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Below is a family biography from the book,  The History of Crawford County, Arkansas published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1889.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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William M. Alexander, farmer and stock raiser, was born in Williamson County, Tenn., in 1828, his parents being Alfred and Rebecca (Kerby) Alexander, natives of the same county, where they lived until 1837. They then started for Oregon, but stopping in Stoddard County, Mo., died there in 1881 and 1883, aged seventy-six and seventy-one, respectively. In religion they were Methodists. The grandfather, Thomas Alexander, was born in Buncombe County, N. C., was an early settler of Tennessee, a soldier in the Revolution, and died in Williamson County, aged one hundred and five. His father came to America from Ireland, and died in Tennessee, aged one hundred and ten, on the farm upon which our subject’s father was born. William M. is the eldest of a family of himself and six sisters, and was reared in Stoddard County, Mo., during the pioneer days, receiving but a very limited schooling. In 1856 he married Sarah M., daughter of John Edwards, and a native of Kentucky. Mr. Edwards was born in England. This union was blessed with six children, three sons now living. In 1872 Mr. Alexander moved from Stoddard County to his present farm, in Vine Prairie Township. He now owns eighty acres of well-improved land, all of which he has cleared. Having learned the cooper’s and blacksmith’s trades, he works at them in connection with his farming. He is always willing to aid any enterprise for the advancement of the county, and is known as one of its upright and well-to-do citizens. He cast his first presidential vote for Pierce, and with the exception of 1864, when he voted for Lincoln, has supported every Democratic candidate since. He is a member of the Producer’s Trade Union and Knights of the Horse. Himself and wife belong to the Methodist Church.

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This family biography is one of 222 biographies included in The History of Crawford County, Arkansas published in 1889.  For the complete description, click here: Crawford County, Arkansas History, Genealogy, and Maps

View additional Crawford County, Arkansas family biographies here: Crawford County, Arkansas

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