Biography of W H Watts, Clay Co, AR

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From: 
The Goodspeed Biographical and Historical Memoirs of N. E. Ark.
Biographical Information.

W. H. Watts, hotel-keeper at Boydsville, was born in Humphreys County, Tenn., in
1846, where he remained until after the war, although during that eventful
period he joined Gen. Forrest's cavalry and participated in the battles of
Athens, Ala., Johnsonville, Tenn., Paducah, Ky., Fort Pillow, Parker's Cross
Roads, Gun Town, and was on the Hood raid from Florence, Ala., to Nashville,
Tenn. He was in thirteen fights, among which was the Franklin fight, where fully
one-third of the men in the company and regiment were lost, and in the Nashville
fight, after which a retreat was made to Florence, Ala., continued skirmishing
being experienced. During this time Mr. Watts had his clothes riddled with
bullets, and his hat rim shot away in pieces, but he miraculously escaped
without injury to himself. He was discharged in Mississippi, and sent to
Nashville, Tenn., where he took the oath of allegiance to the United States. He
was offered $100 in gold by the officers to go to Texas and not to Nashville. He
then returned to Humphreys County, Tenn., where he remained about two years,
after which he moved to Graves County, Ky., where he engaged in agricultural
pursuits for about seven years. In 1868 Miss L. F. Simpson, daughter of D. M.
Simpson, became his wife, and, in the spring of 1874, they moved to Clay County,
Ark., and settled where Boydsville now stands. At that time the county seat
question was not settled, but the object was to have it at Boydsville, and Mr.
Watts built the first house on the ground. He lived in one part of this house
and sold goods in the other, thus continuing until the fall, when he gave it up
for the county records, built a log house and resided in that a number of years.
In 1878 the county erected the building at present used as the county court-
house. Mr. Watts now owns the house, a large frame one, which he and Judge
Holifield built in 1876, and he has bought and sold several farms in this
locality. To his marriage were born four children, two of whom were born in
Kentucky, and three are now living. They are named as follows: Laura C., wife of
C. B. Johns, and the mother of two children, now resides in Boydsville, where
her husband is engaged in the stock breeding business; William H. and Albert
Sidney. Mr. Watts is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and also a member of
the K. of H., and he and wife belong to the Primitive Baptist Church.