John David Hudson

John David Hudson, the second oldest son of John Brown and Minerva Hudson, was born on May 29, 1866, in Barry County, Missouri. Sometime between 1869 and 1880, he moved with his father's family to Northern Arkansas (Carroll County), near Eureka Springs. While living in Arkansas he made a trip to Texas with his father's family, traveling by covered wagon. They lived in Texas for three years and then returned to Carroll County, Arkansas, where he worked at a sawmill. It is reported that John hauled lumber to build the first hotel in Eureka Springs.

In about 1885, John moved back to Barry County, Missouri, and married Francis Charity Summers, daughter of Price and Martha Summers and sister of Mattie Summers, who had married his oldest brother. John and Francis were married on December 18, 1887, at Cape Fair, Missouri. They settled on the Dave Potter Farm on Flat Creek, between the Flat Creek Post Office and Cape Fair.

Five boys and one girl were known to have been born to John and Francis. They were Uda Clarence, Aud Carrol, Etta May, Mirl Clesson, Otis Earl, and Oval Harold. John and Francis resided on several farms in the community of Flat Creek. About 1896, they settled on a railroad claim about three miles north of the Flat Creek Post Office, built a two-room log house and it was while living here that Francis lost her eyesight. She was totally blind for the rest of her life and she never saw her youngest son. In 1907, John and Francis moved to the Ode Griffy Farm on Carney Branch and purchased one of the first telephones in that community. About 1915, they moved on the Farnham Place, down the holler and near the old Carney Schoolhouse. They farmed here for about two years and then moved to Southern California with their three youngest children. They established residence in Rivera (Los Angeles County). John worked on several ranches until 1918 when they returned to Missouri. They made several trips back to California, one in a Model-T Ford, the rest by train. They returned to Missouri and in about 1939, John retired and spent the rest of his life in and around Crane, Missouri (Stone County). He died there on September 27, 1955, at the age of eighty-nine and was buried in Crane Cemetery.