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Below is a family biography included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Greene 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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W. F. Thompson. Greene County, Ark., is one of the most fertile counties in the State, and in this highly productive region Mr. Thompson has resided since 1859, becoming well and favorably known, for he commenced life a poor boy and is now one of the well-to-do citizens of the county. He was born in Giles County, Tenn., in 1832, and was the second of six children born to John and Lucy (Meeler) Thompson, who were natives respectively of Tennessee and Virginia. They were married in the former State, and there the father was engaged in wagon making and blacksmithing until his death, which occurred in 1841. His wife survived him many years and died in 1875. Her father was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and entered the service at the early age of thirteen years. W. F. Thompson has been familiar with farming from boyhood, and received his education in the district schools of Tennessee. After the death of his father the most of the farm work devolved upon him, and at the age of nineteen years he began tilling the soil for himself. When twenty years old he went to Pope County, Ill., where he was engaged in farming for about seven years, moving in 1858 to Arkansas, and the following year to Greene County, where he entered a tract of 160 acres, and opened up and cleared about eighty acres of land. He erected thereon a small log cabin, but built twice afterward, and in 1882 put up a large frame house and set out an orchard. He has divided his land, and now owns eighty acres, all of which, however, is under cultivation. He was married in Greene County, Ark., in December, 1858, to Miss Millie T. Hollerman, of North Carolina, and a daughter of John and Millie (Hartso) Hollerman, who moved from their native State to Greene County, Ark., in 1855, both of them now being deceased. Mr. Thompson has resided on his present farm ever since his marriage. He assisted in organizing Clay County, Ark. He is a member of the Union Labor party, but is not a seeker after office. In 1862 he enlisted in Company D, First Arkansas Battery, and went into service at Pocahontas, being second lieutenant of his company. He was at Fort Farmington, Miss., and received his discharge at Tupelo in 1863, after which he returned to Greene County, Ark. In 1865 he went into a cavalry company and served until the close of the war, later on returning to the farm. He is a member of the Agricultural Wheel, and he and wife are members of the Baptist Church. Six of their nine children are living: William Orin, who died in 1873, at the age of fourteen years; Sidney Thomas, who is married and resides in Greene County; Eliza Jane, wife of Elijah Goff, died on the 23d of February, 1883, at the age of eighteen years; John Wesley, married and residing in the county; Sebell (Mrs. DeMoss), resides in Friendship Township; Mary Angeline (Mrs. Burgess), resides in Lake Township; Emma Elizabeth (Mrs. Peyton), residing on the home farm; Lucy, who died in infancy, and Narcissus at home. Mr. Thompson is rearing a boy, named George Thompson.

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This family biography is one of 120 biographies included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Greene County, Arkansas published in 1889.  View the complete description here: Greene County, Arkansas History, Genealogy, and Maps

View additional Greene County, Arkansas family biographies here: Greene County, Arkansas Biographies

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