Biography of William J Witcher, Sebastian Co, AR

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SOURCE: History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford,
Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. Chicago: The Goodspeed 
Publishing Co., 1889.
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Capt. William J. Witcher, postmaster and farmer at Witcherville, was born in
Surrey County, N. C., in 1829, and  is a son of Lacy and Elizabeth (Lyon)
Witcher, natives of North Carolina, where the father passed his entire life,
dying when William J. was an infant. The mother afterward married Edward
Crossen, and about 1835 moved to Johnson County, Ark., going from there to
Sebastian County, where Mr. Crossen died at Fort Smith during the  war. Mrs.
Crossen was a daughter of Col. William Lyon, who always lived in North
Carolina. She was a  member of the Christian Church, and died at Witcherville
in 1860. Her grandfather, Col. Lyon, was an officer in  the Revolution, and
among his descendants is the Hon. Frank Lyon, a cousin of our subject, who, for
many years, was a member of Congress from Alabama. William J. has a twin
sister, who, with himself, was reared  and educated by their maternal
grandfather, in Virginia. In 1848 they came to Johnson County, Ark. In 1849
Capt. Witcher married Mary E., daughter of Abram L. Lester, formerly of Wilson
County, Tenn., where Mrs.  Witcher was born. There are seven living issues of
this marriage. In 1850 Capt. Witcher located upon 160 acres  of land in
Sebastian County, where he was one of the early settlers. The town of
Witcherville was afterward  built upon his farm, and received its name in his
honor. In 1862 he organized Company D, of Col. W. H.  Brooks' infantry
regiment, and after serving some time as first lieutenant he was made captain
of the company.  In the fall of 1863 he was captured while at home, and until
February, 1864, was held a prisoner at Fort Smith  and Little Rock. Finding it
impossible to rejoin his company he joined Gen. Shelby's army, with whom he
operated in Missouri and Arkansas, and participated in the engagements at Perry
Grove and Helena. In the fall  of 1864 he joined his family in the Choctaw
Nation, and soon after the surrender returned to Sebastian County.  >From 1868
until 1884 he engaged in the mercantile business at Witcherville, and since
March, 1888, has been  the postmaster of that place, Prior to the war he was
twice elected internal revenue collector, which position he  resigned to enter
the army. Mr. and Mrs. Witcher and three of their children are members of the
Cumberland  Presbyterian Church, in which the former has been an elder since
1854. He is a charter member of Pulliam  Lodge, No. 133, and in politics is a
Democrat, his first presidential vote having been cast for Cass in 1848.