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L.C. Arrington was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on January 26, 1856. He was old enough to remember the Civil War and told many interesting stories of the Carpet Baggers, when they ravaged the south. They often hid out in the woods from them.
After the war, the family moved to Bloomington, Illinois and lived there for several years; then came to Texas in 1875, settling in Palo Pinto County. In 1891 he came to Dickens County, and settled in Lower Cottonwood with his young bride, Rosa Stephens of Bridgeport. He homesteaded a farm, now the Maurice Goodsin´s. He helped organize Dickens County.
A few years later his wife´s health became bad and they went back to Bridgeport where she died. He then went back to Palo Pinto and later married Mattie Ann Edmiston of Weatherford, Texas, and to this union were born four children, to-wit: Roy, Walter, Fred and Lorna. After the last child was born, our mother passed away in 1901. He was left with four small children; the baby only three months old. He had a sister living in Dickens County, Mrs. G.W. Harvey, so he came back to this county and she took care of us until 1903, when he married Mrs. Mary Jackson Montgomery, a widow, with five little girls; Minnie, Emma, Pearl, Madie and Henry. That made nine children all at once. Well to this union they had four, Rupert, Ray and Ross (twins) and Gladys. That made thirteen children, fifteen in all.
How my dad made a living for all of us, is beyond me, but, one thing, they owned their farm. When we got old enough to work, we all went to the field; we picked all of our cotton and put up the feed. It has been said by many old timers, that he was the first farmer in Dickens county to make a hundred bales of cotton in one year.
We all went to school in a one-teacher school at Prairie Chapel. In 1916 the family moved to Dickens and we younger children finished school at Dickens, the older ones had married off or left home. He was trustee for twelve years; always stood good for the betterment of his community.
Source: Dickens County History...its Land and People © Dickens Historical Commission; Printer: Craftsman Inc. Lubbock, Texas 1986
Charley L. Arrington died at his home in Dickens, Sunday, Dec. 21 at the age of 91 years, 10 months and 25 days. Funeral services were held in the Dickens Church of Christ at 2 o'clock Monday with Frank L. Cox, minister of the Spur Church of Christ, officiating. Interment was in the Afton Cemetery.
Mr. Arrington was born January 26, 1856 at Fayette, Ark., and came to Palo Pinto County, Texas, when a young man, living there until 1891 when he came to Dickens County where he has lived continually, with the exception of five years. His wife, Mary E. Arrington, preceded him in death on Dec. 15, at El Paso, just one week prior to his death. She was born March 20, 1872 at Jacksboro, Texas.
Pallbearers were: J.L. Koonsman, O.R. Cunningham, A.M. Rasberry, Earn Scott, Robert Williams and F.L. Edwards.
©The Texas Spur, January 1, 1948
Transcribed February 21, 2005 by DCHC members
© Dickens County Historical Commission 1997-2022
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