USA > Georgia > Tift County > History of Tift County > Part 45
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On October 6, 1938, Mary Chappellear Phillips died, at Tifton, where she is buried.
After six years, T. E. Phillips married again. His bride was Miss Sarah Dunbar, of Tifton, daughter of William Allen Dunbar and Emily Wright Dunbar, both deceased, of Dunbar, Georgia. The ceremony was performed at Druid Hills Baptist Church, Atlanta.
Re children of Thurston and Mary Chappellelar Phillips:
Mattie Lou attended Bessie Tift College for three years, and studied in Chicago one year. She married Dr. Earl Kilpatrick Lazenby, of Fayette- ville, North Carolina. They have one daughter, Martha.
Ida May Phillips graduated from Bessie Tift College. She married Mal- colm Kirk Smith. They have one daughter, Siska. They live in Jacksonville, Florida.
Thurston Ellis Phillips, Jr., married Vera Sport, a young woman of ex- ceptional beauty and sweetness. They live in Tifton.
Mary Phillips graduated from Queens College. She was president of the Phi Mu Chapter there. She lives in North Carolina where, during World War II, she was with the American Red Cross.
FLORENCE WILLINGHAM PICKARD
Florence Martha Willingham was the daughter of Thomas Henry Wil- lingham and Cecilia Baynard Willingham. She was born on Thomas's large South Carolina plantation, "Smyrna," near Old Allendale, March 7, 1862. When still very young she refugeed with her family from Smyrna to a Mitch- ell County, Georgia, plantation which Thomas owned. After a short resi- dence there the family moved to the "Yancey Place" about four miles from Albany. On this large plantation which Thomas owned and where the Wil- lingham family lived for many years, was beautiful Blue Springs, deep, clear and blue. It is now famous as Radium Springs.
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Florie and Bess, when Florie was not more than twelve, were sent to Wesleyan College, where both were Adelphians. Later Florie attended a private school taught by Miss Sallie Reynolds in Albany, and Bess went to Monroe Female College in Forsyth, Georgia. The Willinghams have moved into Albany.
After Bess had graduated it was Florie's turn to go away to school; for of the seventeen Willingham children fourteen reached maturity and all fourteen were college students, and most of them graduated from college, and with honors. Florie went to Woman's College, Richmond, Virginia. She had loved art since childhood and while at Richmond she learned that at nearby Staunton Female Seminary was a very fine art teacher, Madam Garcia, a Parisian. Florie at the next term entered Staunton, of which Miss Mary Baldwin was at that time principal and for whom the college was later named. Florie studied there several years and received the highest honor in art.
Returning to Albany, Florie continued her painting and also conducted a private school of which she was principal and whose clientile were the elite of Albany.
Florie during vacations did much visiting to her older sisters and other relatives. While visiting her sister, Sallie, Mrs. Ed Bacon, in Eastman, Dodge County, she met a young divinity student from Mercer University. He was preaching at the Baptist Church of Eastman. His name was William Lowndes Yancey Pickard, of Upson County, Georgia. Later Will roomed at Mercer with Florie's brother, Winnie Joe. When Florie would visit her brother, Thomas, and his wife in Macon, Will would come with Winnie to see Florie. Thus the acquaintance ripened into friendship and later they became en- gaged. They were married at Albany, June 15, 1886.
Meanwhile, Florie nearly went blind. She had had to give up her school and also had to give up her painting. Her sister, Bessie, had to read her love letters to her and to write the answers too; but after Bess married Henry Tift and went to Tifton to live Florie did her own reading and writ- ing, her eyes were by that time stronger.
To Will she bore four children, Julia, Florence, William L., Jr., and Eliza- beth Belle, born after the death of the beloved only son, Will's namesake, who died of diphetheria when five years old, while Will was pastor of the Broadway Baptist Church, Louisville. All of the family found the Kentucky winters bitter and Florie and the children would come to Tifton and spend the coldest months, either with her sister, Bessie Tift, or with Will's brother, J. L. Pickard and his wife, Cornelia. This continued when Dr. Pickard went to the Cleveland Church, where he remained for nearly five years. So it was over a long period of years that the W. L. Pickards spent their winters in Tifton. The little girls would study out of the Cleveland school books, and be tutored by Tifton teachers, and send their exercises back to the Cleveland schools, where they never missed a grade. Julia studied Greek under W. L. Harman.
During 1905 when making their home in Lynchburg, Virginia, Florie went
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with Will to the First Baptist World's Alliance, which met in London. Bessie Tift went with them and after the convention the three toured Europe. At Paris Bessie bought a pearl hair ornament and crowned Florie. That night Florie had a dream which she later, after her return to America, transferred to canvas; for her eyesight had so improved that after eighteen years of not painting she had resumed her well-loved art, in which she achieved ex- traordinary success, and much renown. She also wrote five books, three of which were published during her lifetime. The other two have never been published. The three published books were: "The Ides of March," pub- lished in 1901; "Between Scarlet Thrones," published in 1919: "In The Palace of Amuhai," published in 1926.
In 1914 Florie moved with Will to Macon where he was president of Mer- cer University during World War I. There she was a member of the First Baptist Church. She took great interest in the life of the college, as she al- ways did in all of her husband's work. She was a charter member and honor- ary member of the Macon Writers' Club, founded in 1915, by her Albany schoolgirl friend, Willie Oliver Moore. After Dr. Pickard resigned as presi- dent of Mercer he became pastor of the Central Baptist Church in Chatta- nooga, Tennessee, and there Florie lived seven happy years. She loved Chat- tanooga. Her children being grown, she had more leisure, than when they were young, and she was greatly beloved in the clubs in which she enjoyed membership: the Chattanooga Writers' Club, The Tennessee Writers' Club, the Chattanooga Chapter of the National Pen Woman's League, the Ki- wanis Auxiliary, of which she was chaplain. In Chattanooga, as in all of Will's churches, she took an active part in the church work, and she had the gift of endearing her associates to her so that she received from them cooperation in whatever was undertaken. She would gather the women of the church together and they would sew for the poor, or would make gay quilts, which they would sell, and the proceeds from which would be given to missions. Her especial concern was the aged of the church and she often planned gay parties for their pleasure, and they were very brilliant, beautiful parties, into the spirit of which the younger women would enter with great enthusiasm and interest; and the happiness of the aged "Mothers in Israel" was compensation enough for all the trouble.
In 1925 Will's health began to fail, so that doctors said he must take life quietly or he could not live long. Florie's sister, dear Bessie Tift, told Florie that if she and Will would come to Tifton to live she would give them a house. They did and she did-415 Park Avenue, which was their home for the next five happy, brief years which soon had sped by. There Florie died, Deceni- ber 2, 1930.
Florie's body was taken to the First Baptist Church of Tifton, then to Albany, where a brief service was held in the Albany Baptist Church, before she was laid to rest beside her only son, William L. Pickard, Jr., in the Albany cemetery.
Both Will and Florie were survived by all three of their daughters:
Julia Baynard Pickard, married Ralph Edward Bailey.
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Florence Martha Pickard, married Leverett Roland Harrison.
Elizabeth Belle Pickard, married Paul Daggett Karsten. (See Wire Grass Journalism chapter.)
For sketches of Julia and Florence Pickard, see elsewhere this chapter.
Elizabeth Pickard is the writer of the bigrophical sketches of the Tift County Pioneers contained in this book, except those designated as being the work of other writers.
WILLIAM LOWNDES YANCEY PICKARD
William L. Yancey Pickard, third son of James LaFayette Pickard and Anne Hasseltine Ross Pickard, was born in Upson County, Georgia, October 19, 1861.
James LaFayette Pickard was a planter of Upson County. He was son of Robert Micajah Pickard and his wife, Sarah Barksdale, daughter of William Barksdale, of English descent, who lived in Sparta, Georgia, and is buried in Pine Bluff Cemetery, east of Albany. The Yancey Place, where Florie Willingham, whom W. L. Y. Pickard married, spent her childhood, was owned by a Mr. Barksdale prior to its being owned b'y Thomas Willing- ham, Florie's father. Florie and Bessie (Willingham) Tift were sisters. The Barkdales are a distinguished family in and around Wilkes County, Georgia. They came from Abbeville District, South Carolina, and previ- ously were from Albemarle or Hanover County, Virginia.
Anne Hasseltine Ross Pickard was daughter of the Reverend John Ross II (born Virginia, 1781; ordained to Baptist ministry, 1816; died June 17, 1837, Georgia), who came from Virginia to Columbia County, Georgia,
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1798. A clergyman of note, John Ross was, at the convention meeting in Talbotton, in 1836, a strong advocate of the Baptist establishment of Mer- cer University. He also attended a ministers meeting in July following, at Forsyth where he was instrumental in accomplishing much good. Of John Ross was written, "His preaching talents were of a very respectable order, and he began exercising them about 1816." A sketch of the life of John Ross may be found in Jesse Campbell's "Georgia Baptists," published by H. K. Ellyson, Richmond, 1847; also in "History of Georgia Baptists," compiled for Christian Index, 1881. Anne's mother was Charity Mitchell, second wife of John Ross. After John's death, Charity married Captain Thomas Hall. Charity is buried on the Ross lot in Fort Valley.
James LaFayette Pickard was a soldier of the Confederacy. He died from exposure upon field of battle whither he had gone when still ill of measles of which there had been many cases in camp. He died at the Confederate Hospital which stood where the Hotel DeSoto, Savannah, now stands. James LaFayette Pickard was of the 32d Georgia Regiment.
After J. L. Pickard's death, Anne, left a widow with six children, married again. This marriage had the result of bringing it about that the children of her first marriage were reared in various homes by different of her own and her first husband's relatives. The Pickard children seldom saw their mother again.
William L. Y. Pickard, who was named for the great statesman, William L. Yancey, declared in after life that his earliest recollection was that of his father's funeral. His older brother, J. L., believed that he was too young at the time for him to remember-that he must have confused it with some decoration of the grave at some subsequent time. Howbeit, William and the eldest brother, John Pickard, made their home with their father's sister and her husband, James Pound, a scholarly planter, of near Talbotton, Georgia. Gifted as an educator, James taught Will, his own son Jerre Pound, and a neighbor lad, Charles Jenkins, and another neighbor's boy. Of these Charles Jenkins became president of Wesleyan College, Jerre Pound became president of Georgia Normal College, at Athens, and William L. Pickard became president of Mercer University. The fourth lad became an eminent ear, eye, nose and throat specialist of Atlanta.
From the age of twelve Will Pickard supported himself, working at first for his uncle, James Pound. He plowed and did other plantation work. As a reward for some of his labor Mr. Pound offered to give him a fine horse, bridle and saddle. Will asked that instead he might have the equivalent in money that he might have it as part of his college expenses, which was granted. He went first to celebrated College Temple, at Newnan, a famous school in its day, though now no longer existing. Most of its students were girls, but a few boys were there. Miss Annie Belle Clarke and an older sister were College Temple pupils, and the sister was there when Will Pickard was a student there.
From College Temple Will went to Mercer where he graduated with the A.B. degree in 1884. While there, he had been, in 1883, ordained to the
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Baptist ministry, the ordination service being at the First Baptist Church of Macon. Will received his M.A. degree from Mercer in 1885 and in June of that year, at the First Baptist Church of Albany, he was married to Florence Martha Willingham, daughter of Thomas Henry Willingham and Cecilia Baynard Willingham.
While attending Mercer, Will preached at Thomaston, Georgia, on Sun- days. From Mercer he went to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary at Louisville, Kentucky, where he graduated in 1887. Other pastorates were: El Creek, and Normandy, Kentucky, while at the seminary; First Baptist Church, Eufaula, Alabama, 1887-1888; First Baptist Church, Bir- mingham, 1889-93; Broadway Baptist Church, Louisville, Kentucky, 1894- 1898; First Baptist Church, Cleveland, Ohio, 1899-1902; First Baptist Church, Lynchburg, Virginia, 1903-07; Savannah Baptist Church, 1907-14; Central Baptist Church, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1919-1926.
Between the Louisville and Cleveland pastorates Pickard went to Chicago as professor of New Testament Greek, at the Moody Bible Institute, where he went at invitation of Dr. Dwight Moody. Soon after Dr. Pickard went to the Institute, Dr. Moody died. Temporarily the institution ceased to func- tion on the old schedule, and in that period the Cleveland church called Dr. Pickard and he accepted the call.
After the Savannah Pastorate, Dr. Pickard went to Macon as president Mr. and Mrs. Harrison have recently celebrated their thirty-third wed- ding anniversary.
Mrs. Harrison is the original of the girl in two of her mother's wellknown paintings, "Choosing the Crown," and "The Chosen Crown," the latter paint- ing is in Tifton.
JAMES LaFAYETTE PICKARD
James LaFayette Pickard, Jr., son of James LaFayette Pickard and Anne Hasseltine Ross Pickard, of Upson County, Georgia, was born De- cember 12, 1858. His mother's father was a well known Baptist preacher, the Reverend John Ross. James LaFayette, Sr., a soldier of the Confederacy, died at Confederate hospital at Savannah, during the War Between the States. After Anne's second marriage, James, Jr. was reared by a kinsman, a Mr. Willis.
James LaFayette Pickard married Victoria Thornton and to them were born four children, Novella (married Dr. Sam T. Vann), Lenwood, Willie, who was a little girl who was fatally burned during infancy, and Arlene (1891-1897). The Pickards lived for a time at Woodbury.
After Victoria's death James married Victoria's sister, Cornelia Thorn- ton. They lived for about a 'year in Maitland, Florida, where Cornelia's family lived. Victoria and Cornelia were daughters of Seaborn Thornton, originally of Meriwether.
After the great freeze in Florida, J. L. Pickard and Cornelia moved to Tifton, in 1896. Here were born to them three children, Cornelia (married
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Newton Dorsett), James LaFayette Pickard III (now of Miami), and Ralph Pickard (now of St. Petersburg).
In Tifton Mr. Pickard worked for H. H. Tift as manager of the Tift Commissary. This position he held for a long period of years, until the commissary closed with the closing of the mill. He then for a time had a grocery store of his own, and for a time he served as postmaster at Tifton.
The Pickards lived on Second Street next door to the H. H. Tifts. At first they occupied a house which formerly stood between the corner lot and the Tift home, and later they were the first occupants of the house which has recently been moved from the corner of Second Street and Tift Avenue. They occupied one apartment in the house, and a smaller apart- ment was occupied by Florie Pickard and her children, the wife and children of Dr. W. L. Pickard, Jimmy's brother. Florie was Bessie Tift's sister and in the early days of Tifton when she lived in the North she spent her win- ters in Tifton. James Pickard, called by everyone "Uncle Jimmy," loved roses and his garden contained many ver'y fine specimens with which he was most generous.
J. L. Pickard was possessed of an exceptionally fine bass voice, and he had taught singing, and he had a gift for leading singing. He was instru- mental in the formation of the Tift County Singing Convention and he served on its advisory board, and was in 1921 elected vice-president. He often was song leader at its conventions, and also he was much in demand as a song leader at many different churches, especially the country church- es of Tift County.
J. L. Pickard was delegated to visit Governor Joseph M. Terrell in be- half of the establishment of an agricultural and mechanical school at Tifton. In this project he was successful and the Second District A. and M. School, the beginning of what is now Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, was established at Tifton in 1908. This was secured to Tifton largely through the personal generosity of Henry Harding Tift, who gave large acreage of land and money to the school. James LaFayette Pickard served as the school's first trustee from Tift County, and he held the trusteeship for many years.
J. L. Pickard, and his younger brother, Dr. W. L. Pickard, whom he called "Little Bud" were great fishermen and W. L. tried to get to Tifton for a visit to Jimmie at least once each year even when he lived in other and distant states. Both of them were fine marksmen and they loved and owned some very fine bird dogs, notably an English Setter, Maude, and English Setter, Sport, son of Maude. Also, J. L. had a white and lemon pointer, Hal.
James L. Pickard was a man of sterling integrity of character. He was possessed of a sparkling wit and a keen humor, and he was kind and loved people; and everybody loved "Uncle Jimmy."
James LaFayette Pickard died in Tifton, May 13, 1927. Burial was in Tifton cemetery. His widow now lives in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Lenwood Pickard, eldest son of James LaFalette Pickard, was born at Woodbury, Georgia, July 8, 1883; attended Southern Shorthand Business College, Atlanta; was in World War I, in Service Park Unit No. 384. He
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moved to Tifton from Florida in 1896. He has held high office in the Tifton Chapter of the Masonic Order and at the Masonic Convention at Macon was consecrated to the High Priesthood, April 26, 1939.
JOHN MILTON PRICE TIFTON FAIRY TALE
Once upon a time there lived a couple whose names were John and Minerva Emerson Price. They had two children. The girl, Lucy, grew up and mar- ried Mr. Kilby. The boy, born September 14, 1858, was named John Milton Price.
When John Milton Price was a small boy his father died. Young John assumed the responsibility of earning a living for the family. However, he loved learning, and eagerly attended the country schools for the three months' term each year.
When John was twenty-one 'years old he gathered his belongings and, tying them in a bandana handkerchief, he took them with him and walked forty miles to Dahlonega.
Arrived there, John contacted the president of the college. That gen- tleman discouraged John's entrance, but John, after much persuasion, suc- ceeded in being permitted to remain for a try-out.
After a few weeks John received an invitation from the president to come to his rooms nights so that he could help him with his studies. John was overjoyed. Later he graduated with honors.
Next John studied at Augusta, where he received his medical degree from the Augusta Medical College.
Young Dr. John Milton Price opened his first office in Orange, Georgia. Also he was physician to the Franklin Gold Mines, in Creighton, Georgia. Later he moved to Canton, Georgia, where he practiced medicine for several years and was prominent in both civic and professional life. He was presi- dent of the Medical Society there.
Dr. John Pirce married a young woman named Georgia Archer. They had two little daughters, Jene and Rebecca, who were their jo'y.
One day Dr. Price visited Tifton. He was delighted with the place. He called it, "The Garden Spot." Soon he moved him family there and there they lived happily ever after, until September 17, 1941 when Dr. Price died, but not until after celebrating his eighty-third birthday.
Dr. and Mrs. Price's little girls grew up and married and they still live in Tifton. They had a flower shop where they had so man'y beautiful flowers that seeing them reminded one of Dr. Price's words: "Tifton is the Garden Spot." Perhaps some day they will call the flower store "The Garden Spot."
S. G. SLACK
S. G. Slack, born about 1854, was one of seven brothers born to English parents who came from England to Canada and settled in Ontario. S. G. came to Tifton in the early 1890's; a brother, Ernest Edward, soon followed
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and settled in Tifton. Another brother settled in Alabama. The others re- mained in Canada.
As early as 1893 S. G. was already a well known and highly revered citizen of Tifton. A builder and contractor, he had established a reputation for doing high quality work. The houses he built were good houses and are toda'y some of the best houses in Tifton. Among these is the Carson home, built by Slack for Elias Vickers at 315 W. Sixth Street. Slack loved good lumber and good workmanship, and it is told of him that one day when he stood in the door way of the Carson house he ran his hand over the beautiful carving of the woodwork and it was almost as though it were a caress.
Also from Canada was Tifton's first contractor, John C. Hind, to whom was issued the first contractor's license in Tifton, 1891.
In the spring of 1893 H. H. Tift, E. P. Bowen and S. G. Slack and others formed a stock company and built and operated a canning factory in Tifton. The building was begun on April 15. By May 15 the factory was in full operation. With a capacity of ten thousand cans a day, they employed one hundred and twenty hands during the busy season. The first season they canned peaches, pears, tomatoes. In 1895 they canned strawberries, dew- berries, peaches, pears, okra, English peas, wax beans, sweet potatoes. With great success they shipped "all over the country."
In 1895 Mr. Slack completed erection of a ten thousand dollar church in Valdosta. Also, he was in August awarded contract for the inside work of a church erected in Quitman. That same year he opened in Tifton a hardware store which for many years was the leading hardware firm of the community. An advertisement of May 5, 1905 indicates that at that time the members of the firm were S. G. Slack, J. J. L. Phillips, A. B. Hollingsworth, E. E. Slack.
Early in the twentieth century S. G. Slack became interested in Tifton city politics. He was elected alderman to serve for two years, beginning 1902. Others elected to serve for the same period were H. H. Tift and E. P. Bowen. F. G. Boatright was mayor. Slack was at once placed upon various committees. With E. P. Bowen and W. T. Hargrett he served on the com- mittee on streets. With J. M. Paulk and E. P. Bowen he served on the committee on accounts. He was on the committee of appraisers. S. G. Slack was on the Board of Aldermen when that body voted to accept the proposi- tion of B. M. Griffin to "light the streets." Also when it voted to purchase from H. H. Tift a site for a school. The old school was located on the site of what is now that of the Primitive Baptist Church.
Slack continued to serve in 1903 under Mayor Boatright. He, Mr. Boat- right, W. W. Timmons and E. P. Bowen were present at a call meeting of the council for the purpose of appointing managers and clerks to conduct the election of Judge and Solicitor of the City Court of Tifton. Appointed so to act as election managers were O. L. Chesnutt, J. P., T. J. Parker, J. K. Carswell. W. W. Webb, T. E. Phillips, S. S. Monk, William Whiddon and E. R. Gaulding were alternates. As a result of the election F. G. Boat- right was elected judge and C. C. Hall solicitor. An offer of H. H. Tift to provide court room quarters at $17.00 per month was declined, and an
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offer of E. P. Bowen to provide them for $100.00 per year was accepted. Kent's offer to furnish the room was declined and that of F. C. Dynes was accepted.
In April of 1903 S. G. Slack was on a committee to arrange for a city engineer to make a map of the city. That same year, Mr. Slack, Briggs Carson and W. W. Timmons were tax assessors.
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