Early days in Grant County, AR, are recalled in this spiral-bound booklet, conprised of the Grant County excerpts from Goodspeed's Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Pulaski, Jefferson, Lonoke, Faulkner, Grant, Saline, Perry, Garland and Hot Spring Counties, Arkansas (1886) , and from Arkansas, A Guide to the State, a 1941 WPA publication. The 54-page booklet is printed on 60# paper. A vinyl sheet has been added to protect the front cover.
The first part of the booklet contains a brief history of the county: Organization of county from parts of Jefferson, Saline and Hot Spring counties; Early officials; Highways; the Quapaw hunting ground mounds; Settlers; Lawyers and Courts; Schools; Churches; Newspapers; Businesses; the county seat, Sheridan; Other small towns, etc.
The county was formed after the Civil War, possibly with a carpetbag government, since that would explain why a strongly Confederate area ended up being named for General U.S. Grant, with a county seat named for Union General Phil Sheridan.
Besides the names mentioned in the first part of the booklet, there are biographies of many county residents of yesteryear. Most are fairly lengthy, and often include ancestors, previous residences, children, in-laws, affiliations, war records, and business activities. In the course of this they often shed light on the early businesses, professions and institutions in the county. The biographies include: Thomas C. Appling, John J. Beavers, Henry Bales, John M. Baugh, Asa A. Billingslea, William Franklin Brashears, Joe T. Butler, J.P. Carr, John H. Clement, Judge Samuel R. Cobb, Thomas L. Cole, James H. Crutchfield, R.M. Dorn, W.C.C. Dorough, John Fenter, Edward W. Gartman, J.B. Gean, C.M. Gentry, William H. Glover, Benjamin F. Graves, William H. Haley, Silas A. Hall, Joseph Hamilton, Dr. Charles U. Harrison, J.R. Henry, Elijah M. Hicks, J. Holiman, Daniel Johnson, J.M.S. Johnson, Robert G. Johnson, L.H. Kemp, Jasper N. Lee, Joab P. Lockhart, John W. Lybrand, Y.B. McCool, Rev. William B. McCool, William D. McDonald, John Messenger, James L. Messenger, J. Fletcher Moore, Thomas B. Morton, James M. Nall, Rev. James S. Nicholson, Joseph W. Paxton, William E. Poe, Francis Posey, Joshua M. Posey, Uriah W. Poss, Seaborn D. Reese, William H. Reid, James J. Reid, Benjamin E. Reynolds, Richards R. Rhodes, John Shell, James A. Shell, Michael N. Shepherd, Isaac P. Shepherd, Jared H. Sudduth, Trimaghan Thompson, Lyttleton M. Veazey, William J. Wallace, Dr. H.P. Watson, George T. Wells, John A. West, Daniel R. Williams, Augustus A.C. Williams, Joseph S. Williams, and John F.H. Wilson.
The WPA section gives a bit of history and a map of the area, including information on the Grant County Singing Convention.
Wouldn't this make a unique gift?
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