- W - WAITS, Leonidas Basdale - Farmer and legislator, was born January 10, 1844, in Lauderdale County; son of James and Lydla (Wilson) Waits, both of Newberry District, S. C.; grandson of William and Mary (Bright) Waits, of Xewberry District, S. C., and of William and Elizabeth (Darby) Wilson. He was educated in the schools of Lauderdale County. During the War of Secession he served in the 4th Alabama cavalry regiment, C. S. Army, and later became captain of the scouts. He is a farmer, and was formerly a notary public. He represented his native county in the legislature of 1911. He is a Democrat; and a member of the Church of Christ. Married: February 11, 1875, in Lee County, Ark., to Etta, daughter of John Carr and Sarah (Brooks) Turner, of that place. Residence: Florence. [Source: History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography, By Thomas McAdory Owen, Marie Bankhead Owen, Published by The S. J. Clarke publishing company, 1921; Submitted by Barb Ziegenmeyer] (Died 11 February 1875) WALKER, Alexander Ewell - Lawyer, was born October 22, 1863, at Newbern, Pulaski County, Va. ; son of James Alexander and Sarah Ann (Poage) Walker, the former a native of Mt. Meridian, Augusta County, Va., served as colonel of the Thirteenth Virginia infantry regiment, brigadier-general commanding the "Stonewall" brigade of Virginia infantry in the War of Secession, member of the Virginia legislature after the war, was lieutenant-governor of Virginia, from 1876- 1880, and was a member of the fifty-fourth and fifty-fifth congresses from the ninth congressional district of Virginia; grandson of Alexander and Hannah Mary (Henton) Walker, of Mt. Meridian, Va., and of William and Margaret (Allen) Poage, of Staunton, Va. Alexander E. Walker was educated in the private schools; the Episcopal high school of Alexandria, Va.; and attended the University of Virginia, 1885-86. He is a lawyer; practiced in Virginia from 1886-89; then removed to Alabama; was mayor of Florence, 1901 to 1910; was appointed president of the State tax commission, January 19, 1911; resigned March 2, 1911, and was appointed state superintendent of banks; and was commissioned to succeed himself January 29, 1915. He is a Democrat; an Episcopalian; an Odd Fellow; and an Elk. Married: on November 15, 1887, at Selma, to Minnie Adele, daughter of James J. and Frances Georgia (Weedon) Robinson of Selma. Children: 1. James A.; 2. Frances G.; 3. Frank R. Residence: Florence. [Source: History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography, By Thomas McAdory Owen, Marie Bankhead Owen, Published by The S. J. Clarke publishing company, 1921; Submitted by Barb Ziegenmeyer] Leroy Pope Walker was a native and a resident of Madison, and son of the preceding. He was born in 1817, and was thoroughly educated. He read law under Judge Hopkins, was admitted to the bar, and at once removed to Canton, Miss. He practiced there with but little promise a short time, then returned and located in Bellefonte, Jackson county. A year later he removed to Moulton and became the partner of Hon. D. G. Ligon. In 1843 and in '44 he represented Lawrence in the house, but the year after removed: to Lauderdale. That county elected him to the house in 1847, when he was made speaker. In 1848 he was a Cass elector for his district, and for the State at large for Pierce and Buchanan. In 1849 he was re-elected to the house, but the year after was elected judge of the circuit court. This position he held nine months, and resigned it. In 1853 he again represented Lauderdale, but in 1855 made his residence at Huntsville, where he has been the law partner of Messrs. R. C. Brickell and Septimus D. Cabaniss. In 1860 he was a delegate to the historic Charleston convention, and when the State seceded was sent as commissioner to Tennessee, where his speech before tho legislature urging co-operation was able and eloquent. Ho had just returned, when, in February, President Davis summoned him to a place in the cabinet of "the storm-cradled nation that fell" To the duties of this high position Mr. Walker brought inexperience, but which was to a great extent if not fully compensated for by zeal and energy. The task of organizing and equipping armies almost without materials and with resources limited to the patriotic ardor of tlie people, was an herculean one. His labors were incessant, and when he resigned in the autumn of 1801 his health was shattered. The precise motive for his retirement from the cabinet is not known, and will probably not be from his hps; but the belief is general that the self-confidence of Mr. Davis first exhibited itself in the war office, and that Gen. Walker had too much resjwet for the responsibility and dignity of his position to permit it to be subordinated to a mere clerkship. Gen. Walker is censured for his speech in Montgomery when announcing the fall of Fort Sumter, his utterances bemg regarded as official, but Mr. Stephens, in his " War Between the States," (Vol. I, pp. 415, 421,) exonerates him in a great degreo of all blame. He was commissioned as brigadier general on his retirement, and ordered to report to Gen. Bragg. He was placed in command at Mobile, out held it only a short time. In the spring of 1862 he resigned his commission because he was not assigned to duty. The following year he was appointed judge of a military court, and served till tho close of the war. Since that time he lias practiced his profession very profitably and successfully in Huntsville. Gen. Walker is about five feet, ten inches high, with less than medium flesh, mid fair complexion ; his appearance and manners indicating cultivation and refinement Though he has occupied various stations of honor and responsibility, it is as an orator that he has earned his most enduring fame. "He is the clearest, most transparent, speaker I ever heard, in the pulpit, on the stump, or at the forum," says Col. Nich. Davis, who compares Gen. W.'s skill in his profession to Helen's description of the son of Laertes: "That is Ulysses, man of many arts. Skilled in every form of shrewd device, And action wisely planned." Gen. Walker first married a lady of Mississippi; his second wife is a daughter of Hon. Wm. D. Pickett of Montgomery, deceased. His eldest son, Capt. Clifton Walker, a gif led gentleman, was on Gen. Tracy's staff, and died in Mississippi within the past few years. Source: Alabama, her history, resources, war record, and public men: from 1540 to 1872 By Willis Brewer 7 Feb 1817 - 23 Aug 1884 buried at Maple Hill Cemetery, Madison Co AL WALKER, Richard Wilde, brother of Leroy Pope Walker, is also a native and resident of this county. He was born Feb. 16, 1823, and was educated at Spring Rill College, Mobile, the University of Virginia, and Princeton. Graduating at the latter in 1841, he returned, read law, and was licensed in 1844. Locating in Florence, ho was elected district solicitor in 1845 over the incumbent, E. A. O'Neal, esq., of Lauderdale. This position he resigned three years later. In 1851 he was elected to the legislature from Lauderdale, and in 1853 was nominated by his party for governor, but made no contest. He again represented Lauderdale in 1855, when he was chosen to preside over the house. In June 1859 he was appointed by Gov. Moore a judge of the supreme court to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Judge Rice, and at the succeeding session of the legislature was elected to the same office for a full term. While tilling this place he was selected by the constitutional convention as a delegate for the State at large to the provisional congress, in which he served a year. In 1863 he was elected a senator in the Confederate congress to succeed Hon. C. C. Clay, and entered on his new duties in February thereafter. He was thus engaged when the downfall of the confederacy respited him to private life, from which he has not since emerged. At the close of the war between the States he again made Madison his home, and is now devoting himself to his profession, associated with Hon. James Robertson. Judge Walker is frail in physical structure, with a dark complexion, and Hebrew cast of features. In the social circle he is noted for the quiet and unostentatious urbanity of his manner. As a lawyer ho has few equals, bringing to bear on the abstract principles of his profession patient and unremitting study, intense thought, and a logical mind. As an advocate he wins rather by a thorough mastery of his subject, and the clearness and fairness of his propositions, than by vehement manner. As a jurist his decisions evince research and profound legal erudition. Nor are his literary attainments disproportioned to his professional lore. To these are added a purity of morals, and an elevation of sentiment which alone are needed to finish tho portrayal of one of the most distinguished sons of the State. He married a daughter of Mr. John Simpson, one of the most respected citizens of Lauderdale. History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume 3 By Thomas McAdory Owen, Marie Bankhead Owen 16 Feb 1823 - 15 Jun 1874 buried at Maple Hill Cemetery, Madison Co AL WALLACE, John Henry - lawyer and legislator, is one of the most promising young men of the State of Alabama, and a man who, although but little over thirty years old, has already established himself as a leader in his profession and a power in politics. He is a native of Alabama, born Dec. 12, 1872, on Blue Water creek, seventeen miles east of Florence, Lauderdale county. He received his early education on his father's plantation under private tutors and in the public schools. He then attended the Florence Normal college, where he was graduated in 1890. He prepared for the bar at Florence and Huntsville, being admitted to practice in 1896. He immediately gave evidence of superior legal talents. A born orator, a skilful pleader, and possessing a mind of unusual alertness, he at once rose to the head of the younger members of his profession, and his abilities were quickly recognized. In 1898, less than two years after his admission to the bar, he was nominated by the Democrats to represent his county in the State legislature, the nomination coming to him over the heads of several able men, his seniors by many years, and recognized party leaders in the county. In 1900 he was triumphantly re-elected, in spite of the opposition of the strong party leaders whose enmity he had incurred. He not only secured for his county much needed legislation, but his courage, aggressiveness and eloquence soon made him one of the leaders on the floor. In the second session he was awarded more important committee assignments than any other member of the house, being made chairman of the appropriations committee, and a member of the committees on rules, judiciary, and commerce and common carriers. He was an active worker in behalf of the new Constitution, voting for the bill which provided for the calling of the Constitutional convention, and against the bill for repealing the act, introduced at the extraordinary session called by Governor Johnston in 1899. In his second term, when a governor favorable to the new Constitution was in the chair, the convention was called, and a new Constitution was framed, regulating the right to vote so that the rule of the white man should be perpetual in Alabama. He rendered splendid service by helping to put down, in his own county, the opposition to the adoption of the new Constitution submitted for ratification or rejection to a vote of the people, and making an active and effective canvass of other parts of the State. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. He is an Odd Fellow, a Mason, a Knight of Pythias, a Junior Order of United American Mechanic, and a Herald of Liberty. He is a magazine writer of ability, his sketches of Southern life having met with wide and favorable comment. He has just completed a novel, "The Senator from Alabama," which will be published in 1904. John Henry Wallace is a descendant of the Wallaces who came to America from Scotland and settled in North Carolina ; on his mother's side he is a member of the Ingram family, which emigrated to Virginia from Ireland. Both the Ingrams and Wallaces fought in the Revolution. His father, John Harvey Wallace, son of John H. and Henrietta Wallace, of Brickville, Lawrence county, Ala., was born in Leighton, Lawrence county. He is a successful business man of polish and of scholarly attainments, and is a writer of recognized ability. He was a captain in the Confederate army. His wife, Mary Susan (Ingram) Wallace, was the daughter of Henry and Mary Ingram, of Centre Star, Lauderdale county. Notable Men of Alabama 1904 - reprinted 1976 Found on Rootsweb World Connect by Nelda. Believes both are buried at Maple Springs, Madison Co AL b 1838 - d 23 Dec 1916 However Charles Brook on Find-a-Grave thinks he might be at Shiloh Baptist at Lineville, Lime Co AL 3 May 1831 - 31 May 1912 Researchers will need to check this out.. WALSTON, Robert Isbell- Methodist minister, was born March 7, 1864, at Oakland, Lauderdale County; son of James and Harriet Catharine (Edwards) Walston, the former a native of Windsor, N. C., who came with his parents to Lauderdale County, 1821, a Methodist minister and in his declining years a farmer; grandson of Turner and Elizabeth (Young) Walston, natives of North Carolina, who later removed to Oakland, Lauderdale County, and of James Garred and Louisa (Nooe) Edwards, of Russellville, Franklin County; great-grandson of Walston, captain in the Revolutionary War, North Carolina line, and of James Garred, a prominent Baptist minister and one of the early governors of Kentucky, and of Gabriel Slaughter, at one time governor of Virginia. The Edwards family is of English and the Walstons of German descent. Mr. Walston received his early education in the schools of his county and attended, for one year the Southern university, Greensboro. He joined the North Alabama conference, Methodist Episcopal church. South, November, 1888, at Anniston, and has been continuously in that work since, serving on circuits, and stations, having among this recent pastorates, Albany, and is at present at East Lake Station. He is a Democrat; and a Mason. Married: April 20, 1892, at Newburg, to Rosa Lee, daughter of Charles Peters and Elizabeth (Sugg) Banks of that place, the former a physician who practiced forty-two years there; granddaughter of John Field Banks, a soldier of the War of 1812; great-great-great-granddaughter of Lawrence Slaughter, a captain in the American Revolutionary War from Culpeper, Va.; great-great- great-granddaughter of Col. John Field who fell at Point Pleasant, 1774, while leading the Culpeper regiment, under Gen. Andrew Lewis, who defeated "Cornstalk," the great Indian warrior. Mrs. Banks' maternal ancestors fought in the Civil and Revolutionary Wars, and are of Scotch-Irish and English descent. Children: 1. Katharin; 2. Robert Banks; 3. Rosa Lee; 4. Charles Rowe. Residence: East Lake. [Source: History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography, By Thomas McAdory Owen, Marie Bankhead Owen, Published by The S. J. Clarke publishing company, 1921; Submitted by Barb Ziegenmeyer] WEAKLEY, James Harvey, was born in Halifax County, Va., in 1798, and was brought by his parents to Davidson County, Tenn., in 1799. He was educated at the Cumberland University, and, in 1817, appointed by Gen. John Coffee surveyor of public lands of Alabama. General Coffee was a warm personal friend of Samuel Weakley, the father of the subject of this sketch. James H. Weakley's first position in the surveyor-general's office, then located at Huntsville, was that of chief clerk, and he remained in that capacity until the death of General Coffee, in 1833, when he was immediately appointed by Andrew Jackson as the successor of his late chief. Mr. Weakley remained surveyor-general of public lands until that office was abolished in 1851 by an Act of Congress. He then at once embarked in cotton commission business at New Orleans, and remained there the rest of his life. He died in 1856. To his many friends and associates, James H. Weakley was known as '"Judge," a title peculiarly appropriate to his quiet dignity of manner and to his exemplary character. He married at Huntsville, Ala., in 1830, Ellen M. Donegan, a a native of the city of Cork, Ireland. She came to America with her brother, and spent some time with a relative in Baltimore, and afterward visited Huntsville, where she first met Mr. Weakley. After Mr. Weakley's death she removed to Nashville, and spent the rest of her life at the Convent Academy of St. Cecilia. Source: Northern AL Historical & Biographical by T.A. DeLand and A. Davis Smith 1888 Birmingham AL Buried at Maple Hills Cemetery in Madison County AL WEAKLEY, Samuel D. - one of the pioneers of Florence, is a native of Davidson County, Tenn. and was born October 2, 1812. His parents, Samuel and Sarah (Vaughan) Weakley, were natives of Halifax County, Va., and descended from Irish and Welsh parentage. The senior .Mr. Weakley was a planter and surveyor during his life, and died in 1832, at the age of sixty-five years. Of his four sons the subject of this sketch is the youngest. He was educated at Nashville, Tenn., and came to Florence in 1881, where an elder brother, James H. Weakley, Surveyor-General of Alabama, then resided. Samuel D. Weakley was then about twenty years of age. He had learned surveying under his father, and at once, upon coming into Alabama, took a position in the oftice of his brother. He spent about ten years re-tracmg old survey field-notes which had been largely obliterated by fire. In 1849, in company with James Martin and others, he engaged in the manufacture of cotton goods and yarns near Florence. In the spring of 1861 he was elected major-general of militia, a position he held about one year and a half, when, the act of conscription having placed every able-bodied man from seventeen to fifty years of age in the army and leaving him nobody to command, he resigned. Earlv in his life he was a lieutenant-colonel in a State regiment, so, at the time of his appointment as major-general, he possessed more than ordinarv knowledge of militarv affairs. Up to ]Si;3 General Weakley was an active business man, interested largely in railroads and steamboats, but since that date he has been living in virtual retirement. He was married in Lauderdale County, in l&Sti, to Miss Eliza B. Bedford, a daughter of the late John R. Bedford, and they have reared one son and five daughters. Source: Northern Alabama Historical & Biographical by T.A. DeLand and A. Davis Smith 1888 Birmingham AL WOOD, Henry C. - Secretary of the Florence Land. Mining and Manufacturing Company, Florence, Ala., was born at this place February 5,1831, and is a son of Alexander H. and Mary E. (Evans) Wood. He was educated at LaGrange, Ky., and St. Joseph College, Bardstown, Ky. In 1850, he engaged in the drug business at Florence and followed it until April, 1801, when he enlisted in the Florence Guards: was made orderly sergeant; went at once to Fort Morgan,and joined General Hardee. He served over four years, leaving the army with the rank of major. He was promoted to lieutenant in August, 1801, and was acting adjutant of the Sixteenth Alabama when assigned as aide-de-camp to General Wood in February, 1802. He was on the staff of General Wood in 1803, when in January of that year, he was promoted to major and made brigade-commissary. He surrendered at Greeensboro, N. C, under Gen. Joe Johnson, returned to Florence at the end of the war, and engaged in mercantile business. At the end of four years he sold out and, from that time up to the organization of the company with which he is now connected, was in the cotton and insurance business. He was married at Richmond, Va., October 9, 1857, to Miss Sallie Shepard, and has had born to him two sons and three daughters. The eldest son is a civil engineer. The family are of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Major Wood is a member of the Legion of Honor. Source: Alabama, her history, resources, war record, and public men: from 1540 to 1872 By Willis Brewer WOOD, Sterling Alexander Martin - was born 17 March 1823 in Florence, Alabama. He graduated from St. Joseph's College, a school run by the Jesuits in Bardstown, Kentucky, in 1841. He then studied the law and went to work as an attorney in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He then relocated to Florence, Alabama where he established a law practice. In 1851 he was appointed solicitor for the 4th circuit court of Alabama. In 1857 he was elected to the state legislature. In 1860 he became the editor of the Florence "Gazette" through which he supported John C. Breckinridge in the presidential election of 1860. When the war erupted Wood became the captain of the Florence Guards. After that unit became part of the 7th Alabama infantry regiment, he became its colonel on 18 May 1861. He commanded the 7th at Pensacola, Florida. On 7 January 1862 he was promoted to brigadier general. He saw action at Shiloh commanding the 3rd brigade in William J. Hardee's corps. Wood commanded the 4th brigade in Simon B. Buckner's division at Perryville where Wood was wounded. He commanded the 4th brigade in Patrick R. Cleburne's division at Murfreesboro. Wood was then temporarily assigned command of the District of North Alabama. He returned to command of the 4th division under Cleburne at Chickamauga. Although it has been theorized that his failure to gain recognition for his efforts at Chickamauga turned him against his superiors, no one is really sure why Wood resigned from the army on 17 October 1863. After resigning from the army Wood returned to Alabama, setting up a law practice in Tuscaloosa. Following the war he was an attorney for the Alabama Great Southern Railway. In 1882 he was elected to the state legislature. He taught law at the University of Alabama from 1889 until 1890. Wood died 26 January 1891 in Tuscaloosa. Source: Alabama, her history, resources, war record, and public men: from 1540 to 1872 By Willis Brewer