My Genealogy Hound

James S. Gwinn, a wealthy agriculturist and stock farmer of Washington County, Ark., was born in Lee County of the “Old Dominion,” October 19, 1831. His grandfather, James Gwinn, was born near Richmond. Va., and afterward moved to North Carolina, where his son William, the father of James S. Gwinn, was born in 1800. He afterward moved back to his native State, where he died while in the prime of life. He was the father of three sons and three daughters, all of whom lived to rear families. His son William was the eldest of the family, and while still a resident of his native State was married and became the father of seven children. In 1887 he moved to the “Blue Grass State,” where he became the owner of a large tract of land, and was engaged in horse training and racing. He was a Democrat, and died in 186l. His wife was born, reared and married in Virginia, and reared to maturity a family of six children, all of whom are living save one son, who was a soldier in the Confederate army, and was killed about the close of the late Civil War. Their names are as follows: John; Sally, widow of Isaac Deaton; Drury F. (deceased); Elizabeth, widow of D. C. Richardson; James S., and Charlotte, wife of W. T. Mahon. The mother of these children, who was born in 1804, is still living, and makes her home with her daughter Elizabeth. She has been a professor of religion since thirteen years or age, and is a warm-hearted and benevolent Christian lady, and is now a member of the Baptist Church, although formerly a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. James S. Gwinn was but six years of age when his parents came to Kentucky, and he was reared to manhood on his father’s farm, being also engaged in horse-racing for about ten years. He began doing for himself after attaining his majority, and when the war broke out he was the owner of about 1,000 acres of land, with 150 acres under cultivation. He enlisted in Company I, Tenth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, serving first as first lieutenant and afterward as captain of his company. He was captured in April, 1864, and taken to Johnson’s Island, Ohio, where he was kept a prisoner until the close of the war in 1865. He returned to his farm in Kentucky, but soon became dissatisfied and removed to Arkansas in 1866, leaving his farm in charge of his brother-in-law, Samuel Grigsby. He sold out shortly after and located permanently in Washington County, where he purchased a good farm of 300 acres, and has been largely engaged in farming and stock raising, and although he has only resided in Washington County for a short time he is already identified with its best farming interests, and takes a deep interest in all worthy public enterprises, and holds the mail contract between Hood, Sulphur City, Carter’s Store and Hazel Valley. He has always affiliated with the Democratic party. In 1858 he was united In marriage to Martha Napier, by whom he is the father of seven children: Rosanna, wife of H. C. Osborn; Henry; Lewis; Melissa, wife of C. M. Rogan; Mahala; Nancy Ann and Emma.