Front: Arthur Smith Claiborne (the 1st), his daughter Gertrude (Trudy) Claiborne, his wife Martha Jane (Hale) Claiborne, and another unknown daughter. Those in the back rows have not been identitifed.

Arthur Smith Claiborne (called "Smith") was born February 3, 1846 in DeKalb County, Tennessee [1]. A story passed down through the family suggests that when Smith was a child during the Civil War, he would hide the family white mare in a cane field every day and put a sack around her muzzle so that she would not be stolen by the armies (Union soldiers took all the horses except this one on the farm because it was hidden) [2]. Thus, the family had one horse in which to farm after the war.

Smith was "educated in the subscription schools of his native county, but it must be acknowledged that his advantages were very meager, and at the time he had attained his twenty-first birthday he had only received three months' schooling. He immediately began business for himself upon attaining his majority, and for two years raised crops of cotton and corn on shares" [3]. He settled near Lonoke, and on December 2, 1869, he married Martha Jane Hale.

Martha Jane's Pedigree [4].

Martha Jane was born on January 17, 1852 in Mississippi as the oldest child to Francis J. and Louisa (White) Hale. Martha Jane's parents had moved to Arkansas in 1859. Her father Francis was born on July 25,1828 to Andrew W. Hale and Sarah Smith. Andrew's date of birth is unknown but his date of death was August 5, 1847. It has been suggested that Andrew may be related to Nathan Hale of the Revolutionary War, but this has not been confirmed. The birthdate of Francis's mother, Sarah Smith, is unknown but we do know that she died August 5, 1852. Sarah Smith's mother's name was Sally and her father's name was Zachariah Smith. The birth date and date of death of Sally and Zachariah is unknown. Zacariah's fatherwas Peter Smith, and the date of his birth and death are unknown. There is no mention of Zacariah's mothers name.

Francis Marion Hale enlisted in the Confederate Army on June 24, 1862, soon after the battle of Shiloh. He was 38 years old at the time. Francis fought in Company A of the 36th Arkansas Infantry Regiment and was detailed to special duty on July 31, 1862. Thereafter Francis was never seen or heard from again. Presumably he was killed while on duty and was never identified. In January of 1863 Francis was presumed dead.

Martha Jane's mother, Louisa White, was born on March 3,1834, and died on May 17, 1900. After Francis was declared dead Lousia remarried and had two more children. Louisa's mother was Sara Jane; her date of birth and date of death is unknown. Her father's name was S. C. White, born December 25, 1809, and died August 8, 1876.

Life After Marriage

Arthur has been described as a man who was always very neatly dressed. He would often wear a shirt and tie and all of the available pictures of him show this to be true [5]. A church going man, "Uncle Smith," as he was nicknamed by some [6], would assist in the building of Lebanon Church in McRae, Arkansas. Smith was also known for telling jokes and tales. He would tell newcomers to McRae that he could remember when the trees were large and only three feet apart. He would then relay that in the old days the deer were so large that their antlers were four feet across. The obvious question that would be asked is "How did they get through the woods?" Smith would reply, "Well that was the deer's problem" [7].

Smith was a successful farmer and stockman of White County his whole life. Goodspeed states, "After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Claiborn settled on eighty acres of land belonging to the latter, and in 1876 Mr. Claiborn became able to purchase 116 acres of wild land, which he has improved and to which he has added eighty acres. He now has seventy-five acres under cultivation, a good frame house, good barns and one tenant house. He rented his land on shares until this year (1889) but now rents for cash. Mr. and Mrs. Claiborn and two of their children, Elnora and William, hold memberships in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and Mr. Claiborn is a Democrat in his political views. He has always been a liberal contributor to the advancement of religious, social and educational institutions, and has also given generously to all enterprises which he deemed worthy of support." [8]

Smith's son said he had 360 acres in all, although Goodspeed notes the following: "He rented his land on shares until this year (1889) but now rents for cash" [9].

A memorial to him written, and presumably published, one year after his death tells of an all day meeting held at the church he attended some time before his death at which he was honored and songs he particularly liked were sung. It stated that he was converted when he was 23 and became a member of the Methodist Church and that he testified daily for 40 years. Martha Jane died November 13, 1928. Smith died roughly seven years later on September 8, 1936, in Little Rock, Arkansas, and is buried at Lebanon Cemetery in White Co., Arkansas.

His obituary states that he and Martha had 13 children, 4 boys and 9 girls, and that Martha Jane Claiborne died 8 years before her husband. When Smith Claiborne died, he had 29 grandchildren and 33 great grandchildren.

Pedigree Chart

						Joshua Clyburn (Claybourn) 1758 - 1799
				Ephraim Claybourn 12/07/1788 - 05/11/1850
						Sarah
		John B. Claiborne 12/30/1812 - 09/17/1874
				Mary "Polly" Browning 11/11/1792 - 12/16/1874
						Sally Browning
Arthur Smith Claiborne 2/3/1846 - 9/8/1936
		Perlina E. Thomason c. 1830 - 10/16/1870

Descendants

The children to Arthur Smith and Martha Jane Claiborne were:

1. Elnora Claiborne: Elnora was born October 7, 1870. She married Will ("Willie") Clay Thompson (March 4, 1874 - August 6, 1957) on March 4, 1894. The couple had three children:
   1. Mattie was born October 11, 1896, and died June 1, 1962. She married James Ralph Fisher and had 4 children:
      1. Carrie E. Fisher
      2. Gordon E. Fisher. Gordon would have at least one son named James Fisher
      3. Mary V. Fisher
      4. James R. Jr.
   2. Mary (Mary had one daughter)
   3. Leslie
   Willie would lose his fingers in a cotton gin accident, and Elnora's father, Arthur Smith, died at their home in Little Rock, Arkansas.
2. William Britton Claiborne (August 20, 1872 - January 11, 1946): Click name for separate biographical sketch.
3. James M. Claiborne ("Jim"): James was born July 25, 1874. He lived in the McRae and Beebe vicinity, was a farmer, and died March 29, 1956, at the age of 81. He was survived by his wife, Margaret (Maggie) Rogers, 4 sons, 3 daughters, 1 brother (Arthur), 2 sisters, 14 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Jim and Maggie's children were:
   1. Reece
   2. Mable
   3. Ollie
   4. Willie
   5. Hattie
   6. Jim Lee
   7. Dewey Vernon
   8. Erma C. (1907 - 1909)
   9. Martha (1902 - 1902)
   10. Bessie (1897 - 1900)
4. Mattie Melvina J. Claiborne: Mattie was born on October 6, 1876, but died roughly one year later on August 20, 1877. She is buried in Cheek-Vinity Cemetery.
5. Annie Eliza Claiborne: Anie was born August 9, 1878. She married Thomas Nelson Liles (September 17, 1881 - November 3, 1951) on December 8, 1901. The two were Methodist. Annie died February 28, 1956, and her services were held on March 1, 1955, at Antioch Church (White Co.) where she was a member. Her children were [10]:
1. Thomas N. Liles, Jacksonville, Ark.
2. Mrs. M. F. Harlan, Searcy, Ark.
3. W. B. Liles, Searcy, Ark.
4. Mrs. W.L. Harrell, Searcy, Ark.
5. Mrs. V. O. Washburn, Searcy, Ark.
6. Martha Claiborne (Mattie Jane): Mattie Jane was born November 30, 1880, and died July 21, 1882. She is buried in Cheek-Vinity Cemetery. Mattie Melvina and Mattie Jane are both buried in Cheek-Vinity Cemetery. The headstones had both been broke off and were propped up against a tree.

7. Alcora Love Claiborne: Alcora was born March 28, 1882, and married Edwin Morris Edwards (1876 - April 19, 1946) on October 12, 1902. Alcora died October 31, 1934. The couple had two children:
   1. Paul
   2. Thelma A.

8. Arthur Smith Claiborne (called "Arthur"): Arthur was born on March 26, 1885. Twenty-four years later on October 27, 1909, he married Minnie King (born January 12, 1889). Minnie taught second grade in Little Rock, Arkansas and planned to retire in 1960 after 45 years of teaching [11]. The couple lived in McRae, Arkansas. In the 1950s they sold 200 acres of White County land, but still retained 60 acres on which the raised strawberries, cotton, and a few cattle. Allegedly, Arthur initially cleared the land by hand with an ax and saw and built a house on it [12].

   Arthur Smith Claiborne (2nd) as a young man.

   Minnie (King) Claiborne as a young women.

   Arthur's son Harry was known for telling a story about Arthur standing up to the Klu Klux Klan. Harry said the KKK's grand wizard criticized his father for being the only white farmer in the valley who was not a member of the organization, to which Arthur responded, "I won't join any organization whose members need to wear hoods over their faces" [13]. Days later he saved an immigrant farmer from a lynching. He put the man and his family up in his house, then went to the man's farm armed with a shotgun, where he sat and waited. When the KKK rode in that night, Arthur stopped them at gunpoint and fired a round of buckshot into one of the nightriders who had bolted toward the barn with a lit torch, knocking him from his horse. "Never again was a man lynched by the KKK in his community because they knew they would have to answer to [Arthur] Claiborne" [14].

   Arthur Smith Claiborne (2nd) near the end of his life.

   Victor Claybourn and Harriette Threlkeld visited Arthur one evening in McRae in October 1959. It was, as far as was known, the only contact between the Illinois and Arkansas branches of the family in 93 years. They said they were cordially received and noted Arthur's physical resemblance to other members of the clan. He had just completed and moved into a beautiful brick home with large oak trees in front, built on the spot where about 30 years ago his home burned (after which he moved to the farm) and with it a trunk of his father's containing family records.

   Arthur died in April of 1962. Arthur and Minnie's children are as follows:

   1. Mildred Kathlyen Claiborne: Mildred was born July 19, 1910, and died August 2, 1925 at the age of 15 in an automobile accident.

   2. Walter Warren Claiborne ("Buster"): Walter was born January 8, 1913. He married Pauline Gage and lived on his father's farm, two miles from McRae.
      1. Mary Lynn Claiborn: Mary was born March 9, 1937, and worked as a secretary. At one time her address was 1612 Booker Street, Little Rock, Arkansas.
      2. Glen Claiborne: Glen was born June 18, 1940. He attended A & M College in Beebe.

   3. Harry Eugene Claiborne (July 2, 1917 - January 19, 2004): Click name for separate biographical sketch.

9. Aver Claiborne: Aver was born February 26, 1886, but died as infant.

10. Dell Claiborne (Idell): Dell was born February 28, 1887, and married Benjamin Holland Jenkins (1885 - December 14, 1947) on July 28, 1907. They lived in Beebe, Arkansas. Dell died on March 24, 1961. The couple had two children:
    1. Vernon Ralph
    2. Bernice C. (pronounced Burnis)
    3. Laverne

11. Sarah Kathrine Claiborne Gammill: Click name for separate biographical sketch.

12. Kineth C. Claiborne: Born November 14, 1892, and died November 16, 1892. Kineth is buried in Lebanon Cemetery.

13. Mary Ella Claiborne: Born October 22, 1894 and died October 30, 1898. This is the only child whose history is unknown, in part because no gravestone has been located.

14. Ethel Gertrude Claiborne ("Trudy"): Trudy was born February 4, 1898, and died September 11, 1917 of tuberculosis. She is buried in Lebanon Cemetery.
    

    Gertrude ("Trudy") Claiborne

References and Notes