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Below is a family biography included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Jefferson 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 P. Motes, a prominent citizen, and one of the best known planters of Jefferson County, was born in Carroll Parish, La., July 21, 1857, and is a son of Samuel and Cynthia (Sutton) Motes. The father was a native of Tennessee, who moved to Louisiana upon reaching his maturity, and there met his wife for the first time. After their marriage they removed to Arkansas County, Ark., where the father died in 1865, at the age of fifty-five years. The mother is still living, and resides with her son, at the age of seventy-three years. The elder Motes was a noted physician, and a man of sound intellect, and during his residence in Arkansas County was one of its leading citizens. He accumulated considerable wealth, both from his large practice and from outside interests. In politics he was a Democrat, and a man whose services were valuable to that party. He and wife were both worthy members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. His family continued to reside in Arkansas County until the year 1870, when they came to Jefferson County. There were twelve children born to the parents, of whom nine lived to maturity, and four still survive: Sam C. (a prominent farmer of this county), William P., Mrs. Rhoda Franklin (of Jefferson County), and Mrs. Julia Busby (wife of Maj. Benjamin Busby, a wealthy planter of the same county). William P. was educated in Jefferson and White Counties, but at sixteen years of age, he left the school-room to take the agency of his brother-in-law’s (B. F. Busby) business. He assumed these duties for five years, and at the end of that time, purchased 320 acres of land, and commenced farming on his own account. At the present time he is the owner of and controls 1,000 acres of land, all of it being under cultivation, and is one of the most solid men in Jefferson County, a substantial reward to his energy and industry, when it is considered that after the war the family were left without a remnant of their fortune, and William was compelled to start with nothing in the world but his intelligent mind and enterprising spirit to aid him. On October 28, 1885, he was married to Mrs. Mariah (Beauclaire) Tidwell, a charming widow, and a daughter of Mr. Thomas Beauclaire. This lady was born in Tallahassee County, Miss., and by her marriage with Mr. Motes became the mother of two children: Walter and Benjamin. She also had two children by her first marriage: Charles and Henry, all of them living. Both parents are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and in politics Mr. Motes is a strong Democrat. Fortune has rewarded him for his perseverance, and he is now one of the most successful planters and traders in his section, the business he does amounting to from $10,000 to $15,000 annually. He is a highly esteemed and popular citizen, and commands considerable influence in business and social affairs.

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This family biography is one of 136 biographies included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Jefferson County, Arkansas published in 1889.  For the complete description, click here: Jefferson County, Arkansas History, Genealogy, and Maps

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