My Genealogy Hound

Dr. Thomas Hopkins Roughton is one of Benton County’s oldest citizens, as well as one of its largest real estate holders and prosperous physicians. He was born in Warren County, Tenn., in June, 1820, and when a boy of twelve years of age removed with his parents to Bedford (now Coffee) County, Tenn., where he was reared to manhood. In his twenty-second year he was married to Harriet Ewell, who was born in Bedford County, Tenn., and died September 15, 1883 leaving three out of five children: James Richard, Sarah E., widow of T.H. Harrell, and Polly Adeline, wife of Harvey Davis. After his marriage Dr. Roughton began the study of medicine under Drs. D. Ewell and Stephen Wood and began practicing that profession in 1848 or 1849, and in 1851 came to Benton County, Ark., where he has since made his home, with the exception of a few years during and subsequent to the war. His practice has secured for him an income of from $1,000 to $2,500 per year, and besides this work he has also been engaged in agricultural pursuits. After serving for about three months in the late war he was released from service, and after some time removed his family to Rush County, Tex., where he made his home until the close of the war. He next moved to Titus, Tex., but at the end of one year purchased a farm of 640 acres in Red River County, Tex., where he spent three years managing his farm and practicing his profession. During this time his health became very poor, and he removed to Benton County, Ark., and here has since made his home. In 1871 he purchased property in Springtown, and also has two good farms in an adjacent county. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity, and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. He is a man of undoubted integrity, and is a physician of skill and ability. His parents, James and Nellie (Measick) Roughton, were born in Surry County, N. C. in 1787 and 1791, and died in Tennessee in 1884 and 1842, respectively. The father was a member of the Christian Church, and a son of Josiah Roughton, an Englishman and farmer. Richard Messick was the paternal grandfather. He was also a farmer.