John B. Claiborne
Second Child, Oldest Son, of Ephraim Claybourn
30 December 1812 - 17 September 1874

John B. Claiborne was born on 30 December 1812 in Tennessee [1850 U.S. Census. District 13, DeKalb County, Tennessee; National Archives and Records Administration, Roll: M432_876; Page: 11; Image: 150. See also Claybourn, Verner M., and Harriette Pinnell Threlkeld. The Claybourn Family (A-1 Business Service, 1959). ]. 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 [1850 U.S. Census. District 13, DeKalb County, Tennessee; National Archives and Records Administration, Roll: M432_876; Page: 11; Image: 150. This census also notes that Perlina was not able to read or 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 18 June 1836 in William Campbell's Company in the 2nd Regiment of Col. William Trousdale's Tennessee Mounted Volunteers [Claybourn, Verner M., and Harriette Pinnell Threlkeld. The Claybourn Family (A-1 Business Service, 1959).]. John was mustered out at New Orleans on 14 January 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 [Claybourn, Verner M., and Harriette Pinnell Threlkeld. The Claybourn Family (A-1 Business Service, 1959).]. However, John B. moved to Arkansas from Tennessee soon after he had visited them. John B.'s family can be found on the U.S. Census Records for DeKalb County, Tenn. in 1840 and 1850 (where he is listed as a "house carpenter") [1840 U.S. Census. DeKalb County, Tennessee; National Archives and Records Administration, Roll: 520; Page: 262. 1850 U.S. Census. District 13, DeKalb County, Tennessee; National Archives and Records Administration, Roll: M432_876; Page: 11; Image: 150.]; on the records of Prairie County, Arkansas for 1860 (where he is listed as a farmer) [1860 U.S. Census. Prairie County, Arkansas; National Archives and Records Administration, Roll: M653_48; Page: 894; Image: 365.]; and on the records of White County, Arkansas for 1870 [1870 U.S. Census. Union Township, White County, Arkansas; National Archives and Records Administration, Roll: M593_67; Page: 416; Image: 242.].

On the "guard list" in 1836 the name is spelled "Claiborne", the 1850 census lists the name is "Claiborn", in 1860 the name appears as "Clayburn", and in 1870 and most subsequent census reports it is once again spelled "Claiborne". "Claiborne" is the most common spelling for John, and also the one adopted by his children. Some of John's siblings spelled it "Claiborne" as well, though his parents and extended family used a number of other spellings. Names were frequently spelled in numerous ways, even in the same document, and the change in spelling was likely due to accident or the inability to read and write. "Claiborne" was a common name in the South and so it may have been natural for government officials to use that spelling.

A book published in 1890 by Goodspeed titled Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Eastern Arkansas provides many of the details we have about John B. 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 [Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Eastern Arkansas, (Chicago: Goodspeed Publishers, 1890).]. 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.

Prairie County records show that John B. and Perlina sold this same Prairie 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 [Claybourn, Verner M., and Harriette Pinnell Threlkeld. The Claybourn Family (A-1 Business Service, 1959). ].

John B. Claiborne was in the Legislature of Arkansas and, in the 1930 census, indicated that he had served in the Civil War [1930 U.S. Census. Precinct 1, Grayson County, Texas; National Archives and Records Administration, Roll: 2337; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 13; Image: 961.0. ]. 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 Tennessee 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 1864 through 2 June 1864; from 7 November 1864 through 2 January 1865; and from 3 April 1865 through 22 April 1865, in Little Rock in a beautiful building which is now known as the Old State House [Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Eastern Arkansas, (Chicago: Goodspeed Publishers, 1890).]. 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 of 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" [Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Eastern Arkansas, (Chicago: Goodspeed Publishers, 1890).].

Prairie 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 [Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Eastern Arkansas, (Chicago: Goodspeed Publishers, 1890).]. 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, though, the stay in Illinois did not in fact turn out to be a happy one [Claybourn, Verner M., and Harriette Pinnell Threlkeld. The Claybourn Family (A-1 Business Service, 1959). ]. 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 [Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Eastern Arkansas, (Chicago: Goodspeed Publishers, 1890).]. He died seven years later on 17 September 1874.

Pedigree Chart

				Joshua 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 was born in 1832 and married L. D. Hendrickson, who preceded her in death. Mary Jane died in Kentucky in 1889, leaving behind five children [Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Eastern Arkansas, (Chicago: Goodspeed Publishers, 1890).].

2. Millie C. Claiborne 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 was born in 1836. He served the Confederacy during the Civil War as a private in Company H of the 8th Tennessee Regiment, but was killed in that war at Richmond, Kentucky [Lindsley, John B. The Military Annals of Tennessee: Confederate. (Broadfoot Publishing Co., 1996) p. 321.].

4. Matilda F. Claiborne ("Mary") was born around 1838-1839 and married a man named R. H. Ferguson. 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 [1870 U.S. Census. District 8, Stewart, Tennessee; National Archives and Records Administration, Roll: M593_1564; Page: 324; Image: 648.]. She died after having borne two children.

5. John H. Claiborne (click name for separate biographical sketch) was born on 20 September 1842 in DeKalb County, Tennessee and died on 28 November 1932 in Texas.

6. Pleasant T. Claiborne 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) was born on 3 February 1847 in DeKalb County, Tennessee and died on 8 September 1936.

8. Perlina C. Claiborne 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 was born in 1852. He is listed in the 1870 census as 18 years of age and at home at that time [1870 U.S. Census, White County, Arkansas (Union Township, Stony Point Post Office). ]. His life thereafter is unknown.
10. Samuel B. Claiborne was born in 1858 in DeKalb, Tennessee. Samuel is listed in the 1870 living with his parents [1870 U.S. Census. Union Township, White County, Arkansas; National Archives and Records Administration, Roll: M593_67; Page: 416; Image: 242.], and in the 1880 census 22 year old Samuel was living with his brother John [1880 U.S. Census. Cane Township, White County, Arkansas; Roll: T9_59; Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Family History Film: 1254059; Page: 177.4000; Enumeration District: 291; Image: 0497. ]. He was still living in 1936 when Harriette Threlkeld was researching the family history. Arthur Claiborne, Samuel's nephew, told Harriette that his Uncle Sam went to Old Mexico to live for a while, reared his family there, and came back bringing quite a few horses with him [Claybourn, Verner M., and Harriette Pinnell Threlkeld. The Claybourn Family (A-1 Business Service, 1959).]. When he retuend to Arkansas he went to Cleburne County and settled near Heber Springs, and 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 in Little Rock, Arkansas.

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

    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.