Arthur Watts

Arthur Watts, pit barbecue pioneer was born into slavery on May 1, 1837, in Randolph County, Missouri. His father was Reuben Watts also a slave. Unofficial sources list his mother’s name as Sylvia. Family tales say he had blue eyes and not the brown eyes of his mother which leads them to believe his true father was his slave holder James Watts. The record of the birth of his sixth child in 1884 in Salt Springs Township gives the child’s race as “mulatto” indicating mixed ancestry.

As to his slave holder James who was thought by his descendants to have fathered him, the 1850 United States Census of Randolph County lists J.J. Watts whose profession was given as “Physician.” He was born in 1819, which would make him 18 in the year of Arthur Watts’ birth. In 1850, he and his wife and children were residing in Salt Springs Township. His given name was James Jordan Watts. He does not appear in the 1840 census, but his brother William B. Watts does. JJ. Watts and William B. Watts were mentioned as being brothers and living in the same residence in ads in the Randolph Citizen published in Huntsville from between 1855 to 1861. It is possible then, that J.J. Watts was the father of Arthur Watts. J.J. Watts appears on the 1850 Slave Schedule as holding 12 slaves while his brother William Watts of Silver Creek held 16. The only Watts listed on the 1860 Slave Schedule was Reuben Watts who does not appear in the 1860 Census. Further discussion is on him below.

As to Arthur’s father of record, there is a Reuben Watts who was born in 1841 in Randolph County and shown as enlisting in the Union Army Feb. 8, 1864, in Glasgow at the age of 23. That Reuben Watts is too young to have been Arthur’s father. The other Reuben Watts who could have Arthur’s father appears on the 1880 United States Census of Randolph County, Missouri. He was born in Virginia in 1810 and listed as “Black.” His wife was Sarah Watts listed on the 1880 Census who was born about 1809 That Reuben Watts would have been the ideal age being 27 when Arthur was born.

According to his family, as a boy Arthur was a “house boy.” He tended the garden and helped in the kitchen. One of his duties was to tend the barbecue pits which was a time-consuming task as the meat slow roasted. According to his descendants, Arthur became obsessed with making the meat taste better. Over many years he developed rubs, sauces, and other ways to improve the taste of whatever was being barbecued. Again, according to his family, when freed at about age 28, the most valuable thing he had was his barbecue recipes. It was these that kept him in money after he was freed. Arthur Watts remained in Randolph County for many years after being emancipated. There is a record of his sixth child being born on October 14, 1884, in Salt Springs Township. There is also the draft registration paperwork filed in Henry County, Illinois on June 5, 1917, by his son Arthur Jr. which gives his birthdate as being April 3, 1896 in Huntsville, Missouri. According to family lore, hearing there was work in Central Illinois, Arthur Sr. hopped a train in 1901 and eventually settled near Kewanee, Illinois. There he made a living barbecuing meat for church and social gatherings, carefully guarding his cooking secrets.

Arthur married Laura Althouse, daughter of John and Jane Althouse, all three freed slaves. While still living in Missouri, he and Laura had Eudell, Arthur Jr, Richard, Robert, Oliver, Ethel, and Jessie. While illiterate, he passed on his recipes and cooking secrets to his children, who to this day sell “Old Arthurs Barbecue Sauce.” He died October 31, 1945 at the age of 108 in Kewanee, Illinois, and is buried in the Pleasant View Cemetery there.