A letter to S&W from a City Marshal in the 20s & Images of him & the gun he ordered.

[lawandorder]

A letter to S&W from a City Marshal in the 20s & Images of him & the gun he ordered.

Several years ago I purchased from an auction a rather large group of letters from the early 1900s to the factory from customers in the US and other countries ordering new revolvers and other S&W related issues.

As there were quite a few of the letters from Law Enforcement Officers I was very interested in these historical artifacts and as bad I as I wanted to keep them as the valuable collectibles they were I soon realized that the right place for them to be was back in the hands of the Smith & Wesson historian so they could be shared with everyone. I boxed them up and mailed them to Mr Jenks and he seemed very appreciative.

Don't know if it was related but a few months later a good friend here on the Forum sent me another letter of the same type as a gift, only this one was from an Officer here in Arkansas ordering a new revolver in 1926. I have kept that letter for a number of reasons.

The letter was typical of many South Western Peace Officers from the time period who decided to upgrade their duty weapon from a .38 Special to a .44 Special.

It is also very special to me because for the last 20+ years I have researched Line of Duty deaths of Officers here in Arkansas with the intent of writing a book about them. Some 9 months after City Marshal Tyson received his new .44 Special he was shot and killed while trying to arrest a suspect in an Armed Robbery.

I hold out hope that I will find his descendents someday and or locate this revolver as a memorial to those who have given all to the citizens of this state.

There are several interesting notations on the letter.

 

[DCWilson]

I'm slow to push the "like" button on that post because it seems too hasty and simple a gesture of appreciation for Marshal Tyson and the sacrifice he made so soon after receiving his upgraded revolver. Instead I just want to recognize the level of commitment to public service evident in his decision to provide -- out of his own pocket -- the equipment he thought he needed to do his job properly.

Marshal Tyson, good for you. After all these years I hope you or someone related can hear me when I say, "Thank you for your service. It has been over 80 years since anyone in Gurdon heard you speak, or heard you spoken of or read your name, but this evening, through information distribution processes that you could not have imagined, more people will read or hear your name and learn of your work than heard or learned during your life."

 

[bamabiker]

I'm slow to push the "like" button on that post because it seems too hasty and simple a gesture of appreciation for Marshal Tyson and the sacrifice he made so soon after receiving his upgraded revolver. Instead I just want to recognize the level of commitment to public service evident in his decision to provide -- out of his own pocket -- the equipment he thought he needed to do his job properly.

Marshal Tyson, good for you. After all these years I hope you or someone related can hear me when I say, "Thank you for your service. It has been over 80 years since anyone in Gurdon heard you speak or regularly heard or read your name, but this evening, through information distribution processes that you could not have imagined, more people will read or hear your name and learn of your work than heard or learned during your life."

Very well said.
Thank you Marshal Tyson for your service and thank you lawandorder for keeping the memories of such men alive.
I hope your book project is completed someday.

 

[rhm0351]

You might contact the Masonic Grand Lodge of Arkansas to see if they might provide family information. He is carried on their list of death records. A search by name also brings up mention in Google Books of an investigation that he conducted. If you can provide his full name, I may be able to turn up more.

 

[rhm0351]

Thanks for the PM. I did a little more research and this is what I've come up with:

Robert Clarence Tyson
Born: 4 DEC 1894 in Ouachita County,Arkansas
Death: 18 MAY 1927 in Gurdon,Clark County,Arkansas
Burial: Bethesda Cemetery,Ouachita County,Arkansas

Father: William Harvey TYSON b: 17 MAR 1850 in Ouachita County,Arkansas; d: 8 JUL 1916
Mother: Ella Louise GOODWIN b: 17 OCT 1855 in Union County,Arkansas; d: 15 MAY 1946

Marriage: Nancy Hill HALFORD b: September 28, 1896 in Illinois, d: unknown in Gurdon,Clark County,Arkansas
Married: 1 JAN 1913 or 1914 in Ouachita County,Arkansas
Second husband was Lawrence Strickland (married: February 20, 1933) and lived in Little Rock, AR by 1940.

Child: Kenneth L. Tyson (SSN 429-09-8311), served in the US Army Air Corps in WWII.
Birth: 22 FEB 1915 in Gurdon, Clark County,Arkansas
Death: 13 JUN 1991 in Arkadelphia, Clark County,Arkansas
Lived at 216 N 8th St, Gurdon in 1930, in Little Rock, AR by 1940, lived in Trenton, IL in 1974, .

Kenneth's wife: Myrtle GOODSON, possibly born in Louisiana February 17, 1921, and living in Louann, AR 1935-1940.

You might try one of these two addresses/phone numbers for Mrs. Myrtle Tyson (aka Mertyl G Tyson):

(870) 246-5922
1025 N 26th St
Arkadelphia, AR 71923-2924

9804 Weddington Rd
Fort Smith, AR 72908-751

Kenneth and Myrtle's children/R.C. Tyson's Grandchildren:
Ramona Jane Tyson
Beverly Kaye Tyson

 

[Retired W4]

I don't know, because I'm a beginner with these things, but SWHF might be interested in that document.

 

[lawandorder]

Outstanding rhm0351

 

[rhm0351]

Happy to help. I enjoy tracking down history and have had a few people volunteer their assistance in some of my searches to tie old firearms to people.

 

[JaneTyson]

My family still has the .44 caliber gun mentioned in the letter from R.C. Tyson to Smith & Wesson. There are more details about this gun that I can share, once I verify them with family members. It is very nice that this letter has been preserved. My father lost his father when he was young; and by all accounts, R.C. Tyson was a very well respected man in the community of Gurdon, very well respected and loved. I may be adding more to these posts later on.

 

[JP@AK]

My family still has the .44 caliber gun mentioned in the letter from R.C. Tyson to Smith & Wesson. There are more details about this gun that I can share, once I verify them with family members. It is very nice that this letter has been preserved. My father lost his father when he was young; and by all accounts, R.C. Tyson was a very well respected man in the community of Gurdon, very well respected and loved. I may be adding more to these posts later on.

Thank you very much for posting, Jane Tyson. I am gladdened by the fact that you are aware of our remembrance and respect for your grandfather. I am also happy that his handgun is still in the family. On a personal note, your grandfather was born the same year as mine was. My grandfather passed away two months before I left for my first tour in Vietnam, so I was privileged to know him quite well. One of my most prized possessions is a S&W revolver that belonged to him. It was given to me by my father (a WWII veteran) before he passed away. Here is a picture.

Edit: Someone "liked" this post and that brought me back here. I'll add an addendum to my old post.
My brother passed away in September, 2018. While going through his things, I came across some documents he had retrieved from my father's belongings, including my grandfather's birth certificate. Turns out my memory was faulty. He was born, not in 1894, but in 1892. The S&W revolver in the picture above was given him as payment for work he did on a Model T during the Great Depression. The car's owner had no money to pay for the repairs, so he gave my grandfather this M&P Target. I lettered the gun and it shipped to Honeyman Hardware in Portland OR on April 6, 1908, 39 years to the day before my brother was born. JP

 

[lawandorder]

Ms Tyson Thank you for responding to the post about Marshal Tyson and thank you for his service to and ultimate sacrifice for the citizens of Arkansas. I sent you a PM with more details.
Tony

 

[j a]

Thank you

Ms. Tyson,
Thank you for joining the forum to share this information. I and the rest of the forum would enjoy any other information, stories or pictures that you could provide. Information on his law enforcement career or his weapons would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again. JA

 

[MattNH]

I'm relatively new to this forum, and it is simply amazing to find threads like this. I'm sitting in my office in New Hampshire not ready to start work and seeing an 88 year old letter and getting a glimpse into the life of a Marshal in Arkansas. The bonus is finding out the revolver is still with the family.

Thank you all who have the passion to devote the time, energy and resources to foster these discoveries.

 

[LEOLT]

Another forgotten lawman that has come home! Well done to all!

 

[g8rb8]

Jane Tyson,

Thank you for responding. I echo the thanks to your descendant, R.C. Tyson.

I am curious how you became aware of this thread? It adds another layer of interest to an already interesting thread.

Thanks,

John

 

[JaneTyson]

How did I find this thread??? Funny story. My boyfriend was online googling my name and somehow he found this....at least he told me about his snooping! Hahaha. Seriously, he is a great guy and I am so happy that he was able to uncover this...otherwise it might never have been discovered by our family.

 

[Art Doc]

If you don't mind my asking, do you live in Arkansas?

Also, Tyson is a big name in this state. Any relation to the chicken producers?

 

[JaneTyson]

No, I live in Oklahoma. And yes, we are distantly (with the emphasis on distantly) related to the Tysons in NW Arkansas. My dad became acquainted with Don Tyson in the 1970's and together they figured all that out, but I do not remember the details.

 

[TenTea]

This thread was so astonishing, I finally decided to register here in order to say so.

I sit here in amazement, so thanks to all who do (or did) have a part in this process of making history come alive.

Well done.

 

[kennyb]

ms Tyson...we are so pleased to have you here with us and await further details...I have my weapon from when I retired from law enforcement...it's not a smith&wesson although at points during my career I did carry the best!