Josiah Francis Earle (1828-1884) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree (2024)

Born 15 Sep 1828 in Camden, North Carolina, United States

[sibling(s) unknown]

[children unknown]

Died 7 Mar 1884at age 55in Crittenden, Arkansas, United States

Profile last modified 16 Jun 2024

This page has been accessed 13 times.

Biography

Josiah Francis Earle was born on September 15, 1828, in Camden County, North Carolina. As a young man, he relocated to Arkansas, where he settled in Crittenden County. By 1860, Earle was living in Jasper Township, Crittenden County, near the Mound City post office, and working as a court clerk. His mother, Nancy (Lamb) Earle, also resided in the county, although his father's identity remains unknown.

Earle made significant contributions to the development of Crittenden County, most notably by building the first weatherboarded house in the area. He chose a location on an Indian mound, ensuring it was safe from backwater floods that plagued the region annually. Despite the house's excellent condition and successful farming operations, the family's accessibility to Memphis was limited. They relied on steamboats from Scanlan's Landing, often enduring long waits and sometimes staying overnight with a flare as a signal for the boat. To mitigate the wait times, they constructed a shelter at the landing.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Earle enlisted in the Confederate Army at Marion, Crittenden County, on June 3, 1861. He was elected captain of the Crittenden Rangers, a company that enlisted into Confederate service on July 29, 1861, in Pocahontas, Randolph County, Arkansas. Initially part of the Sixth Arkansas Cavalry Battalion, Earle's unit saw action in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mississippi, including the Battle of Shiloh. After the battalion disbanded in April 1862, he joined Company A of the Second Arkansas Cavalry and fought at the Battle of Iuka and the Second Battle of Corinth. By January 1863, the company had transitioned to the Third Arkansas Cavalry, becoming Company E. The regiment engaged in the Battle of Thompson's Station and the Tullahoma Campaign in Tennessee. Earle was promoted to major on March 17, 1863, but resigned due to health issues on August 19, 1863, with his resignation accepted on September 1. He then returned to Arkansas.

After recovering, Earle organized and led a Confederate cavalry company in northeastern Arkansas. This company later joined two regiments of Arkansas Cavalry on January 17, 1866, forming a brigade tasked with patrolling the northeastern corner of the state. Earle's primary duties included searching for deserters and avoiding Federal patrols and gunboats. He surrendered with his company at Wittsburgh, Cross County, Arkansas, at the end of the war. Earle's highest rank was major of the Third Arkansas Cavalry, and he concluded the war commanding a company as a captain.

Following the war, Earle married Louisa Burrus Richards on November 15, 1865, in Crittenden County. The couple had four sons and two daughters, with both daughters and one son surviving into adulthood. During the Reconstruction era, Earle became a prominent figure in the Ku Klux Klan in Memphis, Tennessee. He was once captured by the Army, imprisoned in the Irving Block, and ordered to be taken to Hopefield Point for hanging. However, Klansmen rescued him after crossing the river.

In 1869, Earle was arrested on a Tennessee warrant for "assassination," but Arkansas refused to extradite him, as the crime was not defined under state law. By 1870, he was living in Proctor Township, Crittenden County, near Jones Landing, earning a living through farming. He continued farming in Proctor Township through 1880.

Josiah Francis Earle passed away on March 7, 1884, in Crittenden County. After his death, his wife Louisa built a station to encourage train stops, naming it after her husband. The town that grew around this station became known as Earle, Arkansas, commemorating his legacy.

Sources

• 1860 United States Federal Census: The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: Jasper, Crittenden, Arkansas; Roll: M653_40; Page: 852; Family History Library Film: 803040 Ancestry Record 7667 #13020202
• 1870 United States Federal Census: Year: 1870; Census Place: Proctor, Crittenden, Arkansas; Roll: M593_51; Page: 333A Ancestry Record 7163 #339935
• 1880 United States Federal Census: Year: 1880; Census Place: Proctor, Crittenden, Arkansas; Roll: 42; Page: 73a; Enumeration District: 060 Ancestry Record 6742 #5229491
• Arkansas, U.S., County Marriages Index, 1837-1957: Ancestry.com. Arkansas, U.S., County Marriages Index, 1837-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: "Arkansas County Marriages, 1838–1957." Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2009, 2011. "Arkansas County Marriages, 1838–1957," database, FamilySearch; from Arkansas Courts of Common Pleas and County Clerks. Digital images of originals housed at various county courthouses in the State of Arkansas. Marriage records. Ancestry Record 2548 #262389
• U.S., Confederate Officers Card Index, 1861-1865: Ancestry.com. U.S., Confederate Officers Card Index, 1861-1865 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2019. Original data: United States Confederate Officers Card Index, 1861-1865. Salt Lake City, UT, USA: FamilySearch, 2019. Ancestry Record 61982 #100162
• "Town Named for Josiah Earle", The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee, 13 Sep 1947, Sat. - Page 4. Newspapers Clip: 122435855, Accessed 16 Jun 2024.
• "Major Earle's Case", Public Ledger, Memphis, Tennessee, 4 Mar 1869, Thu. - Page 2. Newspapers Clip: 149428678, Accessed 16 Jun 2024.
• Sesser, David, Henderson State University, Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Last updated on 16 Jun 2023. "Josiah Francis Earle (1828–1884)." Accessed 16 Jun 2024.