Thomas Franklin Ray was born September 15, 1853, in Henry County, Tennessee. His journey to Poplar Bluff began in Arkansas, where he moved to Corning in 1879 and started the 'Advocate' newspaper with E. Perkins. The business operated from a one-story frame building on West Second Street.
Ray's leadership qualities were recognized early - in 1884, he was elected Mayor of Corning. He also served as an officer of the Masons, being elected on June 12, 1889. By 1894, Ray had transitioned from journalism to commerce, entering the hardware and furniture business.
Around 1900, Ray made the decision to relocate to Poplar Bluff, Missouri, where he would spend the rest of his life. He continued his hardware and furniture business in Poplar Bluff for many years, living at 427 N Main Street. By 1930, Ray had shifted careers once more, working as a collector for the city light and power company. His business as pictures is notated to have been in operation from 1889-1899 before selling out to the Wright-Dalton Hardware Co.
Ray was married twice - first to Louisa Stokley Akers who died in 1883 and is buried at Corning Cemetery, and then to Addie Boswell Jackson on July 14, 1880. Note: The marriage dates as recorded in the source material appear to conflict, with the second marriage occurring before the first wife's death. We have preserved the dates as they appear in the original historical record, though this timeline discrepancy may reflect either a source error or circumstances we cannot fully verify. Addie passed away on January 2, 1922. Though Ray had no children, he left behind an invaluable gift to historians: a hand-written family history documenting his ancestors and experiences.
Thomas Franklin Ray died on April 5, 1940, in Poplar Bluff and was buried in the City Cemetery. His life story represents the entrepreneurial spirit of early Poplar Bluff - a man who adapted, served his community in multiple capacities, and took time to preserve his family's history for future generations.
Image courtesy of the Poplar Bluff Museum and used with permission (digitized by Historic Poplar Bluff).
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T.F. Ray's Hardware Store in Poplar Bluff, as seen in the 1890s
Historic Poplar Bluff
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These connections were automatically identified by AI from the story text and have not yet been verified. They may be inaccurate or incomplete. They are shown for research purposes and will be updated as they are reviewed by our archivists.
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Historic Poplar BluffUnverified
1950-1970
LLM identified as "organization that digitized the image used in the story" — "Image courtesy of the Poplar Bluff Museum and used with permission (digitized by Historic Poplar Bluff)."
Poplar Bluff MuseumUnverified
1910s
LLM identified as "institution that provided the image used in the story" — "Image courtesy of the Poplar Bluff Museum and used with permission (digitized by Historic Poplar Bluff)."
AdvocateUnverified
1890s
LLM identified as "newspaper founded by T.F. Ray and E. Perkins in Corning, Arkansas" — "he moved to Corning in 1879 and started the 'Advocate' newspaper with E. Perkins"
