Our Arklahoma Heritage: Longtime Johnson County resident experienced historical duty at the end of the Civil War

James L. Ashlock was born on January 31 1848 in Tennessee. He entered Confederate service at the young age of sixteen.

His parents were William and Margret Ashlock of Shelby County, Tennessee, based on census and family lineage records from the mid- 1800s. James grew up in a farming family in Tennessee before enlisting young in the Confederate cause.

After the war he rebuilt his life through hard work and family raising, moving westward to Arkansas, where he became part of the post-Civil War settlement in the River Valley and Ozark region.

In January 1864 he enlisted in Company B, Eighth Tennessee Cavalry under General Joe Wheeler. Ashlock saw action in Tennessee and took part in the final days of the Confederacy.

After General Robert E Lees surrender, he was among the men selected by General Wheeler to escort President Jefferson Davis in his attempt to reach the trans-Mississippi department.

Ashlock and a picked group from General George Dibrell's command camped with the Davis family. The group included Mrs Davis and her four children, Maggie, about ten years old, Jeff Jr, about eight Willie, about five, and baby Varina Anne, known as Winnie.

Also present were relatives, servants, and officials, including Postmaster General Reagan of Texas. President Davis gave each man twenty-six dollars in silver before continuing from Washington, Georgia.

Ashlock sold his horseand pistol for twenty dollarsl, fearing it would be taken, then boarded a train for home in Tennessee after receiving his parole.

He married Jane Bailey on December 8 1869, in Tennessee. The couple had several children. By the early 1900s, they had moved to Arkansas. Census records show the family living near Jasper in Newton County before they settled in Johnson County.

Ashlock and Jane raised their family in the area north of Clarksville, with his address listed as Route 3 Box 41. Jane died prior to 1920, and Ashlock later remarried. He lived as a farmer and community member in Johnson County for more than four decades.

Ashlock died on March 12, 1934, at the age of eighty-six. He is buried at Oakland Memorial Cemetery in Clarksville, Although he does not have a marked headstone, he rests among more than three hundred Confederate veterans interred there. Oakland Memorial Cemetery serves as a key resting place for Johnson County veterans from the Civil War era.

Ashlock was a longtime member of the Confederate veteran community in Arkansas. A detailed 1929 newspaper interview preserved a rare firsthand account of the final escort of President Davis

His life reflects the journey of many young Southern soldiers who transitioned from war to building new homes and communities in Arkansas. Descendants of the Ashlock family continue to live in the Arklahoma area, carrying forward this local heritage.