W.B.W. Heartsill Papers, 1864-1945

W.B.W. Heartsill Papers, 1864-1945 UALR.MS.0025

UALR Center for Arkansas History and Culture
401 President Clinton Avenue
Little Rock, AR, 72201
archives@ualr.edu

Arrangement

Scope and Content

This collection contains the professional and personal papers of Willie [pronounced Wylie] Blount Wright Heartsill, a Sebastian County court clerk, postmaster, legislative representative, and union organizer. The materials include records and correspondence generated during Heartsill's official duties, as well as items related to his union activities and position as receiver for the Southwestern Coal Mining Company. The collection also contains a few files regarding Heartsill's personal activities and family.

This collection was originally numbered as A-20 and is part of the J.N.Heiskell Historical Collections, courtesy Arkansas Gazette Foundation.

Biographical Note

The son of Hiram Heartsill and Amanda Malvina Fitzallen Wright, Willie Blount Wright Heartsill was born September 13, 1840, in Louisville, Tennessee. He was married three times; his first marriage, to Eglentine Gillespy, ended in divorce. After the death of his second wife, Nancy Phillips, Heartsill married Jennie Harris, by whom he fathered five children: Isaac W., Harris, Virgil H., Maddah, and Christine.

During the Civil War, Heartsill served in the 2nd Tennessee Cavalry (Confederate), rising to the rank of captain. After the war, he moved to western Arkansas, where he worked as a bookkeeper. Heartsill later became deputy clerk of the Sebastian County court and also served as postmaster at Greenwood from 1885 to 1891.

During the 1880s, Heartsill became active in various union organizations, including the Brothers of Freedom, Grand Agricultural Wheel, Farmers' Cooperative Alliance, and the Knights of Labor. In 1887, he helped form an order of "Farmers, Mechanics and Working Men", a division of the Farmers' Alliance and continued to work for the organization 1891. During that same year, Heartsill worked as a representative of the People's Party. A reform candidate for the People's Party in the 1892 congressional election, he also served on the state central committee.

Heartsill continued to work as a bookkeeper during this time, and he was hired to oversee the books of the Southwestern Coal Company of Greenwood in 1892. In December, the company went bankrupt, and the owners and creditors of the company appointed Heartsill receiver. He operated the company until February 1893, when the mine was sold to a Pennsylvania Company. Heartsill, who was state master workman of the Knights of Labor, repeatedly claimed that the sale was fraudulent—a scheme hatched by the owners to defraud the miners of back wages. By March, the mine had been black-listed, and the resulting general strike against the subsequent owners was not resolved until late 1894.

Resuming his political career, Heartsill served as Sebastian County commissioner of accounts from about 1899 until 1906, when he was elected to represent Sebastian County in Arkansas' 36th General Assembly. Heartsill also served in the 37th and 39th General Assemblies, during which he repeatedly proposed a salary regulation law for Sebastian County officials. He also proposed a Sebastian County pauper commission and supported legislation that protected miners. Heartsill died in Little Rock during the 39th General Assembly on March 13, 1913.

Restrictions

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is available for viewing at the Arkansas Studies Institute.

Conditions Governing Use

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17-U.S. Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The person using this material is liable for any infringement.

Copyright for correspondence in the collections belongs to those correspondents or their beneficiaries. Persons wanting to re-use those materials are advised to obtain permission from copyright holders.

Administrative Information

Citation Notes

Bibliographic citation:

W.B.W. Heartsill Papers, 1864-1945, UALR.MS.0025. UALR Center for Arkansas History and Culture, Arkansas Studies Institute, Little Rock, AR.

Footnote or Endnote info:

Description of item, location of item in the collection (e.g. File, Box, Subseries, and Series Numbers as applicable).