My Genealogy Hound

John S. Gibson, attorney at law, one of the brightest of the legal talent in Lawrence County, was born in Fayetteville, N. C., October 12, 1857. He is a son of Green S. and Sarah (Evans) Gibson. Mr. Gibson received a common school education in his youth, and was a close student of every subject that came under his notice. He studied law with Chief Justice Pearson, of Richmond Hill, and was granted a license by the Supreme Court of North Carolina in 1879. He came to Arkansas immediately following, and was granted a license in that State in March, 1879, locating at Walnut Ridge. He has had very fair success as a lawyer, and can proudly point to the fact that he has won every suit brought to the court by him. When Mrs. Mary A. Boas came to Hoxie, he took charge of her business as manager, and March 9, 1887, he was united in marriage to Miss Annie Boas. He is a Democrat in politics, and was a delegate to the State convention that nominated Gov. Hughes. He resided in Colorado for eighteen months, and in the fall of 1888 delivered several speeches in behalf of the Democratic party in that State. Mr. Gibson was the first man to predict the election of Wade Hampton, if nominated, for governor of South Carolina. Mrs. Mary A. Boas at one time owned the land on which Hoxie now stands. The Iron Mountain Railroad was already here at that time, and she gave twenty acres to the company on which to build their side-tracks, depots, etc. The road runs about as near through the center of her 400-acre farm as it is possible to locate without measurement. Mrs. Boas has since then laid out the town site, and is selling the lots. This lady is a native of Alabama, whose parents were Henry and Sarah M. Stephens, the former from Georgia, and the latter a South Carolinian. She was reared in the city of New Orleans, and was there united to Henry Boas, December 27, 1864, a gentleman who had been engaged in railroading almost all of his life until he came to Moark, Ark., and opened up the railroad eating-house at that place. Two years later he came to Walnut Ridge, and established a very fine eating-house, which was burned down in May, 1877. In the interval between the 10th of May (date of fire) and September 6, he had built and moved into the present eating-house, which he conducted for three years and a half, and then retired from active life for about four years. September 20, 1883, he came to Hoxie, and erected the present hotel, which he operated until March, 1887. At this period the health of their youngest child, Harry, began to fail, and Mrs. Boas and her family made a visit to Colorado, where they remained eighteen months. Her oldest son, William Edgar, graduated from the Brothers’ College, St. Louis, Mo., but died August 21, 1885, and she lost her husband in Panama, in September, 1886, where he had contracted malarial fever. Those of her children who are now living are: Anna E., wife of John S. Gibson, and Harry. There are two churches and a public school building in course of construction at Hoxie, the site of these improvements having been donated by Mrs. Boas, and the newly projected Walnut Ridge & Hoxie Street Railway Company is through her farm, as also the right of way for the Pocahontas & Hoxie Railroad. Mrs. Boas is widely known for her liberality and kindliness, and is held in high regard by all acquaintances.