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 49
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He was united in marriage in January, 1866, to Eliza J. Roquemore, who has borne her husband seven children, namely: Annie E., wife of O. R. Spurlock; Tandy, a graduate of Birmingham business college, at present engaged in teaching at Hawkinsville, Ala .; William E., Percival S., Evaline E., Mary R., and Eileena M. Mr. Freeman is one of the pros- perous planters of Barbour county, and also one of its most intelligent and progressive citizens. He is a Methodist in his religious belief, hold- ing the office of steward in his congregation, and the democratic party represents his political faith.
JOHN B. GARLAND .- The Garland family emigrated in an early day from Louisa county, Va., to North Carolina, and settled on the Yadkin river; thence, a few years later, they moved to Jasper county, Ga., and in 1836, became residents of Russell county, Ala. Edward Garland, father of John B., was a native of Georgia, and a son of John and Louisa Garland. He grew to manhood in Georgia, came to Alabama in 1836, and on the 19th of August, 1838, in Russell county, was united in marriage to Mary Ivey. Mrs. Garland was the daughter of Barnabas and Acy (Davis) Ivey, who moved to Alabama in 1836, settling in the county of Russell. For several years after his marriage, Edward Garland lived near Uchee, Russell county, but in 1849, changed his residence to Barbour county, pur- chasing a home there, three miles west of where Mrs. Garland now resides; thence, in 1855, to Glenville, and in 1860, moved to the present home place, about twelve miles north of Eufaula. Mr. Garland died here in 1876, November 4th. His widow is still living, at the advanced age of seventy-two years. Mr. and Mrs. Garland became the parents of nine children, as follows: Lucy A., wife of James David; Elizabeth J., deceased; Emma L., widow of John Curry; Alcey C., wife of C. B. Well- born; Mary D., widow of John C. Calhoun: John B .; Josephine F., wife of J. Biggers; Sarah V. and Edward H., the last-named living on the old home- stead of 1,600 acres. Edward H. Garland, the youngest son, was born October 22, 1860, and was married in Opelika, November 22, 1883, to Minnie Roquemore, and is the father of one child, Edward Augustus Garland. John B. Garland is a native of Alabama, born in Barbour county on the 8th day of February, 1854. He received his education chiefly under the instructions of a governess and remained on the home place until its division among the heirs, and in 1883, moved to his present beautiful plan- tation, consisting of 1,043 acres, where he has one of the most comfort- able and well appointed homes in Barbour county. Mr. Garland was married May 24, 1877, to Miss Lucy Parsons, daughter of Dr. James L. and Lucy (Carlton) Parsons. Mrs. Garland was born and reared in Russell county, near the town of Hurtsboro, and had three sisters, namely: Lula, deceased wife of W. R. Logan; Annie, wife of Wilton Beeston, and Mattie, wife of R. A. Stratford. Mrs. Garland lost her mother when quite young, and her father subsequently marrying a member of the noted Bass family, of Georgia, she was reared by a stepmother.
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The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Garland has been blessed by the birth of two bright children, Mary Lucy, a bright miss of fourteen, and Lena, C., aged ten years. In politics, Mr. Garland is a democrat, and as such, has been active in the deliberations of party affairs in Barbour county. He is a member of the farmers' alliance, and for some years has been a steward in the Methodist church, with which religious body his wife is also identified.
JOHN D. GODWIN is one of the leading grocers of Eufaula. His father, Ransom Godwin, was born in Sampson county, N. C., in 1810, and when a young man came to Alabama, settling at Eufaula, where he engaged in merchandising, which he continued until his death in 1868. He is one of the pioneers of Barbour county. and assisted in driving the Indians from the country in the memorable struggle of 1836. As a busi- ness man, he was, perhaps, one of the most prosperous in the early history of Eufaula, and during his residence in the town he accumulated several very large fortunes, which, unfortunately. were lost through unwise speculation, and at the time of his death he was in very straitened circumstances. His wife was Eliza Daniel, daughter of John W. Daniel, of North Carolina, and his marriage was solemnized at Eufaula in 1842, while Mrs. Godwin was visiting relatives in the town. Mrs. Godwin died in Jackson county, Miss., in 1871. Ransom and Eliza Godwin were the parents of nine children, of whom four are now living: Ransom, a farmer of Barbour county; Missouri F., wife of Judge G. H. Pryor, of Gainesville, Ga .; William H., a merchant of Eufaula, and John D., who is the eldest of the surviving members of this family. John D. Godwin was born January 31, 1848, in the city of Eufaula, and received a common school education. On attaining his majority he began life for himself as a clerk in the mercantile establishment of his father, in which he had passed the greater part of his youth from his tenth year. He remained in his father's employ from 1861 to 1869, at which time he embarked in the mercantile business for himself, and continued the same with varying success until 1874, when he sold out and engaged in the dry goods trade in the city of Selma, where he did a very prosperous business for a. period of about five years. Returning to Eufaula in 1879, Mr. Godwin, in partnership with two brothers, established the well-known grocery house of Godwin Bros., which firm lasted until 1887, when Mr. Godwin purchased the entire interest and became associated in the business with a Mr. Duskin, under the firm name . of Godwin & Duskin. The part- nership lasted until 1890, at which time Mr. Godwin sold out and in- vested capital in the Eufaula Furniture and Variety works, but in 1891 he again embarked in merchandising in partnership with S. J. Flournoy, with whom he is still associated. The house of Flournoy & Godwin is one of the leading business firms of Eufaula, carrying a stock of gen- eral groceries representing a value of $10,000, and doing a very extensive and lucrative trade in Eufaula and county adjacent. Mr. Godwin is well.
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known in commercial circles as a business man of great sagacity, and his reputation as an honorable dealer is much more than local. He is one of the progressive men of Eufaula, a liberal patron of all movements having for their end the good of the city, and has always manifested more than ordinary interest in the material prosperity of Barbour county. He is a deacon in the Baptist church, a member of the Pythian order and a dem- ocrat in politics. Mr. Godwin was happily married in 1871 to Mary A., daughter of John C. McNabb, and is the father of six children, two living: J. Samnel and Mary E .; the names of those deceased are as follows: William L .. Ransom H., Lourie Lee and John D. Godwin.
GEN. BARZILLAI GRAVES, one of the most highly respected and best beloved of the early citizens of Alabama, was born in Caswell county, N. C., March 12, 1802, and died September 21, 1867. He belonged to a family all of whom stood high in the estimation of their fellow-citizens in his native state. He was one of six brothers, all of whom preceded him to the tomb. He received his education at the university of North Caro- lina, located at Chapel Hill, and afterward studied law in the school of Judge Henderson, located, it is believed, at Hillsborough, Orange county, this state. Immediately after being admitted to the bar, he was made solicitor of the judicial circuit, and continued to practice law until his removal to Newton county, Ga., about 1832. His habits were those of a student and he was greatly devoted to learning and general politics. While Gen. Graves was not an exceptionally brilliant man, yet he was well informed, supremely honest in his modes of thought, cautious in his argument, self-reliant, courteous and dignified, earnest, calm and logical. He was not so much a literary man as he was a scholarly gentleman. His reading was not so extensive as it was deep and thorough. While his perceptions were not so quick as is sometimes the case in others, yet they were extremely and surprisingly accurate, and as may be inferred, from what has already been stated, his reasoning powers were more highly developed than were the faculties of his imagination; or, in other words, his emotional nature was in subordination to his intellectual nature, which resulted in a kind of character more and more demanded by modern conditions of life-a model worthy of the most careful study, respect and admiration. His judgment of men and things was rarely equaled and still more rarely excelled. Owing, however, to his patrician family, education and associations, his manners were somewhat senatorial and severe-too much so for popular controversies. While in the usual acceptation he was not an orator, which is implied in the subordination of his emotional nature, yet he was an effective speaker and a most troublesome antagonist in debate. He was a great admirer of the forensic abilities of Daniel Webster, and was very fond of reading to his young friends extracts from that great statesman's speeches in jury trials, and of pointing out their complete finish and great power. He was a most earnest Union man and a warm admirer ard fast friend of
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Gen. Andrew Jackson. He was present at the second nullification meet- ing ever held in Georgia, probably in 1832. The occasion was one of great excitement and one which proved the quality of his courage to a most eminent degree. Col. Thomas F. Foster, then a member of con- gress from Georgia, Mirabeau B. Lamar, brother of Associate Justice Lamar, John J. Floyd, a man of subtlety, learning and tenacity, and Rev. Alexander Means, M. D., LL. D., all took part in the debate, and all were in favor of nullification. The multitude was carried away with their eloquence and went wild with enthusiasm. Gen. Graves stood alone in favor of the Union and in defense of Andrew Jackson, and, like President Jackson, he stood calmly, bravely, grandly defying the storm of fierce partisan passion that assailed him. He was denounced as a "Federalist" and false to his section, but the most vehement threats of personal violence failed to silence him. And he bore himself through this most trying ordeal with propriety, dignity and courage, conscious of the correctness of his position, which has been overwhelmingly justified by subsequent events. Gen. Graves was married July 13, 1837, to Miss Sarah M. Goneke, of Athens, Ga., with whom he lived until his death in the most happy relations. Shortly after his marriage he was appointed one of the trustees of the university of Georgia, and in that position , zealously and faithfully served the cause of education. About this time he removed to southwest Georgia and for six or seven years devoted himself to the pursuit of agriculture. Twice he represented his sena- torial district in the state legislature with his usual zeal and accustomed ability. In 1844 he was a district elector on the Polk and Dallas ticket, and after the presidential election of that year he was frequently men- tioned in democratic newspapers and in private conversation as a most eminently proper person for governor of the state; but he by this time came to regard all official honors with indifference, and it was under- stood that he was averse to the excitements and labors of political life. His name, therefore, was not submitted. About this time a more absorb- ing theme than any connected with earthly honors took possession of his mind and heart, and that was the salvation of his soul. While he had always been a gentleman, exemplary in his speech and manners toward believers and unbelievers, yet he had not always been a believer himself in the gospel of Christ. He had been a quiet, not an obtrusive and noisy, skeptic. A change now came over his thoughts and convic- tions, the result being a thorough conversion in faith and practice. He formed a connection with the Baptist church, and to the day of his death he remained a bright and shining example of christian zeal and charity. In the fall of 1851 he removed to Tuskegee, Macon county, Ala., for the purpose of educating his four children, all of whom survived him, but only three of whom are at present living. His health, never robust, had now become considerably impaired, but still in his worldly affairs he continued industrious and successful. Through all the troubled
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and exciting years immediately preceding and during the great Civil & war, he remained, as he ever had been, one of the most active, earnest and zealous of southern democrats. Thus he lived until the day of his death, respected and beloved by all. During the month of Sep- tember, 1867, he returned from his plantation, in Butler county, to his home near Tuskegee, in better than usual health, as he thought; but a chill came upon him which was soon followed by a high fever, which all too quickly terminated in his death. His widow survived him until 1880, and the three children who still remain are Rev. W. W. Graves, a Bap- . tist minister, located at Bristol, Tex .; Capt. E. L. Graves and Sallie, wife of L. J. Threadgill. Capt. E. L. Graves was born May 11, 1845, in Randolph county, Ga., and in 1862, at the earnest solicitation of his father, who desired to prevent him from entering the southern army, he became a student in the university of Alabama; but setting aside paternal authority, he joined company B, Col. Swanson's regiment, as a. private soldier. He was soon promoted to first sergeant, and he subse- quently became captain of his company. His term of service was prin- cipally with the army of Lee in Virginia. He participated in the battle of the Wilderness, of Winchester and of Gaines's Mill, in which latter he was in charge of a corps of sharpshooters, and while on picket duty was struck by a minie ball in the ankle, which so disabled him that he was compelled to retire from active service. From that time to the sur- render he acted as enrolling officer at Montgomery, Ala. For some time after the war he was engaged in educational work at Brooklyn, Conecuh county, whence he removed to Barbour county, where he has since resided as a successful planter. In the meantime he has taught school at Fort Deposit, Lowndes county, and while there he organized a military company of which he became captain. He takes an active interest in political mat- ters, and is now serving as a justice of the peace. He is master of Eben- ezer lodge, No. 210, F. & A. M., and is a deacon in the Baptist church .. He was married in Barbour county, in April, 1867, to Miss Carrie Hamil- ton, daughter of Joel Hamilton, and to this marriage has been born one son, E. H. Graves, now pursuing his literary studies with a view of enter- ing the legal profession.
COL. HIRAM HAWKINS .- He is strongest who meets and manfully per- forms every material duty required of him by his fellow-men. Such a man does not pause to inquire into the reasons that have prompted the call upon him, but goes about the doing of whatever has been appointed for him to do, thus setting example to the fraternity and encouraging those who are steadfast. It is not for him to question, but for him to do. The voice of duty is trumpet-toned to him, and he goes forward valiantly, whether upon the field of war, in the realm of commerce, upon the hustings, in the cabinet, or in the peaceful haunts of the arts or the sciences. He is of that stuff which elevates the world by serving the higher and better purposes of humanity; that material of which pub --
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licists, statesmen, philosophers and heroes are made. In all the concerns of men he plays his part, and he nearly always plays his part well. That spirit moves him which makes the best hobnail and frames the wisest law. It is the spirit of application, of that infinite capacity for labor which we call genius. Such a man as that is Hiram Hawkins, of Ala- bama; soldier, lawyer, farmer, legislator, man of many affairs, he has always performed his duty, and performed it with a fidelity and a per- severance which won for him high honors in battle, and has brought him high place in the state and the confidence of his people. Few names in Ala- bama are so familiar to the people, few so sincerely honored. He enjoys the personal friendship of all men of note, and the esteem of all intelli- gent citizens, the confidence of all classes. In battle he won high rank; in peace he bears most worthily the distinction of leader and good citizen. The agricultural interests of Alabama owe more to him than to any other Alabamian of his time, for he has been for many years first in progressive farming and in the movements looking to the material wel-
fare of the farming community. Upon the affairs of state he has long exercised a wise and wholesome influence, and those in authority have sought his counsel eagerly. Col. Hawkins was born in Bath county, Ky., September 9, 1826. and is therefore sixty-six years old. He was one of the seven sons of Thomas and Mary (Dean) Hawkins, and he had five sisters. His ancestors came from the shores of Bristol channel to Mary- land, shortly after the first settling of that territory as a colony, being driven away from England, as so many others were, by political and religious oppression. Their property at home had been confiscated to the crown, and on their arrival in America they began life anew. They prospered in the new land, and for nearly a century the family enjoyed very considerable influence; taking an active part in the war for Ameri- can independence. At the close of the Revolution Col. Hawkins' grand- father removed from Maryland to Kentucky, and was one of the band of brave and hardy men who redeemed Kentucky from wilderness and savagery. Col. Hawkins was brought up on his father's farm in Bath county, and obtained his education at the common schools of the district, which were then not of the best. He left school at the age of nineteen, and it was intended that he should receive collegiate training, but reverses in the family fortunes made that impossible. Being a student from habit and inclination, and being left to his own resources in that direction, he trained himself in the higher branches of study. His father was a man who held high place in the esteem and confidence of his neighbors, and did much toward the upholding of his district. By occu- pation the elder Hawkins was a farmer, merchant and miller, combining the three in one, as was frequently done in that day, and even now in country districts. He was the good man of the district, and his generosity was imposed upon. When his neighbors desired to borrow money he
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affixed his name to their promises to pay. By this means heavy losses were incurred, and the son was called from school to assist in the man- agement of the estate. The father, shortly afterward, went on his annual journey to Baltimore for the purpose of purchasing goods for the store. On his return journey, and when at Maysville, Ky., he was stricken with cholera, which was then scourging the country, and the son, being in- formed of the facts, hastened to his father's side, arriving in time to be with the father when death came. The son returned home and assumed charge of the family affairs, and by his energy, activity and ability, he quickly made himself felt in the business, social and political circles in which he moved.
Early in life, he evinced a fondness for the military, and when twenty- six years old he was chosen by the militia regiment of his county as colonel, and the selection was confirmed by the governor of Kentucky. That was in 1852. In 1854 the democratic party in Bath county undertook for the first time to organize to the extent of nominating a full ticket of its own for the various county offices. Col. Hawkins was nominated for the responsible position of high sheriff, a worthy honor for one so young. He made a vigorous and able canvass, and was defeated by the old sheriff, who was a whig, by only some thirty-odd votes, and notwithstanding the fact that two independent democrats ran against the nominee. He won something more than a personal victory, however, for this campaign made a nomination thereafter by that party in his county equivalent to election. He was an eloquent and convincing speaker, and, with his tall, perfectly proportioned figure, his clear-cut, almost classic face, black wavy hair, and keen eyes, and voice of great volume, he was a notable man in all that region. He possessed to an unusual degree the confidence of the people, and of this he was himself soon to receive convincing proof. The year 1855 is memorable in the political annals of Kentucky. It was then that the great whig and know-nothing parties swept the state with a whirlwind of enthusiasm and political madness, carrying their state ticket through by what was then the enormous majority of 50,000. In that year the governor, all the state officers and members of the lower house, and half the senate were elected. Bath and Bourbon counties formed one senatorial district, and it was Bath's turn to name the democratic candi- date for senator. Col. Hawkins lived in Bath, and was not an aspirant for the senatorship or any other political office. But his party was determined to have him, and when the time came to name county candi- dates he was unanimously chosen for the senate. A committee was sent to notify him, and he declined the honor which had been conferred, say- ing that he was not an aspirant for the place, and if elected he could not take his seat because he was constitutionally inelligable on account of his age; whereupon he was immediately chosen for the lower house. That was a remarkable tribute to his worth as a man and his influence with his party. It would have been an extraordinary honor to any man. Col.
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Hawkins accepted the nomination to the lower house, and he entered upon the canvass with his characteristic vigor, and all over the county his voice rang loud and clear for democracy. On election day he led the ticket of his party, and was elected by nearly 500 majority. This was when Kentucky was swept by the opposition. It was only in Bath county that the storm was stayed, and that was owing largely to the personal popularity and influence of Col. Hawkins-a rare triumph, indeed, for a young man under thirty. Col. Hawkins' predecessors of his own political faith had been able, under no unusual conditions, to win by but fifty majority at best. Such distinguished honors and such remarkable achievements are rare even in American political history. Upon the records of the Kentucky legislature he left the impress of his wisdom, and of his zeal in the welfare of the people.
When Col. Hawkins had finally settled up his father's business he found that he had not saved a dollar for himself. But he had something more than money-a good name, an irreproachable character. The confi- dence of a wide circle of personal friends was reposed in him; and these stood manfully by him in the most trying time of his career. His credit was good, and he never abused it. Within four years after his settlement of his father's affairs, he owned several farms and disposed of them profit- ably, and at the end of that time he owned in fee simple 200 acres of valuable blue-grass land, upon which he resided with a lovely and gifted wife. But his restless and energetic spirit of enterprise did not long permit him to dwell in peace under his own home roof. In 1859 he sold his farm, with a view to entering upon broader fields, and he made some investments in Texas. The following year he established a sheep ranch in Texas, stocking it with several hundred head of Kentucky sheep of superior breed, and intending to remove to his new property the next year, 1861. But it was not to be. The thunder of the approaching storm of war filled all political and civil space with its roar, and while the tumult raged death came and bore away Col. Hawkins' wife from his side. Fate was weaving a web of its own that wound the man within its mazes, and he was powerless. The thunder of the coming conflict grew louder, the darkness of the political atmosphere denser. The spell was upon him, as it was upon all the land.
Students of history need not be told that Kentucky occupied a peculiar position at the outbreak of the war between the states, or the great rebel- lion, as history records that most gigantic struggle of the ages. In that day in Kentucky it required a man of nerve and convictions to express and defend his own position in regard to the dispute which led millions to battle. Col Hawkins did not wait, nor did he dally with the issues of the hour. He boldly and fearlessly arrayed himself against what seemed to him to be the coercive measures of the Federal government, and he joined his fortunes to those of his state upon the basis of neutrality. As soon as hostilities began he raised, drilled, and disciplined a company
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