Our Arklahoma Heritage: The life and legacy of Dr. Elijah Hampton “Hamp” Hesterly (1874-1920)

Dr. Elijah Hampton “Hamp” Hesterly was a physician whose life was deeply rooted in Sebastian County, where he was born, raised, and ultimately laid to rest.

Born on January 4, 1874, in Sebastian County, he followed his father’s path into medicine, serving the rural communities of Sevier County while maintaining strong ties to his home county. His life, cut short at age 46, was marked by his dedication to his patients, his family, and the enduring connection to Sebastian County that shaped his identity.

Hamp was the son of Dr. Elijah Lynch Hesterly (1843–1915) and Mary Pitman Hesterly (1850–1923), both prominent figures in the Greenwood area of Sebastian County.

His father, a physician, practiced in Greenwood and likely influenced Hamp’s decision to pursue medicine.

Growing up in this rural setting, Hamp was immersed in a community where family ties and local relationships were paramount. Sebastian County, with its mix of farmland and small towns, provided the backdrop for his early life,

.His siblings, Nancy Pauline Hesterly (1888–1977) and Maurice Ridley Hesterly (1891–1969), also remained tied to the area, reinforcing the family’s deep roots in the county.

Hamp’s connection to Sebastian County extended beyond his upbringing. His parents lived in Greenwood until their deaths, and the family maintained property and social ties there.

Even as Hamp established his medical practice in Cerro Gordo, Sevier County, he remained linked to Sebastian County through visits, family obligations, and his identity as a native son.

The decision to bury him in Valley View Cemetery, located in South Sebastian County near Midland, reflects this enduring bond. The cemetery, a resting place for many local families, was a natural choice for the Hesterly family, symbolizing Hamp’s lifelong connection to the region.

Hamp married twice. His first wife, Nancy J. “Nannie” McBay (1877–1906), gave birth to a child who died in infancy in 1906, the same year Nannie passed, possibly due to childbirth complications or illness.

After this loss, Hamp married Lula Mae Puckett Hughes (1890–1925) in 1908. They had four sons: Elijah Harold (1909–1987), Ellis Lloyd “Ed” (1913–2001), Kenneth (1916–2006), and Wayne Hampton (1918–2013).

The family lived in Cerro Gordo, where Hamp served as a rural physician, traveling by horseback to treat patients across Sevier County’s scattered communities.

As a doctor, Hamp was a lifeline for his patients, carrying a medicine chest and navigating rough terrain to deliver care. His work required resilience, especially in an era when rural healthcare was limited, and doctors often faced physical risks to reach those in need.

Despite his practice being based in Sevier County, his ties to Sebastian County remained strong, likely visiting Greenwood to see family or consult with his father before the latter’s death in 1915.

On June 19, 1920, Hamp’s life ended tragically. He set out on horseback to the Scott Sessions sawmill, possibly to attend a patient. Attempting to cross the Little River at Koosier Ford, a treacherous point on the Arkansas-Oklahoma border, he drowned.

The river, likely swollen, overwhelmed him as he tried to swim his pony across, his medicine chest strapped to his body. His body was found the next day after a search led by Homer Scott of Cerro Gordo, prompted by a boy’s sighting of Hamp’s wet pony.

Inquests in both states ruled the death an accidental drowning. His body was sent to Midland in South Sebastian County for burial at Valley View Cemetery, a choice reflecting his deep ties to the county of his birth and family.

Hamp’s death left Lula Mae, aged 30, to raise their four young sons, the youngest just two. She died five years later in 1925, and the boys were raised by relatives, likely including family in Sebastian County, given the Hesterly clan’s presence there.

The sons thrived despite early hardship. Wayne Hampton Hesterly, the youngest, lived to 94, dying in 2013 after a career in the petroleum industry and World War II service. He earned the Sons of Republic of Texas Distinguished Service Award in 1995 and the Chappell Hill Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.

Hamp’s legacy lies in his service as a rural physician and his rootedness in Sebastian County. His practice in Sevier County demanded sacrifice, but his identity remained tied to the land and people of his birthplace.

His burial in Valley View Cemetery, near the graves of his parents, underscores this connection.

The cemetery, a quiet plot in South Sebastian County, holds the stories of families like the Hesterlys, who shaped the region through hard work and community ties.