My Genealogy Hound

Lewis Castleberry. The entire life of this gentleman has been unmarked by any unusual occurrence outside the chosen channels to which he has so diligently applied himself. He is considered, and deservedly so, one of the most successful and prominent farmers of Lee Township, Johnson County, Ark., and as he was reared to farm life and has never followed any other calling, he is the thorough master of every branch of the work. He was born in Alabama, but in boyhood came with his parents to Johnson County, Ark., and here has since made his home. The parents, John and Louisa (Claunch) Castleberry, became the parents of three children—two sons and one daughter—of which the subject of this sketch was the eldest and is the only one now living. At the time of their arrival here the country was almost an unbroken wilderness, and as schools at that time (1845) were very few and far between, their son Lewis did not receive many advantages so far as book learning was concerned. At the age of twenty-two years he commenced the battle of life for himself, and soon after purchased the farm on which he is now residing, and immediately set to work to improve it by erecting good buildings, fences, etc. He has increased his acreage from time to time, and now has 240 acres, eighty-five of which are in a good state of cultivation. His principal crops are cotton and corn, twenty acres being devoted to corn, the cotton promising a yield of one-half bale to the acre. He has a pasture of red top, which makes a heavy growth, and besides this, has a good orchard of peach and apple trees, which supplies them with an abundance of fruit. Everything about the place indicates that a man of thrift and energy is at the helm, and that his farm is a fertile and valuable one, is shown when it is known that he often raises fifty bushels of corn to the acre and 1,500 pounds of cotton. His wife, formerly Miss Elizabeth Ridgway, was born in Alabama, and is the mother of five sons and two daughters: Osborne, Boone, Reuben, Mary, James, Riley and Linnie. The two eldest sons are married, Osborne being a resident of Texas, and Boone residing on a farm near his father. Mr. Castleberry is a member of Spring Hill Lodge, of the A. F. & A. M. He is a liberal supporter of public enterprises, and is anxious to see capital come to Johnson County.