Biography of Eli Creason, Randolph Co, AR *********************************************************** Submitted by: Bridgette Cohen Date: 1998 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm *********************************************************** SOURCE: Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northeast Arkansas Copyrighted and Published 1889 by Goodspeed Publishing Company Eli Creason, farmer and stock raiser, Warm Springs, Ark. On the 15th of August, 1840, there was born to Henry and Elizabeth (Smith) Creason a son, Eli Creason, whom we now take as the subject of this sketch. His birth occurred in Marsball County, Ky., and although his educational advantages were not of the best, still he had a fair showing with the other country boys of his day. By reading and observation in later years, he became fairly well educated, and is well posted on the leading topics of the day. His parents were natives, respectively, of North Carolina and Illinois, were married in 1839, and reared a family of nine children (seven now living): Eli, Nancy (wife of R. H. Southerland), Elizabeth (deceased), William, James (deceased), Milas, R. H., John W., Adaline (wife of Hicks Mathews). One child died very young. Henry Creason was born in 1820, and has always followed agricultural pursuits, in which he has been very successful. He and wife reside in Kentucky, and are sixty-nine and seventy years of age, respectively, and are in the enjoyment of exceptionally good health. They are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. Creason is a Democrat, although indeed he takes very little interest in politics. Eli Creason was employed on his father's farm up to the age of twenty, after which he commenced farming for himself, on rented land in Kentucky. He made but one crop in that State, and then, in 1860, moved to Arkansas, and settled in Izard County. Five years later he returned to Kentucky, but during that time he spent about three years in the Confederate army, and was wounded in a skirmish at Augusta, Ark. He participated in the fighting in and around Little Rock before and after the evacuation of the Confederates, and finally surrendered at Jacksonport, Ark., June 5, 1865. He then returned home, and moved, in December, to Kentucky, where he remained seven years. He then came to Randolph County, Ark., entered land, and remained on the same until 1881, when he sold out and purchased his present property, consisting of 172 acres, with about 100 acres under cultivation. He has an excellent frame house on the same, has good barns, out-buildings, etc. When he returned from the war, Mr. Creason was out of money, had no property, and was "dead broke" generally. Notwithstanding all this, he went to work, and by industry and perseverance, coupled with a determined spirit, has become one of the leading farmers in this portion of the county, all the result of his own labor. Previous to the war, he was united in marriage in 1859, to Miss Nancy Gibson, of Graves County, Ky., and they are the parents of five children (three now living): W. H., born November 16, 1860, and now resides in Warm Springs Township; Eli M., born September 27, 1862, and died July 19, 1881; George W., born April 7, 1865, and now resides in Warm Springs Township; James A., born October 15, 1868, and also a resident of Warm Springs [p.387] Township, and Robert L., born October 6, 1881; and died November 8, of the same year. The mother of these children was born May 28, 1841; she was a daughter of Emanuel and Martha (Perkins) Gibson, both natives of Kentucky, of which State they were early settlers. They reared a family of eleven children, ten now living: Marion, Caroline (wife of John Prevet), Nancy (the wife of the subject of this sketch), Martha (wife of Job Thompson), G. W., Daniel, Harriet (wife of Simpson Hammons), Jackson, John and Louisa (wife of Franklin Smith). Mrs. Gibson died in 1878 or 1879. Mr. Gibson had been married previously, and was the father of two children: Elizabeth, wife of Elijah Gibson, and Rhoda, deceased wife of David Sullivan. Mr. Gibson died in 1877; his wife was a member of the Baptist Church. Mr. and Mrs. Creason are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he is a Democrat in his political preference.