My Genealogy Hound

Charles H. Gifford. The mercantile business of Watson, Ark., is ably represented by Mr. Gifford, who has rapidly and surely made his way to the front ranks among the enterprising merchants of the county. Born in Fall River, Mass., on January 20, 1832, he is a son of Robert and Sarah A. (Gardner) Gifford, the former’s birth having occurred in Rhode Island in 1804. He was a machinist by trade, and in 1831 he was married in Providence, and there made his home for thirteen years, at the end of which time he emigrated to Arkansas, and settled on the Arkansas River, twenty-five miles above Napoleon, in Desha County, which place was his home at the time of his death, although his death occurred in Providence, R. I., in 1846, while there on a visit. His widow died in March, 1865, in Desha County. A family of two sons and five daughters was born to them, Charles H. being the only one now living. Those deceased are: Eliza, Charlotte, Alma, Emily, Rebecca and Isaac. Charles H. Gifford was a resident of Rhode Island until he reached his twelfth year, at which time he removed with his parents to Arkansas, his early educational advantages being limited to the common schools. When fifteen years of age he began life for himself as a farm laborer, but gave up this work in 1848 to become a salesman in a grocery store, which position he retained for nearly two years. He next farmed on the Arkansas River for two years, after which he again began clerking, becoming a salesman in a general store. In 1879 he opened his present establishment in Watson, and now carries a stock valued at from $3,500 to $4,000, and is the owner of eighty acres of land in the river valley, of which about fifteen acres are under cultivation. He was married in Desha County, Ark., March 27, 1850, to Miss Melissa Stokes, a native of Tennessee, and to them ten children were born: John W. (a farmer of the county), and Mattie (wife of Benjamin Caulk, a farmer and merchant of the county) being the only ones alive. Those deceased are: Otwa, Lafayette, Charles V. Gifford, Charles H. Gifford, Jr., Alma, Emily, Robert and Minnie M. The mother of these children passed from life in 1871, and in May of the following year Mr. Gifford wedded Mrs. Annis Cox, widow of Bufford Cox. She was born in Tennessee, and her union with Mr. Gifford resulted in the birth of five children, Josie, Lulu and May, only, being alive. Cyrus and Shelby are dead. Mr. and Mrs. Gifford are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and in his political views he is a Democrat, although not an active partisan. He is liberal and charitable to the extent of his means, is a citizen of much worth, and is respected and esteemed by all.