter of Anderson and Sarah Stroud, natives of the same State, who came to Arkansas in 1859. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are the parents of three children: Alvan D., Levi T. and Varina G. Mr. Wilson has a large, well-stocked farm of 140 acres, with about 100 acres under cultivation. He is a member of both the Masonic fraternity and of the Agricultural Wheel, in both of which organizations he has occupied official chairs. He manifests a great deal of pride in the county's development and progress, and is one of the kind that makes a thrifty community. Both he and his wife are members of the Baptist Church.
 

W. J. Witt, of Jonesboro, was born in Jefferson County, Tenn., December 2, 1831, is a son of Joseph M. and Cynthia (Lawrence) Witt, natives of Tennessee, and is one of the prominent, progressive farmers of the county. Joseph M. Witt was a farmer by occupation, was successful in that pursuit, and was greatly esteemed by his many friends. About 1840 he moved to eastern Alabama, where both parents resided until their deaths. They had eight children, four of whom are now living: William J., James L., Nancy and Thomas H. William J. Witt was reared and educated in Alabama, and in 1860 moved to Craighead County, Ark., locating on a farm about nine miles west of Jonesboro, and remained there until the close of the war. He served in the Confederate army about eighteen months, and at the close of the war moved to Jonesboro, that his children might have advantage of the Jonesboro schools. He owns eighty-five acres of land, with about one-half well improved. In 1849 he was married to Matilda A. Shirey, and they were the parents of four children, two now living. They are Martha C., wife of A. W. Sparks, and Cynthia J., wife of Z. T. Matthews, a leading merchant of Jonesboro. Mr. Witt was again married, in 1878, selecting Sidda Mangrum. She is the mother of three children. Mr. Witt has strong convictions of right. and is a man of sterling worth in the community. Both he and Mrs. Witt are members of the Missionary Baptist Church, of which he is a deacon.
 

Joel G. Wood (deceased). William H. and Elmira (Lane) Wood, both natives of Alabama. were the parents of nine children, all of whom moved to Arkansas. Two still live in Craighead County: Greene, on Maumelle prairie, and Francis, two and a half miles north of Jonesboro. Joel G. was born in Cherokee County, Ala., October 7, 1829, and was reared on the farm, receiving a fair “district school” education. January 29, 1854, he was married to Maria Evans, daughter of Jesse and Caroline (Anderson) Evans, parents of eight living children. Both Mr. and Mrs. Evans met an untimely death in a destructive cyclone which passed over Northern Alabama about 1884. The father was sixty and the mother about fifty years of age. Mr. Wood farmed in Alabama for two years after his marriage, then moved to Greene County, Ark., and two years later came to Craighead County and purchased sixty acres of land one and one-fourth mile south of Jonesboro, where he resided until the time of his death. He was a successful farmer, a grocery merchant of Jonesboro, also a butcher and did some freighting from Wittsburg, Walnut Ridge, and Memphis to Jonesboro. He served with credit one term as sheriff of Craighead County, and filled the offices of justice of the peace and constable in Cherokee County, Ala. He was a prominent citizen and a Democrat, meriting the honors bestowed upon him. He died from an accident November 16, 1882. To Mr. and Mrs. Wood were born twelve children, eight of whom are living: Alice V., wife of Napoleon Keller, a farmer of White County, Ark.; James Buchanan, married to Elizabeth Cox, and residing in Craighead County; Mary, wife of Dr. Lewis S. Thornton, a leading physician of Big Bay Station, Ark.; Joel G., who lives with his wife in Conway County; Albert Pike, married to Laura Rackley, and living near the old homestead; William P., Starling W., and Dora Lee, at home. The deceased are Josephine and three infants. Mrs. Wood resides on the old homestead, and conducts the farm in a successful and thrifty manner. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and a lady of social and moral worth.