Marcus De Witt Carlock was a prominent businessman, lawyer, and politician. He was born in Hempstead County, Arkansas, on December 3, 1853. He and his family moved to Texas at the beginning of the American Civil War. As a young child, Carlock followed his father in to various battles, and was present at the battle of &lt;a href="Battle%20of%20Pea%20Ridge"&gt;Elk Horn/Pea Ridge&lt;/a&gt;. Separated from his father after the battle, he never again saw his father. His father, Samuel, died while captive on a Union POW ship following the Battle of Fort Donaldson.