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| Prominent dentist lost in time |
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| Question: Seeking information on a dentist named Andrews that was located in Harrison before 1900. Any help appreciated. |
 Answer: Although this inquiry was answered and mailed to the person needing information, I thought this would be a good column for today. Dr. J. E. Andrews (left) located his practice in our community in 1887, moving here from Tennessee.
An article in A Reminiscent History of the Ozark Region - 1894, printed the following about Dr. Andrews: "Of late years it has been discovered that the profession of dentistry has been practiced from the earliest ages, but the knowledge of this science has become so perfected that it is now an art. One of the ablest exponents of this branch of human endeavor is Dr. J. E. Andrews, who is the only prominent practicing dentist of Harrison, in which city he has a well-appointed office and a large lucrative clientele." |
| Dr. Andrews came from a wealthy background, his grandfather being a large plantation and slave owner near Dresden, Tennessee. Dr. Andrews' father, W. H. Andrews, was in the Confederate Army during the latter part of the war, under General Forrest. Serving with him were two brothers, Lt. R. P. Andrews in Forrest command and James Andrews, who was killed at Corinth, Mississippi. The father was a 31st degree Mason and took much interest in the order. |
| Dr. Andrews' mother was Julia Grace Andrews, an accomplished lady of great musical ability. She composed the noted "Grace Waltz" and was related to the poet John G. Whittier. She died in 1874, having become the mother of seven children. |
| Dr. Andrews was the only professional member of the family. He attended schools in Memphis, but when his parents both died, he was forced to leave school and fight hard to make a life for himself. Through persistent effort, he worked enough to obtain money to pay for finishing school and in 1884, he began the study of dentistry under Dr. R. C. Reynolds of Mayfield, Kentucky. A year later, he entered the office of Dr. T. J. Reynolds at Camden, Tennessee, and practiced under his instructions for some time, when a partnership was formed and they located in Harrison in 1887. |
| In 1890, Dr. Andrews graduated in the Department of Dental Surgery of Vanderbilt University and returned to Harrison and bought out his partner's interest. A 1912 Harrison City Directory shows the dental office of Dr. Andrews being located upstairs at 106 ½ West Stephenson - over the Bank of Harrison. He was considered one of the most capable, careful and painstaking dentists and the only dental surgeon in Boone County at that time. |
| On October 20, 1891, Dr. Andrews married Miss Oza Allen, the daughter of W. S. and Sarah E. Allen of the Summit Township. They established a home, described as handsome and comfortable, in the northwest section of Harrison at 417 West Ridge. She was active in the Christian Church and moved in the best social circles in Harrison. |
| Dr. Andrews was a stockholder in the Bank of Harrison and owned considerable property in the town. In researching records, I cannot find when the Andrews died or where they are buried. One would think that as prominent as they were in the community, that they would have been buried in Boone County, but they are not listed in any of the cemetery records. If you can answer the question, let the Heritage Museum know more about the final years of Dr. J. E. Andrews and his wife Oza. |
| The biographies of many early Boone County residents can be found in the History of Boone County, Arkansas, with a narrative by Roger V. Logan, Jr. There are limited copies of this book available at the Boone County Heritage Museum, located on the corner of South Cherry Street and Central Avenue. Hours are from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. |
| This column appears Fridays in the Harrison Daily Times. Mail questions to Boone County Heritage Museum, P. O. Box 1094, Harrison, AR 72601. Marilyn Smith can be contacted at bchm@windstream.net |
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