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 II pt 1 > Part 37
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Medical society, and is prominently identified with the Episcopal church. He was united in marriage. in 15-5, with Miss Fannie Minor, a daughter of Dr. P. B. Minor, deceased. of Greene county. Ala. One daughter, Elise Riggs, was born to this union. 'The immediate ancestors of Dr. Riggs are residents of South Carolina, where his father, Thomas Riggs, is a prominent farmer. His mother. however, was a native of Virginia. Dr. Riggs was one of a family of six children. four of whom still survive: Frank Riggs. of Dallas county, Ala. ; Lydia E. Riggs, Virginia Riggs, and Dr. E. P. Riggs. The mother of these children died in 1855.
DR. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN RILEY, the distinguished divine and educator, was born near the village of Pineville, in Monroe county, Ala .. July 16, 1849. He was brought up under pious influences, and enjoyed the advan- tages of good educational facilities. Desiring a college education. he left his home at the age of eighteen and taught school to secure the means of a college training. and in September. 1868, he entered Erskine college, a Presbyterian institution of South Carolina, where he completed a three years' course in 1571. At the end of his college life, he made up his mind to preach the gospel, although he previously thought of studying for the bar, and accordingly entered the Southern Baptist theo- logical seminary. at Greenville, S. C .. but his health quickly declined, and he was compelled to return home to recover. When sufficiently strong to resume his studies he entered Crozer seminary near Philadelphia, and remained there until 1876. June 21. 1876. he was married to Anna Shawe, of Alabama, and in October assumed his first charge in the pastorate of the Carlowville and Snow Hill churches, and in 1878 he was called to the charge of the church in Albany, Ga .. and. during his stay of one year there, the church greatly strengthened in members and efficiency, but the climate was unfavorable to Dr. Riley and he returned to Alabama and took charge of the church at Opelika. and from a poor. small parish he built a large strong church. In 1852 Dr. Riley, was made editor of the Alabama Baptist. then published at Selma. and acted as editor one year, with great ability. Returning to the pastorate he had charge of the Bap- tist church at Livingston, Ala., and during his four years' pastorate there, was a constant contributor to numerous church journals. During this time he prepared and published a work entitled Alabama As It Is, the plates of which were afterward sold to the state as a handbook of the resources of the state. In August, isss. he was called to the presidency of Howard college_ a Baptist institution of prominence, situated, at East Lake, Jefferson county, Ala. When he took charge here he found a poor prospect of immediate bright results, the resources of the school were apparently broken down. but before he had charge four years, the pat- ronage had then been doubled, the debts paid. five handsome brick buildings erected, as a result of which the college now rank's as one of the first of its kind in the south. drawing its patronage from ten different states. Dr. Riley had the degree of D. D. conferred in 1-55, from the state uni-
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versity, and in 1989, the same degree was conferred by Erskine college. The father of Dr. Riley was Enoch Riley, a native of Edgefield district. S. C. His wife was Sophronia Autrey, of Alabama. The mar- riage was blessed with the following named children: Elizabeth, widow of Lieut. R. M. Andress, who was killed at Atlanta; Capt. T. M., of Monroe county, Ala. ; W. G., of Evergreen, AJa. ; L. R., of Monroe county; Kate M., deceased wife of J. W. Butler. of Mobile, Ala .; Rev. Dr. B. F. Riley; . R. I., of Monroe county, Ala .. and J. A., of Austin. Tex. Dr. Riley's father died in 1872, and his mother in 1873.
SAMUEL LOWRIE ROBERTSON, a prominent business man of Birming- ham, Ala., was born in Jackson county, Ala., November 18, 1838, but at the age of four years was taken with his parents to Huntsville, Ala. Here he attended the schools taught by Daniel B. Young and Dr. Carlos G. Smith, and at the age of seventeen went to Mississippi to teach for a year, and thence to the university of Virginia where, on account of limited finances, he remained only two years and. though not having received a diploma, but having taken half a dozen honors in Latin, Greek. mathematics and chemistry, he went thence to his mother's old state, North Carolina, to study law, where, at Raleigh. December, 1859, examined by Judge Manly Battle, and his preceptor, Chief Justice Pearson of the celebrated Richmond Hill Law school, he got his license to practice law and went to Charlotte, his adopted home. to open a law office: but health failing he went to his old home, Huntsville, Ala. where he was a briefless barrister for the few months just preceding the Civil war. Joining the Madison Rifles, which became company D, of the Seventh Alabama regiment of infantry, he served in it until it disbanded at Corinth, after one year's uneventful service. Captured in north Alabama while sick, he remained in prison until the Union forces evacuated Huntsville. August 30, 1862, where Capt. Gaston, making up a company of cavalry, he joined it and served awhile with Gen. Forrest, with Gen. W. T. Martin of Mississippi, and with Gen. Wheeler. He was capturel a second time, noir Moulton, Ala., and remained a prisoner some six months at Camp Chase, New Orleans, and Marine barracks, Vicksburg, Miss., at the last of which places he was paroled in June, 1865. Since the war he has been editor, civil engineer and school teacher. He is now a tax assessor of Jefferson county, Ala. His life work has been education, to which cause he devoted some eighteen years continuously, till elected to his present office. He has been, in a modest way, a literary man all these years, and is now preparing a book of poems for publication. He is adjutant of Camp Hardee. Confederate Veterans: is a Mison and a Knight of Pythias. is an Episcopalian, in which faith his father, the Rev. John Murray Robert. son, was a minister. Mr. Robertson was married at Tuscaloosa, Ala. , to the widow of Dr. William Norris, of Marengo county, in the year 1871, and has by this marriage six living children. four girls and two boys, to-wit. Stella, Annie Peek, Belle D., Samuel Lowrie, Jr., William D. O. and Joanna
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Rebecca Murray Robertson. Mr. Robertson is a states' rights democrat, cast his first vote for Breckinridge and his last for Cleveland.
DR. THADDEUS LUNDLEY ROBERTSON came with his parents to Ala- bama in liis thirteenth year. He was born in Granville county, N. C., January 27, 1836. One source of his early education was at Oxford. Ala., which place he left, in 1854. to study medicine with Drs. Williams and Smart. He read with these gentlemen four years as a preparation for the university of South Carolina, whither he went during the years of 1857-8. Leaving college, he located at Springville. Ala., where he remained until the fall of 1860. This year he went to Jefferson Medical college, at Philadelphia, and graduated there in March. 1861; returned to Springville and remained until the following fall, when he moved to Aslıville, Ala., and practiced there uutil early in 1865. In that year he. went to Oxford, and remained until 1867. He then returned to Spring- ville, Ala., where he remained until 1872. when he went to Oxford, Ala., where he remained until 1887. in which year he settled in Birmingham, his present home. He has been president of the Jefferson county Medical society, and vice-president of the State Medical association. In 1580 he organized the Calhoun county Medical society. He is a Mason in good standing and a member of the Baptist church. Dr. Robertson has been twice married, first, in 1862, to Hepsiabeth L. Herring, a native of Ala- bama. They had seven daughters, of whom three died in early childhood, and Betty P., Fannie W., Annie L. and Ida M. grew to maturity. His first wife died in 1877. He afterward contracted a second marriage with Mary C .. Worthington, of Birmingham, by whom he has three living children, Walter W., Jane L., Benjamin P. Dr. Robertson's father was Willis B. Robertson, a native of Virginia. He was a farmer and school teacher. He married Caroline H. Coley. also a native of Virginia, by whom he had eight children; the doctor and his brother, Elveus G., of Oxford, being, however, the only survivors. His mother died in 1872, and his father in 1332. As the name indicates, the Robertsons are of Cale- donian ancestry, the earliest American founder of the family coming first to Delaware and then to Virginia.
DR. THOMAS F. ROBINSON, one of the young and successful physicians of Bessemer, first saw the light of day in Blount county, Ala., July, 1855. His primary education was acquired at Arkadelphia. Ala., and he gradu- ated in medicine at Vanderbilt university, Tennessee. in 1550. In 1851, he finished in the medical department of the university of Nashville, Tenn. He then located in Jonesboro. Ala .. and practiced there for six years, when he went to the New York Polyclinic institute and took a post graduate course. He located in Bessemer, in 1857. where he, in partner- ship with his brother. Dr. E. Miller Robinson, built up a large and lucra- tive practice. He was elected alderman of the city of Bessemer. in 1888. and re-elected in 1890. He belongs to Jefferson county Medical society. Alabama state Medical society. Bessemer Medical society, and the
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National Association of Railway Surgeons, as well as being a Mason, K. P., and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. In 1854, Dr. Robinson was happily wedded to Miss Belle Prince, daughter of Dr. Frank M. Prince, of Bessemer, and by that lady had five children, of whom Elise and Tom Prince are living. The father of the doctor is E. Miller Robinson, a native of Georgia, who came to Alabama and located at Arkadelphia. where he si an extensive farmer. He was com- missioner of Blount county for sixteen years. He served two years in the Confederate service as captain, when he was captured and sent to Johnson's Island. He married Nancy Duncan, of Georgia, six children being born to them, the four following of whom are living: Thomas F., of Bessemer; Emma, wife of A. C. McAnally, of Arkadelphia: Dr. E. Miller, of Bessemer: D. D., of Arkadelphia. The mother of Dr. Robinson was the second wife of his father, his first wife being Miss Stamper. of ' Georgia, by whom there were four children: J. A., of Ringgold, Ga .; J. T., of Ringgold. Ga .; James P., of Arkadelphia, and Amanda J. wife of D. S. Rice, of Texas. Dr. Robinson's father and his six brothers were in the Confederate army.
B. F. RODEN, the efficient president of the Birmingham Gas company, was born in DeKalb county, in 1844, and is the son of W. B. and Viola Harrison Roden, his mother being the second cousin of the celebrated A. H. H. Harrison, of Virginia. B. F. Roden was brought up on his father's farm, and received such education as the common schools of the country afforded. He served through the entire war in Polk's army and at Shiloh was severely wounded, which required his resignation from act- ive service in the field, and he was assigned to the commissary depart- ment. After the war he attended Mckenzie college in Texas, and was engaged in the mercantile business at Gadsden, Ala. In 1871 he located at Birmingham, and since that time has led a most successful business career. having been largely instrumental in building up the perinanent prosperity of the town, as well as many private enterprises. He is the founder and president of the Avondale Lind company, one of the found- ers of the Birmingham Gas and Electric Light company, as he is also of the Birmingham Chain works: president of the Birmingham Insurance company, and one of the directors of the Birmingham National bank, and of the Alabama National bank. He was an alderman for ten years. and founder and president of the first street railway of Birmingham. The father of Mr. Roden was a farmer. and was in the Seminole war in Florida. and his grandfather. John B. Roden, was born in South Caro- lina and went to Kentucky with Daniel Boone. He was an engineer in the war of 1812, while his great-grandfather, Jerry Roden, was an orderly sergeant under Gen. Francis Marion in the Revolutionary war. In 1872, Mr. B. F. Roden married Miss Emma Didlake, of Perry county. Ala. They have five children, Viola H .. Florence L .. Lillian, Mabelle aud Benjamin, Jr. B. F. Roden entered the Confederate service during the
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latter part of the war as assistant surgeon, most of his professional services being confined to the camps of instruction, located in Alabama.
GEN. E. W. RUCKER .- Edmund Winchester Rucker was born July 22. 1886, in Rutherford county, Tenn., and received such an education as was afforded by the common schools of Wilson county, in the same state. He spent his early youth on a farm. At the age of eighteen he left the farm and went to Memphis, where he engaged in civil engineering and was, at the opening of the war. city engineer of that city. He went early into the war in a company of sappers and miners, and was assigned to duty building defenses on the Mississippi at Columbus. Ky .. and at Fort Pillow. He was second lieutenant of engineers in the state service until 1862, when he was appointed lieutenant of cavalry in the regular army of the Confederate States, and assigned to duty in the artillery corps, and placed in command of a battery at Island No. 10, of which he held command until the surrender. During the war Gen. Rucker did good service in the commands of Gen. Polk and Forrest at Knoxville, at Corinth, and at Chattanooga, and was also in command of the post at Kingston, Tenn. . Later on, he commanded the Twelfth and Sixteenth battalions of Tennessee cavalry, being promoted by President Davis to the command of "Rucker's Legion," and afterward brigaded with Gen. John P. Pegram. remaining with him until the evacuation of Chattanooga, after which he was placed in command of a brigade of cavalry, and cov- ered Polk's retreat from Chattanooga, and was again attached to Peg- rams cavalry and fought at the battle of Chickamauga. Early in 1864 he was placed in command of a brigade until he was captured in December of that year. He was twice severely wounded at the battle of Harrisburg, in front of Nashville, while covering Polk's retreat, and having made nine separate charges. he was wounded and lost his left arm, and was captured. Being in command of a brigade at the time, he was called "general," though he was never commissioned. This title, he has. how- ever. always disclaimed. He was a warm personal friend of Gen. Forrest. Gen. Rucker has the honor of having done gallant service in the follow- ing battles: Belmont, Island No. 10, Chickamauga. Brice's Cross Roads, Harrisburg, where he was twice wounded-through the right arm and right leg; Franklin. Tenn .. Nashville, where he lost his left arm. and was captured and held prisoner, lying in the hospital at Nashville for two months. He was then paroled and sent with others to Johnson's Island. He was finally exchanged. and was on his way home when Lee surrendered. After the war he returned to Memphis, and, in company with Gen. Forrest. took a contract to build forty miles of the Memphis & Little Rock railroad. In 1869 he came to Alabama, where he did con- siderable railroading during the two succeeding years, and was then made superintendent of the Salem, Marion & Memphis railroad, which office he held until 1ss1. when he removed to Birmingham, his present home. He is vestryman in St. Mary's Episcopal church: president of the Birm-
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ingham Compress and Warehouse company: president of the East Birm- ingham Iron Roofing and Corrugating company; vice-president of the Sloss Iron and Steel company (the second largest in the world); was for some time vice-president of the Alabama National bank. of which he is now a director; vice-president of the American Coal company, one of the . finest in Alabama; an alderman of the town of Highlands. and director of the Alabama Loan company at Selma. He has been married twice. His first wife was Mary A. Woodfin. who died not long after their removal to Birmingham: to them were born three children, Mary, Louise and Edmund, all of whom are now living. He afterward, in 1886. mar- ried his present wife, Miss Mary T. Bentley. of Columbus, Tenn. His father was Edmund Rucker, of Virginia, and his mother was Louisa Winchester, daughter of Gen. James Winchester, of Tennessee, The founders of the American branch of the Rucker family came from Amsterdam. Both of his grandfathers, Thomas Rucker and James Win- chester, were distinguished officers in the war of 1812.
JOHN W. SEARS, M. D .. was born at Sandy Hook. Va., January 21. 1830. He is a son of Robert H. and Mary ( Allen ) Sears of Loudoun county, Va. His education was attained at the Flint Hill academy. and from private tutors. At the age of eighteen years, he engaged in the study of medicine, under his father's instructions, who was a prominent physician in that section of the state, and after a full medical course of study in the university of Pennsylvana. Philadelphia, graduated in April. 1850. He engaged in the practice of medicine, in conjunction with his father, for five years, and then he removed to Chattanooga. Tenn., where he formed a co-partnership. with Dr. L. Y. Green of that place. In the spring of 1858, he went to Summerfield. Ala., where he remained until the beginning of hostilities between the states. when he espoused the Confed- . erate cause, and accepted a position as surgeon in the Confederate army. He was for a short while at Charlottesville. Va .. associated with Prof. John Staige Davis, who filled an important chair in the medical depart- ment of the university of Virginia. Immediately after this, he organized the hospital at Warrenton, Va., and had charge of it until the evacuation of Manassas. in March, 1862. and was there ordered to join the Seventh Virginia regiment. under Col. James Kemper, afterward. Gov. Kemper. of Virginia. He took part in the seven days' fight around Richmond, and also the second battle of Manassas. and immediately after the latter, was ordered back to Warrenton. and remained there until after the battle of Sharpsburg, and then reported to the medical directors of the army. for duty. and was associated with Drs. Samuel H. Moffett and Joseph E. Clagett during the rest of the war. After the war was over, he returned to Alabama, and located in Jefferson county, and in 1871, while Birming. ham was still an embryonic town. began practicing there, and since then has passed through all the stages of her development. and has seen ker grow to be the most considerable iron center, and manufacturing city. in
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the same space of time, in the south Dr. Sears is a grand senior counselor of the State Medical association, and has served one term as vice-president. He is also a member of the Jefferson county Medical society, and for a number of years was chairman of the county board of censors. He was married in April, 1857, to Miss Theodosia A., daughter of Alexander and Catherine Spiller Findlay, of Abingdon, Va. Dr. Sears has an adopted daughter. Ella Newbourne, now Mrs. John D. Elliott of Birmingham. He is a free and accepted Mason, and filled the principal office, in the royal arch chapter, while residing in Chattanooga, Tenn Both Dr. and Mrs. Sears belong to the Methodist Episcopal church, south.
GEN. CHARLES M. SHELLEY. - This well known citizen of Birming- ham, Ala .. was born in Sullivan county, Tenn. He was educated principally at Talladega. Ala., where his parents had located in 1837. His father was a contractor and builder. and at the early age of fifteen, having learned the trade of bricklaying, he was already contracting for work on his own account. He lived in Talladega until the war broke out, and in February. 1861, went with the Talladega artillery to Mobile, having been lieutenant of that company. Upon the return of the company from Mobile, he was made its captain. In April, 1861, he accompanied the Fifth regiment to Pensacola. and remained until April 13, when he was ordered to Virginia and served a year there. In February, 1862, he was commissioned a colonel. and organized the Thirtieth Alabama regiment of infantry, and was assigned to Rains' brigade, then to Barton's brigade, and served in the latter through the east Tennessee and Kentucky cam- paigns. He was then in Stevenson's division of Bragg's army in front of Nashville, Tenn. ; was then ordered to Vicksburg, and served until the city was captured, when he surrendered and was paroled. After his exchange, he engaged in the battles of Lookout Mountain, and of Mis- sionary Ridge. Upon the retreat to Jonesboro, he was put in command of a brigade In November. 1564, he was commissioned brigadier-general, and served all through the Tennessee campaign; after this was ordered to Danville. Va., where he was when Gen. Lee surrendered. He took part in the following battles: Farr's Cross Roads. Va., July 17, 1861; first battle of Bull Run: night skirmish in the peninsula in Virginia; cavalry skirmish near Accotink. Va., also Tazewell. Tenn .; siege at Cumberland Gap. Tonn. : also Perryville, Ky .: Chickasaw Bayou. Port Gibson, Baker's Creek. Vicksburg, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Rocky Face, Powers Valley. Resaca. Marietta, New Hope church, Atlanta and Jonesboro. After receiving his commission as brigadier- general, he was in the battles at Decatur. Ala .. Columbia. Tenn., Nash- ville and Franklin, where he lost 432, killed and wounded, out of 1, 100. his horse was killed under him, and seven holes were shot in his clothing. In October, 1864. Gen. Shelley was placed in command of Gen Cum- ming's brigade, which he reorganized, after it had been badly demoral-
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ized and cut up generally by hard campaigning. In 1665. after all the Alabama troops were combined in two brigades, Gen. Shelley was placed in command of one them. In June. 1865, he was married to Kath- leen McConnell, daughter of Felix Grundy MeConnell, a distinguished Alabama congressman. On June 24th, of that year. he started for South America, but was taken sick in Louisiana. and remained there a year, after which he resumed his business as contractor and builder. . He took an active part in politics, and in 1974, was appointed sheriff of Dallas county. He served two years as sheriff. He was then elected to congress from the Selma district, and served with distinction for four consecutive terms. After his voluntary retirement from congress. President Cleve- land appointed him fourth auditor of the treasury, which office be held four years. Upon his return from Washington, he settled in Birmingham, Ala., where he has since resided. In September, 1892, when it became necessary to make a mighty effort to keep Alabama in the democratic ranks, the state executive committee created a campaign committee, to which was entrusted the duties and responsibilities of supreme command; with one accord, the chairmanship of the campaign committee was entrusted to Gen. Charles M. Shelley, by whose wise and courageous conduct a brilliant victory was achieved. Safe in the confidence and affections of his people, he now stands at the head of public affairs in his state, in that enviable position which can only be held by a disinterested leader without office. He has two children. James Etter and Elizabeth McConnell. He is a Mason and Odd Fellow: also a member of the Meth- odist Episcopal church. His father was William P. Shelley of Tennessee.
DR. EDWARD H. SHOLL, one of Birmingham's leading physicians, was born in Hanover. Penn., September 17. 1832. and was educated in New York by Daniel B. Hagar, for thirty years principal of the Female State Normal schools. of Massachusetts. He entered Princton college in 1850; together with Judge Thomas W Coleman, of the Alabama supreme court. and Col. W. A. Percy, deceased, of Greenville, Ala., and Dr. Joseph Jones. of Tulane university. New Orleans, graduated in 1-53. After leaving Princeton, he taught a select school in Eutaw. Ala., for ten mouths. In 1854, he entered the Pennsylvania Medical college, where he graduated in 1856, and located in Clinton. Ala., where he remained until October. 1857, then removing to Warsaw, Ala. In May, 1862. he entered the Confederate service, with the Thirty-sixth Alabama regiment, and served as a private until December of that year, when he was appointed assis- tant surgeon, and served as such during the rest of the war, the last seventeen months of which time were spent with Gen. Forrest's old command. He served in the following engagements: Bolivar, Tenn .. March, 1864; Harrisburg, Miss., July 12, 13, and 14. 1864; Lafayette, Ga., June 24, 1864; Hurricane Creek, Miss .. August, 1-64: Memphis. Tenn., August 21. 1864; Athens, Ala .. September 24, 1-64: Sulphur Trestle, September 25. 1>64; Pulaski, Tenn .. September 27, 1-64; Huntsville,
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