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Spotlight on the Harrison-Jones Family Papers
The Harrison-Jones Family Papers (MSS.12.21), although they are small collection, provide insights into a surprising variety of topics. Based on the personal papers of Eula Ruth Jones Harrison, the collection documents both the Jones family of Clark County and the Harrison family of Howard County. Of special interest is the material documenting the military service of Lewis T. Harrison Jr. The collection also includes material from Eula Ruth Harrison’s business and professional life, including her time as a telephone operator.
Eula Ruth Jones was born on March 22, 1922, in Okolona (Clark County) to James Oscar Jones and Hannah Byrd Feimster Jones. Following Eula Jones’s father’s death in 1949, Eula’s mother lived with her daughter, first in Arkadelphia and later in Little Rock. Some documents and correspondence in the collection are related to the family of Eula’s mother.
Lewis Thomas (L. T.) Harrison Jr. was born on September 24, 1922, in Nashville (Howard County) to Lewis Harrison Sr. and Matilda Smith Harrison. In December 1942, during World War II, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in the Pacific Theater until 1945. In September 1945, he enrolled at Henderson State Teachers College, where he served in the school’s ROTC program. The logbook he kept as a student pilot is included in the collection.
Eula Ruth Jones and L. T. Harrison were married on August 9, 1947, in Arkadelphia (Clark County). Shortly after her third birthday, their daughter Emily Anne became ill with leukemia. She died in August 1951, less than a year after her father’s death. The guest book from her funeral is included in the collection.
In January 1948, L. T. Harrison received a commission as second lieutenant in the Organized Reserve Corps. In December 1949, he was promoted to first lieutenant and soon after shipped out with his unit to Japan. He served as an air-ground controller with the 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. The couple expected that his family could join him, but before that could happen, his unit became part of the first contingent of U.S. troops ordered into Korea.
L. T. Harrison was wounded at Kumchon in August 1950 during the Korean War but returned to his unit. On November 8, 1950, an observation aircraft he was flying was hit. Although he was initially listed as missing, a later telegram to the family confirmed his death. This collection includes letters of condolence from military and political officials, as well as records and documents relating to his military service and to his death.
Beginning as an operator in 1941, Eula Harrison worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company for forty-two years, retiring as an office administrator at the Little Rock office. The bulk of the photographs in this collection (like the one on the left) date from her time as a leader in the local, state, and regional Telephone Pioneers, a service organization made up of telephone company employees.
Throughout her life, she was active in professional and civic organizations. The collection contains documents, photographs, and publications from her service with the Pilot Club, including especially her election to leadership positions in the regional organization. Eula Ruth Harrison died in Little Rock on July 31, 2011. She is buried along with her husband and daughter at Rose Hill Cemetery in Arkadelphia.
The Harrison-Jones Family Papers (MSS.12.21) are available in the Research Room of the CALS Roberts Library (visiting info here), and the finding aid is available online here.
Adapted from a 2017 article written by Butler Center archival assistant Shirley Schuette, now retired
