Erwin B. Roleson and his wife, Mary Laura (Brookfield) Roleson, moved to northeast Arkansas in 1886, becoming one of the first families to settle in the Craighead County area. The Rolesons had three sons – James Brookfield (J.B) Roleson, Charles Fletcher Roleson, and Edward Britton (E.B.) Roleson. J.B. Roleson enlisted as part of the Young Men’s Christian Army in 1917 and served overseas in World War I. While working at Camp Pike he formed friendships with the Crowley and Caraway families. Following the war, he became a lawyer and had four children with his wife Totsie Anna Somervell. Their children were Dorothy Roleson, Franklin Nathan Roleson, James S. Roleson, and Anna Roleson. J.B. Roleson remained an active member of the YMCA and his local church. E.B. Roleson worked as a druggist in Jonesboro and married Allie Yates in 1909. They had five children - Edmund B. Roleson, Margarate Roleson, Evelyn Roleson Mabrey, Richard Roleson, and Ruth Caroline Roleson. His mother, Mary, lived with him until her death in 1940.