Will Gregory was born in Reeds Springs Junction, Missouri on July 31,1887, the 10th child out of 14 children of JOHN ANDERSON GREGORY AND ELIZABETH FINNEY GREGORY. Pearl Chaffin was the 11th of 12 children born on September 17, 1892 to MATTHEW PERRY CHAFFIN, and SARAH ELIZABETH HENDERSON CHAFFIN in Buffalo, Arkansas. Will served three years in the Army (August 17,1908-August 16, 1911) at Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis Missouri, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, and Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas. He was in the cavalry and never lost his love of horses. When he returned from the Army, he married Pearl on September 11, 1911 in Jasper, Arkansas. Will and Pearl had nine children (listed in birth order): Delbert, Eldon, Hubert, Estelle, Wilma, Fern, Opal, Devoe, and Frank. They lived on the Chaffin place on the Buffalo River until 1928 when they moved to Hasty, Arkansas. Their move was made so that their kids could go to High School. Will bought a 150 acre farm in Hasty and became Postmaster (from 1931-1949) and proprietor of a grocery store. Pearl was a full time housewife and mother during her lifetime.

Ken Gregory, their grandson writes: My favorite memories of my grandfather (Will) was to listen to him talk about his days in the United States Horse Cavalry. He was stationed at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas and used to escort the wagon trains to Ft. Riley, Kansas and return. We spent many hours talking about his experiences, which by the way may have had a lot to do with my interest in the military and subsequent career as a United States Cavalry Officer. Will had a small shed on his farm in Hasty in which he kept his saddles for the horses which he kept most of his life. In the shed was his cavalry saddle of which he was so proud. It was unbelievably uncomfortable and I do not know how they spent so much time in it. Will loved horses: he used them for most of his life to work the farms he had and just to spend time with them. Will raised dairy cattle and everyday would milk the cows and put the milk in a natural well cistern along side the road from Western Grove for the milk company to pick up. He also raised the myriad of other livestock needed to feed his family.

My remembrances of Pearl (my grandmother) was that of a frontier woman. She looked the part of the frontier woman as you so often saw in the movies. Many the times I have seen her in her bonnet hoeing the garden, making lye soap, or churning butter. Many the nights I spent on the front porch of their house listening to the singing from the church which met every night in the Hasty schoolhouse. I remember my grandmother saying there goes "Bess Martin" again. That was the loudest voice singing heard from the church.

William Henry died on February 12, 1975 and Pearl died on April 20, 1978 in Harrison, Arkansas and are buried in Maplewood Cemetery.

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