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Below is a family biography included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Clay 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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Hon. G. B. Holifield, who stands at the head of the legal profession in the Eastern district of Clay County, is a native of Graves County, Ky., and the son of T. M. Holifield, who came to Clay County, Ark., with his wife and four children, November 15, 1855, and settled two miles northeast of Boydsville. Here G. B. Holifield was reared and here he received the meager schooling afforded by the then few subscription schools of the county. Later he finished his education by attending six months at Gainesville, Ark., and later, after studying law for some time, was admitted to the bar in August, 1881, in the Western district of Clay County. He has been in constant practice since. In 1878 he was elected to the legislature, but previous to this he had filled the position of justice of the peace for three terms. He has always been quite active in politics, though as there is nominally only the one party, he has made but few speeches. His first marriage was to Miss Mary Cummings in 1871, and the fruits of this union were two children who survive their mother, she dying February 4, 1878. They are named as follows: William Stanford and Martha J. For his second wife Mr. Holifield chose Miss Verdilla P. Perrian, of Clay County, and three children, Etta Lee, Mary Susan and Otis Oscar, are the result of this union. Mr. Holifield is one of the prominent legal lights of the county, and is thoroughly apace with the times in every respect. He and wife are members of the Methodist Protestant Church.

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This family biography is one of 124 biographies included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Clay County, Arkansas published in 1889.  View the complete description here: Clay County, Arkansas History, Genealogy, and Maps

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

View a map of 1889 Clay County, Arkansas here: Clay County, Arkansas Map

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