My Genealogy Hound

Hon. James H. Huckleberry, attorney at law, was born in Jennings County, Ind., in 1840, and is a son of Silas D. and Lettice (Prather) Huckleberry. His great-grandfather, George Huckleberry, immigrated to the United States and located in Pennsylvania before the Revolutionary War. About 1800 he located in what is now Clark County, Ind. He fought in the Revolutionary War. His son, David Huckleberry, was born in Pennsylvania, and died in Indiana about 1844. Silas D. Huckleberry was born in Clark County, Ind., in 1814, and was a farmer by occupation. About 1837 he moved to Jennings County, Ind., and there served as constable several years. In 1854 he was elected sheriff of the county, and served the full time allowed by the State law. He belonged to Company I, Sixth Indiana Regiment, and served as captain of the same two and half years. He fought in several skirmishes besides the battles of Stone River, Perryville, Ky., and Chickamauga. While in the army he contracted disease, from which he died in Jennings County in 1870. He was of Welsh-German descent. Mrs. Lettice (Prather) Huckleberry was of Scotch-Irish and English descent, and was born in Jennings County, Ind., in 1817. Her father was William Prather, who was born in Maryland in 1766. He was a descendant of two brothers who came to America before the Revolution, and about 1800, with nine brothers and two sisters, he settled near Utica, Clark Co., Ind., where they took up a large tract called Clark’s Grant. Mrs. Huckleberry is still living. James H. is the oldest of eight children, and when young attended the Vernon public school, and spent two terms at Asbury University at Greencastle. In April, 1861, he left the freshman class to enlist in Company G, Fifth Indiana Regiment, for three months, and at the close of the Western Virginia campaign returned home and enlisted in Company I, of the same regiment, for three years. He was present at the fights at Shiloh, Tullahoma and Chickamauga, and was seriously wounded in the last named battle. He was discharged with his regiment at Indianapolis in September, 1864. In 1865 he entered the law school at Albany, N. Y., from which he graduated the following year. He began to practice in Vernon, Ind., and in 1868 located in Fayetteville, Ark. In 1869 he was appointed United States attorney of the Western District of Arkansas, by President Johnson, and, as the Federal court was held at Van Buren, he came here, and held the office until 1872. April 6, of that year, he was made circuit judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit, and resided at Huntsville until 1874. Since 1876 he has resided in Van Buren and from 1879 until 1883 was postmaster. In 1884 he represented Crawford County in the House of Representatives, and served on the railroad and judicial committees. In politics he is a Republican, and his first presidential vote was cast for Lincoln. In 1864 Mr. Huckleberry married Laura Barnum, who was born in Jennings County, Ind., in 1842 and died in 1866. October 21, 1870, he married Mattie L. Jarvis, who was born in 1844 near Williamsburg. Her great-grandmother was of Indian origin. Mr. and Mrs. Huckleberry have four children: James H., Jr., Malcomb L., Silas I. and Bessie L. M. Mr. Huckleberry is a Royal Arch Mason, an I. O. O. F., and has been a G. A. R. since 1866. He is a Methodist and his wife a Congregationalist. He is a prosperous business man and a director in the Crawford County Bank.