Biography of James L. Lucas - Conway Co, AR

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

page 82

James L. Lucas, one of the enterprising citizens of Morrilton, is a
native of Lawrenceburg, Tenn., born 1843, and is a son of Andrew
Jackson and Caroline M. (Burriss) Lucas, who were also natives of
Tennessee, where they resided  till 1843, when they removed to
Okolona, Miss., and from thence to Oxford, and thence back to Okolona,
where Mrs. Lucas died May 2, 1849, and was buried at that place, but
some years after when the Mobile & Ohio rail road was constructed,
which interfered with the cemetery, those having friends buried there
were instructed to remove the remains, and, upon examination, the
remains of Mrs. Lucas was found to be in an almost perfect state of
petrifaction. After the death of his wife, Mr. Lucas again removed to
Oxford, where he married Mary A. Worley, and in about 1854 removed to
that portion of Perry County, Arkansas, which is now Conway County,
but afterwards removed to the north part of the county, where he died
about 1879. He was a farmer and a Royal Arch Mason and he and wife
were members of the Methodist Church. Mr. Lucas was a son of George
Lucas, who died at Okolona, Miss. J. L. Lucas is the fourth of a
family of three sons and four daughters. He was reared to manhood on a
farm, with a limited country education. Early in 1861 he joined a
command of cavalry troops, intending to go into the Confederate army,
but, being defeated in that, he at once joined Company D. of the 17th
Arkansas Infantry, and operated in Northeast Arkansas and Southeast
Missouri, till after the fall of Fort Pillow, when the command was
sent east of the river, and took part in all the engagements at
Corinth, Iuka, and at Champion Hill was captured, paroled and soon
after was exchanged, and again took the field and participated in the
fights at Jenkins' Ferry, Mark's Mill, Prairie DeAnn and was at
Marshall, Texas, at the time of the general surrender. After the war,
Mr. Lucas returned to farm life, and in April, 1870, married Miss
Fannie Benedict, who was born in Conway County. She died in 1877, and
was the mother of one child, now living. December, 1882, Mr. Lucas
married Miss Sallie, a daughter of William T. and Christina C. Gordon,
who were natives, respectively, of Maury County, Tennessee, and
Conway County, Arkansas. Mr. Gordon was born 1829, and in about 1840
came to Conway County, where he now resides. His occupation has been
that of farming. From 1862 to 1864 he was a soldier in the Confederate
army under the different commands of Generals Price, Van Dorn, Forrest
and Wheeler, and from 1882 to 1884 he was Treasurer of Conway County.
Mrs. Lucas was born in Conway County, and has four children. Mr. Lucas
was the first depot agent at Plummerville, and held the position for
fourteen years, and, in the meantime, was Postmaster from 1873 for
over eight years, and was also Justice of the Peace a short time.
Since 1888 he has resided at Morrilton, where he has been cotton
weigher and is also engaged in the real estate business, and is now
the owner and operator of the steam mill and gin at Morrilton. He is
also the owner of several hundred acres of land. Mr. Lucas has been a
member of the A. F. and A. M., since 1866, now of Lewisburg Lodge. He
also holds membership in the Morning Star Lodge of K. of H. and of the
Hermion Lodge, of K. of P., and both he and Mrs. Lucas, are members of
the M. E. Church, South.