War of 1812
"William Sterling Lacy was born at Hampden-Sidney, Prince Edward Co., Va., on 8 April 1791 and died at the home of his son, Capt. Watson Eldridge Lacy, on 20 November 1881. He is interred in the Presbyterian Church Cemetery in El Dorado, Ark. He was educated at Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, Va., class of 1811. A language professor at Hampden-Sydney, he also continued for some time the classical school that Drury had established at Mt. Ararat. He served in the War of 1812 and after that studied law under John Randolph of Roanoke, Va., but his inclination was toward the ministry instead of the legal profession, and to the ministry he turned, duly being ordained a minister in the Presbyterian Church. From an old newspaper clipping (name of paper, author, and date unknown), the following has been excerpted:
"When Mr. Lacy connected with the Presbytery of Missouri, it was a licentiate of Hanover Presbytery of Virginia, and when he was ordained in 1824, he was the first Presbyterian Minister ever ordained in the State. At the time he entered the Presbytery, it included within its bounds the two states of Missouri and Illinois. His first settlement was in St. Charles County, Mo., where he remained about a year, and he then removed to property he owned in St. Louis County, near the present site of the Maline Creek Church, and here he remained four years, actively engaged in preaching at various places in the county, such as Bonhomme, Cold Water, Bellefontaine, and other places. After this time he again removed to St. Charles County. A few years after he came to Missouri, he was commissioned by the Board of Home Missions to travel a portion of the months of the summer and fall seasons, to preach and to organize churches on the Missouri and Upper Mississippi Rivers, which portions were known as the Boonslick and Salt River sections. He was among the first Presbyterian ministers to visit the counties of Callaway and Boone. On one occasion he preached at the home of Col. Sam Dyer, within the present bounds of Auxvasse congregation. While living in St. Louis Co., he became intimately acquainted with Col. John S. Ball, later Rev. Ball. Mr. Ball, though he was up in years and his hair gray, communicated to Rev. Lacy his desire to preach the Gospel, who warmly encouraged him and supplied him with various theological books. They made various trips together in the eight or ten years of their association. On his return to St. Louis County, Rev. Lacy took charge of the Dardenne Church, where he remained until 1832, when he removed south to Arkansas. He preached twice a month at Dardenne Church, with the balance of the time spent at Troy in Lincoln County. He was a fine horseman, and he was well mounted. He delighted to ride over the wide prairies in this new and sparsely settled State.
" His house and that of Judge Beverly Tucker on the Dardenne Prairie were the rallying points for visiting ministers from Virginia and Kentucky, and for those who were sent to Missouri by the Home Missionary Society from Philadelphia. A son of Mr. Lacy distinctly remembers the arrival at different times at his father's house, of Potts, Cochran, Durfee, Chamberlain, Hoxey, McAfee, Dr. David Nelson, and otheres. On one of his journeys Mr. Lacy met the celebrated Dr. Nelson and was greatly impressed with the interview."
Mr. Lacy is the author of that remarkable document narrating the conversation he had in or about the year 1828 with "old William Rice", which tells of the marriage of Thomas Lacy and Miss Rice. On 1 May 1816, he married Sally E. Campbell Graham, daughter of Edward Graham and Margaret Alexander. Mr. Graham was a professor at Washington College in Lexington, and Margaret was a sister of Rev. Archibald Alexander, D.D., of Princeton Seminary and earlier of Hampden-Sydney College. They removed to Pulaski Co., Tenn., and remained there until 1820, when he was directed by his church to go to Missouri to organize churches and preach in that remote and pioneer area. He remained in Missouri until 1831, when he returned to his former home in Tennessee. They had ten children. Sally died in Giles Co., Tenn., on 6 August 1832. William Sterling married secondly Julia Ann Eldridge on 26 October 1833 in Pulaski. She was born in 1810 on either Jan. 6th or Jan. 10th as both dates appear in the records. She was a daughter of Capt. Uriah Zuah Eldridge and Mary Brown, who was from Portsmouth, N. Capt. Eldridge was a Revolutionary War Soldier and, according to Rev. William Stoke he was from Nova Scotia; his wife was a daughter of Dr. Brown, who was from Portsmouth. Julia Ann was a first cousin to Frances E. Willard, and they were girlhood playmates. Miss Eldridge attended Miss Lyons Academy in 1825, and graduated in 1828, after which she moved to Pulaksi, where she taught school. She also taught in Summerville, Tenn. The obituary of Julia Ann states that she was the mother of seven children and step-mother of ten. Three of her sons, and five of her step-sons served in the Confederate forces. She died on 4 July 1894 and was interred in the Presbyterian Church Cemetery in El Dorado, Ark., where her husband is buried. [N.B. Bible records and obituary article.]
In 1843, William Sterling made his final move to Union Co., Ark. Here he and Julia Ann organized a Presbyterian church, of which he was pastor. According to an article written by Dewey Finley and Clayte Whitten, which appeared in the El Dorado, Ark. Daily News, 8 September 1957, "Rev. Lacy and his wife established the first school in Union County, a private one, in their two room log cabin at the site now occupied by the Lion Oil Company parking lot at 416 N. Jefferson Ave. But some have placed the Lacy home on N. Washington between what is now the Paramount Beauty School and the Rowell home, or else on No. West Ave., where the City Hall now stands. There is probably no discrepancy between these reports, as historians say that after two years of operating the school, the Lacys relinquished control to the Rev. and Mrs. A. R. Banks. Very likely they then moved to one of the other, or even both of these other sites, mentioned by one or two present day old-timers as being the old Lacy home."
Mr. Lacy is reported to have been a man of striking appearance. At the time of his enlistment in the War of 1812, he was described as nearly six feet tall, blue eyes, auburn hair, and fair complexion. He possessed elegant manners and fine literary attainments. In his old age he lost his eyesight, but his memory was good. He could recite the entire New Testament and many of the Psalms, and numerous portions of the Old Testament. [N.B. "Pioneer Days in Arkansas", by S. H. Chester.]"
"William Sterling Lacy was born at Hampden-Sidney, Prince Edward Co., Va., on 8 April 1791 and died at the home of his son, Capt. Watson Eldridge Lacy, on 20 November 1881. He is interred in the Presbyterian Church Cemetery in El Dorado, Ark. He was educated at Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, Va., class of 1811. A language professor at Hampden-Sydney, he also continued for some time the classical school that Drury had established at Mt. Ararat. He served in the War of 1812 and after that studied law under John Randolph of Roanoke, Va., but his inclination was toward the ministry instead of the legal profession, and to the ministry he turned, duly being ordained a minister in the Presbyterian Church. From an old newspaper clipping (name of paper, author, and date unknown), the following has been excerpted:
"When Mr. Lacy connected with the Presbytery of Missouri, it was a licentiate of Hanover Presbytery of Virginia, and when he was ordained in 1824, he was the first Presbyterian Minister ever ordained in the State. At the time he entered the Presbytery, it included within its bounds the two states of Missouri and Illinois. His first settlement was in St. Charles County, Mo., where he remained about a year, and he then removed to property he owned in St. Louis County, near the present site of the Maline Creek Church, and here he remained four years, actively engaged in preaching at various places in the county, such as Bonhomme, Cold Water, Bellefontaine, and other places. After this time he again removed to St. Charles County. A few years after he came to Missouri, he was commissioned by the Board of Home Missions to travel a portion of the months of the summer and fall seasons, to preach and to organize churches on the Missouri and Upper Mississippi Rivers, which portions were known as the Boonslick and Salt River sections. He was among the first Presbyterian ministers to visit the counties of Callaway and Boone. On one occasion he preached at the home of Col. Sam Dyer, within the present bounds of Auxvasse congregation. While living in St. Louis Co., he became intimately acquainted with Col. John S. Ball, later Rev. Ball. Mr. Ball, though he was up in years and his hair gray, communicated to Rev. Lacy his desire to preach the Gospel, who warmly encouraged him and supplied him with various theological books. They made various trips together in the eight or ten years of their association. On his return to St. Louis County, Rev. Lacy took charge of the Dardenne Church, where he remained until 1832, when he removed south to Arkansas. He preached twice a month at Dardenne Church, with the balance of the time spent at Troy in Lincoln County. He was a fine horseman, and he was well mounted. He delighted to ride over the wide prairies in this new and sparsely settled State.
" His house and that of Judge Beverly Tucker on the Dardenne Prairie were the rallying points for visiting ministers from Virginia and Kentucky, and for those who were sent to Missouri by the Home Missionary Society from Philadelphia. A son of Mr. Lacy distinctly remembers the arrival at different times at his father's house, of Potts, Cochran, Durfee, Chamberlain, Hoxey, McAfee, Dr. David Nelson, and otheres. On one of his journeys Mr. Lacy met the celebrated Dr. Nelson and was greatly impressed with the interview."
Mr. Lacy is the author of that remarkable document narrating the conversation he had in or about the year 1828 with "old William Rice", which tells of the marriage of Thomas Lacy and Miss Rice. On 1 May 1816, he married Sally E. Campbell Graham, daughter of Edward Graham and Margaret Alexander. Mr. Graham was a professor at Washington College in Lexington, and Margaret was a sister of Rev. Archibald Alexander, D.D., of Princeton Seminary and earlier of Hampden-Sydney College. They removed to Pulaski Co., Tenn., and remained there until 1820, when he was directed by his church to go to Missouri to organize churches and preach in that remote and pioneer area. He remained in Missouri until 1831, when he returned to his former home in Tennessee. They had ten children. Sally died in Giles Co., Tenn., on 6 August 1832. William Sterling married secondly Julia Ann Eldridge on 26 October 1833 in Pulaski. She was born in 1810 on either Jan. 6th or Jan. 10th as both dates appear in the records. She was a daughter of Capt. Uriah Zuah Eldridge and Mary Brown, who was from Portsmouth, N. Capt. Eldridge was a Revolutionary War Soldier and, according to Rev. William Stoke he was from Nova Scotia; his wife was a daughter of Dr. Brown, who was from Portsmouth. Julia Ann was a first cousin to Frances E. Willard, and they were girlhood playmates. Miss Eldridge attended Miss Lyons Academy in 1825, and graduated in 1828, after which she moved to Pulaksi, where she taught school. She also taught in Summerville, Tenn. The obituary of Julia Ann states that she was the mother of seven children and step-mother of ten. Three of her sons, and five of her step-sons served in the Confederate forces. She died on 4 July 1894 and was interred in the Presbyterian Church Cemetery in El Dorado, Ark., where her husband is buried. [N.B. Bible records and obituary article.]
In 1843, William Sterling made his final move to Union Co., Ark. Here he and Julia Ann organized a Presbyterian church, of which he was pastor. According to an article written by Dewey Finley and Clayte Whitten, which appeared in the El Dorado, Ark. Daily News, 8 September 1957, "Rev. Lacy and his wife established the first school in Union County, a private one, in their two room log cabin at the site now occupied by the Lion Oil Company parking lot at 416 N. Jefferson Ave. But some have placed the Lacy home on N. Washington between what is now the Paramount Beauty School and the Rowell home, or else on No. West Ave., where the City Hall now stands. There is probably no discrepancy between these reports, as historians say that after two years of operating the school, the Lacys relinquished control to the Rev. and Mrs. A. R. Banks. Very likely they then moved to one of the other, or even both of these other sites, mentioned by one or two present day old-timers as being the old Lacy home."
Mr. Lacy is reported to have been a man of striking appearance. At the time of his enlistment in the War of 1812, he was described as nearly six feet tall, blue eyes, auburn hair, and fair complexion. He possessed elegant manners and fine literary attainments. In his old age he lost his eyesight, but his memory was good. He could recite the entire New Testament and many of the Psalms, and numerous portions of the Old Testament. [N.B. "Pioneer Days in Arkansas", by S. H. Chester.]"
War of 1812
"William Sterling Lacy was born at Hampden-Sidney, Prince Edward Co., Va., on 8 April 1791 and died at the home of his son, Capt. Watson Eldridge Lacy, on 20 November 1881. He is interred in the Presbyterian Church Cemetery in El Dorado, Ark. He was educated at Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, Va., class of 1811. A language professor at Hampden-Sydney, he also continued for some time the classical school that Drury had established at Mt. Ararat. He served in the War of 1812 and after that studied law under John Randolph of Roanoke, Va., but his inclination was toward the ministry instead of the legal profession, and to the ministry he turned, duly being ordained a minister in the Presbyterian Church. From an old newspaper clipping (name of paper, author, and date unknown), the following has been excerpted:
"When Mr. Lacy connected with the Presbytery of Missouri, it was a licentiate of Hanover Presbytery of Virginia, and when he was ordained in 1824, he was the first Presbyterian Minister ever ordained in the State. At the time he entered the Presbytery, it included within its bounds the two states of Missouri and Illinois. His first settlement was in St. Charles County, Mo., where he remained about a year, and he then removed to property he owned in St. Louis County, near the present site of the Maline Creek Church, and here he remained four years, actively engaged in preaching at various places in the county, such as Bonhomme, Cold Water, Bellefontaine, and other places. After this time he again removed to St. Charles County. A few years after he came to Missouri, he was commissioned by the Board of Home Missions to travel a portion of the months of the summer and fall seasons, to preach and to organize churches on the Missouri and Upper Mississippi Rivers, which portions were known as the Boonslick and Salt River sections. He was among the first Presbyterian ministers to visit the counties of Callaway and Boone. On one occasion he preached at the home of Col. Sam Dyer, within the present bounds of Auxvasse congregation. While living in St. Louis Co., he became intimately acquainted with Col. John S. Ball, later Rev. Ball. Mr. Ball, though he was up in years and his hair gray, communicated to Rev. Lacy his desire to preach the Gospel, who warmly encouraged him and supplied him with various theological books. They made various trips together in the eight or ten years of their association. On his return to St. Louis County, Rev. Lacy took charge of the Dardenne Church, where he remained until 1832, when he removed south to Arkansas. He preached twice a month at Dardenne Church, with the balance of the time spent at Troy in Lincoln County. He was a fine horseman, and he was well mounted. He delighted to ride over the wide prairies in this new and sparsely settled State.
" His house and that of Judge Beverly Tucker on the Dardenne Prairie were the rallying points for visiting ministers from Virginia and Kentucky, and for those who were sent to Missouri by the Home Missionary Society from Philadelphia. A son of Mr. Lacy distinctly remembers the arrival at different times at his father's house, of Potts, Cochran, Durfee, Chamberlain, Hoxey, McAfee, Dr. David Nelson, and otheres. On one of his journeys Mr. Lacy met the celebrated Dr. Nelson and was greatly impressed with the interview."
Mr. Lacy is the author of that remarkable document narrating the conversation he had in or about the year 1828 with "old William Rice", which tells of the marriage of Thomas Lacy and Miss Rice. On 1 May 1816, he married Sally E. Campbell Graham, daughter of Edward Graham and Margaret Alexander. Mr. Graham was a professor at Washington College in Lexington, and Margaret was a sister of Rev. Archibald Alexander, D.D., of Princeton Seminary and earlier of Hampden-Sydney College. They removed to Pulaski Co., Tenn., and remained there until 1820, when he was directed by his church to go to Missouri to organize churches and preach in that remote and pioneer area. He remained in Missouri until 1831, when he returned to his former home in Tennessee. They had ten children. Sally died in Giles Co., Tenn., on 6 August 1832. William Sterling married secondly Julia Ann Eldridge on 26 October 1833 in Pulaski. She was born in 1810 on either Jan. 6th or Jan. 10th as both dates appear in the records. She was a daughter of Capt. Uriah Zuah Eldridge and Mary Brown, who was from Portsmouth, N. Capt. Eldridge was a Revolutionary War Soldier and, according to Rev. William Stoke he was from Nova Scotia; his wife was a daughter of Dr. Brown, who was from Portsmouth. Julia Ann was a first cousin to Frances E. Willard, and they were girlhood playmates. Miss Eldridge attended Miss Lyons Academy in 1825, and graduated in 1828, after which she moved to Pulaksi, where she taught school. She also taught in Summerville, Tenn. The obituary of Julia Ann states that she was the mother of seven children and step-mother of ten. Three of her sons, and five of her step-sons served in the Confederate forces. She died on 4 July 1894 and was interred in the Presbyterian Church Cemetery in El Dorado, Ark., where her husband is buried. [N.B. Bible records and obituary article.]
In 1843, William Sterling made his final move to Union Co., Ark. Here he and Julia Ann organized a Presbyterian church, of which he was pastor. According to an article written by Dewey Finley and Clayte Whitten, which appeared in the El Dorado, Ark. Daily News, 8 September 1957, "Rev. Lacy and his wife established the first school in Union County, a private one, in their two room log cabin at the site now occupied by the Lion Oil Company parking lot at 416 N. Jefferson Ave. But some have placed the Lacy home on N. Washington between what is now the Paramount Beauty School and the Rowell home, or else on No. West Ave., where the City Hall now stands. There is probably no discrepancy between these reports, as historians say that after two years of operating the school, the Lacys relinquished control to the Rev. and Mrs. A. R. Banks. Very likely they then moved to one of the other, or even both of these other sites, mentioned by one or two present day old-timers as being the old Lacy home."
Mr. Lacy is reported to have been a man of striking appearance. At the time of his enlistment in the War of 1812, he was described as nearly six feet tall, blue eyes, auburn hair, and fair complexion. He possessed elegant manners and fine literary attainments. In his old age he lost his eyesight, but his memory was good. He could recite the entire New Testament and many of the Psalms, and numerous portions of the Old Testament. [N.B. "Pioneer Days in Arkansas", by S. H. Chester.]"
"William Sterling Lacy was born at Hampden-Sidney, Prince Edward Co., Va., on 8 April 1791 and died at the home of his son, Capt. Watson Eldridge Lacy, on 20 November 1881. He is interred in the Presbyterian Church Cemetery in El Dorado, Ark. He was educated at Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, Va., class of 1811. A language professor at Hampden-Sydney, he also continued for some time the classical school that Drury had established at Mt. Ararat. He served in the War of 1812 and after that studied law under John Randolph of Roanoke, Va., but his inclination was toward the ministry instead of the legal profession, and to the ministry he turned, duly being ordained a minister in the Presbyterian Church. From an old newspaper clipping (name of paper, author, and date unknown), the following has been excerpted:
"When Mr. Lacy connected with the Presbytery of Missouri, it was a licentiate of Hanover Presbytery of Virginia, and when he was ordained in 1824, he was the first Presbyterian Minister ever ordained in the State. At the time he entered the Presbytery, it included within its bounds the two states of Missouri and Illinois. His first settlement was in St. Charles County, Mo., where he remained about a year, and he then removed to property he owned in St. Louis County, near the present site of the Maline Creek Church, and here he remained four years, actively engaged in preaching at various places in the county, such as Bonhomme, Cold Water, Bellefontaine, and other places. After this time he again removed to St. Charles County. A few years after he came to Missouri, he was commissioned by the Board of Home Missions to travel a portion of the months of the summer and fall seasons, to preach and to organize churches on the Missouri and Upper Mississippi Rivers, which portions were known as the Boonslick and Salt River sections. He was among the first Presbyterian ministers to visit the counties of Callaway and Boone. On one occasion he preached at the home of Col. Sam Dyer, within the present bounds of Auxvasse congregation. While living in St. Louis Co., he became intimately acquainted with Col. John S. Ball, later Rev. Ball. Mr. Ball, though he was up in years and his hair gray, communicated to Rev. Lacy his desire to preach the Gospel, who warmly encouraged him and supplied him with various theological books. They made various trips together in the eight or ten years of their association. On his return to St. Louis County, Rev. Lacy took charge of the Dardenne Church, where he remained until 1832, when he removed south to Arkansas. He preached twice a month at Dardenne Church, with the balance of the time spent at Troy in Lincoln County. He was a fine horseman, and he was well mounted. He delighted to ride over the wide prairies in this new and sparsely settled State.
" His house and that of Judge Beverly Tucker on the Dardenne Prairie were the rallying points for visiting ministers from Virginia and Kentucky, and for those who were sent to Missouri by the Home Missionary Society from Philadelphia. A son of Mr. Lacy distinctly remembers the arrival at different times at his father's house, of Potts, Cochran, Durfee, Chamberlain, Hoxey, McAfee, Dr. David Nelson, and otheres. On one of his journeys Mr. Lacy met the celebrated Dr. Nelson and was greatly impressed with the interview."
Mr. Lacy is the author of that remarkable document narrating the conversation he had in or about the year 1828 with "old William Rice", which tells of the marriage of Thomas Lacy and Miss Rice. On 1 May 1816, he married Sally E. Campbell Graham, daughter of Edward Graham and Margaret Alexander. Mr. Graham was a professor at Washington College in Lexington, and Margaret was a sister of Rev. Archibald Alexander, D.D., of Princeton Seminary and earlier of Hampden-Sydney College. They removed to Pulaski Co., Tenn., and remained there until 1820, when he was directed by his church to go to Missouri to organize churches and preach in that remote and pioneer area. He remained in Missouri until 1831, when he returned to his former home in Tennessee. They had ten children. Sally died in Giles Co., Tenn., on 6 August 1832. William Sterling married secondly Julia Ann Eldridge on 26 October 1833 in Pulaski. She was born in 1810 on either Jan. 6th or Jan. 10th as both dates appear in the records. She was a daughter of Capt. Uriah Zuah Eldridge and Mary Brown, who was from Portsmouth, N. Capt. Eldridge was a Revolutionary War Soldier and, according to Rev. William Stoke he was from Nova Scotia; his wife was a daughter of Dr. Brown, who was from Portsmouth. Julia Ann was a first cousin to Frances E. Willard, and they were girlhood playmates. Miss Eldridge attended Miss Lyons Academy in 1825, and graduated in 1828, after which she moved to Pulaksi, where she taught school. She also taught in Summerville, Tenn. The obituary of Julia Ann states that she was the mother of seven children and step-mother of ten. Three of her sons, and five of her step-sons served in the Confederate forces. She died on 4 July 1894 and was interred in the Presbyterian Church Cemetery in El Dorado, Ark., where her husband is buried. [N.B. Bible records and obituary article.]
In 1843, William Sterling made his final move to Union Co., Ark. Here he and Julia Ann organized a Presbyterian church, of which he was pastor. According to an article written by Dewey Finley and Clayte Whitten, which appeared in the El Dorado, Ark. Daily News, 8 September 1957, "Rev. Lacy and his wife established the first school in Union County, a private one, in their two room log cabin at the site now occupied by the Lion Oil Company parking lot at 416 N. Jefferson Ave. But some have placed the Lacy home on N. Washington between what is now the Paramount Beauty School and the Rowell home, or else on No. West Ave., where the City Hall now stands. There is probably no discrepancy between these reports, as historians say that after two years of operating the school, the Lacys relinquished control to the Rev. and Mrs. A. R. Banks. Very likely they then moved to one of the other, or even both of these other sites, mentioned by one or two present day old-timers as being the old Lacy home."
Mr. Lacy is reported to have been a man of striking appearance. At the time of his enlistment in the War of 1812, he was described as nearly six feet tall, blue eyes, auburn hair, and fair complexion. He possessed elegant manners and fine literary attainments. In his old age he lost his eyesight, but his memory was good. He could recite the entire New Testament and many of the Psalms, and numerous portions of the Old Testament. [N.B. "Pioneer Days in Arkansas", by S. H. Chester.]"
Family Members
Parents
Advertisement
Advertisement
