USA > Georgia > Chatham County > Savannah > A history of Savannah and South Georgia, Volume II > Part 50
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Mr. Lawson married, at the age of thirty-seven years. Lillie Seruges, who was born in Brooks county, Georgia, a daughter of Richard and
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Margaret (Ilorne) Seruggs, both natives of Georgia, her father having been born in the vicinity of Savannah, and her mother in Burke county. Mr. and Mrs. Lawson have four children, namely: Richard Ashley, Roy, Ernest, and Maggie.
An intelligent reader, taking a genuine interest in everything per- taining to his native state, Mr. Lawson is very familiar with the early history of Georgia, having acquired a large part of his historieal knowl- edge first hand from his parents and grandparents. and through the reading of current literature keeps himself well informed on all the leading questions of the day.
ANGUS MORRISON. Devoting his time and energies to the develop- ment and advancement of the agricultural interests of Brooks county, Angus Morrison has for several years been actively and successfully engaged in general farming in the Morven distriet, where his property is finely located. He is distinguished as a native-born citizen, his birth having occurred in that district, February 9, 1864. He is a son of the late Angus Morrison, Sr., and a grandson of John Morrison, a pioneer of Georgia.
Born and educated in Scotland. John Morrison came to America when a young man, and after spending a brief time in North Carolina daunt- lessly pushed his way to Montgomery county, Georgia, which was then but thinly populated. Buying a tract of wild land, he engaged in farm- ing and stock-raising, remaining on the homestead, which he cleared and improved, until his death, while vet in the prime of a vigorous man- hood. IIe married Catherine MeCrimmon, who was also a native of Scot- land. She was a woman of much ability and courage, and on being left a widow with a family to care for she immediately assumed the man- agement of the home farm, on which she reared her children, giving to each a good education. She continued her residence on the farm, which is now owned by her great-grandson, until her death.
Angus Morrison. Sr., born in Montgomery county, Georgia, June 13, 1819, was but two years old when left fatherless. Receiving an excel- lent education. he embarked upon a professional career at the age of fourteen years, teaching first in Montgomery connty, and later in Lowndes county, where he had charge of schools in various places. In 1857 he bought a tract of land in lot number 362, in what is now Morven district. Brooks county, and erected the honse in which his widow now resides. Engaged both in teaching and farming, he was a resident of the district until his death, October 28, 1873.
On February 7. 1857, Angus Morrison. Sr., married Louisa Pike, who was born in that part of Lowndes county now included in Brooks county, March 22. 1834. Her father. Hon. John JJoseph Pike, was born in Saint Augustine. Florida. ITis father being murdered by the In- dians, he was taken, with the other children to the home of his grand- father. in Charleston, South Carolina. When large enough to care for himself he returned to Florida, where he took an active part in va- rious Indian wars, Coming from there to Georgia. John JJoseph Pike was one of the early settlers of that part now called Brooks county. Purchasing land north of Morven, he built a log house in the forest and began to clear a farm. There were no railways in this vicinity for many years thereafter the most convenient markets being either at Savannah or in the gulf ports, the round trip taking from one to two weeks.' Deer, bear, panthers, wolves, wild turkeys. and game of all kinds were plentiful, and every man went armed as a protection against the hostile Indians. Mr. Pike had slaves and with their assistance cleared a large portion of the land, and until his death continued to reside on his farm, which is now owned by his great-grandson.
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Hon. John Joseph Pike married Nancy Hall, who was born in Mont- gomery county, a daughter of Sion Hall. Her grandfather, Enoch Hall, came from North Carolina to Georgia, settling first in Montgomery county, but later removing to Appling county. His wife, whose maiden name was Jennie Jackson, was born and reared in North Carolina. Their son, Sion Hall, accompanied them to Georgia, and when ready to settle , in life bought land in that part of Irwin county that was later made into Lowndes county, and is now a part of Brooks county. Purchasing large tracts of land he operated it with slave labor, and was also engaged in milling, having a grist mill and a sawmill on Little river, and a saw- mill on Mill ereek. Sion Hall, who lived to be nearly a hundred years old, continued a resident on the home farm until his death, and many of the deseendants of him and his wife, whose maiden name was Mary Morrison, are still living in Brooks county. Hon. Joseph Pike was prominent in public affairs, serving as an officer in the state militia, and representing his district in the state legislature. Both be and his wife were influential members of the Primitive Baptist ehurch.
Brought up and educated in Brooks county, Angus Morrison began life for himself as a railway employee, being first employed in the shops of the F. C. & P. Railroad Company, and later being an engineer on the same road, which is now called the Seaboard Air Line. After fifteen years' experience in that work, Mr. Morrison returned to Brooks county, and having purchased the estate which he now owns and oeeupies has sinee been prosperously engaged in farming and stock-raising. His farm, containing three hundred acres of rich land, is located at the Four Cor- ners, five miles west of the village of Morven, and is one of the more desirable farms of that vicinity.
Mr. Morrison married, February 14, 1892, Anna Morrison Alder- man, who was born in Marion county, Florida, a daughter of Hiram Alderman. Her grandfather, Samuel M. Alderman, was born and reared in North Carolina. He married Sarah Chestnut, and on coming to Georgia settled in Bulloch county, where he cleared and improved a homestead, on which they both resided during the remainder of their lives, her death oceurring at the age of eighty-seven years. One of a large family of children, Hiram Alderman was reared in Bulloch county, Georgia, but as a young man went to Marion county, Florida, bought land, and in the log cabin which he built in the midst of the forest kept bachelor's hall two years. Returning then to Bulloch eounty, he married Emeline Jones, a daughter of Basil and Deborah (Bowen) Jones, who moved from North Carolina to Bulloch county. Georgia, in pioneer days. Returning with his bride to Florida, he installed her as mistress of his cabin. Fifteen years later he disposed of that property, and purchased a farm in Bradford county, Florida, where both he and his wife spent their remaining days. They were the parents of nine children, as fol- lows: Harmon ; Deborah ; Alice; Jane; Anna Morrison, wife of Angus Morrison ; Laura : John; Basil : and Susan. Mr. and Mrs. Morrison have one ehild, Emma Lou Morrison, a student at the Norman Park Institute. Both Mr. and Mrs. Morrison are members of the Missionary Baptist church.
Mr. Morrison's mother is still living. a bright and active woman of seventy-eight years, with her mental faculties unimpaired. In her younger days she used to card, spin and weave, and for many years did all of her cooking by the fireplace. She is one of the few now living who have watched with pride the growth of Brooks county from a wilderness to a country in which are flourishing towns and cities, and rich agrienl- tural regions. In the days of her girlhood the wild beasts of the forest had not yet fled before the advancing steps of civilization, but, with the Vol. 11-22
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dusky savage. inhabited the vast wilderness. Railroads, telegraph and telephone lines were then unknown, and the primitive eart, the only wheeled vehicle known by the early pioneers, has given way to the expensive earriages and automobiles now seen everywhere, not only in the streets of the eities and villages, but on the rural highways.
LLEWELLYN ROBINSON DIXON. A long and prosperous career was that of Mr. Dixon. Born in Georgia seventy-seven years ago, he had been identified with the southwestern part of the state since pioneer times when there were no railroads. He is a veteran of the Civil war, and for many years has successfully managed a large estate in Brooks eounty, his residence being in the village of Morven,
Llewellyn Robinson Dixon was born on a farm in Sumter county, August 26, 1836. His grandfather was a pioneer of Washington county, and there, it is thought, Pleasant Dixon, the father, was born and reared to manhood. From Washington he moved to Houston county, and after a few years to Sumter county and then to Pulaski county. Pleasant Dixon was a plantation overseer and managed a number of large estates in Georgia. He was overseer on Major McCormick's plantation until about 1846, when he settled in Dooly county and bought a farm of his own. In 1854. coming to that portion of Lowndes county now ineluded in Brooks and buying land in the Morven district, he there devoted him- self to the quiet pursuits of the farm until his death at the age of seventy- two. The maiden name of his wife was Fanny Lycett, and she was born in Washington county and her death occurred at the age of about eighty- six. She reared five children, Caroline, Moses, William, Lewellyn R. and Jimmie.
Mr. Dixon was a youth of eighteen when the family settled in Lowndes eounty (now Brooks), and at that time Troupville was the county seat. There was yet no railroad transportation for the produets of this region, and. the nearest markets were Tallahassee or Newport, Florida. His father often hauled his erops to one of these ports, and it required four or five days to make the round trip. Mr. Dixon lived at home most of the time until his marriage, when he settled on land inherited by his wife. When his brothers went into the war he returned to the home farm to eare for his parents. But when practically all the youth of the South was needed to sustain that giant struggle he also left home in August, 1862, enlisted in Company A of the Second Florida Battalion. His eommand was soon sent to northern Virginia and placed in A. P. Hill's eorps. . He was engaged in many of the greatest battles of the war and served until the end. At the surrender at Appomattox he was a near observer of Generals Grant and Lee in their meeting. and was thus one of the actual witnesses of that culminating event in the war between the states. On being paroled he marched with his eommand to the James river, took boat to Fortress Monroe, was there transferred to a steamer which carried him to Savannah, and from there walked to Jessup and thenee eame by railroad the rest of the way to Lowndes county.
After nearly three years' absence in the army he resumed farming on the old homestead for five or six years, and then bought land about a mile northwest of Morven. Possessed of energy and good judgment, as the years went by he added to the sum of his material prosperity and has long since acquired a position of comfort and moderate affluence. He owned upwards of twelve hundred acres, and some years ago retired from the personal supervision of his property and lived retired in the village of Morven.
Mr. Dixon was married at the age of twenty-three to Miss Mary Beasley. She was born in Lowndes county. a daughter of Isaiah and
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Polly (Campbell) Beasley, pioneer settlers of that eounty. Mrs. Dixon died at the age of twenty-five and left three children : Pleasant, Frankie and May, and he then married her sister, Catherine, his faithful com- panion for many years. Her death oceurred in 1909. Mr. Dixon then married Mrs. Julia ( Devane) Alderman. She was born in Brooks county, a daughter of John and Martha ( IIieks) Devane, and her paternal grand- parents were Benjamin and Mary (Rogers) Devane, and her maternal grandparents, Benjamin and Mosley ( Brice ) Hicks. Mrs. Dixon's first husband was Timothy Alderman, a Confederate soldier and until his death a farmer of Brooks county. Mr. Dixon's daughter Frankie mar- ried Moses Dixon, and their children are Pleasant, Llewellyn, William, Katie Lou and Temperance. Mary married Isom Walker and has one daughter, Mollie, who is the wife of Herbert Purvis, and their son Her- bert is a great-grandehild of Mr. Dixon. By his second wife Mr. Dixon had seven children, namely : Jimmie, Emma, Annie, Alice, Mattie, Brax- ton and Estelle. Jimmie married Katie Briggs and has seven daugh- ters, named Rachel, Inez, Jimmie, Julian, Estelle, Annie Lou and Reba. Emma is the wife of John Wiggins. Annie beeame the wife of John Moody, and their five children are Catherine, Braxton, Ina, R. F. and Frankie. Alice married George Edwards and has two children, Sally and Thelina. Mattie is the wife of William Council, and their three children are Emma Lee, Ralph C. and Alma. Braxton died at the age of twenty-one years. Estelle, who married John Hammett, died leaving an infant daughter, Estelle, who now lives with her uncle, John Wig- gins. Mr. Dixon died Deeember 20, 1912, and was buried at Mount Zion eamp ground near Morven.
JAMES MADISON SCARBOROUGH. An active faetor in the development of the agricultural resources of Brooks county, James Madison Scar- borough has been industriously engaged in his useful vocation in the Morven distriet many years, by means of his ability and practical ex- perience having beeome familiar with this branch of industry. A son of James Scarborough, he was born June 14, 1856, in Emanuel county. He is of pioneer stock, his grandparents having come from North Caro- lina to Georgia at an early day. They settled first in Bulloeh county, from there moving to Emanuel eounty, where they spent their elosing years.
Born and reared in Bulloeh eounty, James Scarborough seized every opportunity to acquire an education, and being a diligent student ac- quired sufficient knowledge while young to begin life for himself as a teacher. He was also a natural meehanie, especially skilled as a wood worker; and in his leisure hours used to make ehairs, spinning wheels, and other needed household articles. Industrious and thrifty, he aecumu- lated some money, and made frequent investments in land, beeoming owner of large traets, which he devoted to farming and stoek-raising. Disposing of all his Georgia property soon after the close of the Civil war, he bought land in Columbia county, Florida, where he lived and labored for nine years. Coming back to Georgia he purchased a farm in Colquitt county, seven miles from Moultrie, and continued his agri- cultural work a few years. Selling out then, he bought another piece of land in the same county, and on the farm which he improved resided until his death, at the age of seventy-four years. He married Elizabeth Lanier, who was born in Emanuel county, Georgia. She died at the age of forty-eight years, leaving a large family of children, as follows: Susan, Allen, Mary, Elizabeth, Miles, Naney, James Madison, and Mis- souri and Mazelle, twins.
Aequiring a good common school education in Georgia and Florida,
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James Madison Scarborough began when quite young to assist his father in the work incidental to life on a farm, remaining with his parents until twenty years of age. Accepting then a position as superintendent of a large plantation in Brooks county, he retained it for five years, managing it in a most satisfactory manner, the land yielding abundant harvests under his care. Mr. Scarborough then purchased his present farm of two hundred or more aeres, it being finely located in lot number 329, Morven district, and as a farmer he has since met with character- istie success.
Mr. Scarborough married. in November, 1881, Catherine Morrison, who was born in Morven district. a daughter of Angus and Louisa ( Pike) Morrison, of whom a brief sketch is given elsewhere in this volume. Two children have been born of their marriage, namely: Clara. living with her parents; and Lubie, wife of Frank Devane. Mr. Searborough is not a politician in any sense implied by the term, but for twenty years he has served as justice of the peace. Fraternally he belongs to Morven lodge, F. & A. M. Mr. and Mrs. Scarborough are both valued members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
KENDRICK J. HAWKINS. The appointment of a lawyer to the benel always calls forth a storm of comment and often occasions warm dis- cussions and criticism, but in the case of Kendrick J. Hawkins, who is now judge of the superior court of the Dublin circuit, composed of the counties of Johnson, Twiggs and Laurens, Georgia, the approval was prae- tieally universal, and with the exception of his few enemies which fall to the lot of any strong man, everyone agreed that no one could have been selected who would fill the place to the greater satisfaction of the people. The faith which was thus reposed in him has been amply fulfilled, for his decisions have been made by a mind free from prejudice, and with a background of a wide and deep knowledge of the law and its puzzling teclmniealities, he has been able to make his court an example of real justice, and was re-elected in the primary of August, 1912. carry- ing every county in his cireuit over strong opposition and a bitter fight.
Kendrick J. Hawkins is a native of the state of Georgia, having been born in Washington county, on the 6th of January, 1871. His father was William A. Hawkins and his mother was Mary (Mayo) Hawkins. His father was also a native of Washington county, where he was born on the 6th of November, 1836. His mother was born in Dougherty county, in 1851. Judge Hawkins' father was a veteran of the Civil
war, having served throughout the long four years, and who came out of the conflict bearing the marks of the wound which he received. at Chickamauga. When Kendrick Hawkins was but a lad his parents moved to Hancock county, Georgia, and here he attended school until he was fourteen years of age. His family not being so very rich in this world's goods, he was then forced to stop school and learn the printer's trade. He went to Warrenton and here he became master of this trade, later moving to Gibson, Georgia. At the age of seventeen he went into the newspaper business, and attained considerable snecess in this field. bav- ing many of the qualities necessary to the composition of a good news- paper man. He continued in this line of work until he was twenty-four. at which time he took up the study of law under the tutelage of Judge B. F. Walker, of the Toombs circuit court. His newspaper experience stood him in good stead in this study and after two years of close appli- cation he was admitted to the bar. in 1896.
He began to practice immediately after his admission in Gibson. Georgia, removing to Dublin, Georgia, in 1902. Here he proceeded to build up both a lucrative practice and a good reputation as a lawyer.
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His arguments were always forceful, and his treatment of his cases was so clear and simple that he was seldom involved in useless technicalities. He was recognized as an unusually brilliant and elever attorney, and his appointment as judge of the city court in December, 1908, occasioned little, if any, surprise. A further triumph was in store for him, the more to be remembered as it was the last aet of Governor Hoke Smith. This was his appointment by the governor on the 1st of January, 1912, as judge of the superior court of the Dublin cireuit, which cireuit was created by the legislature of 1911.
Some people attribute Judge Hawkins' suceess to their belief that talent of a certain order may run in a family. They point to the late Judge W. A. Hawkins, of the supreme court of Georgia, who lived at Americus, Georgia, before his death and was a relation of Judge Kend- rick J. Hawkins, and say that the ability along legal lines is an inherit- . ance of the Hawkins family. This is no doubt true to some extent, but the success of the judge is largely due to his own hard work and to the painstaking care which he exercised in all the work which he did.
Judge Hawkins was married on the 26th of February, 1900, to Mary Leola MeNair, the daughter of L. F. McNair, of Jefferson county. No children have been born to the judge and his wife.
The subject of fraternal relationship has always been regarded with much interest by Judge Hawkins, and he is a member of various fra- ternal organizations, in which he takes an active part. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, of the Royal Arcanum, and of the Woodmen of the World.
LITTLE & PHILLIPS. The firm of Little & Phillips, contractors, have been located in Cordele, Georgia, since 1906, but they have been asso- eiated together since 1900. The firm, which is well and favorably known in and about this section of the state, was, during the carly years of its existenee, located at Fitzgerald, where they carried on a general con- tracting business, and where they builded not only houses and business struetures, but a fine reputation for competence, fair dealing and gen- uine business integrity. This reputation they have continued to deserve in the years of their association in Cordele, and nowhere may be found a firm more worthy of the fair reputation which this concern has won to itself. In Quitman and Fitzgerald the finest and best buildings of both a publie and private nature have come into existence under the master supervision of this firm. Schools, churches, business blocks, resi- dences, alike, have been reared to bear witness to the ability of these men in their constructive capacity, and the same is true of their years of activity in Cordele. Many neighboring towns, such as Americus and MeRae, have called upon them when important building proposi- tions were being planned. and searee a town in south Georgia but offers material evidence of their prowess in their chosen field of labor.
Of the private life and origin of these inen a few words will not be out of place in this brief review.
William Harmon Little, of the firmi of Little & Phillips, was born in Sehley county, Georgia, on October 16, 1870. He is the son of Joseph H. and Martha Francis ( Harman ) Little, natives of Meriweather county, Georgia. The father has followed farming all his life and lives now in Valdosta, Georgia. Their son, William H., was edneated in the public schools of Schley and Terral counties, to the latter of which places the family moved when William was eleven years old. The father was a member of Company A., Twenty-seventh Georgia, Cokmitt Brigade, dur- ing the Civil war. As a young man, William H. Little engaged in con- tracting, first as an employe until he had learned the trade, and later on
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his own responsibility. By constant study and diligent application to the subject, he has mastered every difficulty, and has reached the high place in the building world which he now occupies. Mr. Little is a Pythian knight and a member of the Masonic fraternity. He is a Baptist in his religious belief, while his wife is of the Methodist denomination.
Mr. Little was united in marriage with Miss Sallie Jones, the daugh- ter of Thomas Anderson Jones, of Brooks county, Georgia. Four chil- dren have been born to them. They are: Miriam Nadine, aged ten years; Wilma, aged six; Fannie Joe, now three years of age, and an infant of three months, William H., Jr.
Wendle Conneile Phillips. the partner of William H. Little, was born March 22. 1867, in Robinson county, North Carolina. He is the son of E. R. and Rose Ann (Mercer) Phillips, both of whom were of Irish descent. They came to North Carolina when young, settling in Robin- son county, and there married. The father was a country school teacher and preacher of the Baptist church. During the Civil war he served in the ariny as a first lieutenant in a regiment of the army of the Confed- eracy. He still lives in North Carolina, where he and his wife reared a family of thirteen children, but six of whom are now living. They are J. R., Nettie. Mary Jane, Lula, Wendle C. and E. R .. Jr. All are residents of North Carolina with the exception of Wendle C. Phillips. Such education as he received came to him through the avenues of the publie schools of his home town, and at an early age he became responsi- ble for his own progress in the world. He eventually entered the build- ing and contracting field. first as a workman, but later as a contractor, and the present partnership between Mr. Phillips and his partner, Mr. Little, is a matter of thirteen years duration. Their association has ever been of the most agreeable nature, their natures blending to the extent that constant association in a business way only makes each the more valuable to the other.
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