L. T. CORNETT. The name of this gentleman is a familiar one through-out Taney County, Missouri, and is synonymous with the merchandising and farming interests of his section. Since 1876 he has resided in Taney County, and during that period has kept his escutcheon untarnished. Like other representative men of the county, he came originally from Searcy County, Arkansas, his birth occurring on the 27th of November, 1854, comes of good old Virginia stock.
His parents, Henry and Malinda (Yowell) Cornett, were natives of Virginia and Tennessee, respectively, the former born in the year 1813. The father moved from his native State to Tennessee, and in 1849 settled in Searcy County, Arkansas, where he resided for a number of years. Thence he moved to Independence County, Arkansas, and cultivated the soil there with unusual success until his death in 1861. He was a prominent and useful citizen and a stanch Democrat in his political views. His brother John was a soldier in the War of 1812. The name Cornett is of English origin and the first members of this family to come to America settled in the grand old Mother of States, Virginia. The mother of our subject died in 1860. Eleven children were born to her union, six of whom lived to an adult age, and five are now living: Tennessee, deceased; James G. is a physician in Arkansas; Henry M. resides at Harrison, Arkansas; Joseph A., in the West; Martha, wife of W. R. Ellison, of Taney, and the others died in early life.
L. T. Cornett was reared in Independence County, Arkansas, and his scholastic training was rather limited, having attended school but a few days. In spite of these drawbacks, Mr. Cornett has ever been a man of observation, and coming in contact with the world it has been a good school for him. As soon as his strength would permit, he was required to make himself useful around the home place, and when nineteen years of age he began for himself as as farmer in Stone County, Arkansas In the year 1874 he moved to Texas and resided in Bell County, that State, for two years. He then came to Boone County, Arkansas, and remained there four years, or until 1880, when he located in Taney County, on Cedar Creek, where he has made his home ever since. He followed farming, and in 1891 opened a store. Since then he has been engaged in tilling the soil, stock-raising and merchandising and is one of the most prominent land owners and merchants in the county. He has a tract of land in Taney and Boone Counties of 1,047 acres, of which 500 acres are under cultivation. A portion of this land he farms, but the most of it is rented to tenants. He gives much of his time to stock raising, shipping large numbers of cattle, hogs and sleep yearly. In political matters Mr. Cornett is a stanch Democrat and takes an active interest in all public matters. Socially he is a Mason, of Polar Star Lodge No. 224, Lead Hill, Arkansas, and he is a member of the I.O.O. F. lodge, of Forsyth. In the year 1879 he married Miss Mattie Williams, a native of Missouri, and the daughter of John Williams. Mr. and Mrs. Cornett have had five children: Nellie M., Rettie A., Clara A., Johnie (a girl) a baby girl Daisey, and Rettie, who died when five years of age. Mr. Cornett resides about fifteen miles from Forsyth and about three miles from White River, where he has a beautiful home.
