Wednesday’s Wonderful Collection - Griffin Smith papers, SMC.30.3

Griffin Smith, Sr., (1885-1955) was Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court from 1937-1955 and an influential Arkansas newspaperman, business leader, and attorney. He was born in DeKalb County, Tennessee, on July 13, 1885, the son of Napoleon and Louisa Watkins Smith. He lost both parents before he turned sixteen and was raised by a distant relative, Rutledge Smith, a Cookeville, Tennessee, newspaper publisher who taught the younger Smith the trade.

Smith moved to Arkansas in 1911 and married Amelia Daggett (1889-1982) of Marianna. They had two children, a daughter, Sheffield (Mrs. Drew) Lander (1913-2003), and a son, Griffin Smith, Jr. (1915-2000).

The Smiths lived briefly in Bonham, Texas, where Smith worked as a linotype operator, but returned to Arkansas after he became editor and part owner of the Paragould Daily Press and the weekly Paragould Soliphone, two publications that he eventually owned outright. When World War I broke out, Smith reported from France to the Paragould newspapers. The Arkansas Gazette, the Memphis Commercial Appeal, and the United Press also carried his dispatches from the trenches.

After ten years as an editor, Smith decided to pursue a law degree at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee. He passed both the Tennessee and Arkansas bar exams and then moved his family to California, where he studied more law at Stanford University and bought a newspaper at Paso Robles. The family returned to Arkansas in 1926 and Smith opened a law practice in Marianna.

In 1932, Governor Harvey Parnell named Smith to fill an unexpired term as State Comptroller. Smith announced himself as a candidate for governor in 1936 but then changed his mind and instead campaigned successfully for chief justice.

Smith was speaking at First Christian Church in El Dorado, Arkansas, when he suffered a heart attack and collapsed. He died about six hours later, on April 29, 1955, and is buried in Little Rock's Roselawn Cemetery.

This collection consists of correspondence and other papers belonging to Griffin Smith, Sr.

·         Professional and political correspondence (Reel MG00217)

o    1. 1919 June 11: Griffin Smith, Paragould, to Edgar Herrick, Electra, Texas

o    2. 1919 December 6: Griffin Smith, Paragould, to W.E. Pevehouse, Burkburnett, Texas

o    3. 1919 December 17: Harvey G. Combs, Little Rock, to Para-Tex Oil Company, Paragould

o    4. 1919 December 19: Colter Hamilton Moses, Little Rock, to Sam McHaney, Paragould

o    5. 1920 January 5: Colter Hamilton Moses, Little Rock, to Griffin Smith, Paragould

o    6. 1920 April 3: Griffin Smith, Paragould, to G.A. Burr, Paragould

o    7. 1920 May 8: Sam McHaney, Paragould, to Griffin Smith, Paragould

o    8. 1920 June 25: Griffin Smith, Paragould, to B.F. Lewis, Peach Orchard, Arkansas

o    9. 1920 September 10: Griffin Smith, Paragould, to the Southwestern Press Clipping Bureau, Topeka, Kansas

o    10. 1920 September 23: Mrs. Tom Summers, Peach Orchard, Arkansas, to the Paragould Soliphone

o    11. 1920 September 25: Griffin Smith, Paragould, to Mrs. Tom Summers, Peach Orchard, Arkansas

o    12. 1926 October 20: Griffin Smith, Marianna, to Thaddeus Horatius Caraway, Jonesboro

o    13. 1926 October 21: Thaddeus Horatius Caraway, Jonesboro, to Griffin Smith, Marianna

o    14. 1926 October 22: T.H. Caraway, Jonesboro, to Griffin Smith, Marianna (telegram)

o    15. 1926 October 22: Griffin Smith, Marianna, to T.H. Caraway, Senath, Missouri (telegram)

o    16. 1926 October 23: Caraway, Senath, Missouri, to Smith, Marianna (telegram)

o    17. 1926 October 27: Thaddeus Caraway at Daughters of American Revolution commemorative site marking (speech)

o    18. 1926 November 3: T.H. Caraway, Jonesboro, to Griffin Smith, Marianna

o    19. 1926 December 9: T.H. Caraway, Washington, District of Columbia, to Griffin Smith, Marianna

o    20. 1926 December 11: Griffin Smith to T.H. Caraway

o    21. 1926 December 14: T.H. Caraway to Griffin Smith

o    22. 1926 December 17: Griffin Smith to Mrs. A. Bertig and family

o    23. 1927 January 13: William P. Sadler, Little Rock, to Griffin Smith, Marianna

o    24. 1927 May 31: Charles Ebenezer Daggett, Marianna, to Griffin Smith, Marianna

o    25. 1927 June 6: R.Q. Lillard, Nashville, Tennessee, to Griffin Smith, Marianna

o    26. 1927 June 16: Griffin Smith, Marianna, to T.H. Caraway, Jonesboro

o    27. 1927 June 17: T.H. Caraway to Griffin Smith

o    28. 1927 November 17: T.H. Caraway, Washington, District of Columbia, to Griffin Smith, Marianna

o    29. 1927 November 21: Griffin Smith to T.H. Caraway

o    30. 1927 November 25: T.H. Caraway to Griffin Smith

o    31. 1927 December 3: Griffin Smith to T.H. Caraway

o    32. 1928 January 3: Griffin Smith, Marianna, to T.H. Caraway, Washington, District of Columbia

o    33. 1928 January 18: T.H. Caraway to Griffin Smith

o    34. 1928 January 23: T.H. Caraway to Griffin Smith

o    35. 1928 January 23: Griffin Smith to T.H. Caraway

o    36. 1928 January 28: Griffin Smith to T.H. Caraway

o    37. 1928 March 20: T.H. Caraway, Washington, District of Columbia, to Griffin Smith, Marianna

o    38. 1928 March 29: Griffin Smith to T.H. Caraway

o    39. 1931 January 9: T.H. Caraway, Washington, District of Columbia, to Griffin Smith, Marianna

o    40. 1931 January 12: Griffin Smith to T.H. Caraway

o    41. 1931 February 4: Griffin Smith, Marianna, to T.H. Caraway, Washington, District of Columbia (letter and report)

o    42. 1931 February 28: [Griffin] Smith and Fitzsimmons, Marianna, to T.H. Caraway, Washington, District of Columbia

o    43. 1931 November 21: Hatty [sic] Wyatt Caraway, Riverdale, Maryland, to Griffin Smith, Marianna

o    44. 1931 November 28: Mid-South Cotton Growers Association, Memphis, to Griffin Smith, Marianna (invoice)

o    45. 1931 November 28: "Federal Compress Company warehouse receipts"

o    46. "Arkansas Official Register, 1931-1932, compiled by Jim B. Higgins, Secretary of State"

o    47. 1932 January 2: Garrett Whiteside, Washington, District of Columbia, to Griffin Smith, Marianna

o    48. 1932 January 5: Griffin Smith to Garrett Whiteside

o    49. 1932 February 16: Griffin Smith, Marianna, to Eugene A. Skillern, St. Louis

o    50. 1932 February 16: Griffin Smith, Marianna, to H.W. Caraway, Washington, D.C.

o    51. 1932 March 16: Griffin Smith, Marianna, to H.W. Caraway, Washington, District of Columbia

o    52. Undated: T.H. Caraway to Griffin Smith on appointment of Griffin Smith, Jr., to United States Naval Academy

o    53. 1932 March 23: H.W. Caraway to Griffin Smith

o    54. 1932 May 15: Griffin Smith, Marianna, to H.W. Caraway, Washington, District of Columbia

o    55. 1932 May 27: H.W. Caraway to Griffin Smith

o    56. 1932 June 1: Griffin Smith, Marianna, to H.W. Caraway, Washington, District of Columbia

·         War Risk Insurance Claims correspondence

o    57. 1919, 1922, 1931-1932: Between H.W. Caraway, Griffin Smith, and officials from United States Treasury, United States Veterans Administration, United States Adjutant General's Office, United States Veterans Bureau, and American Red Cross

Retreat from Moscow Puzzle

We have delved into Arkansas history with our new jigsaw puzzle games! With today’s puzzle, we are highlighting an oil painting by Arkansas artist James M. Fortenbury called "The Retreat from Moscow."

Fortenbury was an artist living in Little Rock in the 1870s. He was commissioned to paint a copy of the "Arkansas Traveller" that was displayed at the 1876 Centennial Expedition in Philadelphia. James M. Fortenbury also painted several items in the Arkansas State Archives' collections, including portraits of Chester Ashley and Robert Ward Johnson, and paintings depicting The Battle of Palarm and Retreat from Moscow.

"The Retreat from Moscow" shows Napoleon's soldiers retreating in the snow in 1812. Following the rejection of his Continental System by Czar Alexander I, French Emperor Napoleon I invaded Russia with his Grande Armée of 500,000 soldiers and staff on June 24, 1812. As the French soldiers advanced, the Russians under Gen. Mikhail Kutuzov burned everything behind them as they retreated deeper and deeper into Russia. 

On Sept. 14, 1812, Napoleon arrived in Moscow intending to find supplies, instead he found almost the entire population had evacuated, and the Russian army had retreated again. After waiting a month for a surrender that never came, Napoleon was forced to retreat in order to save his army from the onset of the harsh Russian winter and starvation. By the time Napolean's troops made it back to France, more than 400,000 men in the Grande Armée had lost their lives.

You can enjoy the puzzles here or at jigsawplanet.com. If you want to change the difficulty level of the puzzle, you can adjust the number of pieces at the top each puzzles with the "Play As" drop down menu.

For more information about the online experiences we offer, including educational videos, visit our Facebook page or click here.

Weekly Puzzle - Arkansas Virgin Pine: Sentinels at Dawn!

You can enjoy the puzzles here or at https://www.jigsawplanet.com/ArkansasStateArchives!

If you want to change the difficulty level of the puzzle, you can adjust the number of pieces at the top each puzzles with the "Play As" drop down menu.

Arkansas Virgin Pine – Sentinels at Dawn

Oil painting on canvas entitled "Arkansas Virgin Pines-Sentinels at Dawn" by Leo J. Webster, painted in about 1939.  This is an interpretive painting of forest scene with pines, streams and animals. The painting is of a folk art style with limited use of perspective making it look flat. The plaque on the frame reads "Arkansas Virgin Pine -Sentinels at Dawn Presented to Arkansas History Commission by Claude A. Rankin and Leo J. Webster."  

Leo J. Webster (b. 12/09/1893 in Colorado, d. 10/17/1970) married Annie Wilkinson Webster (b.  05/31/1896, d. 08/20/1985) in Pope County, Arkansas. The census lists Leo J. Webster as living in North Little Rock in 1930 and 1940 with his wife Annie along with their children Jane, William and Marguerite/Margaret Webster.  Leo J. Webster served in the US Navy during World War II. Both Leo J. Webster and his wife Annie W. Webster are buried in the Houston National Cemetery in Houston, Texas. 

Start a family research project online!

Image courtesy of Ronda Walters.

This photo shows a ticket receipt for 

a family moving from Arkansas 

to California during the Great Depression.

Today’s technology provides a great outlet for people who are curious about how their ancestors dealt with times of crisis, like the one we face now. During this time of social distancing, beginning researchers can learn more about their own genealogy and family histories while staying at home.   

Genealogy is defined as a line of descent traced from an ancestor (child to parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc.), while family history puts that lineage into the context of history, which consists of local, state, national and international events. 

Much like a detective at a crime scene, genealogists start with known information. The researcher first documents his or her own date and place of birth, marriage(s)/divorce(s), places of residence, schools attended, occupations and important historical events. Next, document the same type of information, plus any death and burial dates, for parents, siblings and extended family members. To do this, researchers can talk with older relatives to gain insight into ways family members lived day-to-day. Older relatives often have records, tips or insight into finding other family members who might have been missed. 

Searching for records on extended family members also gives researchers a broad understanding of their family. This is important for discovering how family members reacted and lived within their own historical contexts. For example, during the Great Depression, family members might have moved to different states to find employment. Knowing the historical context can help researchers find out where else to look for more documentation.  

Next, create a timeline for family members, and place each family member within the context of the broader timeline of historical events. There are multiple websites dedicated to world and U.S. historical events that may be useful. For example, the Library of Congress’s World Digital Library allows researchers to navigate timelines by places, dates and topics. Arkansas-specific timelines are available on multiple websites, including sites like the Secretary of State and Historic Arkansas Museum.  

Also, the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives, a branch of the Arkansas State Archives, provides great resources to help research family lineage as well as placing that lineage within the context of Arkansas history. Although SARA and ASA are closed to the public during the COVID-19 epidemic, staff are monitoring email requests to help researchers. Staff can perform reference lookups and limited research assistance when provided with names and narrow, specific date ranges. Some research records also are available online at archives.arkansas.gov.  

Other sites may help get researchers started, including the free FamilySearch.org, which is a shared resource on family histories. Cyndislist.com is another valuable free site to use as a starting point to find helpful family history resources.  

Not everything on the internet is true, so just like detectives, researchers must verify and interpret clues and corroborate evidence. There are free sites to help researchers learn more about genealogy proof standards, which should be followed in order to make one’s work credible. Check out the National Genealogical Society’s website ngsgenealogy.org under the Learning Center tab for more information. For Arkansas specific resources, check out the Arkansas Genealogical Society’s website agsgenealogy.org.  

There are a variety of reasons why researching family history is important, and they can depend on the individual researcher. For some, it can create a sense of well-being and pride knowing the struggles and accomplishments of one’s ancestors.  For others, it’s important to know family health history. There also is the joy of reconnecting with long lost family members and bringing about healing and forgiveness for past wrongs or misunderstandings between family members. 

As always, the staff at SARA is here to help. Please don’t hesitate to send questions to southwest.archives@arkansas.gov or call 870-983-2633.