[basham.ged]
1900 Census Johnson County Arkansas E D 45/1/19
1910 Census Johnson County Arkansas E D 66/314
Family Group Sheet In Ila Eckstadt Files
Viola Basham Cathey Info Bd 32 Page 4
Lawyer In Johnson County Arkansas
Info From Betty Ruth Morris Correspondence
Biography Document In Arkansas File
Cemetery Info In Johnson County Arkansas File
Judge Hugh Basham, member of the Clarksville bar, whose record as a la
wy er and jurist reflects credit and honor upon the judicial history of t
he s tate, was born July 25, 1855, on a farm in Johnson County and through
out h is life he has continued to make his home in Johnson County, Arkansa
s, ide ntified with many of the most progressive elements which have l
ed to the u pbuilding of the state. He comes of Scotch ancestry, his gran
dfather havi ng been Jonathan Basham, who was born in Scotland and serv
ed an apprentice ship at the cabinetmaker's trade in Edinborough.
Following his removal to the new world he settled in Virginia, whe
re he e ngaged in the work of his trade for a number of years and at an ea
rly peri od in the settlement of Arkansas he took up his abode in this sta
te. He re he purchased a farm and devoted the latter part of his life to g
ener al agricultural pursuits. He was the father of Olinver Basham, who w
as bo rn in Virginia and pursued his education in the Old Dominion, aft
er whi ch he came to Arkansas at the age of nineteen years, his birth havi
ng occu rred April 12, 1819. He was killed in September, 1864, at Pilot K
nob, Mis souri, while serving in the Civil War having become a lieutena
nt colon el in the ranks of the Confederacy.
In early manhood he married Martha Patrick, who was born in Alabama, A
pr il 24, 1825 and was a daughter of John W. Patrick, who was reared in Al
aba ma, to which state he went in his boyhood days. There he was marri
ed a nd in 1828 became one of the pioneer settlers of Arkansas, taki
ng up his a bode on a farm about a mile from Clarksville, where he lived f
or a numb er of years. In 1849 he went to California, and there made consi
derable mo ney but afterward suffered losses in a further attempt to ga
in a fortu ne in the mining regions of the far west.
He was one of the veterans of the Mexican War. By her marriage to Oli
nv er Basham, his daughter, Martha, became the mother of nine children, t
hr ee of whom are living: Dilla, the wife of C. O. Kimball, a retired har
ne ss dealer of Little Rock; Hugh, of this review; and Dr Olinver Basha
m, w ho resides on the old homestead near Clarksville, having retired fr
om t he practice of medicine.
Mrs Basham, the mother, died July 26, 1913. She was a member of the Cum
be rland Presbyterian Church and her entire life was guided by its teachi
ng s. In politics Mr Basham was a democrat and twice represented his dist
ri ct in the state legislature and was also filling the position of sta
te tre asurer when the Civil War broke out. He had likewise occupied t
he positi on of receiver of the land office in Clarksville for a peri
od of four year s. In business he had been very successful, had an excell
ent farm and w as the owner of six negro slaves. He was a very liberal ma
n, and was const antly extending a helping hand where aid was neede
d. He took as his sala ry in the office of state treasurer, war rents whi
ch proved worthless aft er the defeat of the Confederate cause. He, to
o, had enlisted for servi ce in the Mexican War in young manhood but was n
ot sent to the southern re public, spending the time of his enlistme
nt at Port Gibson. Throughout h is life he was ever loyal to any cause wh
ich he espoused and none question ed the integrity of his convictions, h
is sterling worth of character comma nding for him the respect and confide
nce of all who knew him. Judge Bash am pursued his early education in o
ne of the old log schools houses with i ts split log seats and other primi
tive furnishings. He early determin