Biography of Louis Rollwage, St Francis County, AR

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Submitted by: Paul V Isbell
        Date: 19 Nov 2008
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
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Down through the years as historians reach back for those diminishing threads of
memory which so closely tie the adventurous struggles of our hardy pioneer
ancestors with the twentieth century hustle and bustle, the familiar name of
Fussell-Graham-Alderson Co. and those of its scholarly associates stand
prominent and respected as no other in the history of St. Francis County. It
began in1874 in Forrest City, in that year Louis Rollwage and his brother, Otto
B. Rollwage, established the firm L. Rollwage & Co. on the corner of Broadway
and Washington where the present day FGA, (1954) stands. Louis Rollwage was born
in Cincinnati, Ohio, April 24, 1851, the son of Frederick and Mina (Kuker)
Rollwage, originally of Hanover Province, Germany. He spent his early boyhood
days in Cincinnati and received a common school education there. After working a
few years as Assistant Bookkeeper in the Franklin Type Foundry, he moved to
Memphis in the autumn of 1872 and shortly thereafter accepted a position with
Noe, Hoy & Co., a firm then doing a mercantile business in Forrest City. Two
years later he and his brother, Otto B., founded the prosperous and widely known
firm of L. Rollwage & Co., which was soon recognized as one of the strongest and
most substantial business firms in Eastern Arkansas. In 1902, the firm was
dissolved, when Otto B. retired to become a prominent attorney here. He was
succeeded by John W. Alderson, son-in-law of L. Rollwage, and the firm continued
under the name Rollwage & Alderson. In 1873, Mr. Rollwage married Miss Lizzie
McDaniel, daughter of John and Margaret (Davis) McDaniel, and to this union were
born a son, Louis F., and four daughters, Minnie, now Mrs. J. L. Jelks; Alice,
now Mrs. Watson M. Fairley; Katherine, now Mrs. John W. Alderson; and Alleyne,
now Mrs. J. M. White. Mr. Rollwage never aspired to political office, but served
on the City Council, and for twenty six years was a member of the school board,
many as President. He was also a major stockholder in the Bank of Eastern
Arkansas; a Director and former President of the old Forrest City Hotel Co;
Treasurer of several of the benevolent orders here, and was interested in the
Forrest City Ice & Power Co., a member of the Knights and Ladies of Honor, and
one of the most genial, beloved and prominent citizens of Eastern Arkansas. His
death on April 11, 1905, was deeply mourned by all who had come to know him as a
man of acute intelligence, penetrating judgement and calm wisdom.


SOURCE:
HISTORY of ST. FRANCIS COUNTY, ARKANSAS, 1954 - Robert W. Chowning

Copyright, with Permission: Weston McCollum Lewey, Publisher
-Times Herald Publishing-Forrest City, Arkansas