My Genealogy Hound

John W. Glenn, a retired merchant, and one of Batesville’s leading citizens, was born in Independence County, on April 29, 1850. His parents were William W. and Martha E. (Hassell) Glenn, of North Carolina and Tennessee, respectively. The father emigrated to Tennessee at an early period, and met and won his wife in that State. In 1828 or thereabouts he moved to what is now Independence County, Ark., and located on the old homestead, where he now resides. The Indians were still here when he arrived, and all the dangers of a pioneer’s life were fully experienced. Wild game of every description abounded in plenty, and in return for the warfare made upon his stock by the savage animals in that country the elder Glenn hunted considerably. His first residence was a little log cabin covered with clapboards, and this section was chosen on account of his wagon breaking down at that point. After stopping awhile and looking over the country, he concluded that it would be about the right place to locate, and immediately commenced building a home. Jeanette Hassell, Mr. Glenn’s father-in-law, came with them, and built a home nearby. He had but two children with him, Martha E. and Mary, the latter shortly after being married to James Wilson, a Presbyterian minister, who emigrated to Arkansas with them, and after the war removed with his wife to Arkadelphia, where he resided until his death. Mr. Wilson was an officer in the late war, and served with distinction throughout the entire fight. Mr. Hassell died from a stroke of paralysis, at the home of his son-in-law, W. W. Glenn, in this county. He was a large slave-owner, and had accumulated a fortune in real estate. W. W. Glenn was born in 1808, and came to Independence County when in his thirty-second year. He passed through all the trials and obstacles of a new country with a determination of purpose that eventually made him a successful man, and he is now very wealthy. He is in his eighty-first year, but is still as active as a man with twenty years’ less weight on his shoulders, and has been a resident of Independence County for over sixty years, watching it grow from infancy to a thriving and populous center of civilization. Five children were born to the elder Glenn and his wife, four of whom grew to maturity, and three still living: John W., Mrs. A. M. Hickerson, and Mrs. T. R. Taylor (whose husband is the owner of the Arlington Hotel). Those deceased were the first child, who died in infancy, and Mrs. Nellie Irwin, the latter, a noble woman and loving sister. The father, W. W. Glenn, was sheriff of Independence County for a number of years, whose name was a terror to evil doers, and it was through his efforts that a great many of the desperate characters of earlier years were run to earth. He also held the office of county judge, besides a number of minor positions, all of which he filled honorably. John W. Glenn was educated in Batesville, and at various other places, and upon finishing his college life commenced merchandising at the former city in 1872. He carried on this business until 1886, when he was burned out, causing a loss of $15,000. Since then he has been winding up the affairs of his old business and dealing in real estate. He owns between 2,000 and 3,000 acres of land, some of it lying in the river bottom, and very valuable, and has a large amount of it under cultivation, one farm of 400 acres producing some of the best crops in that section. He also deals extensively in horses and mules, and owns some of the best animals in Arkansas. In 1875 Mr. Glenn was married to Miss Sarah E. Maxfield, a daughter of Uriah Maxfield, and sister of Maxfield Bros., prominent merchants of this locality. This marriage has given them five children: Edgar H., Nora A., Effie M., Nellie L. and June. Mr. and Mrs. Glenn are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. Glenn belongs to the K. of H. and K. & L. of H. Both parents have attended the Methodist Church for a great many years, and are held in high esteem by the entire community.