Rev. Robert C. Buckner, D.D., founder and general manager of large orphan's home at Dallas, Texas, was born in Tennessee, but reared in Kentucky. He is the son of Daniel and Mary (Hampton) Buckner, natives of South and North Carolina respectively. The father moved to Kentucky when our subject was a small boy, and there reared his family of six children, of whom Robert C. was the fifth child. The father professed religion in 1816, and walked twelve miles to join the church. He was baptized by Elder Caleb Witt, and began preaching in 1823, and was ordained by Chestua Church, Elders George Snider and James D. Sewell Presbytery. He was the first Baptist minister to preach at Madisonville, Tennessee, and at the first protracted meeting at that place be baptized twenty-five persons, five of whom afterward became Baptist ministers. Three of them were Bradley Kimbrough, Samuel Henderson, D. D., and his own son, the late H. F. Buckner, D. D.
The latter was among the most noted of American ministers to the Indians. He was a minister to the Creek Indians for 34 years, and during this time arranged a Creek alphabet, made them a grammar and hymnbook, and also translated the greater portion of the Scripture into the Creek language. He and his interpreter spent one year in New York in organizing and properly classifying the work. Dr. Buckner suffered many hardships during the time he was with the Indians, and during his residence with them he was adopted as a citizen of the Creek Nation, and since his death his widow and family still resides in the Nation, where they enjoy all the privileges of Citizenship. Rev. Buckner, during his residence among the Indians, was always recognized as their true friend, and traveled alone through any of the wild tribes without a feeling of fear. He died while in the Nation, in 1882, at the age of sixty-four years.
Our subject, Rev. R.C. Buckner, removed to Texas in 1859, and was for about fourteen years pastor of the Baptist Church in Paris. He then became the founder, and for ten years editor and proprietor of the Texas Baptist which reached a circulation of more than 5,000. His next work was as the founder of the Orphans' Home at Dallas, which bears his name and of which he is yet general manager. It has at this time 212 inmates, and for the last several years has cared for an average of 150-orphaned children annually The children are clothed, fed and educated, and the boys are taught farming and the girls housekeeping. The facilities for receiving an education are as good or better than at other schools in the county. The school runs the entire twelve months of the year, and is managed by A. F. Beddo, a graduate of Baylor University at Waco, Texas, and son-in-law of Dr. Buckner. His wife is now the matron of the institution. The purpose of this Home in the future is to establish manufacturing industries, such as broom and shoe manufactories, etc. It has now under construction one large brick building with different departments for the female inmates and infants; and in this building will also be an immense dining ball, 23 x 130 feet.
The boys will be domiciled in cottages throughout the grounds, which will be handsome and commodious buildings. The Home has all the modern improvements to be found in the county, and the building now under construction will be heated by steam, and in the near future it is the intention to have it lighted by electricity, with a steam laundry attached. The farm belonging to the Home has 100 acres under cultivation, besides 200 acres in grass and pasture.
Dr. Buckner, our subject, is a member of the National Prison Congress, and is frequently in attendance at the meetings of that society, of which General Rutherford B. Hayes is the president. Mr. Buckner has also been frequently sent by the Governors of this State to the National Convention of Charity and Corrections, meeting in the different States, and connected with his work has visited many of the charitable institutions in the United States. He is still engaged in his ministerial duties and has calls from different churches, both to preach and lecture, and has recently accepted an invitation extended him to go to North Carolina to deliver an address on orphanage work. Dr. Buckner was for some years president of the Baptist General Association, of Texas, also general agent of the same organization, trustee of Waco University, and is frequently called upon to deliver literary addresses and commencement sermons. A number of his addresses have been published in various forms, several in the proceedings of the National Prison Congress, and the National Convention of Charities and Corrections.
The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Buckner are as follows: Bobbie, born January 5, 1867, was married in 1890 to Dr. T. L. Westerfleld, of Dallas; Mary Bell, born September 10, 1855, was married to Rev. L. W. Colman, now principal of the McKennie High School of Dallas; Maggie, born in Perryville, Kentucky, November 23, 1857, was married February 1, 1877, to James L. Good, now the senior member of the firm of James L. Good & Company, of Dallas; Addie, born October 5, 1862, in Paris, Lamar county, Texas, was married May 25, 1881, to Rev. A. F. Bedo, now principal teacher at the Buckner Home; Sam, born July 11, 1860, died February 10, 1861; Joe Dudly, born in Paris, Texas, April 14, 1872; and H. F., October 13,1878, at Dallas.
John Henry Brown's History of Dallas County, 1892, pp. 468-470