William Fountain Beattie1

b. 16 February 1846, d. 21 April 1881
FatherMadison Beattie2,3,4 b. 6 Oct 1811, d. 31 Jul 1885
MotherMartha A. Cunningham3,4,2 b. 15 May 1824, d. 29 Oct 1897
Birth16 Feb 1846 William Fountain Beattie was born on 16 Feb 1846 in Virginia.5,6 
Childhood  William's childhood was spent on his family's beautiful estate in Washington County. In 1860 William's father owned land valued at $20,000 and personal property worth $24,000. This figure reflected the 16 slaves who lived and worked on the plantation.7,8 
Educationbetween 1864 and 1865  William entered the Virginia Military Institute in March 1864, fighting in the Cadet Corp at the Battle of New Market on May 15, 1864. In Jan. 1865 he resigned to join the First Virginia Cavalry.1 
EducationAug 1865  Following the war William enrolled at Emory and Henry College from which he graduated in June 1869. 
Migration  He moved to Crittenden Co. Arkansas, purchased land and became a cotton planter. In early 1878 the Governor of Arkansas appointed him to fill a vacancy in the county sheriff's office. Later that same year he was elected to the same position.1 
Death21 Apr 1881 William was shot and died instantly on 21 Apr 1881 while attempting to arrest an escapee near Marion in Crittenden County. The man had been previously arrested for committing a burglery but had escaped while being conveyed to jail.5,9 
  Public sentiment ran strongly against the accused murderer (who was apprehended) but William's brother George addressed the crowd and asked that the law be obeyed and that the man receive a fair trial.10 
  The man was tried, convicted and hung before a crowd of 2,000 people in early June.11 
Burial William was buried at Old Glade Spring Cemetery in Washington County, Virginia.5 
Probate Recd  At the April 1881 term of the Crittendon County court, a special administrator, J.F. Earle, was appointed to oversee the probate of William's estate. Mr. Earle was required to post $20,000 bond.12 
Probate RecdApr 1882  A year later Mr. Earle appeared in court with a list of the notes, accounts and orders found among William's papers as sheriff and Collector of Crittendon County.13 
Probate RecdJan 1885  However in January 1885 a report was filed in the county court which reflected the results of an 1882 audit of the settlement accounts of the Crittendon Co. officers. The report stated that William served as tax collector for the year 1879 and that certain funds collected by him remained unaccounted for at his death. This included $18.40 of the Hanover [?] judgment, $12.26 due the US government, $250.80 in undistributed school funds and $10.30 in other school funds. A similiar report for tax year 1880 reflected $610.85 in unaccounted for revenues. For reasons not stated, William's administrator (by then A.H. Ferguson) refused to pay the money from the proceeds of William's estate, prompting the county to bring suit against the estate and against those men who had provided surety on William's original bond as county tax collector. The results of the suit, or whether William's estate was actually charged for the amounts, was not clear to me from the available records.14 

Related Links and Images:

William's inscription on Madison Beattie monument
Other interments in Old Glade Spring Cemetery
Last Edited6 Dec 2011

Citations

  1. [S2584] Colonel William Couper, editor, The Corp Forward: Biographical Sketches of the VMI Cadets who Fought in the Battle of New Market, digitized images, Google Books (http://books.google.com : viewed Jan 2011), William Fountain Beattie's information provided by his brother, George A.C. Beattie.
  2. [S2] Catherine McConnell, High On A Windy Hill, p. 175. The stone is reported to read: William F. Beattie, 16 Feb. 1846-21 Apr 1881, "son"; stone is adjacent to those for Madison and Martha Beattie.
  3. [S5] Elizabeth Kelly Allison, Early Southwest Virginia Families, p. 102-6.
  4. [S140] "Ryburn History," compiled by P. Shugart, p. 35. Peggie cites an interview conducted in 1948 with Margaret Breckenridge Ryburn, a great granddaughter of John Beattie and Ellen Gilmore.
  5. [S2] Catherine McConnell, High On A Windy Hill, p. 175. The stone is reported to read: William F. Beattie, 16 Feb. 1846-21 Apr 1881, "son."
  6. [S42] Hattie King Owen, "Old Glade Springs Cemetery Records", p. 18. This reading was done some years earlier than the Windy Hill readings and reported the stone to read 18 Feb. 1846. However a close up view of the inscription on William's side of the marker shows the number to be 16.
  7. [S234] Madison Beattie household, 1860 U.S. cens, Washington Co., VA, pop. sched., The Western District, p. 441 (added script), dwelling 536, family 524, viewed online at Ancestry.com, Oct. 2005, image 79 of 361. Enumeation includes: Madison Beatie, 46, farmer, owns land valued at $20,000 and pers prop of $24,000, b. VA; Martha, 36, b. TN; William, 14; George, 12; Mary 6; all b. VA.
  8. [S1308] Madison Beatie, owner, 1860 U.S. census, Washington Co., Virginia, slave schedule, p. 6 (original script), line 30, viewed online at Ancestry.com. 16 slaves including: 6 males and 10 females; also 3 slave houses.
  9. [S2589] Faye Greenwood Sandy, Yell Co., Arkansas Newspaper Abstracts 1881, p. 54, from p. 2 of the April 29th, 1881 Independent Arkansian.
  10. [S2589] Faye Greenwood Sandy, Yell Co., Arkansas Newspaper Abstracts 1881, p. 61, from p. 2 of the May 6th, 1881 Independent Arkansian.
  11. [S2589] Faye Greenwood Sandy, Yell Co., Arkansas Newspaper Abstracts 1881, p. 89, from p. 2 of the June 17th, 1881 Independent Arkansian.
  12. [S2582] William F. Beattie administration bond (1881), Crittendon Co., Arkansas Probate Record D: 192.
  13. [S2582] Administrator's report (1882), Crittendon Co., Arkansas Probate Record D: 213.
  14. [S2582] County court case report (1885), Crittendon Co., Arkansas Probate Record D: 313-316.