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Frank Lee, merchant and farmer, New Hope, Ark. The sixth of nine children
in the family of his parents, Mathias and Sarah (Luckett) Lee, the subject
of this sketch was born in Maury County, Tenn., on July 22, 1821. His
father was a native of Rutherford County, N.C., and was a private in the
War of 1812. He was a Democrat in politics, and served for a number of years
as magistrate. He was also very active in church matters, and he and wife
were members of the Primitive Baptist Church. The father died in November
1860, at the age of seventy-four years, and the mother, who was a native of
Kentucky, died in 1853, when sixty-seven years of age. Frank Lee was
educated in the country schools of Alabama, and when nineteen years of age
started out to fight life's battles for himself. He first worked on a
flatboat, and also carried on farming for about thirty years. When about
nineteen years of age he was elected constable in St. Clair County, Ala.,
and served in the capacity for two years. He was then elected magistrate,
which position he filled for twenty years, and during that time held the
office of deputy sheriff for eight years. In 1862 he enlisted as lieutenant
in the Confederate army, Company D, Thirtieth Alabama Regiment. He was for
some time during the war engaged in boating coal from the Kidd & Co., coal
pits to the Selma Gun Foundry. He was in several skirmishes, but in no
active engagements. After the war he returned to his home in St. Clair
County, Ala., where he continued his former occupation until his removal to
Arkansas in 1873. He came to Howard County, resided there for seven years,
and in 1880 moved to New Hope, where he now resides engaged in mercantile
pursuits. He does an annual business of about $3000, and in connection with
this carries on agricultural pursuits, being the owner of a nice farm in
this county. Mr. Lee has been three times married; first to Miss Margaret
Walker, a native of Alabama, and the daughter of Charley and Kate Walker, of
Morgan County, Ala. To the first union of our subject were born four
children, two now living: William C. and Dallas. The former is in the lumber
business in Ouachita County, and the latter is married to Thomas Williamson,
who is a mechanic in Clark County. Mrs. Lee died in 1846 and Mr. Lee took
for his second wife, Miss Elizabeth Smith, in 1847. Eight children were
born to this marriage: Margaret, Felix B., Jane, Jerry C., James O.,
Josephine, Franklin P., and Douglas, who died in infancy. The second Mrs.
Lee died in 1860, and three years later Mr. Lee married Margaret (Stracener)
Smith, who was born in Alabama, and who is the daughter of Jefferson and
Phoebe (Fletcher) Stracener. Four children are the result of this union:
Alex B., Sallie S., Jeffylona, and Mack W. Sallie married E.L. Tatum, a
farmer and merchant of this county. Mr. Lee is a member of the Masonic
fraternity, having joined Croppill Lodge No. 247 in St. Clair County, Ala.,
in 1863, and he and wife are members of the Baptist Church. He is a
Republican in politics, and a liberal supporter of all laudable enterprises.
He has one hundred grandchildren, and fifteen great-grandchildren. His
daughter Josephine is the mother of thirteen and Margaret is the mother of
fourteen children.
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Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas, 1890, Pike County,
pages 331-332.
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