Oliver Blackburn, general farmer and stock raiser, was born in the town of Cash, Jackson County, in 1847, son of William and Mary (Johnson) Blackburn, the father a native of North Carolina, who married in Alabama. The subject of this sketch married Miss Wilkinson, a native of Jackson County, Ark., and they have had three children: Lydia, born in 1871, married A. W. Parish in 1887; Harriet Emma, born in 1874, at [p.844] home, and Lyda, born in February, 1882. Mrs. Blackburn's father died in 1859, and was buried in the family cemetery, on Sections 17 and 18. Mr. Blackburn, like all native-born Americans, is an ardent lover of his native State, and has witnessed great changes, having been an active participant in the development of the country.
As early as Mr. Blackburn can remember, the market for the farm produce was Elizabeth, and game being plenty, many pelts and skins of animals adorned the fences and barn, which found a market at Jacksonport. Our subject now gives his attention to raising cotton and mules. While he has not had the best educational advantages, he has always been a friend to education and progress.
