Biographies
Barnwell County -
South Carolina Genealogy Trails
BROWN, CLINTON CAPERS, D.
D., preacher and author, was born in Barnwell,
South Carolina, February 2, 1852. His parents were Col. B. H. and
Clementine H. Brown. His father was a farmer, who was noted for his
common sense and good humor, and who at one time represented the
county of Barnwell in the state senate. His mother was held in high
esteem by her acquaintances and friends, and exerted a strong
influence for good upon the moral and social life of her son. The
earliest known ancestors of the family in this country came from
England in 1700 and settled near Charlottesville, Virginia. Two of
their descendants were colonels in the Revolutionary
war.
During his boyhood Clinton Brown lived in a village. He
was interested in books, and was also fond of outdoor sports,
horses, and guns. His health was good, and he had no tasks involving
manual labor to perform. His father had both the means and the
inclination to give him a good education. His fondness for reading
is shown by the fact that before he was eighteen years old he had
read all the novels of Scott and Bulwer. After attending the high
school at Barnwell he had a private tutor for two years to prepare
him for college. His father hoped he would become a physician, but
the son, wisely, as his professional life has proved, preferred to
enter the ministry. He spent two years at Washington and Lee
university, two years at Furman university, and then entered the
Southern Baptist Theological seminary, at Greenville, South
Carolina, where he remained for two years, but from which he was not
graduated. The active work of life was commenced January 1, 1875, as
pastor of the First Baptist church at Sumter, South Carolina. This
church he has served continuously and acceptably for more than
thirty three years. He has taken a deep interest in education and
for eight years he was a prominent member of the board of trustees
of Furman university. In 1896 this institution conferred on him the
honorary degree of D. D. As a writer, too, he has won recognition.
Among his published works are "Uncle Daniel and His Friends" and
"Themes and Texts of South Carolina Preachers." A South Carolina
romance, entitled "Sherman's March to the Sea," is now in course of
preparation. He is a member of the leading fraternities and orders.
In politics he has always been a Democrat. He still retains his
youthful fondness for outdoor sports, and finds in hunting his
principal means of relaxation.
Doctor Brown has been twice
married: First, in 1874, to Corrie Montgomery; and second, on
November 26,1879, to Sallie Wright. Of his six children, one is
living in 1908.
For the sake of helping young people who read
this sketch of his life, Doctor Brown says that any falling short of
what he had hoped to do can be traced to a failure to hold on and an
"unwillingness to convert one talent into two." And in response to a
request for suggestions drawn from his own experience and
observations as to principles and methods which will help the young
to attain true success in life he says: "Keep step with the progress
of the world. Be willing to try the untried. Look on the bright side
of life, and maintain faith in God."
The address of Doctor Brown
is 107 East Liberty street, Sumter, South Carolina.
(Men of Mark in South Carolina By
James Calvin Hemphill Published 1907 - transcribed and contributed
by Barb Ziegenmeyer )
Howell,
Clark editor-in-chief of the
Atlanta Constitution, was born in Barnwell district, S.C., Sept. 21,
1863. He is a son of Capt. Evan P. and Julia (Erwin) Howell, the
former of Welsh and the latter of French Huguenot descent. The
Howells came from Wales about 1750 and settled in
North
Carolina, several representatives of the
family serving as soldiers in the Revolutionary war. The paternal
great-grandfather of Clark Howell settled in Milton county, Ga., in 1820. Capt. Evan P. Howell
was a prominent figure in Georgia politics during
his life and achieved distinction in the Civil war as the commander
of “Howell’s battery.” A sketch of his life appears in this work.
Although Clark Howell was born in South Carolina, it was one of the
exigencies of war, as his parents’ home was in Atlanta, his mother
being at the time of his birth a refugee from Sherman’s army, which
was then on its march toward Atlanta. After completing the course in
the public schools of Atlanta he
became a student in the University of Georgia at Athens, and graduated with
distinction in the spring of 1883. Manifesting a decided talent for
journalism, and wielding a pen of force and power, even at that
immature age, he went to New York, where he became a
reporter on the Times, and later served another newspaper
apprenticeship on the Philadelphia Press. In 1884 he returned to his
home in Atlanta and became night editor on the Constitution, under
Henry W. Grady, whose assistant as managing editor he became in
1887, at a time when Mr. Grady was so occupied as an orator as to be
away much of the time. Upon the death of Mr. Grady in 1889, Mr.
Howell was made managing editor. Before reaching his majority Mr.
Howell was nominated for the legislature and elected a few days
later. He was reelected in 1888 and again in 1890, and for the term
of 1890-91 was speaker of the house, being the youngest presiding
officer in the United States. In 1900 he
was elected to the state senate from the Atlanta
district; was returned at the next election and for five years
served as president of the senate with the unanimous consent of that
body. In 1892 he was elected as Georgia’s member of the
Democratic national committee, and in 1906 is serving his twelfth
year in that capacity. In 1894, at the annual convention of the
International League of Press clubs, he was unanimously elected
president of that representative press organization, succeeding Col.
John A. Cockerell, of New
York. As a parliamentarian Mr. Howell is
ready, concise and skillful; as a speaker he is fluent, eloquent and
convincing; and as a writer he is at once forcible and brilliant. In
1887 he was united in marriage to Miss Hattie Barnett, of Augusta, Ga., and to this union was born
one daughter and one son. In 1900 Mr. Howell married Miss Annie
Comer, of Savannah, and two sons have been
born to this marriage.
(Source:
Georgia
Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions,
and Persons, Vol II,
by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Kim
Mohler)
REV.
BARNWELL R. TURNIPSEED
 The subject of our sketch,
Rev. Barnwell Rhett Turnipseed, is of mingled German and
Scotch-Irish descent; his father, Mr. Barnwell Rhett Turnipseed
being of German extraction, and his mother, Mrs. Matilda Turner
Turnipseed, being of Scotch-Irish. He was born near Columbia, S. C.
March 10, 1878. He attended the graded schools of Columbia, after
which he went to Clemson College when it first opened, and graduated
with the first class, in 1890. He did post-graduate work at Clemson
in 1897, and attended the Medical College in Charleston in 1898.
When a boy of only twelve years of age, and even before he had
joined the Church, Mr. Turnipseed was conscious of a distinct call
to preach the Gospel. He refrained from identifying himself with the
Church for some time, hoping thus to shun the duty of preaching.
Through the whole of his college career, however, he was ever
conscious of the call and he was never satisfied until he
yielded. He was licensed to preach by the Columbia District
Conference, at Johnston, S. C, in 1900, having previously exercised
his gifts as an exhorter for one year. He was received on trial,
into the South Carolina Conference, at Chester, S. C, in December,
1900, Bishop Robert K. Hargrove presiding. He was ordained Deacon by
Bishop W. W. Duncan, at Newberry, S. C, December, 1902, and Elder by
Bishop A. W. Wilson, at Darlington, S. C, December, 1904. Mr.
Turnipseed has served the following charges: junior preacher on
Ridgeway Circuit, 1900; Granby, 1901-2; Aiken, 1903-5; Green Street,
Columbia, 1906-9; Darlington, 1910-13; Marion, 1914. He has been
Assistant Statistical Secretary of the Annual Confer-ence for eleven
years. He was Secretary of the Columbia District Conference for four
years, and has been Secretary of the Florence District for three
years. In 1900 he was married to Miss Emma M. Greene, of Greenwood,
S. C, who has proven a great blessing to him. They have two
children-Barnwell Rhett, Jr., and Robert Lester. Mr. Turnipseed is a
man of studious habits, doing the harder work in the morning and the
lighter reading at night. He keeps up regular and systematic
reading. His sermons are thoroughly prepared and his delivery is
easy and graceful.
[Source: Twentieth century sketches of the
South Carolina Conference, M. E. Church, South By Watson Boone
Duncan]
REV. JOHN R. SOJOURNER
Rev. John Reddick Sojourner, son of Mr. D. E. and Mrs.
Rachel Sojourner, was born in Barnwell County, S. C, September 24,
1866. Young Sojourner's parents died while he was quite young,
leaving a large family. This greatly interfered with his early
educational advantages. He made a heroic struggle, however, and the
Lord helped him. By his own labors, he was enabled to enter Wofford
College Fitting School, in 1888. By hard work there, he was able to
enter Wofford College the next year, pursuing the studies through
the Sophomore class. He taught school for three years after leaving
college, and while teaching others, he learned a great deal himself.
Brother Sojourner joined the Church at the age of twelve years, but
was not converted until about two years later. His conversion was
thorough, and changed the whole current of his life. He was licensed
to preach in 1888, and served as a local preacher several years. In
December, 1894, he joined the Conference, with Martin L. Banks, Jr.,
Connor B. Burns. Robt. C. Boulware, Henry J. Cauthen, Waddy T.
Duncan, William S. Goodwin, E. S. Jones, W. A. Kelly, S. A. Nettles,
W. A. Pitts, W. J. Snyder and P. B. Wells. He has served as follows:
South Aiken Circuit, 1895; Bayboro Circuit, 1896; Loris Circuit,
1897-8: Lewiedale Circuit, 1899; Johnsonville Circuit, 1900-1901.
Also, in all subsequent fields of labor, much good has been done by
our brother. The Lord has blessed his labors to the upbuilding of
the Church, and the salvation of souls. He is a good preacher and
helpful pastor. On December 27, IS98, Brother Sojourner was married
to Miss Blanche Beaufort Browning, daughter of Mr. T. S. and Mrs.
Ellen Crawford Browning, of Berkeley County, S. C. They have happily
entered together upon the great work of life. May our Heavenly
Rather grant them abundant success!
[Source: Twentieth century
sketches of the South Carolina Conference, M. E. Church, South By
Watson Boone Duncan]
James Hayes Roberts, M. D.
The veteran
physician and surgeon of Ehrhardt is Dr. James H. Roberts, who began
practice there nearly thirty years ago. He has had much to do with
the professional, business and civic life of this
community.
Doctor Roberts was born at Allendale in old
Barnwell County March 2, 1863. His grandfather, Richard Roberts,
according to the best information obtainable, was a native of
France. The father, Dr. Richard Creech Roberts, was a native of
Barnwell County, was reared and educated there, and for fifty years
practiced dentistry. He served as a lieutenant of cavalry in the
Confederate army and was at one time a member of the Legislature and
in other ways prominent in local affairs. He was a major in the
State Militia. He died at the age of sixty-nine.
His wife was
Sarah Emily Dunn, of Barnwell County. Her father was born in Ireland
and came to Barnwell County when a young man and was a contractor
and built many of the early houses in that county.
Dr. James
Hayes Roberts was the second in a family of six children, five of
whom reached mature years and two are still living, the other being
Boyce H.
Doctor Roberts was liberally educated, attending the
Porter Military Academy and The Citadel at Charleston, and
graduating from the South Carolina Medical College on March 4, 1887.
For three years he practiced in his native town of Allendale, and in
1890 located at Ehrhardt. During 1906-07 he was in practice at Great
Falls, but then returned to Ehrhardt. He is a member of the Bamberg
County Medical Society, the State Medical Association, is vice
president of the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Ehrhardt, and is
affiliated with the Masonic order, the Knights of Pythias and the
Woodmen of the World.
February 25, 1891, Doctor Roberts
married Lottie O. Barber. She died July 18, 1895, the mother of two
children: Sarah Elizabeth, wife of B. D. Carter, a Bamberg attorney,
and Lottie, who died at the age of nine months. October 9, 1901,
Doctor Roberts married Laura Dunbar, widow of James Dunbar. They
have had seven children: James Heyward, Richard C, Furman,
Catherine, Lucile, deceased, Louise and Carlisle.
[History of
South Carolina, Volume 5, Edited by Yates Snowden and Harry Gardner
Cutler, 1920 – Transcribed by AFOFG]
Jesse Francis Carter
After working his way
through school, paying expenses of his living and of his education
and with the aid of his versatile and brilliant talents, Jesse
Francis Carter has won an enviable position as a lawyer at Bamberg.
He was born near the little town of Lodge in Colleton
County, September 12, 1873. His father, Miles McMillin Carter, was a
native of the same county and spent his active life as a farmer. He
is of an old South Carolina family of English descent. He married
Janie Irene Kinard, a native of Barnwell County, and daughter of
Jacob Francis Kinnard, also an old South Carolina family of
Scotch-Irish descent. Miles Carter after his marriage moved to a
plantation in Colleton County where his six sons were born, all of
whom are still living, named: Jesse Francis and Bert Dean Carter,
attorneys at law in Bamberg under the firm name of Carter, Carter
& Kearse; Joseph Edgar Carter of Wilmington, North Carolina;
Alonzo B. Carter of Maxton, North Carolina; Wilbur Lee Carter of
Greensboro, North Carolina; and Miles J. Carter of Florence,
Alabama, all of whom are engaged in some phase of insurance work,
Wilbur Lee and Miles J. owning controlling interests in the business
which they conduct.
Jesse Francis Carter as a small boy had
opportunities to occasionally attend a log cabin school in Colleton
County, a term of only a few weeks each year. He was thirteen when
his father died, at which time he took charge of the farm and
assisted his mother in rearing his infant brothers. His mother died
when he was twenty years of age, after which he attended the graded
schools at Bamberg, also a classical institute, and as a means of
support taught a number of summer terms. He finally entered Peabody
College in Nashville, Tennessee, where he graduated in 1900, and
after teaching for a while, he graduated with the degree A. B. from
the University of Nashville in 1903. In 1904 Mr. Carter entered the
Law School of the University of South Carolina and took two years'
work in one, receiving his LL. B. degree in 1905. He then located at
Bamberg, and has rapidly made his way to the front as a lawyer. In
1908 he again took special post-graduate work in Chicago. He is
engaged in general practice and is a member of the firm Carter,
Carter & Kearse of Bamberg, South Carolina. Mr. Carter owns and
as a means of recreation conducts some small farming interests in
the neighborhood of Bamberg.
In college and university Mr.
Carter gave all the time he could to literary and debating
societies. He won several debates, including the debater's medal of
his society at the University of South Carolina. He was also a
winner in the oratorical contest, and was president of his literary
society in the University of Nashville and was made permanent
secretary of his class at graduation.
He is affiliated with
the Masonic order and the Knights of Pythias, and has held many of
the offices in both orders. He is a member of the State Bar
Association and was attorney for the local board of Bamberg County
during the war, also government appeal agent, a member of the State
Council of Defense, and a leader in the second Red Cross campaign
and in many other war activities. He is a member and deacon of the
Missionary Baptist Church and teacher of its Men's Bible Class. Mr.
Carter has never been a seeker for political honors, but is one of
the most influential men in his party in Bamberg County and is the
present chairman of the democratic county committee, serving his
second term in that office. Mr. Carter is president of the Home
Building & Loan Association, which has an issued capital of
$200,000. This is a recently organized company, Mr. Carter being one
of the organizers. The company starts off with bright
prospects.
In 1911 Mr. Carter married Lydia Jenkins, a
daughter of B. M. Jenkins of Kline, South Carolina. They have three
daughters: Lydia Frances, Janie Elizabeth and Martha Jaudon
Carter.
[History of South Carolina, Volume 5, Edited by Yates
Snowden and Harry Gardner Cutler, 1920 – Transcribed by
AFOFG]
George Felder
Hair
The Hairs are an old and prominent family of the
old Barnwell district. While farming has always been a dominant
interest in the family, the present generation is numerously
represented in the professions, several of the sons having been
physicians or dentists, including Dr. George Felder Hair, who for
twenty years has been a resident of Bamberg and is a former
president of the State Dental Society.
The remote ancestry of
the Hairs is German, though members of the family have lived in the
South since colonial times. The late Judson E. Hair was born in
Barnwell County June 30, 1847, and died June 16, 1919. He was a
student in the University of Georgia at Athens when the War Between
the States broke out, and he and the other members of his class
volunteered and went to Charleston to enter the Confederate service.
He was with Lee's army for eleven months, and was a musician in the
hand. His mature years were spent as a farmer and merchant in and
around Blackville. He was one of the prominent Baptist laymen, being
one of the founders and leaders of the church at Blackville and a
deacon. Judson E. Hair married Maggie Capres Felder, who was born
near Branchville, South Carolina, in 1850, and is still living at
Blackville.
When she was a small girl her father died as a
result of hardship and exposure endured while a Confederate soldier.
The family of Judson E. Hair and wife comprised twelve children,
seven of whom are living: Lorena Blanch, who was married to Thomas
J. Martin, of Anderson, in 1886; Dr. George F.; Arthur B., a
hardware merchant and farmer at Blackville; John Pinckney, deceased;
Joseph Roger, deceased; Dr. Isaac Murray Hair, a dentist at
Spartanburg; Dr. Harry B., also a dentist practicing at Columbia;
Mary E., deceased; Mrs. D. D. Walters, of Columbia; Mrs. Maggie E.
Still and Mrs. Abigail Sanders, of Blackville; and Dr. Judson E.,
deceased. Of the younger generation some mention should be made of
the two sons of Mrs. Lorena Blanch Martin, of Anderson. These sons,
Haskell Hair and Rhett Felder Martin, are both married, but when the
war came on and they were called in the draft they claimed no
exemption. The older went overseas as a lieutenant, and saw much of
the front line service with the Expeditionary Forces. He was at
Chateau Thierry and other historic points on the French front. He is
now practicing as an architect at Greenville. The other, Rhett
Felder Martin, who is in the coal and wood business at Anderson, was
on a transport bound for France when the armistice was signed, and
the boat was then turned about and landed him in America. Earl
Walters, a son of Mrs. D. D. Walters, of Columbia, was a volunteer
at the age of eighteen in the World war and was overseas with the
first forces sent to France and remained throughout the war. He was
a sergeant and participated in all the important engagements of the
Expeditionary Forces. Like all the others he had many narrow escapes
from death, but he escaped without a mark.
George Felder
Hair, who was born at Blackville October 31, 1870, was liberally
educated, attending the common and high schools of his native town,
graduated in a business course at Newark, New Jersey, in 1888, and
during the following year was employed by the S. S. White Dental
Manufacturing Company at Staten Island, New York. This experience
aroused his interest in the dental profession and he entered the
oldest dental college in the world, the Baltimore College of Dental
Surgery, where he was graduated with the class of 1892. Doctor Hair
practiced at Anderson for ten years, and since 1901 has been busy in
his profession at Bamberg. He has filled all the important offices
in the State Dental Society, including the office of president, and
is now a member of the State Board of Dental Examiners. He is also
affiliated with the National Dental Society. Doctor Hair is a
Scottish Rite Mason and Shriner, also a member of the Knights of
Pythias, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Woodmen of the World and
Improved Order of Red Men. He has never been active in politics, and
is a leader in the Baptist Church at Bamberg, being a deacon and a
teacher in its Sunday school. On May 5, 1892, he married Miss Leila
E. Boylston, of Blackville. Her father is a veteran ex-Confederate
soldier, George W. Boylston, for many years a prominent citizen of
Blackville. Doctor and Mrs. Hair have two children. Blanche, the
daughter, is the wife of J. J. Cudd, a financier and farmer at
Spartanburg. The son, P. Belton Hair, received his A. B. degree from
Furman University at Greenville, and while there served as a
volunteer for three months in the Students Army Corps until the
signing of the armistice. He is now in his third year of the Atlanta
Dental College of Georgia, preparing for the profession in which his
father and some of his uncles have done such distinguished
work.
[History of South Carolina, Volume 5, Edited by Yates
Snowden and Harry Gardner Cutler, 1920 – Transcribed by
AFOFG]
Aldrich, James, jurist and statesman of
Barnwell, S. C., was born July 25, 1850. in Barnwell, S. C. He was a
member of the South Carolina legislature in 1878-89. [Herringshaw's
American Blue-Book of Biography By Thomas William Herringshaw, 1914
– Transcribed by AFOFG]
William
Elliott Spann
Those who note the notable figures in
Bamberg County agriculture have no hesitation in pronouncing William
Elliott Spann one of the most enterprising factors and one of the
ablest cotton growers in the state. It is said that Mr. Spann had
only seventy-five cents to his name when he came to Bamberg County,
and he has used his opportunities and abilities so wisely as to
accumulate a large plantation and has been one of the premier cotton
growers of the county for a number of years.
He was born near
Leesville in Lexington County, South Carolina, November 29, 1859.
His grandfather was Henry Spann, a native of South Carolina, and one
of the early circuit rider Methodist preachers of the state. His
father was Philip C. Spann, who served as a Confederate soldier
during the war and otherwise spent his time as a farmer. He married
Jane Steadman, of Lexington County.
William Elliott Spann is
the oldest of a family of nine children, all of whom are still
living. He grew up on a farm and was twenty-two years of age when he
came to that portion of old Barnwell County now Bamberg County. He
soon distinguished himself by his ability to make a farm produce
maximum crops of cotton and grain, and has greatly extended his
possessions until he now has about 1,200 acres, mostly all of which
is devoted to cotton, corn and tobacco. In several different years
he has gathered 350 bales of cotton from 350 acres of land. Mr.
Spann is a leader in agriculture, has considerable interests in
local banks, and is known to have invested a large sum in Liberty
bonds.
He married Miss Minnie Hutto, now deceased, and she
was the mother of three children, Elliott I.eland, Eva May and
Blanche. Mrs. Spann came from one of the old South Carolina
families.
The Spanns are an old South Carolina family and
besides his father, the subject had three uncles in the Confederate
army, one of whom lost his life in one of the engagements. The
family is of old Revolutionary stock and of English descent. At an
early age William E. Spann had to start in to make his own way, as
the war had destroyed the wealth of the Spann family. He is a member
of the Knights of Pythias fraternity.
[History of South Carolina,
Volume 5, Edited by Yates Snowden and Harry Gardner Cutler, 1920 –
Transcribed by AFOFG]
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