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Georgia Genealogy Trails "Where your Journey Begins" |
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Georgia Genealogy Trails "Where your Journey Begins" |
Major John Berrien,
father of the Hon. John M. Berrien, died in this county. At the dawn of
the Revolution, when entering on the threshold of life, with a heart
glowing with patriotic ardour, he visited Georgia, expecting to find
there a field in which he might devote himself to the defence of his
country. At fifteen years of age he was appointed a Lieutenant in the
1st Georgia Regiment, and was subsequently promoted to a captaincy in
the same. When General McIntosh was appointed to a command in the
Northern army, Major Berrien was selected by him as Brigade Major, and
in that capacity he joined the grand army at Valley Forge. He was very
conspicuous in the battle of Monmouth, and in several other
engagements, and continued in service until the close of the
Revolutionary War. On the return of peace, being qualified by an
active, well-cultivated mind, and correct judgment, for public
usefulness, a great part of his life was occupied in offices of honour
and trust, the duties of which he performed with integrity and
diligence.
[Source: "HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF GEORGIA" By Rev.
George White, 1854 - Transcribed by K. Torp]
Louis Russell Farmer. From a
clerkship in local stores, where he was paid $2.00 or $3.00 a week and
board and clothes, Louis Russell Farmer grew in ability and influence
and for more that twenty years now has been the strongest force in the
financial affairs of Jefferson County, the executive head and a
director in a number of banks, the owner of an extensive plantation,
and for years held some of the most important public offices until his
other interests compelled him to resign.
His home has long been in
Louisville, where he is cashier of the Bank of Louisville, the oldest
financial institution of that city. He was one of its incorporators
when it was organized in 1893. The bank has always maintained its
capital at $25,000.00, and it now has a surplus of $40,000.00. Mr.
Farmer is president, having bought majority of the stock of the Bank of
Wadley, which started in 1903 with a capital of $25,000.00 and a
surplus of $5,000.00. He is president and organizer of the Bank of
Wrens, another Jefferson County bank, and has been its executive head
since it started in 1900 with a capital of $15,000.00. This capital has
been increased from the earnings to $25,000.00. Mr. Farmer also
organized the Louisville Cotton Warehouse Company and put up the first
warehouse in the city, and has been secretary and treasurer of the
company since it was established. In 1897 he organized the Bank of
Bartow with $15,000.00 in capital, since increased by earnings to
$25,000.00, with $10,000.00 of surplus. He has been a director in this
bank since it was organized. From this recital of facts it is evident
that Mr. Farmer not only has unusual ability but enjoys in a peculiarly
high degree the esteem and confidence of every one in Jefferson County.
He was born in Jefferson
County, October 10, 1855, son of Rhesa J. and Elizabeth (Mathews)
Farmer, who were also natives of the same county. The founder of this
branch of the Farmer family was Rhesa J. Farmer, who was born in South
Carolina and married his wife in that state. Isaac Farmer became very
prominent after locating in Jefferson County, built up a large
plantation, owned many slaves before the war, and became the father of
thirteen children, only two of whom are still living. The son, William,
became a lieutenant in the Beatty Guards and was killed at the battle
of Manassas early in the Civil war. James was captured at the battle of
Manassas and was confined for a number of months in the Fort Delaware
prison. Sidney, a private in the army, was killed in a skirmish near
Richmond. Robert returned after his service as a Confederate and was a
planter in Jefferson County until his death. Kate married Andrew
Templeton and died at Natchitoches, Louisiana. Georgia, the oldest
daughter, married Richard Evans and died in Richmond, Virginia, in
1912. Frances, who died in Wilkerson County, Georgia, in 1910, was the
wife of Jasper Oliphant. Caroline, who died in Wilkerson County in
1908, was the wife of L. W. Lee. Bethsheba married Woodruff McCook and
died in 1911 at Robeline, Louisiana. Four other of Isaac Farmer's
children died in infancy and early childhood.
Rhesa J. Farmer, father
of the Louisville banker, was in his time one of the leading planters
and active leaders in politics in Jefferson County. He served as
sheriff before the war, and was with the state militia during the
conflict between the North and South. He died in 1876 at the age of
sixty six. He filled the office of tax receiver and tax collector, and
these offices with that of .sheriff kept him busy for more than twenty
years. He was also an active member of the Sons of Temperance.
Louis Russell Farmer
gained his early education in the old Field schools of Jefferson
County. Educational and other opportunities were severely limited by
the strictures imposed by the war times, and the following era of
business and economic depression. When only fifteen he left the farm
and moved to Louisville, and for fully forty-five years this town has
been his home and the center of his varied operations as a financier
and business man. He first worked as a clerk with the firm of Little
& Clark, later Wilkins & Hopkins. With the first firm he
remained twelve years. Later he spent two years in Waynesboro, Georgia,
where he was a clerk for Wilkins, Neely & Jones. After all this
varied experience largely in behalf of others, characterized by
diligent and faithful service, he returned to Louisville and took up
business for himself on a very modest scale. He had laid the
foundations well, and soon built up a large and flourishing concern. In
1893 he sold out his store, and took up his work as a banker.
Almost continuously for
thirty years, Mr. Farmer was identified with some important local
office. For ten years he was county treasurer, from 1880 to 1890, and
for sixteen years filled the office of postmaster at Louisville. He
finally refused his office on account of health, and resigned as
postmaster of Louisville in 1911. He is a Royal Arch Mason and a Knight
of Pythias, and since 1878 has been a steward in the Methodist
Episcopal Church at Louisville.
On November 10, 1877, he
married Miss Maggie Turner. She was born at White Marsh Island, below
Savannah, Georgia, a daughter of Screven and Margaret (Hopkins) Turner.
Her father was killed during the battle of Atlanta while fighting with
the Confederate army and her mother died while she was in her infancy."
In the latter months of the war her grandparents took her to Jefferson
County, and there she was reared an orphan in the years following the
war. Mr. and Mrs. Farmer became the parents of eight children, three of
them now deceased. Bessie is the wife of Milledge Lockard, of Augusta.
Susie is the wife of W. G. Rowe, formerly of Charleston, South
Carolina, and now living in Louisville, Georgia. Margaret is the wife
of Dr. R. L. Rhodes, of Roanoke, Virginia, but both were born in
Louisville, Georgia. Rhesa S., aged twenty-two, is making good progress
toward a successful career as a banker and is now employed by the
Bankers Trust Company of Atlanta. Lewis Turner is still in school. The
children all received the best of educational advantages and have
diplomas from various higher schools and colleges. Mrs. Farmer takes
much part in the Presbyterian Church and its activities.
Outside of banking Mr.
Farmer owns and operates a 1,600 acre plantation in Jefferson County,
and has put in practice many of his cherished principles of
diversification and intensive agriculture. Some years ago he organized
the Jefferson Rifles, and served as second lieutenant in the company.
Source: A standard
history of Georgia and Georgians, Volume 6 By Lucian Lamar Knight
Phillips, John R., junior
member of the law firm of Phillips & Phillips, of Louisville,
Jefferson county, was born Dec. 25, 1869, in the city which is now his
home. He is a son of the late Rev. David G. Phillips, D. D., who was
one of the influential members of the clergy of the Associate Reformed
Presbyterian church in Georgia, where he continued to reside until his
death. After duly availing himself of the advantages of the schools of
Jefferson county John R. Phillips was matriculated in Erskine college
at Duewest, S. C, where he was graduated in 1892, with the degree of
Bachelor of Arts. His technical discipline in the law was gained under
the preceptorship of his brother and present partner, William L.
Phillips, concerning whom individual mention is made in this work, and
he was admitted to the bar in 1892, since which time he has been
associated in practice with his brother, under the firm name noted
above. He is well fortified in the learning of his profession, has
proved an able coadjutor to his brother, and is known as a skilled
trial lawyer and conservative counselor. In politics he accords an
unwavering allegiance to the Democratic party, and represented his
native county in the state legislature for three years— 1902-4. He is a
member of the Georgia state bar association, is affiliated with the
Knights of Pythias, and is a member of the Associate Reformed
Presbyterian church, in whose faith he was reared. On Dec. 12,1896, Mr.
Phillips was united in marriage to Miss Emily Frances Clark, daughter
of Samuel M. Clark, of Louisville, and they have three children—Helen,
John Robert, Jr., and Frances.
Source: Cyclopedia of Georgia Transcribed by Friends for Free Genealogy
Phillips, William L., of Louisville,
a lawyer who has gained high standing at the bar of his native county
and state and who is engaged in active practice at the present time,
was born on a plantation in Jefferson county, Ga., June 3, 1857. He is
a son of Rev. David G. Phillips, D. D., a native of North Carolina, and
a distinguished clergyman of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian
church. His wife, whose maiden name was Julia E. W. A. Little, was born
in Jefferson county, Ga., both being now deceased. William L. Phillips
gained his preliminary educational training in the schools of Jefferson
county, after which he entered Erskine college at Duewest, S. C, where
he was graduated as a member of the class of 1877, receiving the degree
of Bachelor of Arts. He then studied law under the able preceptorship
of the firm of Cain & Polhill, of Louisville, showing marked power
of assimilation in his technical studies and making rapid advancement
in his knowledge of the science of jurisprudence. He was admitted to
the bar in May, 1879, and has since been successfully established in
the practice of his profession in Louisville, having been concerned in
much important litigation and retaining a representative clientage. He
is now senior member of the law firm of Phillips & Phillips, his
partner being his brother, John R. He is a member of the Georgia state
bar association, is a stanch advocate of the principles of the
Democratic party and has held various offices of public trust. He
served four years as chairman of the board of county commissioners, two
terms as mayor of Louisville, and ten years as county solicitor. Mr.
Phillips is held in high esteem professionally and as a liberal and
loyal citizen, progressive in his ideas and public-spirited in his
attitude. He is vice-president of the Bank of Louisville, president of
the Bank of Wrens, at Wrens, Jefferson county, and is a director of the
Louisville & Wadley railroad. He and his wife are devoted and
zealous members of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian church, in'
which he is an elder. In December, 1881, he was united in marriage to
Miss Ella Dora Skinner, who died in 1890, survived by one son, James
Gardner Phillips, who was born Oct. 22, 1882. In 1891 Mr. Phillips
married Miss Lena Everitt, of Thomas county, a cousin of his first
wife, and they have one daughter, Mary
Source: Cyclopedia of Georgia Transcribed by Friends for Free Genealogy
Farmer, Lewis R., is the able
cashier of that popular monetary institution, the Bank of Louisville,
Jefferson county, and he is a representative of old and honored
families of this section of the state. He was born on the
homestead plantation, in that county, Oct. 10, 1855, and in the same
county also were born his parents, Rhesa J. and Elizabeth J. (Matthews)
Farmer, both of whom are now deceased in 1877 and the latter in
1880. Rhesa J. Farmer followed agricultural pursuits during the
major portion of his active business career and at one time served as
sheriff of Jefferson county. He was a gallant soldier of the
Confederacy in the Civil war and was a man of sterling character,
commanding unreserved confidence and regard in his native county.
Lewis R. Farmer attended the schools of Jefferson county until he was
fifteen years of age, when he became a clerk in a mercantile
establishment of Louisville. He continued to be identified with
mercantile pursuits from 1870 until 1893, passing this entire period in
Louisville, except the years 1888-9, during which he was a resident of
Waynesboro, Burke county. In 1893 he became one of the organizers
of the Bank of Louisville, the first bank established in Jefferson
county, and which was duly incorporated under the laws of the state,
and he was made its cashier, which position he has ever since held, as
well as being a member of the board of directors. He has proved a
most discriminating and capable executive and the marked success which
has attended the enterprise is due in a large measure to his
efforts. He is also president of the Bank of Bartow, and a
director of the Bank of Wrens, both in Jefferson county. Mr.
Farmer is a stalwart in the camp of the Democratic party, and he served
four years as county treasurer—1884-8. He is a Master Mason and a
member of the Knights of Pythias and as a young man he was second
lieutenant, for several years, in the local military organization known
as the Jefferson Rifles. He and his wife are valued members of
the local society of the Methodist Episcopal church South, in which he
is steward and trustee. On Nov. 8, 1877, was solemnized the
marriage of Mr. Farmer to Miss Margaret A. Turner, daughter of John
Screven Turner, of Savannah. They have five children,
namely: Bessie, who is now the wife of Milledge Lockhart, of
Augusta; Susie, who is the wife of W. G. S. Rowe, of Louisville; and
Margaret R. Screven, and Lewis Turner Farmer, who remain residents of
Louisville.
[Source: Georgia: Sketches, Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions &
People, Vol. 2, Publ. 1906 Transcribed By: Maggie Coleman]
Galphin, George, one of the
early Indian traders, had his trading house at Silver bluff, a few
miles below Augusta, on the Carolina side of the Savannah river, but
his dealings were largely with the Indians of Georgia. In
accordance with a custom then prevailing he sold goods on credit to
these Indians until they became indebted to him to the extent of some
$45,000. By the terms of the treaty of June 1, 1773, certain
Indian lands in Georgia were to be sold and the proceeds applied to the
liquidation of their indebtedness. Galphin filed his claim along
with other traders. Before payment was made the Revolutionary war
broke out and he promptly took sides with the colonists. The Tory
traders received their money and Galphin was promised his if he would
espouse the British cause. But he preferred independence and
poverty to the collection of his claim at the sacrifice of his
principles. After the war he applied to the United States for
relief, but his petition was twice denied, and it was not until 1848
that his heirs realized anything on the claim that had stood so
long. The old town of Galphinton was named in his honor.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by
Renae Donaldson)
Gamble, Roger L., was born in
Jefferson county, studied law, and after being admitted to the bar
began to practice at Louisville. In 1832 he was elected to
represent his district in Congress as a State Rights Democrat. He
was defeated in the race for reelection two years later, but was
elected as a Harrison Whig in 1842. He was subsequently elected
judge of the superior court of his circuit and died at Louisville in
December, 1847.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by
Renae Donaldson)
Gamble, Roger L., one of the
representative jurists of Jefferson county, has been engaged in the
practice of his profession in Louisville, the county seat, for many
years, and served for eight years on the bench of the superior court of
the middle circuit of the state. He was solicitor-general of
Georgia for one term and has been a prominent figure in public affairs
in his county and state. Judge Gamble was born on a plantation
near Louisville, May 30, 1851, and is a son of Col. Roger L. and Martha
R. (Gobert) Gamble, both of whom were likewise native of Jefferson
county. Colonel Gamble, who was a man of wealth and influence,
owned extensive plantations and was one of the well known and honored
citizens of Jefferson county. He died in March, 1893, and his
widow now resides in the city of Augusta, with her daughter, Mrs. W. H.
Doughty, Jr. Colonel Gamble was a son of Hon. Roger L. Gamble,
who was a leading lawyer and jurist of Georgia, which state he
represented in Congress. The family is of English lineage and the
original founders in America located in the state of Virginia, in the
colonial era. Judge Roger L. Gamble secured his earlier
educational discipline in Louisville academy, later attended Richmond
academy, in the city of Augusta, and then continued his studies in
private schools, one having been conducted by Hon. W. J. Northen, who
later became governor of the state, and the other by R. M. Johnson, an
able and well know educator. After this careful preliminary
training Judge Gamble was matriculated in the University of Georgia, in
which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1871, receiving the
degree of Bachelor of Arts. He then read law under the able
preceptorship of the late William Hope Hull, one of the leading members
of the bar of Augusta, and was admitted to practice in 1872. In
the following year he opened an office in Louisville, where he has
since been engaged in the active practice of his profession, save for
the intervals given to service in official capacities. He has
attained to distinctive prestige both as a lawyer and jurist, and his
standing at the bar of his native state is one of marked
precedence. Judge Gamble has ever given an unequivocal allegiance
to the Democratic party, and has been an effective exponent of its
principles. He served from Jan. 1, 1891, to Jan. 1, 1899, as
judge of the superior court of middle circuit, and from 1881 to 1885 he
was solicitor-general of the middle circuit. He represented
Jefferson county in the state legislature for two
terms,-1886-1890. He is president of the First National bank of
Louisville, and is a member of the directorate of the Louisville
Manufacturing Company, being attorney for both. He was a member
of the board of trustees of the University of Georgia for a period of
four years, having been appointed to this position by Gov. W. J.
Northen. On Nov. 29, 1882, Judge Gamble was united in marriage to
Miss Mary Cynthia Hunter, daughter of the late Dr. E. H. W. Hunter, of
Louisville, and they have three children: Margaret Eula, who is
now the wife of A. G. Guerard, Jr., of Savannah; and Maude Hunter and
Roger L., Jr. Mrs. Guerard was graduated in Randolph-Macon
woman’s college, at Lynchburg, Va; Maude H. is a graduate of
Randolph-Macon institute, a Danville Va.; and Roger L. is now a student
in the South Carolina military academy, commonly designated the
“Citadel,” in Charleston.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by
Renae Donaldson)
Howard, James D., of
Milledgeville, ex-member of the state legislature and a representative
member of the legal profession in Baldwin county, was born in Jefferson
county, Ga., Jan. 17, 1863. He is a son of Capt. Willis and Martha
Matilda (Odon) Howard, the former a native of Jefferson county and the
latter of McDuffie county. Captain Howard, who was a prosperous
planter in McDuffie county, was a captain in the Confederate service
during the Civil war, in which he aided in upholding the high prestige
of his native state in the matter of loyalty and effective and gallant
service. He died in McDuffie county on Aug. 8, 1900, at the age of
seventy-nine years, honored by all who knew him, and his widow still
resides in that county, at the age of seventy-four years. (1906) After
a due preliminary discipline in the Georgia military college at
Milledgeville, James D. Howard was matriculated in Mercer university at
Macon, where he was graduated as a member of the class of 1886, with
the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In the following year he was graduated
in the law department of the University of Georgia and was duly
admitted to the bar of his native state. He forthwith opened an office
in Milledgeville, where he has since been engaged in general practice
and where he has built up an admirable professional business. His
political proclivities are indicated in the stalwart adherence he
accords to the Democratic party, and in 1892-3 he represented his
county in the state legislature, where he made an excellent record.
From 1900 to 1905 he again held this distinctive honor through the
suffrages of the voters of his county, and during three years of his
two terms of service, he was speaker pro tem of the house, proving an
able presiding officer, and showing great familiarity with
parliamentary rules and practices. He is a stockholder in the
Milledgeville Banking Company, is affiliated with the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks, and he and his wife hold membership in the
Baptist church. He was formerly captain of the Baldwin Blues, the
popular military organization of Milledgeville, and served in this
office several years. On Feb. 12, 1894, he was married to Miss Annie
Eugenia Barksdale, who was born and reared in Baldwin county, and they
have three children – Willis, born Feb. 10, 1895; Eugene, born July 16,
1901, and James D., Jr., born Jan. 24, 1905.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Kim
Mohler)
Johnson, Herschel Vespasian,
lawyer and statesman, was born in Burke county Sept. 18, 1812. In 1834
he graduated at the University of Georgia and having studied law under
Judge Gould while attending college was soon after admitted to the bar.
He practiced at Augusta for about five years, when he located in
Jefferson county. In 1840 he was nominated for Congress, but declined
to make the race. Two years later he ran and was defeated. In 1844 he
was one of the Polk electors and was prominently supported for governor
in the Democratic convention the following year. In 1848 he was
appointed by Governor Towns to fill the unexpired term of Walter T.
Colquitt in the United States senate; was a delegate to the Democratic
national convention that year; elected judge of the superior court in
1849; elector for the state at large on the Pierce ticket in 1852;
nominated and elected governor in 1853; reelected in 1855; candidate
for vice-president on the ticket with Stephen A. Douglas in 1860;
delegate to the secession convention of 1861, where he offered a
substitute for the ordinance proposing immediate secession ; elected
Confederate state senator in 1862; president of the constitutional
convention of 1865; elected United States senator in January, 1866,
though he was disfranchised by the act of Congress and not permitted to
serve; was appointed judge of the superior court in 1873 and held the
position until his death in Jefferson county on August 16, 1880.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by
Tracy McAllister)
Little, James C. has been
identified with mercantile interests in Louisville, Jefferson county,
for nearly two score years, being now president of the important
mercantile concern conducted under the corporate title of the Little
and Clark Company. He is one of the representative citizens and
influential business men of Jefferson county, and the record of his
career bears evidence of his valiant service as a soldier of the
Confederacy in the Civil war. He was born on his father’s
plantation, in this county, Feb. 7, 1846, and is a son of Robert P. and
Elizabeth (Cain) Little, the former of whom was born in Burke county,
Ga., Dec. 8, 1816, and the latter in Jefferson county, Jan. 4,
1823. Robert P. Little was a prosperous and influential planter
of Jefferson county, which he represented in the state legislature two
terms. His death occurred on Dec. 16, 1878. His widow long
survived him, her death occurring Nov. 7, 1900. James C. Little
attended school in his native county, both before and after the Civil
war. On Aug. 4, 1863, at the age of seventeen years, he tendered
his aid in upholding the cause of the Confederacy, enlisting as a
private in Company F, Eighth Georgia Cavalry, which was assigned to
Deering’s brigade, in the division commanded by Gen. William Henry
Lee. He was in active service with his regiment in Virginia until
the close of the war, having taken part in a number of spirited
engagements, and left the ranks, at Greensboro, N.C., April 26,
1865. In 1866 he became a clerk in a mercantile establishment in
Louisville, where he has ever since maintained his home. Since
1869 he has been independently engaged in the general mercantile trade,
and for twenty-five years he has been associated with Samuel M. Clark
in this line of enterprise. The Little & Clark Company was
incorporated in February, 1904, Mr. Little becoming president and Mr.
Clark vice-president, and the concern is widely known as the largest
mercantile house in Jefferson county, its business being very
extensively disseminated throughout this section and conducted
according to the strictest principles of equity so that its popularity
is of the most unequivocal order. Mr. Little is also president of
the Louisville and Wadley Railroad Company, vice-president of the
Louisville Manufacturing Company, and is possessed of extensive
plantation interests in Jefferson county. He is a man of
distinctive business acumen and initiative ability, as is evidenced in
the character and scope of the enterprises with which he is identified,
and he is one of the popular and valued citizens of his native
county. He is a Democrat in his political proclivities and is an
Elder in the Presbyterian church. In May, 1872, Mr. Little was united
in marriage to Miss Mary Virginia Fleming, of Columbus, Ga. She
died in 1886, survived by the following children: William F., of
Louisville; Eunice, wife of J. R. Williams; Edith, wife of Frederick J.
Atkinson; and Emma, still at the paternal home. In November,
1888, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Little to Miss Nellie
Patterson, of Louisville, and they have four children---Augustus P.,
Malcolm E., Robert P., and Martha B.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by
Joanne Morgan)
Little, William, ex-member of
the state senate and known as the most extensive landed proprietor of
Jefferson county, has been long and prominently identified with
plantation interests and has done a very large real-estate business, in
which he still continues, maintaining his home and business
headquarters in Louisville, in which thriving village he also conducts
a large horse and mule market. Mr. Little has been a resident of
Jefferson county from the time of his nativity, his birth having
occurred on the home plantation of his parents, May 19, 1851. He
is a son of Hon. Robert P. and Elizabeth (Cain) Little, concerning whom
more specific mention is made in this publication in the sketch of
their elder son, James C. Little. William Little grew to maturity
under the sturdy and invigorating influences which ever compass life on
the farm and completed his educational training in Louisville
academy. He has continued to be intimately identified with the
planting industry from his youth to the present day and is now the
largest tax-payer on farming lands in Jefferson county. He has
been distinctively a man of affairs, his enterprise and initiative
ability having led him into wide fields of business and his interests
being large, varied and important. He has perhaps been a larger
operator as a dealer in real estate than any other citizen of Jefferson
county. Through his efforts much has been done to forward the
general prosperity and to bring the agricultural industry in this
section to its present high status. He has had unbounded
confidence in the lasting value of Georgia soil, and he has shown the
courage of his convictions along this line by buying up lands when
offered at a low price, holding and improving the properties, finally
selling at an advanced and fully justified figure. He is to-day
the largest owner of farm lands in his native county, having three
large plantations, with an aggregate area of 4,596 acres. On his
lands he has produced as high as 400 bales of cotton in one year and
his annual real-estate transactions have averaged more than 10,000
acres bought and sold. Much of his land, which he purchased a
number of years ago for three dollars an acre, is now worth from
fifteen to twenty-five dollars an acre. Properties of this sort
which has held for several years would not produce one bale of cotton
to ten acres when he secured possession, but he has brought the
productiveness of the same tracts up to an average of one bale of
cotton for each acre, having brought scientific methods into
requisition in fertilizing and reviving the soil. In 1896 he
retired from the active work of his plantations, which he has placed in
charge of capable over-seers, and he has since maintained his home in
Louisville while supervising his various real-estate and capitalistic
interests and conducting a large and successful market for mules and
horses. In politics, Mr. Little has never swerved from his
appreciative allegiance to the Democratic party. He represented
his county in the lower house of the state senate one term of four
years, proving a discriminating and faithful legislator and doing all
in his power to further the best interests of the state at large, but
especially those of his own county and district. He is an elder
in the Presbyterian church, in which Mrs. Little also is a zealous and
devoted worker, and they are prominent in the social life of the
community, their circle of friends being circumscribed only by that of
their acquaintanceship. On Nov. 19, 1875, Mr. Little was united
in marriage to Miss Rosa Rosier, who died Jan. 5, 1877, leaving no
children. On Oct. 9, 1878, was solemnized his marriage to Miss
Elizabeth B. Dixon, and they have five children, viz.: Julia D., wife
of Hon. Charles N. Ramsey, a member of the state legislature at the
present time; Mary D., the wife of J. W. Clark; and Robert W.,
Elizabeth and Roger Dixon, at the parental home.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by
Joanne Morgan)
Lowry, William P., a
representative business man and citizen of Louisville, Jefferson
county, was born in the city of Selma, Ala., March 4, 1869. He is
a son of Rev. Dr. William J. and Margaret (Bell) Lowry, the former of
whom was born in Greensboro, Ga., and the latter in Starkville,
Miss. Dr. Lowry was reared to maturity in Georgia, became a
prominent and influential clergyman of the Presbyterian church, and
received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity. He died Nov.
10, 1878, at the age of thirty-eight years, having been at the time
pastor of the First Presbyterian church of Louisville, Ky. He was
pastor of a Presbyterian church in Selma, at the time of the birth of
the subject of this review. When the latter was but three years
of age, in 1872, his mother died, and he was but eight years old when
his father also passed away. He was then taken into the home of
his grandfather, Prof. William Strong Lowry, of Due West, S.C., where
he was a teacher of Latin and French in Erskine college. Here the
orphan lad was reared and educated, graduating at Erskine college as a
member of the class of 1887 and receiving the degree of Bachelor of
Arts. He was but eighteen years of age at the time, and the
ensuing few years he devoted to teaching in the schools of South
Carolina. In 1891 he took up his residence in Louisville, Ga.,
where he was employed as a clerk until 1896, when he was engaged in the
hardware business, also handling vehicles, agricultural implements,
etc., in which he has since continued, having built up a large and
representative trade, and broadened his field of activity by
identifying himself with other lines of enterprise. On March 12,
1903, he was one of the organizers and incorporators of the Middle
Georgia Cotton Company, which has its headquarters at Sandersville, and
of which he has been vice-president from the start. He is also a
member of the directorate of the Bank of Louisville, and is known as a
reliable, progressive and loyal citizen and business man. Mr.
Lowry is a staunch supporter of the cause of the Democratic party and
has served two terms as a member of the board of aldermen of
Louisville. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, a Royal
Arch Mason, and is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias, in which he
is past chancellor of the Louisville Lodge.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and
Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by
Joanne Morgan)
Murphy, Waller Simeon, clerk of
the superior court of Jefferson county and treasurer of the
Stone-Murphy Company, one of the leading retail mercantile concerns of
Louisville, has passed his entire life in Jefferson county, having been
born on the home plantation of his father, July 22,1866. He is a
son of Rev. Henry Davis Murphy, who was born in the state of New
Jersey, and Laura Julia (Kelley) Murphy, who was born and reared in
Jefferson county, where she died in 1880. The father, who is a
clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal church South, has attained the age
of three score and ten years and is now living practically retired, in
Louisville, save as he assists in the work of the office of the clerk
of the superior court, under the supervision of his son, subject of
this review. Waller S. Murphy attended Louisville academy until
he was fifteen years of age, when he gave inception to his active
business career, by becoming a clerk in a Louisville general
store. He continued to be engaged as salesman and bookkeeper in
local mercantile houses for a period of twelve years,-first with the
firm of Farmer Bros. & Co., next with A.N. Beach, and finally with
Abbot & Stone. Upon the incorporation of the Stone-Murphy
Company, Feb. 28, 1902, he became one of the stockholders of the
concern, as did also his brother John R., and he has been treasurer of
the company from its organization. In 1895 he was elected to the
exacting office of clerk of the superior court of Jefferson
county. By successive reelections he has sinse continued the
incumbent of this position, having given a most capable and
satisfactory administration and gained the commendation of the court,
the bar and the general public. He is well known in the county,
is a straightforward and reliable business man and sterling citizen,
his course in all the relations of life having been such as to commend
him to the good will of his fellow men. He is a stalwart in the
camp of the Democratic party; is a member and trustee of the Methodist
Episcopal church South, of Louisville, a past chancellor of the local
lodge of the Knights of Pythias; and a member of the board of trustees
of Louisville academy. In July, 1885, was solemnized the marriage
of Mr. Murphy to Miss Mary Louisa Diehl, who died July 12, 1902,
survived by eight children, namely: Waller D., Willie S.,
Frederick H., Leslie W., Allie P., Laura May, John R., and Henry
D. On Feb 2, 1905, Mr. Murphy contracted a second marriage, being
united to Miss Claudia B. Lee, of Covington, Ga. She was educated
at Cox college, College Park, Ga.
[Source: Georgia Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events,
Institutions, and Persons, Vol 2, Publ 1906. Transcribed by Renae
Donaldson]
