SETTLERS OF MAGAZINE, LOGAN COUNTY, ARKANSAS

Horace Gordon & Ada (Owen) Thomasson
with son Gordon Owen Thomasson, Sr
1899

Compiler: Donald Earl McKinney Jr, Alma, KS
These notes were compiled from information gathered for many years from materials my mother Eda Faye & Grandmother Hester left me as well as personal research & correspondence. Besides my mother, her sisters, Ada Ruth & Dorothy, I am especially grateful to the following relatives, whose research, photographs, stories & oral traditions, along with my own, helped us all gain a better understanding of our family heritage.
Great-Aunt Angie Greer of Ozark, AR (Daughter of Horace & Ada (Owen) Thomasson)
Great-Grandmother Ada's original family history files pertaining to the Thomasson & Owen families
Gordon Conrad Thomasson, a grandson of Horace & Ada Thomasson

Narrative:
HORACE GORDON THOMASSON Sr was born 23 Mar 1872 near Cornerville, Lincoln County, Arkansas and was the son of William Lafayette & Evelyn Elizabeth(Fish) Thomasson who were prominent farmers in Lincoln County. Horace married Miss ADA OWEN 26 Apr 1896, daughter of John Malone & Mary Barbara (Grumbles) Owen, who were also farmers near Palmyra, Lincoln County, Arkansas.

While growing up in Lincoln County, Horace was always interested in mathematics, the sciences and intellectual pursuits and eventually graduated from the Ouachita Baptist College at Arkadelphia in 1903. Before completing his education, Horace taught in several rural schools and after graduation became principal of the Warren High School in Bradley County, Arkansas. He and his family moved to Logan County, Arkansas in 1904 when Horace accepted a position as principal of the Booneville High School. In 1910, he accepted the position of principal of the Magazine Ouachita Academy, which at the time was a branch of the Ouachita Baptist College and was a very prestigious college preparatory institution. During this period he also served one term as State Representative in Little Rock. By 1916, he & his family moved to a farm in Glendale, Logan, Ark, but returned to Magazine in 1917 and resumed his position as Principal of the Magazine Academy.

From 1921 to 1927, Horace was Logan County's first County Superintendent. He resigned to become principal of the High School Department of Arkansas Tech at Russellville and in 1930 became superintendent of the Ozark, Arkansas schools. He retired in 1935 after over 30 years as an educator andf returned to Magazine. He was elected County Judge from Logan County and served from 1937 until 1939 when he resigned because of ill health. Horace & Ada Thomasson came from a deep rooted, religious, southern background and were very active members of the Magazine Baptist Church. Horace also belonged to the Masonic Lodge. He died at the family home in Magazine in 1947, but his wife Ada lived for many years after his death. They are both buried in Highland Cemetery, Ozark, Arkansas.

Children of Horace & Ada (Owen) Thomasson:

Child 1: GORDON OWEN THOMASSON
Born: 12 Aug 1898 StarCity(Lincoln) Ark
Died: 25 Aug 1951 Camp Atterbury, IN
Married Hester Beatrice Jones 28 May 1918 Little Rock(Pulaski) Ark

Child 2: JAMES HORACE THOMASSON
Born: 17 Jan 1904 Warren(Bradley) Ark
Died: 5 Apr 1957 Azusa(LA) CA
Married Dorothy Lorain LIND 6 Jan 1946 Las Vegas, NV

Child 3: TURNER EARL THOMASSON
Born: 4 Aug 1905 Magazine(Logan) Ark
Died: 7 Feb 1970 LosAngeles, CA
Married Ida Lena CONRAD 5 Dec 1931 Las Vegas, NV

Child 4: ANGIE THOMASSON
Born: 12 Apr 1908 LittleRock(Pulaski) Ark
Married John Thomas "Jack" GREER II 30 Aug 1933 Bentonville, Ark

Child 5. HORACE GORDON THOMASSON, Jr
Born: 25 Jul 1911 Magazine(Logan) Ark
Died: 5 Feb 1984 ?
Married(1) Irene Nelson 9 Jun 1935 Fort Smith, Ark
Married(2) Mrs Alice Forsyth

Child 6. GRACE ELIZABETH THOMASSON
Born: 3 Mar 1916 Glendale(Logan) Ark
Died: 8 Mar 1996 Springdale(Washington) Ark
Married Argus Monroe PANNELL 2 Mar 1937 Paris(Logan) Ark

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Parents of Horace Gordon Thomasson, Sr:
WILLIAM LAFAYETTE& EVELINE ELIZABETH(FISH)THOMASSON

Parents of Ada Owen:
JOHN MALONE & MARY (GRUMBLES) OWEN