Another Murder in the Family - Will Renfro

Who is Will Renfro to us?  He is Zola's Uncle, Great Grandma Thornsbury's oldest brother.

So is it Renfro, Renfroe or Renfrow, Wrenfro, Wrenfrow, Rentfro?  Yes.  It appears on most records as Renfroe, but Great Grandma Thornsbury's family seemed to have dropped the "e" from the end at some point.  Also, the name sometimes appears with a "w."  As a 3rd cousin a few times removed said "Hell, they'zz all our kin."  Arkansas seems to be a unique place y'all.

Will Renfro was born Oct. 25, 1880 to Joshua Renfro and John "Anna" Brown. He was their first child. 

Josh and Anna married in 1879 and lived North of Hector, Arkansas near Forks of the Creek. Josh farmed there from 1880 until about 1929 when his crops were completely washed out two years in a row. At this time he moved to Oklahoma where his daughter Sarah Lucinda Dixon and her husband Eldie lived. 

Will Renfroe married Dora Olivia Ballard on May 29, 1904. After Will's death his wife gave birth to a daughter, who would be the only child of Will.  

You might also remember from Max Henry's murder. Will Renfro (this Will) was living with the the Bohanon family as a farm laborer.  Monroe Bohanon shot and killed Max Henry.  This a lot of shooting and killing each other in our family.  Will Renfro was living with the man who shot and killed his future brother-in-law's brother.  Woah, clear as mud?  Let's get on with it . . . 


Forks of the Creek - North of Hector, Arakansas

The Courier-Democrat, Russellville, Arkansas

September 22, 1904

WILL RENFROW MURDERED

***

George and Marion Church

Also Wounded in the Fight

Which Occurred near Hector Thursday Night

As a result of a general row, doubtless super-induced by an excessive flow of bad booze, another mound has been erected in a Pope County cemetery and the man charged with the crime awaits his trial in the county jail when he must either prove his justification or accept the verdict of a jury of his own selection. The case to which we allude is the killing of Will Renfrow by one George Church, Thursday night of last week. The murder took place at a small school house at the forks of two creeks some seven or eight miles north of Hector, where citizens of the community had gathered for the purpose of witnessing a magic lantern exhibition.

During the progress of the show, or just at its close some six or seven young men of the community, said to be more or less under the influence of "mountain dew" or blind tiger goods, engaged in a general row. Among them were George Church, Bud Renfroe, Larkin Mathis, Riley Church, and perhaps others. Whether Will Renfrow was a participant of the fuss or only interfered to quell the disturbance will doubtless be a matter of contention between the attorneys of the opposition sides. It is not disputed however that he was shot three times and instantly killed, and George Church was arrested, charged with the offense. A coroner's inquest before squire A. R. Jones was promptly held and Church was committed to jail to await an examining trial, which will take place before Squire H. H. Baird of this city, commencing at 10 o'clock this (Thursday) morning.

At the coroner's inquest it was brought out that several shots in all were fired, probably six, one of which accidentally struck Marion Church, an uncle of the defendant, in the lower part of the leg or ankle and more or less shattering the bone. George Church is said to have lost the tip of one of his fingers by a ball fired by someone engaged in the melee. In advance of the examining trial, however, we do not care to undertake to relate any facts in connection therewith as any information received would doubtless be of a partisan character and fail to state the real facts as they will eventually be proven in the courts.


Note: I could not find anything in the following weeks about what happened in this case.  We do know that Will was laid to rest in the Forks of the Creek Cemetery. 

I started to wonder about the baby.  In searching, I found Willie Mae Renfro. Her mother Dora Ballard Renfro remarried soon after her husband (Will) was murdered. She married Starkey LaFayette Hammond (sometimes referred to as "Starkey" and sometimes as "Fate") and moved to Otero County, Colorado, where Willie Mae grew up and married Herbert Evans. I found a headstone for Willie Mae but no photo.

I did find a photo of Willie Mae's mother, Dora O. Ballard Renfro Hammond. She is in the middle on the back row. This photo is of her parents and sisters. Will Renfro was murdered and Willie Mae was born about 6 months later. Willie Mae married when she was 25 years old, but I can't find where she had children. 

By 1910, Dora is married to Starkey Hammond and is living in Stephens, Oklahoma.  Little Willie Mae Renfrow is 4 years old, born in Arkansas as were her mother and father!