John B. Claybourn (spelled "Claiborne" after 1860) was born on 30 December 1812 in Tennessee [1]. He was the first son of Ephraim Claybourn and Mary (Polly) Browning, and his birth in Tennessee establishes the fact that Ephraim lived in the Knoxville area as early as 1812. The family moved to DeKalb County, Tennessee, when he was a young boy, and he married there in about 1830 to Perlina E. Thomason, who was born around 1814 in North Carolina. In the 1850 census it was noted that she was not able to read and write.

Roughly six years after getting married John B. took part in the Black Hawk and Second Seminole War. He is on a "guard list" of Sergeant Paschal M. Brien and was mustered in at Fayetteville, Tenn. on June 18, 1836 in William Campbell's Company in the 2nd Regiment of Col. William Trousdale's Tennessee Mounted Volunteers [2]. John was mustered out at New Orleans on January 14, 1837. In spite of the short-lived enlistment, this group traveled a great distance and endured many casualties to disease. Both Trousdale and Campbell would go on to serve as governors of Tennessee.

Candace Botts, a niece to John B., said that John B. visited her father, William Divine Claybourn, in Jefferson County, Illinois, before the Civil War when she was a little girl [3]. However, John B. moved to Arkansas from Tennessee soon after he had visited them. John B. Claybourn's family can be found on the U.S. Census Records for DeKalb County, Tenn. in 1840 and 1850 [4]; on the records of Prairie County, Arkansas for 1860 [5]; and on the records of White County, Arkansas for 1870 [6].

After 1860 the name appears as "Claiborne," but it is not clear why this change in spelling occurred. Given the tension between John B.'s branch the others arising out of the Civil War, it is possible the change was to distinguish their positions on the war. On the other hand, names were frequently spelled in numerous ways, even in the same document, and the change in spelling may have just been by accident. "Claiborne" was a common name in the deep south and so it may have been natural for government officials to use that spelling.

A book published by Goodspeed titled Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Eastern Arkansas provides many of the details we have about Claiborne and his son Arthur Smith. In it we are told, "John B. and Perlina E. (Thomason) Claiborne, the former a Tennessean of Irish descent, the latter a native of North Carolina," were married in Tennessee and moved to Arkansas in 1859, purchasing a partly improved farm consisting of 160 acres in Prairie County" [7]. This is east of Little Rock. The earliest deed record of John B. Claiborne recorded in Prairie County is dated 2 February 1861, and is for land lying twenty miles or so southwest of Des Arc, the county seat.

Prarie County records show that John B. and Perlina sold this same Prarie County farm on 7 April 1866. The deed was executed in the town of Lynchburgh, Jefferson County, Illinois. It was witnessed by William S. Davis, Jr., a Justice of the Peace, who stated that John B. Claiborne was well known to him and personally appeared before him when signing the deed [8].

John B. Claiborne was in the Legislature of Arkansas and family tradition on William Divine's branch was that John B. served in the Confederate army with his sons. His grandson Arthur Claiborne, Jr. of McRae, Arkansas also said in 1959 that his grandfather was in the service, but he could not give details [9]. Harriette Threlkeld checked Arkansas records but was not able to establish his service. He would have been 48 years old when the Civil War broke out. His oldest son served with the 8th Tennessee Regiment, so it is possible John B. served with a Tennesse outfit.

Troops from the Third Minnesota in front of the 'Old State House' in 1863.

A check of all legislatures of Arkansas shows that John B. Claiborne served as a member of the 15th Legislature from Prairie County. This legislature met from 11 April - 2 June 1864; from 7 November 1864 - 2 January 1865; and from 3 April - 22 April 1865, in Little Rock in a beautiful building which is now known as the Old State House [10]. At this time Federal troops had control of most of the state - the northern, central and eastern parts. At the same time Governor Flanagin held a Confederate State Legislature at Washington in Hempstead County, Arkansas. Prarie County was represented by R. S. Gantt in this group. In Little Rock, Isaac Murphy was elected "Provisional Governor" in January 1864. He told the legislature, "The state has not a dollar in her treasury. The members of the constitutional convention [which elected him] received no pay" [11].

Prarie County suffered much from the war. Des Arc was partly destroyed, and a historian estimated that there were not more than 15 horses left in the county when the war was over [12]. One feels that perhaps John B.'s move to Illinois was motivated by these factors: the war's desolation; the fact that his brother lived in Illinois; the fact that his son John H. was there; and because he had lost so much of his family in the war. It may have seemed like a chance to start over. Evidently, they were not happy there [13]. Harriette Threlkeld believed the unhappiness stemmed from divisive disagreements over the Civil War. The Illinois relatives were strong Union men. Believing that the Union should be preserved, John's brother William Divine Claybourn and William's three oldest sons had fought in the Union army.

After considerably improving the Prairie County land, Goodspeed states that John B. moved to White County, Arkansas, settling on a tract of railroad land [14]. He died seven years later on 17 September 1874.

Pedigree Chart

				Joshua Claybourn (Clyburn) 1758 - 1799
		Ephraim Claybourn 1788 - 1850
				Sarah
John B. Claiborne 1812 - 1874
		Mary "Polly" Browning 1792 - 1874
				Sally Browning

Descendants

All of their children were born in Tennessee.

1. Mary Jane Claiborne: Mary Jane was born in 1832 and married L. D. Hendriskson, who preceded her in death. Mary Jane died in Kentucky in1889, leaving behind five children [15].

2. Millie C. Claiborne: Millie was born in 1834 and married Jasper Scott in 1856, the same year that the couple moved to Illinois. Her husband was killed in the battle of Nashville in 1865, leaving her with six children.

3. William B. Claiborne: William was born in 1836. He served the Confederacy as a private in Company H of the 8th Tennessee Regiment, but was killed in that war at Richmond, Kentucy [16].

4. Matilda F. Claiborne ("Mary"): Matilda was born around 1838-1839 and married a man named R. H. Ferguson. She died after having bourne two children. In the 1870 census of White County she is listed as Matilda F. Allen, aged 32, with a three year old daughter born in Arkansas and named Risa Lee [17].

5. John H. Claiborne: John H. was born sometime around 1842-1843. Goodspeed lists the following for John in 1890: "married Mary Ware; the father of six children; living in Texas" [18]. James Harrison Claybourn wrote in a letter dated 1919: "John H. Claybourn [son of John B. of Arkansas] was captured [in the Civil War] and brought North where he took the Oath of Allegiance, was released from prison, and came to our house [This would be the home of William Divine Claybourn, the boy's uncle in Jefferson County, Ill.] and stayed until the war was over. He went back [to Arkansas] where he was still living several years ago" [19]. In the 1870 census of White County, he is listed as 28, a farmer with a wife, Sarah A., age 25, and a six month old son, William B., born in Arkansas [20]. He is probably the J. H. Claiborne listed as coroner of White County 1884-86. If so, he moved to Texas sometime between 1886 and 1889. Arthur S. Claiborne, Jr. ("Arthur") of McRae said in 1959 that his Uncle John H. had lived at Honey Grove, Texas, and later at Sweetwater, Texas [21].

   Mr. Bud Price, a former resident of McRae who also lived in Texas and knew John H.'s family well, visited in McRae in the early part of the 20th century and gave Arthur this information about them: "John H. had a large family. Among them were sons named Ed and Bruce, one of the latter's sons supposed to be still living in or near Sweetwater. A daughter Belle had two daughters still living in that area. And most surprisingly, John H., having married a younger woman, at age 80 (which would be about 1923-1924) was the father of twin boys" [22]. The twins were probably Luther and James, mentioned below with other data on John's children (most data on the children was derived from the 1880 and 1900 census [23]). The 1930 census lists John as being 86 years old and married to an Ethel Claiborne, age 48 [24]. Presumably Ethel was the "younger woman" he married and some of the younger children may have been by her. The Texas Department of Health lists John H. Claiborne as having died on 28 November 1932 in Grayson County.

   1. Ed Claiborne, born c. 1868-1871
   2. William Bruce Claiborne ("Bruce"), born c. 1870
   3. Belle Claiborne, born c. 1872
   4. Flora B. Claiborne, born c. 1873
   5. Annie F. Claiborne, born c. 1880
   6. Georgia L. Claiborne, born c. 1882
   7. Sarah F. Claiborne, born c. 1884
   8. Willie M. Claiborne, born c. 1890
   9. Elbert R. Claiborne, born c. 1904
   10. Luther L. Claiborne, born c. 1907
   11. James L. Claiborne, born c. 1907
   12. Woodward Claiborne, born c. 1910
   13. John D. Claiborne was born 4 November 1914 and died 19 January 1997. His last residence was in Fresno, California, but his social security number was issued in Louisiana, suggesting he may have lived there for a time.

6. Pleasant T. Claiborne: Pleasant was born in 1844. On 24 April 1862, he enlisted with Company H of the 25th Arkansas Infantry Regiment under Colonel Charles J. Turnbull, of Little Rock, and Captain W. J. Rogers. One document would later refer to Pleasant as sergeant. This regiment took part in a battle at Perryville, Kentucky, on 8 October 1862. This is the same battle that Pleasant's cousin James Harrison Claybourn took part in on the side of the Union. Pleasant died in July of 1863 - a little over a year after enlisting - during a siege at Jackson, Mississippi.

7. Arthur Smith Claiborne (called "Smith"): Click name for separate biographical sketch.

8. Perlina C. Claiborne: Perlina was born in 1850 and married a man named John Hodges. The couple was married on 28 January 1875 by James M. Talkington. Perlina had died prior to 1889, leaving two children.

9. Thomas J. Claiborne: Thomas was born in 1852. He is listed in the 1870 census as 18 years of age and at home at that time [25]. His life thereafter is unknown.
10. Samuel B. Claiborne: Samuel was born in 1858 and was still living in 1936 when Harriette Threlkeld was research the family history. Arthur Claiborne told Harriette that his Uncle Sam went to Old Mexico and lived for a while, reared his family there, and came back bringing quite a few horses with him [26]. When he retuend to Arkansas he went to Cleburne County and settled near Heber Springs, later at Clinton in the same county. There he finished raising his family and had at least two boys and two girls.

    1. Thomas C. Claiborne, who at one point lived at 1419 South Harrison, Little Rock, Ark.

    2. William Claiborne, a radio announcer, who at one time lived at 1405 S. Cumberland, Little Rock.

    3. A daughter, who married and lived in Clinton. She was formerly in business there and also served as a secretary to Jack Holt, a lawyer who was Attorney General of Arkansas at one point.

References and Notes