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Below is a family biography included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Pulaski County, Arkansas published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1889.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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Frank Botsford, chief of police, Little Rock, Ark., was born in Onondaga County, N. Y., on September, 26, 1833, and is a son of Amazeah Bradford and Emily Thrall Botsford, of New York. The father died in 1879 at Waukegan, Ill., while the mother is still living at the age of eighty three years, and resides at Little Rock. Their son Frank, the principal of this sketch, was reared at Port Huron, Mich., and received a good English education in that city, as also at Little Fort, now Waukegan, Ill. In his youth he was brought up and instructed in the duties of farm life and also assisted his father in handling lumber. During the great gold excitement on the Pacific Coast he went to California and mined for several years, and also engaged in railroading. In December, 1869, Mr. Botsford came to Little Rock, and for two years, 1872-73, he was warden of the Arkansas penitentiary. The following year he was appointed chief of police, but only held that office for one year, when he entered the sheriff’s office and remained there for several years. In the year 1882 he was again elected chief of police by the city council, and has served continuously ever since, a period of almost seven years. The force at present consists of the following men: one chief, two sergeants, sixteen patrolmen, two sanitary officers, one day prison keeper and one man in the same capacity for the night. Under the able management of Chief Botsford, the police force has undergone a complete change for the better. His men have become better disciplined, more efficient and do the work of a city double its size. Mayor Whipple, recognizing Mr. Botsford’s ability, reappointed him in the spring of 1889, and his good judgment in making this selection is now evident to both mayor and citizens. Mr. Botsford was married in 1858 to Miss Harriett Freland, but lost his wife by death in 1866.

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This family biography is one of 156 biographies included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Pulaski County, Arkansas published in 1889.  For the complete description, click here: Pulaski County, Arkansas History, Genealogy, and Maps

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