Crawford-Sebastian County ArArchives Biographies.....Comstock, James Monroe 
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Robert Sanchez http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00027.html#0006574 July 19, 2009, 3:17 pm

Author: S. J. Clarke (Publisher, 1922)

JAMES MONROE COMSTOCK.
    Active and energetic, James Monroe Comstock closely watches every
opportunity for the attainment of legitimate success and has made constant
progress since starting out in the business world on his own account. He is now
copartner in the Comstock Dry Goods Store at Van Buren, one of the
representative business interests of that place.

    James Monroe Comstock was born in McDonald county, Missouri, in I860, a son
of Thomas and Maranda J. (Brown) Comstock. The father was a native of Perry
county, Tennessee, and his mother died when he was just a boy. After her death
he went to Missouri with his father. In the year 1866 they removed from McDonald
county, Missouri, to Lamar county, Texas, where they remained for three years.
At the termination of that time they sold out their interests in Texas and
traveled back to Missouri in ox-drawn wagons. In about 1863 the grandfather
Murphy and his son were killed by northerners while going from their home to the
mill, and Thomas Comstock then became a bushwhacker in the Confederate cause,
and he and a party of men did much damage to the northerners during the
remainder of the conflict. In 1869 the family again moved from McDonald county,
Missouri, and they located at Lee Creek, fourteen miles north of Van Buren, in
Crawford county, Arkansas. Mr. Comstock remained a resident of this county until
his death in 1917, at the age of seventy-eight years, and he was recognized as a
representative citizen of the community. Mrs. Comstock's demise occurred in
1912, at the age of sixty-two years.

    James Monroe Comstock was reared and received his education in the schools
of Crawford county, and after putting his textbooks aside engaged in farming. He
was active along that line until he became twenty-three years of age, when, on
January 1, 18S4, he engaged in the general mercantile business with J. C. Wood
at Uniontown. That association was maintained with the greatest of success until
1888, when Mr. Comstock sold out his interest to his father-in-law and entered
into partnership with his brother, Randolph. This partnership was maintained
until 1916. In that year Mr. Comstock again sold out and for the following two
years engaged in farming and stock trading. He removed from Uniontown to Fort
Smith, where he purchased a home and resided until 1918, when with his two sons,
Kenney M. and Ira V., he concluded to embark in the dry goods business in Van
Buren. He has since been active in the mercantile circles here and through his
enterprise and intelligently directed efforts he has built up an extensive and
steadily increasing patronage. Many of his customers come from Uniontown to
trade with him.

    In 1884 occurred the marriage of Mr. Comstock to Miss Lucretia E. Wood, a
daughter of J. C. Wood of Uniontown. To their union the following children were
born: Dorey, who died in infancy; Kenney M., Nora, Ira V., Maud, Lelia, whose
demise occurred at the age of thirteen years; Edna, Letty, Paul and Pauline. For
forty-one years Mr. Comstock has been a member of the Masonic fraternity and he
is an exemplary member of that craft. His religious faith is that of a
Christian, and as a man actively interested in the development and improvement
of the community he is identified with the Van Buren Business Men's Club. The
growth of the Comstock Dry Goods Store is notable even in this district of
rapidly developing enterprises and its splendid success is attributable in large
measure to the executive force, keen sagacity and discrimination of James Monroe
Comstock and his sons, Kenney M. and Ira V.


Additional Comments:
Citation:
Centennial History of Arkansas
Volume II
Chicago-Little Rock: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company
1922


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