My Genealogy Hound

Benjamin N. Word, a leading and prominent merchant of De Witt, came to Arkansas with his parents at the age of thirteen, and was reared to agricultural pursuits. Enlisting in the Confederate service at the opening of the war, he served until the close, and was in a number of hard-fought battles. On his return from the army he was appointed deputy sheriff, which position he filled until 1872. In 1878 he was elected to the same office for a term of four years, and in 1884 was elected clerk of the circuit court. While not filling public positions, Mr. Word has been engaged in the mercantile business, or in farming and stock-raising. He is now occupied in the grocery trade, and is having a large and growing patronage. He was married on February 12, 1870, to Miss Ida Hutchinson, a native of Madison County, Tenn. They are the parents of five children: William N., James, Benjamin N., Mabel and Herbert. Mr. and Mrs. Word are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which they take an active part. He was born in Limestone County, Ala., on September 18, 1840, his father being William Word, and his mother Elizabeth Bransford. Mr. Word has a brother, James Word, who lives in this county, and whose biography precedes this.