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Below is a family biography included in The History of Washington 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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Isham Harrell, who is also successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits in Price Township, is a native of Fort Gibson, I. T., born February 25, 1832, and is the second of four children born to his parents, Joel and Elizabeth (Carter) Harrell. The father was born in North Carolina in 1801, and the mother in Virginia in 1805. They were married at Fort Tousen, I. T., and from there moved to Fort Gibson, I.T., where they remained sometime. In 1839 they moved to Washington County, Ark., where they passed the remainder of their lives. He was murdered in 1864 by a band of robbers, and she died in 1880. He was a farmer by occupation, although he furnished horses and provisions for the Government while in the Territory, and he and wife were members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He was a Whig until the demise of that party, and then affiliated with the Democratic party. Isham Harrell moved with his parents to Washington County in 1839, and received a very meager education, owing to the fact that the nearest school was a distance of over three miles from his house. He remained with his parents until grown, after which, he engaged in farming and stock-raising for himself, and this continued until the fall of 1864, when he enlisted in Capt. A. C. Baty’s company of the Second Cherokee Regiment, serving until the surrender. He then returned to farming and stock-raising, which he has continued ever since. Previous to the war, in 1856, he married Miss Mary L. Thomason, a native of Washington County, Ark., born November 11, 1836, and a daughter of Col. Daniel Thomason. To this union were born six children, four now living: Jennie E., T. H., Nolie and Mary J. After marriage Mr. Harrell settled upon his present farm, which consists of 380 acres, 125 being under cultivation. He has made this county his home for forty-nine years, and is a successful farmer and a good man. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and Democratic in his political views. Mrs. Harrell is a member of the Christian Church.

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This family biography is one of 300 biographies included in The History of Washington County, Arkansas published in 1889.  For the complete description, click here: Washington County, Arkansas History, Genealogy, and Maps

To view additional Washington County, Arkansas family biographies, click here

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