The Hemperleys

From 1869 to the 1940s, the Hemperley families of Era and Doddridge were widely known and influential throughout Sulphur Township and beyond. Dr. Edward T. Hemperley of Era was a prominent medical doctor who figured in the development of that area. His nephew, Jefferson Beauregard Hemperley of Doddridge was a merchant for sixty years, having had stores at Collins Bluff, Spring Bank, and Doddridge. There were thirteen children in each of these families.

The early Hemperleys were from England. Due to religious persecution there in the 1700s, they sought to move to America; however, early in their voyage, the ship was damaged by a storm off the coast of Holland, and it was forced ashore there.

For whatever reason, this early family decided not to continue the voyage to America, and so they went to Germany to live instead. Thus Edward M. Hemperley was born in Germany in 1763. Upon arriving at adulthood, Edward married Rachael (last name unavailable) who was born in 1767. They were farmers.

At some time in the 1790s, Edward and Rachael moved from Germany to Pennsylvania. Later they continued on to Virginia, and then to Spartanburg District, South Carolina, where Edward P. Hemperley was born in 1798. From South Carolina the family moved to East Point, Georgia, an area near Atlanta.

Edward P. Hemperley, a farmer, married Malinda Foster of South Carolina in 1822. They had nine children who were born as follows: Adam R., 1823; John M., 1825; Rachael Ann, 1828; Michael C., 1829; Andrew Simpson, 1832; Mary Jane, 1834; Joel M. , 1836; Nancy M. , 1838; and Edward Thomas, 1841. There was a Dodd family in Georgia with whom the Hemperleys became closely associated,---so closely associated in fact that three marriages took place between the two families. The Hemperley brothers, Andrew Simpson, and Edward Thomas, married the two Dodd sisters, Louisa Catherine, and Leticia Ann, respectively. The brother of these Dodd sisters, Willis Henderson, married the sister of the Hemperley brothers, Rachael Ann. The result of these unions, as one would expect, was that of numerous double first cousins.

Edward T. and Leticia Ann had thirteen children, nine boys and four girls, all of whom lived to maturity.

The boyhood of Edward T. Hemperley was spent in Georgia where he attended the common schools. In early manhood he commenced life as a farmer, but not liking the occupation greatly ...he took up the study of medicine. In 1860 and 1861, he attended lectures at Macon, Georgia, and in the latter year commenced the practice of medicine. (15, p.198) At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Dr. Hemperley enlisted but was soon discharged because of a disability. In September of 1863, he re-enlisted and was made assistant surgeon, and served in that role until the War’s end.

In 1869, Dr. Hemperley came to Arkansas and established a home and medical practice at Era, just south of Bright Star. His medical practice was markedly successful, and extended even to nearby Texas and Louisiana. He also became the owner of 600 acres of land on which he kept his nine sons busy with farming. After a time. Dr. Hemperley’s wife, Leticia Ann, came to be referred to by everybody as “Aunt Let.” She was known far and near for her strong and outspoken character, and was often quoted. Aunt Let was a person of great personal magnetism. She exercised discipline, possessed high energy, and was an outstanding conversationalist. Being the wife of a busy country doctor, and the mother of thirteen children who grew to maturity, she was especially fortunate to possess these qualities.

It has been said that Aunt Let was really the doctor in the house. “She knew as much about doctoring as any doctor in the whole territory. Look at the number of children she had to practice on.” LoFene Poole McCarty recalls some moments in the presence of Aunt Let while they both were visiting at her Grandpa Hemperley’s home in Doddridge. Once when I was six, Kathryn, my playmate, and I had a “playhouse” under Grandpa Hemperley’s big home next to the base of a fireplace chimney. We were talking and laughing in our fantasy world when, quite unexpectedly, Aunt Let’s head poked under the house. In her loud Dodd voice she ordered, “Out!” We stared in disbelief,—not intending to leave our play. In a flash Aunt Let’s crooked walking cane almost snared my ankle. In horror, Kathryn and I bumped our heads on the floor sills as we made a hasty retreat . . . Later, we were told that copper heads and coral snakes lived in the rocks of chimney bases. Then we realized Aunt Let loved us and was trying to protect us. McCarty also recalls the times of old tales and snuff-dipping on the back gallery on hot summer afternoons: After Grandpa Gard [Jefferson Beauregard] had gone back to his store from 11:30 dinner, the dishes were washed and dried . . . and the kitchen made ready for supper. Then it was time to sit on the shady back gallery [porch] and talk and listen to old tales. . . Gramma Hemperley and Aunt Let sat in rocking chairs, cooling down from the hot kitchen. Aunt Let and “Luler” would get their snuff boxes out of their apron pockets along with their snuff brushes.

One needs to be aware that, in the south, a snuff brush is a very special thing. It must be a twig from a black gum tree; no substitutes will do. Secondly, it requires careful preparation by chewing one end gently until it becomes a soft mop. Only then can it be ceremoniously dipped into the snuff can and placed into the mouth to be savored for hours. It was during these sessions of rocking and dipping that many a story got told by Aunt Let, much to the delight of children and adults alike.

There were stories of the Civil War, stories of the hardships during the post war years in Georgia, of experiences on the farm, and the medical experiences of her husband, Dr. Hemperley. The rearing of thirteen children, alone, would provide an endless supply of tales for Aunt Let to tell.

One story Aunt Let surely must have told was that of the arduous task of getting moved from East Point, Georgia, to Era, Arkansas. But the family was glad to leave the devastation left by the ravages of war. The year was 1869. After a time of acquiring means and making many kinds of preparations, the family rode the train from Atlanta, Georgia, to New Orleans, Louisiana. From New Orleans, the family traveled by steamboat up the Mississippi River to the Red River, then up the Red River to Shreveport. At Shreveport, the boat went into Caddo Lake and on to Jefferson, Texas, just beyond the Louisiana-Texas line. At Jefferson, the family had to buy a wagon (or wagons) and oxen to cover the final leg of the journey to Era, roughly two days of travel.

Willis H. Dodd (Dr. Hemperley’s brother-in-law), also a doctor, had come to the Olive Branch area, near Era, and settled quite some time before Dr. Hemperley arrived with his family. Also, Andrew Simpson Hemperley (the doctor’s brother) had arrived at Bright Star (also near Era) even before the Civil War started. Consequently, the Dr. Edward Hemperley family wasn’t exactly settling down among strangers.

Thus, Aunt Let was not only a good teller of stories, but she had a background which afforded her an endless supply of topics.