My Genealogy Hound

Hon. Samuel H. Brooks. Since locating in this county in 1866 Mr. Brooks has enjoyed the reputation of being not only a substantial and progressive farmer, but an intelligent and thoroughly posted man in all public affairs as well. He was born in Philadelphia, Penn., October 17, 1839, and is a son of John and Amelia (Fletcher) Brooks, the former a native of Bristol, Penn., and the latter of London, England. John Brooks was a merchant by occupation, and died in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1840, at the untimely age of thirty-one years. His widow afterward married Jacob B. Furrow, of Piqua, Ohio, who followed merchandising until his death in 1884. His widow survives him, and is an earnest and devout member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. She was a child of six years when brought by her parents to the United States, and their location was made at Philadelphia, Penn., where their death occurred many years later. Mr. and Mrs. Brooks became the parents of two children: Samuel H., and Thomas P., who died in Cincinnati in 1885, being county recorder of Hamilton County at the time of his decease. Samuel H. Brooks was educated in the schools of Saint Paris, Ohio, and at the age of fourteen years left home to become a salesman in a hardware store at Piqua, Ohio, but two years later he turned his attention to the railroad business, and was ticket agent at that point for one year. He next went to Indianapolis, Ind., and became conductor on the old Belfontaine line, which is now known as the Bee line, and after serving in this capacity for about ten years he worked on the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad for a short time. He then (in 1863) joined the Second Tennessee Federal troops, organized at Memphis, Tenn., under Col. Curry, but at the end of one year he went to Mississippi and located in Coahoma County, and a year later came to Phillips County, Ark., where he has since been engaged in planting; and his well established characteristics of energy, perseverance and unbounded industry have brought him safe returns. His neat farm embraces 420 acres, and to this he is enabled to give intelligent management, but he is at present giving the most of his attention to the management of Dr. A. A. Hornor’s plantation of 1,350 acres. He has always been a Democrat in politics, and in 1868 was elected county treasurer, in which capacity he served four years. In 1882 he was chosen to represent Phillips County in the State legislature. In 1862 he was united in marriage to Miss Caroline S. Shock, a daughter of Abel Shock, who made the first steam fire-engine in the United States, and discovered the fine copper fields in the region of Lake Superior. He was a native of Pennsylvania, and died in Missouri in 1874. Mrs. Brooks was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, April 28, 1840, and she and Mr. Brooks have one daughter, Amelia A., who made a roll of butter that took the premium at the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia in 1876. Mrs. Brooks is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and Mr. Brooks is a Mason, and belongs to the I. O. O. F.