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 56
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124 | Part 125 | Part 126 | Part 127 | Part 128 | Part 129 | Part 130 | Part 131
-
486
MEMORIAL RECORD OF ALABAMA.
viously. The scene in this instance is thus described by Burke, page 235. Soon as the king had dined, a silver basin, containing rose water, was brought to his majesty by William Howison Crawford of Brackhead, who, in right of his mother, as proprietress of Brackhead in the county of Midlothian, claims the privilege, the service performed being the ancient tenure by which the estate of Brackhead is held. He was attended by Mas- ters Charles and Walter Scott (the one a son and the other a nephew of Sir Walter Scott, baronet), as pages attired in splendid dresses of scarlet and white satin-the former holding a silver ewer and the other a salver, with a damask napkin of Scottish manufacture and of the finest texture. Mr. Howison Crawford knelt down to his majesty, who, after he had dipped his fingers in the water and wiped them with the napkin, acknowledged the service with affability and grace. Members of this family occasionally visited America, and one of them, upon his return, published a book which was very popular in its day. His description of Niagara Falls-although somewhat inflated in style-is so full of pic- torial power, that it has been inserted in many books of descriptive scenes intended for children. As far as is known, only one branch of the family ever settled in the United States. They bought land in Prince William county, Va., where many of their descendants still live. Of these, Allen Howison of Effingham, is best known. From the Prince William branch, the Fredericksburg family is descended. Samuel Howi- son, from Prince William county, settled in Fredericksburg as a mer- chant, and in 1801, married Helen Moore, daughter of an English mer- chant who had conducted business in Falmouth for many years. To that marriage eleven children were born, and they or their descendants are now widely known in our country. One son, Neil Howison, was a United States naval officer, whose art and delightful conversational powers made him a general favorite. He rose to a command in the Pacific, but died in 1848, comparatively young. Another son, John How- ison, inherited the ancestral fondness for agriculture. His farm near Fredericksburg was beautiful and productive before the war, but during the terrible struggle between the Confederate armies under Gen. Lee and the Federals under Gens. Burnside, Hooker and Grant, it was nearly the center of the strip and was, of course, greatly devastated. Since the war it has begun to flourish again, and, we believe the old Scottish name "Brackhead" has been continued in the family seat. Another son is Robert R. Howison, a member of the Richmond bar. He has been laborious and successful as a lawyer and his contributions to history have made him generally known. The oldest son was William, who died in 1849. He was a lawyer of brilliant talents and his mind was richly stored with the spoils of time which he gathered by his wide range of reading. Another son is James R. Howison, a resident of Annapolis, who was long secretary of the Naval academy there, and now holds a judicial position in the city govern- ment. The two youngest sons are Samuel and Edward, both of whom sought.
487
PERSONAL MEMOIRS-BIBB COUNTY.
their fortunes in California. Samuel, after meeting with considerable success, returned to Virginia. Edward has continued to stay in California, and is now the chief clerk in the comptroller's office there. The daughters of the family are: Ann, wife of Commodore Darwin of the United States navy; Helen, who married Commander Thorburn of the navy, and who died in 1865; Jane, the wife of the late William C. Beale, an upright and enterprising merchant of Fredericksburg, and Marion, the wife of Prof. Richard Sterling of Greensboro, N. C. Allen P. Howison, of Randolph, Bibb county, Ala., is a native of Prince William county, Va., born July 10, 1848, a son of James and Amanda M. (Farrow) Howison-she a daughter of Benjamin and Amanda Farrow and a granddaughter of Benja- min and Elizabeth Farrow. James Howison was the father of five children, viz. : James B., a farmer and stock raiser and ex-president of Gallatin bank, Sumner county, Tenn .; Emma, wife of J. N. Keyser of Dallas county, Ala., a planter; Allen P., alluded to above; Lizzie, unmarried, and Lucy, deceased. James Howison was a planter of princely wealth and both he and wife died in Prince William county, Va. Allen P. How- ison was reared upon a farm until fourteen years of age. He received a business education, and in 1862, was attached to a corps of scouts in the Confederate army; he was captured a short time afterward in citizen's clothes, and was held as a citizen, with charges preferred against him as a spy. He was in close connfiement for nine months at the old Capitol or Carroll prison, but the charges were not sustained and he was sent as a prisoner of war to Point Lookout on Chesapeake bay and Potomac river, Md., with "not for exchange" written across his name, to remain there for the balance of the war. He remained there fourteen months and eighteen days, making an imprisonment of twenty-three months and eighteen days. While there he was made a sergeant and, in command of a company of Confederate prisoners of whom one died suddenly, he changed names with the dead prisoner as W. W. Wilson of the Seventh North Carolina regiment and thus secured his exchange. He then re- turned to his father's home in Prince William county, Va., where he remained a short time, thence moved to Albemarle county, Va., and engaged in farming and stock raising with an aunt, Mrs. George A. Far- row, remaining some three years. He then went to work on a construc- tion train on a railroad until 1873, when he got into a difficulty with an ex-Federal officer in a discussion upon the late war, and left there under an assumed name-going to Texas, and from thence to California, where he remained about a year, returning again to Texas and engaging in stock raising on the Rio Grande. In 1876, he removed to Bibb county, Ala., where he engaged extensively in saw milling, and lumbering. His business assumed large proportions; he invested in land, speculating largely, and to-day is recognized as the "Land King of Alabama," ·owning some 45,000 acres, with numerous saw-mills, cotton-gins, a mer- cantile business, livery stable and hotel at Randolph. Since locating
.
488
MEMORIAL RECORD OF ALABAMA.
there he has been closely connected with the interests of Bibb county, and has been tendered, but refused to accept, any political offices, with the exception of acting as one of the board of state democratic executive committee, which office he now holds. Mr. Howison seems to have in- herited the Howison family traits, courage to do right, quickness of intellect and apprehension and a reverential regard for divine guidance and protection, which have been their characteristics for four centuries. There are but few families whose mental and moral traits have been more uniform and more true to a worthy ancestry than this of the sturdy Howisons.
MRS. ANN ELIZA (MCNEILL) KENNEDY (widow of the late Josiah S. Kennedy), of Centreville, Ala., was born in North Carolina, September 30, 1812. She is a daughter of Archibald and Mary (Waddell) McNeill, natives of North Carolina and of Scotch extraction. Her paternal grand- parents were Daniel and Sarah McNeill, natives of Scotland. Daniel McNeill in an early day emigrated to North Carolina, where he spent the remainder of his life in farming. Her maternal grandparents were Edward and Lucy (Birdsong) Waddell, who were natives of Virginia and emigrated to North Carolina and engaged in farming. Archibald McNeill, the father of Mrs. Ann Eliza Kennedy, was a farmer and mer- chant. In early life he taught school; later, he filled several county offices in Moore county, N. C., and was also a representative in con- gress from the same county for two terms. He was the father of twelve children, ten of whom lived to man and womanhood, viz: Thomas, Sarah, Lydia, Lucy, Mary, Ann Eliza, Margaret, John, Daniel, and William W. These have all died since reaching maturity, excepting Ann Eliza and William W., the latter a resident of Stephensville, Texas. Archibald McNeill was identified with the whig party, was an active politician, and filled various places of public trust. He died in 1838; his wife in 1843, both members of the Baptist church. Ann Eliza was married to her late husband, June 6, 1833. He was a native of Moore county, N. C., born March 29, 1807, a son of Alexander Kennedy. His paternal grandfather was a native of Scotland (of Irish descent) and a pioneer emigrant to North Carolina, who, being shipwrecked on his voyage to America, was rescued, but lost his two brothers, who embarked with him and never knew whether or not they were saved. J. S. Kennedy's maternal grand- father was a Williamson, who was a soldier in the war of the Revolution, and who died at the age of one hundred and thirteen years. Alexander Kennedy reared a large family of children, but one of whom is now liv- ing-Thomas S., a resident of Springdale, Texas. He was a gunsmith and carried on an extensive manufacturing establishment at Mechanic's Hill, N. C., and at his death was succeeded by Josiah S. Kennedy and two brothers, who conducted the business successfully for several years. J. S. Kennedy emigrated from North Carolina to west Tennessee, thence, coming to Bibb county, Ala., in 1837, to visit his brother Lewis. who
.
489
PERSONAL MEMOIRS-BIBB COUNTY.
was a practicing lawyer at Centreville, he decided to remain, and en gaged in the grocery business and farming, and was also proprietor of a large blacksmith shop until 1865, when he formed a partnership with J. P. Taylor in the mercantile business. In 1868 he bought out this part- ner's interest and formed a partnership with his son, Edward Kennedy. This firm (J. S. & E. Kennedy) is one of the oldest in the state of Ala- bama, having carried on the business at the same old stand successfully and continuously until the present time-Mrs. Ann E. Kennedy now con- trolling the interest of her late husband in said firm. Josiah S. Ken- nedy was for many years postmaster and a member of the town. council of Centreville. He was an old-line whig and opposed to secession, believ- ing that the rights claimed should be contended for, at any cost, under the flag of the union; but when Alabama seceded he was true to his state, and sent four sons to battle for its cause. After the death of the whig party he was a stanch democrat, and while he never aspired to public office he was always devoted to his party principles. He was for many years proprietor of a hotel in the town of Centreville. He died June 25, 1891, in the eighty-fifth year of his age-a man sadly missed in his community, and his noble deeds of charity and hospitality will long be remembered in the hearts of his friends and fellow-citizens. He was a man full of energy and a co-worker in every good cause, both educational and religious. He and his wife were consistent members of the Baptist church. To Josiah S. Kennedy and wife were born eleven children, viz .: Louise E., a member of the Presbyterian church; William L., book- keeper and accountant, residing in Mobile, Ala .; he enlisted in an Ala- bama regiment of infantry from Mobile in 1862, and served until the close of the war. He was married, in 1869, to Miss Annie Lombard of Mobile. Archibald E. enlisted in company C, Fourth Alabama infantry, was severely wounded in the first battle of Manassas and disabled for further service; he is a merchant of Arcadia, La., and a leader in the church and school work of the town; he married Miss Ella Creary of Milton, Fla., in 1872. Margaret E., wife of James Lotspeich, a cotton broker of Corsicana, Texas. Josiah M., who enlisted in the late war in company F, Eleventh Alabama infantry, and was killed in the seven days' fight near Richmond in 1862. Edward (of J. S. & E. Kennedy), who enlisted in the latter part of 1863, in company I, Fifty-first Alabama cavalry, under Gen. Morgan and served as special scout of Gen. Wheeler under Capt. Shannon of the Eighth Texas, until the close of the war in 1865; he was married in 1878 to Mary, daughter of Dr. James W. and Rebecca Crawford; his wife died in 1880. Lydia F., who died in child- hood; Mary C., widow of J. N. Suttle, who was a prominent lawyer of Centreville and a leading politician; Annie E., a cultured and refined lady, who has for several years been teaching English and history in the high schools of Knoxville, Tenn .; David A., a wholesale grocery mer- chant of Selma; he married Leila, daughter of Dr. T. P. Gary of Selma,
490
MEMORIAL RECORD OF ALABAMA.
in 1882; John P., a prominent citizen of Centreville, Ala., who has held the office of register in chancery of Bibb county since 1886 to date. All of these sons are members and officers of the Presbyterian church (ex- cept William L., a member of the Methodist church). Three daughters . are members of the Baptist church.
STEPHEN DOUGLAS LOGAN, a noted lawyer of Centreville, Ala., is a native of the town. born May 29, 1859, and a son of John H. and Levinia (Moseley) Logan. His father was a native of Shelby county, N. C., born in 1802; his mother was a native of Edgefield district, S. C., born in 1818, and came, when a small child, to Alabama with her parents, who settled at Centreville. They were married there in 1838, and became the parents of twelve children, five sons and seven daughters, ten of whom are now living, viz. : William H., farmer and lawyer of Bibb county; Samuel H., farmer of Bibb county; Serene, widow of Sylvester Ambrose, now a resi- dent of Montevallo, Shelby county, Ala., Nannie, widow of Columbus F. James, of Bibb county; Harriet E., wife of Jolin E. Jones, farmer of Bibb county ; Jown W., farmer of Bibb county; Thomas H., farmer of Bibb county ; Fannie, wife of Stephen W. Price, faimer of Bibb county; Julia, wife of Matthew P. Wallace, farmer of Bibb county; Stephen D., Belle, deceased, and one that died in infancy unnamed. The father of these, John H. Logan, when quite young, emigrated with his parents to Tennessee, and when sixteen years of age he came with them to Alabama, locating at Centreville. Soon afterward he filled the position of captain on all the flat-boats that floated to Mobile from Centreville, on the Cahawba and Alabama rivers-then quite an enterprise, as thus all the products of the section found egress. He was thus employed in connec- tion with farming for twenty-five years; he then turned his attention entirely to farming. He was an active politician of the whig party until after its dissolution, and then became a stanch democrat. He departed this life in 1877, a member of the Presbyterian church. His excellent wife still survives him and is living at Centreville. She has been a con- sistent member of the Presbyterian church for many years.
Stephen D. Logan was reared upon a farm near Centreville. He re- ceived the rudiments of his education at Centreville and at the Monte- vallo (Shelby county) high school, attending the latter in 1874-75-76; he then attended Tuscaloosa (Ala.) university, where he graduated July 4, 1877. He began the study of law in 1875, and immediately after gradu- ating was admitted to the bar at Centreville, where he began the prac- tice of law and has since continued with eminent success and distinction, ranking among the leading lawyers of western Alabama. Mr. Logan served four years as county superintendent of education. He owns the old family seat of 265 acres near Centreville, which he operates in con- nection with his law business. He was married November 1, 1885, to Mamie V. Gardner, daughter of John S. Gardner and Rebecca (Carson) Gardner, born in Centreville, November 4, 1865. Four children, three
491
PERSONAL MEMOIRS-BIBB COUNTY.
of whom are living, have been born to gladden their home, viz .: Gard- ner C., born August 10. 1886; Douglas C., born March 10, 1889; Edna L., born December 16, 1890, and died August 15, 1891, and Winnie Rebecca, born June 15, 1892. Mr. Logan is an enterprising, self-made man, takes an interest in all the public issues of the times, and he and wife are members of the Presbyterian church.
JOEL B. LOWRY, circuit court clerk of Bibb county, was born in the county, March 6, 1834. He is a son of Joel and Abigail (Pratt) Lowry, and a grandson of Samuel and Hannah (Peffers) Lowry. Samuel Lowry emigrated from Ireland to Virginia and thence to Tennessee, where he lived until his death. His widow then emigrated from Tennessee to Bibb county, Ala., where she lived till her death. The father of Joel B. Lowry was born on a farm in Rhea county, Tenn., November 3, 1790, and his mother in 1800. They were married in Bledsoe county, Tenn., in 1818, and became the parents of eleven children, seven sons and four daughters. Six of these children are still living, viz .: Maria, widow of Thomas Jordan of Winn Parish, La .; John, a farmer of Bibb county, Ala. ; Adeline, widow of A. N. Hayes of Tuscaloosa county, Ala .; Rebecca C., wife of Henry T. Hale of Louisiana; William F., a farmer of Bibb county; and Joel B., the subject of this sketch; the names of those deceased being as follows: James H. ; Leonard P. ; Mary A. ; Charles C .; Isaac N. and Mary A. Woods. The mother of these children died August 4, 1845. The father then married Mararet Lytton, by whom he had two children, Fannie C. and an infant, both deceased. The mother of these children died July 21, 1884, and the father June 8, 1891. He served in the war of 1812 as corporal of his company. Mr. Lowry and his first wife were members of the Baptist church. The subject of our sketch was reared on a farm and was educated at Sandy academy, Bibb county. On Febru- ary 10, 1876, he married Miss Mary E. Thomas, a native of Perry county, Ala. She was a daughter of William and Sarah (Hawley) Thomas, and was born November 9, 1852. To this marriage there have been born six children, four sons and two daughters, as follows: Milford E .; William E .; Sarah A .; Clyde W .; Anna E. and Sydney C. Our subject started out in life as a school teacher, following this vocation until the breaking out of the Civil war. He enlisted in company B, Forty-fourth Alabama infantry, under Captain John A. Jones, as a private soldier. In a short time he was promoted to sergeant and served as such until 1864. He was appointed ambulance sergeant and served until 1865. He returned home at the end of the war, and resumed his profession. In 1871 he was elected tax assessor of Bibb county, serving three years, in which he was excelled by none, after which he managed a farm and taught school until 1890, when he was appointed clerk of the circuit court, which office he uow holds. Politically he is a democrat. He and his wife are members of the Baptist church. At the age of twenty-one years he had no
492
MEMORIAL RECORD OF ALABAMA.
education, but educated himself, and has proved to be competent to fill every position that has been offered to him.
WILLIAM H. MAHAN, a merchant and influential citizen of Randolph, was born in Bibb county, Ala., September 2, 1847. He is a son of Allen and Jane (McDaniel) Mahan, both natives of Edgefield, S. C., the former born in 1811, the latter, May 10, 1824. Allen Mahan was by trade a mechanic and brickmason during his life, and was identified with the whig party. He was the father of three children, William H. being the only one now living, Robert and Margaret having died. He died in 1850, and his widow married Thomas Smitherman, by whom she had five chil- dren, viz: Jesse, a farmer of Bibb county; Samuel, deceased; Lucy, wife of Joshua Milam, a farmer of Bibb county; Sarah, wife of James W. Carr, a farmer of Bibb county; and Murdoch, also a farmer of Bibb county. Thomas Smitherman died in 1872, and his widow now lives with William H. Mahan. He is a grandson of Bailey Mahan, who was of Irish origin, having emigrated from Ireland to South Carolina in an early day, and later on to Mississippi. His mother's parents were of Scotch descent. Mr. Mahan was brought upon a farm from childhood, receiving a common school education, and started out in life as a day laborer, at a small com- pensation, but by economy and tact he had, by 1869, accumulated money enough to start a small grocery store at Randolph. By good management and close attention to business, fair and honest dealing, he has built up 'an extensive trade, and carries a large variety of general merchandise. He also owns some 600 acres of fine farming lands in a high state of cul- tivation. In 1872 he was elected magistrate, which position he still holds. December 14, 1873, he married Miss Nancy Derrick, who was born in Lamar county, Texas, July 26, 1848. She is the daughter of Tobias and Hannah (Webb) Derrick, the latter of whom was born in Tennessee, November 4, 1826. Mr. and Mrs. Mahan are the parents of six children, viz. : John W .; Sarah, ; Martha, ; Allen D .; and Effie, living, and George M. deceased. Mr. Mahan is a democrat, and a Mason, and both he and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, south.
ALBERT E. MEADOW, M. D., a practicing physician of Blocton, was born in Humphreys county, Tenn., November 22, 1860. He is a son of Jacob E. and Susan (Crockett) Meadow. and is thus a lineal descendant of the renowned David Crockett. He is a grandson of William D. and Sarah (Harris) Meadow, both of whom were natives of Tennessee. William D. Meadow was an overseer of a large plantation owned by General Harding prior to the breaking out of the war. He now resides in Maury county, Tenn., aged seventy-three years. The father of Albert E., was a farmer and was born October 30, 1838. His mother was born August 26, 1838. They were married September 11, 1856, and had nine sons. seven of whom are living, viz. : William H., cashier of the Waverly Bank and Trust company, at Waverly, Tenn; Jesse H., a planter of Clinton, Ky .; Albert E .; James D., a well known physician of Sherman,
·
495
PERSONAL MEMOIRS-BIBB COUNTY.
Texas; John M., a physician and partner of Albert E .; Thomas R., tax assessor of Humphreys county, Tenn. ; and Daniel G., assistant postmaster at Blocton. David Mc., and an infant are deceased. The father of our subject is now a resident of Houston county, Tenn., is a Mason and a. member of the Presbyterian church. The mother died April 2, 1870, and was also a member of the Presbyterian church. The boyhood days of Albert E. Meadow were spent upon his father's farm, and during the time spent at home he received the rudiments of an English education. In 1879 he began the study of medicine under Dr. J. C. Bridges, and in the fall of 1881 he entered the Homeopathic Medical college of Missouri at St. Louis; in 1882-83, he attended the Pulte Medical college at Cincin- nati, Ohio. He then began the practice of medicine at Birmingham, Ala., associated with Dr. A. L. Monroe, continuing thus until 1885, when he removed to Blocton, and has since remained in practice there. He was married September 24, 1885, to Miss Emmie Andrews, born in Oxford, Miss., in 1868. She is a daughter of Dr. David Audrews and the only one surviving of a family of two children. She came with her parents to Alabama when a small child. Dr. Andrews died in 1868, Mrs. Andrews surviving and living with her daughter. Dr. Meadow is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Enterprise lodge, No. 48. He is also a member of the Masonic fraternity and is worshipful master of lodge No. 474. He is a member of Ridgely lodge, No. 88, I. O. O. F., and is representative to the grand lodge of the state. Mr. Meadow and wife are the members of the M. E. church, south. They are the parents of one son, who was born September 22. 1887. Dr. Meadow and his brother, J. M. Meadow, are rising young physicians and have a large and yet steadily increasing practice- The latter attended Pulte Medical college at Cincinnati, Ohio, and formed a co-partnership with his brother in 1892. Both are excel- lent physicians as well as citizens, and enjoy the respect of all.
MRS. M. F. MOREN, widow of the late Dr. Edward Hawthore Moren, is a native of Alabama and a daughter of Samuel W. and Frances (Stringfellow) Davidson, mention of whom is made elsewhere in these volumes. Mrs. Moren was married July 5, 1860, but to their marriage no children were born. Dr. Moren was one of the best known and most influential men of Bibb county. He was born in Dindwiddie county, Va., in 1825. His father, a merchant and farmer by principal occupation, was several times a member of the senate of Virginia; his mother was a Miss Crawford, of Maryland. Dr. Moren graduated at a medical college in New York. He served as assisstant surgeon in the Mexican war, resigning in 1848. In 1851 he settled in Bibb county, and for ten years devoted himself to the practice of medicine. In 1861 he was chosen to represent Perry and Bibb counties in the upper house of the general assembly, serving with distinction until 1866. He was a member of the committees of finance and of taxation, and by his zeal, intelligence and activity, afforded valuable aid in devising a system of revenue at a time
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.