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 140

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 140

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

PAUL B. TRAMMELL, collector internal revenue, Atlanta, Ga., was born in Catoosa county, Ga., April 3, 1859. When the civil war began he was taken to White county, Ga., where he remained until after the surrender, when he came to Gordon county, where he lived two years and went thence to Whitfield, where he attended school and prepared for college. He hen entered the university of Georgia, from which he graduated with the degree of A. B., in 1878. Coming to Atlanta he clerked in a dry-goods store one year, and then entered the employ of S. M. Inman & Co., the great cotton dealers, with whom he remained three years. Returning to Whitfield county he engaged in farming, and bought an interest in a cotton compress plant at Dalton, which he still retains. In 1888 he was

947

FULTON COUNTY SKETCHES.

elected to represent the forty-third senatorial district in the general assembly, and was placed on the committees on finance, railroads and corporations. So satis- factory were his faithful services as senator, that he was elected in 1890, and re-elected in 1892, to represent Whitfield county in the general assembly. In the house he served on the committees on railroads, agriculture and military affairs. In the sessions of 1890-91 he was chosen speaker pro tem. of the house. In these several positions of honor and responsibility he exhibited fine business qualifica- tions, political sagacity, and legislative capacity. Mr. Trammell was married Dec. 12, 1883, to Miss Fannie, daughter of Dr. J. R. McAfee, Dalton, Ga., by whom he has had three children, one daughter, Ruth, who died at three years of age, and two sons: Paul B., Jr., and McAfee. Mr. Trammell is a Knight of Pythias, a royal arch Mason, and a prominent member of the Methodist church.

JOHN L. TYE .- A young lawyer of marked prominence and ability, who has rapidly come to the front at the Georgia bar, and who bids fair to become one of the most useful members of the profession, is Mr. John L. Tye. John Lewis Tye, the subject of this sketch, was born at McDonough, Ga., in Henry county, in March, 1859. He received his elementary instruction from the schools at McDonough, making rapid progress in his books and giving promise of unusual excellence in his acquirements as a pupil. At the age of thirteen he entered a preparatory school at Kirkwood, Ga., near Atlanta, and was soon equipped for entering the state university at Athens. Graduating from this institution in 1876, having for his classmates such men as Andrew J. Cobb, Thomas R. Gibson, Prof. L. M. Landrum, H. P. Moore, Prof. B. M. Hall and George D. Thomas, he immediately entered the Columbia law school at Washington, D. C., and received his diploma from that institution in 1879. As a debater the young law student was always ready to lock horns in argument with any one who might come along, and was the peer of the brightest minds, both at the law school in Washington and at the state university. Coming to Atlanta in 1879 Mr. Tye was admitted to the bar directly and also to the supreme court of Georgia. He found a good clientage awaiting him and his efforts were remunerative from the start. He allowed no side issues of any kind to withdraw his mind from the work of his profession, but with ambitious zeal and a steadfast purpose he applied himself to the mastery of legal principles and to the faithful and conscientious service of his clients. In this respect he has proven himself worthy of the confidence reposed in him by influ- ential clients, and has further demonstrated his ability to manage any case that requires legal skill and ability. In his ready grasp of the legal merits of all cases brought to him Mr. Tye has no superior among the younger members of the Atlanta bar. In 1884, as an evidence of the popularity acquired by the subject of this sketch, shortly after coming to Atlanta, and also as a compliment to his loyalty as a young democrat, Mr. Tye was made a presidential elector during that year to cast the vote of this state for Grover Cleveland. As a democrat Mr. Tye has always been steadfast in his devotion to the principles and traditions of the party, and in spite of the vicissitudes and defeats has steadily remained loyal to the party organization. Mr. Tye formed a legal partnership with Mr. J. Carroll Payne, in 1890, and since that time they have been associated together in the practice of the law. As general counsel for the Western & Atlantic railroad com- pany and several banks and corporations, his firm has, perhaps, the largest cor- poration business of any law firm in Atlanta. In nearly all the important railroad litigation of the last few years they have taken an active part and have made a brilliant reputation at the bar by the shrewd and successful management of the cases before the court and the jury. Noteworthy among their railroad cases was

948

MEMOIRS OF GEORGIA.

their success in retaining jurisdiction by the state court, in administrating the Atlanta & Florida railroad company, where the United States had acquired pos- session of the railroad for which they were allowed by the court a fee of $25,000. Mr. Tye was united in marriage to Miss Carrie Wilson, the daughter of Mr. B. J. Wilson of Atlanta, in 1883. He has four children, three sons and one daughter, and his home life is a picturesque and happy one. Fond of his home fireside he spends much of his time in the indulgence of his taste for those diversions that. make an ideal household. Mr. Tye has never sought political preferment of any kind. He has confined his aspirations to the practice of the law and has never permitted his ambition to go beyond that boundary. Endowed by nature with rare- social, as well as brilliant mental gifts, Mr. Tve is one of the most popular mem- bers of the Atlanta bar, and his friends are legion. A thoughtful reader and a. close observer, he is always posted on the topics of the day and is familiar with the current literature of the times as well as with the standard authors. In conversation he is bright, fluent and captivating, and his manner, both in the courtroom and the parlor, is that of the cultured gentleman who claims the respect and confidence of all by virtue of his inherent nobility. Mr. Tye is still in the prime of his young manhood and has a future of brilliant promise before him at the bar. A high sense of honor has always marked him in his relations to the professional and business world, and his record as a lawyer and as a man is- alike above criticism and defies reproach. In speaking of Mr. Tye, Judge Tanner, the clerk of the superior court of Fulton county, recently said of him: "He is one of the ablest young lawyers at the bar," and to this Judge Van Epps has added the opinion that no young lawyer who has ever appeared in the city court is better equipped for the practice of his profession.

JUDGE HOWARD VAN EPPS. One of the most distinguished members of the Georgia bar who has worn the judicial ermine of the city court of Atlanta for nearly ten years, and whose contributions to the literature of the profession have given him a high prestige, not only in Georgia, but throughout the south, is Judge Howard Van Epps. Dignified in his demeanor on the bench, just in all his decisions, recognizing neither friend nor foe in the discharge of his official . duties, Judge Van Epps has displayed the qualities of an able, upright and con- scientious judge, and no one has ever dared to impute to him a motive that ques- tioned his reputation as a man or brought reproach upon his judicial ermine. The ancestors of Judge Van Epps, as the name implies, lived in Holland. Dis- tinguished by the same traits that have characterized its members in this country the family was recognized as one of the oldest and best of that name. The first member of the household to emigrate from his fatherland was the great-grand- father of the subject of this sketch. He came to this country during his early youth and settled in the state of New York. The Van Epps in Holland followed the ancient pursuit of farming and were all sober, industrious and thrifty. The grandfather of Judge Van Epps was a native of the Mohawk valley. He was a private soldier in the American revolution and valiantly espoused the cause of American liberty. He reared a large family of twelve children, all of whom settled around him in the Mohawk valley. Among this number was Amos C. Van Epps, the father of the subject of this sketch. He was born in Schenectady, N. Y., in 1824, but in early manhood migrated south and located in the state of Alabama. He was married in 1845 to Miss Caroline L. Howard, daughter of Gen. Nicholas Howard, of Columbus, Ga. Subsequently, in 1848, he moved to Chattanooga, Tenn., but afterward refugeed to Georgia during the bombardment of that city. After the war he located in Atlanta and entered the merchandise business. He

949

FULTON COUNTY SKETCHES.

retired, however, from active business in 1887 and settled on his farm in De Kalb county, where he died in 1890. Mr. Van Epps was married a second time in 1867 to Miss Julia Cooper, of La Grange, Ga., his first wife having died in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Dec. 21, 1860, the anniversary of her son Howard's birth. By his first wife Mr. Van Epps had five children, three of whom were living at the close of the war: George C., who served as a private for three years in the Nineteenth Ten- nessee infantry, died in 1872; Howard, the subject of this sketch; and Ida, the wife of Dr. George A. Wilcox of Augusta, are still living. Two children died in infancy. By his second wife he had three children: Claude, Lily, and Amos C. Van Epps, who live with their mother in De Kalb county. Mr. Howard Van Epps, the subject of this sketch, was born in Eufaula, Ala., on Dec. 21, 1847. In early infancy, however, he moved with his parents to Chattanooga, Tenn., where he lived until his sixteenth year, attending the schools of that city and receiving a good primary education. In the spring of 1864, though still a mere lad, he enlisted as a private in Company A of the Nineteenth Tennessee infantry, Strahl's brigade, Cheatham's division, Hardee's corps. He served as a private in the ranks of the Confederate army until early in 1865, when he was severely wounded at Egypt station, Miss., while on detached service, remaining in the hospital at Lauderdale springs, Miss., for two months suffering with gangrene. He obtained a furlough to return home and, at the close of the war, his wounds were still unhealed. The young soldier figured in the battles around Atlanta, including the bloody engage- ment of July 22, the battle of Jonesboro, after the evacuation of Atlanta, and the engagement at Egypt station, Miss., at which place he received his wound. After the war he located in Atlanta, his father having preceded him to that city. In the spring of 1866 young Howard entered the freshman class at the state university, graduating from that institution in 1869 with the second honors. Among his class- mates were Judge A. Pratt Adams of Savannah, Samuel Barnett, Charles A. Col- lier, and Judge W. R. Hammond of Atlanta, Judge William H. Fish of Americus, Emory Speer of Macon, and Benjamin H. Hill of Atlanta. The class was one of the largest and brightest that ever attended the university. After taking a law course in 1870, he located in Atlanta and entered upon the practice of his profession. Two years later, in 1872, he was appointed by Gov. James M. Smith, solicitor of the city court of Atlanta, and served in that capacity for four years. Prior to that time he served for two years as ex-officio solicitor under the appointment of Judge Robert J. Cowart. In 1880 the subject of this sketch formed a partnership with Patrick Calhoun, Esq., under the firm name of Van Epps & Calhoun. Mr. A. C. King was subsequently admitted into the firm in 1882, which was then changed to Van Epps, Calhoun & King. In 1885 Mr. Van Epps retired, forming a partner- ship with ex-Chief Justice O. A. Lochrane. This legal association, however, was dissolved in November of that year by the appointment of Mr. Van Epps as judge of the city court of Atlanta by Gov. Henry D. McDaniel. His ability as a judicial officer was so pronounced and his services on the bench of the city court so con- spicuous for their fairness, purity and justice, that he was subsequently reap- pointed by Govs. John B. Gordon and William J. Northen. Judge Van Epps' present term of office expires on Jan. 19, 1896. He has frequently intimated his intention of resigning, but his friends and associates at the bar have persuaded him to remain on the bench, for which position he is so well qualified by reason of his shining talents, no less than by his unimpeachable integrity. Soon after going upon the bench Judge Van Epps began, at odd hours, to work upon an Analytical Index and Digest of the Supreme Court Reports of Georgia, from vol- ume 62 to volume 81 inclusive. He finished this undertaking in October, 1890, and the splendid result of his labors has received the highest indorsement of the

950

MEMOIRS OF GEORGIA.

Georgia bar. He is now engaged in association with Judge John W. Akin, Car- tersville, Ga., in the preparation of a more extended work-a digest of the Supreme Court Reports from volumé I to volume 100, the appearance of which book is eagerly awaited by the bar. As judge of the city court of Atlanta, Judge Van Epps has presided in the hearing of nearly all the heavy damage suits against corpora- tions during the last nine years. The work of the city court became so burdensome in 1891 that a provision was made by the general assembly of Georgia for the division, taking away the criminal jurisdiction of the city court of Atlanta, and vesting it in a new court, known as the criminal court of Atlanta. When not engaged in the hearing of criminal cases the judge of this court sits as associate judge of the city court of Atlanta. During his tenure of office Judge Van Epps has decided quite a large number of legal questions, all of them demonstrating his marked judicial ability. Judge Van Epps is a member of the Independent Order of Red Men, and is a vice-president of the American Bible society of New York. He is also a vice-president of the American Sunday School union of Philadelphia. Intensely religious in his nature, he is an active worker in the Central Presbyterian church, of which he is a member, and teaches the young ladies' Bible class, which is one of the largest in the city. Judge Van Epps was united in marriage on Feb. 12, 1873, to Miss Minnie C. Thomas, daughter of Mr. Stevens Thomas, of Atlanta, Ga. By this marriage several children were born to them, only two of whom are living: Minnie and George D. Few men possessing the talents of Judge Van Epps have devoted them so unselfishly to the welfare of their fellow men. He has never thought of accumulating money; and his highest ambition has been to honor the profession of the law and make himself useful, at least in a measure, to the cause of God and humanity.

DR. EMILE VAN GOIDTSNOVEN was born in Belgium Nov. 2, 1839, where he resided until his twenty-first year and attended the schools in that country. In 1858 he entered the university of Lourain for the purpose of taking a medical course in that celebrated institution, but before finishing his studies he came to the United States with Hon. L. de Give, the Belgian consul, as chancellor, and located in Atlanta, where he engaged in mercantile business and in which he continued for about twenty years. He then attended the Southern Medical college, front which he was graduated in 1883, established an office in the city, and has since practiced his profession with eminent success. Dr. Van Goidtsnoven is a mem- ber of the State Medical society and of the Atlanta Society of Medicine, of the latter of which he has been treasurer. He also had the chair of diseases of children and was treasurer of the Atlanta polyclinic. He was first married in 1868 to Kate, daughter of Thomas Kelly, of Fairburn, Ga. His first wife having died without issue, in 1888 he was married to Jessie A. Phillips, of Brooklyn, N. Y. They have two children, William L. E. and Marie Roberta. Dr. Goidtsnoven is city phy- sician of the second ward of Atlanta, examining physician for branch No. 20, Catholic Knights of America, and is surgeon for the Atlanta division of the East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia (now Southern) Railroad company. He is still connected with the Belgian consulate as chancellor. The father of Dr. Van Goidtsnoven was Adolphus Joseph Goidtsnoven, a native of Belgium, where he lived and died. Dr. Van Goidtsnoven is a devout member of the Roman Catholic church and a highly esteemed gentleman.

COL. A. J. WEST is widely known throughout Georgia for valuable public services and as one of Atlanta's most successful business men. His grand- father, Andrew West, was one of the first settlers in Monroe county, Ga. His

FRANKLIN@ LIVE.FR.

T. P. WESTMORELAND.

95I

FULTON COUNTY SKETCHES.

father, James F. West, was murdered in Vera Cruz, Mexico. His mother, Anne Elizabeth, was the daughter of Capt. Henry Butts, a member of one of the best known and most highly esteemed families in Georgia. By the death of his father in early life Col. West was thrown upon his own resources and began in his boyhood to take care of himself. At the age of seventeen he joined the Troup light guards, which became Company E, Forty-first Georgia regiment, Col. Jack Cartwright commanding, and shared in the battles of the army of the Tennessee to the final surrender at Greensborough in May, 1865, and actively participated in the chief battles, such as Vicksburg, Shiloh, Tupelo, Perryville, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Atlanta, Franklin, Nashville, and indeed in active service until the close of the war. He was several times mentioned for gallantry in battle and was pro- moted twice by special distinction. In the famous charge of Bragg's army at Perryville West is named as the first man to reach the enemy's battery. He was severely wounded in one of these battles and left on the field as a dying soldier and attributes his recovery to the kindness of a Kentucky girl, Miss Lizzie Ever- hart, now the wife of Dr. Amos Fox, Atlanta's efficient postmaster. When the army of Tennessee surrendered at Greensborough, N. C., West returned to Troup county on foot, ragged and shoeless, but bravely resolved on making the most of liis life. After a few months in school he moved to Atlanta, where he organized and worked up one of the largest wholesale grocery and commission houses in the south. The panic of 1873 prostrated this extensive business, bringing the loss of all he had made to the enterprising founder. Surrendering everything, he entered the real estate business, which, under his management, has grown to be one of the most extensive and reliable in the state. Realizing that the military spirit should be maintained in the south, Col. West organized the Fulton Blues, equipping the company at his own expense and commanding it for several years. Gen. Gordon, on his election to the office of governor, summoned him to his staff, and this honor was repeated by Gov. Northen, who appointed him quartermaster-general of Geor- gia. Gov. Atkinson renewed the appointment in that important office. Mr. West. with the rank of colonel, now serves the state. Through his energy and skill the state encampment of the military was instituted and Camp Northen, near Griffin, made efficient. Col. West is also adjutant-general of the Georgia division, United Confederate Veterans, director of the Cotton States and International association, and is associated with prominent citizens in many enterprises to advance the inter- ests of the state. Affable, energetic and prudent, he has won a high place in public esteem, which will grow with the coming years. He is a prominent and advanced member of the masonic fraternity, and an active and much valued mem- ber of the First Methodist church, Atlanta.

THOMAS P. WESTMORELAND. One of the most distinguished, upright. useful and respected citizens of Atlanta is Judge Thomas P. Westmoreland, the present judge of the criminal court of Atlanta. Judge Westmoreland was born in Greeneville county, S. C., on Aug. 5, 1843. His paternal ancestors were nearly all of English birth, the first of the number to emigrate to this country being Robert Westmoreland, a native of Westmoreland county, England. He came to Amer- ica with his two brothers, William and Thomas, in 1746, one settling in Virginia. one in North Carolina, and Robert, the great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, locating in South Carolina. He was subsequently united in marriage to Miss Lenoir, of North Carolina, a sister of Gen. Lenoir, one of the most distin- guished officers of the American revolution. His son, John Westmoreland, was born in South Carolina, and was a gallant soldier in the war of 1812. Mr. Westmoreland, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Greeneville, S.

952

MEMOIRS OF GEORGIA.

C., in 1808. He was a farmer by choice of occupation and devoted his life to that ancient and honorable calling. For several years he served as a magistrate in his native county, and was also a captain of the old state militia. Prior to the war he served with distinction as a member of the state senate of South Carolina, and was also a member of the "Wallace house" of 1876. His wife's maiden name was Miss Martha V. Crymes. She was a native of South Carolina and belonged to one of the oldest and best families of that state. Eight children, as follows, sprang from the union thus happily formed: William M. C., of Cuthbert, Ga., who served throughout the entire war; John L., who was also a gallant soldier in the Confederate army, now residing in Greeneville county, S. C .; Dr. Jesse M., who served throughout the war, first as assistant surgeon of the Sixteenth South Carolina regiment, and afterward in one of the hospitals at Staunton, Va .; Thomas P., the subject of this sketch, who was also in the Confederate service; Preston Calhoun, and George, both of Atlanta. It is the highest proof of the sturdy char- acteristics of this splendid family that all of its members have succeeded well in life and have exercised a good influence in their respective communities. Judge Westmoreland spent his boyhood days in Greeneville county, S. C. Here he received his primary training from the common schools, and as soon as he was far enough advanced in his books he entered the military institute at Columbia. In 1861 he matriculated as a student in Emory-Henry college, but in June of that year returned home for the purpose of enlisting in the Confederate army. He entered the service as a private in Hampton's legion, but subsequently became a member of the staff of Gen. W. H. Whiting, serving in that capacity for a year and a half. On account of ill-health he was placed on detached duty for a year, after which time he rejoined the army and served uner Gen. Johnston until the war closed. He commanded Gen. Johnston's escort, and was in the last battle of the war at Bentonville, N. C. The subject of this sketch was in the following battles: Seven Pines, seven days' fight around Richmond. At the battle of Gaines' Mills, Va., called by the Federals Cold Harbor, the young soldier was complimented for his gallantry on the field, and afterward a written commendation of his behavior was embodied in the report of Gen. Whiting. Immediately after the war the subject of this sketch entered Firman university, in Greeneville, S. C., subsequently com- mencing the study of law in the office of C. J. Elford, in Greeneville. In November, 1866, the young applicant was admitted to the practice of his chosen profession by the supreme court of that state. Though he did not engage immediately in the practice he remained in Greeneville until the summer of 1867, and then came to Atlanta. Here he devoted himself with studious zeal and unremitting fidelity to the labors of his profession, remaining in the active practice until 1891, when he was appointed judge of the criminal court of Atlanta for the trial of state offenses. Under this appointment he also serves as judge of the second division of the city court of Atlanta, with jurisdiction to try civil cases. In his capacity as a civil magistrate Judge Westmoreland has succeeded in breaking down the practice of gaming in Atlanta, and in restoring a condition of law and order in that community. He is absolutely without fear, and is upright and conscientious in all his judicial rulings. An abler or more faithful officer never devoted his talents to the public service than Judge Westmoreland. In civil, as well as in criminal matters, he has acquired a broad reputation, and his court is recognized as a tribunal before which justice can always be obtained .. Judge Westmoreland has always been a friend of tem- perance, and has directed his energies to a very great extent against the liquor traffic, finally succeeding in his loyal and patient adherence to this movement in forcing it into its present restricted limitations. Judge Westmoreland is a member of Trinity Methodist church, of Atlanta, and is also a steward and trustee of that

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

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 140

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