Biography of J G McKenzie, Greene Co, AR

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Submitted by: Michael Brown
        Date: 5 Sep 1998
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Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northeast Arkansas

page 159

Dr. J. G. McKenzie. Among the many successful farmers and practitioners of
the "healing art" in Greene County, Ark., deserving of special mention, is Dr.
McKenzie, who was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1851, and is the third in a family
of seven children born to Alexander and Jeanette (Patterson) McKenzie, the former of
whom was engaged in commercial pursuits, and conducted a boot and shoe factory. The
Doctor attended school in his native land until nineteen [p.159] years of age, then
entered the Alton Medical College for a course of two years, after which he took a
finishing course of six months at the Rush Medical College, in 1873. Subsequently he
emigrated to the United States, and after remaining in New York City for some time,
made a tour of the great lakes, and settled in Canada for about one year. He then
went to the State of Illinois, and engaged in practicing the medical profession at
Dresdon, in partnership with Dr. Rhodes, making his next move to Cotton Plant, in
Southeast Missouri, and about one year later went to Kennett, and was associated with
Dr. Harvey for another year. After following his profession in Northeastern Arkansas
for some time he came to his present location about 1875, purchased one acre of land,
erected a residence, and here has since made his home. He has added eight and one
half acres to his home lot, and has bought eighty acres of good farming land in one
tract, besides eighty acres in the Cache River bottoms, making the last purchase in
1887. Fifty acres of land are cleared and under cultivation, and the rest is devoted
to stock raising, in which he is quite extensively engaged, making a specialty of
horses and mules. The Doctor's practice is very large, and although he has lived in
Greene County a comparatively short time, he is well and favorably known. He is also
doing a commercial business among his friends and neighbors, and is a stockholder in
the First National Bank of Greene County. He votes with the Democratic party, and in
1885 was postmaster of Crowley. In 1886 the Doctor made a trip to Europe and visited
his old home and the Edinburgh Exposition, which was being held at that time. He
returned to the United States after about a month fully convinced that this country
was the easiest and best in which to acquire a competence. He was married in
November. 1878, to Miss Cynthia Ann Pevehouse, a native of Arkansas, and by her is
the father of five children: Willie Alexander, Jessie Odel, who died at the age of
six years; James, Maggie and Roger Q. Dr. McKenzie's father is deceased, but his
mother, two sisters and two brothers are living in retirement at Aberdeen. A brother,
John G., is chief engineer on a line of steamships sailing between Shanghai and Hong
Kong. He also has an uncle who is captain on the ocean, and sails between Liverpool
and New Orleans.