My Genealogy Hound

Ben S. Thalhimer, proprietor of Southwestern Mule and Horse Market, Little Rock, Ark. This enterprising and wide-awake business man is a native of Wittenberg, Germany, born in 1850, and at the age of seventeen years, he left the old country and came to the United States, landing in New York City without friends, money, and without a knowledge of the English language, though with a firm determination to make a success of life. His first work was to peddle goods, but he soon secured a situation in a tobacco house in Philadelphia, where he remained for one year. After this he went to Illinois, and there established a hide, fur and whisky business for himself. Subsequently he engaged as a salesman with a wholesale house in Burlington, and after continuing there for some time he came to Arkansas, where he embarked in the hide and fur business in Little Rock. He then purchased a boat, traded up and down the Arkansas River and its branches, and finished by doing a freight business with his boat. After this he sold the boat business and entered into the grocery business at Little Rock, but later went to Prairie County, Ark., where he ran two general mercantile stores. In this enterprise he lost nearly all the money he had previously made, by doing a too extensive credit business. He made his last move to Little Rock, from Prairie County, about 1884, and established the Southwestern Horse and Mule Market. He formerly had a partner, but bought him out, and is now sole proprietor. In this capacity he has thrived beyond his most sanguine hopes, and now handles more than 2,000 head of mules and horses annually. He is an enterprising man and a good citizen. He was married in 1873 to Miss Fannie Mayer, a native of Germany, and four children have blessed this union: Sidney, Sally, Jesse and Abe. He is a member of the K. of H., I. O. O. B. and the K. of S. He is a Hebrew, and is a son of Jesse and Menah (Rothschild) Thalhimer, the mother a member of the famous family of Rothschild, of Frankfort and England. Mr. Thalhimer has a life policy on the New York Mutual Life Insurance Company.