John Jackson Ledbetter Sr.

John Jackson Ledbetter Sr. was born around 1867 in Hardin County, Illinois, the eldest child of John Thomas Ledbetter and Mary Lowery. He was “born, reared and lived more than half of his 60 years” in Hardin County.³

Education and Early Career

John J. was “an exceptionally bright and intelligent boy” who “obtained far above the average education for his day and time.” He taught school for a while, then studied law, was admitted to the bar, and practised in Hardin County, where he “was recognized as an able young lawyer and got his share of the practice.”³

First Marriage

At about the age of twenty-five, he married Sophia Kirkham, née Barnard (Mary Sophia Barnard, born 1869, died 1904 in St. Louis, Missouri). They had two children, one dying in infancy and the other a son nicknamed “Jack,” who became a traveling salesman.³

Blytheville

At around thirty-five, John J. moved to Holcomb, Missouri, then to St. Louis, and finally settled in Blytheville, Arkansas, where he lived for the last twenty years of his life. He married Lucy A. Ledbetter (born October 15, 1879, died June 28, 1948, in Blytheville).¹

Mayor of Blytheville

Council minutes from April 1912 record “Mayor Elect J.J. Ledbetter” being sworn into office. He served as mayor for several years and “directed the city’s affairs in a capable manner.” While mayor, one of the noteworthy improvements was the laying of the sewerage system. His Blytheville obituary commended him “highly as a lawyer and for the reform he accomplished as mayor.”³

Later Years

Several years before his death, John J. took up truck farming on a large scale and “was very successful.” He had a splendid reputation for his cantaloupes and strawberries and always used the motto “Giving best service” in his business. He “was a man who despised show and pretense but who was honest in all his undertakings and dealings and had a kind, charitable heart.” He said that when he died he wanted no flowers but wanted the money given to the poor.³

Death

In early April 1927, John J.’s sister Mrs. J. B. Dale (née Ollie) received a telegram calling her to Blytheville, where her brother was seriously ill. She arrived to find him still alive but unconscious. He died at 2:30 on the night of Thursday, April 14, 1927. The Hardin County Independent ran the timeline of events and noted: “As the deceased was born and lived more than the first half of his life in this county, and has a host of relatives here, we shall give a brief sketch of his life.”³

He was survived by his wife, three children, three brothers and three sisters.³

Children

John Jackson and Lucy had at least four children:¹

• John Jackson Ledbetter Jr. (1901–1963) — born in Holcomb, Missouri. Engineer, attorney, and Army Colonel.
• Alvin Ledbetter — settled in Butte, Montana.
• Margaret Ledbetter Dewey (d. 1936) — married Rico Dewey. Died in Live Oak, Florida.
• Laura Ledbetter — died as a child. Her headstone survives.

JJL Jr. graduated from Blytheville High School in Arkansas in 1919, suggesting the family was living in Blytheville by that time. Lucy suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in December 1947 and died the following June.¹