Dr. C. D.
Niven, physician and surgeon, Rison, Ark. This young but
very successful physician is a native of Jefferson (now Cleveland County), Ark., and was
born six miles north of Rison, in 1856. His father, Hon. John Niven, was born in Anson
County, N. C., and was married there to Miss Elizabeth Timmons, a native also of Anson
County, N. C. In 1854 the parents moved to Mississippi and soon after to Arkansas,
settling in the woods north of Rison, where the mother died in 1869, at the age of
forty-one years. She was a member of the Methodist Church, having joined the same when
thirteen years of age. Mr. Niven was married the second time in 1870, and died in May,
1888, at the age of sixty-six years. He was also a member of the Methodist Church for many
years; was a member of the Masonic fraternity, Culpepper Lodge No. 186, Rison, and was
also of the Royal Arch Chapter. He was a very prominent Mason and a man well and favorably
known. In 1874 he was elected to represent his county in the Legislature, and in 1884 he
was elected to represent his district in the State Senate. After this he was for some time
supervisor of the county, an later still was probate judge a number of years. During the
war he served as a kind of general commissary to supply the families at home with
provisions. He was formerly a Whig, but later a decided Democrat in his political views.
He was a man of sober, sound judgment, broad intelligence and liberal, progressive ideas.
His father, John Niven, was a Scotchman, but came to the United States when a young man
and settled in North Carolina, where he died at the age of eightyone years. The maternal
grandfather, Samuel Timmons, was a farmer and died in North Carolina. Dr. C. D. Niven, the
fifth of eleven children, four now living, grew up to a farm experience, received the
rudiments of an education in the common schools, and in 1874 graduated from the University
of Alabama, at Greensboro, after a four years' course. In 1877 he graduated from Hospital
Medical College, of Louisville, Ky., and spent about a year practicing in the hospital
there. After this, he was about a year at Center, in Cleveland County, and later located
at Toledo, where he remained until 1883, when he spent about a year at Hot Springs. Since
then he has been located at Rison, where he has a good practice, is ever ready to obey the
call of all classes, and is in truth a physician of thorough learning and experience. He
is a member of the County Medical Board of Examiners. He was married in 1879 to Miss
Bettie Boyd, a native of Alabama, and the daughter of William and Elizabeth (Worthington)
Boyd, and the fruit of this union has been one child, a daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Boyd were
probably born is Alabama and came to this county at an early date. The father is still
living, and is eighty-three years of age, but the mother died a few years ago. The Doctor
has a fine house in Rison, has several dwellings, two good business houses, a farm of 138
acres, and has now an excellent practice, yielding annually $2,000. He is a Democrat in
politics, and his first presidential vote was cast for S. J. Tilden in 1876. He and Mrs.
Niven are members of the Methodist Church. |