My Genealogy Hound

Edward J. McGavock (deceased) was a man well known to the early settlers of Mississippi County, Ark., and was respected for his manly, straight forward course through life, and beloved by all for his noble Christian qualities of mind and heart. He was a son of Jacob McGavock of Nashville, Tenn., and was born in that city December 17, 1828, being favored in his youth with exceptionally fine educational opportunities, which he did not fail to improve. He entered the Nashville University, of which institution his grandfather, Felix Grundy, and his uncle, J. M. Bass, were trustees at the same time that Gen. Andrew Jackson was a member of the board, and to his excellent natural abilities he added a fine education. About the year 1832, Felix Grundy, with his two sons-in-law, John M. Bass and Jacob McGavock, came to Mississippi County, Ark., and purchased large tracts of land at and about Pecan Point, which included the Shawnee Village and Dickinson’s Mill, the whole purchase consisting of about 20,000 acres, besides about 3,000 acres on the lower end of Island No. 35, lying opposite Pecan Point. All this property is still retained in the family, with the exception of 1,500 acres, now owned by R. W. Friend of Pecan Point. Edward J. McGavock was the third child in a family of seven children born to Jacob and Louisa C. (Grundy) McGavock [a history of whom is given in the sketch of Dr. McGavock]. After leaving college, he was married to Miss Ella Young of Mississippi, and soon after began taking charge of the Pecan Point plantation, which he successfully managed until the opening up of the war, when he enlisted in the Fifty-seventh Tennessee Regiment, Confederate States Army, and was an active participant in many fierce engagements. He was at Franklin, Tenn., where the Confederate troops made one of their finest charges, and during his military career was appointed to the position of assistant quartermaster-general, which position he held until the close of the war. He then returned to the Pecan Point plantation, in Mississippi County, where he continued to make his home until his death, which occurred April 7, 1880, in New Orleans, La., having been, during life, among the foremost planters of Mississippi County, and a man of irreproachable morals. His first wife died in 1861, after giving birth to three children, all of whom grew to maturity: Frank Young McGavock, a sketch of whom appears farther on; Louise, the wife of Dr. Tyner, of Texas, where she died without issue, and Ella, who was married to Sheldon Wilson, of New Orleans, and now resides in Florida, the mother of one child. While at Columbus, Miss., in 1866, Mr. McGavock was married to Miss Elizabeth Scott Eskridge, by whom he became the father of two children: Mary Eskridge, who is an accomplished young lady, and has been attending school at Baltimore, Md., and Ed. J., who is receiving his education at Hanover, Va., and is now at Hot Springs, Ark., for his health. Mrs. McGavock’s father, Judge T. P. Eskridge, was a resident of Crittenden County, Ark., but originally came from Virginia, where he belonged to one of the first families of that State. He received a collegiate education, and shortly after (in 1821) came to Mississippi County, Ark., the country at that time being almost wholly a wilderness, inhabited by Indians and wild animals. He became a member of the superior court of the Territory, and took an active part in all the affairs of the State until his death, which occurred in Crittenden County in 1835. He left two children: B. Byrum E. and Elizabeth Scott E. His death was deeply lamented by his widow and children, and by his many friends throughout the Territory. His wife was Miss Mary Byrum, a daughter of Benjamin S. Byrum, of Concordia Parish, La. They are of old French Huguenot stock, their ancestors having taken refuge in America in the last century. Mrs. McGavock and her family are pleasantly situated on the bank of the Mississippi River at Pecan Point. The house is a large, old-fashioned building, and is surrounded by a large peach and apple orchard, back of which is one of the finest plantations in the county, consisting of 1,000 acres of land, of which 300 or 400 acres are in a fine state of cultivation. The sisters and brothers of E. J. McGavock are Mrs. J. B. Lindsley, Nashville; Mrs. James Todd, Louisville, Ky.; Dr. F. G. McGavock, Ark.; John J. McGavock, Fayetteville, Ark.