Early Life and Education
Elam was born near Hope in Hempstead County in southern Arkansas, to William Jefferson Elam, an educator from Virginia. The family moved to Coryell County, Texas, in 1823 where a brother, Charles Wheaton Elam, was born. In 1826, they relocated to Natchitoches, Louisiana, where a sister, Mary Jane Elam, was born. By 1833, the family moved to Fort Jessup, Louisiana, the westernmost outpost of the United States at that time, where William Jefferson Elam tutored the officers' sons. Another brother, John Waddill Elam, was born there in 1833.
Elam was educated at Fort Jessup. Later, he read law with his cousin John Waddill in Alexandria, Louisiana. Waddill helped the kidnapped freeman Solomon Northup to obtain his freedom in court proceedings in 1853. Elam was admitted to the bar in October, 1843, and began his practice in Alexandria, Louisiana. He moved to Sabine Parish and settled in Many, Louisiana in 1844.
Read more about this topic: Joseph Barton Elam
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