Meriwether County GA Biographies

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Meriwether County Biographies

DAVID MERIWETHER
For the last siege of Savannah during the Revolutionary War, a detachment of troops under Colonel Posey was sent from Virginia to Georgia. With these soldiers of the Continental line there marched a young lieutenant who had been with Washington's army during its maneuvers in New Jersey, and in the battles of Monmouth, Trenton, Brandywine and the siege of Charleston. His home was in Albemarle county, Va., and he belonged to "an old and distinguished family famous for sterling virtues and clear heads."

Gov. George R. Gilmer in "Georgians'' wrote of them: "The original Meriwether stock must have been struck out from some singular conjunction. Their long intermixture with other families has not deprived them of then uniqueness. None ever looked at or talked to a Meriwether but he heard something which made him look or listen again." When John P. Kennedy in "Swallow Barn" depicted with his Irish humor and quaint philosophy the manners and characteristics of early Virginians of James River Valley, it could hardly have been mere chance that caused him to call the typical family Meriwether. There is much in Frank Meriwether, master of "Swallow Barn," with his "fine intellectual brain" and solid worth to suggest salient traits observed by historians and genealogists in the family of "Clover Field," the old Meriwether manor house in Albemarle county. The family of this name in America all trace their lineage to Nicholas Meriwether, who was born in Wales in 1647. and coming to Virginia married Elizabeth Crawford, daughter of David Crawford, gentleman of Assasquin in New Kent county. He acquired great wealth and owned many fine horses, some plate, a great many Negroes and several large tracts of land; one near Charlottesville granted by George 11 of England contained 17,952 acres, and there is on record in Virginia Land Registry office, between the years 1652-64 patents to the extent of 5,250 acres in Westmoreland county. There were numerous other grants of later date in New Kent county. Nicholas Meriwether's grandson, Col. James Meriwether, married Judith Burnley; these were the parents of Gen. David Meriwether of Georgia.

The young lieutenant under Washington who marched in 1779 to the siege of Savannah was a fair representative of the old planter class of Virginia, of whom it is said: "In war and in peace they were the peers of the men of any age." The route from Virginia to Savannah lay through the county of Wilkes, and at least one soldier on the march noted the fertile lands of this section, a section destined to attract many high-class settlers and to gain historical interest, as "that one corner of Georgia where those who were fighting for the independence of the republic made their last desperate stand." The battle of Kettle Creek was not far removed in time or place.
There are records to show that Wilkes had other allurements for Lieutenant Meriwether than fertile lands. He was taken prisoner at the siege of Savannah and paroled; while on parole he returned to Wilkes and married Miss Frances Wingfield. After the war was over he came here to settle and was henceforth identified with the development of his adopted State.

Gen. David Meriwether belonged to that honorable and inestimable class, the planters of the old South, "the main reliance of leaders in all great movements, those tillers of the fruitful earth, those silent but cheerful contributors to a prosperity that overflowed with plentifulness, those who led lives which for all reasonableness in life living, in the accumulation and in the handling of the goods around and within their reach, in their support of benign institutions, in their domestic rule, in their ungrudging, unconstrained hospitality, were never outdone in this world." A writer of State history refers to General Meriwether as "that sterling Virginia soldier and Georgia statesman." While the modest records of his public services exhibit no brilliant qualities as orator or politician, during the formative period of Georgia history, the talents and influence of his fine mind and character were often called into requisition. Without ambition of place, he stood for "freedom, good government, good education, prudence and economy in public office, and the best welfare of all."

Education was the most important interest to Georgians after the conflict of the Revolution, for they were a people who cherished above worldly possessions the higher attributes of mind and character.

David Meriwether settled in Wilkes county in 1785, two years after the town of Washington was laid out. In June of that year commissioners met for founding the old academy on Mercer Hill; they were Stephen Heard, Zachariah Lamar, Micajah Williamson and Gen. George Matthews. David Meriwether became a member of this board of trustees, and soon after the building of the academy was begun, he applied to Senatus Acadimicus of the University of Georgia assembled at Louisville, Ga., July, 1797, to locate the University at Washington, offering funds and buildings. But the offer was rejected. Ten years before the founding of Athens General Meriwether gave land for the first Methodist school in Georgia. This was Succoth Academy, near Coke's Chapel in Wilkes, and was under the management of Reverend John Springer, a highly educated Presbyterian minister, and Rev. Hope Hull, the gifted pioneer Methodist who married Ann Wingfield, sister of General Meriwether's wife. Succoth Academy became a classical school of repute. Here the famous Jesse Mercer pursued his studies. John Forsyth and William H. Crawford, General Meriwether's young Virginia kinsman, who became Georgia's greatest statesman, were enrolled among the pupils. It was probably due to the influence of Hope Hull that in 1788 General Meriwether made public profession of religion, and joined the Methodist Society in Wilkes. He was a man of prominence when the Methodists were very humble, and although wealthy when the Methodists were very poor, he was always a bold, simple hearted member of the church. As a Christian he was useful and was frequently applied to for counsel by his junior brethren. His house was a house of prayer. He -was not like some great men, ashamed of the gospel of Christ.

Daniel Grant, the staunch Methodist and builder of the first church of this denomination in Georgia, was a neighbor and friend of General Meriwether. Moved by the influence of Bishop Asbury, Daniel Grant was the first man in the State, from conscientious motives, to free his slaves. His will, which is curious reading at this day, was signed July 4, 1793, and General Meriwether was one of the executors. A few years later when member of the Legislature from Wilkes, David Meriwether caused enactment of laws legalizing the terms of Grant's will for manumitting slaves.

Prior to 1788 the name of David Meriwether appeared on jury lists of Wilkes. Among family papers there is a receipt from the "Cheque-office" of Wilkes, showing him collector of taxes for the year 1794. There is also preserved his commission as lieutenant under Washington, dated "15th day of May, 1779, in the fourth year of our independence." Also the commission given by Governor Jared Irvin, as brigadier-general of the Third Division of the State Militia, dated Louisville, 21st of September, 1797. He represented Wilkes in the Legislature for several years and his name appears in "Marbury and Crawford's Digest of Georgia Laws" as Speaker of the House during 1797-1800.

In 1802 he was elected Congressman from Georgia with Peter Early, Samuel Hammond and John Milledge. He served on Ways and Means Committee in 1804. Gen. James Jackson, then Senator from Georgia, writing to Gov. John Milledge mentioned General Meriwether as a sterling fellow, and this was his legislative character, justifying the motto of the family Coat of Arms,—"Viet consilio."

In politics General Meriwether naturally belonged to the Crawford party in Georgia. While in the United States Congress he was a witness and participant in the memorable struggle between Jefferson and Burr, being a warm supporter of the former. There was personal friendship as well as political affiliation between General Meriwether and Jefferson. President Jefferson had been a plantation neighbor of the Meriwethers in Virginia, and employed as his private secretary a young cousin of the general, who, as a boy (in 1788) had lived in Wilkes county, and afterwards led the Lewis-Clark expedition across the continent. Mr. David Meriwether, of Jackson. Tenn., a great-grandson, has inherited the watch given as a token of esteem by Jefferson to General Meriwether.

His probity, fidelity and sound judgment made David Meriwether valued by State and general government for filling place of public trust. He was presidential elector in 1817 and 1821. and was repeatedly employed as United States Commissioner for treating with Indians. He was associated with General Jackson and Governor McMinn, of Tennessee, in concluding a treaty with the Cherokees by which a large portion of the territory west of the Appalachia was ceded to the United States. In connection with Daniel M. Forney, of North Carolina, he mad.' a treaty with the Creeks; and having much to do with the tribes in Georgia secured their confidence to an extent equal to any public man in his day. A copy of the treaty by Meriwether and Forney, among others relating to Indian affairs, is preserved in a collection of family papers.

General Meriwether served in Congress from 1802-1807, and at the expiration of his term returned to his plantation home six miles from Athens, Ga. This year his son James graduated with first honor at the University; he became a lawyer and member of Congress, trustee of the University and United States Commissioner to the Cherokee Indians. The following year another son, William, graduated with first honor; he became a physician and was surgeon in the United States army during the War of 1812. General Meriwether had seven sons and one daughter and not one discredited his name.

There is among family papers a letter of several pages written in fine, scholarly hand by Colonel Benjamin Hawkins to General Meriwether, dated "Creek Agency, 18th April, 1807," and beginning as follows: "As you are authorized by the Secretary of War and Postmaster-General to carry the second act of the convention at Washington with the Creeks into effect, I wish to communicate to you what has been done here," etc. This related to the establishment of a post route from the city of Washington through the Creek nation to New Orleans, and shows General Meriwether's active interest in internal improvements of the day. It was over this post road that seven years later Sam Dale rode express from the Creek Agency carrying government dispatches to General Jackson, reaching him on the eve of the glorious victory on the Plains of Chalmette. General Meriwether's connection with Indian affairs continued through 1820, when with General David Adams and John McIntosh he was appointed by the General Assembly of the State to hold a treaty with the Creek Indians. Among the Meriwether papers is a letter from General Adams approving of Dr. William Meriwether as Secretary of the Commission and of Mineral Springs on the Indian side of the Ocmulgee River as a proper place for holding the meeting. The treaty being successfully concluded, Dr. Meriwether, secretary, rode express to Washington City and delivered the papers to government authorities. This treaty procured the cession of land from the Creeks which lies between the Ocmulgee and Flint rivers, and was General Meriwether's last important act of public service.

Meriwether County, laid out in 1828, was named for him.

Since 1804 General Meriwether's home had been on his plantation near Athens. That it was a home of substantial comfort, open hospitality and Christian refinement we can not doubt. It was headquarters for the Methodist itinerant and here bishops and statesmen were entertained. Proximity t6 a center of culture and connection by consanguinity with the Hulls, Cobbs, Crawfords and other prominent families of the State made social life distinguished and delightful. At this home General Meriwether died in 1823, and was there buried. After his "toils and sacrifices as a faithful soldier of the Virginia line throughout the Revolutionary War, as pioneer settler of Georgia and upbuilder of this State, he sleeps in a forgotten and unmarked grave,—as do many planters of the Old South, as virtuous and honored in their day." Of such it has been truly said: "They grew old, died and were buried in family graveyards, wherein seldom even a carved stone was set to mark the place of their graves. Great public actions done by the most distinguished were put upon official records, but no more. They coveted for their own names no mention on historic pages. The immortality they hoped for, besides being unforgotten of their nearest and dearest was that on that Great Day in the Hereafter when final judgment of human actions shall be announced, theirs would be that their gifts had been employed in habitual loyalties to what was just and honorable and charitable. Humbly trusting that such would be their award, when their hour drew near, without complaint they looked around and chose their ground and took their rest.''
Source: "Men of Mark in Georgia: a complete and elaborate history...", Vol 2 By William J. Northen - Submitted by Barb Ziegenmeyer

Park, Orville Augustus, is a descendant of the Parks of Parkesburg, Chester county, Pa., more than one of whom held commission in the Revolutionary army. A branch of the family coming south shortly after the Revolution, settled in Georgia at the beginning of the last century. Of this family Maj. John Park, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was one of Georgia's prominent educators. His schools were famous throughout the state and one of them, the La-Grange female institute, is still a flourishing institution. He was one of the founders of Emory College and a member of its charter board of trustees. His son, John W. Park, the father of Orville A., was for half a century the foremost lawyer of the Coweta circuit, which numbered some of the most brilliant members of the bar of the state, and he was closely identified with all the interests of the county and section. He was one of the organizers of the Georgia bar association and subsequently became its president. During the civil war he was a major of the First Georgia regiment of reserves, serving with the same until it was mustered out after the final surrender at Appomattox. The maiden name of the mother of Orville A. Park was Sarah C. Bull, a daughter of Judge Orville A. Bull, of LaGrange, for many years the distinguished judge of the Coweta circuit. Orville A. Park was born at Greenville, Meriwether county, Ga., March 11, 1872. He attended the schools of his native city and later entered Vanderbilt university, Nashville, Tenn., taking a special course preparatory to entering the law department of the institution, in which department he was graduated with distinction, as a member of the class of 1893. In the autumn of that year he removed to Macon and entered the active practice of his chosen profession. Shortly after settling in Macon he formed a partnership with J. L. Jerdine, which continued until 1900, when Mr. Jerdine entered the ministry and the firm of Lane & Park was formed, Andrew W. Lane being the senior member. This partnership still continues and the two interested principals have proved effective coadjutors, the success of the firm having been marked. It now enjoys a large and steadily growing practice, representing a number of important interests. In 1898 Mr. Park was elected secretary of the Georgia bar association, which position he still continues to hold. He has a number of times contributed to the program of the annual meetings of the association and has taken an active part in all its work. During the present year (1906) he has filled, during the absence of Judge Emory Speer, dean of the law department of Mercer university, the chair of constitutional law in that institution, in a most acceptable manner, and at the commencement of 1906 he was elected professor of constitutional law and federal procedure. He is a member of the board of directors of the American National bank of Macon, for which he is also attorney; is a member of the directory of the Macon hospital; is a prominent member of the Methodist church, having been a steward of the Mulberry Street church for a decade and for seven years superintendent of its large and well organized Sunday school. He also served for a number of years as a member of the board of directors of the Macon Young Men's Christian Association and as a member of the state executive committee of the association. In 1900 he was married to Miss Elmry Taylor, daughter of Robert J. and Frances (Dillard) Taylor. They have two children, Frances and Orville A., Jr. Mr. Park is a nephew of the late Rev. William Park, D. D., of Sandersville, Ga.; of James F. Park, Ph. D., LL. D., of La Grange, Ga.; of Captain Robert E. Park, state treasurer of Georgia, and of L. M. Park, of Atlanta. His mother's brothers were Col. Gustavus A. Bull, of the Thirty-fifth Georgia infantry, who was killed while leading a charge at Seven Pines, and Hon. Orville A. Bull, who is now a resident of Alabama.
Source: Cyclopedia of Georgia Transcribed by Friends for Free Genealogy

TERRELL, JOSEPH M.
Terrell, Joseph M., the sixty-eighth incumbent of the gubernatorial chair in Georgia and the present honored and distinguished' governor of the great commonwealth, was born June 6, 1861, at Greenville, Meriwether county, Ga., and he has ever continued to make his home in that county, save for the periods of his official residence in the capital of the state. Governor Terrell's father, Dr. Joel E. G. Terrell, was born in Wilkes county, Ga., in 1834, and was a child at the time of his parents' removal to Meriwether county. He studied medicine in Greenville, under the preceptorship of Dr. J. W. Anthony, later had the distinction of being the first graduate of the Atlanta medical college, and completed effective postgraduate work in famous old Jefferson medical college, of Philadelphia, from which he also received the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He established himself in practice in Greenville, became one of the best known and most loved citizens, as well as one of the most able physicians of that section of the state, and never laid aside the professional harness until death intervened to end his noble and self-abnegating career. He died, Nov. 30, 1886, having been stricken with paralysis while at the bedside of a patient, and passed away the same day. On account of physical disability he was unable to render active service in the Civil war, though he did all in his power to uphold the cause of the Confederacy during the great conflict between the states. He was a son of David Meriwether Terrell, born in Wilkes county, whence he removed to Meriwether county, as noted, there passing the remainder of his life. His death occurred on Nov. 20, 1882, at the age of more than three score and ten years. The maiden name of his first wife was Chapman and they had two children, Dr. Joel E. G. and Ann; after her death he married Mrs. Russell, nee Boozer, and they ' had one daughter. He was a soldier in the Confederate service, being in the ranks of the state troops as long as they were in the field. David M. Terrell was a son of Joel and Frances (Butler) Terrell, the former having been one of the early settlers of Wilkes county, whither he removed from Virginia, his native state, and was a successful planter at the time of his death. The maiden name of Governor Terrell's mother was Sarah Rebecca Anthony, born in Wilkes county, in 1832, and her death occurred in 1895. Her grandmother was a Hamilton, of Scotch descent, and her mother was a Render, the latter family having been one of the oldest and most prominent in Meriwether county. Joseph Meriwether Terrell secured his preliminary educational training in the schools of his native village, attending the same until he had attained the age of fourteen years, when heassumed responsibilities which would have overburdened a less resolute and self-reliant boy, for he became manager of his father's farm, in Meriwether county, remaining in charge of the same for the ensuing five years. His ambition for a broader sphere of endeavor had been insistently quickened in the interim, and he had determined to prepare himself for the legal profession. Concerning this period in his career and the sequelae thereof the following has been written: "Young Terrell read law for one year under the direction of Maj. John W. Park, of Greenville. It is safe to say that no young man ever studied with closer application. After standing a most creditable examination, he was admitted to the bar in February, 1882, by Judge Sampson W. Harris, of the Coweta circuit. He opened an office in Greenville and entered, without delay, upon the practice of his profession. From the very first his efforts were crowned with success, and he has been succeeding ever since. Business flowed in upon the young attorney from all sides. Such was his ability, his energy, his integrity, his devotion to duty that he landed, at a bound, in the confidence and affections of the people. No young man in the state ever rose more rapidly at the bar. But the people had no thought of allowing him to pursue the even tenor of his way in the court house. They saw in the magnetic and indefatigable young lawyer all the elements which go to make the successful public man. They began to call him up higher when they realized that his services were needed at the capitol. In October, 1884, he was elected to represent Meriwether county in the general assembly. He was at that time only twenty-three years of age, the youngest member of the house of representatives; but his youthfulness did not interfere at all with his usefulness. His worth was recognized at once and he was honored accordingly. He was made a member of the most important committees—the judiciary, local bills, and temperance. His constituents were so well pleased with the record which he made that he was returned to the house in October, 1886, by a handsome majority. While serving his second term he was chairman of the committee on county affairs and a member of the judiciary committee. The Alliance wave swept over the county of Meriwether in 1888, and Mr. Terrell, who was a candidate for the third time, sustained the first and only defeat of his political career. But two years later, in 1890, after one of the hardest fought and most intensely exciting campaigns ever held in Georgia, he defeated the Alliance candidate and was nominated for the state senate. His opponent, not satisfied with the verdict of the party, ran in the ensuing election and became the victim of a double defeat. Honors were showered upon Mr. Terrell while state senator, and right well did he sustain his reputation as one of the wisest young legislators in the state. He was not only made chairman of the finance committee, but was also placed on the committee on rules, the judiciary committee, the committee on congressional districts, and the committee on public schools. It was in 1892 that Mr. Terrell, fresh from his conquests in the state senate, was called upon to serve the people in the office of attorney-general, being elected to serve two years. Two distinguished lawyers were his opponents for the nomination, but, by a two-thirds vote of the convention, Mr. Terrell was made the candidate. In 1894 his nomination was unanimous. He was elected, without opposition, in 1896, 1898 and 1900. During his long and distinguished service as attorney-general he repeatedly loomed up as a probable gubernatorial candidate. Toward the close of that service he became one of the most formidable political figures in the state. Yielding to the urgent call of friends throughout the state, Mr. Terrell resigned the office of attorney-general in February, 1902, and became a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor. His opponents in the primary were Dupont Guerry and J. H. Estill, both of whom he defeated by a large majority. His victory at the polls was one of most gratifying order, and his commanding ability in administration as chief executive of the state gained him that constituent and popular endorsement which made him the only candidate for the office at the expiration of his first term; he was returned to the governor's chair in the election of 1904, and is at present the incumbent of the same. He has shown here, as in other official capacities, all the elements of political and popular strength, while his entire career in public life has justified the suffrages of the people and the confidence of all." In the affairs of state, as taken aside from the extraordinary conditions of warfare, there are demanded men whose mental ken is as wide and whose generalship is as effective as those which insure successful maneuvering of armed forces by the skilled commander on the field of battle. The nation's welfare, progress and prosperity may be said to hinge as heavily upon individual discrimination and executive ability in the one case as the other. It requires a master mind to marshal and organize the forces for political purposes and produce the best results by concerted action. Such a leader is found in Governor Terrell, who has facility in practical politics, but whose labors in official capacity have thrown the partisan into complete subordination to the general good, while the very training and discipline which made him successful in his profession, in the halls of legislation and in the office of attorney-general, all the more eminently fit him for the effective discharge of the duties of the high executive position of which he is now incumbent and in which he has made and is making so enduring and admirable a record. Governor Terrell is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and both he and Mrs. Terrell are members of the Baptist church. On Oct. 19, 1886, Governor Terrell was united in marriage to Miss Jessie Lee Spivey, daughter of Thomas Spivey, who was born in Georgia, and who was for some time before his death, in 1904, a resident of Texas. For many years before moving to Texas he was one of the leading planters and influential citizens of Harris county, Ga., the Spivey homestead, about ten miles from Hamilton, being one of the fine and picturesque places of that county. Mrs. Terrell was educated in the Wesleyan college at Macon, and is a woman of gracious presence and marked culture, presiding right charmingly in the executive mansion.
Source: "Men of Mark in Georgia: a complete and elaborate history...", Vol 2 By William J. Northen - Submitted by Barb Ziegenmeyer

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

Hinton, Andrew J., of Greenville, has served continuously as judge of the court of ordinary of Meriwether county, for nearly thirty years, and is one of the honored and popular citizens of his native county, from which he went forth to do yeoman service as a soldier of the Confederacy during the Civil war. Judge Hinton was born in Woodbury, Meriwether county, Ga., Aug. 31, 1841, and is a son of Jesse and Clara (Wells) Hinton, both native of Wilkes county, this state, where the former was born in 1802 and the latter in 1810. Judge Hinton secured the greater portion of his early educational discipline in Griffin, Spalding county, and he was a resident of Meriwether county and identified with agricultural pursuits until the time of the Civil war. In 1862 he enlisted as a private in Company K, Fifty-fifth Georgia volunteer infantry, later becoming a member of Company B, Ninth Georgia infantry. He rose to the rank of captain of his company and took part in many engagements,—principally those around Atlanta, Griswoldville and Savannah, remaining in active service until the close of the great and fratricidal conflict between the states. He returned to Meriwether county and was clerk of the superior court for a period of four years, at the expiration of which he was chosen ordinary of the county, having held this office continuously since 1877 and being one of the most valued public officials of the county. He is a stalwart supporter of the principles and policies of the Democratic party, in whose cause he maintains a lively interest. He and his first wife held membership in the Missionary Baptist church; he is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, the United Confederate Veterans, the Royal Arcanum and the Knights of Pythias. On Feb. 8, 1858, Judge Hinton was united in marriage to Miss Sudie Finley, daughter of Emanuel and Elizabeth Finley, of Woodbury, this county, and they became the parents of two children. Mrs. Hinton passed away in 1875, and on Jan. 4, 1887, Judge Hinton married Miss Palmer Walker, his present wife, no children having been born of this union. His son Jesse Lee Hinton was appointed assistant secretary to General Thomas, who had charge of the Indian country in Oklahoma at the Sac and Fox agency in 1895, but lived only a short time. His daughter, Mrs. Lorena Hinton Ledsing, is living in Atlanta. She was postmaster of the last house of representatives and will fill the same position in the coming session. His present wife is a member of the Methodist church.
Source Georgia: comprising sketches of counties, towns, events, institutions, and ... edited by Allen Daniel Candler, Clement Anselm Evans

GOVERNOR JOSEPH M. TERRELL.
    A long line of illustrious Georgians have graced the gubernatorial chair.
    From the first settlement of this State, in 1733, one hundred and sixty-nine years ago, Georgia has been rich in men fitted to adorn her chief magistracy.
    Under the Trustees: under the Crown: under the American Government, and under the four Constitutions of, respectively. 1777 1798, 1868, and 1877, the people of this State have, in the main, been peculiarly blessed in having rulers who illustrated, in their administrations, that glorious motto which speaks from her coat of arms "Wisdom, Justice, Moderation."
    That it will be the guiding star of the administration of Georgia's sixty eighth Governor is guaranteed by the distinguished, conservative and honorable conduct which has characterized the career of him who now enjoys the most commanding station in the gift of Georgians.
    Joseph Meriwether Terrell was born on June the sixth, 1861 in the county of Meriwether, Georgia. The place of his birth was Greenville, a village of less than a thousand inhabitants. With the exception of five years he has lived in that village all his life. During these five vears he resided on a farm in Meriwether County. Dr. Joel E. G. Terrell, his father, was a native of Wilkes County, Georgia. He moved to Meriwether while yet a child. He began the study of medicine in the office of Dr. J. W. Anthony, at Greenville, and after careful preparation entered the Atlanta Medical College. Of that time-honored institution he enjoyed the distinction of being the first graduate. Enterning to Greenville, he began the practice of medicine and within a few years became one of the leading physicians in Western Georgia.
    The subject of this sketch went to school in Greenville until he attained the age of fourteen. At that tender age he was placed in charge of his father's plantation. He managed it continuously, with remarkable ability, from 1876 until 1881. But even as the steady, industrious, manly country boy followed the plow from sun to sun there came to him the whispering of honorable, lofty ambition. He dreamed of the happy hour when the strong hamnd which ran the furrow would turn the pages of Blackstone. Not that he was ashamed of honest toil. Far from it. He gloried in honest toil. Still, he longed for a broader field of usefulness than the sun-swathed, narrow tract shut in by woods of green and canopied by blue skies a theatre of action upon which he might enact, if not a better yet a higher part a part in which mental prowess might work out problems for the public weal beyond the ken of mere physical power.
    He worked on, patiently, hopefully, and, as everything comes to the man who waits, that happy hour came to the boy who waited. Young Terrell read law for one year under the direction of Major John W. Park, of Greeville. It is safe to say that no young man ever studied with closer application. After standing a most creditable examination, he was admitted to the bar in February. 1882, by Judge Sampson W. Harris, of the Coweta Circuit. He opened an office in Greenville and entered, without delay, upon the practice of his profession. From the very first his efforts were crowned with success, and he has been succeeding ever since. Business flowed in upon the young attorney from all sides. Such was his ability, his energy, his integrity, his devotion to duty, that he landed, at a bound, in the coniidence and affections of his people. No young man in the State ever rose more rapidly at the bar. But the people had no thought of allowing him to pursue the even tenor of his way in the courthouse. They saw in the magnetic and indefatigable young lawyer all the elements which go to make the successful public man. They began to call him up higher when they realized that his services were needed at the capitol. In October 1884, he was elected to represent Meriwether County in the General Assembly.
    He was at that time only twenty-three years of age, the youngest member of the House of Representatives. But his youthfulness did not interfere at all with his usefulness. His worth was recognized at once, and he was honored accordingly. He was made a member of the most important committees, the judiciary, local bills and temperance. His constituents were so pleased with the record which he made that he was returned to the House in October, 1886, by a handsome majority. While serving his second term he was chairman of the committee on county affairs and a member of the Judiciary Committee.
    The Alliance wave swept over the county of Meriwether in 1888. and Mr. Terrell, who was a candidate for the third time, sustained the first and only defeat of his political career. But two years later, 1890, after one of the hardest fought and most intensely exciting campaigns ever held in Georgia, Mr. Terrell defeated the Alliance candidate and was nominated for the State Senate. His opponent, not satisfied with the verdict of the party, ran in the election following and became the victim of a double defeat.
    Honors were showered upon Mr. Terrell while State Senator, and right well did he sustain his reputation as one of the wisest young legislators in the State. He was not only made chairman of the Finance Committee, but was placed on the Committee on Rules, the Judiciary Committee, the Commitee on Congressional Districts, and the Committee on Public Schools.
    It was in 1892 that Mr. Terrell, fresh from his conquests in the State Senate, was called upon to serve the people in the office of Attorney-General. He was elected to serve two years. Two distinguished lawyers opposed him for the nomination, but. by a two-thirds vote of the Convention, Mr. Terrell was made the candidate.
    In 1894 his nomination was unanimous. He was elected, without opposition, in 1896, 1898. and 1900.
    During his long and distinguished service as Attorney-General he repeatedly loomed up as a probable gubernatorial candidate. Toward the close of that service he became one of the most formidable political figures in the State.
    Yielding to the urgent call of friends throughout the Stale. Mr. Terrell resigned the office of Attorney-General in February. 1902, and became a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor.
    His opponents in the primary were Dupont Guerry and T. H. Estill. both of whom he defeated by a large majority.
    Mr. Terrell married Miss Jessie Lee Spivey. October 19. 1886. She is a daughter of Thomas Spivey, a native of Texas, but who for many years has been a prominent planter in Harris County. Georgia. The Spivey home, about ten miles from Hamilton, is one of the fine, picturesque places of the county. Mrs. Terrell attended Wesleyan College. Macon. which institution she left in 1886, and was married in October of the same year.
    She is qualified in every respect to stand by the side of her distinguished husband by right of birth, beauty, and intellectuality. Moreover, she is vitally concerned in all that affects her husband's welfare and success. No mistress of the mansion has ever combined more than she.
Source: Georgia's Public Men 1902-1904 by Thomas W. Loyless

Hinton, Andrew J., of Greenville, has served continuously as judge of the court or ordinary of Meriwether county, for nearly thirty years, and is one of the honored and popular citizens of his native county, from which he went forth to do yeoman service as a soldier of the Confederacy during the Civil war. Judge Hinton was born in Woodbury, Meriwether county, Ga., Aug. 31, 1841, and is a son of Jesse and Clara (Wells) Hinton, both native of Wilkes county, this state, where the former was born in 1802 and the latter in 1810. Judge Hinton secured the greater portion of his early educational discipline in Griffin, Spalding county, and he was a resident of Meriwether county and identified with agricultural pursuits until the time of the Civil war. In 1862 he enlisted as a private in Company K, Fifty-fifth Georgia volunteer infantry, later becoming a member of Company B, Ninth Georgia infantry. He rose to the rank of captain of his company and took part in many engagements, -- principally those around Atlanta, Griswoldville and Savannah, remaining in active service until the close of the great and fratricidal conflict between the states. He returned to Meriwether county and was clerk of the superior court for a period of four years, at the expiration of which he was chosen ordinary of the county, having held this office continuously since 1877 and being one of the most valued public officials of the county. He is a stalwart supporter of the principles and policies of the Democratic party, in whose cause he maintains a lively interest. He and his first wife held membership in the Missionary Baptist church; he is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, the United Confederate Veterans, the Royal Arcanum and the Knights of Pythias. On Feb. 8, 1858, Judge Hinton was united in marriage to Miss Sudie Finley, daughter of Emanuel and Elizabeth Finley, of Woodbury, this county, and they became the parents of two children. Mrs. Hinton passed away in 1875, and on Jan. 4, 1887, Judge Hinton married Miss Palmer Walker, his present wife, no children having been born to this union. His son Jesse Lee Hinton was appointed assistant secretary to General Thomas, who had charge of the Indian country in Oklahoma at the Sac and Fox agency in 1895, but lived only a short time. His daughter, Mrs. Lorena Hinton Ledsing, is living in Atlanta. She was postmaster of the last house of representatives and will fill the same position in the coming session. His present wife is a member of the Methodist church.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Kim Mohler)

Hood, Milton F., is one of the extensive land-owners and planters of Harris county, is a representative member of the bar, being engaged in practice in his home city, Hamilton, and also gives a general supervision to his various capitalistic interests. He is mayor of Hamilton at the time of this writing in 1906, and is known as one of the city’s most popular and loyal citizens. He was born in Meriwether county, Ga., Nov. 22, 1848, a son of Erastus C. and Mary C. (Cochrane) Hood, the former born in Wilkes county, Ga., in December, 1821, and the latter in Jasper County, March 23, 1826. The father died at Greenville, Ga., in July, 1902, though his home at the time was in Hamilton. He was a prominent and influential citizen, honored by all who knew him. He secured his earlier educational training at Whitesville, this state, and later prosecuted the study of medicine in well ordered medical colleges in Augusta, Ga., and Lexington, Ky., being graduated in the latter institution. He then engaged in the practice of his profession at Sulphur Springs, now in Meriwether county, Ga., but about 1852 he removed to Hamilton, where he remained a short time, then passed several years at Columbus, Ga., after which he took up his residence in Florida, where he remained until a few years prior to his death, when he returned to Hamilton and became one of the extensive farmers of Harris county. In the climacteric period leading up to the Civil war he was a member of the Georgia’s convention which voted for secession. He vigorously opposed the policy but when the state withdrew from the Union he was in every way loyal to the state and to the Confederacy. He was not called into the military service but gave his aid and service freely in support of the cause and tot sustaining the soldiers in the field. He was a grandson of John Hood, of Virginia, who served on the staff of General Wayne in the war of the Revolution. Dr. Erastus C. Hood was a member of both the house and senate of the Georgia legislature, serving one or more terms in each body. His wife is still living and makes her home with her son Milton F., subject of this sketch, who was second in the family of five children: The eldest is Mrs. C.I. Hudson, of Hamilton; Erastus C. is a resident of Cuba, where he is engaged in orange culture and truck farming; Mrs. Willie Lewis died in Columbus; and Mrs. Pauline Harrison died in Florida. Milton F. Hood was afforded the advantages of Mercer university, after which he entered the law department of the University of Virginia, where he practically completed the course, though he was not graduated. He was admitted to the bar of Georgia and began the practice of his profession in Hamilton, where he built up an excellent business, and remained until 1881, when he removed to Florida and engaged in the cultivation of oranges. To this line of industry he gave his attention until 1896, having been very successful in his efforts, when he returned to Hamilton, where he gives more or less time to professional work, also supervising his real-estate and agricultural interests, though he rents the greater portion of his land. Mr. Hood was afforded opportunity to manifest his fealty to the cause of the Confederacy, though he was a mere boy at the time of the inception of the Civil war. In the latter part of 1864 he became a private in a company known as the Georgia Cadets, the command becoming a part of the state troops raised at the time when Sherman instituted his raid through Georgia. Mr. Hood took part in several skirmishes and continued in the service until the close of the war, having accompanied his command to Savannah, in advance of Sherman’s forces. In politics Mr. Hood is a stalwart in the camp of the Democracy and both he and his wife hold membership in the Baptist church. In February, 1881, he was united in marriage to Miss Annie B. Welch, daughter of Dr. William and Willie (Wallace) Welch, the former being one of the prominent physicians of Alabama, engaged in the practice of his profession at Talladega. Mr. and Mrs. Hood have no children.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Kim Mohler)