My Genealogy Hound

Below is a family biography included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Miller County, Arkansas published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1890.  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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Richard F. Mays. It is now nearly eighty years since Mr. Mays first opened his eyes to this world, and during this time his career, although varied, has always been strictly honorable and his character above reproach. A brief outline of his life deserves mention here. He was born in Dinwiddie County, Va., (near Petersburg) on June 10, 1810, a son of Abraham and Rhoda (Lewis) Mays, natives of New York and Virginia, respectively. Abraham Mays died in Petersburg, Va., in about 1833, in his sixtieth year. Although born in New York, he lived there very little of his life, as his father brought him to Virginia when he was still a boy, and there he grew to maturity, in early manhood learning the brick mason’s trade, at which he worked until his death. He owned a splendid farm in Virginia, which he tilled, in connection with this trade. The mother died in her native State while still quite young, leaving five children, the subject of this sketch being the third in order of birth, and one of the two surviving members of this family, his brother Stephen, who is a stone mason of Petersburg, Va., being the other survivor. The father remained a widower for some time, and then married Nancy Jackson, since deceased. At his mother’s death our subject was taken by his maternal grandmother, with whom he remained until grown. While still a boy he commenced to learn the brick mason’s trade, but upon attaining his twenty-first year he went to Nashville, Tenn., and there learned the cooper’s trade, serving a regular apprentice ship, and later worked at this trade for eight years. He then engaged as salesman in a grocery house, and remained in this employ about two years. In 1841 he went to Clarksville, Tenn., and there engaged in the pork business with Harland & Wright as manager of their establishment, and remained with this firm for six years. He then left, and for the next four years worked at his trade. In 1851 he moved to Henderson County, Tenn., and embarked in the grocery business at Shady Grove, which he conducted successfully for one year, and then added a line of dry goods to his stock, and conducted this business two years. He then sold out and moved to Camden, Ark., and opened a butcher shop, but in 1853 sold out these interests and came to Miller County (then Lafayette) and located on the farm he still owns, since which time he has been an honored resident of this neighborhood. During this time he has seen the county build up, and Texarkana, which was then a wilderness, become a city of considerable note. He devoted his attention to stock-raising until 1876,when he opened a grocery store at Texarkana, remaining in that business until December 5, 1888, when he was burnt out and lost everything, and since then he has been engaged in collecting, etc. While in business he had established a large trade, and by good management made considerable money. He still owns some valuable property in Texarkana. He is now occupied in raising fine stock three miles southeast of the city, making a specialty of Jersey and Durham cattle. While a resident of Clarksville, Tenn., he was united in matrimony to Miss Rebecca Middleton, of Robertson County, that State, born in Hickman County, Tenn., in 1825, and on June 3, 1890, they celebrated their golden wedding. They are the parents of eleven children, seven of whom are still living: Mary (wife of E. M. Fawbush, a carpenter, residing in Texarkana), Harriet B. (wife of Maj. A. L. Johnson, now a land agent of Cass County, Tex.), H. L. (is a farmer of Bowie County, Tex., as is also Edward P.), Louisa (is the wife of James Goodwin, a leading agriculturist of this county), Jane (wife of C. W. Noland, resides in this county). Those deceased are Ellen, and three who died in infancy. Mrs. Mays has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church all her life, and is still active in that body. Mr. Mays is a Democrat in politics.

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