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Below is a family biography included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Sharp 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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Joshua Wann, county and circuit court clerk of Sharp County, was born in Jackson County, Ala., in 1836. His parents were the Hon. Joshua and Lydia (Collins) Wann, born in North Carolina in 1796, and Virginia in 1800, respectively, who emigrated to Kentucky with their parents, and were there married. They afterward moved to Tennessee, and from there to Alabama, where young Joshua was born, and then came to what is now Sharp County, Ark., where the father died shortly after their arrival. The mother was a Missionary Baptist, and died in that faith in the year 1879. She was a daughter of Thomas Collins, a native of Virginia and of English descent. The elder Wann commanded a company of soldiers daring the removal of the Indian tribes from Alabama and Georgia in the earlier days, and later in life was a representative from Jackson County, Ala., when the capital was situated at Tuscaloosa. He held the office of assessor and collector of that county for several years, and was a member of the A. F. & A. M. in good standing. He was in the battle of New Orleans, in the War of 1812, and died in Jackson County, Ala., before young Joshua was born. Joshua Wann is the seventh child of four sons and six daughters. One of his uncles, William Wann, was at one time a member of the Tennessee legislature, and died in Lawrence County, Mo. His brother, Landen A., fought in the Mexican War, and died at Tampico during the campaign. Joshua Wann received his education at the common schools, and early in life, the father being deceased as well as the elder brothers, the support of the family devolved upon him. In 1860 he was married to Miss Zilpha J., daughter of Dr. Burwell and Edith Dawson, of North Carolina. Dr. Dawson located in Independence County, Ark., about the year 1857, and wrote for his family to join him there, but upon their arrival they found that death had been before them, and the husband and father had passed away. Mrs. Dawson survived her husband until after the war, and died in Sharp County. Mr. and Mrs. Wann have one daughter, Laura A., wife of G. S. Jernigan. The family resided on a farm in Scott Township until 1886, when Mr. Wann was elected to his present office, and then removed to Evening Shade. He was re-elected in 1888, and has tilled the office in a highly creditable manner. He gave three years’ service to the Confederate cause, and held the rank of captain of Company B, Thirty-fifth Arkansas Infantry, for three years, performing heroic work in Texas, Louisiana and Missouri. He was at the battles of Prairie Grove, Little Rock, Saline River, Jenkins’ Ferry, and many others, and later on joined Gen. Price’s army, and commanded a company of cavalry in Col. M. D. Baber’s regiment. He was present in all the raids through Missouri and Kansas, and was actively engaged until the surrender at Jacksonport, in 1865. In politics Mr. Wann has been a Democrat all his life; in 1874-75 he represented Sharp County in the legislature, and was present during the first session after the adoption of the new constitution. He is a charter member of Reed’s Creek Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and has been master, warden and secretary. He also belongs to the Knights and Ladies of Honor and Eastern Star at Evening Shade. Mrs. Wann has been a member of the Missionary Baptist Church since her youth, and is a devout Christian. Mr. Wann’s success has been due entirely to his own shrewdness and ability, and he is one of the most popular and influential citizens of Sharp County. He has an interest in a small farm in Scott Township, and is an enterprising and progressive man.

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This family biography is one of 43 biographies included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Sharp County, Arkansas published in 1889.  View the complete description here: Sharp County, Arkansas History, Genealogy, and Maps

View additional Sharp County, Arkansas family biographies here: Sharp County, Arkansas Biographies

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