Page 114 - Jefferson County AR 1889 History (Goodspeed)

'q-I -9 A

'1 JEFFERSON COUNTY. . --- -
----

1

ers of Jefferson County, was born on the banks ' was a great-granddaughter of Don Joseph Vallier, i
of the Arkansas River, about six miles from Pine I who was at one time governor-general of the Ter-

Bluff, on Angust 18, 1852, and is a son of Robert i ritory of Louisiana under the Spanish Govern-

Woods and Elllalie (Taylor) Walker. The father : ment. Her father, Col. Creed Taylor, was one of

1was a native of Virginia, but reared near Nash- the most prominent men in public life dnring the
:ville, Tenn., and moved to Arkansas in 1836. He early history of Arkansas as a Territory and State.

was born in the year 1810. The mother was born / He was born in Mercer County, Ky., on Jann-

in Jefferson County, Ark., on March 3, 1825, I ary 1, 1800, and moved to Arkansas in 1817, lu-

and has resided in Arkansas all her life. The cating at what is now Lewiehnrg. One year later

/father was a very prominent citizen and large he returned to Kentucky, hut again moved to A r ~

land owner in tbis county, possessing about 2,000 kansas and settled at Pine Bluff, and in October,

acres in the river bottom. He was deputyclerk 1822, performed the feat of swimming the Arkau-
for five years, and for an additional five yeam was sas River. He was sheriff of Jefferson County a t

Iclerk. He was a Mason of high standing, and had i one time, and when the Indians were moved to the
Itaken a number of the higher degrees. I n politics ' Indian Territory he was appointed a colonel. I n

he was a Democrat, and one of the leaders of that politics he was a stanchDemocrat, and in religious

party in his county. When the elder Walker first faith a Uatholic. He died in Jefferson County,

(came to Pine Bl~tfift was but a village. Since that January 8. 1887.

time it bas grown up into a large and prosperous John A. Wallis. Among the most pleasing

city, owing to the efforts of enterprising citizens, 1 features of Jefferson Connty is its number of pro-

of whom Mr. Walker was one of the foremost. gressive men. Mr. Wallis is one of the leading

Seven children were born to the parents, of whom citizens of this section, and was born in Morgan

Isix are yet living: Creed T. (a cashier of the Bank County, Ala., on October 25, 1882, being a son

of Little Rock),Maggie (wife of Capt. B. E. Ben- . of James and Ann (Crockett) Wallis, natives of

ton, thepopular agent of theCotton-Seed Oil Mills : Mecklenbnrg District, North Carolina, and Lan-

1a t Little Rock), John M. (a farmer on the old I caster District, Sonth Carolina. respectively. The

Ihomestead), J . W. (the principal of this sketch), parents were married in South Carolina, and made
Agnes (wife of Orlando Haliburton, a well-known ! that State their home for a number of years, after-

commercial traveler for Meyer Broa., St. Louis, ward residing in Mississippi and Louisiana until

Mo.), and Robert W. (a prosperous grain and feed 1861, when they moved to Arkansas and located in

dealer a t Little Rock). The one deceased is James ' Chicot County, where the mother died the follow-

N., who died in his twenty-first year. J o W. ing year, at the age of aeventy-two years. She

Walker was educated at St. Vincent College, Cape was a member of the Presbyterian Church. and a

Girardeau, Mo., and upon reaching his maturity, daughter of Elijah Crockett, a cousin of the cele-

left that institution to manage his mother's plan- I brated Davy Cmckett. Her union with Mr. James

Itation. Since then he has given his entire atten- Wallis resulted in the birth of eight children, of
Ition to planting, and has become one of the most whom John A. is now the only living repreeenta-
Iauccassfnl in the connty. On October 18, 1878, tive. The elder Wallis was a very successful

he was married to Miss Beulah Burton, a daugh- , planter dnring his life, and before the war was a

/ter of Robert Burton, of Jefferson County. This Whig in politics, but after that event he voted the I

marriage gave them one daughter, Mary V. Mr. Democratic ticket until his death. John A. Wallis

and Mrs. Walker are both members of the Catholic ( was reared and edncated in the States of Alabama

Chnrch, and the former belongs to the Catholic and Miasiuippi. His inclinations seemed to follow

Knights of America. I n politios he is a stanch commercial life more than any other occupation,

/Democrat. Mr. Walker's mother was born Mamh and a t the age of eighteen years he left home to

3, 1825, and married January 27, 1842, She enter businear I n 1856 he came to Arkensas and

~7%

rT