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From "A History of Texas and Texans" 1914 A little more than a quarter century ago, Joseph J. Mickle was a clerk in Fort Smith, Arkansas, drawing a meager salary and with only the prospects of time and destiny ahead of him. In Memphis, Texas, he is today known as one of the leading and most influential business men, and his interests comprise land, town real estate stocks in banks, investments in cattle and ranching, and other enterpries. Joseph J. Mickle was born in Sebastian county, Arkansas, April 18, 1863. His father, Archibald Mickle was born in Arkansas and died in that state in 1865, when his son Joseph was three years old. His death occurred at Newtonia, Missouri, while on his way home from the Civil war. He had enlisted and served in the Second Regiment of Arkansas Cavalry in the Union Army, and was commissary sergeant in his regiment. By occupation before the war he was a farmer and stockraiser, and enjoyed comfortaable prosperity. He was in politics a Republican, and a member of the Methodist church. The maiden name of his wife was Zilpha Bell, who was born in Tennessee, a daughter of Henry Bell, who was one of the pioneer settlers of Sebastian county, Arkansas, where his daughter was married to Mr. Mickle. She is now living in her eighty-first year, with her son, Joseph, at Memphis. The youngest of seven children, Joseph J. Mickle was educated in the public schools of his native county, and in Buckner College of Sebastian county. Considerable intervals seperated his attendance at school for from the age of thirteen he had become self-supporting, and earned his first money as a clerk in a store in Arkansas. He continued as a clerk for six years, and his first independent venture was in 1886 at Fort Smith where he had an interest in a general store. He continued to be known chiefly as a merchant until about five years ago. He had both a native and acquired ability to understand the wants of his patrons, and on this knowledge he built up a large and successful establishment wherever he located. Mr. Mickle became a resident of Texas on the first day of January, 1892, his first location being at Honey Grove in northeast Texas. He moved to Memphis in 1904, where he has been known as a merchant, as a real estate man and also a farmer and rancher. During six years' residence in Fort Worth he was in the wholesale hardware business, under the firm name of Mickle-Burgen Hardware Company. Later he was secretary and treasurer of the James Mickle-Schow Company of Fort Worth, a firm engaged both in manufacturing and in wholesaling. At the present time Mr. Mickle has stock and invested interests in commercial enterprises, banks, owns a good deal of land and cattle. He is the owner of sixty-four hundred acres of land in Roberts county, and five thousand acres in Randall county, stocked with high grade cattle. In Memphis he has built and owns a number of business and residential sturctures, including his very beautiful home. A Republican in politics, he has never sought any official position. He has taken thirty-two degrees of Scottish Rite Masonary, and is well known in Masonic circles. His is a member of the commercial club, is a steward in the Methodist church and for seven years was superintendent of the Sunday schools, and for a similiar term was chairman of the Board of Stewards. In National City, California, on Christmas Day of 1888, Mr. Mickle married Miss Georgia Horton, a native of Arkansas and a daughter of George R. Horton, who was born in Michigan, but was one of the early settlers of Arkansas, having been a jeweler and merchant at Fort Smith. The five children born to Mr. and Mrs. Mickle are named as follows: Omar Ogden; Ethel, deceased; Joseph J. Jr.; Georgie Ella; and Zilpha Margaret. Mr. Mickle's present position in life is due entirely to his own industry and efforts. When the war closed his mother was left with seven helpless children, and when the estate was sold she accepted Confederate money, which of course became almost at once valueless. Thus the son, Joseph, had to begin work as soon as he was able, and at the age of twelve had almost the entire responsibility of supporting the family. His ancestry on the paternal side is of Scotch descent, his grandfather having come from that country, but of Scotch Irish stock. Grandfather William Mickle settled in Virginia, having been accompanied by two brothers, Peter and Harmon. The maternal ancestors were early Tennesseeans, and of mingled English and Scotch stock. They were old setters of Sebastian county, Arkansas and members of the Bell family were doctors and merchants. |