My Genealogy Hound

Capt. Stephen E. Benson is successfully engaged in managing his farm, which comprises 360 acres of land, 160 of which are under cultivation, splendidly improved with good buildings of all descriptions, situated four miles northeast of Washington. The Captain was born in Alamance County, N. C, in December, 1839, his parents, Stephen and Sarah (Fonveal) Benson, being born in Orange and Lakeside Counties, respectively. They were married in the former county, and there Mrs. Benson died, when the subject of this sketch was four years of age. Mr. Benson next married a Miss Pickett, and in 1841 came to Dallas County, Ark., with his family, and here closed his eyes in the last sleep in 1883, at the age of seventy-two years. His widow has since died, and both were members of many years’ standing of the Missionary Baptist Church. Mr. Benson was a well-to-do farmer, and for a number of years filled the position of justice of the peace. His father, Frederick Benson, was born, reared and married in France but soon after the celebration of the latter event he came to the United States and settled in Orange County, N. C, where he died before the subject of this sketch was born. He was a farmer, and came to this country as a soldier under Gen. La Fayette, assisting in the Revolutionary War. After the war he returned to his native land, but, as above stated, came to America after his marriage, and later took part in the War of 1812. Alexander Fonveal, the maternal grandfather, was also from France, and like Mr. Benson, first came to this country with La Fayette, taking part in the Revolutionary War, after which he returned to France, was married, and again came to the United States. He lived and died a farmer of Orange County, N. C., a minister of the Freewill Baptist Church. The subject of this sketch is the third of four children, and is the only one now living, but has a half brother and sister living near him. He was educated at Tulip and Princeton, in Dallas County, and at the breaking out of the war he helped to take the arsenal at Little Rock, after which he joined Company A, Third Arkansas Cavalry, Army of the Tennessee, and fought at Shiloh, Farmington, Iuka, Holly Springs, Thompson’s Station, Brentwood, Murfreesboro, the engagements of the Atlanta campaign, Nashville, Beaufort, N. C., and Durham. He surrendered at Greensboro, N. C, and was paroled at Chesterville, S. C. He was wounded and disabled at Corinth in 1862, but the next spring was made captain in the commissary department, a position he held until the close of the war. He came to Hempstead County, Ark., in January, 1860, and was soon afterward married to Miss Margaret T., a daughter of Samuel and Jane (Curry) Kirkpatrick, who were born, reared and married in North Carolina, and became residents of Hempstead County, Ark., in 1854, the father dying here in 1873, and the mother in 1879, both of whom were members of the Presbyterian Church, the former a successful farmer and a soldier in the War of 1812. Mrs. Benson was born in Orange County, N. C., and has borne Mr. Benson three children—two sons and one daughter, Mr. Benson has resided on his present farm of 360 acres, four miles northeast of Washington, since about 1866, and is doing well. He has been a Democrat all his life, and for about twelve years has been a member of the A. F. & A. M., Mt. Horeb Lodge No. 4, of Washington, and he, wife and daughter are members in good standing of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. For fifteen years he has cultivated the farm now owned by Judge A. B. Williams, on which the first court in Arkansas Territory was held, it being then the first county seat of Hempstead County. His daughter Cora was educated in Washington, and is the wife of James K. Jones, a well known attorney of Texarkana, and a son of United States Senator James K. Jones. Curry H. is a graduate of a college in Lexington, Ky., and Frederick L. was educated at Washington and Fayetteville.