Secret Lodges of Ashdown Arkansas ~1910

 

Ashdown Arkansas Phone Book 1929

 

Thomas Tisdale Carrington Anderson

T. T. C. Anderson, Great Educator, Killed by Train

Funeral Services to Be held at 2:30 Today (May 25, 1939) 

at Ashdown

findagrave link

The life of Little River county’s sole surviving Confederate

veteran was snuffed out Wednesday morning when T. T. C. Anderson, beloved

94-year-old- Southwest Arkansas educator, stepped in front of a southbound

Kansas City Southern passenger train in here and was killed instantly.

Mr. Anderson’s eyesight had been poor for several years. Wednesday he

followed his regular routine in walking to the post office for his mail. Witnesses

said he evidently failed to see the approaching train as he stepped on the

crossing.

The pioneer celebrated his 94th birthday on May 10 with a reunion of his family

and his many friends and former pupils of this area. He was in good health, with

the exception of his eyesight.

The accident Wednesday pulled the curtain down on an eventful life that included

service in the Confederate army, imprisonment by Union forces, confinement to a

hospital with others in such a way that he became one of the area’s best known

and best loved citizens, well remembered by his host of students.

Mr. Anderson cast his lot with the Confederate army when he was 17 years old

and served the duration of the war. Eleven months of the time was spent in a

hospital as a prisoner, receiving treatment for wounds.

He was released on March 12, 1865, and walked to his home in Clarksville,

arriving seven days after the peach of Appomattox and two days after President

Lincoln was assassinated.

When he got home, he found there was a need of teachers. He took that

profession, but only as a means toward his cherished end of becoming a

physician. Historic Rondo in Miller county was his first assignment and there he

began a teaching career that lasted 54 years.

On June of 1868, he was married to Miss Mary Ellen Hudgins. He then turned

his entire attention toward school teaching. He was employed in Miller County

four different times for a total of nine years, taught five years in Bowie County,

Texas, one year in Red River county, Texas, three years in Sevier County,

Arkansas, two years in Hempstead County, Arkansas, and 35 years in Little River

County.

During this time he taught ___ consecutive months for 13 years. He first came to

Richmond in Little River county in 1882. Shortly after the Little River County

school system was developed. He served for about 10 years as school examiner

of the county and ended his active career at Ashdown high school in 1934.

He taught four generations of the same family of many South Arkansas residents

and several thousand pupils received instruction under him. Many important

persons are included in the list of those he taught, including Dr. Edward Mims,

professor of history at Vanderbilt University, and Judge Will Kirby, former United

States senator.

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson were the parents of 11 children, six of whom are

surviving. These are four daughters, Mrs. C. P. Smith and Mrs. A. T. Hemphill,

both of Ashdown; Mrs. Ha? Norwood of Mena, and Mrs. Wade Ball of Texarkana;

two sons, T. D. Anderson of Texarkana and Dick Anderson of Beaumont, Texas.

Other survivors include several nieces, nephews and grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 2:30 p.m., Thursday at the Ashdown Methodist

church. The pastor, the Rev. W. R. Boyd, will officiate, assisted by the Rev.

Ralph W. Davis of the Ashdown Baptist church, and the Rev. S. N. Brewer of

Horatio, Ark. Burial will be in the Ashdown cemetery, with members of the

Ashdown Masonic Lodge having charge of the services at the grave.

Active pallbears will include. Homer Welch, Dr. P. H. Phillips, Horace Routen,

Arnold Edmondson, J. G. Sanderson, Jr., and Bob Pierce, Burton Walker and

Albert Hinton.

Honorary pallbearers will include former pupils and friends of Mr. Anderson.

A tradition started soon after the organization of a United Confederate Veterans

camp at Clarksville, Texas will call for burial with Mr. Anderson of a Confederate

flag made by Mrs. Belle Gordon Morrison of the United Daughters of the

Confederacy. When any Confederate veteran died near Clarksville, the flag was

used to drape his coffin. On burial the flag was removed and preserved for other

funerals.

Professor Anderson was the last of the 500 veterans who joined the camp and as

such, the flag will be buried with him.

Albert Pike Chapter of UDC of Texarkana Officiated

At Funeral of T. T. C. Anderson

The Albert Pike Chapter U. D. C. of Texarkana officiated at funeral services of

Mr. T. C. C. Anderson and read the Confederate Ritual as had been requested.

Mrs. J. H. Head of Texarkana, a former student, read the ritual and a wreath was

placed on the casket by Mrs. W. E. Vinson, President of the Texarkana Chapter.

There were about 30 members of the U. D. C. Chapter present and each placed

a red rose on the bier.

The flowers were beautifully arranged in the church and a large number of

friends and relatives from Texarkana attended the service.

Ogden, Arkansas

 Little River News

January 31, 1934

OGDEN ESTABLISHED IN 1878, DERIVES ITS NAME FROM THE WIFE OF

JUDGE W.M. BATES

By Mrs. I.N. Hutt, Ogden

Early records show that in 1838, Mr. Nunneley and family lived on the present site of  Ogden. He

 owned many acres of land that were farmed by his slaves. He and his wife died and were buried here

 on a hillside near what is called Hopson’s Spring. Mr. and Mrs. Nunneley are the grand parents of Mrs.

 C.H. Park of Ashdown. Other settlers were the Paul Bagley’s and the Christopher Waddell’s.

In 1878 Judge M.W. Bates came and gave the place the maiden name of his second wife, who was an

 Ogden. He owned the first cotton gin, saw mill and store. He also helped to build the first railroad,

 known as P & G (Pittsburg and Gulf) and gave the lot for the depot. His son in law, Dr. Bright, was the

 first physician and was followed by Dr. Allen Bellar of Ashdown. Miss Gabrielle Avondeigner taught

 the first school in an old Methodist church having seven pupils. They were Paul Hamilton Phillips,

 Carrie Phillips (Mrs. Jim Sanderson, Sr.), Sam and Lizzie Bates, Mae and Matt Nichols, and Lottie

 Crouch.

School lasted a full nine months and the salary was ----- per month. Other residents here at the time

 were the W.S. Crouch’s, W.J. McDowell’s, Paul Hamilton’s (grand parents of Dr. P.H. Phillips and 

Mrs.  Jim Sanderson, Sr.), Mrs. Weaver and grandchildren, Matt Frank’s, Ollie and May Nichols.

Rev. Ed Steele of Richmond circuit was the first pastor. The first telephone was in the residence of W.S.

 Crouch.

Along about 1900, others came. Some of these were Polk Hean and family, and J.D. Budd, the latter 

starting a boom in Ogden. He, with his business partner, G.E. Hymer, interested men from various 

 states in the timber and farming business, are making Ogden one of the most thriving towns of its size 

 in the southwest. Lewis Wheelis of Ashdown followed Miss Avondeigner here a teacher and Dr. I.N.

 Hutt of Fouke, came in 1903 as a young physician and has practiced here ever since.

 Remaining residents here of 30 years ago are Mrs. W.S. Crouch and daughters, Mrs. Addie McDowell

 and Mrs. Sadie Duncan, Mrs. W.J. McDowell, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Budd, Oscar Taylor, Charles M.

 Welch, Mr. and Mrs. T.F. Ball and daughters, Mrs. Grace Furlow and Mrs. Stella Wardell, Mrs. Elma 

Wood Gill, Mrs. Lilly Adcock, Mrs. Vesta Furlow and J.G. Smithson. 

1945 Little River County Happenings in Review

Pine Prairie Local News ~ 1929

Town Gossip

Little River News

Pine Prairie

February 13, 1929

v  Mr. and Mrs. Sam Echels and family spent Sunday with J.E. Green and family.

v  Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Green spent Sunday with Ernest Cooper and family on Chas. Park’s place.

v  Homer Cunningham and Ed Funderburg called on Miss Susie Tyson Saturday night near Richmond.

v  Charley Green spent Saturday night with Homer Funderburg.

v  Jack Gromes and wife have moved to this community.

v  Herman Southerland was a visitor at Geo. Cook’s Sunday.

v  L. Prather and family moved into this community last week. 

v  Geo. Cook spent Sunday at Mack Cunningham’s.

v  Edward Cook, who has been real sick, is able to be up again.

v  Little Miss Marie Cooper spent last Wednesday with her aunt, Mrs. Floyd Green

v  Mrs. Ben Smith and daughter were visiting Mrs. Doc Henson Sunday.

v  Ed Cobb near Mack’s Chapel was the guest of J.E. Green Sunday.

v  Jack Gromes and Lige Pickett went to Millwood Sunday to move Fate Pickett and  family to this community.

v  George Cook and the Prather brothers visited the home of Mack Cunningham and family Sunday.

v  Bob Taylor and the Green brothers called on the Pickett home Sunday.

v  Will Williams and family moved from here to Boss Sewell’s last week.

February 20, 1929

v   Bud Wommack and family of near Ogden spent Saturday night and Sunday with his sister, Mrs. Geo. Cook.

v  Oron Crouch of Ashdown was at Jack Gromes Saturday night.

v  Joe Gill was here Monday.

v  Mr. and Mrs. Clevy Page spent the week-end with J.W. Funderburg.

v  Mr. and Mrs. Len McDowell visited Mr. and Mrs. Boss McDowell Sunday.

v  Leon and Edward Waldron were visiting Bill Green Sunday.

v  Homer Phillips of Mack’s Chapel was at the party Saturday night.

v  Briant Page was in Ashdown Saturday.

1902 Richmond School Group

Ashdown's Early Days

ASHDOWN’S EARLY DAYS RECALLED BY SETTLERS

published:

Little River News

January 31, 1934

When S.A. Maddox, Henry Westbrook, John Coggins and a few others who are still citizens of Ashdown came to make their home, they found two log houses surrounded by fields of cotton and corn, owned by William and Maloy Waddell, uncles of George and Charley Waddell of Ashdown..  The Waddells owned eighty acres of what is now Ashdown.

William Waddell’s log house stood on the site now occupied by the R.A. Phillip’s home.  A field of corn waved its yellow tassels from about where the news office stands to the other side of the KCS railroad and from there to beyond the site of the courthouse, the land was planted in cotton.

Mr. Maddox came here from Saratoga in 1889 to take charge of the commissary, which was built at the time of the survey of the Texarkana and Ft. Smith Railroad His store was a small frame building which stood almost in the middle of what is now the street in front of Phillip’s Drug Store.  A Mr. Fricks ran the store for a short time until Mr. Maddox’s brother came to take charge.

Henry Westbrook enlarged the building and clerked in the store.

Capt. W.D. Dupree built the first frame dwelling here.  It stood on the site next door to the Albert Hamilton home.  The Baptist Church, which was the first to be organized here, held its first services in the Dupree home.

The first preacher, a man named Rogers, preached there.

The first industry was a large sawmill, which stood near the old Frisco Pond.  Mr. and Mrs. Dupree furnished rooms and board to a large number of the men who worked there.

John Coggins, who later married into the Dupree family, tells of a joke he played on Capt. Dupree.  He made a sign which he tacked up in front of the boarding house which read: “Maddox town, Westbrook Street, Dupree Hotel, and nothing to eat.” Needless to say, he had to take it down.

The railroad built at that time was owned by Bill Whitaker and was called the Texarkana and Ft. Smith railroad.  While Whitaker owned it, it only extended between Texarkana and Wilton and after five years, the Kansas City Southern bought it and extended it on to Ft. Smith.

After a short time, Mrs. Girlie, mother of Mrs. H.M. Westbrook, also from Saratoga, came and built a two-story frame hotel.  The remains of this hotel still stand next to M.S. Johnson store.

The first schoolhouse was a small one-story room built about where the Ashdown Hardware warehouse now stands.  The first teacher of this school was a man named Payne.

When the town was laid off into lots, about 1891, Judge Burns gave the lots where the grade school building now stands and a one room frame house was built.  Later another room was added.  This served until the two-story frame building that is now used as an apartment house was built in about 1900.