John Calvin Fine

When John Calvin Fine married Mary Eliza Nokes Smith in 1866, he wore this vest. Fine was born in 1842, the oldest child of Alfred and Rachel Mankins Fine. The Fines lived near the West Fork of the White River in Washington County until they moved to Texas in 1859.

During the Civil War, John served in the Confederate Army and was taken prisoner at Lookout Mountain. After the war he served in the Second U.S. Volunteer Infantry, Company C, guarding wagon trains on the Santa Fe Trail.

John returned to Northwest Arkansas in 1866 and married Mary Eliza Noakes Smith. Mary Eliza was only 20 years old, but was already twice a widow when she married John Fine. The newlyweds moved to Johnson County, Texas, where they raised seven children.

Donated by Douglas P. Fine