Georgia's landmarks, memorials and legends, Volume II, Part 61

Author: Knight, Lucian Lamar, 1868-1933
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Atlanta, Ga. : Byrd Printing Co.
Number of Pages: 1274

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JACKSON

Historic Jefferson. This famous old town, the seat of Jackson County, celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of its incorporation in the year

*See Vol. I, of this work, Chapter 2.

1Acts, 1897, p. 283.

2 Acts, 1898, p. 241.

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1912. Jefferson is not a large town. It boasts a popu- lation of only about 1,600 souls ; and many wonder why she has not progressed-why Atlanta, Macon, Columbus, and other communities have grown so much faster than the old settlement at Jefferson. But those who wonder look only at material things. Jefferson has not devel- oped very great commercial success; but she has given to the world men who are credited with greater things than building factories and railroads.

Wm. D. Martin : One of the noblest institutions of learn- His Splendid ing in America is old Martin Institute, Philanthropy. located in the town of Jefferson. It was first known as the Jackson County Academy when established in 1818, at which time it was but a one-room log cabin with puncheon seats. But when William D. Martin-than whom Jefferson never boasted a better citizen-donated 150 shares of Georgia Railroad stock to the school in 1859, the name was changed to Martin Institute, in honor of this generous benefactor.

William Duncan Martin was born on Stone Horse Creek, in Hanover County, Va., on January 8, 1771, and died at Jefferson, Ga., on May 21, 1852. He came to Jefferson when well past the meridian of life, and his sole possessions at this time were a horse, a bridle and saddle, and $100 in money. It was rather late for laying the foundations of a fortune. But he applied himself to business, and as the result of prudent economy, supple- mented by wise investment, he left an estate valued by his executors at $80,000. Wm. D. Martin was perhaps the first person in America to endow a public school from his private fortune. If this statement is correct, then Martin Institute is the oldest endowed educational insti- tution in the United States; and too much honor cannot be accorded this noble philanthropist for setting a pace

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which has since been followed by so many wealthy citi- zens in generous gifts to education.

Martin Institute has shown herself worthy of this unique distinction by giving to the world a host of bright names. Justice Joseph R. Lamar, of the Supreme Court of the United States, who just a few days ago was ap- pointed by President Woodrow Wilson to act as one of the mediators to settle the trouble between our country and Mexico, was taught here. Dr. Henry Stiles Bradley, one of the most powerful preachers in America, was also enrolled as a student. The list likewise includes : Ex-Congressman Wm. M. Howard, who was appointed on the Tariff Board by President Taft; Rev. David J. Scott, D. D., of Texas ; Rev. Joseph J. Bennett, D. D., of Geor- gia ; Hon. John N. Holder, of Jefferson, twice Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives without opposi- tion, and now a candidate for Congress; besides men of prominence in every pursuit and occupation. The shaft erected to the memory of Wm. D. Martin stands in the Methodist church-yard, almost under the eaves of the institution which he endowed; and, as directed in his will, it bears the following quaint epitaph :

" Remember, man, as you pass by, As you are now so once was I; As I am now, so you shall be, Prepare for death and follow me."

Dr. Crawford W. The typical figure by which Georgia Long: The Discov- erer of Anaesthesia. is best represented before the world is not that of a great orator. Mil- lions have never heard or read the matchless orations of Grady, the South's silver-tongued Cicero. It is not that of our beloved poet, Sidney Lanier, though he is loved wherever he is known. It is not that of our great statesman, Alexander H. Stephens, for co- lossal though his services were they benefitted his own country alone. High above these, rises the figure of an

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unpretentious country doctor who made the town of Jef- ferson his home and whose right to the highest niche in Georgia's Temple of Fame there will be none to dispute : Dr. Crawford W. Long. The gift of Sulphuric Ether Anaesthesia made by Dr. Long to medical science not only revolutionized the practice of medicine, but made surgery a profession within itself.

On March 30, 1842, in the little town of Jefferson, Ga., Dr. Crawford W. Long, in an experimental operation, discovered that anaesthesia not only helped to make an operation successful, but rendered it painless. The dis- covery was not published or paraded before the people; perhaps Dr. Long himself did not realize its untold value; perhaps he did not care to exploit his achievement. But today there is not a physician of any recognized prom- inence in any part of the civilized world who is not famil- iar with the name of Crawford W. Long. The little of- fice in which he performed his experiments has been torn away. Until two years ago, a gnarled and knotted old mulberry tree, on the north corner of the public square, marked the exact spot where his first operation was per- formed, an epoch-making event; but this, too, has now disappeared. Its sacrifice was demanded by a commer- cial age. Tell it not in Gath, but the tree was given by the town authorities to an old negro for fire-wood. Fate intervened, however; and it was bought from the old negro by Mr. W. H. Smith, of Jefferson, who had a part of it made into gavels, pen staffs, and other articles of use, for souvenirs. On a marble slab, in the brick wall of a building adjacent to Dr. Long's little office, the date of his wonderful discovery has been inscribed. This slab was erected by Prof. S. P. Orr, of Athens, an inti- mate friend of the Long family. There is also a mag- nificent monument to his memory on the town square. Dr. Woods Hutchison, of New York, and Hon. Pleasant A. Stovall, of Savannah, made the principal addresses, when the monument was unveiled by the Georgia Medical Society, on April 21, 1910. There is also a handsome

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brass medallion, on the walls of his alma mater, the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania, a genuine work of art, moulded by an old college mate .*

Harmony Grove. Long before the days of railroads, there was a famous "star route" through this section, over which the stage. coach made daily trips from the classic city of Athens to the little town of Clarkesville, nestling at the foot of the Blue Ridge moun- tains. This coach stopped at what was then known as the village of Har- mony Grove, where it daily left a pouch of mail for the small group of inhabitants. At this time, there were only four families living in Harmony Grove: the Hardmans, the Shankles, the Hoods, and the Bowdons.

Mr. Seaborn M. Shankle was the pioneer merchant. He owned and operated the first store in what was afterwards the town of Commerce. Subsequent to a marriage of Mr. Shankle's sister to Mr. C. W. Hood, the latter became a member of the firm. By mutual consent this partnership was dissolved when Mr. Hood opened a store of his own, while Mr. Shankle for a short while continued to merchandise alone at the old place of business. Later, he formed a partnership with Dr. W. B. J. Hardman. But, after a few years, the firm of Hardman & Shankle was dissolved also, Dr. Hard- man withdrawing from active mercantile life to settle with his family upon a large farm then recently purchased by him, about a mile from the present town center; and from this time on he gave his entire time to the practice of medicine. Mr. Shankle left a large family of children. including Rev. Grogan Shankle, pastor of one of the largest Methodist churches in New Orleans; Mr. Lovick P. Shankle, a well-to-do planter of Banks County ; Mr. Marvin Shankle, assistant cashier of the Northeastern Banking Company; Mr. Claude Shankle, connected with the Coca-Cola works in Atlanta; Dr. Olin Shankle, of Commerce, a successful practicing physician; Mrs. Amelia Perkins, of Atlanta, and Mrs. W. B. Hardman, Mrs. J. L. Sharp, and Mrs. W. D. Sheppard, all of Commerce. Mr. Shankle died, on August 22, 1885, leaving to his widow, formerly Miss Victoria Parks, a handsome estate, which, by judicious investment, was afterwards largely increased under her management. She also continued the mercan- tile establishment for a number of years.

Dr. W. B. J. Hardman lived here until his death, some twelve years ago. At the time of his removal from Oglethorpe County to Harmony Grove, he was the only practicing physician in this part of the county, and his circuit embraced an extensive area. He reared a family of ten children, to-wit .: Rev. Henry E. Hardman, Dr. L. G. Hardman and Dr. W. B. Hard- man, of Commerce; Mr. Robert L. Hardman, of Atlanta; Mr. T. C.

*Authority: Mr. W. H. Smith, of Jefferson, Ga.

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Hardman, of Commerce; Mr. John B. Hardman, of Commerce; and Mrs. W. L. Williamson, Mrs. Gordon T. Jones, Mrs. C. J. Hood, deceased, and Miss Sallie Hardman, deceased, all of Commerce. Mr. C. W. Hood left a family, four members of which survive: Mr. C. J. Hood, formerly Mayor of Commerce and at present cashier of the Northeastern Banking Company ; Miss Mary Hood, Mr. C. W. Hood, Jr., and Miss Ruth Hood, besides a widow, formerly Miss Alice Owens, of Toccoa.

To three pioneer citizens, Messrs. Hood, Hardman and Shankle, Har- mony Grove became indebted in after years for the old Northeastern Rail- road, now the Lula and Athens Branch of the Southern. When the pro- posed line was first advocated, there was quite a rivalry between Harmony Grove and Jefferson, as to which should secure it, since to include both towns was out of the question. At the time set for a final decision, Jefferson turned up with a third more stock subscribed than Harmony Grove. But Messrs. Hood, Shankle and Hardman, representatives from the latter town, agreed personally to endorse every dollar of the stock, provided the road was built by way of Harmony Grove. This action insured success; for the representatives of Jefferson, failing to offer a similar endorsement, the road was lost.

The First School To the old town of Harmony Grove be- for Girls. longs the honor of having launched suc- cessfully the first school for girls ever established in the State of Georgia. It was known as the "Female Academy of Harmony Grove," and was chart- ered by an Act of the Legislature, approved in 1824. The following trustees were named in the Act of incorpora- tion : Russell Jones, William Potts, Samuel Barnett, Frederick Stewart, and John Rhea .* On account of the vast number of schools for women which have since leaped into existence, on both sides of the water, this pioneer charter is a document of prime importance in the history of modern education.

Commerce. With the completion of the Northeastern Railroad a new life began to quicken in the old town of Harmony Grove. Visions of greater things were caught, and even at this early date there was launched a movement, the ultimate outcome of which was a new

*Dawson's Compilation, p. 24.

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name: Commerce. There was something catchy about the name selected. It registered a key-note of progress and made a distinct bid for trade. The caterpillar had merged into the butterfly; and while the former was doomed to creep, at a slow pace upon the ground, it was the glory of the latter to soar among the flowers. Two splendid young men from Franklin County, Messrs. W. T. Harber and G. W. D. Harber, were the first new merchants to settle in Commerce; but the Harbers were soon followed by Messrs W. A. and J. T. Quillian. Thus stimulated, the growth of the town was now steady, fresh recruits coming from most of the adjacent counties. At present, the population of Commerce is 4,000. It is now a recognized competitor of Athens, doing a business of several million dollars per annum. During the past fall season, one firm alone in a single day bought over $25,000 worth of cotton.

Paved streets, electric lights, an excellent water works system, public schools inferior to none in the State, palatial homes, superb business blocks -these are some of the most striking features of present-day Commerce. Three solid banks furnish ample means with which to finance local enter- prises. The oldest of these is the Northeastern Banking Company, of which Dr. L. G. Hardman is president, Mr. C. J. Hood, cashier, and Mr. Marvin Shankle, assistant cashier. The First National Bank, organized some twelve years ago, is now a close competitor. Its officers are as follows: Dr. W. B. Hardman, president; Mr. George L. Hubbard, cashier, and Mr. A. H. Shannon, assistant cashier. Besides these, there is a private bank owned by Mr. Enoch B. Anderson, one of the best-known financiers of Commerce. Five churches minister to the town's religious needs. The late Dr. Henry F. Hoyt, one of the foremost Presbyterian divines of the State, was an uncle of Mrs. Woodrow Wilson. Commerce boasts of two weekly newspapers. The older of these is the News, owned and edited by Hon. John F. Shannon. The younger is the Observer, of which Hon. Paul T. Harber is editor and proprietor. Two better news- papers are not to be found in the ranks of weekly journalism in Georgia. It was due largely to the prestige of these two splendid sheets that the Georgia Weekly Press Association met in Commerce during the summer of 1914.

One of the largest cotton factories in the State is located at Commerce, known as the Harmony Grove Mills. It boasts a capital stock of $450,000, all of which is paid in. Dr. L. G. Hardman is president and Dr. W. B. Hardman, secretary and treasurer, of this mammoth establishment. There are two oil mills in Commerce, viz., the Commerce Branch of the Southern Cotton Oil Company, with Mr. T. C. Robinson, Jr., as manager, and the Farmers' Oil Mill Company, of which Mr. W. H. T. Gillespie is president and Colonel H. O. Williford, lessee. The Hardman Sanitorium, noted all over Georgia, is located at Commerce, with a corps of able physicians in charge, including Dr. L. G. Hardman, Dr. W. B. Hardman, Dr. Olin Shankle and Dr. M. J. Nelms. The town has its own telephone system, with splendid local exchange in most of the surrounding towns and villages.

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But if anything was still needed to put Commerce upon the map it was supplied a few years ago by the famous Glidden tourists, who passed through the town in making their first tour of the State. Here they spent their last night on the road before reaching Atlanta, and such was the royal reception with which the people of. Commerce greeted these visitors from the North that by a unanimous vote it was decided to include Com- merce on the return trip back to New York. Stopping over for luncheon they were most charmingly served by the fair maids and matrons of Com- merce, on the spacious lawn of Dr. Hardman.

Commerce obtained its charter as Harmony Grove in 1883, and its char- ter as Commerce in 1903. Hon. William A. Quillian, now deceased, was the first mayor of Harmony Grove. The city is governed today by an efficient corps of public officials, consisting of Mr. E. B. Anderson, mayor ; Mr. C. W. Goodin, clerk of council and city treasurer, and Messrs. Claude Montgomery, Frank Wright, T. C. Hardman, E. B. Crow, L. L. Davis and W. D. Sheppard, as aldermen; C. C. Bolton, as chief of police, assisted by Elmer Bailey, and Colonels R. L. J. and S. J. Smith, Jr., as city at- torneys. There is not an abler Bar in any town of equal population in Georgia, and among the resident lawyers of State-wide note are: Judge W. W. Stark, a member of the present State Senate, and Colonels R. L. J. Smith, S. J. Smith, Jr., W. A. Stevenson, E. C. Starks, G. P. Martin and W. D. Martin. Dr. L. G. Hardman, perhaps the foremost citizen of Commerce, was a strong minority candidate in the recent election for Governor. He was largely instrumental in placing the present State-wide prohibition law upon the statute books.

JASPER

Old Randolph. Jasper County was first organized as Ran- dolph, under an Act approved December 10, 1907, by Gov. Jared Irwin .* But John Randolph, the great Virginian, for whom this county was first named, having become unpopular in Georgia by reason of his views on certain public measures, the name of the county was, on December 10, 1812, changed to Jasper, in honor of the gallant Sergeant Jasper, who fell mortally wound- ed at the siege of Savannah. The Act in question reads as follows :

"Whereas it was obviously the intention of the Legislature of Geor- gia, in designating a county by the name of Randolph, to perpetuate the

*Clayton's Compendium, p. 357.

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name of John Randolph, a member of Congress from Virginia, whose early exertions in the cause of democracy claimed the approbation and applause of every good citizen of these United States. But whereas the conduct of the said John Randolph, in his official capacity as a member of Congress has evinced such a manifest desertion of correct principles and such a decided attachment to the enemies of the United States as to render his name odious to every republican citizen of this State, etc. Be it therefore enacted that from and after the passage of this Act the County of Randolph shall be called and known by the name of the County of Jasper, any law to the contrary notwithstanding."*

But the public mind is often fickle. Sixteen years la- ter, John Randolph was again in high favor with the people of Georgia ; and, in 1828, a new county was formed, bordering on the Chattahoochee River, to which was given the name of the peppery old "School-master of Congress."

Monticello. Most of the early settlers of Jasper County, were native Virginians. This was perhaps one among a number of very good reasons why the coun- ty was first called Randolph. It also throws an impor- tant side-light upon the naming of the county-seat : Mon- ticello, for the old home of Thomas Jefferson. The town was incorporated by an Act providing for its better regu- lation, on December 15, 1810, when the following com. missioners were named : Richard Holmes, Henry Walker, Stokeley Morgan, James Armour, and Francis S. Mar- tin .* The old Monticello Academy was chartered in 1815; but, on December 23, 1830, the Monticello Union Academy, a more pretentious educational plant, was chartered with the following trustees: David A. Reese, Fleming Jordan, Edward Y. Hill, Moses Champion, John W. Burney, Reuben C. Shorter, and Benj. F. Ward. Monticello is a thriving town, progressive and widea- wake, but tempered by a fine conservatism and by a splendid loyalty to the old traditions.

*Lamar's Digest, p. 199.

*Clayton's Compendium, p. 609.

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Some additional facts in regard to Monticello have been furnished by a distinguished resident of the town .* Says he: In 1808 a commis- sion was appointed by the Legislature to select and purchase a site for the public buildings of the county, the site to contain two acres. This commission found a very peculiarly formed hill, a central prominence, with ridges radiating therefrom on all sides except the north side, on which was a very steep bluff, descending into a ravine, and from the base of the bluff sprang several bold springs of fine water. The commis- sion also purchased about two acres of this ravine, for the use of the county, and for the preservation of these springs for the public use. Ground for the county buildings was laid off in the form of a square, and in the center was built the first court-house, a small log structure. Around this soon began to grow a village, to which was given the name of Monti- cello, for the home of Mr. Jefferson. With the advent of the Iron Horse Monticello became isolated, trade going to towns' along the line of the Georgia Railroad and to Macon until 1887, when a railroad was constructed through Monticello. At once the little village took on new life, and now has a population of 2,500.

The business people of the city of today are the descendants of the early settlers of the county and of the town. Among the men who first engaged in the mercantile business were Jesse Loyall, Jeremiah Pearson, Manly & Kellam, Bnehannan & Jordan, William Cooley, John Baldwin, Samuel Fulton, Sr., Samuel Fulton, Jr., and Hurd & Hungerford, which last named were succeeded by N. B. & L. White. This firm continued until the death of Mr. L. White, after which it became N. B. White and N. B. White & Co., continuing as such until a few years ago, when it terminated on the death of Mr. N. B. White.

The lawyers of Monticello in the early days included Alfred Cuthbert and .Joshua Hill, both of whom became United States Senators. John R. Dyer was admitted to the bar in Monticello, and practiced here until his death. Of the early physicians were Dr. Moses Champion and Dr. Milton Anthony, the latter of whom afterwards founded the oldest medical college in the State, at Augusta. Of the carly settlers of the county was John Maddux, whose descendants are still in the city and county, all good citi- zens. Among them was Dr. W. D. Maddux, a noted physician in the see- tion, who died eight years ago, after a long and useful life, spent in the upbuilding of the city and county.

Captain Eli Glover,, of the War of 1812, the Mexican War and Inidan wars, was one of the early settlers whose descendants are still here hold- ing prominent places and doing much for the advancement of the city. The Kelly family was a large one, and while at first they lived in the country they later came into town and have been influential factors in the community for generations. Several of them are now engaged in the mercantile business on a large scale. William Penn settled in Monticello

*Judge A. S. Thurman.

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soon after it was laid out, and took a prominent part in the development of the city, as well as in farming. He also owned several large planta- tions in the County of Jasper.

With hardly an exception the business men of the city are descendants of the first settlers. As Monticello was for years without railway connec- tions, the people mingled but little with the outer world. For this reason there has been but little new blood brought into the county; the same names that we find in the early days are the same of today. These were a hardy raee and shows in the successful lives of the people. But the original settlers belonged to a vigorous and virile race of men, and from the loins of these pioneers who laid the foundations of Monticello have come the men who direct its affairs today. In the most liberal sense, Monticello is a self-made town.

First White Child Born in Jasper. Nathan Fish, and his wife, Naomi Phillips, were the parents of the first white child born in Jasper. This child, a son, Calvin Fish, was born December 22, 1807, and died August 1, 1861.

Soldiers of Jasper : Elijah Cornwell, a Revolutionary sol- Supplemental List. dier, is buried in the Cornwell family cemetery, near Alcovy River, about two miles west of Mechanicsville. He served in the Vir- ginia army, under General Greene. The Cornwells came originally from Cornwall, Eng. Wiley Hood, soldier in the War of 1812, and in the Florida Indian War, is buried at Murder Creek Baptist Church. William Robertson, sol- dier in the War of 1812, and in the Florida Indian War, is . buried in Rocky Creek Cemetery, in the northern part of Jasper. William G. Smith, born in Virginia, in 1787, a private in Captain William Owen's Company, 2nd (Jen- kins') Regiment, Georgia Volunteers and Militia, War of 1812, is buried in the family burial ground, near old Murder Creek Baptist church. His father, Guy Smith, one of the early settlers of Oglethorpe County, was a Revolutionary soldier.

Jolın Clark, volunteer soldier in War of 1812, served in Capt. N. T. Martin's Company, South Carolina Militia.

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With his family he settled in Jasper County, in 1830, on the Alcovy River, a few miles from old Bethlehem Bap- tist church. He died in 1870, at the advanced age of ninety years and is buried in the family grave-yard at the family homestead, where he resided for forty years. He was born in North Carolina. His wife was Miss Su- san Parks, of Laurens, S. C. They were the parents of eighteen children and many descendants now live in this county and in various States of the Union.

The Confederate On the court-house square, in Monticel- Monument. lo, stands a handsome granite shaft, erected to the memory of the South's heroic dead. The monument was unveiled on April 6, 1910, at which time Gen. Harrison, who commanded the troops from Jasper County during the Civil War, delivered an eloquent address as the chosen orator of the day. Hon. Harvie Jordan acted as Master of Cere- monies; and Rev. W. D. Conwell offered the prayer of invocation. Mrs. H. C. Hill, on behalf of the local U. D. C. Chapter formally presented the monument to the city of Monticello and to the County of Jasper. To this ad- dress Major O. G. Roberts responded for the Confederate veterans ; Hon. E. H. Jordan, for the county and Mayor Monroe Phillips for the town. Master Leland Jordan feelingly recited a selection entitled "The Daughter of Dixie, the Preserver of the Faith," while Miss Alice Bax- ter, Georgia State President, U. D. C., made a most de- lightful talk. Thirteen little granddaughters of the Con- federacy, at a given signal, drew the cord which unloosed the veil. To Mrs. Greene F. Johnson, President of the Chapter, was largely due the success of the movement, culminating in this splendid shaft. The purchasing com- mittee was composed of the following members: Mr. J. J. Pope, Mr. M. Benton, Mr. Eugene Benton, Dr. C. L. Ridley, Judge J. H. Blackwell, Mrs. Monroe Phil- lips, Mrs. B. Leverett, Mrs. T. M. Payne, and Miss Maud

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Georgia's landmarks, memorials and legends, Volume II, Part 61

Author: Knight, Lucian Lamar, 1868-1933 Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Atlanta, Ga. : Byrd Printing Co. Number of Pages: 1274

Author: Knight, Lucian Lamar, 1868-1933
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Atlanta, Ga. : Byrd Printing Co.
Number of Pages: 1274