Carroll Co., AR - Biographies - Hon. John Carroll

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Hon. John Carroll was born on August 30, 1828, in what is now 
Claiborne County, Tenn. He is the second in a family of ten children 
of Hugh and Anna (Shelton) Carroll. The family is of purely Celtic 
origin. Hugh Carroll's father came from Ireland to America, and was a 
hero of the battle of New Orleans in 1815. This branch of the Carroll 
family is most probably closely connected with the Maryland and 
Tennessee Carrolls, and so far as is known they generally followed 
agriculture and the professions. Hugh Carroll was born near 
Martinsburgh, Va. In Tennessee he engaged in farming and dealt 
extensively in horses. In 1836 he came West with the Cherokee Indians, 
and located first at Fort Gibson, I. T., but later settled in Neosho, 
Mo. In removing the Cherokees he was wagon master of a detachment of 
Indians. Upon settling at Neosho he engaged in farming, which he very 
successfully continued until the outbreak of the Civil War, when he 
joined the Confederate service, and was killed in Newton County, Mo., 
in 1862. His wife was also born in Claiborne County, Tenn., and is now 
living about nine miles from Neosho, Mo. Hon. John Carroll was reared 
on the frontier, and received his education by his own personal 
efforts, mostly among the Cherokee Indians. When his father removed to 
Missouri he remained in the Indian Territory, and was married in the 
Cherokee Nation to Susan Ward, a quadroon. She died in 1856, leaving 
two children; Hugh, who was accidentally killed in 1885, at Vinita, 
where he resided, and Fincher, who now resides at Huntsville, Ark. 
While a resident of the Indian Nation Mr. Carroll dealt very 
extensively and successfully in all kinds of Indian supplies. From 
there he removed to McDonald County, Mo., and in 1857 was united in 
marriage with Huldah Holcomb, who was born of French parentage in 
Newton County, Mo. Seven children have been born to this union; Mary, 
now the wife of John Cecil, of Chico, Tex.; Dick, deceased; Jeff. D., 
deceased; Frank, a clerk in the post-office at Eureka Springs, Ark.; 
Nora, Albert S. J. and Nellie. Upon his removal to McDonald County, 
Mr. Carroll settled on a large farm, which he cultivated in connection 
with stockraising until the Civil War broke out. He raised three 
companies for the Confederate service, and was made captain of a 
company in the State service under Price. On reorganization he still 
commanded a company until 1863, when he received a colonel's 
commission, which he retained until the war ended. He passed through 
the service with many narrow escapes, but without injury. Returning 
home he settled at Huntsville, Ark., and engaged in general 
agricultural business and land dealing. He was a member of the first 
Legislature that convened after the war, and in 1874 was a delegate to 
the Constitutional Convention. As early as 1857 Mr. Carroll's ability 
to manage public affairs was recognized. In that year he was appointed 
sheriff of McDonald County, Mo., and United States Deputy Marshal for 
the Western District of Arkansas. He continued in business at 
Huntsville, Ark., until the opening of [p.1050] Eureka Springs in 
1879, when he came thither and engaged in the improving and general 
merchandise business. He was chosen first mayor of the city, and was 
also chosen by the citizens to represent them in adjusting the land 
suit between the town site claimants and the agricultural claimants. 
In 1884 he was admitted to the bar, and practiced law as a member of 
the firm of Carroll, Glitsch & Vandeventer until he was appointed 
United States Marshal of the Western District of Arkansas, in October, 
1885. He still holds this position, and is widely and favorably known 
in the Southwest. The Western District of Arkansas includes eighteen 
counties of Arkansas, besides the five civilized tribes of the Indian 
Territory, the Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks, Cherokees and Seminoles, 
and does the largest legal business of any district of the United 
States. During Mr. Carroll's service as marshal, seventeen deputy 
marshals have been killed. Politically our subject is a stanch 
Democrat, as was also his ancestry. He is a Royal Arch Mason.