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Webster
County, Georgia Biographies
B. F.
BARGE, merchant-farmer, Weston,
Webster Co., Ga., son of B. F. and Nancy (Barnes) Barge, was born in
Stewart county, March 16, 1845. His father was born in North Carolina
and came to Georgia when about twelve years old, 1828, and made his
home with an uncle in Washington county. He was a soldier in the Creek
Indian war in 1836, entering upon his duties as a lieutenant and
commissioned afterward as a captain. He married Miss Barnes in 1838 and
settled in Washington county; but in 1842 he moved to Stewart county,
which was his home until he died in 1872. He was a democrat and held
the office of justice of the peace. His widow died in 1894, aged
eighty-two years. Both of them were exemplary members of the Methodist
church. They were the parents of six children; those living are: B. F.,
the subject of this sketch, and J. W., now in Stewart county. Those
deceased are: Rebecca, wife of Adams; Elizabeth, wife of Ammons; Joseph
A., died at Greensboro, N. C., during the war, and an infant. Mr. Barge
was raised in Stewart county, and educated at the common county
schools. In 1863 he enlisted in Company A, Fifty-fifth Georgia
regiment, with which he went through the war. On his return home he
engaged in farming in earnest. In 1882 he moved from Stewart to Webster
county, where he has enjoyed uninterrupted and exceptional prosperity.
Besides having one of the largest and best farms in the county he has a
mill near Weston. In 1894 he embarked in general merchandising in
Weston, and in connection with it conducts a large cotton warehouse
business. He is one of the foremost business men of the county, and is
developing unusual business capacity and financial ability. He is
public-spirited, progressive in all things: and while on the alert to
advance the material interests of the community, is particularly active
in educational and religious matters. Mr. Barge was married Nov. 19,
1875, to Miss Mary Emma, born in Chattahoochee county, daughter of
William N. King, formerly of Chattahoochee county, by whom he has had
two children: Willie, now attending Wesleyan Female college, Macon,
Ga., and Mary Frank, attending the high school at Weston. Himself and
all his family are active members of the Methodist church.
(Memoirs of Georgia, Vol. II,
1895)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson
JOHN P.
BEATTY, farmer, Preston, Webster
Co., Ga., son of Robert and Sarah (Peel) Beatty, was born in Jefferson
county, Ga., Aug. 18, 1825. His paternal grandparents, Henry and
Margaret (Culbirth) Beatty, were natives of Ireland, who emigrated to
this country just after the revolutionary war and settled in Jefferson
county, Ga., where he followed farming. About 1830 he moved to Houston
county, Ga., whence, subsequently, he moved to Stewart (now Webster)
county, where he made his home with his son until he died at a very
advanced age, about 1850. His wife had died many years previously. Both
of them were exemplary members of the Presbyterian church. They were
the parents of seven children, all deceased: James (born in Ireland);
John; Robert; Hugh; Henry; Nancy (married Henry Young); Mary (married
Thomas Young). Mr. Beatty's father was born in Jefferson county in
1793, where he received his education and grew to manhood and married;
a happy incident of his marriage being that his family and that of his
wife were neighbors and friends in Ireland; her parents, John and
(Gamble) Peel, having emigrated from Ireland just before the
revolutionary war. In 1828 he removed to Houston county, whence, after
remaining eight years, he moved to Stewart county, where he lived until
Sept. 11, 1877, dying at the age of eighty-four. His wife died Dec. 24,
1876, aged eighty-three. Mr. Beatty was an old-line whig. Of seven
children born to Mr. Beatty's parents two died in infancy, the others
were: Margaret C., deceased wife of A. P. Lowry, Texas; Sarah J., wife
of J. H. Stapleton, Cordele, Ga.; John P., the subject of this sketch;
Nancy, wife of James F. Stapleton, Webster county; Eliza D., married
Robert Lowry, Texas, both dead. Mr. Beatty was about twelve years old
when his father moved from Houston county to near the place where he
now lives, receiving the principal part of his education in Houston
county. He grew to manhood on the farm and for many years superintended
his father's farming' interests. In 1856 he was elected sheriff of
Webster county, being the second person who held the office. In 1861 he
represented Webster county in the general assembly, and since the war
he represented the county twice in the same body. In 1863 he enlisted
in Company F, Forty-sixth Georgia regiment, and was at once
commissioned as its captain, and gallantly discharged the duties
incumbent on him until the surrender. In 1887 Capt. Beatty moved to
Preston, and for about six years acted as railway agent. He has been
treasurer of the countv four years, and has recently been re-elected
for a third term. He is a hale and hearty gentleman for his age, and no
citizen of the county commands more profound and general respect. Mr.
Beatty was married Jan. 13, 1853, to Miss Eliza R. Prim, who was born
in what is now Webster county. Eleven children blessed this union, of
whom eight survive: Martha A., wife of John B. Nicholson, Webster
county; Robert A.; John T.; Albert S. J.; Mary E., wife of Harper
Smith, Sumter county; Gussie Lou, wife of T. C. Edwards, Lee county;
Susie P., wife of G. A. Drew, Marion county; and Katie H. The mother of
these, an exemplary member of the Baptist church, died Aug. 10, 1882,
aged forty-eight years and eleven months. Oct. 25, 1883, he contracted
a second marriage with Mrs. Frances C. Bell, of Webster county. Capt.
Beatty is a master Mason, and himself and wife are consistent members
of the Baptist church.
(Memoirs of Georgia, Vol. II,
1895)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson
J. T.
DISMUKES, physician and surgeon,
Weston, Webster Co., Ga., son of William H. and Mary (Cook) Dismukes,
was born in Lee county, Ga., in 1831. His father was born in 1799 in
Hancock county, Ga., where he was reared and educated. After his
marriage he lived two years in Clarke county, Ga., whence he moved to
Jasper county, Ga., and, later, to Lee (now Webster) county, where he
lived until he died, in 1879, aged eighty years. He was one of the
first settlers in the locality, the nearest mill being at Fort Gains,
Ga., and the nearest cotton market, Macón. He was a soldier in
the Creek Indian war of 1836; and a justice of the inferior court when
his farm was included in Stewart county; and was a member of the
general assembly four years. He was a democrat and always took an
active part in politics. During the war between the states he was very
anxious to enter the army, but on account of his age was not allowed to
do so. His mother was a daughter of Zadoc Cook of Clarke county, one of
the most remarkable men of his time. Mr. Cook was thirty-one years of
age before he entered school, which he did with his eldest daughter,
Mary. He was a soldier in the last war with Great Britain, in which he
was severely wounded in a battle near Savannah, and left on the field
for dead. But he retained consciousness, and by superhuman effort
managed to crawl to a neighboring house, where he received needed
attention. For twenty-four years he was a member of the general
assembly, and was a member of congress, 1817-1819. His memory was so
retentive that he could repeat verbatim the resolutions offered and the
speeches delivered by his legislative associates. He lived to be about
one hundred years old, and retained his very remarkable memory to the
last. The late Gen. Phil. Cook was a near relative. Twelve children
blessed this union: Martha, wife of Sam Williford; Missouri, wife of
John Robeson; Mary Jane, widow of Augustus Parrott, killed during the
war; J. T., the subject of this sketch; C. W.; C. Z. M., who was a
soldier in the war with Mexico (deceased); W. H., who served during the
late civil war (deceased); Caroline T., deceased wife of B. Griffin,
Mississippi. Four died in infancy. Dr. Dismukes was raised on a farm
near his present residence, and was educated at the common schools of
the county. Having studied medicine under the preceptorship of Dr. Clem
E. Cheatham of Dawson he entered the medical college of Georgia,
Augusta, from which he graduated, Dr. H. V. M. Miller, now of Atlanta,
being then a member of the faculty. After graduating he located in that
part of Lee now included in Terrell county, near the present site of
Dawson. He practiced there two years and then moved to his present
location then known as "Hardmoney," now Weston. Early in the war
between the states he enlisted as a private in Company K, Seventeenth
Georgia regiment, but soon afterward was commissioned as assistant
surgeon, in which capacity he served until the surrender. He was
present at the seven days' fight around Richmond, Second Manassas,
Sharpsburg, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, and the siege of Petersburg. On
his return home after the war he resumed the practice of his
profession, in which he has been successful, his patronage extending
for miles around, even into adjoining counties. Dr. Dismukes was
married in 1868 to Miss Nancy J., born and reared in Talbot county,
Ga., daughter of Joseph and Mary (Drennin) McCall. Her father was
killed in the battle at Kennesaw Mountain, and her mother is a member
of Dr. Dismuke's family. To Dr. and Mrs. Dismukes nine children have
been born: Alice, wife of John Sims; William J., merchant, Weston;
Forrest S., Coffee county; twin sister of Forrest, died in infancy;
Robert Toombs; H. M.; Charles D.; Z. C.; and M. G., these last five at
home. Dr. Dismukes is a democrat, and himself and wife are members of
the Methodist church, of which he is a trustee.
(Memoirs of Georgia, Vol. II,
1895)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson
T. J.
DIXON, planter, Webster
(postoffice Richland, Stewart) county, Ga., son of R. M. and E. C.
(Clemmons) Dixon, was born in Stewart county in 1847.
His paternal great-grandparents, Shade F. and (Merrick) Dixon, were
natives of North Carolina, whence they came before marriage to Georgia,
and settled on land afterward included in Stewart county, among the
earliest settlers in that part of the state. They reared a large
family, were members of the Primitive Baptist church, and lived to be
quite old. His grandfather, Thomas Dixon, the eldest son of the above,
was born in what is now Stewart county in 1792. He moved to Alabama in
1857, where he died in 1872. He was a soldier in the war with Mexico.
He was a democrat in politics, and a member of the Primitive Baptist
church. His children were R. M.; Thomas; Lizzie, married a Mr.
Pinkston; Mattie, married a Mr. Bass; Harriet, married a Mr. Clemmons,
who died, and she then married D. G. Rodgers; Alice, married a Mr.
Sasser; and Shade F., San Antonio, Texas, the youngest and only
survivor. Mr. Dixon's father, the oldest child, was born in what is now
Stewart county in 1825, where he grew to manhood, and was educated. In
1846 he married his wife, born in 1826 in Houston county, daughter of
Nelson Clemmons. Mr. Clemmons was born in Georgia and moved his family
to what is now Stewart county, in 1820, and settled near Richland,
where he raised his family, all of whom are now dead except Mrs. Dr. Z.
F. Coffin, Stewart county. Mr. Dixon's parents settled near Richland,
then known as "Box Aucle," where they lived until 1860, when they moved
to D. G. Rodgers' place near Preston, Ga. In 1862 he enlisted in
Company F, Forty-sixth Georgia regiment, and was made second lieutenant
of his company. He was taken sick with pneumonia and died in September,
1863; and his widow died in 1869. He was an uncompromising and active
democrat, and himself and wife were members of the Primitive Baptist
church. They were the parents of six children: J. J., the subject of
this sketch; W. N., died in Texas; Georgia Ann, married J. J.
Nicholson, and moved to Florida, where he died; she is now living near
Geneva in that state; Robert T. (see sketch in these Memoirs);
Marshall, killed by a fall from a cotton screw in 1894; Thomas, died in
infancy. Mr. Dixon attained to manhood on the old home place, which he
now owns, and was educated in the near by country schools. When sixteen
years of age he enlisted in Company B, Second Georgia regiment, served
in Georgia. Alabama, and South Carolina, and participated in the
battles of Chickamauga, Powder Springs, Jonesboro and the defense of
Atlanta, and was at Columbus, Ga. He was wounded at the battle of
Jonesboro and sent to the hospital at Barnesville, Ga., and was soon
afterward furloughed and came home. As soon as he was sufficiently
recovered he rejoined his company at Gadsden, Ala. He was twice
captured, first at Jonesboro, and next at Columbus, but on each
occasion very soon made his escape. At the time of the surrender he was
at Milledgeville, Ga. Returning home he engaged in farming, to which he
has devoted his entire time and attention, and is one of the largest
farmers, as well as one of the richest men in Webster county, where he
wields a wide and strong salutary influence. Mr. Dixon was married
December, 1868, to Miss Lydia Alborn, born in March, 1851, in sight of
her present home, daughter of Josiah H. Carter, who was born in Bibb
county, Ga., and who came to Stewart and settled in what is now Webster
county, and participated in a battle near his place in the Creek Indian
war. Mr. and Mrs. Carter had nine children: Catharine, deceased wife of
David Warren; Biddie, wife of Washington Warren, near Richland: George
N., physician, killed at Chancellorsville, May 3, 1863; Martha, widow
of E. Nowell, lives at the old homestead; J. W., physician (deceased):
Lydia A., wife of the subject of this sketch, and three who died in
infancy. Mr. Carter died in 1880, aged seventy-eight years, and his
wife died in September, 1879, aged sixty-four years, both of them
members of the Primitive Baptist church. To Mr. and Mrs. Dixon two
children have been born: Robert J., bookkeeper for T. F. Carter,
Richland, Ga.; and Cora, wife of Curtis Whaley, Parrott, Terrell Co.,
Ga. Mr. Dixon is a very strong democrat, and takes great interest in
politics though no office-seeker; and Mrs. Dixon is a prominent member
of the Missionary Baptist church.
(Memoirs of Georgia, Vol. II,
1895)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson
ROBERT
T. DIXON, farmer, Webster county
(P. O., Richland, Stewart Co.), Ga., son of R. M. and E. C. (Clemmons)
Dixon, was born in Webster county in 1856. He was raised on the old
homestead and was educated at the common schools of the county. He
began life with very little, but by hard and continuous work on his
farm, economy and a judicious investment of his incomes, he has
accumulated a quite large estate. His home is between two and three
miles from Richland, where he owns a large and valuable tract of land
under excellent cultivation. He attends strictly and assiduously to his
farming interests, on which he principally relies, and looks carefully
after his other investments, and is one of the rising men of the
county. Mr. Dixon was married in 1878 to Miss M. Nicholson, daughter of
N. N. Nicholson, a well-to-do farmer of Chattahoochee county. She died
soon afterward childless, and subsequently he married Katie Snelling,
daughter of John Snelling, who was one of the earliest settlers of
Stewart county. His father, Richard Snelling, was the first settler at
Richland, as well as one of the first of Stewart county. Of the family
of John Snelling three only are living: Katie (Mrs. Dixon), Warren, and
Mrs. Fannie Williams, of Richland. Mrs. Dixon was educated at Weston
and is the mother of three children: Elma, William Carver and Henry M.
He is a stanch democrat and a master Mason, and Mrs. Dixon is a devoted
member of the Baptist church.
(Memoirs of Georgia, Vol. II,
1895)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson
WILLIAM G.
IVEY, farmer, Weston, Webster Co.,
Ga., son of E. and Arenia (Bridges) Ivey, was born in what is now
Terrell county, Ga., in 1840. His grandfather, Madison Ivey, was born
in North Carolina, but lived and died in this state. Mr. Ivey's father
was one of four children, and was born in North Carolina. He left that
state and came to Georgia before he reached manhood and settled in
Stewart county. He engaged first as an overseer, which he followed a
number of years, and then he bought a small tract of land to which he
gradually added as he made money. Mr. Ivey grew to manhood on his
father's farm and attended the near-by country schools. In 1861 he
enlisted in Company E (Capt. L. R. Reddings), Thirty-first Georgia
regiment, and for a brief period was stationed at Savannah. He was next
ordered to the front, and his command became a part of Stonewall
Jackson's "foot cavalry." He participated in the seven days' fight
around Richmond, in which he received a bullet wound which compelled
him to return home, where he remained eleven months. On his recovery he
returned to his command, and was with the forces near and around
Richmond and Petersburg until the end of the war. Returning home, he
turned his attention exclusively to farming, at which he made money. He
owns a very excellent small farm about eight miles from Weston which he
rents and himself cultivates a fine forty-acre farm in the vicinity of
Weston which he prizes and enjoys as a model home. He is also
proprietor of the hotel in Weston. His success demonstrates his
practical good judgment and management. Mr. Ivey married Mary, daughter
of James Harris, of South Carolina, who has borne him eight children:
Harris S., Walter E., Leila E., Lizzie E., Rena A., William L., Agnes
R. and Bertie. He is a strong democrat and himself and wife are members
of the Baptist church.
(Memoirs of Georgia, Vol. II,
1895)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson
A K.
PATTERSON, physician and farmer,
Weston, Webster Co., Ga., son of D. G. and Barbara (McNair) Patterson,
was born in North Carolina, Jan. 29, 1845. His father was born in North
Carolina in 1818, where he was reared and educated. He married Miss
Barbara McNair, who was a native of Scotland, and not long afterward
(1850) he migrated to Georgia and settled in Columbus, Ga. From there
he moved to Talbot county, Ga., and thence to Sumter county, where he
remained until 1878 or 1879, when he went to Atlanta, where he remained
until he died, June 11, 1883, aged sixty-five years. During the war he
served in the capacity of a civil engineer, but most of his life was
spent in farming. He was an ardent friend and promoter of education and
was particular to give his children the best possible advantages in
this direction. Before the war he was an old-line whig. His widow died
in December, 1893, aged seventy-three years, and both of them were
strict members of the Presbyterian church. They were the parents of
eleven children, of whom seven lived to be grown: A. K., the subject of
this sketch; Mary J., wife of B. F. Carter, North Carolina; Sallie M.,
wife of W. K. Turksbury; A. M., died in New York; D. E. is in Texas; W.
C. is in Weston, Ga., and G. C. in Terrell county, Ga. Dr. Patterson
was reared principally in Georgia and was educated at the common
schools of the counties in which his father lived. During the war he
enlisted in Company B, One Hundred and Ninth Georgia battalion, and
served with it until the close of the war, acting as sergeant. After
the war he studied medicine and then attended lectures at the Atlanta
Medical college, from which he was graduated in 1869. He immediately
located in Bullock county, Ala., but after practicing there two years
came to Webster county, which has since been his home, and where he has
established a large and profitable practice. He is public-spirited and
progressive and takes a lively interest in every movement calculated to
promote the material interests of the community, as well as its
educational and religious advancement. He takes a decided interest in
politics-not for selfish ends, but to secure incorruptible and capable
men to fill the offices. In the summer of 1894 he received a severe
stroke of paralysis, from which he has partially recovered. Dr.
Patterson was married June 30, 1872, to Miss Ann Eliza, daughter of
Frederick and Frances Bell, of Webster county, who has borne him six
children, all living, and at home: Clarence Hugh, Mamie L., A. K., Jr.,
Barbara Anna, Daniel G. and Casper Wistar. He is a stanch democrat and
an ardent member of the masonic fraternity.
(Memoirs of Georgia, Vol. II,
1895)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson
FERDINAND
C. SAUNDERS, planter, Weston,
Webster Co., Ga., son of James M. and Sarah (Sell) Saunders, was born
in Warren county, Ga., in October, 1820. His maternal grandfather,
Sell, was born in England, and was a ship-carpenter. He migrated to
this county about the beginning of the revolutionary war and assisted
in building a dock for the British government at Savannah after they
captured the city. Subsequently he revolted and joined the
revolutionary army. He died and was buried near Wrightsboro, in
Columbia (now McDuffie) county. Mr. Saunders' father was a native of
New Jersey, and came with his father to Georgia when the Mississippi
river was the western boundary of the state. He was married in Warren
county in 1816 to Miss Sarah Sell, and lived in that county twenty-two
years, when he moved to Stewart (now Webster) county, and settled
within one-half mile of where the subject of this sketch now lives,
where he engaged in farming until he died, aged seventy-four years.
Eight children were the fruit of this union: Ferdinand C., the subject
of this sketch; Lucius, died of rheumatism during the war; Napoleon,
died of pneumonia during the war; Septimus, killed at Kennesaw
mountain; Mark, Webster county; Zephaniah, deceased; Emeline, deceased
wife of a Mr. Howell; Palmyra, wife of a Mr. Holt, of Texas. Mr.
Saunders when sixteen years of age moved with the family to Stewart
(now Webster) county, and was educated in the country schools of Warren
and Stewart counties, and when he attained to manhood engaged in
planting. In May, 1863, he enlisted in the Fourth Georgia regiment,
Fourth brigade, Georgia militia, and continued in the service until the
surrender, during which service he received two wounds, one at Atlanta,
and another at Doctortown, Wayne Co., Ga. Returning from the war he
resumed farming, to which he has almost exclusively devoted his time
and attention. He is solid, substantial and entirely reliable, and a
model citizen. He has never sought nor held any public office excepting
one, that of notary public, being fully content with the labors and
pleasures and profits of good farming, and the quietude of domestic
life. Mr. Saunders was married in 1843 to Miss Carom, of Randolph
county, who died early in 1846 without issue. Toward the close of the
same year he contracted a second marriage with a daughter of William
and Tarissa (Gilbert) Brooks, natives of North Carolina, who migrated
thence to Georgia and settled in what is now Stewart county. Five of
the nine children born to them are now living: Sallie, wife of Robert
McCollum, Dawson, Terrell Co., Ga.; Elliott Rufus, at home; Georgia,
wife of Wright Tracy, Sumter county; John, Anderson county, Tex.;
Napoleon, Hunt county, Tex. Before the war Mr. Saunders was an old-line
whig, but since the war he has acted with the democratic party. He is a
Universalist in his religious belief, while Mrs. Saunders is a strict
member of the Baptist church.
(Memoirs of Georgia, Vol. II,
1895)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson
W. J. SIMS, merchant-planter, Weston, Webster Co., Ga., son
of H. H. and Jane (Moore) Sims, was born in Sumter county, Ga., in
1835. His paternal grandfather was George Sims, who early in life
migrated to South Carolina, and settled in Lancaster district. Mr.
Sims' father grew to manhood on the farm and was educated in that
district. He married Miss Mary Croxton, who bore him one child, Malsey
and died. For his second wife he married the mother of the subject of
this sketch, and about 1830 or 1831 moved to Georgia and settled in
Sumter county. He subsequently moved to Marion county, where he
followed farming and died at the age of sixty. His wife died in 1847,
before his death. He was a soldier in the Creek Indian war, and later
in life took great interest in politics, giving a strong support to the
democratic party. He was a member of the masonic fraternity and himself
and wife were members of the Baptist church. Seven children were the
fruit of his second marriage: Sarah, wife of Uriah Boyett, Sumter
county; W. J., the subject of this sketch; John, Sumter county; Martha,
wife of James Graham; Senoia, Coweta county, Ga.; Zacharias, Weston;
Marion, Americus, Ga.; James, deceased; and George, deceased. Mr. Sims
attained to manhood on the farm, soon after which he went to Alabama.
When the war between the states began he returned to Georgia, and in
1861 enlisted in a command organized by Col. A. S. Cutts, known as
Sumter's Flying artillery, C. S. A. With this command he participated
in the seven days' fight around Richmond, second Manassas, Sharpsburg,
Gettysburg, Chancellorsville and Spottsylvania court house, besides
numerous other less important engagements. The command suffered most in
the battles at Dranesville, Va. Although he was in some of the most
sanguinary and hotly-contested battles of the war he was so fortunate
as to escape unhurt. The command served until April 9, 1865, when it
disbanded and nearly all of his company walked home, he walking nearly
all the way. He arrived at home May 2, and at once engaged in farming,
which he has since followed with most satisfactory results. His farm is
one of the largest and best in the vicinity of Weston. He is a fine
farmer, and takes great interest superintending and improving it, and
adding to its conveniences and comforts. He takes no further interest
in politics than to support the best men for public office. For the
past twelve years he has been interested in a general merchandise store
in Weston, and has secured a good and annually increasing trade. Mr.
Sims was married in 1866 to Miss Melissa McGarrah of Sumter county,
daughter of James McGarrah, a native of one of the Carolinas. Mrs.
Sims, a devout and exemplary member of the Baptist church, died June 4,
1895, leaving five children: Oscar, near Weston; George W., merchant,
Weston; Emily, wife of James E. Dennard, Webster county; Florence and
Lizzie, these two last at home.
(Memoirs of Georgia, Vol. II,
1895)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson
H. SPANN, planter, Weston, Webster Co., Ga., son of
William F. and Lucy (Spears) Spann, was born in Webster county, Jan.
30, 1859. His paternal grandparents, Henry William and Sophia (Clark)
Spann, were natives of Jefferson county, Ga., whence, about 1837, they
moved to Lee (now Webster) county, and settled within four miles of
where the subject of this sketch now lives. Politically he was a stanch
old-line whig, and died during the late war, aged about fifty years.
His widow survived him many years, was seventy-five years old when she
died, a long-standing exemplary member of the Missionary Baptist
church. They were the parents of the following children: William F.,
Webster county; George G., Texas; James, near Eufaula, Ala.; P. H.,
Preston, Ga.; Carrie, wife of J. R. Stapleton, merchant, Preston; Mary,
wife of J. H. Smith, Terrell county; Laura, wife of Tyra Timmerman,
Terrell county; Susan, deceased wife of G. W. Cole; J. G., deceased;
Sophia, deceased wife of T. J. Stapleton; Mrs. J. N. Bowen, deceased;
and two who died in childhood. Mr. Spann's father was born in Jefferson
county, and was about ten years old when his father moved to Lee (now
Webster) county, where he was raised on the plantation and educated at
the near by country schools. About the beginning of the war between the
states he moved to Alabama, and soon afterward enlisted in the
Twenty-seventh Alabama regiment, and continued in the service until the
surrender. In 1869 he returned to Webster county, where he is still
living engaged in farming. While he is an ardent partisan, he takes
little interest in practical politics further than to exercise the
right of suffrage. Mrs. Spann is an active member of the Missionary
Baptist church. Ten children have blessed this union: Sophia, wife of
D. M. Nicholson, at home: William H., the subject of this sketch; Naomi
Josephine, at home; Mary Eliza, wife of J. B. Clark; Susan Idella, wife
of H. S. Fletcher; J. G., near Preston; G. L., at home; Nancy Ella, at
home; Sarah, deceased; and an infant, which died unnamed. Mr. Spann was
reared in Webster county, and received a very good education at the
common schools of the county. In 1881 he began farming on his own
account, and in 1886 moved to and settled where he now lives. He now
owns 1,000 acres of good land, the result of his own labor and good
management, and is one of the largest, as well as one of the best
farmers in the county; has a great number of head of live stock, a gin
of large capacity, and a saw-mill. He is very active in politics, but
has never sought an office and would not accept one if tendered him.
Mr. Spann was married in 1881 to Miss Theodosia, daughter of Archibald
Nicholson of Webster county, who has borne him two children : Lizzie
May and Ernest Linwood. Mr. Spann is an uncompromising democrat.
(Memoirs of Georgia, Vol. II,
1895) Submitted by Cathy Danielson
Mercer, John Robert,
of Dawson, Terrell county, a prominent farmer and business man, was
born near Preston, Webster county, Ga., Oct. 31, 1854, a son of William
H. and Mary E. (Boyd) Mercer, the former born in Columbia county, Ga.,
in 1830, and the latter in Edgefield county, S.C., in 1835. William H.
Mercer was a valiant soldier of the Confederacy during the entire
period of the Civil war, having enlisted as a private and been promoted
to corporal within the first year of his service, and later was made
orderly sergeant. Shortly afterward he was captured and was held as a
prisoner until nearly the close of the war, when, with thirty-nine
privates, he was exchanged. After the war he served nearly twenty years
as tax collector of Webster county. His reputation for genial
waggishness and wit has clung to him from his youth to the present and
his friends greatly enjoy his good-humored jocularity and pleasing
quips. He has devoted the major part of his active career to
agricultural pursuits, but leased his lands a few years ago and has
since lived retired, having reached the age of nearly four score years.
John R. Mercer received limited educational training in the schools of
Webster county, and continued to be identified with the operation of
the home plantation until 1870, when he secured a position as salesman
in the general store of his uncle, Phillip E. Boyd, of Leary, Calhoun
county, and rose to the position of head clerk and buyer. In 1879 he
removed to Dawson, where he was associated with his father-in-law, John
B. Perry, in the private banking business until 1887. He then organized
the First State Bank of Dawson. In 1894 he retired from the active
executive work of the bank, being succeeded by his nephew, J. Mercer
Bell. He has been the largest original stockholder in all three of the
banks of Dawson, and now owns the controlling interests in two, -- the
First State and the City National, being a director of each of these,
as well as in all of the principal incorporated enterprises of Dawson,
including the Dawson Compress & Storage Company, the Dawson Square
Bale Gin & Mill Company, the Dawson Consolidated Grocery Company,
the Farmers’ Oil & Fertilizer Company, the Variety Works Company,
and the Condray Power Company. He retains large farming interests in
this section, is a dealer in real estate and extends loans on real
estate security. He is a Democrat of the uncompromising type and he is
now serving his third term as mayor of Dawson. For more than a quarter
of a century he has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church
South, of which Mrs. Mercer also is a devoted member. On Aug. 20, 1879,
Mr. Mercer was united in marriage to Miss Ella R. Perry, daughter of
John B. and Martha W. (Loge) Perry, of Warren county. They have no
children, but it has been their pleasure to aid in the education of a
large number of young folks, while to them is accorded the unreserved
esteem of the entire community.
(Source:
Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons,
VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Kim Mohler)
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