Biographical and Pictorial History of Arkansas

Originally published in 1887, the Biographical and Pictorial History of Arkansas is an illustrated work by John Hallum (1833–1906) that details the history of the state while giving information on prominent citizens. The work is labeled as the first volume in a set, but no other subsequent volumes ever appeared.  

John Hallum, a native of Tennessee, was educated in that state and worked as an educator before becoming a lawyer. During the Civil War, he served in a staff role in the Confederate army for two years before returning to his law practice in Memphis, Tennessee, due to illness. While living in the city under Federal occupation, he published an editorial that criticized the Union authorities, leading to a sixty-day imprisonment and a large fine. After the war, he served as the attorney for a former Confederate officer, Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was facing a Federal indictment for treason; it never went to trial. 

Hallum moved to St. Louis in 1870 and then moved to Colorado in 1874 before settling in Little Rock (Pulaski County) in 1876. He practiced law in the city, as well as in Lonoke (Lonoke County), Fort Smith (Sebastian County), and Texarkana (Miller County). In addition to his legal work, Hallum also spoke to various groups on the topics of the Old South and the Civil War. He died on July 11, 1906, from a fall in Pine Bluff (Jefferson County) and is buried in the Confederate section of the Little Rock National Cemetery 

The work is divided into chapters, along with a dedication and an index arranged by chapter. The chapters detail the history of the state, beginning with European exploration. Of particular note are transcriptions of letters and other documents from the colonial period when the area belonged to Louisiana. The historical section concludes shortly after statehood.  

The work includes biographical sketches of various Arkansans, with many written by Albert Pike. The sketches include typical details but also information about the personal relationships Pike had with the correspondent. Pike also contributed an autobiography to the work. The history of the state can be traced through the sketches, but it is not arranged in a linear narrative.  

The biographical sketches detail the lives of powerful men in the state, with women only occasionally mentioned and only in the context of their relationship to men. Unionist men do not appear in the work unless as a foil to pro-Southern forces, and African Americans are completely omitted from the work. The topic of secession is covered in the biographical sketch of Governor Henry Massie Rector, and the author praised his efforts to defy the federal government and lead the state out of the Union. The institution of slavery is not addressed in any depth.  

The work was published by the Albany, New York, publishers Weed, Parsons, and Co.; a reprint appeared in 1978, published by the Southern Historical Press. The work might prove to be valuable to modern researchers completing a historiographical survey of books that detail Arkansas history, but the information in the Biographical and Pictorial History of Arkansas is too biased to be very useful.  

For additional information:
Dillard, Tom. Statesmen, Scoundrels, and Eccentrics: A Gallery of Amazing Arkansans. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2010.  

Hallum, John. Biographical and Pictorial History of Arkansas. Albany, NY: Weed, Parsons, and Co., 1887. 

Hughes, William Herschel. “John Hallum, Lawyer and Historian.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly 10 (Autumn 1951): 258–267. 

“Mr. Money’s Confession.” Water Valley [Mississippi] Progress, August 1, 1903. 

David Sesser
Southeastern Louisiana University 

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