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Below is a family biography included in The History of Sebastian 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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William T. Blakemore, M. D., of Greenwood, Ark., is a native of Sumner County, Tenn., and was born in 1830, being the son of Lee C. and Charlotte (Johnson) Blakemore, and grandson of Thomas and Sallie (Douglass) Blakemore. Thomas Blakemore was a native of Virginia, and was one of the first settlers of Sumner County, Tenn., where he passed his last days. Lee C. Blakemore was born in Sumner County, Tenn., in 1800, and was of Scotch-Irish and English extraction. He was born in Sumner County in 1831, and afterward immigrated to the Territory of Arkansas, locating two miles from where Van Buren is now located. In 1832 he moved to Fayetteville, Washington County, where he received his final summons. He died in 1881. He was one of the first white men to settle in Northwestern Arkansas, and was a member of the State Legislature several sessions, being elected by the Democratic party. He was register of the land office of the State of Arkansas during President Pierce’s administration, being appointed by President Pierce in 1853, and serving four years. He was justice of the peace for many years, and was a man of much influence in the community in which he lived. His wife, Charlotte (Johnson) Blakemore, died in 1851. After her death Mr. Blakemore married Mrs. Nancy Crawley, nee Wallace. She, too, is deceased, having passed away in 1857. Mr. Blakemore was the father of ten children, six now living. William T. was the fifth child in order of birth. He was but a year old when his parents moved to Arkansas. He attained his growth on the farm, and in 1854 commenced the study of his chosen profession, his preceptor being Dr. William H. Douglas, of Memphis, Tenn. He was under the Doctor’s advice for over two years, and in 1856 went to Nashville, Tenn., where he entered the University of Nashville, and attended one course of lectures. In the spring of 1857 he commenced his practice in Greenwood, Ark., Sebastian count, where he has since been located. During the late war he was in the service but two months, when he was discharged on account of disabilities. In May, 1858, he married Miss Nancy Trammell, who was born in Crawford County, Ark., in 1834, and who was the daughter of Dimis and Elizabeth Trammell. Mr. and Mrs. Blakemore are the parents of five children: Jesse Lee, M. D., graduated from Vanderbilt University at Nashville, Tenn., in 1888, and is now second assistant in the insane asylum at Little Rock; Kate, wife of James B. Forrester; Bessie A., Ora C. and William F. In 1876 Dr. William T. Blakemore graduated as an M. D., at the Kentucky School of Medicine at Louisville, Ky. He is one of the oldest physicians and surgeons in Greenwood, and is one of the leading practitioners of Sebastian County. He is a man whose character is beyond reproach and whose good name is untarnished. He is a Democrat in politics, was postmaster at Fayetteville, Ark., for six months, is a member of the Masonic fraternity, having taken the Blue Lodge, Royal Arch and Commandery degrees. He is also an Ancient Odd Fellow and an honorary member of the K. of H. He is a member of the Sebastian Medical Association, and he and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.

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This family biography is one of 217 biographies included in The History of Sebastian County, Arkansas published in 1889.  For the complete description, click here: Sebastian County, Arkansas History, Genealogy, and Maps

View additional Sebastian County, Arkansas family biographies here: Sebastian County, Arkansas

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