William Thomas CAPERTON

November 7, 1857 - October 24, 1929.
*See information at bottom of page regarding incorrect gravestone dates.

Son of Mary E Hartgraves & Thomas H Caperton, In the 1860 Census, the family was listed as living in Waylands Springs, District 1, Lauderdale, Tennessee. William Thomas was noted as being age 2 and his year of birth, 1858. His mother's birthplace was noted as Alabama. His father's birthplace was noted as Tennessee.

By the 1870 Census, William and his family moved to Lawrence, Alabama (Township 4, Range 9). His age was noted as 14 and date of birth "abt 1856." At age of 22, William Thomas was still in Lawrence Alabama but resided in the home of Charles Aston, the husband of his sister, Elizabeth "Bettie" Caperton Aston (1880 Census). His year of birth was noted as "abt 1858."

At age 26, William Thomas Caperton married Martha "Mattie" Matilda Carter on July 26, 1885, in Sebastian County, Arkansas. She was the daughter of Seaborn Thomas Carter and Hannah Smith Carter, born in Alabama. William Thomas & Mattie remained in Arkansas and made their home in Sebastian County near the small community of Bloomer where William farmed. The family was enumerated in the in the 1910 Census with William's birth year again listed as 1858.

From the marriage of William Thomas Caperton and Martha "Mattie" Matilda Carter, seven children survivied including one daughter and six sons: Olive "Ollie," Charles Franklin, Alvin "Alvie" Joseph, Thomas, John Alexander, Samuel S., and Andrew Jackson Caperton. Mattie and William were also the parents of two infants, Allie and William, who died before their first birthday. The babies are buried next to William and Mattie at Oak Valley Cemetery in Sebastian County, Arkansas. William Thomas was also preceded in death by his son John.

Fentress Funeral Home records on file at the Fort Smith Public Library note the following information: that his wife was Mrs Mattie Caperton; that they resided at Rye Hill, Mill Creek, Sebastian County, Arkansas; that he had one sister, Bettie Aston of Town Creek, Alabama; and that he had one brother, 1 daughter and 5 sons. Unlike the Arkansas Death Index which records the date of death for William Thomas Caperton as October 25, 1929, the funeral home record indicates that his date of death was October 24, 1929.

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OBITUARY

"WIDELY KNOWN FARMER IS DEAD AT RYE HILL"

William T Caperton Who Became Resident of County 45 Years Ago, Passes Away at Home

William T Caperton, 71 years old, widely known retired farmer of the Greenwood district, died at his home in the Rye Hill community at 4 o'clock Thursday afternoon, following an illness of several months.

Mr Caperton had been a resident of the southern part of Sebastian county for 45 years, coming to the district from Alabama, where he was born Nov 7, 1857. He was a member of the Oak Valley Baptist Church eight miles northeast of Greenwood.

Funeral arrangements were not complete late Thursday night. The funeral service will probably be conducted sometime Saturday and burial will be in the Oak Valley cemetery. The body was removed from the Fentress mortuary to the home Thursday night.

Mr Caperton is survived by his wife, Mrs Mattie Caperton; five sons, C F Caperton of Greenwood, A J Caperton and Alvi Caperton, Fort Smith, and Sam and Tom Caperton of Oklahoma City, Okla; one daughter, Mrs Ollie Cumbie, Oceola, Ark; one brother, John Caperton, Town Creek, Ala; and one sister, Mrs Betty Aston, also of Town Creek, Ala"

SOURCE: Scrap book clippings book on file at the Fort Smith Public Library, Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas, dated October 1929.

Contributed on 1/6/13

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Record #: 807249

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