Biography of James L. Stewart

Teresa Stewart Sitz sent me this information, posted by a descendant of Will's grandfather.  This is typical for what you find in the 19th Century in family histories.  But I think one can read between the lines to get an idea of Will's background, especially since he appeared to be living at home at the time this was published.  I have added what appears to be a wedding photograph of Will's parents that I found on ancestry.com.  I don't know why the font does strange things on this, but it still reads.

Biography of James L. Stewart 

This biography is from Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northwest Louisiana, originally published in 1890 by the Southern Publishing Company, Nashville and Chicago. The information in the biographies was usually obtained from the person or family members. A fee was generally paid to place an article in the book.

James L. Stewart married Lovie Wise in 1849 in Barbour County, AL, the home of her parents.

James L. Stewart, cotton planter and farmer, Arcadia, LA. Mr. Stewart has been a resident of Bienville Parish, La., since 1859, and is recognized as one of the stalwart and representative men of the same. His honesty and integrity have never been doubted, and his genial, social disposition has shed its light over many.

He was born in Jackson County, Florida, the land of flowers, on September 27, 1827. 

His parents, James and Sarah (Tucker) Stewart, were natives of South Carolina and Georgia, born in 1795 and 1796, respectively. The father was a stock-raiser and an agriculturist, and lived to be ninety-one years of age. The mother died in May 1890. They were educated in the primitive log school-house of former days.

Their children are named in order of their births as follows: Mary T. (deceased, married and was the owner of a large amount of land in Texas), Lucinda (resides in Lincoln Parish, and became the wife of S.P. Sutton, deceased, who was a fine scholar and a successful agriculturist) Sarah J. (deceased), James L. (resides in Bienville Parish), and Candis (resides in Lincoln Parish and is single).

Mr. Stewart received the principal part of his education by the light of the "pine knot", when he would spend a considerable portion of each evening poring over his books. In this manner he fitted himself in an admirable manner for the arduous duties of life, and is an example of industry and perseverance, which any young man would do well to follow. He is a gentleman who has been familiar with toil and hard work from an early age, for he started out in life with nothing but a pair of willing hands and an unusual amount of perseverance. After two years spent on the farm he engaged in the manufacture of boots and shoes, and this continued for almost 20 years.

He was married on October 11, 1849, to Miss Lovey I. Wise, a native of Alabama, born in 1829, and who was reared and educated among the Indians. Her father, Ezekial Wise, was a native of the Old Dominion and was a farmer. The mother, whose maiden name was Winifred Bullock, was a native of Georgia. Both are deceased.

To Mr. and Mrs. Stewart have been born seven children – four living and three deceased. Those living are: E.T. (married and resides in Bienville Parish, where he is engaged as a farmer and a tanner), Selesta L. (resides in Bienville Parish and is the wife of T.J. Land, who is a first-class farmer), Ada C. (resides in Bienville Parish and is the wife of T.C. Johnson, a farmer), and Willie D. (who resides with his parents, and is an agriculturist by occupation). 

He was well educated in the common branches. During the war Mr. Stewart was the only one in his parish who had an independent detail, which was an honorary title, and a position which was an arduous and important one. Mr. Stewart has always been a Simon-pure Democrat, and his first presidential vote was cast for James K. Polk. He, with his worthy wife, belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church South, and Mr. Stewart has been superintendent in the Sunday-school for almost five years. He has also filled the same position in the home schools for three years. He has been remarkably punctual in his Sunday-school work, and was the organizer and founder of the Sunday-school in Arcadia. He asserts this fact, that during the years from 1885 to 1890, the Methodist Episcopal Sunday-school increased from ninety-seven to 200 pupils, and during that time but three of the pupils have died, which is a remarkable record. Mr. Stewart is the owner of 270 acres of good land, and is one of the public-spirited citizens of the community.