A history of Savannah and South Georgia, Volume II, Part 25

Author: Harden, William, 1844-1936
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1208

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After the war Captain Blun resumed business in association with Mr. Meyer and remained with him until 1870, when he became asso- ciated with George W. Wylly and R. M. Demere in the private banking business under the firm name of G. W. Wylly & Company. This firm was dissolved in 1873 and was succeeded by the banking firm of Blun & Demere, which eontiuned in business until 1878. Captain Blun then withdrew and established a private banking business, which was sne- ceeded in 1>90 by the present Germania Bank, of which he was the president from its founding in that year. Captain Blun was the organ- izer and founder of the bank, an institution of which he was justly proud. Starting in with a capital stock of $50,000. it is now increased to $300,000. It is a highly prosperons financial institution and to be numbered among the monetary institutions which emphasize and exert marked infinence in conserving the financial stability and commercial prestige of Georgia. Captain Bhi was known as one of the ablest and most discriminating financiers of Savannah. The Germania building. the home of this bank, is a handsome eight-story structure, the first of

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Savannah's tall office buildings. From the day of the organization of the bank it has been given the careful and strict conduct of Captain Blun. He was interested in all public matters, was essentially public- spirited, and for many years was a member of the Savannah board of public education. . He was a member of several local clubs and was an adherent of the Catholic faith, as is also his family.

Captain Blun was happily married in Savannah on April 1, 1861, his chosen lady being Miss Catherine Savage, daughter of Michael and Catherine (Stafford) Savage. Their union has been blessed by the birth of several children, five of whom survive and are admirable mem- bers of society and expressive of the fine stock from which they spring. They are as follows: Augusta, wife of Dr. Matthew F. Dunn, of Savan- nah; Mary, wife of H. Clay Miner, of New York; Capt. Henry Blun, Jr .; Katherine E. Blun, wife of E. Clinton Jansen, of Denver, Colo- rado; and Walter Savage Blun. Capt. Henry Blun, Jr., is ex-postmas- ter of Savannah and a partner in the Neal-Blun Company, dealers in hardware and building supplies. He is also president of the Germania Bank. He is a graduate of Lehigh University and is prominent in social and business affairs of Savannah. Capt. Henry Blun died Feb- ruary 2, 1912.

CAPT. WILLIAM GRAFTON AUSTIN. The substantial and loyal citizens of Savannah have no finer representative than Capt. William Grafton Austin, who rendered the city most valuable and efficient service as chief of police for six years, the result of which made it remarkably free from crime and disorder, and the police force under his leadership reached a high point of efficiency. A son of Charles William and Georgia (Grafton) Austin, he was born in 1868 in Grimes county, Texas, being a member of the same branch of the Austin family from which Stephen F. Austin, the founder of the Austin colony of Texas, was descended, the immigrant ancestor of the family having been John Austin, who came from Kent, England, to America in the early part of the seventeenth century, and died in Greenwich, Connecticut, in 1657. He is the ninth generation removed from the founder of the Austin family of the United States, and seven generations removed from David Austin, who was the great grandfather of Stephen F. Austin, of Texas fame, this David having been the grandson of the immigrant, the lineage being thus traeed : David Austin I .. David Austin II., David Austin III .. who during the Revolution was wounded in the defense of New Haven, Connecticut, against the British, and was afterwards collector of cus- toms at New Haven, and was the founder, and first president, of the New Haven Bank: John P. Austin, born in New Haven, Connecticut. in 1774, was graduated from Yale College and died at Brazoria, Texas, in 1834, while visiting a son: Andrew Yates Austin, 'born in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1803, died in Willoughby, Ohio, in 1882; Charles William Austin ; and William Grafton Anstin.

Capt. Charles William Anstin was born at Norwich, Connecticut, in 1833, and died in Savannah, Georgia, in 1889. Migrating to Texas in early manhood, he subsequently had a notable career, partienlarly in connection with the Confederate navy during the war between the states. His chief fame lies in the fact that he, in association with Capt. John A. Stevenson. was one of the designers and constructors of the Confederate ram "Manassas." the vessel which revolutionized naval warfare, displacing wood hulls for those of steel, that vessel having preceded the "Merrimae" and "Monitor." Following its completion the "Manassas" was placed in command of Capt. Charles William Austin, who while sailing her passed through some of the most danger-

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ous and thrilling escapades of the war. . His first encounter with the enemy after assuming command of the "Manassas" was at New Orleans, at the mouth of the Mississippi, where in a tilt with four of the Federal sloops-of-war Captain Austin came off victorious, but with his cloth- ing nearly burned off him from the enemy's fire. He succeeded, however, in ramming and sinking the "Richmond," one of the enemy's fleet. in that engagement. In a later engagement the "Manassas," having her engine broken, had to run on a sand bank to save her crew, and was there abandoned.

Prior to the Civil war, Captain Austin had been eaptain of a steamer of the Harris-Morgan line, plying between New Orleans and Mobile. After the disaster to the "Manassas" he continued in active service in the Confederate navy until the close of the conflict, leading a life that was filled with most dangerous exploits in blockade running, and having narrow eseapes from the enemy on both sea and land. Three times he was imprisoned. and each time made his escape, his most thrill- ing escapade having been when, in the closing days of the war, he suc- cessfully ran the Federal blockade in Galveston harbor, an event that is remembered by all of the old residents of that city as one of the most notable in the course of the war.

In 1875, Captain Austin came with his family from Texas to Savan- nah, Georgia, where he engaged in his old business, that of stevedoring, remaining a resident of the city until his death, in 1889, as mentioned above. He married Georgia Grafton, who is deseended from the Harlan family of Kentucky, her mother having been a first cousin of the late Justice John Marshall Harlan, of the United States supreme court, and who also eounts among her ancestors Nathaniel and John Harlan, founders of the city of Rochester, New York. After the captain's death she and her danghter. Miss Susie T. Austin, and her son. Andrew Y. Austin, returned to Texas, and are now living at Houston, that state.

One of Capt. Charles W. Austin's brothers. John P. Austin. belonged to Morgan's band of raiders, serving in the Confederate army, and was on land what the captain was on sea, an intrepid, fearless fighter, the entire Austin family having been then, as now, noted for coolness and bravery in face of danger.

Completing his education after coming to Savannah, William Grafton Austin attended the Barnard School, the Massie School, and the Chatham Academy. In 1887, he enlisted as a private in the United States army, in which he served five years, becoming first sergeant of Troop E, Seventh Cavalry, Custer's old regiment, being stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas. As sergeant of his troop, he took a prominent part in the suppression of the Sionx uprising in Sonth Dakota, in December, 1890, and upon the earnest recommendation of his superior officers was awarded by the United States department a medal of honor for gallant condnet and conspicnons bravery in close-range fire at the battle of Wounded Knee, on December 29, 1890.

After leaving the regular army Capt. William G. Austin returned to Savannah, and was here for a number of years successfully engaged in the cotton business. In JJanuary, 1907, at the urgent solicitation of friends, he retired from his mercantile operations to take the position of chief of police of Savannah, an office which he filled with honor to himself, and to the great advantage of the city. Although a striet dis- ciplinarian, it is recognized that through his severe training and experi- ence the force of which he was at the head became one of the best and most efficient in the state, while he himself was an ideal head for a metropolitan police department.

In 1894. Capt. W. G. Anstin joined the Savannah Volunteer Gnards

Grat austrong

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as a private, and having through various promotions become captain of Company A, commanded that company in the Spanish-American war, his eompany being a part of the Second Georgia Regiment of Volun- teers. For a number of years the captain was a member of the Georgia Rifle Team, and is noted as an expert rifle shot. Ile retired from the eaptainey of the company before he became chief of poliee.

Captain Austin organized. and is president of, the Savannah Motor Car Company, representing in Savannah the Cadillac automobile.

GEORGE F. ARMSTRONG. Savannah boasts an unusually large num- ber of native born citizens, the fact finding explanation in the light of the splendid advantages, and the unusual attractions presented by the beautiful and historie old eity. other seetions not possessing charms sufficient to draw the Savannahian to them. Among the loyal native sons, a citizen of that type in which the city may well take pride- is George F. Armstrong, ship broker and prominent in maritime affairs. He was born at Guyton. Georgia, but he came to Savannah when two years old. His birth oeenrred on the 25th day of September. 1868, the son of Benjamin R. and Elizabeth (Ferguson) Armstrong. He is the seion of one of the eastern families which have found representation in the south, his father having been a native of Rhode Island. He came to Savannah, however, in young manhood, many years previous to the outbreak of the Civil war and the part he played in the many-sided life of the city was that of a contractor and builder. He was eity assessor of Savannah for several years and was a prominent character in the pub- lie life of the city and in the fostering of its beneficial institutions and its upbuilding. He died in 1901, but his memory will long remain green in the community which he loved and which recognized his worth. The subjeet's mother was a southerner, Charleston, South Carolina. being her birthplace.

Mr. Armstrong was reared and educated in the city and since enter- ing upon his business eareer he has been prominently identified with · shipping and allied interests. He is a member of the co-partnership, which forms the firm of Strachan & Company, ship brokers. founded e by Capt. George P. Walker and the late Capt. F. G. Strachan. This firm has for many years maintained extensive shipping interests centered at the port of Savannah, and is widely known for its promi- nent connection with maritime affairs. Its standing among shippers and ship owners is of the highest. In addition to the foregoing. Mr. Armstrong has other interests of broad scope and importance, among other things, being president of the Mutual Mining Company, extensive miners and shippers of Florida phosphate. He is a member of the board of pilotage commissioners of Savannah; he is a director of the Hibernia Bank and of the Commercial Life Insurance and Casnalty Company. He is a member of the Savannah cotton exchange and board of trade and of the chamber of commerce. In the legitimate channels of business he has won the success which always crowns well-directed labor, sound judgment and untiring perseverance, and at the same time he has concerned himself with the affairs of the community in an admir- ably publie-spirited fashion. He is also a great baseball enthusiast, and been president of the Baseball Chib for several years and has been a large ammal contributor to it.

Mr. Armstrong was for several years actively connected with the famous Chatham Artillery of Savannah, which he joined as a private in 1887 and of which he is now an honorary member. He is a veteran of the Spanish-American war, having been with the Chatham artillery at

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the time of that conflict, the organization being mustered into service as Battery B of Georgia, of which Mr. Armstrong was lieutenant.

Mrs. Armstrong before her marriage was Miss Luey Camp, a mem- ber of the family of that name which comes from Suffolk, Virginia. Her marriage to the subjeet was celebrated in Ocala, Florida, on the 4th day of January, 1905, and the union has been blessed by the birth of a daughter, Miss Lucy Camp Armstrong. They hold a position of respect and prominence in the city and maintain a household of renowned hospitality.

GEORGE FRANCIS TENNILLE. As third vice-president of the Southern Cotton Oil Company, George Franeis Tennille holds a position of great importance and responsibility, having immediate control of its Savan- nah works and offices, the plant in this city being the most extensive one of the company's system. A son of the late Capt. William Alex- ander Tennille, he was born, March 6, 1873. in New York City, and was there reared and educated, completing his early education at Columbia University, where he was graduated in chemistry in 1894.

His great-grandfather, Lieut. Francis Tennille, was the son of a French Huguenot, who emigrated from France after the Edict of Nantes. settling in Virginia. He was born in Virginia, in Prince William county, and came from there to Georgia in colonial days, locating in Wash- ington county as a pioneer. During the Revolutionary war he enlisted for service in the Georgia Brigade of the Continental army, being mus- tered in as lieutenant of the second battalion, afterwards being promoted first to the rank of captain, later being commissioned lieutenant colonel. He had the distinetion of being one of the charter members of the Society of the Cincinnati in Georgia. He married Mary Bacon Dixon, a daughter of Robert and Ann (Baeon) Dixon, and granddaughter of Gen. Nathaniel Bacon, of Virginia, who was a lineal descendant of the famous English family of that name.

Mr. Tennille's paternal grandfather, Col. Francis Tillman Tennille, was born near Sandersville, Washington county, Georgia, in 1799, and spent his entire life in his native state, dying in 1877.

Capt. William Alexander Tennille's birth occurred in Washington county, Georgia, in 1840. Ile was reared at Fort Gaines, Georgia, his father having large plantation interests in that vicinity, and was grad- uated from the University of Georgia with the class of 1860. Entering the Confederate army at the breaking out of the Civil war, he served until the close of the eonfliet in Company D, Ninth Georgia Infantry, at the elose holding the rank of captain on the staff of Gen. "Tige" Anderson. Serving almost the entire time in Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, he proved himself a brave and efficient soldier, his military reeord, especially in the battle of Gettysburg, being spoken of in the highest terms by all who are familiar with it. Removing after the war to New York City, the captain was there a resident until his death. in 1905. He married Clara Futtle, a daughter of George Hudson and Mary (Dawkin) Tuttle, and she is still living. She is a direct descend- ant of William Tuttle, who came from England to America in 1635. settling first in Boston. and later removing to New Haven, Connecticut .. His deseendants have furnished many distinguished names in American history.

Beginning his service with the Sonthern Cotton Oil Company in 1897, George Francis Tennille at first followed his profession of a chemist in the Savannah plant. Proving himself efficient in many direc- tions, he was advanced to higher positions from time to time, being promoted first to the position of superintendent, then manager, later

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becoming district manager, and, in 1911, being made third viee-presi- dent of the company. This being an executive position with the con- cern makes it more or less of general jurisdiction. Mr. Tennille, how- ever, has under his immediate charge the Savannah works and offices of the company, these comprising one of the main centers of the great corporation, which owns and operates over ninety cotton oil mills scat- tered throughout the South. The plant in Savannah eovers more than twenty acres, it being one of the largest belonging to the Southern Cot- ton Oil Company, which ranks among the largest industrial organiza- tions in the United States. It includes a large crude oil mill, a refinery, soap works, and plants for the manufacture of lard and paint. The headquarters of the freight department and of the company's chemical department are also located in Savannah, and are under Mr. Tennille's charge.

Mr. Tennille belongs to several patriotic, business and social organi- zations. He is a member of the Georgia Society of the Cincinnati; of the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution; of the University Club of New York; the Society of Chemical Industry; the American Chemical Society ; the Oglethorpe Club; the Yacht Club; the Golf Club; the Cotillion Club, and many others.

In Savannah, in 1903, Mr. Tennille was united in marriage with Miss Jessie Chisholm, a daughter of William W. Chisholm, and they have one child, Dorothy Tennille. Mrs. Tennille is descended from some of the oldest and most distinguished families of the South. Her grand- father, Murdock Chisholm, married Georgia A. Barnard, who belonged to that branch of the well-known Barnard family that is perpetuated by having had named one of the thoroughfares of Savannah, Barnard street. Mrs. Tennille's great-grandfather, Maj. John Barnard, was a member of the provincial congress assembled in Savannah, July 4, 1775, and assisted in raising the first liberty pole in the city. During the Revolutionary war he commanded a company which attacked the crew of a British frigate which had been landed on Wilmington island. and captured them all. He was finally himself taken prisoner by the British, but was later exchanged, and participated in the siege of Savan- nah, serving until the close of the struggle. Major Barnard was a son of Col. John Barnard of the British army, who, about 1743, came to Savannah in command of a regiment called the "Rangers," and set- tled on Wilmington island. He held his commission in the British army until his death.

William W. Chisholm married Jessie M. Fowke, a daughter of Dr. Richard Chandler Fowke, and granddaughter of Dr. John Sidney- ham Fowke, who was a surgeon in the United States navy in the early part of the nineteenth century. The founder of the American family of Fowke was Col. Gerard Fowke, an officer of the British army, who settled in Virginia prior to 1657. and became an extensive landholder in both Virginia and Maryland. His son, Col. Gerard Fowke, Jr., and his grandson, Capt. Chandler Fowke, held military and civil positions in Maryland and Virginia. Among other prominent characters in the ancestral line of Mrs. Tennille were Capt. Adam Thoroughgood, who emigrated from England to Virginia in 1621; Thomas Harrison, of Fauquier county, Virginia; and Isaac Mazyek, who was born in Saint Martin's, France, innigrated to South Carolina about 1740, and be- came a prominent citizen of Charleston.

GEN. PETER WILTBERGER MELDRIM. One of the distinguished mem- bers of the bar of Georgia. Gen. Peter Wiltberger Meldrim, was born in Savannah, December 4, 1848, the son of Ralph and Jane ( Fawcett) Mel-

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drim. His earlier edneation was acquired in Chatham Academy and under private tutors, and he was graduated with honors from the aca- demie department of the University of Georgia in 1868, being the anniver- sary orator of the Phi Kappa Society. He graduated from the law de- partment of the University of Georgia in 1869, and during the following winter began the practice of his profession in Savannah. He went stead- ily and rapidly to the front, winning a large and Iuerative clientele, and two days before the state election of 1881 was nominated for state sena- tor and was elected, serving in that office for two terms. A writer, in summing up Mr. Meldrim's legislative service, said : " It was active. bril- liant and of a high order. He was ever ready to give his vote and his voiee to those measures or to those statutes which seemed to him to be essential to individual and publie welfare. In all his aets he reflected the liberality and intelligence of his constituents, and for this was be- loved and admired by all who witnessed his course. As chairman of the committee on military affairs, he was indefatigable in his labors in he- half of perfect organization, equipment and discipline of the volunteer troops of the state. His speeches on this subject before the committee and in the senate. were models of eloquence and logic. Then, when the bill to make tuition forever free at the State University was put upon its passage and the measure was violently opposed, he came to its rescue fearlessly and grandly. aiding materially in bringing abont the happy result of its triumphant passage. His constituents and the people of Georgia have reason to be proud of his talents and character."

For several years General Meldrim was associated with Col. William Garrard in the practice of law, but for some years past the former has maintained his office and practice individually. He is an eminently successful lawyer, and in many of the decisions of Georgia, where General Meldrim's cases are involved, there are distinct compliments from the supreme bench. During a long period he was connected actively with the military establishment of the state. Although a youth, he reported for duty to Capt. William S. Chishohn at the time of Sherman's ad- vanee on the city in December, 1864, and was made corporal in the home guards organized by Captain Chishohn, serving in the trenches on the right of the line near the river and doing gnard duty in the city. In later years he enlisted originally as a private in the historic Georgia Hussars, and was promoted to second lieutenant in January, 1889. Sub- sequently he became adjutant of the First Squadron of Georgia Cavalry, of which later he was promoted to major. From this rank he was ad- vaneed to lieutenant-colonel of the regiment. and was made colonel in February, 1900. He became brevet brigadier-general of the Georgia state troops in July, 1906, and brigadier-general conmanding the Georgia state troops on September 24, 1907.

In 1891 General Meldrim was elected alderman, and in January, 1897, he was elected mayor of Savannah, and gave the city an efficient and cred- itable administration, during which much municipal improvement was carried out. partienlarly in street paving. In addition the jail was added to the police barracks and some new buildings were erected for the fire department. He has been president of the Hibernian Society since 1875; is ex-president of the alummi society of the University of Georgia and of the State Bar Association, and has for many years been a member of the board of trustees for the university. General Meldrim first suggested the erection of the monument to Sergeant JJasper, in Madison Sanare, Savannah, and then co-operated in the efforts which brought about the building of this memorial. In the American Bar Association he is chair- man of the committee on jurisprudence and law reform, and he is one of the commissioners on uniformity of laws for the state of Georgia.

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General Meldrim has achieved wide fame for his eloquence as a speaker ; a reputation that had its beginning in his college days. Besides possessing the most pleasing oratorical graces, his addresses indicate deep scholarship and a wide range of reading and assimilation. Some of them are models of thought. form and dietion. He has delivered notable speeches before the American Bar Association, as well as the Georgia and other state bar associations ; also a large number of literary, historical and miseellaneous addresses. Upon the occasions of the presence of dis- tinguished personages in the city, or in the formalities of extending in- vitation to such to be Savannah's guests, General Meldrim usually is chosen as the speaker to voice the city's welcome.

General Meldrim belongs to the Masonic and other orders. He is a member of the Oglethorpe Club, Capital City Club of Atlanta, Hussars Club, Yacht Club and the University clubs of Atlanta and Savannah, of the latter of which he is president. He was married June 30, 1881, to Miss Franees P. Casey, daughter of Dr. Henry R. and Caroline ( Harris) Casey, of Columbia county, Georgia, and a grand-niece of Maj. John Mc- Pherson Berrien, who was one of Savannah's distinguished citizens of former years. General and Mrs. Meldrim have four children, namely : Caroline Lonise, Frances Casey, who married Col. G. Noble Jones, Sophia d'A, and Jane. The Meldrim residence in Savannah is one of the most beautiful and stately homes in the South. It is possessed of historie interest from the fact that it was the headquarters of General Sherman upon the occupation of the eity by the Federal army in December, 1864.

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A history of Savannah and South Georgia, Volume II, Part 25

Author: Harden, William, 1844-1936 Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1208

Author: Harden, William, 1844-1936
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1208