Eighth Generation

486. Hardy "Tack" COMSTOCK^{218,263,294,321,322,323} was born on 14 September 1877 in Barcelona, Crawford County, Arkansas.⁹⁸ He died on 24 August 1936 at the age of 58 in Lee Creek, Crawford County, Arkansas.^232,233,324

Did Tack have an earlier marriage? Found in Sebastian Co AR: Hardy Comstock to Mary Allen 4 Dec 1901; age 24 years. Her age not given. Married by A. A. McDonald, JP
1900 Census. Hardy, age 22, living with brother James Monroe. Appears to almost have a "D" in the marriage status column. If so, did he have two earlier marriages - see next.

Family Search Pilot - Arkansas Marriages
Crawford County
Marriage license issued 19 Jul 1897 to Hardy Comstock, age 19, and Mary Delzale [sic - Delzell], age 16 - they were married the 25th of January by G. W. Jones, JP.

1910 Census. Long Twp, Sequoyah, OK, Hh 29
Hardy Comstock, 32, married twice, this time for 7 years, b. AR, father b. TN, mother b. MO, Salesaman, general store
Emily C., wife, 29 married once, 2 children, b. AR, father b. AR, mother b. GA
Lena A., dau, 4, b. AR
Alma V., dau, age 1 year, 2 months, b. Oklahoma

He registered for the World War I draft.
Hardy Comstock, Uniontown, Crawford County, Ark
Age 40. Born Sept 14, 1877. White, native born. A Merchant in Uniontown.
Emily Catherine Comstock, nearest relative, Uniontown, Crawford Co.
Signed with his own signature as Hardy Comstock.
He was of medium height, medium build, gray eyes, black hair.
12 Sep 1918.

1920 Census of Farm Land Owners
Wanda M. Gray, 1998
COMSTOCK, H. Merchant at Uniontown and had a farm. Two acres; had Holstein cattle, White Wyandotte chickens, Poland China hogs

1920 Census, Hardy Comstock is listed as occupation: General Store. Living in Uniontown.
Hardy, 42, Emily C. 40.
Lena A., dau, 14. Alma V., dau, 10. Hazel E., dau 7. Earl, son, age 2

1930, Union Twp. Hardy Comstock, age 52, Farmer with Emily age 51 and Earl age 12, living at home.

He is in the Arkansas Death Index which has no details: Hardy Comstock, died 8/24/1936, Crawford County.

Death Certificate #283
Hardy Comstock of Uniontown, Crawford Co, AR was killed instantly by a gun shot, 24 Aug 1936. Homicide. He was married to Mrs. Emily Comstock. Born 14 Sep 1877 in Uniontown. His father was Tom E. Comstock; his mother Mandie Brown - birthplaces unknown. Mrs. Emily Comstock was the informant. Buried Uniontown on Aug 25th.

JoEllen McKim says Tack was murdered. Shot out in his field. Chester Lemon was tried but not convicted. Pete Howard relates the following from Howell family tradition. Chester Lemon had already shot one man for unknown transgressions. Tack was having illicit interludes with Chester's wife and there was a lot of bad blood between the two. After Chester shot Tack out in his field, he went to Uniontown, found the constable and admitted what he'd done. Trial was in Van Buren and it was determined that the killing was justifiable homicide. Chester Lemon sold out and left Crawford County after the trial.

Fayetteville (Ark.) Daily Democrat, Monday, 24 Aug 1936
Crawford Couty Farmer Shot to Death Today
Van Buren, Ark. Aug 24.
Hardy Comstock, 55, Crawford county farmer, was found shot to death today.
Sheriff Fred Long said Chester D. Lemon, a neighboring farmer, surrendered to him and confessed he shot Comstock after an argument.
The shooting occurred near the farms of the two men a few miles from Uniontown. Sheriff Long quoted Lemon as saying Comstock had attacked him with a rock as Lemon rode on horseback near the Comstock farm.
"I tried to reason with him" Sheriff Long said Lemon told him. The sheriff said Lemon shot Comstock three times.
After the shooting, Lemon continued to Uniontown where he informed a merchant and later surrendered at Van Buren.
Surviving Comstock are his wife, Mrs. Emily Comstock, three daughters, one son and a sister.

Newspaper clippings found in a scrapbook belonging to Lettie Comstock Carney, niece of Tack, gave considerable details of the murder.
"The shooting occurred about 9:30 o'clock, near the farms of Comstock and Lemon, northwest of Uniontown, near the Oklahoma state line. Lemon continued to Uniontown, where he told Ural S. Peace, Uniontown merchant, of the shooting and accompanied Peace to Van Buren, where he surrendered to Sheriff Fred Long. The .25 calibre automatic pistol Lemon used was turned over to the sheriff also.
According to Sheriff Long, Lemon admitted the shooting, asserting that Comstock stopped him, while he was riding near the Comstock farm home and threatened him with a rock. Lemon told the sheriff that he tried to reason with Comstock, and got off his horse to talk with him, but that Comstock advanced toward him with the rock in his hand. Lemon said that he shot Comstock three times with the small calibre gun, and that when Comstock fell, he remounted his horse and rode to Uniontown.
Dick Vickory, another farmer of near Uniontown, who heard the shots and was the first to reach the scene of the shooting, told Fred Patton, chief deputy sheriff, who investigated the shooting, that Comstock was dead when he arrived a few minutes after the shots were fired. One of the shots passed through the body near the heart. No inquest was necessary, officers announced."
Another clipping:
"Charge of first degree murder, in connection with the fatal wounding of Hardy (Tack) Comstock, his neighbor, Tuesday morning was placed against Chester D. Lemon, farmer of near Uniontown, by Lonnie Batchelor, deputy prosecuting attorney."

He is buried in the Comstock Cemetery along with his wife and an infant granddaughter and grandson. [Correct date of death is 24 August, as that was a Monday in 1936.]

COMSTOCK'S FUNERAL SERVICE IS CONDUCTED
Victim of Gunshot Wound Buried at Family Plot Tuesday with Masons Aiding in Rites.
Funeral service for Hardy (Tack) Comstock, 58 years old, widely known Crawford county man who was fatally wounded Monday morning near his home, when shot by a neighbor, Chester D. Lemon, was held Tuesday afternoon at 2 o'clock, at the home near Uniontown, with Dr. J. R. Keeling, pastor of the Wood Memorial Christian church of Van Buren, officiating. Burial was in the Comstock family cemetery, with the Edwards Funeral home of Fort Smith in charge of arrangements. Officers of the Masonic lodge of Uniontown, of which Mr. Comstock was a member were in charge of a service at the grave.
Mr. Comstock was a leading farmer of that section of the county for a number of years. He was a member of the Christian church of Uniontown, and took an active interest in the church, civic, fraternal, political and school affairs of the community.
He was a brother of the late Senator Randolph Comstock of Uniontown and the late J. Monroe Comstock, widely known Van Buren business man, and an uncle of Mrs. R. S. Wilson, Dyke Comstock, Barton Comstock, Mrs. Lester Delzell, Mrs. Maude Redmond, Ira V. Comstock, and Paul Comstock of Van Buren, Mrs. Cy Carney of Rudy, Mrs. Aura C. Clark of Baltimore, Md., Mrs. J. S. Rainwater of Bristow, Okla., Kenney Comstock of Fayetteville, and Mrs. R. C. Mills and Miss Norma Comstock of Oklahoma City; and a cousin of Gratis Comstock of van Buren.
Members of his immediate family are his wife, Mrs. Emily Comstock; three daughters, Mrs. Lena Reed of Natural Dam, and Mrs. Alma Babb and Mrs. Hazel Fears of Uniontown; a son, Earl Comstock of Uniontown; and a sister, Mrs. H. D. Walker of Uniontown.
Pallbearers, all of whom were Mr. Comstock's own nephews or nephews by marriage, were Tom Marshall, R. S. Wilson, Cy Carney, Paul Comstock, C. R. Jones, and Lester Delzell.

Although it is said that Chester Lemon moved away after the trial, he is buried in the Macedonia Cemetery in Crawford Co: b. 23 Sep 1881 and died 5 Mar 1959. Also buried there are Mary F. Lemon, b. 11 Jun 1859, died 17 Jul 1932 and J. M. Lemon, b. 10 Mar 1850, d. 11 Dec 1917. Flossie Demerice, daughter of Chester D. & Florie Lemon, b. 3 May 1950, d. 22 Oct 1908.

Hardy "Tack" COMSTOCK and Mary DELZELL were married on 20 July 1897 in Crawford County, Arkansas. They were divorced before November 1899. Mary DELZELL, daughter of Robert Johnson "Bob" DELZELL and Cordelia E. "Delia" REMY, was born in 1881 in Arkansas.

Found the marriage license - since this was the only Delzell family living in Crawford County at the time, and the marriage had taken place prior to 1900, I can only assume that Mary belongs here.

Mary ALLEN (private).

Hardy "Tack" COMSTOCK and Emily Catherine DEESE were married on 25 January 1903 in Shiloh, Arkansas.³¹⁸ Emily Catherine DEESE, daughter of William Franklin DEESE and Eleanor Elizabeth SPEIR, was born on 19 July 1879 in Crawford County, Arkansas.^232,300 She died on 19 January 1956 at the age of 76 in Crawford County, Arkansas.^232,233

Grave Marker reads "Beloved Wife and Mother"

1950 Census. Union Twp, Crawford, AR, Hh 79
Emily Comstock, 70, widow
Gladys, dau-in-law, 32, married
Boyne, grandson, 13
Kenneth, grandson, 12
Sharon, graddau, 10

Arkansas Death Certificate #268
Mrs. Emily Comstock died soon after a cerebral vascular accident, 19 Jan 1956, at the Crawford County Hospital in Van Buren, Crawford Co, AR. Her residence was Star Rt 7, Uniontown, Crawford Co. She was born 19 Jul 1879 in Uniontown and was widowed. Her father was W. F. Deese; her mother, Eleanor Speir. The informant was Mrs. Wallace Reed. Buried in the Comstock Family Cemetery near Uniontown on Jan 21st.

The Daily Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, OK, 22 Jan 1956, Sunday, p. 13
Mrs. Emily Comstock
Services will be at 2 pm Sunday at Uniontown, Arkl, Christian Church for Mrs. Emily Comstock of Uniontown, aunt of three city residents. She died there Friday.
Local survivors are a nephew, R. K. Comstock, 1227 NW 29th; two nieces, Mrs. Grace Mills, 446 NW 35th and Mrs. Nora Ann Call, 2916 NW 29th.

Hardy "Tack" COMSTOCK and Emily Catherine DEESE had the following children: