Biography of W F Thompson, Greene Co, AR

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Submitted by: Michael Brown
        Date: 5 Sep 1998
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
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Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northeast Arkansas

page 176

W. F. Thompson. Greene County, Ark., is one of the most fertile counties in
the State, and in this highly productive region Mr. Thompson has resided since 1859,
becoming well and favorably known, for he commenced life a poor boy and is now one of
the well-to-do citizens of the county. He was born in Giles County, Tenn., in 1832,
and was the second of six children born to John and Lucy (Meeler) Thompson, who were
natives respectively of Tennessee and Virginia. They were married in the former
State, and there the father was engaged in wagon making and blacksmithing until his
death, which occurred in 1841. His wife survived him many years and died in 1875. Her
father was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and entered the service at the early
age of thirteen years. W. F. Thompson has been familiar with farming from boyhood,
and received his education in the district schools of Tennessee. After the death of
his father the most of the farm work devolved upon him, and at the age of nineteen
years he began tilling the soil for himself. When twenty years old he went to Pope
County, Ill., where he was engaged in farming for about seven years, moving in 1858
to Arkansas, and the following year to Greene County, where he entered a tract of 160
acres, and opened up and cleared about eighty acres of land. He erected thereon a
small log cabin, but built twice afterward, and in 1882 put up a large frame house
and set out an orchard. He has divided his land, and now owns eighty acres, all of
which, however, is under cultivation. He was married in Greene County, Ark., in
December, 1858, to Miss Millie T. Hollerman, of North Carolina, and a daughter of
John and Millie (Hartso) Hollerman, who moved from their native State to Greene
County, Ark., in 1855, both of them now being deceased. Mr. Thompson has resided on
his present farm ever since his marriage. He assisted in organizing Clay County, Ark.
He is a member of the Union Labor party, but is not a seeker after office. In 1862 he
enlisted in Company D, First Arkansas Battery, and went into service at Pocahontas,
being second lieutenant of his company. He was at Fort Farmington, Miss., and
received his discharge at Tupelo in 1863, after which he returned to Greens County,
Ark. In 1865 he went into a cavalry company and served until the close of the war,
later on returning to the farm. He is a member of the Agricultural Wheel, and he and
wife are members of the Baptist Church. Six of their nine children are living:
William Orin, who died in 1873, at the age of fourteen years; Sidney Thomas, who is
married and resides in Greene County; Eliza Jane, wife of [p.176] Elijah Goff, died
on the 23d of February, 1883, at the age of eighteen years; John Wesley, married and
residing in the county; Sebell (Mrs. DeMoss), resides in Friendship Township; Mary
Angeline (Mrs. Burgess), resides in Lake Township; Emma Elizabeth (Mrs. Peyton),
residing on the home farm; Lucy, who died in infancy, and Narcisans at home. Mr.
Thompson is rearing a boy, named George Thompson.