by Linda Henderson

There is only one answer to why we live in the 501 – family!  

Jim’s family came to the 501 in 1962. His parents are Jack and Joanne Henderson. His family moved here from Southeast Arkansas when he was just a toddler. Jack brought his family to Conway to work for State Farm Insurance as an agent. Jack’s first office was on Davis Street in their home; he later moved to the Con-Ark Shopping Center and then built an office on Factory Street in Conway. Jack retired from State Farm in 1999. 

Soon after their move to Conway, Jim’s brother Roe was born. A few years later, Amanda, Jim’s younger sister was born. All the Henderson siblings attended Conway Public Schools and are graduated from the University of Central Arkansas. Roe married a Conway girl, Missy Parker. He has a Shelter Insurance Agency in Conway. Amanda married Richard Henley, who sells real estate for ERA in Conway.  

My roots run a little deeper in the 501 soil. From my family ancestry research, the earliest reliable documentation places my mother’s Henry family in the Faulkner/White County area around 1841. Census records have my fourth great-grandfather and grandmother, Francis Patrick Henry and Mary Isabel Morrison, coming to Arkansas from South Caroline to the Batesville area around 1831 and then settling in Mount Vernon in 1841. They are buried in the Old Henry Graveyard southwest of Mount Vernon. His son was James Augustus Henry and his son was Francis Edward Henry. He is buried in Hawthicket Cemetery in Faulkner County. Their son, Joshua Jock Henry, was the father of Marion Otis Henry who married Stella Lou Harlan. They were my grandparents. Both died long before I was born. They are buried in Oliver Cemetery in White County.  

My Hoggard Family arrived in Faulkner County in 1858. Clemons O. Hoggard and his wife, Martha Jane Dilday, traveled to Arkansas with seven or their 10 children from North Carolina. They settled in the Enola area and are listed as pioneer settlers in “People Around Enola 1830 to 1885” by Dibrell Ingram.  The family is also listed as early arrivers by the Faulkner County Historical Society. Land records indicate that Clemons Hoggard owned land in what is known as the Union Valley community now. In 1860, he purchased 300 acres that is now known as Marcus Hill. He and his wife lived out their years farming the fertile bottom lands of the Cadron Creek. They are listed as being buried in Siloam Cemetery, east of Enola. Their sixth child, Jesse Aaron Hoggard, was my great-grandfather. Jesse married Anna Elizabeth Gist in 1874 in Faulkner County. My grandpa was Ernest Joe, their youngest child. Grandpa married Estell Sanders from Enola. She was a daughter of Leroy Sanders and Marinda Ingram.

Ernest Joe Hoggard around 1912 at Enola.

Grandma and Grandpa Hoggard were married in Holland (Faulkner County), after a church revival in 1917. They had five children, Selma Wooley, Jessie Lee Glover, Joann Whitaker, Billy Hoggard and my dad Tommy. They raised their family and farmed land next to the Cadron Creek, also known as the Bowie Bottoms in North Faulkner County. Cotton was the primary cash crop during their time as farmers.  

The family still owns the original farm land, although they no longer own the land the home place is on.  The house on Marcus Hill road where my great-grandparents and my grandparents raised their family still stands. It stands abandoned and will likely fall from decay soon.  

All of Grandma and Grandpa’s kids graduated from Enola High School. After their youngest (my dad) graduated, they moved to Conway. They lived for many years on Washington Avenue, then later on Sixth Street in Conway. All of my dad’s siblings and families remained in the 501 area. Two lived in the Little Rock/North Little Rock area, one in the Needs Creek community and in Conway.   

Grandma and Grandpa lived long and happy lives. Grandpa and Grandma were married for more than 71 years. Grandpa was 92 when he died and Grandma was the oldest woman in Faulkner County when she died at 104. In 1999, the Faulkner County Fair Parade theme was “101.” She was honored and rode in the parade because she was 101 years old.  

Now my immediate family roots. Tommy Hoggard met Velma Lou Peggy Helen Henry (the long name is another story for later) from Mount Vernon in 1954 during their freshmen English class at Arkansas State Teachers College (now UCA) in Conway. They married two years later. Dad finished up his military service and coached basketball in South Arkansas for a short time. They returned to Conway when he was offered a job at the Arkansas Children’s Colony (now the Conway Human Development Center) in 1959. Dad was among some of the very first employed at the Children’s Colony and continued to work there until he retired. Mom was a schoolteacher for the Vilonia Public Schools for many years.

I have one younger brother, Mark Hoggard. My brother and I attended school in Conway and graduated from UCA. Mark married Tracy Harrell from Mayflower and is employed by Acxiom.   

The next generation, well our borders have become wider. We now have Henderson/Hoggard kids from California to Florida and places in between. A few remain in the 501 areas, but all still refer to the 501 as home base.  

As you can see, my family lineage and the history of the 501 are very much entwined. My forebears came to Arkansas while it was still a territory and later settled in what would be the 501 area shortly after Arkansas became a state. Both the Henderson and Hoggard families remain close-knit and spend much time together. Many members of my extended family are in the 501 area and holidays and special occasions are still celebrated together. Both of our families have left us a legacy of faith, family importance, education, health, long life and a strong work ethic. I am blessed to live where I live.  

The 501 area is beautiful and full of Arkansas history, but most of all, I am blessed to live close to family and ones I love. So that is why I live in the 501! 

Linda Henderson

Linda Henderson is a lifelong resident of the 501. During the week, Linda is a registered nurse at the Conway Human Development Center. On the weekends, she and her husband, Jim, travel the 501 and other areas of Arkansas. Jim drives and hauls equipment. Linda takes photographs of Arkansas. During their travels, they have gained appreciation and love for The Natural State. They have found the 501 has so much to offer for weekend fun and beauty to photograph.