Crawford Co., AR - Biographies - Col M. F. Locke

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SOURCE: History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford,
Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. Chicago: The Goodspeed 
Publishing Co., 1889.
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Col M. F. Locke, planter, miller and merchant, of Alma, was born near 
Murfreesboro, Tenn., in 1826, and is a son of William and Margeret 
(Bowman) Locke. The parents were natives of North Carolina, where they 
were probably married, soon after removing to Rutherford County, 
Tenn., where the father died in 1831 and the mother in 1881, 
respectively. Mr. Locke's grandfather was of Irish descent, and his 
father commanded the "Murfreesboro Blues" at the battle of the 
Horseshoe Bend, in the War of 1812. The mother was a daughter of Col. 
Sam Bowman, of near old Jefferson, Tenn. Our subject, with an elder 
brother, was the main support of the family during his youth, and he 
consequently received but a common-school education. In 1849 he 
married Elizabeth Buie, who died in Texas in 1864, whither Mr. Locke 
had gone in 1850. The following year he married Narcissa A. 
Montgomery. By his first wife he had six children, all of whom are 
living. Mr. Locke is a Democrat, and cast his first presidential vote 
for J. K. Polk. In 1852 he was elected a member of the Lower House in 
the Texas Legislature, and served until 1859. In 1856 and 1857 he was 
speaker. In 1860 he was elected to the State Senate, but in 1861 
resigned, and was made colonel of the Third Texas State Regiment 
Cavalry. nine months after being transferred to the Tenth Texas 
Dismounted Cavalry, Confederate [p.1167] States Army, which he 
commanded until the close of the war. At the beginning of his service 
he had 1,200 men under his command, and at the end only sixty-five men 
were paroled. He participated in the battles at Farmington. Corinth, 
Richmond, Ky., Mansfield, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Dalton, and was 
through the entire Georgia and Atlanta campaign. His command was 
discharged at Meridian, Miss. In the winter of 1865-66 he came to 
Crawford County, Ark., and in 1868 purchased land upon the present 
site of Alma, which town he helped to found in 1872, and where he has 
been a prominent citizen ever since. For some years he was engaged in 
the mercantile business, and for a year and a half edited the Alma 
Democrat. He is now largely engaged in farming and the milling and gin 
business, having several cotton-gins and a flour and corn-mill at 
Alma. He is also the owner of 1,000 acres of land, and is considered 
one of the successful citizens of the county. He is a member of the 
Masonic fraternity, and belongs to the Alma Lodge, No. 43. His wife, 
who died in 1886, was a member of the Missionary Baptist Church, and 
he is also a member of that denomination. During the Mexican War he 
served in the First Mississippi Regiment under Jeff. Davis. 

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