Andrew J. F. Gist
SOURCE: The Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1889
Contributed by Michael Brown
18 Oct 1998
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SEBASTIAN CO
Andrew J. F. Gist, a prominent farmer and stock raiser of Dayton Township, was
born in Missouri, November 2, 1839, and is a son of Aaron and Elizabeth
(Morrison) Gist, who removed to Missouri from Tennessee about that year, and
in 1844 settled near Greenwood, Sebastian Co., Ark., where they lived one year,
and then moved in the vicinity of where our subject now lives. The father is
now seventy-seven years of age. He has always been an industrious farmer, and
for some time was engaged at the carriage trade, which he learned when young.
He is of Irish descent, and some of his ancestors fought in the early Indian
wars. He has been thrice married. His first wife died December 25, 1846. She
was the mother of five children, of whom Andrew J. F., and Lucy Ann, wife of
Charles Smith, of Choctaw Nation, are now living. By his second wife he had two
sons and two daughters, three of whom are living in different parts of the
West. Mr. Gist is now living with his fourth wife. He has been a member of the
Protestant Methodist Church many years, and has always been a Jackson Democrat,
his first presidential vote having been cast for Gen. Jackson. He was a Union
man during the war, and so left Arkansas during that time and lived North. He
began to teach school when quite young, and followed that vocation to some
extent until 1870, in Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas. In 1860 he lost his
left arm in a sorghum mill. Our subject was but five years old when he came to
Arkansas. At the age of fourteen he began life for himself, and for two years
worked for his board and clothes. He then clerked for a short time in a drug
store at Fort Smith, and then until 1859 worked at various things. He was then
united in marriage with Mary Ann, daughter of James and Elizabeth Hart, who
came to Arkansas (this county) from Missouri, in 1844. Mr. Hart died before
the war, but Mrs. Hart is still living. Mrs. Gist was born in this county, and
died in Choctaw Nation in 1864. August 2, 1866, Mr. Gist married, Elizabeth,
daughter of William and Mary Cowen, a native of Tennessee. Mrs. Gist died
September 9, 1880, leaving one child, who is now deceased. January 25, 1881,
our subject wedded Mattie, daughter of Elza and Martha Harlow, natives of
Missouri and Tennessee, respectively. In an early day they came to this
county, where Mrs. Gist was born. Mr. Harlow was of Irish parentage, and died
in Sebastian County, as did his wife.