Mark Valentine III (1878 - 1960)

Born 6 Nov 1878 in Lake Village, Chicot, Arkansas

Ancestors

Husband of Margaret Grace (Young) Valentine — married 15 Jun 1904 in Pulaski County, AR

Descendants

Died 21 Aug 1960 at age 81 in Little Rock, Pulaski, Arkansas

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Biography

Mark was born in 1878. He was the son of Mark Valentine and Mary Fisher. He passed away in 1960.

My grandfather, fondly known to us grandchildren as Big Daddy, resided at a plantation home 11 miles from Little Rock, AR, in a small farming community called Galloway. Galloway consisted of a store, the Country Merchant, gin, tractor sheds, and various other buildings used to house offices and equipment belonging to the "Squire", as he was known by his friends and adult family members. He and his wife Margaret raised three daughters in the home: Elizabeth, Grace, and Mary Louise. All of the children were college graduates and were fortunate to attend some of the best women's colleges in Virginia. After the WW2, Mark farmed several thousand acres in Pulaski County consisting of typical row crops, primarily cotton, beans, and corn. He created his own variety of corn.

Mark was a quiet, serious, man imbued with a highly intelligent wit. He was a student of government and kept apace of local and national politics, always ready to comment about the Arkansas and national politics. He seriously considered running for office at one time as did his father and grandfather. He was on the board of several local institutions in Little Rock including Union National Bank.

His favorite pastimes included duck hunting on nearby lakes as well as fishing. I can remember his trips to the White River in North Arkansas and his stays at Gaston's, a famous trout resort on the upper White River at Flippin, AR.

He was married to Margaret Young, who had inherited much of the land on the Valentine farm. My grandmother, Nana, was born in Pulaski County, but spent her formative years including a classical education in North Carolina, where she lived with her grandparents. She was a lovely, sweet person. They celebrated their 50th Anniversary together.

Sources

Robert Y. Williamson, grandson. Letters and other primary sources.

"United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MN71-SBN : 14 July 2016), Mark Valentine in household of Mark Valentine, Mcconnell, Chicot, Arkansas, United States; citing enumeration district ED 26, sheet 314C, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0040; FHL microfilm 1,254,040.