Biography of John W. Todd - 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 120

John W. Todd. Among the really enterprising and representative
citizens of Conway County, none are more deserving of especial mention
than Judge Todd, merchant and planter, and the founder of Cleveland.
Mr. Todd came to Arkansas from Tennessee (where he was born the 28th
of April, 1832), and located in Desha County till 1876, when he came
to Conway County, and made a permanent settlement in Nichols Township.
This part of the county was then but slightly improved, and Mr. Todd
might justly be called a pioneer. After spending four years on his
farm he moved to Morrilton. In the fall of 1881 he was elected County
Judge, holding that office from 1882 to 1884. Shortly prior to the
expiration of his term, in partnership with Mr. J. T. Hanniford, he
opened a store at a point now grown into the flourishing village of
Cleveland. They began with a small stock, and now do an annual
business of about $75,000. It is mainly through the enterprise of
Judge Todd that Cleveland has grown to its present condition of
prosperity. Mr. Todd is a member of the Masonic fraternity,
Cleveland Lodge, No. 473, of which he is Secretary, In October, 1850,
our subject married Miss Hester A. Blake, a native of Tennessee. This
union has been a happy one, and to it has been born five children;
Samuel J., married to Emma McCook; Lucretia E., wife of A. W.
McCracken; Mattie E., wife of A. L. Stewart. The others died in
infancy. The family are members of the Missionary Baptist Church, in
which Mr. Todd holds the office of deacon. In tracing the life of
Judge Todd back to his youth, we find that he and his parents, Moses
and Penelope (Bewden) Todd, were natives of North Carolina. They were
the parents of a large family, only two children, the subject of this
sketch and Rufus H. (who resides on the old homestead) are alive at
the present time. Mr. Todd, Sr., immigrated to Tennessee in 1828, and
settled in Henry County, where he remained till his death, August 26,
1874. His life had won the admiration of all his neighbors. He was a
prominent member of the church, an active member of the Masonic
fraternity, and left, at his death, a large circle of friends to mourn
his loss. He had been preceded on the long journey to another world by
his excellent wife, who departed this life in 1859. He married the
second time in 1861 to Zerona Watson, who is still living and resides
in Texas. Our subject began life for himself at the age of 19 years.
After attending such schools as the country afforded in that day and
time, he followed farming for two years, and opened a store on a
rather small scale at Cottage Grove, of which he was the founder. In
1860 he went to Memphis and engaged in the grocery and commission
business, which he continued till the year of his migration to
Arkansas, in 1871.