USA > Georgia > Chatham County > Savannah > History of Savannah, Ga.; from its settlement to the close of the eighteenth century > Part 26
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Supplemental to the reputation which Colonel Jones has achieved as a writer upon archaeological subjects, we record the fact that he possesses an extensive collection illustrative of the primitive manufactures, per- sonal ornaments, and customs of the Southern Indians. This collection embraces some twenty thousand objects, which are carefully numbered and catalogued. For the purposes of comparative study there are, in addition, several hundred typical objects of primitive manufacture from Europe, Asia, Central America, and other localities.
It remains for us to speak of Colonel Jones as a collector of auto- graphs and historical documents. The collection and arrangement of au- tograph letters and portraits of personages distinguished in Revolution- ary annals, or prominently associated with Georgia as a Colony and as a State, have afforded him pleasant recreation. In the gratification of this taste, he has performed valuable service. Among these collections we would refer to his autographs and portraits of the members from Geor. gia of the Continental Congress, and of the United States Senators from Georgia, Autographs and Portraits of the Delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Rulers and Governors of Georgia, the Georgia Port- folio in two volumes, Autograph Letters and Portraits of the Chief Jus- tices and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States. and of the Attorneys-General of the United States, Autographs and l'or- traits of the Presidents of the Continental Congress, of the Presidents of the United States, and of the Vice-Presidents of the United States, Au- tograph Letters and Portraits of the Signers of the Constitution of the
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Confederate States, Autograph Letters and Portraits of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, in two volumes, and Members of the Conti- nental Congress-1775-1789 Vol. I. of this series contains a second and complete set of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. Of the Members of the Continental Congress there is full representation, either by autograph letter or document signed, with the exception of some twenty names. This series, like the others alluded to, is inlaid on What- man paper, is accompanied by engraved portraits, views, etc., wherever practicable, and will be bound in five volumes, crushed levant. Colonel Jones's Confederate Collection is also very extensive, interesting and val- uable.
His library is well selected, and consists of some forty five hundred bound volumes-over two hundred of which have been privately illus- trated at great expense, and in the highest style of the illustrator's art- Fine specimens of binding are not infrequent. In works pertaining to Georgia and adjacent States his library is especially rich.
Colonel Jones is the eldest of the family, having one brother and a sis- ter. The latter-Mary Sharpe 1-is the wife of the Rev. Robert Q. Mal- lard, D.D., of the Presbyterian Church, and a resident of New Orleans. His brother is Professor Joseph Jones, M.D., also of that city, the well- known scientist, chemist, physician, and writer upon medical subjects. He is at present Professor of Medical Chemistry in Tulane University, New Orleans, and was for several years president of the Board of Health of the State of Louisiana.
It is not an exaggeration to affirm that Colonel Jones is the most pro- lific author Georgia has ever produced, and stands at the head of the his- torical writers of the South of the present generation.
T
THOMAS, DANIEL R., was born at Savannah August 27, 1843.
His father was the late John T. Thomas, whose grandparents were among the French Huguenots, who arrived in Charleston about the .mid- dle of the last century ; his maternal ancestors were Salzburgers, and among the early settlers of the colony of Georgia. As a child, a delicate constitution and imperfect sight interfered with his education.
' Departed this life since this sketch was prepared.
Fing My F G Kammer & CONY
DR. Thomas
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In 1862 he enlisted in the Confederate army with the Tattnall Guards, First Volunteer Regiment of Georgia. After prolonged sickness, with- out solicitation on his part, he was, on the recommendation of the post surgeon and his commanding officer detailed for duty at district head- quarters and afterwards in the war tax office.
Soon after the close of the war Mr. Thomas began business as an in- surance agent at Macon, where he remained until March, 1866. From Macon he returned to Savannah, and in July of the same year associated himself with Captain D. G. Purse in the commission, fertilizer and coal business which, by close and undivided attention soon became large and profitable. In December, 1878, the firm of Purse & Thomas was dissolved, Mr. Thomas continuing the coal trade.
His sight had become so impaired and his suffering so great in 1874. that he sought the aid of an oculist and an optician, from whom he ob- tained such relief and benefit as to greatly change his life and interest him in what was transpiring around.
In the compromise made by the city with the bond-holders he took an active interest. He was elected a member of the Sinking Fund Com- mission for ten years; but after four years efficient service he resigned, having been elected an alderman in January, 1883.
During the succeeding six years he rendered most valuable service to the city. He served as a member of the sanitary commission, and was an active member of many committees of council, including those on accounts, finance and streets and lanes.
As treasurer of the committee for the relief of the sufferers by the Yamacraw fire he devoted a great deal of time to that charitable work. In recognition of his services in securing an extension of the city limits Thomas square was named for him. During his three terms in council no alderman was better acquainted with the details of the city's affairs than Mr. Thomas.
Fully a year before the expiration of Mayor Lester's last term public sentiment apparently crystalized about Mr. Thomas as the best and most available successor. As the time for the election came on Mr. Thomas developed unmistakable strength, his record in the management of the department of streets and lanes had won him the approbation of the pub- lic. Several candidates were brought out but finally the contest nar-
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rowed down to three, then it was a question which one of two of these gentlemen should retire.
At a convention of the Democratic clubs held in the Masonic Hall January 4, 1889, Mr. Thomas was nominated for mayor. Another can- didate had been in the field for more than a month. The election came on in a few days, and was a close one, Mr. Thomas being defeated by 371 votes. This strong endorsement of Mr. Thomas is from an editorial in the Morning News: "Mr. Thomas is a man of fine business qualifica- tions, he has proven himself to be one of the most competent and pro- gressive councilmen the city has ever had. The greater part of the im- provements that have been made within the last few years is the result of his earnest consistent and conscientious work. He may not have pleased everybody, but he has done so much better than the most of those who preceded him in his present position, that those who have been disposed to find fault have not found willing listeners. He is economical and careful."
Mr. Thomas is a director in the Savannah and Western Railroad Com- pany, in the Citizens' Bank, the Savannah Investment Company, and is a member of the board of managers of Savannah's ancient charity, the Union Society, and takes an active interest in the management of the Bethesda Orphan House. He is just in the prime of life and, with his clear head and business habits, bids fair to attain to higher positions than he has yet been honored with by his fellow-citizens.
F LANNERY JOHN was born in Nenagh, County Tipperary, Ireland, on the 24th of November, 1835, his parents being John and Hannah Flannery, the latter a daughter of Malachi Hogan of the Silvermines, same county. Financial embarrasments, resulting mainly from the effects of the famine and pestilent visitations covering parts of 1845, '46 and '47, and the disturbed state of affairs in Ireland before and after the attempted rebellion in 1848, compelled the father of our subject to close out his busi- ness in Nenagh, after disposing of the property he owned there, and as a matter of enforced economy to move to the village of the Silvermines early in 1850. The prospects for the future at this place being very un- promising the father and son decided to try their fortune in the United States the following year. They left home on September 13th for Liver- pool, England, at which point they engaged passage for Charleston, S. C.,
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on the American ship Austria, Captain Borland, which sailed on Septem- ber 18th, and arrived at its destination, after a pleasant passage, on October 26th. Upon arrival at Charleston they were received and welcomed by Mrs. Mary A. Reedy the only sister of the elder Flannery and who had been a resident of that city for over a quarter of a century.
·Young Flannery, not being brought up to any profession, trade or business, was unable to find employment until the following spring when on April 12th he went to Atlanta, then a small town, under an engage- ment to clerk for a Mr. Frankfort, who carried on a large business for those days, in dry goods and clothing on Whitehall street. He did not take favorably to Atlanta, which had few attractions for young men at that time, and in consequence resigned his place and returned to Charles- ton in August. Soon after his return he obtained a situation at LaPaine's dry goods store on King street where he remained only a few months when he left to take a better place in the larger establishment of Will- iam Howland on the same street. He was with Mr. Howland less than two years when that gentleman failed in business. This decided him upon removing to Savannah, where he had some relatives living at the
time. He arrived in Savannah on December 16, 1854, having previously engaged, through his cousin P. J. Flannery, his service as a clerk to T. & L. McKenna & Co. then carrying on a dry goods business on Brough- ton street. He remained with this firm until the following October, when having taken a dislike to the retail dry goods as a business, he left to take a position as book-keeper and general clerk with A. Backer, who carried on a wholesale liquor business on Whitaker street near Bay. He remained only a few months in this place when he resigned to take the position of book-keeper with John G. Falligant, who carried on a large business in paints, oil, sash, blinds etc., on the west side of Johnson square. After being in this place for about a year and a half he decided upon making another change and we next find him, in the fall of 1857, occupying the position of book-keeper for M. J. Reilly, a wholesale grocer on Bay street. Mr. Reilly having failed the following year, Mr. Flannery was offered a position as account sales' clerk by Evans Harris & Co., cotton factors on Bay street, which he accepted. He was pro- moted to be book-keeper about a year later when a vacancy occurred in that position. He was in this place in January, 1861, when Governor
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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
Brown called on the Savannah military to occupy and hold Fort Pulaski. Being a member of the Irish Jasper Greens, which corps he joined in October, 1857, he was among the number of those who responded to the call and performed garrison duty at the Fort, as a non-commissioned officer, during parts of January, February and March, 1861. He was elected a brevet lieutenant in the " Greens " in March, 1861. On May 30, 1861, he entered the Confederate service with the Greens for sixty days and on August 10th, was again mustered in for six months. The greater part of these two terms was served in garrison duty at Fort Pul- aski. On January 30, 1862, he was promoted to first lieutenant. On February 12, 1862, the Greens were mustered out of service and on the 14th they re-enlisted for another term of six months, which was soon after changed to "three years or the war." On the 22d, they were or- dered to Lee Battery, a work of importance then being built on the Savannah River below Fort Jackson. While at this place Lieutenant Flannery, in addition to his duties in his company, was acting as quarter- master for the Savannah River batteries and advanced posts from April to July 1862, when he was relieved of the latter duty by Lieutenant, afterwards Captain, T. W. Neely of the quartermaster's department.
On the reorganization of the First Volunteer Regiment of Georgia on October 20, 1862, Captain Ford of the "Greens," was elected major of of the regiment and Lieutenant Flannery succeeded him as captain and his company was designated as "Company A " of the regiment. In the early part of 1863 Captain Flannery was appointed " Instructor in In- fantry Tactics" for the officers, about thirty in number, serving at the river batteries, which position he held until May, 1864. About the middle of the same year Lee Battery, with a garrison of two companies numbering about two hundred men, was placed in his immediate charge under Major T. D. Bertody of the Twenty second Battalion of Georgia Artillery as commander of the post comprising Fort Jackson and Lee Battery and Colonel E. C. Anderson C. S. A., as commander of all the " Savannah River Batteries and Advanced Posts."
Captain Flannery remained at Lee Battery until May, 1864, when the " Greens " were relieved from duty there and directed to rejoin the First Volunteer Regiment then under orders to report to General Mercer com- manding a brigade, in the army of the Tennessee under General John-
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ston, near Dallas, Ga. He served with this army under Johnston and Hood from May, 1864, to January, 1865, except for a few weeks in mid- summer while incapacitated for active duty by severe illness. Early in January, 1865, he was taken seriously sick near Corinth, Miss., where the army rested a few days while en route for Tupelo from the disastrous campaign in Tennessee. This practically ended his active connection with the army, although when, about April ist, he believed himself able to resume active duty he asked for and obtained a discharge from hos- pital at Columbus, Ga., where he then was, and started to rejoin his command which was in North Carolina. Being delayed at camps at Macon and Augusta while en route he did not get beyond Chester, S. C., which point he only reached in time to be ordered back on account of "Stoneman's raid," which cut off communication in that direction with Johnston's army. From Chester, he with the other Confederates at that point, fell back successively to Newberry and Abbeville, S. C., and Wash- ington, Ga., where the news of Johnston's surrender was received, and where the various detachments were disbanded as they arrived. Captain Flannery went from Washington to Sharon, Ga., where he remained for several days as the guest of Mr. W. J. Harty, then living at that point. He next went to Augusta, where he became the guest for a few days of Mr. John M. Gannon of the Globe Hotel, who, as a boy, was his fellow passenger from Liverpool to Charleston in 1851. He was paroled on May 15th at Augusta, and having secured transportation by the steamer Amason, he soon after left for Savannah. The trip down the river occu- pied three days and was not by any means a pleasure excursion, as the boat was crowded, and all the accommodations being on deck, horses, darkies, Federal soldiers, and Confederates were mixed up indiscrimin - ately. Savannah presented a desolate appearance when he arrived there and it was several days before he was able to obtain employ- ment of any description. The first position that offered was at Hilton Head, S. C., where the firm of McKune & Roo-ebrook wanted a com- petent accountant to adjust and balance their books, as they were preparing to close up business. This position he obtained through the influence of some friends, and his services being needed at once, he left a sick-bed to go to work, so as not to loose the chance for em- ployment. After being about six weeks at Hilton Head he succeeded
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in securing a position as book-keeper with John N. Keene & Co., shipping and commission merchants of Savannah. On his return to Savannah to accept this position, Mr. L J. Guilmartin proposed to him to form a co-partnership to do a cotton factorage and general commission business, which proposition Captain Flannery accepted, after obtaining a release from his engagement with Messrs. Keene & Co. Mr. E. W. Drummond also became a member of the co-partnership which com menced business on July 12. 1865, under the firm name of L. J. Guil- martin & Co. The firm started with practically no capital but with many friends whose patronage and assistance aided in making its business a success. The firm soon after commencing business secured the agency of the steamers Dictator and City Point, running between Charleston, S. C., and Palatka, Fla., via Savannah, etc. This was an important freight and passenger line at that time and for several years after. The firm also done a general shipping business up to 1868, when Mr. Drum- mond retired and this branch was discontinued.
On May 31, 1877, the firm was dissolved and Captain Flannery pur- chased all its assets. He at once formed a new co-partnership with Mr. John L. Johnson, who had been the traveling agent of the old firm, under the firm name of John Flannery & Co. This firm has been successful in business, is still in existence and occupies a prominent position among the cotton houses of Savannah.
In 1866 Captain Flannery went to Europe for the purpose of visiting his mother, whom he had not seen since he left for America in 1851, and with the hope that the trip would benefit his health, which was very much impaired as a result of severe malarial poisoning while at Lee Bat- tery 1 in the summer and fall of 1862 and of 1863, and of exposure, etc., during the campaign in Tennessee in the winter of 1864.
In April, 1867 Captain Flannery was married to Miss Mary E. Nor. ton, a niece of Mrs. John McMahon, by whom she was raised from early girlhood. This marriage proved to be a happy one and the fruits of it were six children, only two of whom are living-Katie, the oldest daugli- ter and John McMahon, the third son.
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1 To illustrate how unhealthy this post was at certain seasons of the year, it is only necessary so say that the garrison, consisting nominally of about two hundred men and nine officers, was at one time, August 29, 1862, reduced by sickness to actually nineteen men and one officer (Lieutenant Flannery) for duty.
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On the re-organization of the Georgia Volunteers in May, 1872, he was, against his expressed wish, re-elected captain of the " Irish Jasper Greens " and, notwithstanding the unsatisfactory condition of his health then and most of the time since we still find him at the head of the corps and taking an active part in volunteer military affairs. When ** his dwelling was burned to the ground in the big fire of April 6, 1889, it was found that among the many souvenirs destroyed was a dress sword presented to him by the "Greens" in 1874. The members of the corps, as soon as they became aware of this, immediately ordered another sword with special designs and of finer quality which was formally pre- sented on May 28, 1889, as a mark of their continued esteem and to show that time had not weakened their respect for and confidence in him.
He has been a member of the Hibernian Society since March 17, 1866, and served one term as vice-president. He has always taken an active interest in Irish affairs and lent aid to every movement of a national character, which he thought might benefit his native land.
Captain Flannery was one of the corporators of the Southern Bank of the State of Georgia organized in 1870, and was a member of its first board of directors and has been re-elected every year since. Upon the death of Captain John McMahon, vice-president of the bank, in January, 1881, he became acting vice-president and on February 9, following, was elected president, in place of Mr. Eugene Kelly of New York, who re- signed for that purpose, and he is still in that position. The new bank building on Drayton street, completed in 1886, was put up on his urgent recommendation and the work carried on under his direction.
He has been a member of the Savannah Cotton Exchange since 1877 and served as a director for several years. He was vice-president for two terms and president for one and served as a member of the commit- tee under whose direction the Exchange building at the foot of Drayton street, completed in 1887 while he was president, was put up. .
He has been a director for several years in the "U. H. Cotton Press Co." and in the "Tyler Cotton Press Co." in each of which he lias a large interest, and has served in similar positions, from time to time, in several other organizations of more or less importance.
He was among the number of those who recognized the importance of having a first class hotel in Savannah and took an active interest in
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securing and holding the " Oglethorpe Barracks " block as a site for such a building, and was one of the first to subscribe for stock and to take an active part in organizing the " Savannah Hotel Co."-of which he was elected a director on its organization in April, 1888,-which built the " DeSoto," completed in 1889, on that site.
On the organization of the "Savannah Sinking Fund Commission," in December, 1878, he was unanimously elected a member by the City Council and served as its chairman until 1888, when he retired from the commission, after declining a re- election for another term.
He was one of the original thirteen who organized the " Jasper Mon- ument Association," in 1878, and on the death of Captain McMahon, its president, in 1881, he was elected to succeed him. While the work of accumulating funds went on rather slowly for some time after Captain McMahon's death, the object for which the association was formed was finally accomplished. The monument in Madison square, which was unveiled on February 22, ISSS, speaks for how well this was done.
Captain Flannery being a Roman Catholic, always took an active in- terest in whatever concerned the welfare of that great religious organiza- tion. He served as a member of the committee under whose directions the Cathedral on Abercorn street was put up until the building was roofed in and made weather tight in 1875 when he resigned. He was president of the " Catholic Library Hall Association " when that organ- ization purchased the old Cathedral property from the Bishop of Savan- nah in 1888, and as chairman of the building committee took an active part in superintending the work of remodeling the building to suit the wants of the association and to add to the city's accommodations a hall which for public or private entertainments is second to none within its limits.
As chairman of the trustees selected by the bondholders who bought in the "Georgia Military Academy " building and lots on Abercorn street, at the foreclosure sale in 1886, he rendered valuable aid to the " First Vol- unteer Regiment of Georgia" in enabling it to acquire the property for an armory, by inducing the owners to agree to accept a moderate price and to give the regiment easy terms for payment, in consideration of the purpose for which the property was to be used.
While, as a rule, Captain Flannery has taken but little interest in pol-
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itics, and has invariably declined to be a candidate for office, he has always held his vote ready for use at every election and, when occasion demanded, he has not hesitated to take an active part in municipal and other elections and to use any influence that he possessed to help to elect good and competent men to office over unsuitable or incom- petent candidates. He never failed to do any duty devolving on him as a citizen and always realized that, " property has its duties as well as its rights," and therefore that his debt of obligations to the community of which he was a member increased with the increase of his worldly possessions, and that his mere living in that community did not dis- charge this debt, as so many men of means appear to think. He has ever been ready to do his full share towards making each enterprise or movement inaugurated by the citizens of Savannah for her benefit a success, without waiting to figure out, in advance, what direct benefit he was likely to receive for the money contributed or for the time and labor expended in trying to accomplish the object proposed.
F LEMING GRANTLAND du BIGNON. Ask any Savannahian who is the most prominent young man in this city and without a moment's hesitation he will answer, Senator Fleming G. du Bignon
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