Albert Sidney Thurman
was born in Calhoun County, Alabama, on the 15th of April, 1868, and is
a son of David Richardson Thurman and Matilda Brown (Shepherd) Thurman.
The father of Judge Thurman was a son of William Thurman, who was born
in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, and whose parents had settled
in what is now Fulton County, Georgia, in
1826,
their
home
having
been
established
near
Fort Walker, then in
Henry County. The great-grandfather of Judge Thurman obtained a large
tract of land in the present County of Fulton and there William Thurman
was for many years an extensive planter and representative citizen. He
continued his residence in Georgia until
the
time
of
his
death,
and
he
attained to the patriarchal age of
ninety-two years. He was a man of strong individuality and sterling
character, was an old-line whig in his political proclivities, and he
and his wife, whose maiden name was White, became the parents of seven
sons and six daughters, all of the sons having served as valiant
soldiers of the Confederacy in the Civil war, and David R., father of
Judge Thurman, was the youngest of the children, his birth having
occurred in the year 1839. The mother of Judge Thurman was born in the
year 1843, the seventh in order of birth in a family of ten children,
and she is a daughter of Abraham Shepherd, who was a native of Virginia
and who settled in what is now Jasper County, Georgia,in
1815
Samuel M. Inman. The death of Samuel M. Inman, long known as "the first
citizen of Atlanta," on January 12, 1915, at the age of seventy-two,
recalls a life which should be an inspiration to the living. As a
constructive business man and a citizen of broadest liberality and
creative genius he impressed his career upon his home city to its
lasting advantage, and by his sustained operations as a merchant for
almost half a century he really became on of tlie merchant princes of
America. A man of great wealth and the creator of great industrial
enterprises, his life emphasized the truth that enterprise and wealth
are not inconsistent with the highest standards of character and
conduct.
The original ancestry of the Inman family was English. It was an
ancient family name in Great Britain. The Inmans became identified with
America in the Colonial period. In the Revolutionary war the patriots
had no more valiant soldier than Capt. Shadrack -Inman, who at the head
of his troop of horse was in the forefront of almost every one of the
partisan engagements fought in the desperate campaign in the South
during the years 1779-1780. He was the right-hand man of such leaders
as Twiggs and Clarke, and after participating in many victories he fell
while gallantly leading his command in the battle of Musgrove's Mill,
the most complete victory won by the patriots in any of the
engagements, since with the loss of four killed and nine wounded they
inflicted upon their enemies a loss of sixty-three killed and 160
wounded and captured.
The late Mr. Inman of Atlanta was a great-grandson of Abednego
Inman, who also served as a Revolutionary soldier. The line of descent
was traced through John Inman, a son of Abednego, through Shadrack W.
Inman, who in his time was one of the most highly esteemed merchants of
Atlanta. Shadrack W. Inman married Jane Martin, and while their home
was at Dandridge, Jefferson County, in East Tennessee, their son,
Samuel Martin Inman, was born, February 19, 1843. Mr. Inman's two
brothers, John H. and Hugh T. Inman, both now deceased, made a great
success in a business way. An uncle, Walker P. Inman, also a successful
business man, was one of the best loved men who ever lived in Atlanta.
The early education of the late Mr. Inman was acquired in the
Maryville College of Tennessee. He was sent from there to Princeton
University, and was a student there when the Civil war broke out. At
the age of eighteen he left college and offered his services to the
Confederacy, joining Company K of the First Tennessee Cavalry, which
became a part of Johnston's Western Army, and he served part of the
time as lieutenant of the company, and was also detailed on special
duty with the division staff.
At the close of the war in 1865 he established himself in
business for a short time at Augusta, Georgia, but in 1867 moved to
Atlanta. Here he became a partner with his father under the firm name
of S. W. Inman & Son, this being changed in 1869 to S. M. Inman
& Company. For a great many years the firm of S. M. Inman &
Company stood in the front rank of cotton firms of the world. An
honorable trader, dealing in actual cotton, buying, selling and
exporting, by his rare judgment and rigid integrity he built a name in
the mercantile world second to that of no other man in the business.
With a fortune amassed through his connection with the cotton business,
he was for many years a director in the Atlanta National Bank, the
Lowry National Bank, the Equitable Life Insurance Company, and the
Southern Railway, and was a stockholder in the East Atlanta Land
Company and in many other large enterprises. In the early days he
foresaw the greatness of Atlanta and from time to time invested until
he became one of the largest holders of real estate, and much of his
estate is now composed of the valuable ground and improvements of this
city.
He could never be brought to accept public office and chose to
exercise his influence through his business and through his position as
director and trustee in many public and quasi-public institutions. To
the people of Atlanta he was always known affectionately as Sam Inman,
and was always ready to spend and to be spent in the service of
Atlanta. The great Technological School is due more to his efforts than
to those of any other one man since he led in the movement which
resulted in its erection. He subscribed heavily to the school at its
beginning, and secured from the city $75,000 and a pledge of $2,500
annually for its support. As a member of the board of commissioners of
the school its instant and splendid success was largely due to his
wisdom and labors. The Young Men's Christian Association, the hospitals
of the city, and nearly every other constructive philanthropy is a
permanent record to his benevolence and business judgment.
When the business men of Atlanta undertook the Cotton State
Exposition in 1895 Mr. Inman was made chairman of the finance
committee. In this capacity he bore the many burdens of-this great
undertaking. The exposition commenced September 18, 1895, scheduled to
continue 100 days. It was soon discovered that $100,000 would be
immediately necessary or the exposition would be compelled to close its
doors at the command of the sheriff. It was then that Mr. Inman
undertook to give half of the amount needed if the other fifty
directors would furnish the remainder. This was done and the exposition
continued a success.
Mr. Inman's name will always be closely associated with the
growth and development of that noble institution known as Agnes Scott
College. His work in behalf of that institution was taken as the main
theme of an editorial which appeared in the Atlanta Constitution at the
time of Mr. Inman's death. A few paragraphs taken from that editorial
will throw some further light upon the career of this great Atlanta
citizen and his work and influence.
'' An incident which at Mr. Inman's request received publicity
for the first time after his death illustrates his characteristic
devotion and characteristic modesty and .generosity. For some years one
of the projects nearest to his ' heart has been Agnes Scott, he holding
the position of chairman of the board of trustees. A few months ago
when he felt his health failing, he made it known to the trustees that
he wanted to resign and that if the trustees would relieve him he would
donate $25,000 to the institution, with the understanding that the gift
be duplicated. The transfer was quietly arranged, the new chairman
undertaking the work of raising the additional subscription. In two
weeks the duplicate subscription had been completed, adding $50,000 to
the fund.
"Previously Mr. Inman had contributed fifty thousand dollars to
the Agnes Scott on condition that the amount be duplicated. The
condition was met. So, first and last, this one institution has been
helped by him directly and indirectly in an aggregate of one hundred
fifty thousand dollars. Equally typical was his gift of the old
homestead on Peters street as a Presbyterian orphanage. Oglethorpe
University will also be his debtor for a large sum. The story of Mr.
Inman's advance of fifty thousand dollars to save the exposition of
1895 is well known, and yet all of these were but few of his many acts
of benevolence and charity.
"Mr. Inman was a type of the Southern Christian gentleman who
brought over their creed from the old regime and practiced it, not in
words but deeds. Achieving much in business, generous and intelligent
in philanthropy, vigilant in his civic duty, he shunned publicity. His
desire simply was service, and if that desire was fulfilled he was
satisfied. Forward civic movements found him in the forefront, but
always without noise. Philanthropy found in him a ready friend, but an
unpretentious one. Essentially cultured, he was democratic. He worked
side by side with the pioneers of Atlanta building this city from a
mass of debris to its present greatness. But he never asked, nor
courted, praise for his service. To him it was all 'in the day's work'
a matter of course, warp and woof of his nature, tasks to be met and
discharged as a duty.
"These characteristics explain how he won the title of the 'first
citizen.of Atlanta.' In his achievements, no less than his unvarying
gentleness and consideration, he eminently deserved it."
At the same time another writer in the Constitution recalled Mr.
Inman's many years of close association and friendship with other
native Tennesseans who were among the first and foremost in Atlanta's
development, namely— James W. English, Robert J. Lowry and William T.
Newman. Reviewing the records of Atlanta's past from Reconstruction
days to the present, this writer found that "in every civic movement
initiated since the war; in every enterprise, state or national, where
Atlanta had a part; in every opening for the city's progress,
industrial, artistic or social, the names of these four men illuminate
the pages. When they agreed that Atlanta should achieve in movements
far reaching or those only local, success was achieved as the city's
churches, schools and hospitals testify.
"Mr. Inman won the title 'first citizen' when at a crucial moment
in the inceptive days of the Cotton States and International Exposition
of 1895, he made possible the success of that enterprise. He was with
his three friends on the committee of citizens who promoted the Grady
Hospital; who were the first to work for and contribute to the Georgia
School of Technology, and subsequently the first givers to the fund for
Oglethorpe University.
"Mr. Inman presided over the first conference held in any
Southern state looking to a system of industrial education to be
applied in the common school system. Out of that conference grew a
wide-spread interest in the subject throughout the industrial South and
with him associated in this effort for a more practical education were
his three friends."
In conclusion this writer also testifies to the individual
character of Mr. Inman. He was an individual who, "alone anywhere, at
any time, would have stood the t^st of the highest standards of
Christian manhood and citizenship. He possessed the first requisite in
his masterly self control, that highest principle of civilization. No
matter what the incident, whether antagonistic to his views, whether
complex, involving traditions and prejudices Mr. Inman was splendidly
self contained, fearlessly sincere and forcefully reserved. He was
tolerant of the views of any man, though he might differ from him, and
he was God-blessed with a rich store of common sense."
Concerning his work in behalf of Agnes Scott College, to which he
gave so liberally of his money, and of which he served as a member of
the board of trustees from 1899 and as chairman of the board from 1903
until his death, the president of the college said: "He gave, however,
far more to the college than dollars. He gave himself, his interest,
his influence, his leadership and his prayers. It is impossible to
estimate the value of these things. The interest he has awakened in the
college in Atlanta and throughout the whole country, the friends he has
made for it, his leadership in the Board, and wherever he has been
known, have been potent factors in placing the institution upon its
present large basis."
In the resolutions passed by the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Mr.
Inman was referred to as "one of the master builders of Atlanta and a
leader in all that is best in Southern civilization," and declared that
in his death "Atlanta loses its first citizen, Georgia one of its
noblest men, and the South not only a great man of affairs and a leader
in its development, but a great example of civic virtue, a pattern and
inspiration to the youth of the land."
Resolutions of similar purport were passed by the Retail
Merchants Association of Atlanta, and the finance committee of the city
council, of which Mr. Inman was a member at the time of his death,
declared: "Samuel M. Inman has on many occasions when the progress and
good name of the city of Atlanta was at stake promptly come forward
with his fortune and his influence to tide the city over the crisis; by
his life as well as generous contributions he has made possible the
development and establishment of some of the leading educational
institutions in and near Atlanta and posterity will reap the benefit of
his devotion and his liberality."
Mr. Inman was survived by his wife, two sons, Henry and Frank M.
Inman, and one daughter, Mrs. J. W. Cooper of Philadelphia. He was
twice married, his first wife was Miss Jennie Dick of Rome, Georgia.
They were married in 1868 and she died in 1890, and was the mother of
his two sons and daughter. In December, 1892, Mr. Inman married Miss
Mildred McPheeters. Mrs. Inman was born at what is now Bedford City,
Virginia, and was closely associated with her husband in much
constructive social and civic work in Atlanta. She is president of the
Atlanta Art Association. She was also a vice president of the Cotton
States Exposition at Atlanta in 1895. She is a member of the Society of
Colonial Dames and of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
A standard history of Georgia and Georgians, Volume 4 By Lucian Lamar
Knight
Hon. Nash R. Broyles, associate justice of the State Court of
Appeals of Georgia, who for many years prior to entering upon his
present duties held the office of city recorder of Atlanta, was born in
this city, October 16, 1868, and is a son of the late Col. Edwin Nash
Broyles, and a member of one of Atlanta's first families. Col. Edwin
Nash Broyles was born in Buncombe County, North Carolina, November 14,
1829, a son of Maj. Cain Broyles, an able legal practitioner and an
officer of some prominence during the War of 1812, and Lucinda (Nash)
Broyles. a descendant of John Nash, the famous Revolutionary hero for
whom the City of Nashville, Tennessee, was named. He was still a lad
when he moved to Greene County, Tennessee, and for some time lived at
Greeneville, where he secured his elementary education. Subsequently
Colonel Broyles attended Washington College, at that time under the
management of Prof. A. A. Doke, a Presbyterian clergyman of note and a
graduate of Princeton, and at college the youth distinguished himself
for his proficiency in logic and mental philosophy. When he was
admitted to the bar, he began practice at Greeneville, with such
contemporaries as Gen. Thomas D. Arnold and Judge Samuel Milligan, of
Greeneville, William H. Sneed, of Knoxville, and Thomas R. Nelson, of
Jonesboro.
In 1853 Colonel Broyles came to Georgia and first located at
Cedartown, where he remained in practice for some time. He was
fortunate in making the acquaintance of Governor Brown, who, impressed
with the abilities of the young legist, made him compiler of the
statutes of the preceding Legislature, in 1857. During the war between
the states, Colonel Broyles, although an ardent lover of the Union,
loyally endorsed the cause of the Confederacy, and rendered the
government important and valuable service in various capacities. During
the war he was private secretary and military aide to Governor Brown.
At the close of hostilities he took up his residence at Atlanta, and
there continued in active practice during the remainder of his life. On
all questions touching the interests of the general public, Colonel
Broyles was one of the best posted men in Georgia, but he was bound
heart and soul to his profession, and political offers could not
attract him from his devotion thereto. It was his honest belief that he
could best serve the public and his community by confining his work to
the courts and leaving the political tasks to those whose inclinations
ran in that direction. Ever a close student, he continued his studies
to the last, even when extended ill health had enfeebled his activities
and dimmed his faculties. He passed away February 13, 1897.
Colonel Broyles was twice married, first in 1861 to Miss
Elizabeth D. Arnold, the accomplished and cultured daughter of Gen.
Thomas D. Arnold, and one of the most brilliant women of the South, and
second in 1883, to Miss Sallie Trippe Hardy, daughter of Dr. Weston
Hardy, of Cartersville, Georgia. Four surviving children were born to
the first union. Hon. Arnold Broyles, clerk of the Fulton County
Superior Court; Hon. Nash R. Broyles; Mrs. Pearl Broyles Parks, the
wife of Lloyd Parks; and Bernard C. Broyles, a prominent citizen of
Atlanta. To the second union there was born one son, Harold Hardy.
Nash R. Broyles graduated from the Atlanta public schools at the
age of fifteen years, and entered the University of Georgia, at Athens,
graduating from its literary department in 1888 and its law department
in 1889. Immediately thereafter he became his father's law partner,
father and son practicing together under the firm style of Broyles
& Son until the former's death in 1897, after which the son
continued alone. In 1893 Nash R. Broyles was appointed United States
Commissioner, by Judge William T. Newman, and held that position until
1899, when he was elected recorder of the City of Atlanta. This latter
office he filled with signal ability, with the result that, by repeated
re-elections, he served until November 14, 1914, when he resigned to
accept the higher position which he now fills. Upon his re-election as
recorder, by the people, after a hard fight waged against him by the
disorderly element of Atlanta, a banquet in his honor was given,
January 3, 1911, by the citizens of Atlanta. This notable affair was
attended by the governor of the state, the justices of the Supreme and
Appellate courts, the federal judiciary, the mayor, and the council of
the city, and several hundred of Atlanta's most prominent citizens.
At the August primary, of 1914, Judge Broyles was overwhelmingly
nominated to become one of the associate justices of the State Court of
Appeals, which nomination was fully ratified at the polls on the 3d of
November following. This promotion at the hands of the people was one
which could not be construed otherwise than as a strong endorsement of
the splendid record he had made as recorder and in other capacities.
The oath as associate justice of the Court of Appeals was administered
to him by Governor J. M. Slaton, November 14, 1914, and he is now one
of the three judges who compose that distinguished body.
Nash R. Broyles was the first judge of the first Juvenile Court
ever established in the South. He held this judgeship for many years,
along with the office of city recorder of Atlanta, and it was chiefly
due to his efforts that the Fulton County Reformatory for Juveniles was
established. His first entry into state politics was unique and
spectacular. In 1912, just thirty days before the primary, he announced
his candidacy for the Court of Appeals against Judge J. R. Pottle, an
able jurist and a very strong man politically, and, without making any
campaign, tied Judge Pottle and Later, in the state convention,
withdrew in his favor. This is' the only known instance in the history
of the state where a state-wide political contest resulted in a tie,
where only two candidates were in the field.
Judge Broyles is a democrat, a member of the Episcopal Church,
and belongs to the Chi Phi college fraternity. It is said that every
man has a hobby. If Judge Broyles has one, it is the subject of
law-enforcement. He earnestly believes this to be the most serious
question in the United States today. He is deeply concerned at the
increase of crime in the country, and never loses an opportunity to
plead before his fellow-citizens for better law enforcement. He has
spoken with telling effect on this subject, without any reward, or the
hope thereof, in all sections of Georgia. When the unfortunate and
bloody riot occurred in Atlanta, in 1906, by his firm and unyielding
attitude on the bench, and his swift and severe punishment of the
ringleaders of the outrage, while his life was being hourly threatened
and an armed guard had to protect his home and family, day and night,
he did more to stop the rioting and restore law and order than all the
bayonets of the soldiers. His great aim in life has been to render
equal and exact justice and with the technicalities of procedure he is
often impatient, especially since these sometimes serve to protect the
guilty; but he has always been rigid in probing for the facts and
fearlessness as a judge as his stand for righteousness, for law and for
truth.
Judge Broyles was married November 8, 1894, to Miss Harriet D.
Hall, of Charleston, South Carolina. They are the parents of one
daughter, Mrs. Sargent Hamilton of Washington, District of Columbia.
A standard history of Georgia and Georgians, Volume 4 By Lucian Lamar
Knight
Hon. Joseph M. Terrell. On Sunday morning, November 17, 1912, in
Atlanta, Georgia, there passed from earth's scenes one of Georgia's
foremost citizens, the Hon. Joseph M. Terrell, a man honored and
beloved all over the state. Mr. Terrell was born in Meriwether County,
Georgia, June 6, 1861, the son of Dr. Joel E. G. and Sarah (Anthony)
Terrell. His father was a noted physician of that county, who, during
the war, only failed to enlist in the Confederate service because of a
petition presented to the Government by the citizens of the county
requesting that he be allowed to remain at home to care for the sick
and wounded, in which line of duty he rendered valuable service. His
mother, Sarah Anthony Terrell, was a daughter of Dr. Joseph Walker and
Martha (Render) Anthony, her father being'a prominent medical
practitioner of Meriwether County.
The early life of Joseph M. Terrell gave promise of that which
was to follow. At the early age of fourteen years he had acquired a
good common school education and never attended school after this.
Although a ripe scholar, as attested by his many state papers, he never
attended college. After leaving school he took charge of his father's
plantation and successfully managed it, but while he liked agriculture
and always retained his interest in it, his' ambition was set in
another direction. Even at this early age he was already dreaming of
being a lawyer and of the wide field of usefulness this noble
profession would open up to him. It was not surprising, therefore, to
those who knew him that he left the farm after a few years to enter
upon the study of his chosen profession in the office of Maj. John W.
Park of Greenville. Before he had reached his majority he was admitted
to practice and opened an office in Greenville. Here and in the
counties composing the Coweta Circuit he followed his profession for a
number of years, taking first rank as an able and conscientious
attorney. His public life began in 1884, when he was elected to the
House of Representatives from Meriwether County, entering that body as
its youngest member. In 1886 he was re-elected. These legislatures had
as members some of Georgia's most distinguished sons, who afterwards
became governors, senators and judges', filling various positions of
honor and trust in the state. Young Terrell early proved himself to
have an aptitude for statecraft, which placed him easily among the
first of his contemporaries. In 1890 he was elected to the State
Senate, where, as chairman of the finance committee, he won the
confidence and admiration of the entire state for the familiarity and
ability with which he handled the financial questions affecting the
people. In 1892 he was elected attorney general over two able and
distinguished competitors. While the incumbent of this office he was
remarkably successful with the litigations he conducted for the state,
and during this period, of the many cases he handled before the Supreme
Court of the United States he never lost one.
At the expiration of his ten years term as attorney general, a
longer term than had been served by any of his distinguished
predecessors, Mr. Terrell became a candidate for governor, and was
nominated for that high office over two distinguished Georgians on the
fifth of June, 1902—a birthday present, he was wont to say, from the
people of his beloved state. The day following the nomination he was
just forty-one years old. The success of his administration as governor
is evidenced by the public records of the state. Perhaps the most
enduring fame which will abide from his administration was the
establishment of agricultural schools in each congressional district of
Georgia.
Although not a college graduate. Sir. Terrell always manifested the
greatest interest in the education of the youth of the state, and much
was done by him to advance the cause of education along all lines as
citizen, legislator and governor. Upon the death of the lamented
Senator Clay, the appointment of United States senator was tendered to
Governor Terrell by Governor Joseph M. Brown, which he accepted and
hold for about one year. While serving in the Senate as an ambassador
from Georgia, without warning came the sudden stroke which cut short in
the prime and vigor of his useful manhood this loved and distinguished
Georgian. The attack of paralysis came early in 1911. For a while Mr.
Terrell rallied from the shock and apparently improved, but Bright's
disease overtook him, and the weakened condition of his system,
rendered so by the paralytic stroke, made it impossible for him to
withstand its ravages,, and he died at his residence at 121 Juniper
Street, Atlanta, at 7.10 o'clock on the morning of Sunday, November 1,
1912. His death caused mourning throughout the state. Through respect
to the former governor and United States senator, Governor M. Brown
issued an official proclamation ordering flags on all public buildings
in the state at half mast on Monday, the day of the funeral, and giving
permission for the body to lie in state in the rotunda of the capitol.
The governor also called his official staff and all state house
officers to act as an official escort for the remains. All state house
offices were closed from 11 o'clock until after the funeral and the
capitol flags were displayed at half mast for ten days. Four of the
senator's brothers and two brothers-in-law acted as pallbearers: Dr. E.
B. Terrell, W. A. Terrell, J. R. Terrell, H. W. Terrell, Hines Holt, of
Columbus and R. Spivey of Greenville. After services in the Second
Baptist Church the body was escorted to the terminal station and taken
to Greenville, Meriwether County, where it was interred in the family
burial ground. The escort was composed of some of the foremost citizens
of Atlanta and of the state, including Governor Joseph M. Brown,
Governor-elect John M. Slayton, ex-Governor W. J. Northen, ex-Governor
Henry D. McDaniel, Justices Fish, Lumpkin, Evans, Beck and Hill, of the
Supreme Court of Georgia; Clark Howell, ex-attorney general, and many
other judges, public officials and members of the Atlanta Bar
Association, besides a number of prominent citizens in various walks of
life. One of Senator Terrell's old friends, who had been a boyhood
playmate and served with him in the Legislature, Judge Hiram Warner
Hill, associate justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, furnished a
biographical tribute to the departed Georgian, to which we are indebted
for the principal facts in regard to his career which appear in this
article. Judge Hill further said: "To every student of the history of
Georgia and her public men for the past quarter of a century, the
public record and career of ex-Senator Terrell is familiar. Whether
viewed as lawmaker in the capacity of representative, state and United
States senator, or as chief counsellor of the state as attorney
general; or as chief executive guiding and directing the ship of state
for the permanent happiness and prosperity of her people, or as a
private citizen without fear and without reproach, he stood every inch
a man. His was a full wellrounded character. It was as natural for
ex-Senator Terrell to have pursued the course in public and private
life he did as it is for a duck to swim. It was a part of his being.
His public career is a part of the history of his state and country.
Ex-Senator Terrell was a born leader of men. He gave promise of this in
his early infancy. As a boy his comrades recognized in him a leader. It
was a leadership that attracted by the law of love and not that which
impelled through fear. His friends followed 'Joe' Terrell in later life
wherever he led because they loved and had an abiding faith in him. He
was pre-eminently a lovable man. No one left his presence without being
made to feel that he was his best friend. It was easy for a man of his
type to be a leader.
"Though gentle and kind as a woman, one not knowing him must not
get the idea that he was lacking in firmness or courage. He possessed
both of these qualities to a large degree. But his whole life refutes
the idea that in order to be firm and a bold fearless leader one must
be harsh or cruel. His very nature was gentleness, kindness, firmness
and manly courage. He was possessed of the most optimistic and hopeful
nature and always lived in the light. The shadows and darkness had no
place for him. Only the bright side of things was visible. Even in the
valley of the shadow this characteristic did not desert him.
"While Georgians point with pride to his brilliant and successful
public career, it is his genial personality upon which his friends love
most to dwell. He was as approachable as a child and yet he had the
manly dignity which never failed to command respect. No one in trouble
ever failed to have a listening ear. No friend elated with success ever
failed to receive his hearty congratulations. The rich and the poor,
the powerful and the weak alike had access to his counsels. His hand
was ever open to the needy, and his lips ready to speak comfort and
cheer to the disconsolate and sorrowing. One of the most beautiful
traits of ex-Senator Terrell's life was his pure Christian character.
Amidst all the storm and stress of political strife he never wavered in
his devotion and following after Him who was his guide and example.
Such a life must be an inspiration to the youth of the land for
generations to come. Such a life does not go out—it simply goes on.
"For his rugged honesty, fidelity to duty, purity of life, and
lofty patriotism, this loyal friend and able statesman will be secure
in the hearts and affections of the people he loved so well."
Mr. Terrell was married in 1886 to Miss Jessie Lee Spivey, the
daughter of Thomas Spivey of Meriwether, Georgia. Mrs. Terrell and four
brothers survive Mr. Terrell. They are: Hon. J. R. Terrell, solicitor
general of the Coweta Circuit; Dr. E. B. Terrell, of Greenville; Dr. H.
W. Terrell, of LaGrange and W. A. Terrell, of Decatur.
Henry Walker Terrell, M. D. In these days of strong competition
and advanced knowledge in all the arts and sciences it is by no means
an easy task to attain a high place in so difficult a profession as
that of medicine and he who does so must be a man of strong mentality
and a hard worker, and must, moreover, have sterling moral qualities if
he would hope to gain a high class of patronage. One of those who have
successfully passed all tests requisite to this end is Dr. Henry Walker
Terrell of LaGrange, who is one of the leading physicians and surgeons
of LaGrange, Troup and Meriwether counties, and one of five noted
physicians in the Terrell family. Doctor Terrell was born in
Greenville, Meriwether County, Georgia, October 12, 1871, the son of
Dr. Joel E. G. and Sarah (Anthony) Terrell. His paternal grandparents
were David M. and Eliza (Chapman) Terrell, the former being a prominent
and highly respected citizen and planter of Meriwether County. Dr. Joel
E. G. Terrell, father of the subject of this memoir, was graduated in
the first class of Atlanta Medical College and afterwards attended
Jefferson Medical College at Philadephia, where also he was graduated.
He began the practice of his profession in his native City of
Greenville, and became one of its leading medical practitioners, which
position he retained until his death in 1886 at the age of fifty-three
years. During the war he was anxious to enlist, but the citizens of
Greenville and Meriwether County got up a strong petition, which they
presented to the Confederate Government, begging that he be allowed to
remain with them to attend to the sick and wounded, as the city and
county had only two other doctors whose services were available for
home use. The request wasi granted and it was commonly said that the
doctor did far more good to the cause by his services at home than he
could possibly have done by engaging in military service. He and his
wife were active members of the Baptist Church, in which he was a
deacon. Mrs. Dr. Joel Terrell was a daughter of Dr. Joseph Walker
Anthony, her mother's maiden name being Martha Render. Her father, a
graduate of the old University of Pennsylvania, was a prominent medical
practitioner in Meriwether County and was the eldest of the three
physicians who ministered to the sick in that county during the war. He
died in 1875 at the age of seventy years. His wife survived him several
years. To Dr. Joel E. G. Terrell and wife six children were born, as
follows: Annie, who married Hines Holt and died in 1912; Joseph M., now
deceased, a former governor of Georgia and United States senator, to
whom further reference will be made; E. B., a graduate of the
University of Louisville, Kentucky, who became a physician but retired
from active practice in 1913, owing to poor health; William A., now
engaged in the insurance and real estate business at Decatur, Georgia;
J. Render, a resident of Greenville, Georgia, who is solicitor general
of the Coweta Circuit, and Dr. Henry Walker Terrell, whose name forms
the caption of this article.
Henry Walker Terrell, who was the youngest member of his parents'
family, acquired his literary education in the schools of Greenville
and then entered the Atlanta Medical College, where he was graduated in
the class of 1892. Beginning the practice of his profession in
Columbus, Georgia, he remained there one year, at the end of that time
returning to Greenville. Here he remained five years and then, in 1898,
came to LaGrange, where a larger field of activity awaited him. Since
then he has established himself firmly among the leaders of his
profession in this locality. His office and laboratory are equipped
with X-ray apparatus and other modern accessories. Like his late
brother, the ex-governor, he is a man of firm convictions but of a kind
and amiable disposition, qualities which have made for him a host of
friends. Doctor Terrell is a member of the county, state and American
Medical associations, being councillor for the fourth district of the
Georgia Medical Association. He is chairman of the LaGrange Board of
Health. A democrat in politics, he has, however, no political
aspirations, but served as mayor of Greenville in 1895-96. His
religious affiliations are with the Baptist Church, in which he is a
deacon. His maternal uncle, Dr. Edward R. Anthony, of Griffin, Georgia,
is a well known physician, being one of the five doctors in the family.
Dr. Henry W. Terrell was married, December 12, 1894, to Miss Lena
McGehee, a native of Meriwether County and daughter of Olin W. and
Ophelia (Hall) McGehee. Her father died in 1913, while serving in the
Legislature as member from Meriwether County. He was a well to do
farmer and a Confederate veteran. Doctor and Mrs. Terrell are the
parents of one child, Lena, who was born in LaGrange, September 29,
1905. Mrs. Terrell is an active leader' in missionary and orphan home
work and is a lady of wide acquaintance highly esteemed by her numerous
friends.
A standard history of Georgia and Georgians, Volume 4 By Lucian
Lamar Knight
Fleming, Charles Campbell
Fleming, Charles
Campbell, of Atlanta, who holds the office of secretary of the
southeastern tariff association, is a native Georgian and a scion of
families established in America in the early colonial era.
He was born in Macon, Bibb county, Ga., Sept. 6, 1847, a son of
Allen and Elizabeth Campbell (Martin) Fleming, the former born in
Jefferson county, Ga., Oct. 13, 1804, and the latter in Morristown, N.
J., June 11, 1819. Both passed the closing
years of their lives in Columbus, Ga., and their remains rest in
Rosehill cemetery at Macon. “In death they
were not long divided,” as the father passed away July 9, 1874, and the
mother May 6, 1875. The Fleming ancestry
is traced back to Scotch-Irish derivation and the original American
progenitors came from the northern part of Ireland prior to the war of
the Revolution. Five brothers of the name,
with one sister, landed at Charleston or some North Carolina seaport. The great-grandfather of the subject of this
sketch was the founder of the Georgia branch of the family, having
located in Richmond county, where the grandfather of Charles C. was
born and whence he removed eventually to Jefferson county, where his
son Allen was born, as noted above. The
mother of Mr. Fleming was a direct descendant of Lord Campbell, whose
brother was the reigning Duke of Argyle, and who settled in New Jersey
in the early colonial days, his descendants being now very numerous in
that state. Charles Campbell Fleming was
reared and educated in Georgia and since 1894 has held his present
position as secretary of the Southeastern tariff association, being one
of the representative business men of Georgia’s capital city. He is a stance advocate of the principles of
the Democratic party but has never sought or held public office. He is a member of the Capital City club, and
both he and his wife are communicants of the Protestant Episcopal
church, though his family has been identified with the Presbyterian
church for generations back. On June 4,
1884, he was united in marriage to Miss Effie Davis, daughter of Henry
Davis, of Memphis, Tenn., in which city she died on Aug. 21, 1886,
leaving no children. On Nov. 17, 1891, Mr.
Fleming married Miss Minnie W. Gay, of Atlanta, a daughter of Capt.
Edward S. and Mary E. Gay, and this union has been blessed with one
son, Charles Campbell Fleming, Jr., born Sept. 29, 1892.
In conclusion is entered brief record concerning the brother and
sister of Mr. Fleming: Goode Holt Fleming
was born in Griffin, Ga., Oct. 18, 1849, married Lizzie Meek, of
Jacksonville, Fla., and died in Macon, Ga., Jan. 3, 1906; Allen Walter
Fleming was born in Griffin and died in infancy, about 1857; James
Martin Fleming was born in Griffin, Sept. 11, 1856, and still living;
William Pope Fleming was born in Atlanta, married Miss Annie M.
Johnson, of Macon, and now resides in Macon; Mary Elmina Fleming was
born in Columbus, Ga., became the wife of Harry Mix, and died in Macon,
Oct. 11, 1892.
[Source: Georgia: Sketches, Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions &
People, Vol. 2, Publ. 1906 Transcribed By: Maggie
Coleman
Howell, Evan P., soldier, journalist and lawyer, was born at Warsaw,
Milton county, Ga., his father having come from North Carolina about
1820. He was reared on a farm, received an academic education,
graduated at the Lumpkin law school in 1859, and began practice in
Washington county. When the war broke out he enlisted in the First
Georgia and served for about a year in Virginia. A company of artillery
was then organized in Washington county, and he was made captain. This
organization, known as Howell’s battery, began its active service at
Fort McAllister, was in the operations around Vicksburg, at
Chickamauga, and was then with the western army until the end of the
war. He then located in Atlanta and in 1867 became an editorial writer
on the Atlanta Intelligencer, later becoming city editor. After a short
time in this position he resumed the practice of law, which he
continued until 1876, when he bought a half interest in the
Constitution, and here he became associated with the late Henry W.
Grady. For three terms he served in the state senate; was one of the
commissioners to build the state capitol; was a delegate to the
Democratic national convention of 1876, 1880 and 1884, and in each of
these conventions was a member of the committee on platform; has been a
director in every railroad built into Atlanta since the Civil war; was
appointed by President McKinley a member of the commission to
investigate the war with Spain, and was called on to participate in
numerous other important functions. He died in Atlanta in 1905.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Kim
Mohler)
Hudson, Thomas G., of Atlanta, is the incumbent of the important office
of commissioner of agriculture of the State of Georgia, and has given a
most discriminating and able administration. He was born in Schley
county, Ga., Nov. 3, 1867, and is a son of John N. and Amanda M.
Hudson, the former of whom was born in Laurens county, Ga., in April,
1832, and the latter was born in Monroe county, in November of the same
year. John N. Hudson served several years as county school commissioner
of Schley county and was elected to the state senate in 1878, serving
one term. In March, 1862, he enlisted in the Confederate service as a
member of Company B, Seventeenth Georgia infantry, in which he held the
office of chaplain. Thomas G. Hudson has been identified with
agricultural pursuits from his youth to the present, having received
his educational discipline in the schools of Schley county and in the
South Georgia male and female college at Dawson. He is the owner of a
valuable landed estate in Schley county and is one of the most able and
progressive representatives of the agricultural industry in the state.
In politics he is an uncompromising adherent of the Democratic party,
and he has been accorded distinctive marks of popular confidence and
esteem. He represented his county in the lower house of the state
legislature in 1892-3, in the senate 1896-7, and again in 1902-3 and 4.
On Aug. 1, 1905, Gov. Joseph M. Terrell appointed him to his present
office, that of state commissioner of agriculture. He and his wife are
members of the Methodist Episcopal church South. On Nov. 5, 1889, Mr.
Hudson was united in marriage to Miss Katie Royal, daughter of Thomas
and Josephine (Baisden) Royal, of Schley county, and they have two
children – Charles Baisden, and Gertrude.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Kim
Mohler)
Hulsey, William H., one of Atlanta’s well known and highly honored
citizens, is a veteran member of the bar of the capital city, has
represented Fulton county in the state legislature, was mayor of
Atlanta in 1869, and is one of Georgia’s valiant sons who went forth as
a soldier of the Confederacy in the war between the states. To him
should be accorded lasting distinction for the able and successful
efforts which he put forth in effecting the founding of the
public-school system of Atlanta, and his name will be indissolubly
associated with this great work in all future annals of the fair
capital of the Empire state of the South. Mr. Hulsey was born in Dekalb
county, Ga., Oct. 1, 1838, and is a son of Eli J. and Charlotte
(Collier) Hulsey, the former of whom was born in Jasper county, Ga.,
and the latter in Dekalb county. Mr. Hulsey was afforded the advantages
of the common schools but his broad and liberal education, both
academic and professional, has been acquired almost entirely through
his own efforts outside the school room or college. He was admitted to
the bar in 1859 but did not give much attention to the active work of
his profession until after the close of the Civil war. He was among the
first to respond to the call for defenders of the cause of the
Confederacy, and in April, 1861, enlistd as a private in Company F,
Sixth Georgia infantry. He took part in the battle of Big Bethel, but
was not with his regiment at the time, nor did the regiment participate
in any battle during the period he was with it. Soon after his
enlistment he was made first lieutenant of Company F, but early in 1862
he resigned his office returning to his home in April of that year, and
in the same month was elected major of the Forty-second Georgia
infantry, with which command he continued in service until the close of
the war. He was with his regiment in the battle of Tazewell, Tenn., the
engagement at Cumberland Gap, the Kentucky campaign, in all of the
battles in and around Vicksburg, Miss., in all of the battles of the
Georgia campaign from Dalton to Resaca, in the engagement at which
latter point he was wounded, and in the battles in and about Atlanta,
his regiment being also engaged in the battles of Franklin and
Nashville, Tenn., in which latter he was again wounded. He was promoted
to lieutenant-colonel and at the close of the war was ranking officer
of the Forty-second Georgia regiment. After the war he took up his
residence in Atlanta, closely identifying himself with the rebuilding
of the prostrate city and becoming one of the leading members of its
bar. He has here continued in the active practice of his profession
during the long intervening years and his name is one honored by all
classes of citizens. He is a conservative and unfaltering advocate of
the principles and policies of the Democratic party, in whose cause he
has rendered effective service. He was solicitor-general of the Coweta
circuit for two years, when he was removed by Governor Bulloch, his
retirement being caused for political reasons. In 1869 he was elected
mayor of Atlanta, and within his administration was founded the present
public-school system of the city – a work in which he took the deepest
interest and which he undoubtedly did more to promote than did any
other one man. He reverts with distinctive pride and satisfaction to
his efforts in this connection and is fully justified in the attitude
which he thus assumes. He was twice elected to the state legislature
from Fulton county, served as a member of the city council for several
terms and in 1896 was elected judge of the court of ordinary of Fulton
county, in which office he served one term. He is a Master Mason, a
member of the United Confederate Veterans, and he and his wife hold
membership in the Methodist Episcopal church South. On April 26, 1865,
was solemnized the marriage of Colonel Hulsey to Miss Marion J.
Bateman, daughter of Claiborne and Sarah M. (Jordan) Bateman, of Monroe
county, Ga., and they have seven children – Eli B., William E., Hallie
A., Marion B., Fred W., Eula and Luther J.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Kim
Mohler)
Johnston, J. Harry, vice-president and manager of the R. W. Burnham
Furniture Company, 1124 Broadway, Augusta, one of the oldest and most
important concerns of the sort in the city, was born in Milledgeville,
Baldwin county, Ga., Nov. 14, 1870. He is a son of John W. and Martha
A. (Wood) Johnston, the former a native of Kingston, Cherokee county,
Ala., and the latter was born near Sandersville. Washington county, Ga.
The father, who followed mechanical pursuits during the greater portion
of his active career, is now living retired in Summerville, an
attractive suburb of Augusta. The mother died in Milledgeville, May 6,
1888, and is survived by two children—the subject of this review and
Birdie, who is now the wife of Edward W. James, of Augusta. After a
preliminary course of study in the public schools of Milledgeville, J.
Harry Johnston entered the Georgia military college, in that city,
where he remained a student until he had attained to the age of
eighteen years. He then, in 1888, took up his residence in Augusta,
being here employed about three years as bookkeeper for the firm of
Thomas & Maxwell, dealers in furniture. He then went to Atlanta,
where he was bookkeeper for two years in the office of George E.
Hoppie, president of the Atlanta Traction Company and the Atlanta Bank
Punch Company. In 1893 he returned to Augusta and became bookkeeper for
the late R. W. Burnham, who was engaged in the furniture business at
1138 Broad street. He has ever since been identified with this old and
popular house, the concern being now known as the R. W. Burnham
Furniture Company, under which title it was incorporated on Aug. 29,
1900. Shortly after taking the position of bookkeeper Mr. Johnston was
promoted to the position of manager, holding this office both prior to
and for several years after the death of Mr. Burnham, who passed away
on Dec. 13, 1895. Upon the incorporation of the business he acquired an
interest in it and has since been vice-president and manager of the
company, which has made significant advancement under his able and
indefatigable supervision, being not only one of the oldest furniture
houses in Augusta, but also one of the best known and most popular.
Mrs. B. Burnham, widow of the late R. W. Burnham, is president of the
company, and her minor son, R. B. Burnham, is also a stockholder in the
concern. The attractive headquarters of the company have been
maintained in the present location since 1890, and the establishment is
equipped with a large and select stock in all lines of furniture. Mr.
Johnston is a Democrat in his political allegiance, is a Master Mason,
is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Order
of Beavers, and became a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks on Dec. 13, 1905. On Nov. 17, 1895, he was united in marriage
to Miss Mamie Almena Shields, of Thomson, McDuffie county. Ga., and
they have two children,—Harry Shields, born Nov. 22, 1896, and Bessie,
born May 26, 1899.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by
Tracy McAllister)
Jones, Charles Colcock, lawyer and historian, was born in the city of
Savannah, Oct. 28, 1831. In 1852 he graduated at Princeton and three
years later at the Harvard law school. In 1856 he was admitted to the
bar and began practice in his native city in partnership with John E.
Ward. In 1860 he was elected mayor of Savannah and just before the
outbreak of the Civil war made many speeches in different parts of the
state in favor of secession. In 1862 he entered the army of the
Confederate States as colonel of artillery and served until the close
of the war, surrendering with Johnston's army in April, 1865. The
following December he removed to New York city, where he practiced law
until 1876, when he returned to Georgia and took up his residence in
Augusta. From that time until his death he was interested in the study
of the archeological remains of Georgia's former inhabitants. On this
subject he wrote a number of interesting pamphlets, most of which are
to be found in the collections of the Georgia Historical Society. He
was also the author of several other works, the most important of which
is a history of Georgia in two volumes. From 1879 until his death he
was president of the Confederate survivors' association of Augusta.
Altogether his published works number fourteen books, ten pamphlets,
and twenty-nine addresses. He died at Augusta on July 19, 1893.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by
Tracy McAllister)
Jones, John W., physician and legislator, was born on April 14, 1806,
in Montgomery county, Md. While still in his boyhood he went with his
parents to Kentucky, where he received a liberal education and took up
the study of medicine. After graduating at the Jefferson medical
college, of Philadelphia, Pa., he located at Griffin, Ga., and in a few
years came to be recognized as one of the leading physicians of the
state. In 1846 he was elected to Congress as a Whig, but after one term
returned to the practice of his profession, removing to Alabama. A few
years later he returned to Georgia and was for some time a professor in
the Medical College of Georgia, at Augusta.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events,
Institutions, and Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906.
Transcribed by Tracy McAllister)
Jones, Sam D., a representative business man and president of the
chamber of commerce of Atlanta, was born on the old family homestead,
Walnut Grove, Campbell county, Va., May 27, 1856. He was graduated in
the Virginia polytechnic institute in 1878, and in the following year
was graduated in Richmond college in the city of Richmond. He entered
educational work and for nine years was president of Virginia
institute, at Bristol, Va., where he conducted a large and successful
school for young women. He resigned this position, came to Atlanta in
1898, and in the metropolis of Georgia he has since been identified
with the manufacturing business. He is now the president of the Atlanta
stove works. Mr. Jones is a son of William S. and Virginia Judith
(Moorman) Jones, the former of whom was born on the same old homestead,
Nov. 15, 1821. He was a Virginia planter and slave-holder of the old
regime and was a man of prominence and influence in his community. His
wife was born near Lynchburg, Campbell county, Va., Dec. 31, 1826. Mr.
Jones' paternal grandmother bore the maiden name of Martha West, was a
direct descendant of Sir Thomas West, who was knighted the third Baron
West, and of Johanna de la Ware, a granddaughter of Lord Mowbray, who
was of the royal house of England. In America Mr. Jones traces his
lineage to Col. John West, a brother of the third Lord Delaware (de la
Ware), who made the first permanent English settlement in America and
sacrificed a large fortune in so doing. Col. John. West was for many
years a member of the council of Virginia, and from 1635 to 1637 was
the acting governor of the colony. So faithfully did he serve the
colony that, in 1659, the house of burgesses passed an act
acknowledging his services and freeing him from taxation. West Point,
Va., was the home of Colonel West and was named for him. He was the
great-great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch. On his father's
side Mr. Jones is of the ninth generation in descent from Pocahontas,
the daughter of Powhatan, the Indian chief. In 1675 Jane Rolfe,
granddaughter of Pocahontas, married Robert Bolling, of Bolling Hall,
England, and a descendant of a sister of Anne Boleyn, wife of King
Henry VIII. On his mother's side Mr. Jones' ancestors are also English,
and the coat of arms is still preserved in the family. He is a
collateral descendant also of Capt. Robert Adams, an officer in the war
of the Revolution. Mr. Jones was married on Oct. 10, 1883, to Miss
Elizabeth D. Harrison, daughter of Rev. Joseph R. and Sarah (Lunsford)
Harrison, of Roanoke county Va. The children of this union were five in
number and all are living except the eldest, Eoline. The others are
Harrison, William Saunders, Lulu Dean and Bolling Henry. Jr.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by
Tracy McAllister)
Jones, William Henry, is a representative furniture dealer of Augusta,
his finely equipped establishment being located at 1210 Broad street,
where the enterprise is conducted under the title of the Jones
Furniture Company. He was born in Taliaferro county, Ga., July 22,
1849, and is a son of Henry B. and Margaret (Rudisill) Jones, both of
whom were likewise born in that county, where the mother died in 1871,
and the father in 1895, the latter having been eighty years of age at
the time of his demise. He was a soldier in the Confederate service
during the war between the states, as were also three of his sons.
Benjamin Jones, grandfather of the subject of this review, came to
Georgia from North Carolina, as did also John Rudisill, the maternal
grandfather. William H. Jones was educated in the schools of his native
county; was reared on the home plantation, where he remained until he
had attained the age of twenty years, when he took a position as clerk
in a general store, in Jefferson county. He later became proprietor of
a general store in that county, thus conducting business from 1869 to
1897, when he removed to Augusta and established his present furniture
business. He has succeeded in building up a most prosperous enterprise
and is one of the reliable, progressive and popular business men of the
city. In politics he is a stalwart adherent of the Democratic party,
and both he and his wife are members of St. James church, Methodist
Episcopal South, in which he is a steward. On Feb. 17, 1876, Mr. Jones
was united in marriage to Miss Julia Elizabeth Palmer, daughter of
William and Julia (Matthews) Palmer, of Jefferson county, and they have
five children: Harry Hill Jones, the only son, is now associated with
his father in business; Julia Matthews is the wife of Jesse Mercer
Rainwater, their marriage having been solemnized Oct. 18, 1905; Estelle
Lois is a student in LaGrange female college, at LaGrange, Ga.; and
Susie Rae and Dollie Palmer, the younger daughters, remain at the
parental home.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by
Tracy McAllister)
Kendrick, William
Scott, M. D
Kendrick, William Scott, M. D., of Atlanta, one of the leading
representatives of his profession in the south, was formerly dean of
the Atlanta college of physicians and surgeons and is now the incumbent
of the chair of medicine in the Atlanta school of medicine, of which he
was one of the organizers and which has gained marked precedence among
the medical colleges of the south. He was born in Chattooga county,
Ga., and is a son of Thomas and Martha (Scott) Kendrick, both of whom
were born in York county, S. C, the former of English and the latter of
ScotchIrish lineage. The father was a farmer by vocation and his death
occurred in 1876. Of the twelve children in the family the first three
died in infancy and the others are all living, there having been no
death in the family for more than half a century—a fact indicating the
sturdiness of the line. The early educational discipline of Doctor
Kendrick was secured in a country school in Dirt Town valley, Chattooga
county. That he made good use of the opportunities afforded is evident
when adversion is had to the fact that as a youth he was elected
principal of the large country school in which he himself had been a
student, and for five years he devoted himself to teaching, meeting
with marked success in this field of endeavor. He studied medicine
under the preceptorship of Dr. Robert Battey, of Rome, Ga., and
graduated at the Atlanta medical college, receiving the degree of
Doctor of Medicine. He thereafter was engaged in the active work of his
profession for two years and then passed one year abroad, pursuing
special postgraduate work. He later became dean of the Atlanta medical
college, retaining this incumbency for practically eighteen years, and
was largely instrumental in effecting the consolidation in 1900 of this
institution and the Southern medical college, under title of the
Atlanta college of physicians and surgeons. He was elected dean of the
new school and retained the incumbency until 1905, when he resigned the
office, as well as the chair of medicine, to accept a similar chair in
the newly organized Atlanta school of medicine, in the establishing of
which both he and his wife were associated, as were they also with the
college of physicians and surgeons. He is a member of the executive and
building committees of the Atlanta school of Medicine, which has taken
rank as one of the foremost institutions of the sort in the south.
Doctor Kendrick is medical director of the Southern States Life
Insurance Company and the Empire Mutual Annuity and Life Insurance
Company; is chief state consultant and examiner of the New England
Mutual Life Insurance Company and state referee for the Mutual Benefit,
of New Jersey. He holds membership in the Medical Association of
Georgia, being known among his professional confreres as a physician
and surgeon of the highest attainments, and an able and popular
educator in technical lines. His political proclivities are indicated
in the stanch support he accords to the Democratic party, and he is a
ruling elder in the Central Presbyterian church, of Atlanta, of which
Mrs. Kendrick also is a devoted member. On Dec. 28, 1887, he was united
in marriage to Miss Tallulah Groves, daughter of Maj. William L. and
Jane (Scott) Groves, of Chattooga county. They have no children. Dr.
Kendrick has accomplished a notable work as an educator in the line of
his profession and gives the greater portion of his time to his
executive and classroom duties in the Atlanta school of medicine, whose
splendid upbuilding has been largely conserved through his able and
devoted efforts.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by
Tracy McAllister)
Looney, George C., principal of the Sunny South institute, a private
school of high grade, located at 97 Washington street, Atlanta, Ga.,
was born in Carnesville, Franklin county, Ga., Feb. 6, 1836. His
father, Judge Noah Looney, was a son of Robert and Betsey (Quinn)
Looney, and a nephew of John Looney, both Robert and John having been
soldiers of the Revolution, belonging to the patriot band of Col. Ben
Cleveland, whose successful destruction of Ferguson’s command of
British and Tories at King’s mountain had an important effect in
determining the conclusion of the war in the south. Professor Looney’s
mother, Frances Cleveland (McNeil) Looney, was the granddaughter of
Rev. John Cleveland, a clergyman of the Baptist church and a brother of
Col. Ben Cleveland, whose monument was unveiled in Greenville, S.C.,
Oct. 7, 1880, at the centennial celebration of the important and heroic
battle above mentioned. A peculiar family characteristic of both
the Looneys and Clevelands was the fitness and tact for teaching which
they developed early in Georgia and South Carolina. Abednego
Franklin, son of Mary Cleveland, who was a sister of Col. Ben Cleveland
and a cousin of Frances Cleveland Looney, was the founder of Franklin
college at Athens, now the University of Georgia. In the records
of the Cleveland family it is also stated that it was in the early
settlement that a teacher by the name of Looney established one of the
first schools taught on Georgia soil. It is quite natural,
therefore, that the three sons of an intermarriage between the Looney
and Cleveland families, Morgan H., George Cleveland and Martin V.,
should have become prominent teachers from their earliest
manhood. The lives of many of the most successful men of the
south, in all the learned professions and of the various southern
states, attest the superiority of the training received from these
educators. George C., the subject of this sketch, was in charge
of a very excellent school at Palmetto, Ga., with many young men in
attendance, when the war between the north and south was
precipitated. Early in 1862 his “boys” and other young men of the
vicinity organized a cavalry company and elected him their
captain. They at once went into camp at what was then called Big
Shanty, reported to Governor Brown, who instructed the company to
remain there and drill for service until he should make a call for
cavalry volunteers. They had not long to wait until Col. W. F.
Lawton, of Albany, Ga., was authorized to raise a cavalry regiment, the
Second Georgia cavalry, into which Captain Looney’s company was taken,
as Company I. But a short time elapsed till they were a part of
Forrest’s brigade, with the Third and Fourth Georgia and Eighth and
Tenth Texas cavalry regiments. Before the close of the war
Captain Looney had become a commander of the regiment, and Capt. Sim
Zellars, a most gallant young soldier, had command of the famous
invincible old Company I. Upon Johnston’s surrender Colonel
Looney received paroles for himself and regiment at Salisbury, N.C. and
at once resumed his status as a quiet citizen of Georgia. After a
happy month with parents, brothers and sisters at home, he exchanged
his military titles for the old, familiar, much abused but honorable
appellation of “Professor,” and opened a school at Fayetteville, Ga.,
which had been rendered famous before the war by his brothers and
himself and which was known as Fayetteville seminary. From this
institution, both before and after the war, went forth many prominent
men and women into prosperous and successful high life, and from it he
acquired mostly the reputation as an educator that clings to him
to-day. He has been thrice married,--first to Miss Maggie
Tomlinson, a cousin of Samuel Taliaferro and of Judge Adam S. Poole, of
Fulton county, and they became the parents of one child, Sarah Frances,
who is now teaching in a very fine school near Atlanta. His
second marriage was to Miss Evelyn Camp, granddaughter of John and
Sarah (Jennings) Camp and a niece of Narcissa Jennings Bryant, all of
Virginia. Of the several children of this union only one is
living, Mrs. Eva Cleveland Thorton, who is a successful teacher in
Atlanta. His present wife, Mrs. Minnie Looney, whose fine ability
as a teacher and disciplinarian, renders teaching a pleasure to her
husband, her school and herself, was a widow at the time of her
marriage to Professor Looney, having at the time two little daughters,
Lois and Eunice Ellis. Mrs. Looney is the daughter of J.W. and
N.M. (Bishop) Duffee, who are highly respected and popular residents of
Campbell county, residing near Fairburn. Professor Looney
still retains unimpaired his activity, vivacity and enthusiasm in the
school room and puts, perhaps more than ever, his whole soul into his
work---that of encouraging, lecturing to, leading and educating young
men and women for useful and happy lives.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by
Joanne Morgan)
Lumpkin, Thomas Beggs, general agent in Atlanta of the New England
Mutual Life Insurance Company, was born in Oglethorpe county, Ga.,
Sept. 10, 1868. At the age of fourteen years he removed to
Athens, where he soon found employment. Coming to Atlanta in 1891
he engaged as traveling salesman with the wholesale dry-goods firm of
Ridley-Ragan Company, remaining with them for thirteen years.
During the last seven years of this time he was a junior partner.
Retiring from this business in 1903 he took up life insurance, in which
he has been very successful. He has never been an aspirant for
any office, but has preferred to devote his time to his business and
leave to others all political ambitions. He is a member of the
Piedmont Driving club and of the Athletic club of Atlanta.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by
Joanne Morgan)
Maddox, Robert F.---Atlanta was an enterprising town of some 15,000
inhabitants when Col. Robert Flournoy Maddox, attracted by the
wide-awake spirit of the progressive young metropolis, came up from
Lagrange to identify himself with the forces of development which were
then busily at work at his place at this place. If the change of
residence was fortunate for Col. Maddox it was equally as fortunate for
Atlanta, because of the person in this resourceful and robust business
man, Atlanta secured an important acquisition. Even before the
war, Col. Maddox was an active agent in promoting whatever promised to
advance the welfare of the city, but it was not until after the war
that his influential position in the world of finance enabled him to do
his best work in this respect. Public-spirited and enterprising
he was always ready to put aside his own personal interests to serve
the cause of his fellow citizens, while out of his private means he
always responded cheerfully and generously to every call which the
community made upon him. Men like Col. Maddox have made Atlanta
what she is today. They have blazed out her pathway of progress
and have been her pillars of strength. Happy for Atlanta that she
has had so many of them. Col. Maddox was born in Putnam county,
Ga., on Jan. 3, 1829, of sturdy Scotch parentage. His father was
Edward Maddox, an enterprising planter, who moved from Troup county to
Putnam early in the century and married Mary F. Sale, of Lincoln
county, Ga. Notley Maddox, his paternal grandfather, was an
officer in the war for American independence. From his parents,
Col. Maddox acquired the traits of character which are usually strongly
accentuated in the Scotch, viz., integrity, sturdiness and piety, and
throughout his long career he illustrated them with peculiar
force. On the farm he laid the foundations of the vigorous
health, which he enjoyed for so many years of his life, and which
enabled him to accomplish so many difficult undertakings, requiring
physical capacity of endurance as well as mental and moral equipment of
the very highest order. He was given the benefit of excellent academic
advantages, and he supplemented what he learned at school by keeping
his eyes open and cultivating his powers of observation. He
possessed the rare faculty of being able to assimilate what he learned,
and when he started out in life he was well-equipped for success.
Locating in Lagrange, Ga., in 1851, he was shortly afterward elected
sheriff, but subsequently gave up this office to become county
treasurer. But his chief interests were centered in manufacturing
and he was more than ordinarily successful in conducting his business
affairs. During his residence in Lagrange, he served in the city
council with such men as Benjamin H. Hill, John E. Morgan, Judge Bigham
and others who were destined some few years later to figure with
prominence in state politics. Being impressed with the idea that
Atlanta was the coming metropolis of the state, Col. Maddox made the
place his home in 1858, and until the outbreak of the war in 1861 he
was actively identified with the interests of his adopted home, having
taken his place from the start in the forefront of Atlanta’s
enterprising business men.
As soon as hostilities began, he closed up his store with patriotic
promptness and organized the Calhoun Guards, of which he was made
captain. Shortly afterward, Governor Brown placed him temporarily
in charge of 6,000 troops at Camp McDonald. In 1862 he was made
lieutenant-colonel of the Forth-second Georgia regiment and in 1863,
colonel of the Third Georgia reserves. Intrepid as an officer, he
was distinguished throughout his four years’ service at the front by
his uncompromising devotion to the cause of the South as well as by his
daring gallantry in defense of the flag. On either side of the
line there were few better soldiers than Col. Maddox and none
braver. Returning to Atlanta at the close of the war he was
confronted with the necessity of starting life anew without one cent of
money in his pocket, but, undismayed by the outlook, he went to work
with characteristic determination, resolved to pluck success from the
ruins which everywhere confronted him, and how well he succeeded, let
the story of his subsequent life tell. Rapidly getting on his
feet again, he was elected in 1866 to represent Fulton county in the
legislature, and while serving in this capacity, was appointed by
Governor Jenkins as state agent to buy food for the destitute sufferers
under an appropriation of $200,000 made by the state, and in return for
his faithful performance of this duty he received the cordial personal
thanks of the chief executive. Subsequently, Col. Maddox rendered
the city important service in both branches of the council, especially
in the lower, where he served as chairman of the finance committee, and
besides wiping out the city’s floating debt, succeeded in reducing the
rate of interest from 18 to 7 percent. Until 1879 he was engaged
in the cotton business, and dealt in such side lines as tobacco and
fertilizers, but in 1879 he organized the Maddox-Rucker Banking
Company, which was eventually built up into one of the strongest
financial institutions of the South and which he served as president
until the time of his death. But while the banking business
absorbed most of his time, he was interested in various other
enterprises, all of which brought him successful results. From 1889 to
1891 he was president of the Atlanta & Florida railroad.
Punctilious in all of his business engagements, he enjoyed the
confidence of his business associates and the esteem of his fellow
citizens. He never swerved from the path of the strictest
rectitude, and though he accumulated an immense fortune, there were no
dirty shillings in the splendid legacy which he bequeathed to his
children, no stain upon the honored record which he left behind him at
the close of his long and useful career.
In 1860 Col. Maddox was united in marriage to Miss Nancy Reynolds,
daughter of Col. Permedus Reynolds, one of the leading citizens of
Newton county. Mrs. Maddox died in 1890. Two children, both
of whom survive, were the fruit of this union: Robert F., Jr., now
vice-president of the Maddox-Rucker Banking Company, and Eula M., wife
of Henry S. Jackson, son of the late Justice Howell Jackson of the
United States supreme court bench. Col. Maddox died at his home
in Atlanta on June 6, 1899, having reached his seventy-first year, and
the entire community was plunged in the deepest grief over the loss
occasioned by his death. He was an active member in the First
Methodist church and was as liberal in his religious benefactions as in
the support of public enterprises.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events,
Institutions, and Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906.
Transcribed by Joanne Morgan)
Maddox, Robert Foster, vice-president of the Maddox-Rucker Banking
Company, Atlanta, was born in that city, April 4, 1870, and is a son of
Col. Robert F. and Nancy (Reynolds) Maddox, the former of whom was born
in Lagrange, Troup county and the latter in Covington, Newton county,
Ga. Notley Maddox, paternal great-grandfather of the subject of
this sketch, was a patriot soldier in the war of the Revolution.
Col. Robert F. Maddox, a sketch of whose life precedes this, was
lieutenant-colonel of the Forty-Second Georgia Volunteer infantry in
the Civil war and afterward became one of Atlanta’s most honored
and influential citizens. In 1880 he founded the Maddox-Rucker
Banking Company, one of the solid and popular financial concerns of the
city of Atlanta, and he continued president of the bank until his
death, June 6, 1899. Robert F. Maddox, the subject of this
sketch, was afforded the advantages of the Atlanta schools and then
attended the University of Georgia until 1887, when he was matriculated
in famous old Harvard university, Cambridge, Mass. He has been
identified with the Maddox-Rucker Banking Company since 1889, entering
the same in the capacity of collector, and since that time he has
advanced through all the executive grades to the position of which he
is now the incumbent, that of vice-president of the institution, while
he also controls other capitalistic interests of much importance.
He has served as a director in many of the fairs and expositions held
in Atlanta and other parts of the South, and formerly served as
vice-president of the Southern Inter-State fair association. In
1902-3 he was chairman of the executive council of the Georgia bankers’
association, and he has been vice-president of the American Bankers’
association. He is president of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce,
treasurer of the Old Dominion Guano Company, treasurer of the
associated charities of Atlanta, trustee of the Grady hospital and also
the Atlanta Medical college. He is a staunch supporter of the
cause of the Democratic party, and is a member of the board of stewards
of the First Methodist Episcopal church South, of Atlanta. On
June 12, 1895, Mr. Maddox was united in marriage to Miss Lollie Baxter,
daughter of Nathaniel and Laura Lavender Baxter of Nashville,
Tenn. They have two children, Robert Foster, Jr., and Nathan
Baxter.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by
Joanne Morgan)
Manahan, Manning
Willis, M.D
Manahan, Manning Willis, M.D., one of the prominent and able
representatives of the homeopathic school of medicine in the state of
Georgia, controls a large and prosperous professional business in the
city of Atlanta, having his offices in the Grand Opera House building.
He claims the old Buckeye state as the place of his nativity, having
been born in Hartland township, Huron county, Ohio, Jan. 5, 1859. He is
a son of George W. and L. Sophia (Morse) Manahan, the former of whom
was born in Cayuga county, N.Y., Oct. 1, 1812, and the latter in
Venice, that county, March 18, 1818. The father died in East Orange,
N.J., in February, 1891, and the mother died in Norwalk, Ohio, in
September, 1894. The doctor’s paternal grandfather was Thomas Manahan,
who was born on Long Island, N.Y., Dec. 25, 1772, and died in Hartland,
Ohio, Dec. 3, 1858. He married Violetta Silcox, who was born in
Flanders, N.J., Jan. 7, 1779, being a daughter of Henry and Sally
Silcox, who afterwards moved to what is now Elizabeth, N.J. She died in
Norwalk, Ohio, Dec. 19, 1873. Her father distinguished himself during
the Revoluntary war, as a trusted follower of the great Washington. He
was a lineal descendant of Captain Luce, who was born in 1680 and who
was an officer in the British army in the war of 1712 between England
and France. Captain Luce died in 1765. L. Sophia (Morse) Manahan was a
daughter of Judge Isaac Morse, who was born in New Haven, Conn., Feb.
8, 1782, and who died at Venice, Cayuga county, N.Y., July 14, 1864.
Judge Morse was descended from Rev. Jedediah Morse, a distinguished
clergyman of the Congregational church and prominent as a geographer.
There were three brothers in this family, Samuel F.B. Morse, the
inventor of telegraphy, and Sidney Edwards Morse, a prominent American
journalist, inventor and geographer. Doctor Manahan was graduated in
the classical course in the high school at Norwalk, Ohio, and later
took a university course. In March, 1882, he was graduated in Cleveland
Homoeopathic hospital college, where he secured his degree of
Doctor of Medicine, and also the first clinical prize, receiving
honorable mention for a very high percentage in his class examinations.
He has attained to distinction and prestige in his profession and has
been engaged in the practice of the same in Atlanta since 1882. He is a
member of the American institute of homoeopathy, the Southern
homoeopathic medical association, and the Atlanta medical club. He is
ex-president of the United States board of pension examiners at
Atlanta; has been medical examiner for a number of life-insurance
companies, and for a number of years has served as surgeon to the
Commercial Travelers’ Mutual Accident association of America, surgeon
to Iowa State Traveling Men’s association, also holding a similar
position with the International Travelers association, of Dallas, Tex.
He is a charter member of Gate City Lodge, No. 2, Free and Accepted
Masons, of Atlanta, and was reared in the faith of the Presbyterian
church, but is tolerant and liberal in his religious views. On Sept.
21, 1881, Doctor Manahan was united in marriage to Miss Jennie Estelle
Walker, daughter of George R. and Lucyra (Scott) Walker, of Norwalk,
Ohio, where her father is a prominent attorney at law. Dr. and Mrs.
Manahan became the parents of two children, both of whom are now
deceased: George Leroy was born in Norwalk, Ohio, Jan. 22, 1883, and
died in Pensacola, Fla., March 3, 1886; Manning Maurice was born in
Atlanta, Ga., Aug. 3, 1885, and died July 26, 1888.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Kim
Mohler)
Matheson, Kenneth
Gordon, A.M., L.L. D.,
Matheson, Kenneth Gordon, A.M., L.L. D., president of the Georgia
School of Technology, Atlanta, was born at Cheraw, S.C., July 28, 1864,
a son of John F. and Mary E. Matheson, the former a native of Lochalsh,
Scotland, and the latter born at Cheraw on Nov. 7, 1832. His
great-great-grandfather, Capt. William DeWitt and James Chapman, and
four sons of the latter, James, Jr., John, William and Allan, were
soldiers in the American army in the Revolutionary war. William and
John were killed at Camden, S.C., being regulars under Dekalb, and
Allan, though very young, served as a trooper during the war. Martin
DeWitt, a great-great-great-grandfather, although a very old man, also
served in the war for independence. Allan Chapman married Eleanor,
daughter of Capt. William DeWitt, and this couple were the
great-grandparents of Doctor Matheson. Captain DeWitt was so active in
his devotion to the cause of liberty that his house was burned by
Tories, and it is related that one occasion, while he was in the army,
his wife and son, John DeWitt, then a boy of sixteen years of age, were
accosted at their home by a party of British. When the boy resented
some insolent remark addressed to his mother he was struck on the head
with a sword by an officer, inflicting a scar that he carried to his
grave. Capt. William DeWitt became a man of prominence after the war
and was elected high sheriff of the Cheraws. In 1782, when a treaty was
signed, Governor Rutledge issued writs of election to General Marion,
and Captain DeWitt was elected representative. Two years later he was
elected senator. To accept these positions he had to resign the office
of high sheriff, in which he was succeeded by Allan Chapman. Captain
DeWitt married Mary Devonald, a woman of great beauty, whose father,
Daniel Devonald, had an original grant of land and was a wealthy
planter. Another maternal ancestor of Doctor Matheson was Dr. Thomas
Graham, a member of the well known Graham family of Virginia and North
Carolina. The original American representative of this family was an
officer in the battle of Flodden Field in 1746, and came to this
country soon afterward. The descendants of the Graham, DeWitt and
Chapman families have occupied many positions of prominence in the
Carolinas and Alabama. John F. Matheson, the father of the subject of
this sketch, was a prominent banker, and an influential and much
beloved citizen of Cheraw, where he continued to reside until his death
in 1878. Doctor Matheson received his early education in the Cheraw
academy, after which he entered the South Carolina military academy at
Charleston, an institution locally known as the “Citadel,” where for
three years he was battalion adjutant. During this time he formed the
acquaintance of Capt. Lyman Hall, recently graduated at West Point, and
then adjutant of the military post at Charleston. Between the two grew
up a friendship that remained unbroken until the death of Captain Hall
on Aug. 16, 1905, being at that time president of the Georgia School of
Technology. After leaving the “Citadel” Doctor Matheson was for three
years commandant of cadets in the Georgia military college at
Milledgeville, and for the succeeding two years held the position of
assistant professor of English in the University of Tennessee. This
place he resigned to accept that of commandant and professor of English
in the Missouri military college at Mexico, Mo., the first genuine
military school west of the Mississippi. He was offered the position of
assistant superintendent of this school, but declined to enter Leland
Stanford university, where he took a post-graduate course and was
granted the degree of Master of Arts in 1897. The same year he came to
Atlanta as assistant professor of English in the school of which he is
now the executive head. Three months later he was raised to the full
professorship. Since coming to Atlanta he has done effective post
graduate work in the University of Chicago and Columbia university, of
New York. In the latter institution he completed all the residential
requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. After the death of
Captain Hall the trustees of the technological school voted to retain
Doctor Matheson as chairman of the faculty for an indefinite period,
and on June 21, 1906, he was unanimously elected to the presidency of
the institution. Just the day before this election he received the
degree of Doctor of Laws from the Washington and Lee university. Doctor
Matheson is a Democrat in his political convictions and in religious
matters he holds to the faith of the Presbyterian denomination, being
now an elder in the North avenue Presbyterian church, (Southern) of
Atlanta. On Dec. 27, 1898, he was united in marriage to Miss Belle
Seddon Fleet, daughter of Alexander Frederick and Belle (Seddon) Fleet,
of Virginia, and they have three children: Belle Seddon, Kenneth Gordon
and Frederick Graham, aged respectively six, four and one and a half
years. (1906) Col A.F. Fleet is a graduate of the University of
Virginia, and during the Civil war was adjutant of General Wise’s
brigade. He is now superintendent of the Culver, Ind., military
academy, a son, John S. Fleet, being assistant superintendent of the
same school. Another son, Henry W., is a lieutenant in the regular army
of the United States, and W.A. Fleet, is a Cecil Rhodes student at
Oxford, England. Mrs. Matheson’s mother is a niece of John Seddon,
former secretary of war of the Confederate States. Doctor Matheson is a
member of the Kappa Alpha college fraternity and the Auxilium club, of
Atlanta.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Kim
Mohler)
Fairman, Henry Clay journalist
and author, was born in Mississippi in 1849. He was reared and
educated in his native state, but subsequently removed to Atlanta,
where he became editor of The Sunny South. His storied and poems
are popular through the South. His masterpiece, a story entitled
“The Third World,” has been compared with the works of Rider Haggard
and Jules Verne on account of its daring imagination and vivid
description.
[Source: Georgia: Sketches, Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions &
People, Vol. 2, Publ. 1906 Transcribed By: Maggie Coleman]
Beadle, Samuel Alfred, educator, lawyer,
author, was born Aug. 17, 1857, in Atlanta, Ga. In 1867-71 he attended
Store's school at Atlanta, Ga. In 1878-84 he taught in the public
schools of Mississippi; and since 1884 has practiced law in Jackson,
Miss. He has always been interested in literary pursuits; and has
contributed extensively to current publications. He is the author of
Sketches from Life in Dixie; Fragments; and a volume of Short Stories.
[Herringshaw’s National Library of American Biography: Contains
Thirty-five Thousand Biographies of the Acknowledged Leaders of Life
and Thought of the United States, by William Herringshaw, 1909 –
Transcribed by Therman Kellar]
Beckwith, Charles Minngerode,
educator, clergyman, bishop, author, was born June 3, 1851, in Prince
George county, Va. in 187379 he was master of grammar schools in the
university of the South. In 1881 he became priest in charge of St.
Luke's cathedral of Atlanta, Ga. In 1886 he became rector of Christ
church of Houston, Texas. In 1892 he became rector of Trinity church at
Galveston, Texas; and in 1902 was consecrated protestant episcopal
bishop of Alabama. He is the author of The Trinity Course of Church
Instruction; and The Teacher's Companion to the Trinity Course.
[Herringshaw’s National Library of American Biography: Contains
Thirty-five Thousand Biographies of the Acknowledged Leaders of Life
and Thought of the United States, by William Herringshaw, 1909 –
Transcribed by Therman Kellar]
Beckwith, John Watrus, clergyman,
bishop, was born Feb. 9. 1831. in Raleigh, N.C. In 1886 became
protestant episcopal bishop of Georgia. He died Nov. 23, 1890, in
Atlanta, Ga.
[Herringshaw’s National Library of American Biography: Contains
Thirty-five Thousand Biographies of the Acknowledged Leaders of Life
and Thought of the United States, by William Herringshaw, 1909 –
Transcribed by Therman Kellar]
Benteen, Frederick William, soldier, was
born Aug. 24, 1834, in Petersburg, Va. He war in 1861-65; was colonel
of the United States volunteers; and he served gallantly in numerous
battles and skirmishes. He was a brigadier-general of the Missouri
militia; and he was brevetted a brigadier-general of the United States
army. He resided in Atlanta, Ga.; where he was prominent in the
business and public affairs of that city. He died about 1898 in
Atlanta, Ga.
[Herringshaw’s National Library of American Biography: Contains
Thirty-five Thousand Biographies of the Acknowledged Leaders of Life
and Thought of the United States, by William Herringshaw, 1909 –
Transcribed by Therman Kellar]
Bissell, Evelyn L., physician, surgeon, was
born Sept. 10, 1836, in Litchfield, Conn. He was assigned to surgical
duty in the civil war; and at its close was on duty in Atlanta, Ga. For
seven years he was examining surgeon for the pension department of the
United States government. He subsequently established himself as
practicing physician and surgeon in New Haven, Conn. He died about 1908
in New Haven, Conn.
[Herringshaw’s National Library of American Biography: Contains
Thirty-five Thousand Biographies of the Acknowledged Leaders of Life
and Thought of the United States, by William Herringshaw, 1909 –
Transcribed by Therman Kellar]
Bowen, John Wesley Edward, educator, college
president, author, was born Dec. 3, 1855, in New Orleans, La. He was
educated at the university of New Orleans; and at the Boston university
school of theology and the school of all sciences. In 1882-92' he
filled pastorates in Boston, Newark, Baltimore and Washington. Since
1893 he has been professor of historical theology and is now president
of Gammon theological seminary at Atlanta, Ga. He is editor of the
Voice of Atlanta, Ga.; and editor of the Steward Missionary Magazine.
He is the author of National Sermons; Discussions in Philosophy and
Theology; The United Negro; The Educational History of the Negro;
Appeal to Caesar; and numerous Monographs.
[Herringshaw’s National Library of American Biography: Contains
Thirty-five Thousand Biographies of the Acknowledged Leaders of Life
and Thought of the United States, by William Herringshaw, 1909 –
Transcribed by Therman Kellar]
Bradley, Henry Stiles, educator,, clergyman,
author, was born March 22, 1869, in Jackson county, Ga. In 1890 he
became professor of natural sciences, and in 1899-1901 was
vice-president of Emory college. In 1901-05 he was pastor of the
methodist church in Atlanta, Ga.; and since that time has been a
clergyman of St. Louis, Mo. He is the author of Christianity—as Taught
by Christ.
[Herringshaw’s National Library of American Biography: Contains
Thirty-five Thousand Biographies of the Acknowledged Leaders of Life
and Thought of the United States, by William Herringshaw, 1909 –
Transcribed by Therman Kellar]
Brown, Joseph Emerson, lawyer, jurist,
governor, United States senator, was born April 15, 1821, in South
Carolina. In 1849 he was elected to the Georgia state senate; in 1852
he was a Pierce elector; and in 1855 he was elected judge of the
superior courts of the Blue Ridge circuit. In 1857 he was elected
governor of Georgia; and was re-elected in 1859. He was a secessionist
in 1860; and was active and energetic as a war governhad seceded. In
1861 he governor; and in 1863 he was again elected to that high office.
In 186870 he was chief justice of the supreme court of Georgia, which
position he resigned to accept the presidency of the Western atlantio
railroad company. In 1880-91 he was United States senator. He died Nov.
30, 1894, in Atlanta, Ga.
[Herringshaw’s National Library of American Biography: Contains
Thirty-five Thousand Biographies of the Acknowledged Leaders of Life
and Thought of the United States, by William Herringshaw, 1909 –
Transcribed by Therman Kellar]
Bullock, Rufus Brown, business man,
governor, was born March 28, 1834, in Bethlehem, N.Y. He formed the
Southern express company, and became one of its active managers. During
the civil.war he continued this occupation under the direction of the
confederate government, establishing railroads and telegraph lines on
interior routes. After the cessation of hostilities he resumed the
management of express affairs; and was elected one of the trustees and
secretary of the Southern express company. He was also associated in
the organization of the first national bank of Georgia, and was elected
its president. He became president of one of the largest cotton mills
in Atlanta. He was the twenty-seventh governor of Georgia in 186972. He
died in 1907 in Atlanta, Ga.
[Herringshaw’s National Library of American Biography: Contains
Thirty-five Thousand Biographies of the Acknowledged Leaders of Life
and Thought of the United States, by William Herringshaw, 1909 –
Transcribed by Therman Kellar]
Bumstead, Freeman
Josiah, physician, author, was born on April 21, 1826, in
Boston, Mass. In 1867-71 he was a professor in the college of
physicians and surgeons of New \ork City. He was the author of
Pathology and Treatment of Venereal Diseases; and translations from the
French of Ricord and Cullerier. He died Nov. 28, 1879, in Boston,
Bumstead, Horace, soldier, educator, clergyman, college president,
author, was born Sept. 29, 1841, in Boston, Mass. In 1863 he graduated
from Yale; in 1870 from Andover theological seminary; and received the
degree of D.D. from the university of the City of New York. In 186465
he was a major in the forty-third regiment United States colored
troops; served in the siege of Richmond and Petersburg; and later
served in Texas. In 1872-75 he was pastor of the second congregational
church at Minneapolis, Minn. In 1875-78 he was professor of natural
science in Atlanta university of Georgia; and in 1888-1907 was
president of that institution of learning. He is now engaged chiefly in
literary work in Brookline, Mass.
[Herringshaw’s National Library of American Biography: Contains
Thirty-five Thousand Biographies of the Acknowledged Leaders of Life
and Thought of the United States, by William Herringshaw, 1909 –
Transcribed by Therman Kellar]
Burns, James Austin, soldier, educator. civil
engineer, lawyer, author, was born Jan. 25, 1840, in Oxford, Maine. In
1861 he entered the United States volunteer service as lieutenant in
the seventh regiment Connecticut infantry; and was promoted to be
captain in 1862. He filled the chair of chemistry in the Southern
medical college in Atlanta; where he practiced law. He was the author
of a series- of Juxtalinear Translations of the Classics. He died in
1902 in Atlanta, Ga.
[Herringshaw’s National Library of American Biography: Contains
Thirty-five Thousand Biographies of the Acknowledged Leaders of Life
and Thought of the United States, by William Herringshaw, 1909 –
Transcribed by Therman Kellar]
Austell,
Alfred, planter, financier, was born on Jan. 14. 1814, in
Jefferson
County, Tenn. For many years he was a cotton planter at Campbellton,
Ga.; and became a general of militia. In 1858 he became a financial
leader in Atlanta, Ga.; in 1865 established the Atlanta national bank;
and became head of the largest cotton house in the world. He died Dec.
7, 1881, in Atlanta, Ga.
[Herringshaw’s National Library of American Biography: Contains
Thirty-five Thousand Biographies of the Acknowledged Leaders of Life
and Thought of the United States, by William Herringshaw, 1909 –
Transcribed by Therman Kellar]
Avary, Mrs. Myrta
Lockett, journalist, author,
poet, was born in Halifax, Va. She married Dr. James Corbin Avary, now
of Atlanta, Ga. In 1897-1903 she was on the editorial staff of the
Christian Herald of New York City; and is a writer of sociological
articles and stories of tenement life. She is the author of A Virginia
Girl in the Civil War; and Dixie After the War.
[Herringshaw’s National Library of American Biography: Contains
Thirty-five Thousand Biographies of the Acknowledged Leaders of Life
and Thought of the United States, by William Herringshaw, 1909 –
Transcribed by Therman Kellar]
Avery, Isaac
Wheeler, lawyer, journalist, author,
was born May 2, 1837, in St. Augustine, Fla. In 1869 he became chief
editor of the Atlanta Constitution. He is the author of Digest of the
Georgia Supreme Court Reports; and History of Georgia. He died Sept. 8,
1897, in Atlanta, Ga.
[Herringshaw’s National Library of American Biography: Contains
Thirty-five Thousand Biographies of the Acknowledged Leaders of Life
and Thought of the United States, by William Herringshaw, 1909 –
Transcribed by Therman Kellar]
Mynatt, Pryor L.,-In the early part of the
eighteenth century Richard Mynatt, a young Englishman, came over to
Virginia and settled in Prince William county, where he married and
became the founder of the American branch of the Mynatt family.
To him were born several children. William, the eldest son, moved
into Fauquier county , Va., where he married, established a home and
reared a large family. His second son, Joseph, imbued with the
desire, so prevalent in those days, to penetrate further into the new
country, crossed over the mountains to eastern Tennessee and settled in
Knox county. There he met and married Eliza Hickle, also a native
of Virginia, though of German descent. Of this union there were
four children, and it is of Pryor L., the eldest of the number, that
this story is told,-truthfully told, with the earnest hope that it may
be an inspiration to other lads to make of themselves men of whom it
may be said that “the world was better for their having lived.”
Pryor L. Mynatt was born on a farm in Knox county, Tenn., Sept. 7,
1829. Here his youth was passed in aiding in the farm work and
attending the country schools, where he eagerly acquired all the
knowledge afforded by the primitive institutions. Very early in
life there came to the lad a love of books and a thirst for knowledge,
and this predilection was fostered and encouraged by his mother, a
woman of more than ordinary mentality. As most of the travel at
this time was through the country and as the Mynatt home was on the
public highway, the lawyers, passing to and from the sessions of court,
would often stop here for a night or for a rest during the day.
The boy heard much of the outside would through this source and
listened eagerly to the discussions of these men, who represented the
profession that was the gateway at that time for many broad fields of
culture and eminence, and when very young he determined to make of
himself a good lawyer. His people had ever been farmers and
lovers of the soil, and his father preferred that he should remain on
the farm, but his mind was firmly fixed and, believing that he could do
best with the legal profession, he held tenaciously to his purpose,
though often contending with the greatest difficulties. Perhaps
there are no conditions more conducive to growth in self-reliance or to
the development of resources within oneself than those of a farm life
with limited financial means. It is a training that enables a man
the better to comprehend and master the details and complexities later
in life. Obstacles that at the time seem hard and discouraging
prove in the end strong factors in character building and the work
brings strength intellectually as well as physically. No one
realized this more thoroughly than did Mr. Mynatt, and though he gave
up farm life when it became necessary in furtherance of his designated
aim, he never ceased to feel grateful for its influence in molding his
character. Patiently and faithfully he worked his way through the
college at Marysville, Tenn., where he was graduated in the summer of
1849. For a time he taught school in Tennessee and Alabama, to
meet the expense of his law studies. Later he went to Knoxville
and entered the office of a prominent lawyer. Completing his law
course at Lebanon, Tenn., he began practice at Jacksboro in that state,
but, desiring a broader field, he returned to Knoxville, where within a
short time he gained a lucrative practice and a fine reputation as a
lawyer. Mr. Mynatt was an ardent southerner and, believing in the
rights of secession he went heart and soul with the Confederacy,
enlisting in 1861. Early in 1862 he was a private in Company I of
the Second Tennessee cavalry, commanded by Col. Henry M. Ashby.
On Nov. 21, 1862, he was appointed captain and assistant commissary of
subsistence and assigned to duty with the First Tennessee regiment of
cavalry, commanded by Col. James E. Carter. In 1863 he was
promoted to the rank of major and assistant commissary of subsistence,
with the same rank, on the staff of Gen. W. Y. C. Humes, commanding
Humes’ division of cavalry, and held that position until the close of
the war, being paroled, with this division, at Charlotte, N. C., May 3,
1865. At the close of the war it was impossible for those who had
espoused the southern cause to return to eastern Tennessee, the feeling
being so bitter that their very lives were endangered by attempting to
return, in addition to which their homes had been destroyed and their
property confiscated. Colonel Mynatt, with many other former
residents of eastern Tennessee left homeless by the war, settled in
Atlanta, Ga. Here he opened an office and began the practice of
law. Atlanta was in ashes and the outlook was anything but
promising, but, notwithstanding the difficulties, he soon built up a
good practice. He had been a faithful, painstaking student,
mastering thoroughly the principles of the law; he was endowed with one
of those clear, perceptive minds that quickly grasp the main points of
a case, and at the same time he had the patient care for detail.
Thus fortified, and imbued with an ardent love for his chosen calling,
he was most thoroughly prepared for the work that came to him. He
soon established himself on a very high plane with the bar, not only of
Atlanta, which was one of the strongest, but also of the entire state,
as a fine constitutional lawyer. He was a delegate to the
constitutional convention of 1877, serving faithfully and with marked
ability in connection with all questions considered by that body and
adding greatly to his reputation by his untiring efforts in behalf of
the railroad commission. Not long after the adoption of this law
he successfully defended it against the attack upon its
constitutionality by three of the strongest railroad powers,
represented by some of the state’s ablest lawyers, in a litigation
extending over a period of more than three years and carried through
both state and United States courts. This was regarded as a great
legal victory for both the commission and for Colonel Mynatt. One
of his strongest characteristics as a lawyer was the careful
preparation of his cases as to every detail, with lucid presentation
and pleading. This enables him to gain many difficult and
involved cases,-believed by the most eminent lawyers to be impossible
of bringing to successful issue. The Air Line railroad case,
which involved $11,000,000 and which attracted wide attention because
of the unique questions in the case, after long and arduous labor he
gained for the owners as against the bondholders, who were about to
take possession of the property. Thoroughly trained as a
corporation lawyer, his opinions on all questions bearing upon this
branch of his profession were highly valued by his fellow
lawyers. His integrity intellectually as well as morally placed
him on the highest plane with his professional confreres and many young
men who studied in his office felt the power of this combined influence
and gained a lasting respect for the dignity of the profession.
Colonel Mynatt was a leal and loyal Democrat and aided the party in
every way possible. As a member of the legislature of 1878 he was
a faithful and efficient worker. When the prohibition laws were passed
in Atlanta some of the liquor dealers and manufactures contested the
constitutionality of these laws and very able counsel was employed on
both sides. Colonel Mynatt was the leading lawyer for the defense
and in this ably conducted legal fight he won his case, which was
carried through both state and Federal courts. He also gained the
great Tumlin estate case, involving $75,000, against the views of his
own able associates in the cause. He was for a long time senior
counsel for the East Tennessee & Georgia railway system and for the
Atlanta & Florida railroad. Loving his profession, he never
descended to the tricks of a trade but held always to the highest
ideals, maintaining the dignity and integrity of his profession as well
as of the man. Quick of perception, broad and tolerant in his
views, a thorough investigator of the law and facts in his cases,
invariable careful in the preparations of his causes for trial, it was
not surprising that success should result. He was for many years
a member of the Presbyterian church, and in December, 1880, was
ordained an elder in the Central Presbyterian church, of Atlanta,
proving a faithful, and useful officer. His Christian faith
guided and guarded him in every relation of life. In 1860 he
married, at Knoxville, Tenn., Alice, third daughter of Major Campbell
Wallace, and to them were born four children-Campbell Wallace, Joseph
Lyon, Pryor L., Jr., and Alice Wallace. Tender and true always in
the home life, as elsewhere, his loved ones of the immediate family
circl were ever made glad by the sound of his returning
footsteps. Colonel Mynatt died in Atlanta, Sept. 2, 1900, and is
survived by his wife and two of his children-Joseph Lyon and Allice
Wallace, now residing in Atlanta. A distinguished jurist said of him:
“He had great success as a lawyer; he was diligent, industrious and
learned; one main reason for his success was the excellence of his
character. Such a life is, indeed, an inspiration to us all and
will live after him, a shining example pointing the way to what is
noblest in our profession.”
[Source: Georgia Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events,
Institutions, and Persons, Vol 2, Publ 1906. Transcribed by Renae
Donaldson]
McDaniel, Sanders, a prominent member of
the Atlanta bar and one who has had to do with much important legal
business, both as attorney and counselor, is a representative of one of
the old and honored families of Georgia. He was born in Monroe,
Walton county, Sept. 19, 1867, and in the same place were also born his
parents, Henry Dickerson and Hester (Felker) McDaniel. Data
concerning the paternal ancestry of Mr. McDaniel reveal that among the
number were John Baldwin and Henry Terry, of Prince Edward county, Va.,
who were his great-great-great-grandfathers and were of stanch English
lineage; Henry McDaniel, of Amherst county, Virginia, who removed to
South Carolina more than a century ago, was of Scotch-Irish descent and
was great-great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, who is also
in the fifth generation in direct descent from John Holliday, of
Lincoln county, Georgia, and John N. Walker, a native of Maryland who
located in Lincoln county, Ga., early in life, later removing to Walton
county. Both these ancestors were of English descent, and the
latter was a soldier in the Continental line during the war of the
Revolution. Ira Oliver McDaniel, grandfather of Sanders, was one
of the early merchants of Atlanta, served a number of terms in the
municipal council and was prominent and influential in all undertakings
advanced for the upbuilding of the city, materially, morally and
religiously. Stephen Felker, maternal grandfather of Mr.
McDaniel, graduated, in 1886, with the degree of Bachelor of
Arts. He then began the work of preparing himself for the legal
profession, and was admitted to the bar in 1888, in the Walton superior
court. He commenced practice in Monroe, where he became local
counsel of the Georgia and the Gainesville, Jefferson & Southern
railroads. In 1895 he took up his residence in Atlanta, where he
has since been actively engaged in practice. He is assistant
division counsel of the Southern railway and local counsel for Fulton
county of the Georgia railroad. Since 1902 he has been a member
of the law firm of Dorsey, Brewster & Howell, division counsel of
the Southern railway of Georgia. He is president of the Central
bank block association, whose fine building is located on Whitehall
street viaduct and railroad street. Mr. McDaniel is a stanch
adherent of the Democratic party but has never been a seeker of
political office. He is a member of the Capital City club, the
Piedmont Driving club and the Chi Phi college fraternity. On May
14, 1895, he was united in marriage to Miss Anne Henderson, daughter of
William A. and Harriet (Smiley) Henderson, of Knoxville, Tenn., and
they have one child, Harriet Smiley.
[Source: Georgia Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events,
Institutions, and Persons, Vol 2, Publ 1906. Transcribed by Renae
Donaldson]
McEachern, John N.,
president
of
the
Industrial Life & Health Insurance Company, of
Atlanta, and a member of the board of aldermen of the capital city, is
a native Georgian, having been born in Cobb county, April 9,
1853. He is a son of David L. and Esther M. A. (White) McEachern,
both of whom were born in Cabarrus county, N. C.,-the former on Jan.
15, 1814, and the latter on Dec. 23, 1817. They passed the
closing years of their years of their lives in Cobb county, Ga., the
father having been a farmer by vocation. At the time of the Civil war
he was appointed by President Davis to look after the interests of the
wives and widows of Confederate soldiers from Cobb county, his loyalty
to the cause of the Confederacy being of the most insistent type.
Wilkes W. White, an uncle of the subject of this review, organized a
company for the Confederate service, the same having been recruited at
Marietta, and which became a part of the Seventh Georgia infantry, in
which he was promoted to the office of colonel. He was wounded in
one of the engagements commonly designated as the Seven Days’ battles,
in the vicinity of Richmond, and his injuries were so severe that he
was compelled to retire from active service. John N. McEachern
was afforded the advantages of the common schools of his native county,
where he was reared to maturity and continued to reside until 1889,
when he removed to the city of Atlanta and secured a position as
solicitor for a Baltimore insurance company. He proved most
successful in this connection and remained thus employed for two years,
when he effected the organization of the Industrial Life & Health
Insurance Company, which is incorporated under the laws of the
state. He was forthwith elected president and general manager of
the company which, under his able administration, has forged to the
forefront, having now more than 150,000 policies in force and being the
largest insurance company of the sort having its home office south of
the mason & Dixon line. Mr. McEachern is know as one of the
leading insurance men of the state and is a citizen of liberal and
public-spirited views. In politics he is a stanch Democrat and
has represented the seventh ward on the board of aldermen since
1903. He is treasurer of the board of stewards of the Park Street
Methodist Episcopal church South, of which both he and his wife are
zealous members, and is a director of the Wesleyan Memorial hospital,
of Atlanta. He is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Junior Order of United
American Mechanics. On Sept. 30, 1896, Mr. McEachern was united
in marriage to Miss Lula C. Dobbs, daughter of Ransom and Vesta (Dupee)
Dobbs, of Cobb county, where she was born and reared. Mr. and
Mrs. McEachern have three children, namely: Elizabeth Florine,
born July 22, 1897; John Newton, born Feb. 20, 1899; and Lula
Christine, born Jan. 30, 1901.
[Source: Georgia Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events,
Institutions, and Persons, Vol 2, Publ 1906. Transcribed by Renae
Donaldson]
McElreath, Walter, is numbered among the
representative members of the Georgia bar and is successfully
established in the practice of his profession in the city of
Atlanta. He was born at Lost Mountain, Cobb county, Ga., July 17,
1867, and is a son of William A. and Jane (McEachern) McElreath, both
of whom were likewise born at Lost Mountain. The McElreaths, or
McIlraths, are a very ancient Scottish family, having lived in Galloway
from the earliest days of Scotch history until the time of the
Covenanters, when most of the family migrated to County Antrim,
Ireland, after having furnished several martyrs to the cause of the
Covenanters. About the close of the eighteenth century Michael
McElreath, great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, came to
America and settled in Spartanburg county, S. C. In the year
1828, immediately upon the removal of the Creek Indians from Western
Georgia he removed from South Carolina to Georgia and located where the
town of Winston, Douglas county, now stands. A few years later,
after the removal of the Cherokees from northern Georgia, his son John,
grandfather of the subject of this sketch, settled on the old McElreath
homestead at Lost Mountain, Cobb county, where members of the family
still reside, the identification of the name with the history of
western and northern Georgia having been continued from the time of the
Indians to the present. The maternal ancestors of Mr. McElreath
were the McEacherns and McKinleys, Scotch people who settled in the
community around the old Rock River church, in North Carolina. An
interesting and unusual condition, as designating the purity of the
Scotch-Irish ancestry of Mr. McElreath, is that for a period of more
than a century he has had no ancestor, in either the paternal or
maternal line, whose family name did not have the Scotch prefix of
“Mc”, save in the case of his maternal grandmother, whose name was
White but who was of Scotch genealogy. William A. McElreath was a
valiant soldier of the Confederacy throughout the Civil war, having
enlisted in 1861 as a private in Company D, Seventh Georgia volunteer
infantry, and took part in many of the most important engagements of
the great conflict, from first Manassas to Appomattox. Walter
McElreath, the immediate subject of this review was afforded the
advantages of the common schools of his native county, after which he
continued his studies in Washington & Lee university at Lexington,
Va. He then took up the study of law, being admitted to the bar
at Marietta, Ga., in November, 1894. In January of the following year
he engaged in the practice of his profession in Atlanta, where he has
given his undivided attention to his work as a lawyer, having built up
an excellent general practice, devoting himself, however, almost
exclusively to civil practice and making a specialty of corporation
law. He is known as a man of broad general culture, a close
student of the law, a forceful advocate and a successful
practitioner. In politics he has always accorded an unwavering
allegiance to the Democratic party, but has taken an interest in
political affairs only from the standpoint of a public-spirited
citizen. He has filled the office of president of the Young Men’s
Democratic league of Fulton county, but has never sought or held public
office, considering his profession worthy of his best thought and his
full attention. He and his wife are members of Grace Methodist
Episcopal church, South, and he is a member of its board of
stewards. On Nov. 26, 1896, Mr. McElreath was united in marriage
to Miss Bessie Anderson, daughter of Hon. Charles H. and Martha
(Summers) Anderson, of Powder Springs, Ga.
[Source: Georgia Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events,
Institutions, and Persons, Vol 2, Publ 1906. Transcribed by Renae
Donaldson]
McGehee, Charles C., manager of the southern
department of the Home Life Insurance Company, of New York, has his
headquarters in the city of Atlanta, is one of the prominent business
men of the city, and is a representative of one of the old and honored
families of Georgia. He was born in Columbus, Muscogee county, Ga., on
Oct. 22, 1870, a son of Christopher C. and Josephine (Garrett) McGehee,
the former of whom was born in Russell county, Ala., and the latter in
Lumpkin, Stewart county, Ga. His paternal great-great-grandfather
was Edward McGehee, who was a patriot soldier in the war of the
Revolution. The original American progenitor was Thomas McGregor
or Mack Gehee, who changed his patronymic to the latter form on fleeing
from Scotland to America, in the latter part of the seventeenth
century. The clan McGregor had been outlawed in Scotland during
the reign of Charles II, of England, and the name was proscribed on
this account, the annals of Scotland recounting the deeds of the sturdy
patriots of this famous clan. This Thomas McGregor, or Mack
Gehee, was born near Loch Katrine, Scotland, and upon coming to America
he settled in King William county, Va., where his last will and
testament was probated in July, 1724. Representatives of the
family removed to Prince Edward county, Va., where in 1796, was born
Isaac McGehee, grandfather of the subject of this sketch. During
the year 1801 the family removed from the Old Dominion to Georgia and
settled on the Broad river, where they were extensive tobacco planters
in that and succeeding generations. Christopher C. McGehee gave
loyal service to the Confederate cause during the war between the
states, having first enlisted as a private in the City Light Guards of
Columbus, Ga., which company was promptly sent to the coast of Virginia
near Norfolk. He spent about a year in Virginia and then returned
to Columbus, where he was for some time connected with the naval iron
works, operated in the interest of the Confederate government.
Later he served two years in the army in Virginia, rose to the rank of
captain, took part in a large number of engagements, and in one battle
received a severe wound, being struck with a fragment of shell.
He was identified with the cause of the south during the entire period
of the war. Mr. McGehee is now living in Atlanta, where he gives
his entire attention to the management of his property. Charles
C. McGehee was graduated in the University of Georgia as a member of
the class of 1887, with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy, and two
years later, in 1889, before he was nineteen years old, he was
graduated in Harvard university, with the degree of Bachelor of
Arts. Soon after leaving the latter university he became
identified with the insurance business, and eleven years of his early
business career were marked by his association with the Atlanta Home
Insurance Company as special agent and later as assistant
secretary. Since 1901 he has been associated with the Home Life
Insurance Company of New York as manager of its southern department,
embracing the states of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and
Louisiana. At the time of this writing (1905) the Atlanta office
is the largest producing office maintained by the company in the entire
Union. That the efforts of Mr. McGehee have been exceptionally
able and discriminating is evident when reversion is had to the fact
that when he assumed his present position the Atlanta general office
held only eighth place. Mr. McGehee has never sought political
preferment. Both he and his wife are members of St. Marks
Methodist church, prior to which he was for many years a member of the
First Methodist Episcopal church South, of which he served as steward
for four years. He is identified with the Calumet and Harvard
clubs, of New York city; the Virginia Historical Society; and the
Capital City and Piedmond Driving clubs, of Atlanta. On Nov. 16,
1892, Mr. McGehee was united in marriage to Miss Pattie McClung,
daughter of Matthew and Julia (Anderson) McClung, of Knoxville,
Tenn. She died on Sept. 4, 1897, and is survived by her only
child Pattie McClung McGehee, who was born on the 18th of the preceding
month. On Oct. 22, 1903, Mr. McGehee wedded Miss Vera Hatcher,
daughter of Benjamin T. and Martha (Estes) Hatcher, of Columbus, Ga.
[Source: Georgia Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events,
Institutions, and Persons, Vol 2, Publ 1906. Transcribed by Renae
Donaldson]
McKee, Hugh L., the efficient and popular
cashier of the Atlanta postoffice, was born in
Conecuh county, Ala., Feb. 14, 1865, and in 1872 his parents
removed thence to a place near Pensacola, Fla., where he was reared to
the age of fourteen years, being afforded the advantages of the schools
of Milton, that state. He then came to Atlanta and entered the
employ of S. M. Inman & Co., with whom he remained six months, at
the expiration of which he secured the position of clerk and collector
in the Atlanta National bank, with which institution he continued to be
identified about fifteen years, within which he was advanced to the
office of paying teller. He finally resigned to engage in the
real-estate and loan business, to which he gave his attention until
1904, when he assumed his present position, in which his service has
been most acceptable to the postoffice officials and the general
public. Mr. McKee is well known in the capital city and his
circle of friends is circumscribed only by that of his
acquaintances. He has attained to the thirty-second degree of
Scottish Rite Masonry and is an appreciative member of the various
bodies of the time-honored fraternity. He is treasurer of Georgia
Lodge, No. 96, Free and Accepted Masons; is a member of the finance
committee of the Georgia consistory of the Ancient Accepted Scottish
Rite; and the Tarab Temple, ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine. He holds membership in the Capital City club and
the Piedmont Driving club, and his political support is given to the
Republican party. He recently declined an appointment in the
consular service to Germany.
[Source: Georgia Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events,
Institutions, and Persons, Vol 2, Publ 1906. Transcribed by Renae
Donaldson]
Miles, William Burtis, holds prestige as one
of the most skilled and successful contractors and builders of Georgia,
and no further evidence of his signal ability in his line of business
is demanded than that afforded by the magnificent state capitol of
Georgia, for the erection of which his firm were the contractors and of
the building of which he had personal supervision. He came to Georgia
for this purpose and has since maintained his residence and business
headquarters in the city of Atlanta, where he is held in high esteem as
a citizen and as a progressive and public-spirited business man. Mr.
Miles was born in West Liberty, Logan county, Ohio, May 28, 1843, a son
of Abram Cole Miles, who was born in Charlestown, West Virginia, in
April, 1814, and Martha Jane (Miller) Miles, who was born in New York
city, in 1816, both having been residents of West Liberty, Ohio, at the
time of their death and the father having been a successful contractor
and builder of the old Buckeye State. The subject of this review was
afforded the advantages of the common schools of Ohio, passed his
boyhood and youth in his native town, and learned the carpenter's trade
under the able direction of his father.] He was in the state of New
York at the outbreak of the Civil war, and on Aug. 8, 1862, at the age
of nineteen years, he enlisted as a private in the First New York
sharpshooters, and was thereafter in active service until the close of
the war. He took part in the engagements at Suffolk, Va., Mine Run, the
battle of the Wilderness, siege of Petersburg and in many minor
conflicts; was a member of General Grant's forces and present at the
final surrender of General Lee, at Appomattox. At the battle of the
Wilderness he was promoted to sergeant-major and he received his
honorable discharge, in the city of Rochester, N. Y., May 3, 1865.
After the close of his military career Mr. Miles located in the city of
Toledo, Ohio, and initiated his career as an independent contractor and
builder, soon gaining distinctive recognition. In 1882 he became
associated with I. K. Cramer and Charles D. Horn, under the firm name
of Miles, Cramer & Horn. Mr. Cramer retired in 1884, after which
the firm of Miles & Horn continued in active and successful
business until the death of Mr. Horn, in August, 1887. In addition to
the construction of many fine business blocks and private residences,
the firm constructed a large number of court houses, school houses,
churches and other public or semi-public buildings throughout Ohio,
Michigan and Indiana, gaining a very high reputation and building up a
business of magnificent proportions. In 1884 Miles & Horn secured
the contract for the erection of the new capitol of the State of
Georgia, in Atlanta, and in the autumn of that year Mr. Miles removed
to this city, where he has since continued to maintain his home and
business headquarters. The capitol building was completed in 1889, the
death of his partner having occurred in the meanwhile, and the
structure is an enduring monument to the scrupulous fidelity and marked
technical ability of Mr. Miles, under whose personal supervision the
building was erected. He has been very successful in his other
professional operations throughout the south, where he has secured and
completed many important contracts, and he has thoroughly identified
himself with the business and civic interests of Atlanta. He is a
stanch adherent of the Republican party, and while he has not been a
seeker of public office he served four years as a member of the Atlanta
board of education—1897-1901. Since 1890 he has been a member of the
board of trustees of the Georgia school of technology. He is a deacon
in the First Presbyterian church and is affiliated with the Grand Army
of the Republic. On Sept. 22, 1868, Mr. Miles was united in marriage to
Miss Sarah M. Morehead, only daughter of George and Emeline E. (Hall)
Morehead, of Putnam county, Ohio, and of this union have been born five
children: William Herman was born in 1869 and died in 1882; Harry Hall
was born in 1874 and maintains his home in Atlanta; Maud was born in
1875 and died in 1899. Bertha was born in 1883, and Herbert LeRoy, in
1895 and remains at the parental home.
[Source: Georgia Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events,
Institutions, and Persons, Vol 2, Publ 1906. Transcribed by Tracy
McAllister]
Mims, Livingston, whose death occurred at his
home in Atlanta on March 5, 1906, was for more than a quarter of a
century a prominent figure in the business and civic life of Georgia's
fair capital city. To say that he was a typical representative of the
"Old South" is not to be taken as meaning that he had fallen behind in
the march of progress. He possessed in a marked degree those elements
of chivalry and hospitality that were such charming characteristics of
the true southern gentleman of the antebellum days, but at the same
time his forcefulness and intellectual power were distinct factors in
the development that followed the great internecine conflict. Major
Mims was born at Edgefield, S. C, in January, 1830. When he was about
five years old his parents removed to Mississippi and settled at the
place now known as "County Line," about half-way between Crystal
Springs and Terry. He was educated at Old Crystal Springs, adopted the
law for his profession, and before he was twenty-one years of age was
admitted to the bar. While practicing his profession in Mississippi he
formed the acquaintance of such men as Jefferson Davis, Sargent S.
Prentiss, John A. Quitman, Henry S. Foote, Albert G. Brown and other
brilliant celebrities that occupied the arena of public life at that
time. For Jefferson Davis he formed an affection, born of the deepest
conviction, and that affection lasted as long as life itself. After
serving some time in the office of clerk of the supreme court Major
Mims was elected to represent Hinds county in the Mississippi
legislature from 1859 to 1861. When the Civil war began he joined the
"Brown Rebels," which company he equipped with uniforms and named for
Governor Brown, who was elected captain. He was attached to the staff
of General Pemberton and was in the engagements at Jackson, Raymond,
Champion's Hill and the siege of Vicksburg. After that city capitulated
in 1863 he served for some time on the staff of Gen. Joseph E.
Johnston. Between himself and General Johnston a stanch friendship grew
up, which led to their becoming business partners after the war, and
which lasted until the latter's death in 1891. In 1868 Major Mims went
to New York, where he had a conference with President Beers, of the New
York Life Insurance Company, which resulted in his being made the
general manager for that company in the states of Georgia, Mississippi,
Alabama and Florida. Upon returning home he formed a partnership with
Gen. Joseph E. Johnston and Gov. Ben. R. Humphreys, of Mississippi,
under the firm name of J. E. Johnston & Co. Three offices were
established with General Johnston at Savannah, Major Mims at Selma,
Ala., and Governor Humphreys at Vicksburg. In 1877 the three offices
were consolidated at Atlanta and Major Mims took up his residence in
that city. About the same time Governor Humphreys died and General
Johnston retired from the firm, leaving Major Mims manager of the
business, which position he retained until his death. He was also the
manager for several of the leading fire insurance companies and his
knowledge of both life and fire insurance was thorough, which gave him
a high standing in the councils of insurance men. He was one of the
organizers of the Southeastern tariff association and served as its
president from 1889 to 1894. In political matters he was a Democrat of
the old school—one of the kind that has an abiding faith in the
American people—and though he was never particularly active in Georgia
politics he yielded in 1900 to the solicitations of his friends and
became a candidate for mayor. He opened his campaign with a speech at
the Grand opera house, delivered to the ladies of the city. On this
occasion he appeared in full evening dress—a costume never before worn
by a candidate for office in Atlanta when he was to make a political
speech. As an example of his quaint way of putting things the following
utterance from that speech is worthy of preservation: "I do not know
exactly the church to which I owe allegiance, as I am a contributor to
several. My wife is a Christian Scientist, my daughter is an
Episcopalian, my father was a Baptist, my mother was a Presbyterian,
and I am a Confederate Veteran with inclinations to the Salvation
Army." His opponents in that campaign were Frank P. Rice, I. S.
Mitchell and D. N. McCullough, and after a spirited contest he was
elected by a handsome plurality. During his administration franchises
were first assessed for taxation; $200,000 of water works bonds were
sold at a premium of $10,000, although they bore only three and one
half per cent interest, a thing that has not happened before nor since;
much of the street railway franchise legislation was carried through
the council; the gross income tax of the Georgia Railway and Electric
Company began; the debts of the former administration were paid and an
addition made to the perpetual charter fund of the city. Without
disparagement to other mayors of Atlanta it is safe to say that none
has ever been more zealous in the discharge of his duties nor more
intelligent in executing his obligations to the municipality, though
all the time he was in office he found time to converse with his
friends who happened to visit him, and never missed an opportunity to
crack a joke or listen to an interesting anecdote. But it was in social
matters that Major Mims was at his best. For twenty years he was
president of the Capital City club, of which he was one of the charter
members. At the head of this famous social organization he dispensed
its hospitalities to three presidents of the United States—Cleveland,
Harrison and McKinley—besides a number of cabinet officers, United
States senators and governors of states. On such occasions the
reputation of the club was fully maintained, for he was a host "to the
manner born." The hospitality of his home was proverbial and he loved
its associations. For a period of twenty years he was away from Atlanta
but twice: once in 1891, when he went to Washington, D. C, to attend
the funeral of his old friend and comrade in arms, General Johnston,
and again in 1901, when as mayor of the city he visited the exposition
at Charleston, S. C, accompanied by the members of the city council and
a large number of Atlanta's citizens. When once asked why he did not
travel more, he promptly responded: "What do I want to go away for? I
have a nice home, an attractive wife and daughter, my books, my chair,
my slippers and my plain wholesome food, which is the best in the world
to me. I won't go except when I have to go." This answer was
characteristic of the man. He loved his family and his books, and found
pleasure in the associations with both. Being a wide reader he was
naturally a gifted and entertaining conversationalist. Although he was
full of mirthfulness and enjoyed a good joke, his heart overflowed with
the milk of human kindness and many citizens of Atlanta can bear
testimony to his generous and well directed charity, which was always
of the unostentatious kind. Major Mims was married three times. His
first wife died about one year after their marriage; the second bore
him a daughter, who is now the wife of Joseph E. Thompson, and died
when that daughter was but a child. Mrs. Thompson was president of the
Woman's Board of the great Cotton States Exposition held some years ago
in Atlanta. In this capacity she showed such marked executive ability
and such grace and largeness in entertainment that it did much to
create a more united feeling between North and South and elicited much
encomium. The third wife of Major Mims, and the one who survives him,
was Miss Sue Harper, daughter of Col. W. C Harper, a distinguished
lawyer of Brandon, Miss. She is a descendant of that stanch old Scotch
ancestry that fled to Ireland in an early day to escape religious
persecution. Although a woman of great personal beauty, her physical
charms are more than surpassed by her amiable disposition and
intellectual attainments. Major Mims was a man of striking personal
appearance and brilliant intellect, and for forty years this charming
couple walked hand in hand down life's pathway, congenial in thoughts,
tastes and desires, bestowing the blessings of their felicitous
personalities upon all who came within the sphere of their influence.
Major Mims' maternal grandmother was Eunice Burr, a near relative of
Aaron Burr, and it is thought that it was from this branch of his
ancestry that he inherited his handsomeness and brilliancy. Professor
Silliman of Harvard university was of the same lineage. Major Mims was
made the special protege of a Mrs. Davis, a sister of his mother, and
with her took long horseback rides in his boyhood to the different
educational institutions of Mississippi. She was a woman of rare
attainments and doubtless wielded a great influence in cultivating in
him the love for the good, the true and the beautiful, which in later
years became such marked traits of his character. This Mrs. Davis was
the "unknown admirer and relative" who placed the stone over Aaron
Burr's grave at Princeton, N. J. Upon the occasion of Major Mims' death
the mayor of Atlanta, J. G. Woodward, ordered the city flag at half
mast and had the city offices closed to give the officials and employes
in the various departments an opportunity to attend the funeral. The
following quotations, from the Atlanta Evening News of March 5, 1906,
show the character of Major Mims and the esteem in which he was held by
his fellow-townsmen. "In the room occupied by the late Livingston Mims
there is a marble slab over the mantelpiece with this motto painted
upon it; 'The pleasure of doing good is the only one that never wears
out.' The motto was original with Major Mims. He lived up to his motto.
Major Mims was a lover of flowers and his large lawn on Peachtree
street was laden with more beautiful flowers than any place in the
city. He took great interest in Mrs. Mims' work and read every article
she wrote. He sympathized entirely with his lovely wife in her chosen
work and nothing interested him more. * * * While Major Mims was
distinctly a product of the Old South, and while he attained the ripe
age of seventy-six years, there was never an hour when he was not
abreast of the times and never did he fail to fit into his modern
environment. He managed successfully a great business and he made, when
three score years and ten had silvered his hair, one of the best mayors
Atlanta ever had. * * * But with all his manifold qualities we like to
think of him as a rare and splendid type of the old-time Southerner, in
whom gentle and tender emotions were mingled with courage and strength.
He loved honor; he loved fidelity; he loved his fellow man. * * * But
rarest of all exotics in his life, loveliest and most sweet and tender,
has been the gentle flower that bloomed nearest his heart—she who stays
while he is gone.”
[Source: Georgia Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events,
Institutions, and Persons, Vol 2, Publ 1906. Transcribed by Tracy
McAllister]
Mitchell, Eugene Muse, senior member of the
well known and successful law firm of E. M. & G. F. Mitchell,
Atlanta, was born in that city, Oct. 13, 1866. He is a son of Russell
Crawford Mitchell, who was born in Madison county, Ga., Feb. 27, 1837,
and Deborah Margaret (Sweet) Mitchell, who was born at Mount Pleasant,
Fla., March 12, 1847. There is a large family connection in Atlanta,
noted for several generations for wealth and political prominence. In
the agnatic line Mr. Mitchell is descended from the ancient Mitchell
family of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Thomas Mitchell, the progenitor of
the family in Georgia, was a lieutenant in the Continental line during
the Revolution, and settled in Wilkes county, Ga., about 1777. He later
became civil engineer for the state, being one of the engineers who
established the boundary line between Georgia and North Carolina.
William Mitchell, great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was
a soldier in the war of 1812, taking part in the battle of New Orleans,
and his brother-in-law, Arnold Thomason, was General Jackson's courier
who carried the news of the victory to Washington. Alexander W.
Mitchell, great-uncle of Eugene M., took up his residence in Atlanta
about 1844, and shortly afterward Rev. Isaac G. Mitchell, grandfather
of him whose name heads this article, also located in this city. Upon
him devolved the privilege of performing the marriage ceremony for the
first couple to be wedded in the village of Marthasville, as Atlanta
was then known. Russell C Mitchell was a member of the city council of
Atlanta in 1872; served as alderman from 1877 to 1880, and in the
latter year was mayor pro tem. He was a descendant also of James
Dudley, who was rewarded for services as a Revolutionary soldier by
special act of the Georgia legislature in 1822. William Charles Sweet,
maternal grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was a soldier in
the Seminole war and also served as lieutenant in the Confederate ranks
during the Civil war. On the maternal side Mr. Mitchell is descended
also from Capt. John Munnerlynn, who served with Gen. Francis Marion in
the Revolution; also from Capt. John McKenzie and Chaplain John
Bethune, of the Highlanders' regiment of North Carolina royalists in
the Revolution. Russell C Mitchell enlisted in the Confederate service
in July, 1861, as a private in Company I, First Texas volunteer
infantry, with which he took part in the battles of Seven Pines, second
Manassas and nine other engagements, being severely wounded in Hood's
famous charge at Sharpsburg. He was made orderly sergeant in 1862, and
from 1863 until the close of the war was in service as superintendent
of a military hospital. Eugene Muse Mitchell availed himself of the
advantages of the public schools of Atlanta, winning the Peabody
scholarship medal, and prepared for college in the Means high school.
He was graduated in the University of Georgia as a member of the class
of 1885, with the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science,
securing first honors in the latter and third in the former, while he
had the highest senior average recorded in the university up to that
time. In 1886 he was graduated in the law school of the university,
securing the degree of Bachelor of Law. He was admitted to the bar in
the same year and forthwith established himself in his native city,
where he built up a representative professional business, devoting
himself for a number of years more particularly to criminal law, being
engaged in several noted cases, including the Myers' case and the Bryan
murder case. He now devotes himself more closely to the specialties of
real-estate, probate and commercial practice, and is associated with
his brother, Gordon F., under the professional title noted in the
opening lines of this article. The firm controls a large and important
business. Mr. Mitchell is also secretary and treasurer of the
Continental Land Company, one of the largest land-holding corporations
in Atlanta. For the past twenty years he has taken a prominent part in
nearly every political campaign in which principles and not merely men
have figured as issues, but he has invariably and insistently resisted
the importunities of his friends to become a candidate for political
office. He is unwavering in his allegiance to the Democratic party, has
served as a member of the county executive committee of the same, and
as secretary of the Young Men's Democratic league, of Atlanta. In May,
1905, he was elected a member of the Atlanta board of education, for a
term of five years. From 1899 to 1903 he was a trustee of the public
library of Atlanta, in the organization of which he bore a leading
part. For three terms he was president of the Young Men's library
association, of which he was also secretary for many years. As chairman
of the historical committee of this association he caused to be
collected the valuable library of books pertaining to the history of
Georgia now in the local Carnegie library. He was for several years a
member of the Atlanta artillery, a local company of the state militia,
and served as first sergeant in the same. He is identified with the
Georgia bar association, the Atlanta bar association and the Chi Phi
college fraternity. He is past grand in the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, past chancellor of the Knights of Pythias, and past sachem in
the Improved Order of Red Men. On Nov. 7, 1892, Mr. Mitchell was united
in marriage to Miss Mary Isabel Stephens, daughter of John and Annie E.
(Fitzgerald) Stephens, of Atlanta, and they became the parents of three
children,—Russell Stephens Mitchell, who died in 1894; Alexander
Stephens, who was born in 1896; and Margaret Munnerlynn, who was born
in 1900.
[Source: Georgia Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events,
Institutions, and Persons, Vol 2, Publ 1906. Transcribed by Tracy
McAllister]
Mitchell, Gordon Forrest, is engaged
in the practice of law in the city of Atlanta, as junior member of the
firm of E. M. & G. F. Mitchell. In the sketch of his brother and
professional coadjutor, Eugene M. Mitchell, in this work is outlined
the family history, and to this sketch mentioned ready reference may be
made for such data. Mr. Mitchell was born in Atlanta, Nov. 17, 1872,
and after completing his curriculum of the Means high, school in his
native city, he was matriculated in the law school of the University of
Georgia, being graduated as a member of the class of 1891, and admitted
to the bar in the same year. He has since been engaged in the active
work of his profession in Atlanta and has been associated with his
brother in practice since 1891, their attention being given more
specially to real-estate, probate and commercial law. He is a stanch
adherent of the Democratic party, taking a loyal interest in its cause
but never having been a seeker of office. He is a member of the Atlanta
bar association, the Chi Phi college fraternity, the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, the Atlanta Athletic club and the Saturday Night club.
[Source: Georgia Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events,
Institutions, and Persons, Vol 2, Publ 1906. Transcribed by Tracy
McAllister]
LACY, SHERIFF, lawyer and register in chancery,
was born May 7, 1853, in Randolph County; son of Abner Wise and Martha
(Brewster) Lacy, the former a native of Maury County, Tenn., who
settled in St. Clair County, where he held numerous official positions
and was at the time of his death, in 1887, probate judge of the county;
grandson of William and Mary (Wise) Lacy who lived in Virginia,
Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama, and of Sheriff and Malinda (Wortham)
Brewster of South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. He received a common
school education in St. Clair and Talladega Counties, and read law in
the office of Bradford and Bishop, in Talladega, 1879-81. He was
licensed to practice his profession the latter year, and in 1882,
located at Jasper, where he has since resided. In 1883, he was
appointed register in chancery for Walker County and has continued to
fill that office. He was a member of the Alabama legislature, 1898-99;
county solicitor, Walker County, 1886-87-88; for several years a member
of the board of aldermen, Jasper; member city board of education. He is
a Democrat; and a Baptist. Married: December 24, 1876, to Mary Ella,
daughter of John Marion and Ruth (Skinner) McCollough, of Macon County,
the former a native of Anderson District, S. C, a Confederate soldier
under Hood and was killed in Peachtree Creek battle, near Atlanta, Ga.
Children: 1. Ernest Renfroe (q. v.); 2. Cecil Justus; 3. Clyde; 4.
Pauline; 5. Ruth; 6. Lorene. Residence: Jasper.
[History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume 4 By
Thomas McAdory Owen, Mrs. Marie (Bankhead) Owen, 1921 – Transcribed by
AFOFG]
George Felder Hair
The Hairs are an old and prominent family of the old Barnwell district.
While farming has always been a dominant interest in the family, the
present generation is numerously represented in the professions,
several of the sons having been physicians or dentists, including Dr.
George Felder Hair, who for twenty years has been a resident of Bamberg
and is a former president of the State Dental Society.
The remote ancestry of the Hairs is German, though members of the
family have lived in the South since colonial times. The late Judson E.
Hair was born in Barnwell County June 30, 1847, and died June 16, 1919.
He was a student in the University of Georgia at Athens when the War
Between the States broke out, and he and the other members of his class
volunteered and went to Charleston to enter the Confederate service. He
was with Lee's army for eleven months, and was a musician in the hand.
His mature years were spent as a farmer and merchant in and around
Blackville. He was one of the prominent Baptist laymen, being one of
the founders and leaders of the church at Blackville and a deacon.
Judson E. Hair married Maggie Capres Felder, who was born near
Branchville, South Carolina, in 1850, and is still living at
Blackville. When she was a small girl her father died as a result of
hardship and exposure endured while a Confederate soldier. The family
of Judson E. Hair and wife comprised twelve children, seven of whom are
living: Lorena Blanch, who was married to Thomas J. Martin, of
Anderson, in 1886; Dr. George F.; Arthur B., a hardware merchant and
farmer at Blackville; John Pinckney, deceased; Joseph Roger, deceased;
Dr. Isaac Murray Hair, a dentist at Spartanburg; Dr. Harry B., also a
dentist practicing at Columbia; Mary E., deceased; Mrs. D. D. Walters,
of Columbia; Mrs. Maggie E. Still and Mrs. Abigail Sanders, of
Blackville; and Dr. Judson E., deceased. Of the younger generation some
mention should be made of the two sons of Mrs. Lorena Blanch Martin, of
Anderson. These sons, Haskell Hair and Rhett Felder Martin, are both
married, but when the war came on and they were called in the draft
they claimed no exemption. The older went overseas as a lieutenant, and
saw much of the front line service with the Expeditionary Forces. He
was at Chateau Thierry and other historic points on the French front.
He is now practicing as an architect at Greenville. The other, Rhett
Felder Martin, who is in the coal and wood business at Anderson, was on
a transport bound for France when the armistice was signed, and the
boat was then turned about and landed him in America. Earl Walters, a
son of Mrs. D. D. Walters, of Columbia, was a volunteer at the age of
eighteen in the World war and was overseas with the first forces sent
to France and remained throughout the war. He was a sergeant and
participated in all the important engagements of the Expeditionary
Forces. Like all the others he had many narrow escapes from death, but
he escaped without a mark.
George Felder Hair, who was born at Blackville October 31, 1870, was
liberally educated, attending the common and high schools of his native
town, graduated in a business course at Newark, New Jersey, in 1888,
and during the following year was employed by the S. S. White Dental
Manufacturing Company at Staten Island, New York. This experience
aroused his interest in the dental profession and he entered the oldest
dental college in the world, the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery,
where he was graduated with the class of 1892. Doctor Hair practiced at
Anderson for ten years, and since 1901 has been busy in his profession
at Bamberg. He has filled all the important offices in the State Dental
Society, including the office of president, and is now a member of the
State Board of Dental Examiners. He is also affiliated with the
National Dental Society. Doctor Hair is a Scottish Rite Mason and
Shriner, also a member of the Knights of Pythias, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, Woodmen of the World and Improved Order of Red Men. He has
never been active in politics, and is a leader in the Baptist Church at
Bamberg, being a deacon and a teacher in its Sunday school. On May 5,
1892, he married Miss Leila E. Boylston, of Blackville. Her father is a
veteran ex-Confederate soldier, George W. Boylston, for many years a
prominent citizen of Blackville. Doctor and Mrs. Hair have two
children. Blanche, the daughter, is the wife of J. J. Cudd, a financier
and farmer at Spartanburg. The son, P. Belton Hair, received his A. B.
degree from Furman University at Greenville, and while there served as
a volunteer for three months in the Students Army Corps until the
signing of the armistice. He is now in his third year of the Atlanta
Dental College of Georgia, preparing for the profession in which his
father and some of his uncles have done such distinguished work.
[History of South Carolina, Volume 5, Edited by Yates Snowden and Harry
Gardner Cutler, 1920 – Transcribed by AFOFG]
Swann, Joseph Charles, physician;
born in Alabama, Feb. 22, 1869; son of W. A. J. and Nancy (Taylor)
Swann; attended Bowdoin College, Georgia, 1887-1888; married in
Alabama, Jan. 18, 1898, Cassie Dobson; six children. Engaged in
practice of medicine twenty years; four years physieian-in-charge of
United States Penitentiary at Atlanta, Georgia. President Bank of
Wedower. Republican. Baptist. President Randolph County Medical Society.
[Herringshaw's American blue-book of Biography: Prominent Americans of
1912- An Accurate Biographical Record of Prominent Citizens of All
Walks of Life]
Hill, Charles Dougherty, has to his
credit the distinction of having made a record as one of the ablest
public prosecutors in his day and generation in Georgia, having
rendered most noteworthy service as solicitor-general of the Atlanta
circuit. A lawyer of most solid attainments and greatest facility in
the marshalling of facts and evidence, he has also the incisive
keenness and versatility which are such valuable adjunts to technical
knowledge. Of him it has well been written: “Felicitous of speech,
quick at repartee, ready at all times with bright and sparkling
quotations from his favorite authors, and rich in all the varied
resources and accomplishments of the orator, he stands without a peer
among the able and distinguished prosecuting officers of Georgia. Mr.
Hill possessess a peculiar mind. It is not only quick in its
perceptions but also remarkably firm in its retentiveness. He never
makes a note in the trial of any case, however important it may be, and
never mistakes the evidence in the argument of his cause to the jury.
His preparations are purely mental and in none of his great speeches
has he employed the use of a pencil. Perhaps no lawyer at the bar has a
more prodigious memory.” This worthy member of the bar of Georgia’s
capital city is also a representative of one of the best known and most
honored families of this commonwealth. He was born near LaGrange, Troup
county, Georgia, Nov. 3, 1852, and is a son of the lamented and
distinguished Senator Benjamin H. Hill, of whose career specific
mention is made in this work. Mr. Hill passed his boyhood days in his
native county and there received his early educational training. In
1867 his parents removed to Athens, Ga., and after further preparatory
study young Hill entered the law department of the state university, in
that city, being graduated as a member of the class of 1871. He was
admitted to the bar in Twiggs county and after practicing two years,
with somewhat discouraging results, he decided to abandon the work of
his profession and to engage in agricultural pursuits. He accordingly
purchased a farm, and to the same he gave his personal supervision
until the death of his father, in 1882. This called him to Atlanta, and
after his honored father had been called from the scene of life’s
activities he “decided to resume the profession which had now become to
him a solemn legacy.” He assisted his brother in the prosecution of a
number of criminal cases, and in this connection made a “brilliant
reputation by his eloquence and adroit legal manipulations.” In 1885 he
was elected solicitor-general of the Atlanta circuit and was several
times reelected. The review from which previous quotations have been
made continues as follows: “Since entering upon the discharge of his
duties as the state’s prosecuting attorney Mr. Hill has been a terror
to evildoers and while he claims that he has never convicted an
innocent man it is equally true that a guilty one has rarely escaped.
Mr. Hill has been identified with a number of celebrated murder trials,
and his speeches delivered on these occasions have been masterpieces of
forensic eloquence. The courtroom is always crowded to overflowing as
soon as the report spreads that Solicitor Hill is about to make his
closing speech to the jury. No man is more truly the idol of his
friends or more conspicuously the life and center of every group in
which he happens to be found. His humor is always captivating and his
wit lively, good-natured and sparkling. He has very little artificial
reserve and speaks with frankness and candor, never hesitating to give
his opinion freely on any subject. Generous, open-hearted, indulgent
and kind, he is one of the best of husbands as well as one of the
cleverest and truest of men.”
(Georgia: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions,
and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form. VOL III Publ. 1906.
Transcribed by Angelia Carpenter)
Graves, John Temple,
editor of the Atlanta Georgian and known as one of the greatest orators
of America at the present day, having a reputation that extends
throughout the national domain, is one specially entitled to a place of
honor in this publication. A man’s reputation is the property of
the world. The laws of nature have forbidden isolation.
Every human being submits to the controlling influence of others or, as
a master spirit, wields a power, either for good or evil, on the masses
of mankind. There can be no impropriety in justly scanning the
acts of any man as they affect his public and business relations.
If he is honest and eminent in his chosen field of endeavor,
investigation will brighten his fame and bear its measure of lesson and
incentive in an objective way. Any piece of biographical writing
should be an impression and interpretation quite as much as a summary
of facts, which should not be permitted to tyrannize, though properly
employed as a wholesome corrective of prejudice or whimsy. In
studying a clear cut, sane, distinct character like that of John Temple
Graves interpretation follows fact in a straight line derivation, and
there is small use for indirection in viewing his splendid
achievements. He was born in Willington district, Abbeville
county, S. C., Nov. 9, 1856, and is a scion of patrician
ancestry. He is a son of James Porterfield and Kate Florida
(Tomes) Graves, the former of whom was born in Washington, Ga., Sept.
3, 1820, and the latter in Abbeville, S. C., her death occurring about
two years after the birth of him whose name initiates this
paragraph. The latter’s paternal grandfather was Col. John Temple
Graves, a distinguished officer in the war of the Revolution, in which
he was specially commissioned by General Greene to oppose the passage
of Lord Cornwallis across the Yadkin river, in North Carolina, a duty
which he performed with great skill, as history records. (See
White’s Historical Collections on Georgia). The maternal
great-grandfather of Mr. Graves was Patrick Calhoun, an officer and
legislator of the Revolutionary period and an older brother of the
great statesman, John C. Calhoun. Mr. Graves’ maternal
grandfather, William Calhoun, was an extensive planter and influential
citizen of Abbeville, S. C., and owing to an impediment in his speech
gained the sobriquet of “Cotton Billy.” James Porterfield Graves
went forth in defense of the Confederate cause in the war between the
states, enlisting in 1861 and becoming adjutant-general of his regiment
in the Army of Northern Virginia. Concerning the prestige of John
Temple Graves as an orator another writer has spoken in the following
appreciative words: “Perhaps no American of this generation has
enjoyed so early in life and in such sustained connection, so many and
such dazzling triumphs of eloquence as the subject of this
sketch. The nephew of John C. Calhoun, his grandfather the patron
and benefactor of McDuffie and the intimate friend of Hayne, Preston
and Legare, he was born in an atmosphere of eloquence and
statesmanship. When Henry W. Grady died, in the meridian of his
brilliant and fortunate life, it was remarkable to observe the
unanimity with which the press and the people of the north and south
turned with expectancy to John Temple Graves, then quietly editing the
Daily Tribune, of Rome, Ga. Up to that period his growth had been
gradual, but out of the nation’s bereaved hour his name flared up
immediately into fame and was soon on every lip. Since that
period his career has been a succession of triumphal marches that have
landed him upon the pinnacle of a national fame as the south’s
representative orator and one of the most eloquent of living
Americans. With a brilliant reputation for college oratory,
Graves began life as a teacher in the public schools of West Point and
LaGrange, making during this time two memorial speeches over
Confederate graves and by the same attracting much attention. The
routine life of the school room was irksome to his eager ambition, and
he sought more congenial employment. About this time the
sensational contest between Joseph E. Brown and Gen. A. R. Lawton
convulsed the state, and the young orator and journalist caught its
graphic points in a ringing article that went into Avery’s History of
Georgia as the ‘finest bit of descriptive writing of that
decade.’ From this he blossomed easily into newspaper life and
went to Florida, where he rose rapidly from reporter to managing editor
of the Union, the only daily in the state. He afterward
established the Daily Herald, which became the leading factor in
Florida politics, and its editor became, with one exception, the most
distinguished man in the state, at the age of twenty-nine years.
He engaged actively in three political campaigns and with his eloquence
swept the hustings as with a prairie fire. The chronicles of
1882-7 in that state speak of his campaign speeches as without parallel
in the history of Florida. It was a common thing for his
enthusiastic audience to carry him on their shoulders from the public
platform, and in many instances the horses were unhitched from his
carriage and he was drawn by the leading citizens through crowded
streets, amid shouting multitudes, pelting him with flowers and
greeting him with adulation. And all this not as a
candidate,--for he always ignored and declined office, but simply as a
spontaneous tribute to an eloquence which Henry W. Grady declared the
most phenomenal he had ever listened to. After having led the
Democratic electoral ticket in Florida in 1884, the health of the young
journalist-orator and that of his wife failed in the Florida climate,
and he returned to Georgia. He was immediately offered and
accepted the position of editor-in-chief of the recognized Atlanta
Journal, in 1887, but the desire for absolute freedom and independence
of utterance led him to resign this responsible position and its
brilliant prospects and to accept the editorship and control of the
Rome Tribune, which was established under him and recorded three
phenomenally brilliant and successful years under his management, until
he voluntarily resigned the editorship, in loyalty to a political
conviction which differed from the views and interests of all its other
owners. During this period, and within a year after his return to
Georgia, Graves was chosen without an effort, to lead the Democratic
electoral ticket of Georgia in 1888, and thus presented the only
instance in the political history of the south of a young man, under
thirty-two, who had in two successive presidential campaigns been
chosen as a Democratic elector at large in two great states and led the
ballot in both of them. About this time Henry W. Grady
died. Graves and Grady had been bosom friends, and the former had
a letter from the latter saying that no man ever understood him as did
the friend who survived him, and was destined to complete his
work. Graves’ oration over Grady’s dead body has gone into all
languages, been published in all countries, is spoken today by American
youths in all the great American colleges, and is fixed in literature
as one of the few classics in American oratory. One sentence of
this oration, “And when he died he was literally loving a nation into
peace,” is graven upon Grady’s monument in Atlanta and will live as
long as the life it commemorates. From the day of the Grady
memorial John Temple Graves was in demand all over the country.
Every platform was open to him. He could choose his audience
anywhere in the republic, and in the measure of his strength he met the
obligations of his genius and opportunity. It is needless in an
abridged and circumscribed compilation of this order to enter into
details as to the notable places to which and the distinguished
assemblies before which Mr. Graves has been called as an orator, for
his fame rests not only on the pages of history but in the hearts and
minds of countless people. His influence has permeated the
national life in no uncertain way and his impassioned utterances,
bearing ever the mark of impregnable sincerity, have swayed
thousands. Even the wings of Jove’s bird sometimes grow weary,
but not so gifted voice and mind of John Temple Graves. Can a
better estimate of the man be offered than that given in his own
words? “I have never felt that I was greater than others. I
believe the merit of all my work is in its sincerity. I have
never in one conscious moment of my public life said one word I did not
believe to be true. I have never with pen or tongue championed an
unworthy cause. I have never used position, power or opportunity
to gratify a private grudge or prosecute a private gain. I have
loved my country, loved humanity and reverenced God, and in the greater
honors that I have deserved, which have come to me so lavishly, I have
always felt the pain of my own unworthiness and offered to myself and
to the world no other explanation than I was sincere.” The good
and great of the land have united in plaudits to the oratory, the
sincerity and to the manliness of this Georgian, and no blot mars the
fair escutcheon which is his to protect and honor. From 1902 to
1906 Mr. Graves was editor of the Atlanta News, his newspaper work
having been consecutively carried forward for many years, and since the
spring of 1906 he has been editor of the Atlanta Georgian, whose fame
and prestige are assured under his control. He was graduated in
the University of Georgia in August, 1875, with the degree of Bachelor
of Arts, and his scholarship has been ripened and glorified by his
natural predilection and his subsequence application. He is
staunch in his allegiance to the Democratic party, and in 1906 became a
candidate for the United States senate, finally withdrawing from the
race because of the exigent demands placed upon him by business
interests. He is an elder in the Presbyterian church. On
April 17, 1878, Mr. Graves was united in marriage to Miss Mattie G.
Simpson, daughter of Jack and Mary (Harris) Simpson, of Hancock county,
Ga., and she died eleven years later, leaving no children. On
Dec. 3, 1890, he married Miss Anne E. Cothran, daughter of Hugh D. and
Laura E. (Smith) Cothran, of Rome, and the names of the children of
this union are here entered, with respective dates of birth: John
Temple, Jr., April 25, 1892; Laura Cothran, Dec. 30, 1894; James de
Graffenreid, April 5, 1896; Cothran Calhoun, July 2, 1901; and Anne
Elizabeth, Feb. 3, 1905.
(Georgia: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions,
and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form. VOL III Publ. 1906.
Transcribed by Marilyn Clore)