Arthur was the second child of William Washington and Orlena (Deaton) Haddix, one of 13 siblings. He married, first, Maude Noble; they had eight children - Vergil, Edith, Selena, Ross, Blanche, Bert, Joe and Dove. He married, second, Beatrice Tharp; they had one son - Philip.

As a young man Arthur was a schoolteacher. He also worked as a sheriff's deputy, general store clerk, and farmer. As newlyweds, he and Maude dreamed of leaving their mountain home for a farm in the bluegrass, but it was not to be. As their family grew, they built a two-story home with a wrap-around porch at Lost Creek, just down the road from Arthur's parents.

They did move to Richmond for a time so the older kids could attend Eastern Kentucky University, and Arthur worked briefly on the construction of the Blue Grass Army Depot there. Then Maude died suddenly of a heart problem, leaving Arthur with a houseful of youngsters; Dove, the youngest, was only 7 years old. Tragically, Maude's own sister, a young, single schoolteacher, was killed right in the church while attending Maude's memorial service - by a stray bullet from a gunfight that erupted outside between passers-by.

Edith, the oldest daughter, made a deathbed promise to her mother to keep the large family together. Vergil, the first-born son, was already married and soon had children of his own, but he also helped a great deal. Arthur moved his family back to Lost Creek, counting on a large garden and extended family for support. Edith was devoted to her brood of siblings, and kept her promise well.

Arthur was a stern taskmaster with a gentle heart. He was also a prankster who loved a good joke - a trait he definitely passed on to his sons! The family kept a cow and raised an abundant garden; they grew and preserved most of their own food on the little mountain farm. In spite of all the hard work, Arthur's long-fingered hands were always immaculate and smooth; he never picked up a tool without wearing gloves. Throughout his life, he was proud to say that he never touched a cigarette or a drop of alcohol.

When Arthur married again several years later, his next son, Philip, was born slightly after a couple of Arthur's grandchildren. So Philip grew up with several "nieces and nephews" around his own age, who loved him like their own brother. As a young husband and father, Philip was killed in a tragic auto accident; he is buried on private land in the Abner family cemetery at Lost Creek. His mother, Bea, never quite recovered from the heartbreak of losing her strong, handsome son. She is buried beside her sister, Mary Jane Tharp, in the Jackson Cemetery at Jackson, Ky.

As late as the 1960's, getting to the W.W. Haddix Cemetery required crossing a rickety "swinging bridge" on foot, suspended high in the air over Lost Creek. Today the cemetery is easily seen and accessed from the "new road" - Highway 15.

From time to time through the years, Arthur could be spied in private moments tending Maude's grave at the little family cemetery. He rests beside her there today, keeping watch over the hills of home.