Washington Co., AR - Biographies - Thomas Gladden *********************************************** This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: The Goodspeed Publishing Co Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgenwebarchives.org *********************************************** Thomas Gladden, the accommodating proprietor of the Gladden Hotel at Springdale, Ark., was born in Tennessee in 1815, and is a son of William and Violet (Wilson) Gladden, the former of whom was born in North Carolina, and the latter in Tennessee, in 1772 and 1779, respectively. They became the parents of fourteen children. William Gladden moved to Missouri in 1815, and there died in 1882, lacking only three months of being one hundred and ten years old. His wife died in 1883, aged one hundred and four years. Thomas Gladden was three months old when he was taken to Missouri, and in that State he was reared and educated and resided for fifty-two years, being engaged in farming and stock trading. He was also married while in that State to Miss Sarah G. Huff, by whom he became the father of eight children: Alexander; Dr. R. B., of Purdy, Mo.; Lucy, Elizabeth, Mary, Atinina, Sarah E. and J. I. Mr. Gladden became a resident of Benton County, Ark., in 1867, and from there went to Boonsborough, where he lived five years. He has now been residing in Springdale for thirteen years, and during that time has been engaged in keeping hotel, purchasing his present large house in 1887, which is largely patronized by the traveling public. He supports the principles of the Democratic party, and his first presidential vote was cast for Martin Van Buren.