My Genealogy Hound

Hon. Solomon Gardner, retired, Warren, Ark. In tracing the ancestry of Mr. Gardner, we find that he comes of an old and very distinguished family of South Carolina, the members of which were noted for their courage and honesty. Mr. Gardner was born in Copiah County, Miss., October 5, 1824, and is the son of Jesse and Sarah (Roberts) Gardner, natives, respectively, of Georgia and Tennessee. The paternal grandfather, Asal Gardner, was a native of South Carolina. He was in the Revolutionary War with his father, who held the rank of major, and received a wound in the hand. Asal moved with his family to Mississippi in 1802, and died in Jefferson County. He had several brothers, and the Constitutionalist, of Georgia, was edited by the Gardner family for a number of years. One brother was a physician. The father of our subject was a farmer by vocation and was an excellent manager. He was quite small when first going to Mississippi, and his schooling was limited, not exceeding six weeks altogether. He died in Yazoo City in 1855 of yellow fever. The mother died in 1840. Of the six children born to their marriage, three are now living: Solomon, Mrs. Winifred Grissom (in Salt Lake City, Utah), and Mrs. M. A. White (Yazoo City, Miss., near the old homestead). Jesse Gardner was married the second time, and four living children are the result of this union: Mrs. E. C. Minkert (of Bryan, Tex.), Dr. A. B. (of Dennison, Tex.), William S. and Mrs. Judge Montrose (of Greenville, Tex.). Hon. Solomon Gardner attained his growth in Mississippi, received a common school education, which he has greatly improved by self study, and remained with his father on the farm until 1844, when he came to Arkansas. Being an advocate for the annexation of Texas, he returned to Mississippi in the following year, joined Jeff. Davis’ Company A, First Regiment of Mississippi, and resolved to do his share of the fighting in the Mexican War. He served a short time and then went back to Mississippi, coming through in wagons, there being 150 wagons in the train going over the mountains. Although he has been in many perilous situations, this trip across the mountains was the most dangerous Mr. Gardner ever experienced, the Greasers shooting all the time through their wagons. In June, 1848, he landed in Bradley County, Ark., coming up on the steamer “Saline,” and on this voyage he had one more terrible experience. Having retired to rest one night, he was aroused from his dreams by a sensation of falling, and found that the vessel had capsized, turned over on her side. He managed to make his escape, but lost all his effects, among which was his wedding suit that he expected to stand at the altar in. After reaching this county he settled within eight miles of Warren, where he resided for about twenty-five years, carrying on farming. In 1861 he enlisted in Company E, Ninth Arkansas Infantry Regiment, and was mustered in as first lieutenant, but afterward served as commissary of the regiment. In the winter of 1862 he left his regiment and never re-enlisted. After coming home in 1864 he was captured and kept a prisoner at Little Rock for a few weeks. Mr. Gardner has passed through many hardships, and can relate many interesting and exciting incidents. In 1874 he was elected to the House of Representatives and elected to the Senate in 1884. He has also held several minor offices. He is the owner of 400 acres of land, and still continues farming on a small scale. He was ordained a Baptist minister in May, 1859, and has been preaching the gospel ever since. He now has charge of three churches. He was first married in 1848 to Miss Susan E. Martin, by whom he has one child living, Mrs. Mary J. Adams. Mrs. Gardner died in 1852, and in 1853 Mr. Gardner took for his second wife Mrs. Sarah B. (Bronner) Moseley. To her first union was born one child, William S. Moseley, who is now in Texas. Mr. Gardner has been connected with nearly every secret order, but does not now affiliate with any on account of his deafness.