USA > Alabama > Conecuh County > History of Conecuh County, Alabama. Embracing a detailed record of events from the earliest period to the present; biographical sketches of those who have been most conspicuous in the annals of the county; a complete list of the officials of Conecuh, besides much valuable information relative to the internal resources of the county > Part 11
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Judge Henderson was a typical Southern gentleman. Of commanding person and dignified mien, he excited the profoundest respect in every circle which he en- tered. His whole course of life bore the stamp of true manliness. He was exceedingly scrupulous with regard to the slightest promise. Toward the close of his life he evinced unusual solicitude in regard to his children, precipitated, as their lives had been, into the midst of the wide-spread demoralization which fol- lowed in the wake of the war. His family are still residents of the county.
DR. MILTON AMOS,
who was one of the earliest residents of the county, and for many years one of her most distinguished physicians, was born in the State of Maryland, about
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the year 1781. At an early age he turned his thoughts to the study of medicine, and afterwards finished his course in Philadelphia. Removing to Jones county, Georgia, he was married to Miss Reese. In the year 1818 or 1819 he came, with his young bride, to the wild scenes of South Alabama. His first point of location was at Cotten's Bluff, about twenty miles be- low Brooklyn. Here he resided for only a year, when he removed to Brooklyn, which gave early promise of vast importance in the future. When he came to this place, which afterwards became the most conspicuous point in the county, he found but two families residing here-those of Mr. Edwin Robinson, a merchant, and Mr. Thompson, the owner of the ferry on Conecuh river. During the period of his residence here, he had an extensive practice-reaching to all portions of the county, and even beyond. In 1835 he changed his location to Bellville. Again, he removed to Mil- ton, Florida, in 1850. The town of Milton derived its name from that of his own. Dr. Amos died in Escambia county, in 1875, at the advanced age of ninety-four years. He has left a record of honored usefulness.
DR. WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM.
This distinguished physician was born in Mecklen- burg county, Virginia, on April 21st, 1809. His med- ical training was secured in Philadelphia, where he was graduated when quite a young man. Returning to his Virginian home, he determined to seek a sphere
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for the exercise of his talents in the far South. Hence he removed to Alabama, and located first at Monte- vallo, in Shelby county. Thence he removed to Ar- kansas, and purchased lands upon Red river. A brief sojourn here was altogether sufficient to satisfy any longings which he might have had for the much- talked-of West, and he again turned his face toward Alabama. Removing farther south than before, he founded a home in Monroe county-the one now occupied by Hon. W. T. Nettles, and but a short dis- tance from the present site of Kempville. In 1842, he served Monroe county in the lower branch of the Legislature. About this time he suffered the saddest of misfortunes-the loss of his wife-when he removed a few miles south of Burnt Corn, and built a handsome residence, just within the limits of Cone- cuh. Here he continued to reside until his death.
With remarkable success Dr. Cunningham combined planting with the practice of medicine. He shared in the general "wreck and ruin" incident to the war. By thrift and skillful management he had become the possessor of a vast estate before the war. Dr. Cun- ningham was a polished gentleman of the Old Virginia School. He was exceedingly polite, and his urbanity was extended to all alike .* Highly gifted as a con- versationalist, and broadly informed upon all current topics, he was quite companionable. His scope of reading, however, was not restricted to the current
* The author remembers the impression produced upon his child- ish mind by the gentle politeness of Dr. Cunningham.
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literature of the period. His fondness for study led him into the investigation of all sciences, alike. He was one of those remarkable spirits, who was prepared to impart information in regard to almost every subject. By the sprightliness of his conversation he always shed a wholesome radiance into the chamber of sickness. To these superior qualities of personal character was added that of exceeding great fondness for the fine arts. No one had a keener appreciation for excellent music, or works of art, than himself. Naturally hospitable, his pleasant home was the fre- quent resort of congenial associates. He contributed with unstinted hand to the war waged for Southern Independence. Besides contributing three sons to the armies of the Confederacy, he sustained the families of other men, who were absent upon "the tented field." Dr. Cunningham died at his home, on August 26th, 1867.
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CHAPTER XXIII.
Dark Sway of Reconstructionism -- Social Chaos --- Demoralization -- Local Troubles-Sovereignty of the Bayonet-The Negro as a Politician -- How the New Order of Things Affected Southern Society-Heroism Displayed, &c.
Nothing equalled the wild chaos which prevailed in the South, just subsequent to the close of the war. The disorder introduced by invading armies, the derangement of the system of labor by the sudden emancipation of the slaves, the crash ex- perienced by the heavy loss sustained by their former owners, the shock of disappointment at the failure of Southern arms-all these produced a universal gloom among the whites of the South. Exhilarated by the consciousness that he was no longer under the re- straint of a master, the negro unceremoniously threw aside the implements of labor, and met his fellows where they were wont to gather, from day to day, in the rural village, at the depots, in the towns and crowded cities. All industry was suddenly paralyzed. There was a painful consciousness in the minds of the most reflective that no shield of legal defence existed, and that for once, society was launched upon a wild and stormy sea of disorder. Prompted by the innate principle of self-defence, every man resolved to protect, as far as possible, his own interests against the inva- sion of lawlessness. Hence it was to be expected that
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there would be occasional outbreaks of disorder. Robbery was by no means a rare occurrence, and here and there a murder was committed, while differences between the two races were frequently arising. Noth- ing of a serious nature arose in Conecuh. After the establishment, by the government, of military dis- tricts, troops were quartered at several points in the county, but here, as elsewhere, they were productive of more disorder than quiet. Every local camp became a kind of confessional, to which the negro would, for the most part, resort, not to confess his own sins, but to make confession of the sins of his white neighbor, and perhaps former owner, especially if these sins had the slightest relation to himself. Hence squads of cavalrymen were traversing the country districts, hunting up the perpetrators of reported mis- demeanors, and great was the annoyance to which the people were subjected by these petty commanders of local posts. The feeling of demoralization, which came immediately upon the heels of the war, was gradually displaced by that of desperation, as the peo- ple witnessed the removal, by military orders, of the entire official incumbency of the civil positions, and their places filled by military appointees. Legally enfranchised, the blacks swarmed around the ballot- boxes at the first opportunity, and seemed greatly to relish the privilege of citizenship, though they were totally ignorant of the consequence of voting. Con- flicting elements would soon have been tranquilized, and serene peace would again have smiled upon the
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desolate fields of the South, and would have kindled new hopes in the bosoms of her impoverished people, had not a horde of unprincipled politicians swarmed into the States, and fanned into intenser heat the hostility between the races. These, unfortunately, found fellow-helpers among the whites of the South, who, stimulated by no higher motive than self- aggrandizement, sought to widen the chasm between the races, in order to command the negro vote, and secure to themselves the spoils of office. Among those who contributed to this race agitation in Conecuh were William P. Miller and Rev. A. W. Jones.
In the midst of this wide spread anarchy, created by the war and its disastrous results, it is wonder- ful that there was evinced such elasticity on the part of Southern society. A revolution could not have been more sudden or complete, than that into which the society of the South was precipitated; and yet the ease with which it was speedily adjusted to the exist- ing order of things, was indeed marvelous. Men had risen from the most straitened circumstances into easy competency, and with a contentment at once natural and legitimate, were quietly resting from their early toils; and yet, when the crash of disaster came, they had to resume the hard labor of other days, in order to provide the actual necessities of life. Women, unused to domestic drudgery, and the thousand cares of which they had been relieved by competent serv- ants, had to face the dire inevitable, and grapple with the duties to which a disastrous war had subjected
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them. But with the energy and elasticity for which the Anglo-Saxon race is so famous, these heroic men and women bravely met these trying odds, and dis- tinguished themselves as signally as did their soldier boys upon the bloody field. Year by year, the South emerged from the wreck of the dark and bloody past, her people came more and more to take a calm and dispassionate view of "the situation," the lines of race prejudice were growing gradually dimmer, a spirit of industry began to awaken the sluggish energies of the people, and a wholesome change was being mani- festly wrought in all directions.
The one event of marked interest in Conecuh, during the year 1866, was the removal of the seat of justice from Sparta to Evergreen. Two principal causes contributed to this removal. The first-was the total destruction of the court house at Sparta, with all the county records, and the second was the grow- ing importance of Evergreen, and its easy accessibility from all portions of the county. Two years later, Conecuh lost a portion of her southern territory by the formation of Escambia county. This county was established by an act approved December 10th, 1868. It was carved from Conecuh and Baldwin counties. It has not been allowed separate representation in the General Assembly, until the last few years.
List of county officers from 1865 to 1870 :
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JUDGES OF PROBATE. 1868-John M. Henderson .* 1868-A. W. Jones.
SHERIFFS.
- 1867-James Fortner. CIRCUIT CLERKS. 1868- - Greenslate.+ REPRESENTATIVES. 1868-J. Yates. 1870-J. W. Ethridge.
* Removed by military force and succeeded by A. W. Jones. t Of Illinois-appointed by the military authorities.
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CHAPTER XXIV.
"Peep o' Day " -- Darkness Clearing Away-Advancement of Order- Returning Signs of Prosperity-The People Becoming Them- selves Again-A Glance at Current Events up to the Present.
The period about which I now write, was anticipa- ted in the closing remarks of the last chapter. Several years elapsed before the people of Conecuh could withdraw sufficiently far from the reign of disorder to address themselves to the re-establishment of their institutions, and the resuscitation of their shattered fortunes. But a steady growing resolution was pos- sessing the people, and gradually the signs of return- ing prosperity began to show themselves in every quarter. Of course this growing change was largely due to the revolution in politics. The combined powers of ignorance and selfishness were gradually giving way before the strong assertion of intelligence and public-spiritedness. Instead of being represented by men who were hostile to the public interest, the people were eventually able to send representatives of their choice. The wholesome legislation so sadly needed by the masses in their depressed condition, was eventually secured, and impartial officers elected to execute it.
The colored people, having realized the extent of the boon of liberation, and the relation which bound them to the whites, resumed, with commendable spirit, their
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former habits of industry in the field, the shop, the home, and thus contributed, in no small degree, to the prosperity which all, in common, now enjoy. Few have been the events that have disturbed the increas- ing growth of harmony in Conecuh, within the last few years.
In the summer of 1877 a painful event occurred in the quiet town of Evergreen, and one, the circum- stances of which rendered it more painful, because of the parties connected therewith. Sheriff B. M. Burns, of Monroe county, while on official business in Conecuh, was engaged in a game of billiards with William Ashley, son of the late Senator Ashley, when a disa- greement arose between them, and Mr. Ashley was shot and killed by Sheriff Burns. Intense excitement was created in both counties by the sad and unex- pected tragedy, because of the prominence both of the slayer and the slain. After two years, Mr. Burns was tried at Evergreen and sentenced to hard labor for the county for a limited term of months.
To recount the events which have transpired from year to year, would be to tell the deeds of a deter- mined people to make their section fairer, better and more inviting, than during any period of the past. Of the material elements with which they have to deal, I have occasion to write more at length in a subsequent chapter.
The following list contains the officers of the county from 1870 up to the present time :
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HISTORY OF CONECUH. JUDGES OF PROBATE.
1874-F. M. Walker. 1880-F. M. Walker .* 1880-Perry C. Walker.
SHERIFFS.
1869-James Fortner. I 1874-John Angle. 1877-Robert J. McCreary. 1880-John Angle.
CIRCUIT CLERKS.
1874-George Christian. 1880-William Beard.
SENATORS. 1870-William Miller, Jr. 1874-William Miller, Jr.t 1874-E. W. Martin, # 1877-J. H. Dunklin. §
* Resigned and was succeeded, by gubernatorial appointment, by his son, P. C. Walker.
| Retained in office, under the Reconstruction Acts, until 1874.
t Successful contestant of the seat with Gen. E. W. Martin, be- fore the tribunal of a Republican Legislature.
# Seat given him upon the decision of the Democratic Legislature, that he was the year before fraudulently ejected.
§ Died before the expiration of his term.
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HISTORY OF CONECUH. 197 1878-David Buell. | 1880-G. R. Farnham.
REPRESENTATIVES.
1872-N. Stallworth. 1874-N. Stallworth. 1876-A. J. Robinson. 1878-Eli Clarke. 1880-A. J. Robinson.
|| Elected to fill unexpired term.
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CHAPTER XXV.
Present Representative Men of Conecuh-Rev. Andrew Jay-Dr. J. L. Shaw, etc.
Approaching, as we are, the conclusion of our county history, so thrilling in historic event, and so conspicuous in the biography of prominent spirits, it has been thought proper to devote attention to those who are at present recognized as the representative men of Conecuh. Prominent among these is
REV. ANDREW JAY,
who is a native of the county, and has shared largely in its fortunes and its reverses. He was born within three miles of his present home, at Jayvilla, on Feb- ruary 16th, 1820. His father was one of the earliest emigrants to the county, and upon his removal hither was quite poor. But he was not lacking in those qualities of industry and economy, which invariably find expression in accumulation. His father surrounded himself and family with a compe- tency of life's necessities. His son was early taught the habits of industry, and has led quite an active life. His mental acquirements were secured within the narrow compass presented by the school facilities of his boyhood days. When he had attained man- hood the academy was established at Evergreen, and for three successive sessions, he studied there with
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vast advantage to himself. After his marriage to Miss Ashley-daughter of Capt. Wilson Ashley-he devoted his attention to planting. At different periods of his life he has been elevated to positions of trust and distinction. During the period when considera- ble attention was bestowed upon the organization of an efficient militia, Mr. Jay was selected as the major of a battalion. He was successively commissioner of roads and revenue, tax assessor and Representative to the General Assembly. For two consecutive terms he served Conecuh in the Legislature. Mr. Garrett, in his "Reminiscences of Public Men of Alabama," pays him a deserved compliment when he speaks of his ability as a legislator, and the marked attention bestowed by himself upon the interests with which his position was invested. Up to the period of the formal emancipation of the slaves, Mr. Jay had gathered about him a respectable fortune. And during the period of his prosperity, his liberality was pro- verbial. Whatever enterprise was inaugurated for the public weal, found a generous response at the hands of Mr. Jay. No one advocated with more pro- found earnestness the establishment of the railroad through Conecuh, than did he. He was one of the most liberal contributors to the enterprise. He gave largely to the endowment of Howard College, and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, at Louisville, . Kentucky.
Aided by his noble wife, he found peculiar delight, during the war, in raising supplies of clothing and
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of a brother. By this event the management of his father's estate fell completely upon himself. But having naturally a sprightly mind, he continued to address himself to literary pursuits, as he had oppor- tunity. In September, 1847, he connected himself with the Baptist Church at Evergreen, and shortly after became one of its deacons, which position he has held to the present. He was married, in 1848, to Miss Polly H. Stallworth, and at once turned his attention to planting. He was regarded a successful planter during the palmiest period of that pursuit in Conecuh. In 1856, we find him a citizen of Evergreen, whither he had removed for the education of his children. Here he formed a partnership with S. A. Barnett (now a citizen of Mobile), in a mercantile interest, which was conducted with success until the beginning of the late war. For many years Mr. Rabb was a member of the Commissioners' Court of the county, where he was exceedingly scrupulous in regard to the expendi- ture of the people's money. After the close of the war, he relinquished his farming interest, and em- barked in a timber enterprise in Escambia county, Florida, as the partner of W. D. Mann. Here the failure of the contractors, under whose auspices the firm operated, involved it in serious embarrassment, thereby rendering Mr. Rabb unable to sustain that spirit of hospitality and benevolence for which he was characteristic during more prosperous periods. In 1880, Mr. Rabb offered himself to the people of Conecuh. as a candidate for the Judgeship of the
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Probate Court. He was, however, defeated by Judge Walker, a former incumbent of the office, and the regular nominee of the people. The many virtues of Mr. Rabb, his devotion to the public interest, and his intellectual qualifications, make him one of the representative men of Conecuh.
DR. A. J. ROBINSON.
This gentleman is a native Georgian. He was born in Fayette county, in that State, on January 16th, 1833. His parents were poor-but his father, by no means, humble in his influence. He was repeatedly elected to the State Legislature. For his public ser- vices he realized but little remuneration, and hence was unable to give his children the intellectual advan- tages which they might have otherwise enjoyed. The subject of our sketch was the eldest of the family of children, and upon him devolved the necessity of laboring upon the farm for the support of the younger children. He was an industrious laborer upon the farm until he was fully nineteen years of age, enjoying at brief intervals the advantages of country schools. But with his father absent as a public servant, and himself the first of a family of thirteen children, these opportunities for scholastic training were exceeding scant. At the age of nineteen, Dr. Robinson removed to McDonough, Georgia, where he attended a good school for six months. On the 17th of August of that year, he was married to Miss Josephine Moffett, of
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Crawford, Georgia. She is the cousin of Col. J. S. Boynton, the President of the Georgia Senate .*
During the winter following his marriage, Dr. Robinson removed to Stewart county, Georgia, and began work upon a little farm, in connection with oc- casional intervals of school-teaching. In 1856 he sold his interest in Georgia, and removed to Covington county, in this State, settling upon Pigeon creek. In the midst of his varied reading he had acquired a peculiar fondness for the investigation of the science of medicine. Resolving to adopt the practice of med- icine as a profession, he disposed of his place on Pigeon creek, and removed to Brooklyn, for the pur- pose of pursuing a more systematic course of study. Here, by stress of necessity, he was forced to divide his time between his studies and. labors in the wagon shop of D. M. Dodson-his wife, meanwhile, assisting as teacher in the academy at Brooklyn. In 1857 and 1858 he attended lectures in Memphis, Tennessee. Here license to practice was granted him, and he re- turned to his home, and entered at once his chosen profession. In 1859 Dr. Robinson formed a partner- ship with Dr. John Scott; but after a year's connec- tion with this gentleman, the copartnership was dis- solved by the withdrawal of Dr. Scott. During the summer of 1859 Dr. Robinson attended another course of lectures at Atlanta, Georgia. Returning to his home, he found himself rapidly introduced into an
* In 1881.
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extensive practice. For several years his practice in the portion of the county in which he resided was simply overwhelming. Declining health forced him gradually to retire. Since his retirement from the duties of a physician, he has been honored by the people of Conecuh during two different sessions with the position of Representative to the General Assem- bly. In this capacity he has proved to be quite use- ful, and has won for himself considerable distinction as a legislator. He served Conecuh during the last session of the General Assembly.
Dr. Robinson is a gentleman of many sterling qualities. His usefulness has been realized not only in direction of public affairs, but also in the sacred matters of the church. He is profoundly interested in the spiritual elevation of the masses. Possessing the highest sense of right, he is admirably fitted to become a prominent director in all matters relating to the public weal.
NICHOLAS STALLWORTH,
familiarly known as "Nick," is the third child of Hon. James A. Stallworth. He was born at Ever- green on the 9th of August, 1845, and hence is now but thirty-six years of age. He left school at the early age of fourteen, to accompany his father-then in declining health-to Washington. He spent the winters of 1859-'60-'61 in the National Metropolis. Returning with his father in 1861 to Conecuh, he at once joined the "Conecuh Guards," though he was a 10
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lad of only fifteen. His honored father accompanied him to Montgomery, and there meeting several of his quondam associates in the United States Congress- who were then members of the Confederate Congress -they proposed to secure for "Nick" the commission of lieutenant in the regular army. This was commu- nicated to him by his father and friends ; but the offer he politely refused, saying that he preferred a place in the ranks with the companions of his boyhood days. Upon the organization of the Fourth Alabama Regi- ment, he was found to be the youngest member in the entire command. He went with the Fourth Alabama Regiment to Virginia, and served in all the campaigns and battles in which it participated until the battle of Cold Harbor, where he was wounded and discharged. For some time prior to this he had been suffering from a bowel affection, and was in feeble health when he received the wound. Returning to his home, he found his mother stricken with grief by the double affliction of the loss of her husband and eldest son. The mother communicated to her son the dying re- quest of his father, that if he should survive the bloody scenes of the war, he should go at once to the University of Alabama and complete his education. Regaining his health, "Nick " repaired to the Univer- sity, and entered the Junior Class, in 1863. But his university course was cut short by sickness, and after an attendance of only eight months, he returned to his home. After the recuperation of his health, again he was offered a position on the staff of Gen. Samuel
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