Goodspeed's Biography of Samuel R. Cobb, Grant Co, AR

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Submitted by: Jackie Dill <JJDILL1@aol.com>
        Date: 27 Jul 2003

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Judge Samuel R. Cobb, farmer and county judge of Grant County, Ark.,
was born in Floyd County, Ga., November 3, 1844, and is the son of
W. D. Cobb, a native of South Carolina.  W. D. Cobb moved to Georgia
with his father, Roland Cobb, when he was a young man, and settled
in Floyd County, accumulating large plantations.  He remained there
and in other counties of that State up to the year 1856 or 1857,
when they left Georgia.  W. D. Cobb died and his estimable wife,
whose maiden name was Martha H. Henslee, only survived him a few
months, thus leaving their family of eight children orphans when
very young.  Samuel was the eldest of the children, he being about
fourteen years old at the time of his parents' death.  He was reared
and educated by an uncle in Saline County, Ark., and remained with
him until the breaking out of the late war, when his young blood was
fired with an ambition to fight for his country, and he gave up the
implements of peace and took up those of war.  He enlisted in the
Eleventh Arkansas Infantry, July, 1, 1861, and remained in the
Confederate service until the close of hostilities, being captured
at Island No. 10, with his command, and held at Chicago as a
prisoner of war until September 1862, when he was exchanged at
Vicksburg.  He re-enlisted at Jackson, Miss., and after the
reorganization of his regiment he was promoted as orderly to Col.
Griffith's regiment, in which capacity he served until the final
surrender in April, 1865.  Not only did he witness, but participated
in twenty-seven regular engagements, besides numerous skirmishes, a
few of which are New Madrid (Mo.), Clinton (La.), Keller's Lane,
Prichard's Cross Roads, and among the twenty-seven days' fight of
Sherman's raid, during which time he did not have his shoes off, or
a chance to indulge in one square meal.  Notwithstanding that he was
right in the thick of these battles, he was not once seriously
injured.  After the final surrender Mr. Cobb returned to Saline
County, where he attended school for some months, being desirous of
improving every opportunity that presented itself.  The year 1867
witnessed his marriage to Miss Paralee Poe, a native of Alabama, and
daughter of Judge Poe, who moved to Arkansas when his daughter was
quite young, she receiving her education in Saline County.  In 1869
Mr. Cobb bought a place and farmed for two years, but the year
following he disposed of that, and after a short time bought the
farm where he now resides, which was at that time an unbroken
wilderness.  The Judge has added to his property from time to time
until he now owns 300 acres in an excellent state of cultivation.  A
good, neat and comfortable dwelling, fair and substantial stables
and barn, good orchards, meadows, etc., all indicate that slackness
in business is something unheard of in his home.  He is a man of
wide experience and broad views, and his keen and quick decisions,
which are never far from right, insure for him the confidence of all
who know him.  Mr. and Mrs. Cobb are the parents of five children
living:  William Lee (now attending college at Arkadelphia), James
A., Louisa E., Essie May and Cora.  Franklin Conway died at the age
of sixteen, in July 1889.  They are members of the Baptist Church,
and Mr. Cobb is a Master Mason.  It would be difficult to find a
more hospitable home than that of Mr. Cobb's, in which love and good
fellowship reign supreme.