USA > Georgia > Dodge County > History of Dodge County > Part 23
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Clark, son of John, the pioneer, married Jane Fuller. His second wife was Sudie Reid, and they were the parents of: W. A., who married Ida Marchant; R. L., who married Effie Burch; John, who married Mollie Clark; Sudie; Mary, who married John Doster; Nannie, who married Mike Brophy; George R., who married, first, Rebecca Campbell, and second, Melcina Hamilton.
Andrew Jackson, son of Gen. Mark Lee Willcox, married Gertrude Rogers, and they were the parents of Mary Helen, who married James M. Arthur.
Thomas S., Jr., son of Mitchell G., married Sarah Hamilton, and they were the parents of: Joe; Hamilton, who married Mae Cook; Anna, who married T. O. Bozeman; Mae, who married Ben G. Harrell; Louise.
Joe, son of Mitchell G., married Eliza Hamilton, and they were the parents of: John Mitchell, who married Mary Causley; Maggie, who married John M. Clark; Mattie, who married E. W. Millican; Joe Lee, who married a Heath.
George M., son of James and his wife, Bettie McDuffie, married Nannie Daniel, and they were the parents of: J. Y., who married, first, Lydia Humphrey, and second, Lillie Bowen Thompson; Jack, who married Beckie Harrell; W. C., who married Lula Harrell; Clark, who married Alice Lowery; N. H., who married, first, Maggie Bowen, and second, Nettie Harrell; G. M., who married Fannie Kirkland; Sophronia, who married S. B. Daniel; Callie, who mar- ried L. A. Harrell; Sadie, who married John Land; Bettie, who married J. S. Bohannon.
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N. H., son of George M., married Maggie Bowen, and they were the parents of: Jim Buck, who married Mattie Thompson; Bessie, who married L. T. Thompson; Mary, who married Tom Bryant; Nannie, who married Charlie Cheek; Johnnie T.
Lewis, son of John, the third, married Martha Julia Willcox, and they were the parents of: Robert Lee, who married Mamie Ross; Mitchell, who married Willie Mae Mann; J. K., who married Mar- garet Rebecca Coffee; James C., who married Stella Daniel; Lewis, who married Edna Mitchell; Stella, who married Dr. P. D. Hicks; Ruth, who married H. H. Odum; Grady.
The Williamson Family.
Rev. James Williamson, a native of Scotland, moved to Telfair in the early days. He was a noted Baptist minister and teacher be- fore the war, and for several years after. Many of the leading men and women of this section were his pupils. In 1860, he, with the late Hugh McLeon, was elected as a union delegate to the Secession Convention which met at Milledgeville early in 1861, and passed the ordinance of secession putting Georgia out of the Union. He voted against the ordinance, Telfair County being opposed to seces- sion. Being a prominent minister, he was accorded the honor of opening the convention with prayer, which is printed in full in the journal of the convention. He was the father of John K. William- son. who was also a prominent teacher for many years following the close of the war.
Rev. James Williamson, the pioneer, married a widow Harvey. Mrs. Harvey's children were Curtis and Raymond Harvey. Curtis married a Miss Farce. The Williamson children were: John K., who married Maria Mizell; Mary, who married Daniel H. Maloy; Margaret, who married Young Harrell; James, who married Lizzie Parker.
John K., son of Rev. James, the pioneer, married Maria Mizell, daughter of William Mizell, Sr., and they settled at Rhine. Their only child was Dr. J. G. Williamson, who married Lula Smith, first, and then a widow McCranie, who was Miss Annie McLeod.
James, son of old man James, the pioneer, married Lizzie Parker. James was also a preacher and teacher. He was the father of: Mary,
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who married H. B. Maloy; and Lillian, who married Morgan Lan- caster.
D. A. Cooper.
Daniel Andrews Cooper was an early settler in the town of East- man. Mr. Cooper came here from Sampson County, North Carolina, and was a school teacher, later becoming a lumberman and farmer. He was a great-grandson of Rev. Fleet Cooper, one of the signers of the Oath of Allegiance to the State of North Carolina.
Mr. Cooper was married to Sara A. Bullard in 1869, and they were parents of the following children: Irene Kimberley Cooper; Lillian Cooper Peacock; Pearl; Virginia Cooper Arthur; Eunice Cooper Smith; R. W., graduate of law from Wake Forest College, North Carolina, and also a soldier in the World War; Lieut. Col. Hiram M. Cooper, graduate from West Point, New York, U. S. Military Academy; George W., who is a merchant; and J. D. and Robert T., who are also merchants and bankers.
Part of the sons of Mr. Cooper entered politics, and all of the daughters were school teachers of Dodge County. Mr. Cooper was a Confederate veteran, having served in Company C, 36th Regi- ment, North Carolina Troops, from October 31, 1862, until the close in 1865.
Col. John F. DeLacey.
Col. J. F. DeLacey was among the early arrivals in Eastman. He was born and reared in New York and was of Irish descent. He came to Appling County, Georgia, when quite a young man. He studied law under Col. Middleton Graham and was admitted to the bar. He came to Eastman in 1875 and began the practice of his pro- fession. He was Mayor of Eastman several different times. and served as Chairman of the Board of Education for several years. He was elected to the Legislature in 1882 and again in 1888. and was one of the Omaha Fair Commissioners in 1898. He was Solici- tor-General of the Oconee Judicial Circuit eight years. In 1883 he and Col. James Bishop, Jr., formed a law partnership which con- tinued until the death of Mr. Bishop. Col. DeLacey was Lieutenant- Colonel on the Staff of Governor Allen D. Candler.
Col. DeLacey married, first, Miss Rebecca Hall, of Appling County, and they were the parents of: one daughter, May, who mar-
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ried W. L. Jessup; Will H., who became a prominent physician in Florida. His second wife was Miss Ella Barnes.
M. H. Edwards.
Mr. M. H. Edwards came to Eastman in its early days from Liberty County. He engaged in the mercantile business for many years, and was one of the leading citizens, being deeply interested in religious and educational work. He was one of the pillars of the Eastman Baptist church from the time of its organization until his death.
He married Miss Orlena Carr of this city, and their children were: Carrie Belle, who married Col. E. E. Persons; Nelle, who married, first, S. J. Hargrove, and second, a Mr. Johnson, of Texas; Edwin, who resides in Louisiana; Christine, the wife of Dr. Warren A. Coleman; Willard; Fanny Harris; M. C., who has been City Man- ager the past several years. His wife was Miss Chester Ragan, of this city.
T. H. Edwards.
Mr. T. H. Edwards, another of the early settlers in Eastman, came here in young manhood and engaged in the mercantile business with his brother, M. H. Edwards. Mr. Edwards has been prominently identified with all civic improvements in Eastman, and has been one of the leading members of the Eastman Baptist church.
He married, first, Miss Eugenia Campbell, of Thomaston, and they were the parents of: Mary, who married C. A. L. Anderson; T. C., who married Inez Hodges; C. B., who married Mary Douglas; Susie, who is deceased; Eugenia, who married Scotty McCranie and is deceased; Martha, who married the Rev. Judson Burrell.
L. M. Peacock.
Mr. L. M. Peacock was one of the first settlers in Eastman, and he took a great interest in the growth and upbuilding of the town. He was mayor several times, and served as a member of the school board more terms than any man who has ever lived in Eastman. He was always deeply interested in the educational development of Eastman and Dodge County. He was one of the most prominent members of the Eastman Methodist church. He was a Confederate
WILLIAMSON
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THE MAUSOLEUM OF MR. A. G. WILLIAMSON
At Orphans Church Cemetery, three miles from Eastman. It is the only mausoleum in the county and is a magnificent work of art, the carving having been done by an Italian sculptor.
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veteran, having served as Sergeant in Co. D, 8th Georgia Regiment.
Mr. Peacock married Miss Valeria Sauls and to this union were born the following children: L. M., Jr., who married Miss Vassye Harrell; Etna, who married W. D. Webster; Clifford, who married, first, Dr. McGhee, and second, Wm. McRae; L. S., who married Mae Simmons; Bessie, who married Dr. A. L. Wilkins; Estoria, who married Sidney Stevens.
C. H. Peacock.
Mr. C. H. Peacock was another of the early settlers in Eastman. He was a brother to L. M. Peacock, Sr. He was a merchant and a banker, and to him is attributed a large part of the growth and de- velopment of this section. Mr. Peacock contributed largely of his labors and means to the building of the handsome Methodist church in Eastman. He was president of the Citizens Banking Company for many years, and was a very successful business man. He repre- sented this senatorial district two terms.
Mr. Peacock married Miss Ophelia Edwards, and they were par- ents of: Lillie Mae, who married S. C. Smiley; Pearl, who married W. L. Mathers; Julia, who married Jimmie Fitzgerald; Charlie Har- den, who married Pauline Thompson.
A. G. Williamson.
Mr. A. G. Williamson came to Eastman from North Carolina in early manhood. By thrift, untiring energy, and close attention to business, he accumulated large holdings of real estate in this county. He began his career in the turpentine business, which he followed for a number of years, after which he engaged in farming, being one of the leading farmers in the county. He owned about eight thou- sand acres of land at the time of his death. He was a quiet and unassuming man, but loyal to his friends. He took great interest in religious work, having built and donated to the Christian denomina- tion the church known as Orphans church, located about three miles west of Eastman. Mr. Williamson served as Ordinary of the county several years.
He married Miss Mattie Buchan. No children were born to this union, and at his death the majority of his property was bequeathed to his nephew, Mr. J. G. Williamson, who married Miss Georgia
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Lee Graham, daughter of Judge E. D. Graham, and they are the parents of: Martha Lee; Vannie Gould; and Maude Whaley.
Mather Wynne.
Mr. Mather Wynne, known as "the king of merchants in Eastman," came here from Telfair County many years ago, and has been en- gaged in the mercantile business ever since coming to Eastman, except for about five years, at which time he engaged in farming. Mr. Wynne has always taken an active interest in all enterprises for the upbuilding of the town and county. He has at all times given freely of his time and money for the relief of the poor in the county, and has done as much, if not more, for the support of the Eastman Methodist church than any man who has lived here. He is still one of the most active members of the church and Sunday school.
He married Miss Nannie McRae, and to them were born four children, viz .: Ethel, who married Pierce Harley; Mabel, who mar- ried Fred Roberts; Fred; Austin.
CONCLUSION.
TN CLOSING this history of Dodge County and her people, we note the progress that has been made along all lines in the sixty- two years since the creation of the county, and compare the condi- tions of today with those in the beginning. From the one-room school house we have progressed to modern, well equipped school buildings with only teachers employed who have college degrees. From a school attendance of less than a thousand there are now enrolled five thousand children, with forty-four modern school buses to transport them to and from school each day.
We have also made wonderful strides in an agricultural way. From 950 bales of cotton produced in the early years we now produce something like twenty thousand bales per year. Before the advent of the boll weevil in 1920 the number of bales were thirty to thirty-five thousand per year.
In the early days whiskey was sold openly in this county, and at one period there were twelve barrooms in the town of Eastman. These barrooms have been replaced by handsome business houses.
From the little sandy trails of earlier days, which were just wide enough for a buggy or wagon to travel, we now have sixteen hundred miles of well kept public roads throughout the county, with twenty- three miles of paved highway extending across the entire county, which gives this section a paved highway direct from Atlanta through Eastman to Jacksonville, Florida.
There is also a marked contrast in the way the prisoners are cared for today as compared to the long ago. Through our efficient County Commissioner, W. D. McCranie, the old prison cages have been abandoned and a handsome stockade of concrete, reinforced with steel, was erected in 1929. It is modern and sanitary in every re- spect, being equipped with shower baths and has well ventilated and properly heated sleeping quarters, with clean, comfortable cots and mattresses.
Today all of the principal streets in the business section of East- man are paved with concrete, and paved sidewalks extend through- out the entire residential section of the town.
FINIS.
BLECKLEY CO.
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MAP OF DODGE COUNTY.
LAURENS COUNTY
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
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