Date Original
1858-1944
Description
The collection contains correspondence of the W.L. (William Lawrence) Dewoody family of Pine Bluff, Jefferson County, Arkansas, including his wife, Mary Sorrells (Dewoody); their son Willie, who joined the American Expeditionary Force in 1916; and family friend Frank "Patch" Lieberman who served in the AEF in 1916-1918. Other materials include a scrapbook, legal documents, deeds, and trusts.
Biographical/Historical Note
W.L. (William Lawrence) was born December 30, 1847 in Athens, Alabama, the son of Samuel N. and Louisa Ann Coman Dewoody. His family moved to Eastport, Mississippi, and in 1862, to Iuka, Tishomingo County, Mississippi. During the Civil War, Will Dewoody joined the Confederate Army and served as a courier and scout for Henderson's Scouts, under General Nathan Bedford Forrest. W.L.'s brothers, James and Samuel, both joined the Confederate Army; James was killed in the war. W.L. Dewoody had studied as a druggist and started a partnership with his sister Marion's husband, John Nelson. In 1870 W.L. and his brother-in-law, John Nelson, opened a drug store, which they named Nelson, Dewoody and Company, in Pine Bluff, Jefferson County, Arkansas, later W.L. Dewoody and Company. A dean of Arkansas druggists, he was honorary president of the American Pharmaceutical Association. W.L. married Mary Sorrells, of Warren, Arkansas, May 5, 1875. Mary was born June 6, 1854, the daughter of Judge Theodric F. and Rebecca Mark Sorrells. She was a graduate of Hamilton Female College in Lexington, Kentucky. W.L. and Mary had 13 children, and eight grew to adulthood: Marion Louise Dewoody (Mrs. C.W.) Pettigrew, Rebecca Dewoody (Mrs. Earl W.) Phillips, Martha Alma Dewoody Brightwell, Emma Virginia Dewoody Sloss, Florence Antoinette Dewoody (Mrs. J.W.) Briley, William Lawrence Dewoody, Jr., T. Sorrells Dewoody, and Margaret Coman Dewoody (Mrs. Harry) Miller. W.L. Dewoody died June 30, 1918. Mary Sorrells Dewoody died November 20, 1934. The Dewoodys are buried in the Bellwood Cemetery, Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
Physical Description
Document, 8.5" x 11"
Geographical Area
Pine Bluff, Jefferson County (Ark.)
Language
English
Identifier
MS.000346
Resource Type
Text
Collection
Dewoody family papers, MS.000346
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Contributing Entity
Arkansas State Archives
Recommended Citation
Dewoody family papers, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Rights
Use and reproduction of images held by the Arkansas State Archives without prior written permission is prohibited. For information on reproducing images held by the Arkansas State Archives, please call 501-682-6900 or email at state.archives@arkansas.gov.
Disciplines
United States History
