His father was Joseph Talkington born in Arkansas and his mother, Rebecca Anne (Kirk) Talkington born in Tennesse about 1839.

They are enumerated in the 1870 census for Greenwood, Sebastain Co., Arkansas. In 1880 they are living at Center, Sebastain Co., Arkansas.

In July of 1888 Tom left Arkansas and went to Davenport, WA and then to Wilbur, WA which was just a few miles away.

He married Amanda Belle Long on 25 December 1895 Moscow, Lincoln County, WA. They had a one-room cabin in what was called The Lord's Valley.

In 1900 they are enumerated at Moscow, WA where he was farming. They had nine children.

Tom died quickly from a unexpected stroke of apoplexy in his home near Harrington. His headstone is next to the large Talkington Monument pictured in the bottom photo.

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Transcribed from "An Illustrated History of The Big Bend Country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin counties, State of Washington", published by Western Historical Publishing Co., 1904:

THOMAS E. TALKINGTON resides just east from Harrington and was born on January 9, 1864, in Sebastian county, Arkansas.

His parents were Joseph and Rebecca A. (Kirk) Talkington.

Thomas E. was reared on the old homestead and received his education from the common schools adjacent.

At the age of eighteen, he began to work for himself, taking up the business of buying and selling stock. This was followed until the spring of 1888, when he came west to Los Angeles, California. For a time he worked for wages and then journeyed on to Lincoln county, Washington.

He began work by the month here for a while then went into partnership with his father in handling school land. They raised some grain and stock and continued for several years.

In 1893, he and his brothers lost their entire crop, owing to the wet weather.

The following year, they raised eleven thousand bushels of number one wheat and sold the whole amount at an average of eighteen cents per bushel.

Owing to the failure of the year previous to this calamity, they were nearly broken up in business and our subject was over two thousand dollars in debt personally.

However, he had demonstrated one thing to his own satisfaction and that was that the Big Bend country would produce wheat. Knowing that, he remained in the country and accordingly went to work again.

In 1896, he secured good crops again and the following year he did as well.

In 1898, he purchased a half section of land and paid for the same with two crops, besides buying much machinery and doing other things.

Later, he sold that farm and bought two hundred and fifty-three acres where he now lives. The same is improved in first class shape. A fine ten-room, two-story residence is his home and it is supplied with all the conveniences, as bath, water piped into the house, heating appliances and so forth.

Plenty of barns, outbuildings and all improvements needed are found, and all together it is one of the finest places and most pleasantly located in this part of the county.

He has devoted considerable attention to raising mules and horses and has fine stock at the present time.

The farm is well equipped with machinery in addition to all the smaller pieces needed and Mr. Talkington owns a fine combined harvester which takes the standing grain and delivers it in sacks ready for market.

On Christmas, in 1894, occurred the marriage of Mr. Talkington and Miss Bell Long, natives of Sebastian county, Arkansas.

They were schoolmates together in the east. The parents of Mrs. Talkington are George W. and Jenette D., natives of Tennessee and Arkansas, respectively.

The father was an early pioneer of Arkansas and came to California in the palmy days of placer mining. After seventeen years there, he returned to Arkansas and later journeyed west to where Moscow is now located in Lincoln county. There he took a homestead and remained until his death in August, 1903.

The mother is still living on the old homestead. To Mr. and Mrs. Talkington, five children have been born, Wayne, Lloyd, Opal, Delbert and Lois.

Our subject is a member of the I. O. O. F. and the Encampment. He is also a member of the pioneers' association.

When Mr. Talkington came to this country, he was practically without means and although he met many reverses here, he is now one of the wealthy citizens of Lincoln county and his entire property has been gained by virtue of his ability and industry.