My Genealogy Hound

Rev. J. N. A. Billingsley, Rockford, Ark. Like many others of the representative men of Izard County, Ark., Mr. Billingsley is a native Tennessean, born in the year 1834. His parents, A. C. and Rebecca (Billingsley) Billingsley, were also natives of the eastern part of that State. A. C. Billingsley received a common school education in his native State, and moved to Arkansas in 1844. He purchased land in Izard County, and followed farming in the spring and summer, and the rest of the time was engaged as a house carpenter, and was interested in the ginning business. He was married in 1833 to Miss Rebecca Billingsley, and the fruits of this union were ten children, nine of whom lived to be grown and four are now living: J. N. A., Harriet E., wife of W. Lee; Thomas C., resides in Yell County, Ark., and Eutonia E., wife of W. Ragan. When Mr. Billingsley first came to Arkansas the country was very thinly settled, and their clothes were principally made from deer skins, and their shoes were also made of the skins of animals. The settlers depended principally on hunting for their meat. Mr. Billingsley was a Whig in politics, and was justice of the peace in his county for a number of years. His father, Samuel Billingsley, came to this county in 1840. He filled many offices of trust in Fulton County, and was ex-county judge and representative of that county from about 1852 to 1853. Politically, he was a Democrat. He was a member of the A. F. & A. M., and was a member of the Advent Church. The maternal grandfather of the subject of this sketch was Thomas Billingsley, brother to the paternal grandfather. He moved to Sevier County, Ark., about 1840 and there followed agricultural pursuits. He was a Democrat in his political views. Upon reaching manhood, Rev. J. N. A. Billingsley commenced life for himself and worked for some time as a hired hand. After this he clerked in a dry goods store for about fifteen months, and then went to tilling the soil on rented land. One year later he entered 320 acres in Van Buren County, Ark., but sold out in 1868 and came to Izard County. He rented land for four years and then entered his present property of 160 acres. He now has seventy acres under cultivation. During the late conflict, or in 1862, he joined the Confederate army, and served until the 5th of June, 1865, when he surrendered at Jacksonport, Ark. He participated in the following battles: Prairie Grove, Helena (July 4, 1863), Little Rock, and was in most of the battles during Gen. Price’s raid through Missouri, in 1864. After cessation of hostilities he returned home and resumed his farming industry. His marriage was consummated, in 1858, to Miss Catherine Orr, of Fulton County, Ark., and nine children were the result of this union, eight now living: David C., resides in this county; Mary E., at home; Sarah F., wife of Charles B. Thomas, resides in this county; J. N. A., Jr., (deceased); Samuel A., at home; R. Catherine, wife of L. J. Jackson; Eutonia E., at home; Edwin. H., at home; and Martha E., also at home. Mr. Billingsley was ordained a minister of the Advent Church in 1873, and was a pioneer minister of his faith in this section. He has had between thirty-five and forty conversions in the church, and has performed about a dozen marriage services. He is in favor of all public enterprises, is active in school matters, and is a Prohibitionist and Union Labor man. He is also a member of the Masonic fraternity. The father of Mrs. Billingsley, David Orr, was born in 1799, came to Cape Girardeau County, Mo., in 1823, remained there for five years, and in 1827 came to this State and settled in Lawrence County, where he remained until 1845. He then moved to Fulton County, and died there in 1849. He was a missionary in the Baptist Church, and his circuit extended from Jefferson City, Mo., to Little Rock, Ark. The State was still a territory when he settled here, and the nearest neighbor was twenty-five miles distant. Often he would travel all day and not see a house. Sometimes he would get bothered and fail to reach a house by night time, and in that case he would be obliged to camp out, frequently in the dense canebrakes. Bear, panthers and other wild animals would come prowling around, and he would have to stay up to watch his horse. He followed his ministerial duties from 1827 to 1845, and was also a school teacher. He married Miss Eliza T. Caldwell, of Kentucky, on the 13th of September, 1821, and became the father of eleven children: James (deceased), E. W. (died in 1863, and his family resides in Fulton County), David (died in 1827), David (died in 1856), John H. (lives in Idaho Territory), Eliza A. (wife of A. S. Godwin), Catherine (wife of Rev. Billingsley), Martha J. (died in 1847), W. H. H. (died and left a family in Texas), Joseph M. (lives in Fulton County) and Robert G. Mr. Orr died in 1849 and his wife in 1874. Mrs. Orr was married the second time, in 1852, to Thomas R. Hill, a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church; she belonged to the Baptist Church.