USA > Alabama > Memorial record of Alabama. A concise account of the state's political, military, professional and industrial progress, together with the personal memoirs of many of its people. Volume I > Part 113
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PERSONAL MEMOIRS-ESCAMBIA COUNTY.
McLean, and among the children of the latter couple was Duncan McMil- lan, who was about twelve years of age when his parents settled in North Carolina. Duncan McMillan, by his wife, Mary Wilkinson, was the father of twelve children, namely: John, Daniel, Neil, Duncan, Peter, Angus, Malcolm, Edward, Margaret, Christian, Mary and Catharine. Daniel McMillan was a man of excellent reputation in the community where he resided, as the following certificate, now in the possession of one of his descendants, sufficiently attests :
STATE OF. NORTH CAROLINA, } ROBESON COUNTY.
We, the undersigned, do certify that we have, for a considerable number of years, been acquainted with the bearer hereof. Mr. Duncan McMillan. That he is a gentleman of undisputed honesty and the strictest integrity, that he is of respectable connections, and has at all times main- tained the character of an honest and upright man. We do, therefore, recommend him to the notice and protection of all good citizens where- soever his business may call him, or his inclinations lead him. In testi- mony of which, we have hereunto set our hands and seals, this second day of January, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-eight.
D. McPHAUL, J. P., N. MCALPIN, Dy. Shff., PETER JOHNSON, Constable, JOHN MACKAY, DANIEL SMITH, S. Clk.
A true copy.
D. McMILLAN, Co. Treas., Gadsden Co., Fla.
The parents of Mrs. Duncan McMillan were Neil Wilkinson and Mar- garet (McAllister) Wilkinson, both natives of North Carolina, and mem- bers of old and highly respectable families. Malcolm McMillan, seventh child of Duncan McMillan, and father of James McMillan, was a native of Robeson county, N. C., born about the year 1815. By occupation, he was a farmer; during the war acted as a captain of militia in the Confed- erate service, and after the cessation of hostilities was tax collector for a district in Florida, and later, served as sheriff of Escambia county, Ala., for a period of four years. He was married in Santa Rosa county, Fla., April, 1842, to Mary J. McCaskill, and lived in that county until his removal to Escambia county, Ala., in 1871. Mr. McMillan died October 19, 1880; his widow still survives and resides at this time in Brewton. They reared a family of eight children, namely: Allen M., lumber dealer, of Pine Barren, Fla .; Neal, lumber dealer, doing business at Repton, Ala .; James, Mary E., Duncan, deceased; Edward S., merchant, at Brewton; Margaret H., died in childhood, and Sarah C., wife of Hon. James Davi- son, of Brewton. James McMillan, whose name appears at the head of this sketch, was born in Santa Rosa county, Fla., April 30, 1847, and received a limited education in the schools of his native town. Not old enough to enter the regular service at the breaking out of the Civil wa
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MEMORIAL RECORD OF ALABAMA.
he nevertheless became greatly interested in the southern cause, and for some years served in the state militia without taking part in any actual battles. He remained under the parental roof until attaining his majority, and later entered the employ of his brother, Allen M. McMillan, who carried on the mercantile business at Pollard, Ala., for whom he clerked several years, and was also employed, in a similar capacity, with W. M. Carney, at Williams' Station. In 1878, he removed to Brewton, and engaged in the general mercantile trade. which he carried on with varying success until 1885, at which time he disposed of his business, and the year following was appointed sheriff of Escambia county, to serve out an unfinished term, caused by the resignation of T. F. Owens. He discharged the duties of sheriff in a manner so acceptable to the people that at the ensuing election he was chosen his own successor, and is now the incum- bent of the office. "Jim" McMillan, as he is familiarly called, is one of the most efficient sheriffs Escambia county has ever had, and his name has become a terror to all law breakers in Escambia and adjoining counties. On taking the office, there were on file a number of dead warrants against parties whom his predecessors had feared to arrest, but nothing daunted "Jim." He immediately set about to bring these lawbreakers to justice or drive them out of the county, which he succeeded in doing so effectu- ally that none of them have been heard of in the county since. He has the reputation of being bold, and absolutely fearless in the discharge of his official duties, but, withal. is a man of fine feeling, and always tries to make better men out of the prisoners placed in his charge. Politically, Mr. McMillan has always been an active member of the democratic party, and as such takes an interest in the deliberations of such in Escambia. county. He is a member of the Masonic and the K. of P. fraternities, in both of which orders he has held important official positions, and with his wife, belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church, being a steward and Sun- day school superintendent in the Brewton congregation. He was united in marriage June 22, 1873, at Pollard, to Anne, daughter of W. S. Penn, whose family are Alabama people.
E. S. MCMILLAN, brother of James McMillan, and one of the well known and popular citizens of Escambia county, was born in Santa Rosa county, Fla, September 7, 1854. He removed with his family to Pollard, Ala., in 1870, and on attaining his majority began working for his father as teamster, but afterward accepted a clerkship in the business house of McMillan & Wiggins, in which capacity he continued for some time. Subsequently he clerked for another firm, and in 1884 embarked in the mercantile business in partnership with C. S. Wiggins, which firm, for three years and a half, carried on a successful trade in the town of Pollard. He then disposed of his interest in the house and for sometime thereafter was engaged in the lumber and logging business, and in 1890. purchasd a grocery store in Brewton, which he has since conducted very successfully. On the 6th day of February, 1891, he was appointed city
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PERSONAL MEMOIRS-ESCAMBIA COUNTY.
marshal of Brewton, which office he still holds with credit to himself and satisfaction to the people of the town. Mr. McMillan and Miss Kate Leigh, popular daughter of Hon. N. R. Leigh, were united in marriage on the 19th day of October, 1878, and to their union two children, Ed Leigh and Malcolm, have been born. In politics, Mr. McMillan affiliates with the democratic party, and in religion adheres to the creed of the Method- ist, church of which he has for some years been a faithful member. He belongs to the K. of H. and K. of P. and Masonic orders, and socially is one of the most highly esteemed citizens of Brewton.
JAMES M. PADGETT, the leading merchant of Escambia county, was born January 16, 1861, in the county of Conecuh, Ala., and is the only son of Samuel and Calline Padgett. Samuel Padgett, a farmer by occu- pation, is also a native of Conecuh county, and dates his birth from the year 1843. He married in 1860, when but eighteen years of age, Calline Bransford, at the time but sixteen, by which union he became the father of one child, James M. The young wife and mother died in 1862, and several years later Mr. Padgett contracted a matrimonial alliance with Sarah Beasley, of Conecuh county, who has borne him the following children: John Wesley, Mollie, Thursy, Alice and C. S., all living but the first named. Mr. and Mrs Padgett now live in Hico, Tex., to which state they removed in 1876.
Samuel Padgett's father, also named Samuel, was a native of Georgia, a planter and stock dealer, and for many years a well-to-do citizen of Escambia county. James M. Padgett spent his early years amid the arduous duties of the farm, and at inter- vals attended such schools as the county afforded, but did not acquire a very thorough education. At the early age of sixteen he left the parental roof, and with but $2.50 which he could call his own, embarked in life for himself as a farm hand in Texas, at the insignificant salary of $10 per month. After a year of such labor, he concluded to return to his old home in Alabama, and carrying this desire into effect, in 1879, lived for some time thereafter with his grandfather, in Conecuh county, where he farmed until the latter's death. Inheriting a small amount of money and farm stock from his grandfather's estate, he continued farming the place till the following year, when he entered a school taught by J. B. F. Watts, at Evergreen, Fla., in which he pursued his studies for a period of ten months. In October, 1881, he took service with the mercantile firm of Rosenfield Bros., at Evergreen, Ala., with whom he remained until January, 1882, without compensation for the purpose of becoming familiar with the business. By this means he obtained a good practical knowledge of the mercantile trade, and being a live, energetic clerk, his firm employed him for the succeeding year at a salary of $150 a year and his board. He continued in the employ of Rosenfield Bros. until August, 1884, at which time, in partnership with a former schoolmate, S. L. Witherington, under the firm name of Witherington & Padgett, he
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MEMORIAL RECORD OF ALABAMA.
embarked in general merchandising at the town of Evergreen, where he continued with very gratifying success until October, 1885, when he dis- posed of his interest and retired from the firm. For some time after selling out he was engaged in Rosenfield Bros.' employ as clerk, but in August, 1887, he effected a partnership with R. Rosenfield, under the firm name of J. M. Padgett & Co., and opened a business house in Brew- ton, of which he subsequently became sole proprietor. Mr. Padgett, with many others, suffered severely by the great fire which almost devastated Brewton in July, 1888, and, to add to his misfortune, one of the companies in which he carried insurance on his stock proved fraudu- lent, thus entailing upon him a very serious loss, from the effects of which he did not succeed in recovering for some time. With a capital of $750, and a well-formed determination to succeed, Mr. Padgett again entered the business field, and, after selling goods for some time alone, became associated with E. M. Lovelace, which partnership continued until November, 1890. In that year Mr. Padgett purchased his partner's interest, since which time his success has been all that he could have reasonably desired, being at this time the proprietor of the largest mer- cantile establishment in the county, representing a capital of over $18.000, and doing a yearly business of $60,000. He carries on a whole- sale and retail trade in all kinds of general merchandise, occupies two large and commodious brick buildings, and is classed among the solid men of the county. Mr. Padgett was married March 25, 1885, in Ever- green, Ala., to Mollie, daughter of Y. M. Rabb. They have three chil- dren, Ruth, Samuel Young and Sadie.
HENRY T. PARKER .- Among the successful business men of Escambia county, deserving of especial mention, is Henry T. Parker, who for a number of years has been prominently identified with its material pros- perity. Mr. Parker is the son of. George and Elizabeth (Odon) Parker, and was born in Conecuh county, Ala., on the 26th day of August, 1838. The father was a native of Georgia, born about the year 1812, the son of John Parker, also a native of Georgia, and member of an old English family that settled in Maryland many years ago. Emery Odon, father of Mrs. Parker, was for many years a well-known resident of the county of Conecuh. George and Elizabeth Parker were married about the year 1837, and had a large family of thirteen children, namely: Henry T., whose name introduces this sketch; Robert B., deceased; Samuel R., who served in the Confederate army, was captured at battle of Missionary Ridge, and died a prisoner of war; Charlotte, wife of J. H. Reid; John B .; Emery; Wilson A .; Miles M .; Augustus C .; Elizabeth, wife of T. T. Rob- erts; Francis; Florence, wife of H. H. Lovelace, and George M. The family was raised principally in Conecuh county, where the father's demise occurred in December, 1886; the mother is still living at the old homestead, in the town of Roberts. Henry T. Parker was reared to man- hood in his native county, began life for himself at the age of twenty-
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PERSONAL MEMOIRS-ESCAMBIA COUNTY.
one, and at the breaking out of the war, espoused the southern cause and served as a gallant soldier in the Fifteenth Alabama cavalry from May, 1862, till the final surrender in 1865. Like many other brave sons of the South, the close of the great struggle found Mr. Parker in very strait- ened circumstances, financially, his total wealth at that time being in a single two dollar and fifty cent gold piece, a little more than one-half which was spent for a bushel of cow peas. With this insignificant sum he again embarked in life, and how well he has succeeded is attested by his present comfortable property, which consists of a block of valuable business houses in Brewton, 18,000 acres of fine timber land, with mills, in Florida, which with personal property makes him one of Escambia county's wealthiest and most substantial citizens. Since the war Mr. Parker has been principally engaged in milling and lumbering, and at this time is in partnership in the timber business with E. M. Lovelace, under the firm name of Parker & Lovelace, one of the leading firms of the kind in the southern part of the state. Mr. Parker possesses busi- ness qualifications of a very high order, and his career presents a series of successes to which he can point with pardonable pride. He has always been averse to seeking notoriety of any kind, eschews political prefer- ment, and prefers to spread his life in quiet and unobtrusive attention to his various enetrprises. In politics he is a democrat, but not a partisan, and he is an active member of the Masonic and K. of P. fraternities. The married life of Mr. Parker began in 1859, when he contracted a mat- rimonial alliance with Sarah A., daughter of F. M. Brantley, of Conecuh county, who bore him nine children, viz .: Frank M., a successful dentist, of Los Angeles, Cal .; Edwin L., graduate of Tulane university, New Orleans, and practicing physician, of Brewton; Elbert R., in the black- smithing business at Brewton; Anna Lillian, wife of Charles W. Robbins, editor of Brewton Banner; Laura, a student at Judson Female institute; Henry Travis; Samuel Barnes, and Dossie J. The mother of these children died in May, 1879, and in 1881 Mr. Parker took a second wife, Martha P. Rankin, of Brewton, of which union there has been no issue.
WILEY W. PRIDGEN. - The gentleman whose name introduces this cap- tion is one of the wide-awake citizens of Brewton, a native of the Lone Star state, and son of Wiley W. and Elizabeth (Williams) Pridgen. The father was born of Scotch-Irish parentage in DeWitt county, Tex., about the year 1842, and was a farmer and stock dealer by occupation. He served two years in the late war with Wall's Texas legion, was for some time thereafter in the government employ as freighter between Indianola and another point in Texas, and met with his death at the hand of a cruel and cowardly assassin in 1874. His wife, whom he married in 1864, was Miss Elizabeth Williams, a native of Tennessee, born near the city of Memphis about the year 1844. She bore her husband three children, Wiley W., Mary and John L. In 1877 she married a second husband, A. W. Eatman, with whom she now lives in DeWitt county, Tex. Mr.
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MEMORIAL RECORD OF ALABAMA.
Pridgen's grandfather, also named Wiley W., was a native of North Carolina, and son of a well-known and popular Baptist minister of that state. He early removed to Greene county, Ala., thence moved to DeWitt county, Tex., where his death afterward occurred. Wiley W., Jr., was born in Victoria county, Tex., July 21, 1865, spent his youthful days in the county of DeWitt, and at the age of fifteen began life for himself as an agriculturist on the home farmn. One year later he moved to Kansas with a herd of cattle, and for a period of about three years was on the trail between that state and Texas, during which time he became thor- oughly conversant with the stock business. He next turned his attention to buying and selling horses, and followed the same for some six years, traveling extensively during that time throughout the states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and Alabama, and meeting with encour- aging success in the business. On the first day of January, 1891, he purchased the livery barn of T. S. Sowell at Brewton, and since that time has given his entire attention to the business, which, under his suc- cessful management, has been greatly enlarged, representing at this time a capital of about $5,000. He keeps on hand about twenty superior road- sters, his vehicles are all of the latest improved pattern, and his barn is a capacious structure with capacity sufficient to accommodate from thirty to forty horses. Mr. Pridgen is a notable type of the vigorous young Texan, full of life and energy, a shrewd dealer and one of the popular men of Brewton.
JOSEPH A. PROCTOR, one of nature's noblemen, but now deceased, was a native of Mallerytown, Ontario, Canada, born October 13, 1849. His father, John P. Proctor, is also a native of Canada, born about 1820, and by occupation is a carpenter. He was united in marriage November 27, 1847, in lower Canada, to Miss Harriet Gardner, who became the mother of three sons, of whom the first born was Joseph A. The next in order of birth is John G., an architect residing in Tacoma, Wash., and the youngest is Grosvenor L., foreman of Fuller & Rice's planing-mill at Grand Rapids, Mich. This family was reared in Ingersoll, Canada, where Joseph A. Proctor assisted on the farm until he reached fifteen, securing, 'in the meantime, a good common-school education, and supplementing it. with a course of study in the London (Ontario) commercial college, from which he graduated May 14, 1867. Returning to Ingersoll, he entered the employ of Christopher Bros. as bookkeeper in their planing-mill, and held the position four years. He then passed a year in Saginaw, Mich., as bookkeeper for a large lumber firm, returning to Christopher Bros. and keeping. their books until 1876, when the firm dissolved. J. H. Ford & Co., an extensive iron firm of Detroit, Mich., next secured his services as their accountant, but a year later he went to Alleytown, Mich., and took charge of the books of J. Alley & Co., a lumber firm, and later became a partner in the business, which was carried on under the firm name of Alley, Proctor & Co. In 1884, he returned to Ingersoll, whence
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he started on a prospecting trip through the western states, which lasted until the fall of the same year, when he entered the employ of the R. G. Peters Salt & Lumber company, at Eastlake, Mich. In the spring of 1888 his eyes became overtaxed and he took a rest for a few months, the family returning to their home at Ingersoll. In the fall of the same year Mr. Proctor came to Alabama at the request of his former employer, Mr. R. G. Peters, and took charge of the books of the R. G. Peters Lumber company at Alco. In a short time he became a stockholder in the com- pany, and retained his interest in the mill until his death, which occurred June 25, 1891, after an illness of but three days, at which time he was general manager of the business, as well as secretary and treasurer of the company. The Standard Gauge in its weekly issue of Thursday, July 2, 1891, under the heading "Death of Mr. J. A. Proctor-A useful and respected citizen passes away," has the following:
"This entire community, including both the towns of Alco and Brewton, was sadly and most suddenly shocked last Friday morning, the 26th ult., to learn of the death of Mr. J. A. Proctor, general manager of the Peters Lumber company, which occurred the night previous, at about 8 o'clock, , at his residence in Alco. Mrs. Proctor and her son, R. H. Proctor, who constitute the immediate family of the deceased, had left home a few days previous for Canada by way of the Mississippi river, and were over- taken by telegraph at Cape Girardeau. Mo. They immediately returned and reached home Sunday night. The body, which was placed in a metallic casket, was packed in ice and kept until the return of the loved ones, but sad it is, on account of the advanced stage of decomposition, they were denied the melancholy pleasure of a last fond look at the departed. The funeral was conducted from the residence, Monday, by Rev. R. A. Mickle, and in the presence of a large assemblage of friends and admirers the body was deposited in its last resting place by the side of his little daughter, May, who died about two years ago. And thus has passed away in the prime of life a prominent, upright, honorable man, unassuming in deportment, yet unflinchingly true to duty and to his con- victions. He was a man whose character was well marked and whose influence was deeply felt. For the past three or four years he has held the very responsible position of general manager of the Peters Lumber Co., with credit to himself and satisfaction to the corporation. As a husband and father he was affectionate, kind and indulgent. In every relation of life he came up to the full measure of a man, and his death is an irreparable loss to his family, a loss to the company he has so faith- fully and ably served, and to the county at large, which it will indeed be difficult to replace."
The same journal also contained the following:
"At a meeting of the Ladies' Aid Society, of the Brewton Presbyterian church, called for the purpose, on the 29th of June, 1891, the following were adopted.
"Whereas, In his all wise and mysterious providence, our heavenly father has sent the deepest sorrow and bereavement into the family of our beloved president, Mrs. J. A. Proctor, in the removal by death, of her devoted husband, the wise head of the household, the tender father, the strong arm on which they leaned, thus, causing gloom and darkness
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to settle down upon the once happy home; therefore, be it resolved by us, her sisters assembled in society :
"First, That we tender her and her son our profound sympathy and prayers, and the assurance that we feel for them in our very heart of hearts.
"Second, That we can only commend them to Him who is the husband of the widow, and the father of the fatherless, praying that the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, may fill their hearts.'
"Third, That we inscribe these resolutions on a page in our record book, and instruct our secretary to furnish a copy to our worthy and esteemed president and her son.
The marriage of Mr. Proctor took place in London, Ontario, May 24, 1871, to Miss Mary E., daughter of Cap. E. and Margaret (Boyd) Shaw. Mrs. Proctor was born on the shore of Lake Erie, opposite the city of Cleveland, Ohio, November 9, 1854, but when six years of age had the misfortune to lose her mother. She was, in consequence, reared by her grandparents, mostly at Morpeth, Ontario, and while on a visit to Inger- soll met with Mr. Proctor. The union was blessed by the birth of two children, Robert H., born May 27, 1872, in Saginaw, Mich., and May M., born in Alleytown, Mich., May 3, 1881, and died June 8, 1889, of diphtheria, after an illness of eleven days. Robert H. Proctor is possessed of an unusual talent as an artist, which developed itself while he was yet a child. At the age of thirteen years he painted a life-size portrait of his grandmother, which none but a professional would be able to criticize; he also painted a full-length portrait of his little sister May, and also a a portrait of his mother. The deceased Mr. Proctor was very fond of his family and the home circle. In his earlier days he was an Odd Fellow, but withdrew from the order after the birth of his children, in order to have all his evenings to himself in the society of the family. He was careful to keep his life insurance premiums paid up, however, and thus secured to his widow quite a comfortable sum, and also left to his family considerable property.
HON. CHARLES F. RANKIN, mayor of Brewton, and one of its leading business men and substantial citizens, is descended from an old Scotch family which, for many generations, lived at and near the city of Glas- gow. Duncan Rankin, grandfather of Charles F., was born in that city as was also his wife, Janet, whom he married about the year 1794. Dun- can Rankin and wife came to the United States in 1797 and settled in South Carolina, where they resided until about 1822, at which time the family removed to Alabama. The death of this estimable couple occurred in the years 1846 and 1849 respectively. The father of Charles F., also named Duncan, was born May 24, 1798, and by occupation was a planter. He was a man of many accomplishments, liberally educated in the best schools of his day, and for a number of years followed the profession of teaching in his native state. He was a man of commanding presence and dignified deportment, served in the Creek war with Gen. Jackson, and is remembered as one of the leading politicians of that part of the state in
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