Biography of Mildridge L. Asbury - Conway Co, AR

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Submitted by: Cathy Barnes <bbarnes@cswnet.com>
        Date: 21 Jun 1998
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
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SOURCE: Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Western Arkansas.
Goodspeed Publishers, 1891.

page 44

Mildridge L. Asbury, a farmer and resident of Springfield was born in Greene
County, Georgia, in 1848, being a son of Redman T. and Mary S. (Norton) Asbury,
who were natives of central Georgia, and were born about 1822 and 1830,
respectively. They are now residents of Greene County, Georgia, where they have
resided ever since their marriage, and both have been members of the Missionary
Baptist Church for many years. Mr. Asbury served a short period in the
Confederate army as one of the guards at Andersonville prison. He is a member of
the Masonic fraternity, and is a son of Harry Asbury, who died in Georgia before
the birth of our subject. He was of English ancestry, being of the same family
as the distinguished Methodist divine, Bishop Asbury, William Norton, the
maternal grandfather, was a successful merchant of Clark County, Georgia, where
he died when Mrs. Asbury was an infant. M. L. Asbury is the third of a family of
six sons and four daughters. He was reared on a farm and from about 9 years old
attended the high school at Beardstown, Georgia, till it was closed by the
ravages of the civil war. After the war closed he taught school a short time,
and in 1868 came to Arkansas and superintended a farm for John Varner in what is
now Lincoln County, till 1870, when he came to Conway County, when on October
11, of the same year, he married Miss Cletie A. Scroggin, a daughter of James M.
and Lemantha Scroggin. (See sketch of J. M. Scroggin.) Mrs. Asbury is a native
of Conway County and the mother of nine children, of whom two sons and three
daughters survive. After his marriage Mr. Asbury was engaged as a clerk in the
store of R. L. Cargile at Springfield, for about four years, when he became a
partner, the firm being Cargile & Asbury, which continued till the death of Mr.
Cargile about 1879. Mr. Asbury then engaged with another mercantile firm as a
clerk, and was also Postmaster till 1882, when he was elected Circuit Clerk of
Conway County, and in 1884 was re-elected, serving four years in that official
capacity with credit to himself and to his party. Since his retirement from
office he has devoted his attention principally to his farm, being the owner of
400 acres, of which about 150 acres is improved. He also owns property in
Springfield and in Morrilton, all of which is the result of his own industry and
good management. Since 1888 Mr. Asbury has been Notary Public. He is a Democrat
in politics, and is a prominent member of the A. F. and M., Lewisburg Lodge, No.
105, having taken the Chapter and the Palm and Shell Degrees there. His
membership was formerly in the Springfield Lodge, No. 127, where he took the
Council degree.