Memoirs of Georgia; containing historical accounts of the state's civil, military, industrial and professional interests, and personal sketches of many of its people. Vol. I, Part 109

Author:
Publication date: 1859
Publisher: Atlanta, Ga., The Southern historicl association
Number of Pages: 1294

USA > Georgia > Memoirs of Georgia; containing historical accounts of the state's civil, military, industrial and professional interests, and personal sketches of many of its people. Vol. I > Part 109

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the congressional executive committee, as chairman of the thirty-fourth district senatorial committee, and of the democratic executive committee for De Kalb county. He has also been prominently mentioned in connection with the con- gressional seat of the fifth district, and his friends say that his services to the democratic party have been of such character as to deserve reward at the hands of his fellow-citizens. Col. Candler is an able lawyer, quick of perception, pro- found in his knowledge of the law, a thorough master of the science of pleading and practice and precedent, and always courteous to opposing counsel. He was married Jan. 16, 1884, to Miss Lula Garnier, a daughter of the late Col. Isadore V. Garnier, a native of Charleston, S. C., and a grandson of Gen. Joseph Garnier, who was one of Napoleon's generals. This union has been blessed by the birth of two interesting children, viz .: Asa Warren Candler and Allie Garnier Candler. Col. Candler is a steward of the Edgewood Methodist Episcopal church, south, of Atlanta, and was a member and chairman of the lay delegation to the general conference which met in St. Louis, Mo., in May, 1890.

F P. CHAMBERLIN. Among the enterprising and successful business men of Atlanta who shared the vicissitudes of her early misfortunes directly after the war to enjoy, in a well-bestowed measure, her subsequent prosperity, is Mr. E. P. Chamberlin. Mr. Edward Payson Chamberlin was born in St. Lawrence county, N. Y., in the little village of Parishville, on Sept. 16, 1832. His parents, on both sides, were of English descent, and coming to America during the colonial era, his ancestors distinguished themselves by their gallant behavior in the revo- lutionary struggle. His mother was a near relative of the famous patriot, Ethen Allen, who made perhaps the most romantic record of any soldier in the American revolution. The death of Mr. Chamberlin's father occurring in 1836, at which time the subject of this sketch was only four years of age, he was left dependent upon a widowed mother who had five fatherless children to support. At the age of seven the young lad was bound out to a farmer in the neighborhood, and remained with him, doing the rough work of the plantation, and living on intimate terms with adversity until reaching his seventeenth year. During the period of his service he was permitted to attend school for a few months in each year, and this was the full extent of his educational advantages. Possessed of a bright mind, however, and one that was quick to receive impressions, he acquired many valuable lessons by observation, and these increased as his opportunities extended. Having relatives in this state, young Chamberlin turned his face toward Georgia in 1849, and came to Stewart county, locating in the little town of Lumpkin. He commenced to clerk for his cousin, Mr. E. E. Rawson, receiving the meager sum of $150 for his services the first year. Five years later, by reason of his diligent application and faithful devotion to his business, he had not only mastered the details of the establishment, but was offered a partnership in the firm, which he accepted. Though only a mere youth, he had shown a shrewd business sagacity that was far beyond his years, and Mr. Rawson realized that he had made a good investment by taking the young financier into his employ. A year after this combination was formed, however, the partnership was dissolved, young Cham- berlin going into business with Mr. W. W. Boynton, in the general merchandise line. The interference of the war prevented the realization of the hopes begotten of this partnership, and Mr. Boynton, who entered the Confederate service, was subsequently killed at the battle of Antietam. Being of a delicate constitution, Mr. Chamberlin remained in Lumpkin, taking care of the widows and children, and rendering valuable aid to the Confederacy. During the last six months of the war he acted as agent for the government in purchasing supplies for the

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southern army. At the end of the war Mr. Chamberlin, in winding up the affairs of his old business, found that his firm was indebted to New York merchants to the sum of $18,500. He determined to pay this debt in spite of the fact that he had lost nearly all his merchandise by the war. Having saved a hundred and thirty bales of cotton, he started to New York for the purpose of disposing of it, and there found to his intense satisfaction that cotton had risen from twenty cents a pound in Georgia to sixty cents a pound in New York. He was enabled therefore to cancel the debt with only half the cotton, and returned home with the proceeds of the other half in his pocket. He subsequently embarked in the cotton business and became one of the largest shippers in the state. Mr. Cham- berlin began his career as a merchant in Atlanta in July, 1866. The city was just beginning to emerge from the smoke and ashes wrought by the annihilating torch of Gen. Sherman. He purchased a home on Washington street and rented a store on the corner of Whitehall and Hunter streets, organized the firm of Chamberlin, Cole & Boynton, the latter member of the firm being a younger brother of his former partner. The dimensions of the store were only 25x100 feet, and they commenced business on a small scale. The establishment grew, however, and after the expiration of two years Mr. Cole withdrew. Subsequently, in 1870, Mr. H. S. Johnson was taken into the business under the firm name of Chamberlin, Boynton & Co. The firm remained unchanged until 1884, when Mr. Boynton retired, and Mr. E. R. Du Bose was admitted, changing the style of the firm to that of Chamberlin, Johnson & Co. In 1878, in order to meet the demands of a rapidly advancing trade, the building was enlarged to double its former capacity, and again in 1885 the present commodious building was erected, and stands to-day as one of the finest mercantile emporiums in the south. It is only due to Mr. Chamberlin to say that the growth of the establishment is largely due to his strict business integrity and to his shrewd financial sagacity. For two years Mr. Chamberlin represented his ward in the city council, serving as chairman of the committee on sewerage. It was during his administration that the present excellent system was inaugurated. Mr. Chamberlin was a director in the first cotton factory ever started in Atlanta, and was also a director and promoter of the first cotton exposition in 1881. When elected a director of this exposition he was lying upon a bed of sickness in the state of Wisconsin. He hurried home, and at the second meeting of the board asked if it was the inten- tion of the directors to limit the exposition to cotton, cotton fabrics and cotton machinery. On being informed that it was he very promptly refused to serve on the board unless it was made more general in its character, prophesying failure to the enterprise if this was not done. Such was the strength and fervor of his argument that his views were adopted by the board and the result has become a matter of history. Mr. Chamberlin, by reason of his progressive ideas, was made a director in the Piedmont exposition of 1887, and is now a member of the board of the Cotton States and International exposition, the most stupendous enterprise ever started on southern soil. On the reorganization of the Chamber of Commerce in 1883 Mr. Chamberlin became one of the most active members of that body. The site of the present building was secured mainly through his efforts as chairman of the committee on location. As an evidence of Mr. Cham- berlin's patriotic sense of duty, he had purchased the lot on Marietta street on which the custom house now stands for his own private use, but very promptly surrendered it to the city as a suitable location for a government building. For a number of years Mr. Chamberlin has been a steward of Trinity Methodist church, and has actively identified himself with the religious affairs of that denomi- nation. His influence has always been on the side of morality and good order

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and he has always been a loyal and helpful friend to the young men of the city. As a director on the board of the Young Men's Christian association he has demon- strated a profound interest in their behalf. To the young men in his employ his manner is that of a chivalrous Christian gentleman. His ear is always opened to their petitions, and his hands are always ready to serve them. Perseverance and faithful attention to business never fail to receive due recognition from him, and by all the men in his employ he is held in grateful and affectionate esteem. Mr. Chamberlin has one brother, Augustus Y., who lives in San Jose, Cal., and one sister, Clara, who is the widow of Lewis E. Hudson, of Whitewater, Wis. For several years Mr. Chamberlin has been a trustee of Emory college. Mr. Cham- berlin is a member of the masonic fraternity and belongs to the Capitol City club, and also to the Commercial club. He was married in 1857 to Miss Levisa Catchings, daughter of Dr. Seymour Catchings, of Lumpkin, Ga. Five children were born to them, only two of whom are now living, a son and daughter, E. P., Jr., and Eva G. In his home life Mr. Chamberlin is kind and affectionate. He is fond of the domestic pleasures of his own fireside and prefers them to the more popular amusements of the world. His career in all its phases is full of encouragement and inspiration to young men, crowning the successful enter- prises of the merchant with the more ennobling spirit of the ideal citizen.

DR. JULIUS ARTHUR CHILDS, one of 'Atlanta's most famous physicians, was born on a farm belonging to his father in Mitchell county, N. C., Aug. 13, 1858, and resided there until he was seventeen, attending the schools of the county. In 1875 he went to Lincolnton, N. C., and accepted a mercantile position with a relative, in which capacity he was occupied until 1881, when he went to Chester court house, S. C., and engaged in the marble business for four years. In October, 1885, he entered the medical college of South Carolina at Charleston, graduating therefrom in March, 1888. Immediately after graduating he entered the Charleston city hospital and remained there one year. He then located in Greenville, S. C., for a short time; but in October removed to Atlanta, where he has since practiced his profession. Dr. Childs is a member of the medical society of Atlanta and has served as its vice-president and secretary. He has contributed articles to the leading medical journals of the country and holds the chair of venereal and skin diseases in the Atlanta polyclinic. Dr. Childs was married January, 1892, to Susan, daughter of the late Daniel Pittman, for many years ordinary of Fulton county. He is a respected member of the Methodist church and highly esteemed in social circles as well as in the business world. He is of northern extraction, his father having been born in Massachusetts, where he died at the age of seventy-seven. Dr. Childs' mother, Delia Osborn, was born in New York, the daughter of Obadiah Osborn, who was a soldier in the revolutionary war, and who, when he died, was one hundred and three years of age.

JUDGE MARSHALL J. CLARKE. If the character of the legal profession is determined by the qualifications of its leading members, it may be safely asserted that the culture of the Atlanta bar is well illustrated in the professional attainments of the subject of this sketch Judge Marshall Johnson Clarke, who has occupied for a number of years a leading rank among the lawyers of the state, is a native of Georgia, and was born in the little village of Lumpkin, in Stewart county, on June 28, 1839. His father, James Clarke, was a man of commanding influence in that section of the state, and was a successful planter as well as a lawyer of prominence and ability. He was a member of the Georgia platform convention of 1850, and one of the most influential and active members of that

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body. The Clarke family is of English extraction, the ancestors of Judge Marshall J. Clarke coming to this country in the early days of its colonial life. The boyhood of Judge Clarke was spent in Stewart county. In this connection it may be observed that many of the best families of the state were identified with that section of Georgia. Here the subject of this sketch remained until 1855, when he became a student at Mercer university, one of the finest educational institutions of the south, under the patronage of the Baptist denomination, and then located at Pen- field, Ga. He applied himself with diligence to his collegiate studies and mani- fested that eagerness for truth that has since characterized his legal investigations and made him one of the foremost members of the Georgia bar. Graduating with distinction from Mercer university in 1858 he returned to Lumpkin, Ga., and imme- diately began the study of law in his father's home, he having then retired from the practice. After some months of preparation, under the advice and direction of his father, he was admitted to the bar. His father removed to Atlanta in April, 1859, and Mr. Clarke being then yet under age went with him. Some time after he settled in that city, being somewhat scholarly in his tastes and having no natural fondness for the contests of the courtroom he decided to establish there a select school for boys. That he might be the better qualified for this undertaking he determined to teach a year and then spend a year in Europe in the study of the modern languages. He accordingly took charge in January, 1861, of a school in Hamilton, Harris Co., Ga. Having taught there ten months he returned to Atlanta. The country being then involved in war he abandoned the purpose of going abroad. In the early spring of 1863 he entered the Confederate army as a private in Company H of the Fifty-sixth Georgia regiment He was subsequently attached to Gen. Tom Taylor's staff as private secretary, and served in that capac- ity for several months. In December, 1863, Mr. Clarke's health being entirely broken down by the hardships and exposures incident to the Kentucky campaign through which he had just passed, he came to Atlanta under the direction of the surgeon of his regiment and there he remained confined to his bed by extreme illness for three months. On recovering he was offered and accepted an appoint- ment in the office of Gen. Ira R. Foster, then the quartermaster-general of the state of Georgia, and continued to discharge the duties of such appointment till the war closed. After the departure of Gen. Sherman from Atlanta only a few build- ings remained standing, but the people lost no time in rebuilding their wasted homes. Mr. Clarke was among the first to cast their fortunes with the struggling young city, then slowly emerging from the ruins. He now resolved to devote his life to the practice of his profession and opened an office for the purpose ill March. 1866. Diligence and perseverance soon brought his talents into recogni- tion, and influential clients began to avil themselves of his professional services. He remained in the active practice until January, 1885, when he was appointed to the judgeship of the city court of Atlanta. The honor was all the more appreciated because it came unsought and unsolicited. He held this position for eleven months and, after the expiration of this time, he was appointed to the bench of the Atlanta circuit. This position he held from Dec. 1, 1885, to Sept. 15, 1893. At the time of his resignation he had still three years and a half before him, having just entered upon a new term. The resignation of Judge Clarke was very reluc- tantly accepted by Gov. Northen, and many sincere, expressions of regret pro- ceeded from the members of the Atlanta bar. Judge Clarke's administration of ' justice was characterized by a fearless discharge of duty and a blind disregard of person. His legal decisions were rendered in a clear and comprehensive style, an 1 never without careful research and deliberation. His legal intuitions served him as splendid aids in the determination of all issues, and his grasp of the real merits

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of the various cases that came before him was both rapid and tenacious. His own views, however, were always supported by sound authority, illustrating his mar- velous capacity for work and his fidelity as a judicial officer. No judge of the superior court in Georgia ever donned the sacred ermine with less fear or more pronounced fidelity. Few of Judge Clarke's decisions were ever reversed by the supreme court. As an evidence of the exalted opinion in which his attainments as a judicial officer were held by the members of the bar, he had no sooner resigned his seat on the bench than he was urged to make the race for associate justice of the supreme court, in anticipation of an increase in the number of judges on the supreme bench. The amendnient to the constitution failed to pass, however, but on the resignation of Chief Justice Bleckley, a few weeks later, his claims were stoutly renewed by his countless admirers all over the state. Judge Clarke has never aspired to political office. His ambition has been purely legal and judicial. In 1868, however, he held for one day the position of secretary of the electoral college. Judge Clarke was one of the early promoters of the Young Men's library association, and, for a number of years, a director in that institution. He has always been the friend of culture and intellectual development, and no enter- prise of this character has ever failed to meet his indorsement or receive his active support. The late Judge John T. Clarke, of the Patula circuit, whose sad death in 1889 was the result of a railroad accident, was a brother of the subject of this sketch. As one of the ablest and purest officers on the circuit bench he illustrated, in a marked degree, the same high and conspicuous order of talent that character- ized this remarkable family. Judge Clarke, on retiring from the bench, immedi- ately returned to the practice of his profession, and has since established himself in a large and growing civil practice. The duties of his position as judge of the Atlanta circuit were too onerous and exacting and, under the pressure put upon him by increasing litigation and his conception of the duties of a judicial office, he was forced to send in his resignation. Judge Clarke has never married. He is an active and influential member of the Second Baptist church of Atlanta, and to the lofty attainments of the scholar he had added the graceful simplicity of the Christian religion.

REV. DR. THOMAS PARMELEE CLEVELAND, pastor of the Fourth Presbyterian church of Atlanta, was born in Washington, Ga., Nov. 19, 1837. He received his early instruction and training at the place of his nativity. He afterward entered the college at Columbia, S. C., remaining there, however, only a few months, and in 1856 went to the famous educational institution at Princeton, N. J., applied himself sedulously to the appointed tasks, and gradu- ated in 1858. Immediately afterward he returned to Georgia, established a small school which he conducted a short time, and then was elected principal of the academy in Washington, Ga., holding this place for one year. Dr. Cleve- land now feeling called on to become a minister of the gospel, gave up teaching and decided to enter at once upon preparation for the gospel ministry. He studied at the theological school in Columbia, S. C., for eighteen months, but his mental labors were interrupted by the clamors of secession and disunion. In 1862 his heart, then aflame with the same loyalty that now characterizes his personality, he entered the Confederate service, enlisting in the Tenth Georgia regiment, Semmes' brigade, as a private soldier, and remained in this humble station until he secured his parole at Appomattox court house, Va. He was on detailed duty with the commissary of the brigade, and later with the quarter- master of the brigade. During the last year of the war the clerk of the adjutant having deserted, he was appointed his successor, and remained in this position

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until the surrender. In the battle of Savage station he acted as courier for Gen. Paul J. Semmes. When the clouds of disruption disappeared Dr. Cleveland re- turned home and then went to Madison county, Ga., and preached in that section for the seven succeeding years, and then went to Gainesville, Ga., where he resided twelve years. In 1885 he came to Atlanta and has since lived in that city. Dr. Cleveland served as school commissioner for both Madison and Hall counties, the first one, the latter four years. On moving to Atlanta he resigned this, as well as his pastorate and the state clerkship of the Athens presbytery. He served as a member of the examining committee of the state university for two years under Gov. McDaniel. Dr. Cleveland was married in 1866 to Helen A., daughter of the late Andrew Howard, of Atlanta, and a niece of John H. Newton, of Athens, Ga. Their lot has often been one of sadness and bereavement, for of the twelve children born to them only four survive. They are: Lillian H., wife of H. P. Ashley, of Atlanta; Mary P., Thomas C., and Fannie H. Dr. Cleve- land is a devoted Confederate veteran, and was elected chaplain of the Fulton county camp in 1890, and has been re-elected five times. He had three oppor- tunities of becoming chaplain, but owing to the fact that he had not been licensed and could not get a furlough to go home for that purpose, he failed in the first two appointments. During his visit home on a thirty days' furlough he was licensed by the presbytery of Hopewell at Sparta, Ga., April 3, 1864, and then on his return received an appointment from two regiments combined, and would have received his commission but for the closing of the war. He is a deep, scholarly thinker, an old soldier "to the marrow," a minister, earnest, conscien- tious and consecrated, a gentleman of the old southern type, and a friend, genial in disposition, lovable in commanding sympathy and generosity, whose hearty hand-grasp assures you that its cordial touch is but a slight response to the soul of love and honor that actuates and prompts it.

ANDREW J. COBB, son of Howell Cobb, was born in Athens, Ga., April 12, 1857. He was brought up and educated in that city, receiving the degree of A. B. at the university there in 1876, and graduating from the law department a year later with the degree of B. L. Aug. 12, 1877, he was admitted to the bar in Athens by Judge George D. Rice, and at once opened an office there, forming a partnership with Capt. A. S. Erwin, which continued until 1879, when Capt. Erwin was elected judge of the superior court of the western circuit. Mr. Cobb then practiced his profession alone until 1891, when he re-entered partner- ship with Judge Erwin. In 1893 he moved to Atlanta and a year later Vasser Woolley was added to the firm, which is now Erwin, Cobb & Woolley. Judge Erwin resides in Athens and represents the firm there. Mr. Cobb was city attor- ney of Athens, Ga., 1887 to 1891, president of the Athens board of education in 1888, and trustee for the city of Athens of the state university during the years 1891, 1892 and 1893. He was professor of law in the state university from March, 1884, to June, 1893, and is now lecturer on constitutional law, pleadings and con- tracts in that institution. He is also dean of the Atlanta law school and lecturer on constitutional law, equity and wills. Mr. Cobb is a member and deacon of the Baptist church. He was married March 3, 1880, to Miss Starkie Campbell, daughter of Col. Jesse M. Campbell, a prominent lawyer of Griffin, Ga., and they have five children, three boys and two girls. Mr. Cobb is a democrat, but has never taken a very active part in politics. In 1894 he was prominently men- tioned for associate justice of the supreme court in the event that the constitu- tional amendment increasing the number of judges should be adopted.

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CHARLES A. COLLIER is the son of John Collier, descended from the sturdy pioneers of North Georgia, who fought his way to fame through the many obstacles that cluster about an inexperienced country lawyer, but dauntless per- severance has never yet met defeat. In the spirit of this adage he labored and was rewarded by a career of honor and a superior judgeship. He moved to Atlanta when a young man, and there Charles A. was born July 19, 1848. His father was liberal in his education and placed before his aspiring ambition the use of the best schools and tutors in the state. These were readily grasped and employed in mental development. Graduating from the state university, and being admitted to the bar, he gave promise of a brilliant future, and seemed fit to grace any profession or occupation, for his talents were varied and devel- oped. Mr. Collier was married Jan. 7, 1875, to the daughter of the late William A. Rawson. This formed an epoch in his life, for this queenly woman, of charm- ing personality and refinement, shed an inspiration on his work, and from that happy moment his real success began. Mr. Collier is of retiring disposition and shrinks from notoriety. He has never sought political office, and yet on more than one occasion the people have demanded his services. He was elected alder- man by a large majority, served as mayor pro tem., and chairman of the finance committee of the council. He was also chairman of the democratic executive committee of Fulton county. As a servant of the people his legal knowledge, firmness of character and general executive ability were thoroughly tested. He is president of the Gate City Gas Light company, of the Refrigerating Construct- ing company and director in the Capital City bank and the Bank of the State of Georgia. Among the many enterprises in Atlanta's history that have given a valuable impetus to her growth and prosperity, was the Piedmont exposition. This was suggested only 100 days before the gates were opened and the feasibility of its plan considered. Mr. Collier was elected president, and by untiring energy, devoted unselfishness and a heart for Atlanta's welfare alone, with the assistance of the directors completed this weighty undertaking in the appointed time and made of it the greatest attraction the south has ever offered to her neighbors. Mr. Collier's very superior executive and administrative ability caused him to be chosen president of the Cotton States and International exposition, when a weightier task confronted him. But with the present glowing status of affairs and the absolute confidence and lofty admiration of his fellow-citizens the success of this worthy attempt in displaying southern products and genius is assured. His administration so far has been magnificent. Mr. Collier is a power in the community. He loves money only for the good it does. He devotes much' time to the pursuit of literature, science and art, with a cultured intellect, a chari- table heart and a gift for extensive enterprise. He is a cogent factor in the pro- inotion of Atlanta's interests.

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Memoirs of Georgia; containing historical accounts of the state's civil, military, industrial and professional interests, and personal sketches of many of its people. Vol. I, Part 109

Author: Publication date: 1859 Publisher: Atlanta, Ga., The Southern historicl association Number of Pages: 1294

Author:
Publication date: 1859
Publisher: Atlanta, Ga., The Southern historicl association
Number of Pages: 1294