Crawford Co., AR - Biographies - William T. Wallace

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William T. Wallace, retail liquor dealer, was born in Johnson County, 
Ark., February 10, 1849, and is a son of Vincent and Ruth (Suggs) 
Wallace. The father was born in Benson County, N. C., in 1815, and was 
a farmer and minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The 
great-grandfather, William Wallace, was a Revolutionary soldier, and 
according to the family tradition was of Scottish parentage. He was 
twice married. His second wife became the mother of several sons, who 
went West, and settled perhaps in Tennessee. His first wife's maiden 
name was Ferguson, who became the mother of two sons: Orren and 
Robert, the latter of whom was the grandfather. On account of real or 
imaginary mistreatment by his step-mother he left home as soon as he 
became large enough to find employment, and went to work for daily 
wages. He had had the benefit of but two weeks' education at school, 
but during leisure hours acquired sufficient education to transact 
such business as pertained to his occupation. His energy in business 
and faithfulness to his employers soon gave him a reputation as a farm 
manager, and his services were sought and liberally paid for by such 
men as Jesse Dickens and James Paine, wealthy planters of Person 
County, N. C. Feeling the embarrassment of a limited education he made 
an extra effort to send his children to school, of whom there were 
twelve of one mother, whose name before marriage was Jane Smith 
Daniel. Her father, Mathew Daniel, came from or near Petersburg, Va. 
His mother's maiden name was Smith. Her mother's maiden name was 
Rachel Satterfield, whose mother was a Jay. After Rachel's death 
Mathew Daniel married a lady whose name was Agnes Marr. She had first 
been married to a Mr. Perkins, and after his death became the second 
wife of Dr. Paine, the father of James Paine, of Person County, N. C., 
who was the father of the late Robert Paine, bishop of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, South. The children of Robert and Jane Wallace were 
Elizabeth, Lucy, Greene, Vincent, Orren, Emily, Rachel, Jane, William, 
Robert, Jr., Martha and George. Robert, Sr., is said to have been a 
kind and indulgent father, though firm in his family government. A man 
of ready wit, who took delight in repartee. He died October 8, 1846, 
being about seventy-two years of age, and was a member of the 
Missionary Baptist Church. He left to his family some lands, nine 
slaves, and other property, which were divided among his children. 
Greene died in childhood, George when nine years old, and William when 
twenty-one years old. Vincent married Elizabeth Philips, Orren married 
Jane Gill, of Person County, N. C., and Robert, after coming to 
Arkansas, married Ann E. Porter, daughter of Judge David Porter, of 
Johnson County. Elizabeth was married to Bently Gray, Lucy to William 
Hamlin, Emily to Loften Walton, Rachel to Mathew Griffith, Jane to 
Carter Daniel, and Martha to S. B. Cazort, all of Person County, N. C. 
About [p.1209] the year 1840 Vincent Wallace and William Hamlin 
arrived in Arkansas, having left North Carolina a year or two 
previously, and stopped awhile in Tennessee, perhaps one or two years. 
Vincent's wife died in Carroll County, leaving one son, John, who died 
a prisoner of the war between the States, having been captured by the 
Federal troops. After the death of Vincent's wife he married Ruth 
Suggs, who was born in Alabama in 1825, and moved near Clarksville, 
where he reared a family, the surviving members of which now reside in 
Van Buren, Ark. He obtained a fair common-school education, and taught 
school in North Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas. His chief 
occupation, however, was farming. He was also a minister of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, South. He represented Johnson County in 
the Ninth General Assembly of the State, and, as is understood, was 
the only Whig ever elected to the Legislature from this county, which 
shows the high esteem in which he was held by his fellow citizens. 
About the last day of the year 1863 he was brutally murdered at his 
home, in the presence of his family, by three unknown men, who 
assigned no cause for the atrocious deed, except that in answer to 
their question, "Are you not afraid," he referred them to Matthew x, 
28, when immediately they began shooting him, saying "We will make you 
fear us." He lived a few hours, long enough to admonish his children 
and friends to live Christian lives, and died in Christian triumph, 
his last words being, "The physical pain is intense, but my mind is at 
rest." Orren and Robert Wallace and Loften Walton left Carolina in the 
fall of 1848, and arrived at Clarksville, Ark., about the 8th of 
January, 1849. Orren Wallace resided in Johnson County until 1873, 
when he sold his Johnson County farm to Cazort Bros., and moved to 
Morrilton, in order to be near his river farm in Perry County, where 
he still resides, being over seventy years of age. While residing in 
Johnson County, without soliciting the office, he was repeatedly 
elected justice of the peace of Pittsburg Township. He was very 
hospitable to all, had a great many visitors, loved a joke, took a 
lively interest in the political affairs of his county, was positive 
in his convictions, and spoke his sentiments so freely that they were 
sometimes not appreciated by those who entertained different views. He 
was liberal to all church and school enterprises, and though a member 
of the Missionary Baptist Church was one of the chief contributors to 
the building of Ewing Seminary, a Cumberland Presbyterian school, and 
furnished one-third of the money to buy for church and school purposes 
the land and house known as the Pleasant Grove school-house, near 
Lamar, Ark. Mrs. Ruth Wallace is still living, and three of her seven 
children survive: William T., Matthew Vinant and Thomas Loftin. 
William T. Wallace was reared upon a farm, and in 1875 married Miss 
Lizzie Smith, daughter of Alvis Smith, of this place. Mrs. Wallace was 
born in Crawford County, and has seven children: Vincent Alvis, Sidney 
Orren, Carrie May, Thomas L. (deceased), Sallie Smith, infant son 
(deceased) and William T., Jr. In 1876 Mr. Wallace came to Van Buren, 
and for four years attended bar for his father-in-law, at the end of 
which time he established a retail liquor store of his own. In 
politics he is a Democrat. In 1869 the subject of this sketch taught 
one of the first schools under the free school system ever taught in 
Johnson County, Ark. He was then but twenty years of age; he continued 
to teach until 1875, the year of his marriage at Van Buren, Ark.