STEELE WASSON, ELIZABETH R. - Benton County, Arkansas | ELIZABETH R. STEELE WASSON - Arkansas Gravestone Photos

Elizabeth R. STEELE WASSON

Springtown (Springtown) Cemetery
Benton County,
Arkansas

William
Feb 14 1850 - July 5 1907

*Obitury
Rogers Democrat
Wednesday, July 10, 1907

WASSON, W.D. - W.D. Wasson died Friday evening at his home at Springtown, the result of the injuries received by a fall from a ladder the week previous. He received internal injuries that were more serious than at first anticipated although for a time last week it was thought he could recover. Funeral services were held at Springtown Sunday and were largely attended by friends from all parts of the county. It was one of the largest funerals ever held in Benton county and it is estimated that not less than twelve hundred people were present. A number of Masonic and Odd Fellow lodges from nearby points attended in a body and the little town was so crowded that it was possible for only a small per cent to secure accommodations. The funeral services were held in a large tent in which special revival meetings were being held by the M.E. Church, South but not half the people were able to be seated. Services were conducted jointly by Rev. Sherman, presiding elder of the district, Rev. Johnson of Van Buren, a former presiding elder, and by Rev. Armstrong, local pastor of the M.E. church, South. Services at the cemetery were conducted by the Masons. It was certainly a remarkable demonstration of the high esteem in which the deceased was held. There were about fifty persons from Rogers, Bentonville and Springdale in the delegation that went from here over the Rogers Southwestern and at Cave Springs they were joined by almost the entire Odd Fellows lodge of that place. Few men have played a more important part in the commercial development and advancement of Benton county than Mr. Wasson and his death will occasion regret where he was known. Born in Boone county, Ark. February 14, 1850 he went with his parents to Washington county where he spent his boyhood days. In 1876 he was married to Miss Elizabeth R. Steele of Elm Springs and that same year gave up farming and entered the mercantile business at Springtown, where he has ever since made his home. A number of years ago, while returning from the Democrat National Convention at Kansas City, Mr. Wasson told the Democrat editor of some of his early experiences at Springtown. All freight was hauled from points in Missouri and all produce had to be marketed there or at Ft. Smith. By careful business management he made money, built a brick store building, developed one of the best businesses in the county, managed a paying farm and found time for other enterprises. To Mr. Wasson is due the first telephone system in that section and at Gentry, and at the time of his death he was one of the heaviest stockholders in the North Arkansas Telephone Co., the largest system in Northwest Arkansas. To Mr. Wasson is also due in a large measure the fact that the Rogers Southwestern was built to Springtown for it had long been his ambition to have a railroad and when the opportunity was presented he did not hesitate. A life long democrat, he took an active part in the politics of the county and state and was a frequent delegate to the state conventions. He attended the M.E. church, South, was an Odd Fellow and a prominent Master and Royal Arch Mason. Mr. Wasson leaves a wife and seven children: two daughters, Mrs. Joe Clemmer of Springtown and Mrs. J.M. Pittman of Hot Springs, being the only ones married, while the others are still at home. To the bereaved family we offer our sympathy.

Elizabeth
Aug 4 1853 - Oct 25 1935

Contributed on 1/14/13 by wfields55
Email This Contributor

Suggest a Correction

Record #: 812767

To request a copy of this photo for your own personal use, please contact our state coordinator. If you are not a family member or the original photographer — please refrain from copying or distributing this photo to other websites.

Additional STEELE WASSON Surnames in SPRINGTOWN (SPRINGTOWN) Cemetery

Thank you for visiting the Arkansas Gravestone Photo Project. On this site you can upload gravestone photos, locate ancestors and perform genealogy research. If you have a relative buried in Arkansas, we encourage you to upload a digital image using our Submit a Photo page. Contributing to this genealogy archive helps family historians and genealogy researchers locate their relatives and complete their family tree.

Submitted: 1/14/13 • Approved: 1/14/13 • Last Updated: 1/17/13 • R812767-G812765-S3

Surnames  |  Other GPP Projects  |  Contact Us  |  Terms of Use  |  Site Map  |  Admin Login