Person Page

     Eugene B. Cawthon was born on 4 December 1858 in Ouachita Co., Arkansas.³ He married first Emma G. Ponder, daughter of Nathaniel T. Ponder and Lucinda Bowditch Morse, on 24 April 1892 at the bride's parents' home in Ouachita Co.^1,4,5 He married second Fannie Jordan on 13 May 1894 in Ouachita Co.² He died on 28 April 1945 in Ouachita Co. at age 86.⁶ He was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Camden, Ouachita Co.⁷
     At the time of his marriage in 1892 he was the deputy county clerk for Ouachita Co., Arkansas.⁴

     Elizabeth V. Ponder was born about 1914.^1,3,4 She married Joseph Franklin Rushton, son of Henry Rushton and Parrie Mullins, on 18 August 1937 at the groom's sister's home in Magnolia, Columbia Co., Arkansas.^5,2 She died on 20 November 1992.⁶ She was buried at Magnolia City Cemetery (Plot E1) in Magnolia.^6,7
     She graduated on 15 May 1931 from Magnolia A&M College (then a junior college, now Southern Arkansas University) in Magnolia, Columbia Co., Arkansas, with a degree in education.⁸
     She and her husband Joseph lived in Magnolia, and are listed there in the 1940 and 1950 censuses.^3,4 She was working as a bookkeeper for an auto company in 1940.

     Joel Maurice Ponder was born on 21 November 1916 in Haughton, Bossier Parish, Louisiana.^1,3 He married Margaret Elizabeth Childress, daughter of Leo L. Childress and Viva Leslie, on 6 April 1945 at Rison Methodist Church in Rison, Cleveland Co., Arkansas.^4,2 He died on 24 February 1995 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Co., Oklahoma, at age 78.¹ He was buried at Magnolia Memorial Park Cemetery (Sect./row D) in Magnolia, Columbia Co., Arkansas.⁵
     In 1935 he was living in Cleveland Co., Arkansas, probably with his father and stepmother. By 1940 he had moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Co., Oklahoma, where he was listed in the census as one of eight lodgers in a boarding house run by Marvin and Myrtle Miller.⁶
     He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, enlisting in Oklahoma City as a private on 31 December 1941⁷, and served 28 months overseas in north Africa and Italy.^1,2 He was discharged on 13 September 1945, five months after his marriage.³
     He and his wife Margaret are listed in Oklahoma City in the 1950 census.⁸ For many years he worked in sales for J. C. Penney, then moved to Sears in Oklahoma City, retiring from there after 17 years.¹

     Minnie McWilliams was born on 22 November 1888 in Arkansas.² She married Newitt Vick Ponder, son of Nathaniel T. Ponder and Lucinda Bowditch Morse, on 15 September 1925 in Columbia Co., Arkansas.¹ She died on 3 June 1965 at the Taylor Nursing Home in Taylor, Columbia Co., at age 76 from a heart attack.² She was buried at Magnolia Memorial Park Cemetery in Magnolia, Columbia Co.²
     She and her husband Newitt are listed in Brister Twp., Columbia Co., Arkansas, in the 1930 census, along with his children Elizabeth and Morris [sic] from his first marriage.³ By 1940 they had moved to Kingsland, Cleveland Co., Arkansas,⁴, and she was then working as a seamstress with the W.P.A.⁴ Newitt is listed in Johnson Twp., Union Co., Arkansas, in 1950⁵, while she is listed as a patient at the Arkansas Tuberculosis Sanatorium in Booneville, Logan Co., Arkansas.⁶

     Joseph Franklin Rushton was born on 23 March 1906 in Emerson, Columbia Co., Arkansas.¹ He married Elizabeth V. Ponder, daughter of Newitt Vick Ponder and Mary Elizabeth McAnn, on 18 August 1937 at the groom's sister's home in Magnolia, Columbia Co.^2,3 He died on 4 September 1983 at Warner Brown Hospital in El Dorado, Union Co., Arkansas, at age 77.⁴ He was buried on 6 September 1983 at Magnolia City Cemetery (Plot E1) in Magnolia.^4,5
     He graduated from Ouachita Baptist College (now Ouachita Baptist University) in Arkadelphia, Clark Co., Arkansas, then from the University of Arkansas Medical School in Little Rock, Pulaski Co., Arkansas, and later had some additional training at Tulane University in New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana.⁴ After a two-year surgical residency at Charity Hospital in Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana,^4,3 he began his medical practice in Magnolia, Columbia Co., Arkansas, in 1934.⁴ He is listed there with his wife Elizabeth in the 1940 and 1950 censuses.^6,7
     He was a member of several medical societies, and served as president of the Columbia County Medical Society. He was also a board member of the Baptist Medical Center System for eighteen years, and of the Arkansas State Hospital for three years.⁴
     He was involved with various civic organizations in Magnolia. He was a charter member and past president of the Rotary Club, president of the Chamber of Commerce, a director of the First National Bank for many years, and the first chairman of the Columbia County United Fund. He also helped establish the Magnolia Broadcasting Company and served as its first president.⁴
     He was active with education and youth organizations. He was a school board member in Magnolia for 21 years, and president for 16 years; a member of the Arkansas Board of Higher Education for 14 years, and served as its secretary; and director of the Sunday School at Central Baptist Church in Magnolia for 18 years. He was a member, and president for three years, of the executive board of the DeSoto Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and a member of the National Council from 1968 until his death in 1983.⁴
     In the late 1960s and early 1970s he was involved in a court case arising from his position as a director of the First National Bank in Magnolia. He had endorsed notes for Numark Manufacturing Co. totaling $158,240.40, and when the company went bankrupt, the bank held him liable for the debt. He sued the bank in Columbia County Chancery Court, but the judge ruled in the bank's favor. He appealed, and in April 1868 the Arkansas Supreme Court reversed the decision and ordered a new trial, saying the lower court should not have allowed William Eckert, an attorney for the bank, to attend all the sessions since he was also a witness in the case.⁸
     In the re-trial, the Columbia County Chancery Court ruled in his favor, making the bank liable. The bank then appealed a part of the ruling, over a specific note for $97,787.77, saying that that caused the total amount loaned to Numark to exceed the bank's limit of $100,000 to a single borrower, and that Rushton was therefore personally liable. The Arkansas Supreme Court, however, affirmed the lower court's decision, saying that a trustee was personally liable only if he knowingly broke the law.⁹

     Margaret Elizabeth Childress was born on 10 June 1917 in Kingsland Twp., Cleveland Co., Arkansas.² She married Joel Maurice Ponder, son of Newitt Vick Ponder and Mary Elizabeth McAnn, on 6 April 1945 at Rison Methodist Church in Rison, Cleveland Co.^1,3 She died on 25 May 2001 at the home of her nephew Edward L. Parham in Pine Bluff, Jefferson Co., Arkansas, at age 83.⁴ She was buried at Magnolia Memorial Park Cemetery in Magnolia, Columbia Co., Arkansas.⁵
     She graduated from Kingsland High School in Kingsland, Cleveland Co., Arkansas, then attended Arkansas A&M College (now the University of Arkansas) in Monticello, Drew Co., for a time.³
     After her marriage she moved to her husband's home in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Co., Oklahoma,⁴ and they are listed there together in the 1950 census.⁶ She was a department manager at the John A. Brown Department Store in Oklahoma City, retiring in 1980.⁴

     Cora St. Clair Morse was born on 22 December 1857 in Newton Center, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.² She died about 2 April 1858. (The date is from online Mount Auburn Cemetery records, which say her service was on 4 April 1858. A biographical sketch of her brother Richard says she died in October 1860, but she is not listed with her parents in the 1860 census, enumerated on 26 September.)^3,1,4 She was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery (Lily Path, Lot 502) in Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.³

     Grace Dana Morse was born on 10 January 1859 in Newton Center, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.¹ She died on 1 April 1869 in Sudbury, Middlesex Co., at age 10 from scarlet fever.³ She was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery (Lily Path, Lot 502) in Cambridge, Middlesex Co.⁴

     Francis Bowditch Morse was born in April 1862 in Massachusetts.^4,1 He died on 20 February 1936 in Sudbury, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, at age 73.^5,6 He was buried on 24 February 1936 at Mount Auburn Cemetery (Lily Path, Lot 502) in Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.^5,7
     He is listed in Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, in the censuses from 1900 to 1930, in Medfield from 1900 to 1920, and in Millis in 1930. In 1900 and 1910 a servant, Margaret Crothers, was living with him, and he was listed as a farmer.^4,8,9,10 In January 1907 his brother Richard wrote "My brother Frank is quite well and manages to keep pretty busy with four cows, one horse, some poultry, and a wood lot."¹¹
     He apparently also lived with Richard for a time in Florham Park, Morris Co., New Jersey, starting in 1912. In a letter from there dated 31 December 1912 Richard wrote "My brother and I passed the holiday at our new home here which I purchased last May."¹²
     He seems to have suffered from ill health, starting by 1912. In that same 1912 letter Richard wrote "I am sorry to say that my brother's health does not seem to improve. He suffers more in cold weather and he is unable to get around this winter as well as he did last. He is a physical wreck."¹² And, no occupation is listed for him in the 1920 or 1930 census.^9,10

     Richard Dana Morse was born on 16 March 1864 in Newton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.¹ He died on 21 August 1933 in Maplewood Twp., Essex Co., New Jersey, at age 69.³ He was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery (Lily Path, Lot 502) in Cambridge, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.^3,4
     He graduated from Yale College (now Yale University) in New Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut, in 1887, and from Columbia Law School in Manhattan, New York Co., New York, in 1889.¹ He passed the bar exam that spring, on 16 May 1889 in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess Co., New York.⁵
     He worked in the offices of John E. Parsons for a little over a year, then in early 1891 set up his own practice. He soon decided that he wasn't quite ready for that, however, and went to work for Parrish & Pendleton. In 1894 he again set up his own office. That went well until business began to slow down about 1902, and in October of that year he joined the law department of Lawyer's Title Insurance & Trust Co. He left there in 1906 to head the mortgage business at Merrill & Rogers, but their business fell when the Panic of 1907 hit. He thought briefly about joining a project in Canada, but decided against it, and on 1 January 1909 joined Gifford, Hobbs & Beard, heading up their real estate and trust work. He left there after about two years when one of their clients, Fidelity Development Co., recruited him as Secretary of Liquidating Trustees.¹
     According to his biographical sketch in the 1915 record of Yale's 1887 class, he lived in New York City from 1887 to 1902, in East Orange, Essex Co., New Jersey, from 1902 to 1906, and in Roseland, Essex Co., from about 1906 to 1912.¹ In May or June 1912 he sold the family homestead in Medfield, and bought a six-acre "near" farm in Florham Park, Morris Co., New Jersey, where he lived at least part of the time with his brother Francis.^1,6,7
     He's listed in Manhattan in the 1900 census, as one of seven lodgers in the home of Robert G. Reese⁸, but after moving to New Jersey he apparently split his time between there and New York. He's again listed in Manhattan in the 1910 census, not New Jersey, boarding with the family of Lillian W. de Beck.⁹ He has not been found in the 1920 census, but letters he wrote from 1920 to 1922 make it clear that he typically closed up his house in Florham Park in December, and lived in New York City over the winter.^10,11,12
     He was still living in Florham Park in 1925¹³, and is listed in neighboring Morris Twp., Morris Co., in the 1930 census.¹⁴ He moved to Maplewood Twp., Essex Co., New Jersey, sometime between then and 1933.³
     He traveled to Europe at least once, sailing from New York on the SS Assyria and arriving in Glasgow, Scotland, on 14 July 1925.¹⁵ He returned to the U.S. less than two weeks later, sailing from Cherbourg, France, on the SS Orbita on 25 July, and arriving in New York on 4 August.¹⁶
     He was a member of the Bar Association of New York, the Order of Founders and Patriots of America, and the Sons of the American Revolution.¹

     Harry Kirk Morse was probably born on 19 May 1866 in Medway, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts.^2,3 (Another birth record says 9 May 1867¹, but the 1866 date is consistent with his death record and age at death of 2 years, 6 months, 14 days.) He died on 3 December 1868 in Sudbury, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, at age 2 from gastro enteritis.³ He was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery (Lily Path, Lot 502) in Cambridge, Middlesex Co.⁴

     James Dana Morse Hutchins was born on 13 January 1856 in Newton Center, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.¹ He married Alfreda E. Brown, daughter of Alfred S. Brown and Mary A. Hook, on 18 February 1880 in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.⁴ He died on 28 August 1919 at home in Brookline, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, at age 63 from a stroke.^5,6 He was buried on 30 August 1919 at Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston.⁵
     He and his wife Alfreda are listed in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts, in the 1880 and 1900 censuses. In 1880 they were living as boarders with Emeline Germond. In 1900 they were in their own home (rented), and a servant, Annie O'Kawen, was living with them.^7,8 By 1910 they had moved to Brookline, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, and their married daughter Josephine and her husband Robert Jones were then living with them.⁹
     They are listed at separate addresses in the 1915 Boston city directory, with James at 1029 South in Roslindale, and Alfreda at 1277 Commonwealth in Allston.¹⁰ James was at the same address in 1916, while Alfreda was living with their daughter Josephine and her husband Robert Jones at 1197 Beacon in Brookline.^11,12
     James suffered a stroke about 1916⁵, and the Boston city directories list his residence as Brookline in 1917 and 1918.¹³ He was living there with his sister Amelia and her husband Henry Frost at 60 Thorndike St., the same address listed as his residence on his death certificate.^14,15,5 Alfreda was then still living with her daughter Josephine's family at 1197 Beacon.¹⁶

     Alfreda E. Brown was born on 31 August 1856 in Jamaica Plains, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.² She married James Dana Morse Hutchins, son of Ezra St. Clair Hutchins and Mary Elizabeth Dana Morse, on 18 February 1880 in Boston, Suffolk Co.¹ She died on 12 May 1945 at Los Angeles County Hospital in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., California, at age 88 from circulatory collapse.² She was cremated at the Rosedale Crematorium in Los Angeles, and interred at Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston.³
     She and her husband James are listed in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts, in the 1880 and 1900 censuses. In 1880 they were living as boarders with Emeline Germond. In 1900 they were in their own home (rented), and a servant, Annie O'Kawen, was living with them.^4,5 By 1910 they had moved to Brookline, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts.
     They are listed at separate addresses in the 1915 Boston city directory, with James at 1029 South in Roslindale, and Alfreda at 1277 Commonwealth in Allston.⁶ James was at the same address in 1916, while Alfreda was living with their daughter Josephine and her husband Robert Jones at 1197 Beacon in Brookline.^7,8
     James suffered a stroke about 1916⁹, and the Boston city directories list his residence as Brookline in 1917 and 1918.¹⁰ He was living there with his sister Amelia and her husband Henry Frost at 60 Thorndike St., the same address listed as his residence on his death certificate.^11,12,9 Alfreda was then still living with her daughter Josephine's family at 1197 Beacon.¹³
     She's listed with Josephine and Robert in Brookline in the 1920 census¹⁴, and probably continued living with them there until 1930. (Alfreda is only listed in three Brookline city directories from 1920 to 1930, but they're at the same address in 1920, 1925, and 1930.)¹⁵
     She moved to Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., California, possibly by 1935, and certainly by 1939^16,17, and is listed there in the 1940 census, living at the Post Hotel at 720 S. Westlake.¹⁶

     Amelia Miriam Hutchins was born on 24 September 1858 in Newton Center, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.³ She married first Joshua Loring Woodward, son of Vernon Crosby Woodward and Eleanor C. Loring, on 12 March 1879 in Sherborn, Middlesex Co.⁴ She married second Henry Clinton Frost, son of Simeon F. Frost and Maria Abbott, on 7 March 1889 in Framingham, Middlesex Co.⁵ She died on 19 May 1940 in Brookline, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, at age 81.⁶ She was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery (Lily Path, Lot 502) in Cambridge, Middlesex Co.^6,7
     She and her first husband Joshua are listed in Waltham, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, in the 1880 census, along with two laborers, Edward Clark and Thomas Martin, who were working on their farm.⁸
     She is listed with her second husband Henry in Brookline, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, in the censuses from 1900 to 1920, and her widowed mother Mary was listed with them in 1900 and 1910.^9,10,11 She is listed there on her own, at the same address, 60 Thorndike St., in the 1930 census.¹²
     In an 1896 letter her mother wrote that she was "very musical, teaches Piano, Organ, and Violin,"¹³ and she was listed as a music teacher in the 1900, 1910, and 1930 censuses.^9,10,12

     Henry Clinton Frost was probably born on 25 September 1865 in Upton, Oxford Co., Maine.^2,7 (The 1900 census says September 1862. The 1865 date from the Hutchins and Abbott genealogies is unsourced, but is consistent with his age in the 1870 and 1880 censuses.)^8,6,4 He married Amelia Miriam Hutchins, daughter of Ezra St. Clair Hutchins and Mary Elizabeth Dana Morse, on 7 March 1889 in Framingham, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.⁵ He died on 12 June 1926 at his home at 60 Thorndike St. in Brookline, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, at age 60.⁹ He was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery (Lily Path, Lot 502) in Cambridge, Middlesex Co.¹⁰
     He and his wife Amelia are listed in Brookline, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, in the censuses from 1900 to 1920. Amelia's widowed mother Mary was listed with them in 1900 and 1910.^8,11,12
     He was working as a bookkeeper at the time of his marriage in 1889⁵, and was listed as a milliner (hat designer/maker) in the 1900 and 1910 censuses.^8,11 He later worked for 12 years as the cashier at the Parker House hotel in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts.⁹
     He was well known in Brookline, where he was active in civic affairs, and an accomplished musician.⁹