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Below is a family biography included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Sevier County, Arkansas published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1890.  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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John D. Perry, farmer and stock-raiser, Ben Lomond, Ark. Among the younger agriculturists of this township who are rapidly coming to the front as progressive and industrious farmers and stock men, we cannot fail to mention John D. Perry, now in his twenty-first year. He was born on the farm where he now lives in 1869, and is the son of Capt. Benjamin H. and Elizabeth (Davis) Perry. Capt. Perry was born in Henry County, Ky., December 27, 1827, and at the age of twelve left school and lived with an uncle until eighteen years of age. Then he and a younger brother, Elijah R. Perry, left home and found positions on a Kentucky River steamboat. Capt. B. H. followed steamboating on the Kentucky, Arkansas, White and Mississippi Rivers until the breaking out of the war. At that time he owned and operated the “James Howard” between New Orleans and Fort Smith. This boat was burned during the war. Soon after the war began Capt. Perry began speculating in negroes, bought a large number and took them to Texas, intending to sell them after the war at a big profit. In this he lost many thousands of dollars. After the war he settled near where Ben Lomond now is, engaged in farming, and speculating in lands, and there made his future home, although he was merchandising at Dardanelle part of the time. He died January 9, 1881, leaving a widow and eight children. He had married, in 1864, Miss Elizabeth Davis, a native of Centre Point, and the daughter of John and Mary J. Davis, natives of North Carolina and Tennessee, respectively. Mr. and Mrs. Davis were married in Mississippi, and went from there to what is now Howard County in 1841. There Mr. Davis died August 22, 1848, but his widow is still living and is sixty-eight years of age. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Davis was a farmer. Of the eight children born to Mr. and Mrs. Perry seven are now living—five sons and two daughters: Anna (wife of S. H. Numley, of Oklahoma), Lucy (deceased), Elijah R., Benjamin H., Bessie, James E. and Lewis M. Mr. Perry’s brother, Capt. Elijah R., followed steamboating on the various Western rivers nearly all his life, and now plies between Camden and New Orleans. He is one of the wealthiest men of the last named city, where he has large interests. The grandfather of our subject, Elijah Perry, was an early settler of Kentucky, where he followed flatboating to New Orleans while his wife managed the farm. He died in his native State before the birth of his son, Elijah Perry. John D. Perry was educated at Louisville, Ky., Keatchie, La., and Fayetteville, Ark. He is a young man of much natural ability, which has been developed, and which has fitted him for almost any station in life. He is the owner of 500 acres of land, has about 400 acres under cultivation, and has excellent buildings on the same. He is engaged in breeding a good grade of horses and mules, and makes a specialty of this. In politics he is Democratic.

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This family biography is one of 96 biographies included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Sevier County, Arkansas published in 1890.  For the complete description, click here: Sevier County, Arkansas History, Genealogy, and Maps

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