William Tipton Stubblefield (1860 - 1941)

Ancestors

Biography

William Tipton Stubblefield and Nancy J. Dalton were married February 25, 1880.

The former is descended from one of the very first families settled on Elevenpoint river. He is a grandson of Fielding Stubblefield, who settled on this stream at an early date, probably coming here with his father and other members of this family before 1820.

When the first courthouse was built in Pocahontas, Fielding Stubblefield was one of the public building commissioners. Another member of this family, Coleman Stubblefield, was a member of the Territorial Legislature from old Lawrence county in 1829.

The parents of our subjects were Tipton Stubblefield and Sarah Garrett Stubblefield, who were married September 8, 1858. Our subject was the only child of this union. After the death of Tipton Stubblefield, his wife married Felix Mock and they became the parents of two son, Tom and Jack Mock.

A sister of Tipton Stubblefield married Lewis Dalton, January 1, 1860. Her name was Sarah Anne, but was known as Aunt Sally. A cousin of William Stubblefield, Jeff D. Stubblefield, married Zilla Dalton, daughter of William Dalton.

The Garrett family was French. They came to America as refugees of the French Revolution.

William Tipton Stubblefield was born August 3, 1860, and died in August, 1941. He and Nancy J. Dalton were the parents of seven children. They are Rufe, who married Katie Cohn; Sarah, who married Thomas Carroll; Lawrence, who married Elvie Magruder; Myrtle, who married Myrt Bennett; Mara, who married Leonard Crews; Orlean, who married Major Christian, and Thomas and Pearl, who are not married. There are 20 grandchildren now living.

Mr. Stubblefield was a learned man. He was known to have been one of the best authorities on county government in the state. He served the county as tax assessor in 1892-3, and auditor for the county many years. For many years this family had more public school teachers than any family in the county. It was a common saying in Randolph county for many years, “If you want to know anything about the records of the county, see Bill Stubblefield.”

The family lived at Warm Springs many years, moving to Pocahontas about 1905. Uncle Bill and Aunt Nancy kept open house and hundreds of people enjoyed the hospitality of this home. She was a good cook and was always courteous and cheerful toward their guests.

Nancy J. Dalton Stubblefield is a descendant of one John Dalton, who was born in Ireland and came to the United States about 1760. He first settled at Dalton, Georgia, and from there the family moved to North Carolina, Virginia, and later to Kentucky.

John Dalton served in the Revolutionary War. After the close of the Revolution he moved with his family to Madison county, Missouri. From here he came on down into Ripley county, where he spent the remainder of his life. This was about 1812.

He settled on Fourche Dumas creek at what is still known as the Dalton Mill ford, where the old Warm Springs-Doniphan road crossed this creek. He and other members of the family lie buried out in the bottom field near the present ford.

John Dalton was the father of Elijah, Jack, David, Maria and other children. Elijah was the father of Lewis Dalton and other children. Jack was the father of “Forg” Dalton and other children, who was the father of Dr. J. W. Dalton late of this county. Maria married James Keel. David married Priscilla Dennis of Greenville, Missouri, in 1826. They were the parents of another Elijah, another David, Sarah married George Matney, Susanna who married William Cross, John who died in the Civil War, Nancy who married Harrison Davis, Ruth who married James Parker, Priscilla who married John Bond and David who first married Christiana Everett.

Elijah, son of David Dalton and Priscilla Dennis Dalton, was the father of Nancy Dalton Stubblefield, one of the subjects of this sketch. This Elijah Dalton was born in southern Ripley county, Missouri, October 28, 1829. He married Grace Jane Head in 1857. They were the parents of the following children besides Nancy Stubblefield, our subject. They were John C., who first married Susan Poynor and later Sally Spencer; James who married Nora McIlroy (who married Joseph Dalton after James died); Mary, who married William McIlroy; Sarah M., who married W. A. Holt: Elijah A., who married Ida Bell Mock, and Rufus, who married Daisy Downey.

The mother of our subject was, as stated above, Grace Jane Head, who was a daughter of Alexander and Elizabeth Head of Wayne county, Missouri. Mrs. Head’s maiden name was Clubb. Elijah Dalton died in 1906 and his wife died some 10 years previous.

Nancy Dalton Stubblefield, our subject, died June 14, 1936.

The sponsor of this article, Mrs. Myrt Bennett, is a daughter of William T. and Nancy Dalton Stubblefield. Mrs. Bennett was born February 17, 1893, her husband, Myrt Bennett, was born November 3, 1891. They are the parents of one son, William Myrt, Jr., who was born January 12, 1920. The son has recently been discharged from the U. S. Navy, where he served from August, 1942, to February 3, 1946. He was a lieutenant junior grade and served as air traffic controller on the aircraft carrier “Intrepid, “ and was also an officer on an LST.

Mryt Bennett is the son of Henry S. Bennett and Sadie Pratt Bennett, who were married July 20, 1878, and lived south of Warm Springs.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Bennett are former Randolph county school teachers, but for several years Mrs. Bennett has been engaged in the mercantile business at Biggers. He also owns considerable real estate. His business is located at present in the three-story Biggers building, which he purchased from the Biggers family in 1945. He does a general furnishing business and has one of the best locations in the county.

Sources

• HISTORY of RANDOLPH COUNTY ARKANSAS, by Lawrence Dalton, Published 1946 - 1947.

• THE WILLIAM TIPTON STUBBLEFIELD-NANCY DALTON STUBBLEFIELD FAMILY