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 160

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 160

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R. HOUSAN JACKSON, planter and preacher, Franklin, Heard Co., Ga., son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Perkins) Jackson, was born at White Plains, Greene Co., Ga., in 1834. His paternal great-grandfather, Isaac Jackson, was a native of Ireland, came to Georgia soon after Gen. Oglethorpe planted the colony, served with distinction as a major in the patriot army during the revolutionary war under the immediate command of Washington. For meritorious service congress voted him a grant of 1,200 acres of land in Hancock county, Ga., on which he was buried when he died in 1790. Two children survived him, Henry, and Pollie (Jackson) Mapp. Henry-who was the grandfather of the subject of this sketch-was born in 1760, was a large and successful planter, and distinguished himself as a soldier in the last war with Great Britain. About 1780 he married Miss Sallie Mapp, and to them thirteen children were born. Mr. Jackson's father, Isaac, was one of these, and was born in 1785. He was raised on the plantation, educated at the schools at White Plains, and when he arrived at majority began life as a planter. About 1817 he married his wife-daughter of Jesse and Polly (Ingram) Perkins, old North Carolina families, of English and Welsh descent. They soon afterward moved to White Plains, where his wife died in 1840 and he five years later. Mr. Jackson was educated at Dawson institute, White Plains, where the brilliancy and versatility of his intellectual endowments gained for him honorable distinction. After finishing his education he began life as a planter, and planting has been the principal pursuit of his life. He read law about this time, but did not seek admittance to the bar as other important duties called him to other fields. In 1856 he moved to Heard county, which has since been his home, and where he has become and is generally recognized as a leading and one of the most pro- gressive and influential planters in the county. Two years later he was elected a justice of the inferior court and filled the office for ten consecutive years. In 1861 he was elected, without opposition, to represent Heard county in the general assembly, and was continued, by re-election, until 1865. In 1886 he was elected

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to represent his senatorial district in the same body, and in 1890 was called upon to again represent Heard county. During his several terms in the senate and house he was conspicuous for his great and earnest working capacity, and his able and influential support of various wise and economic bills which he was largely instrumental in having enacted into laws. His activity and tirelessness in behalf of the interests of his immediate constituents made him a marked character of each legislative body. In 1887 he organized the farmers' alliance in Georgia, and was made its first president. In this great and important work he demon- strated his extraordinary capacity as a leader and organizer. In six inonths, as the result of his activity and energy, the order had a membership of 80,000 in the state and began to wield a potent influence. In 1889 he was associated with the Atlanta "Journal" as a special correspondent. In 1852 Mr. Jackson united himself with the Baptist church at White Plains, under the preaching of that eminent divine, Rev. Prof. S. G. Hillyer. Ten years later-at the age of twenty-six -he was ordained a minister of the Baptist church, since which time he has been an active and ardent laborer in the vineyard of the Master. Few preachers have done more arduous and continuous work, notwithstanding the hard and valuable work he has done in other fields. At one time he supplied four pulpits while superintending the cultivation of four farms; and for fifteen years has been mod- erator of the Western Baptist association. Mr. Jackson was married in 1857 to Miss Marie, daughter of Hugh and Elizabeth (Brown) Hall, a union which has been blessed with eight children: Phemonia, Elizabeth, Isaac, P. H. Mell, Anna Z., Henrietta, Sabe, and Ruby. He is an enthusiastic and highly esteemed member of the masonic fraternity. In his ministerial and other public work he has been extraordinarily active and influential for good; in private he is courteous and affable, representing the open-handed hospitality of the old-time southern gentleman; added to which are the charms of the literary attainments of great natural intellectuality.

JOHN H. LANE, farmer, Franklin, Heard Co., Ga., son of Collingsworth and

Elizabeth (Dunlap) Lane, was born in Heard county in 1844. His paternal grandfather, Henry Lane, was a prominent Methodist preacher, who came to Georgia the latter part of the last century, and settled in what is now Coweta, and from there to what is now Heard county, and finally went to Alabama. Mr. Lane's father was born in what is now Coweta county in 1819, was reared a farmer, and was given such education as could be obtained at the country schools of the locality and time. He served as a volunteer soldier in the Seminole war, after which he returned to the farm, where he spent the remainder of his life, which ended in 1874. His mother was born in 1822, and was the daughter of David Dunlap, a native of South Carolina who came to Georgia in the first quarter of the present century. Mr. Lane was reared on the farm, and was educated at the common schools of the county. In 1862 he enlisted in Company K, Capt. Spearman, Fiftieth Georgia regiment. He was in many important battles: Baker's Creek, siege of Vicksburg -where he was captured, but soon exchanged and sent to the front-at Mission- ary Ridge, the defense of Atlanta, Nashville, etc. While defending Atlanta he was wounded by a spent ball, but not seriously, and remained on duty until the surren- der. Resuming his farming as soon as the war was over, he has industriously pursued it since, with results meeting his most sanguine expectations. Upright and honorable, thrifty and prosperous, he has the confidence and esteem of all who know him. Mr. Lane was married in 1874 to Miss Piety, daughter of John and Dovie (Plaster) Daniel, by whom he has had seven children, of whom four are living: Mrs. Lizzie Hubbard, Dovie, Mary E. and Brewer. For more than a quarter of a century he has been an active member of the Methodist church.

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MEMOIRS OF GEORGIA.

MRS. MARY F. LUMPKIN, farmer and hotel-keeper, Franklin, Heard Co., Ga., widow of the late Frank C. Lumpkin, and daughter of James A. and Martha (Crosby) Hendrick, was born in Heard county, Jan. 5, 1852. She had good educa- tional advantages, having attended the schools at Franklin and the college at Newnan, Coweta Co., Ga. She was married Jan. 29, 1868, to Frank C. Lumpkin, son of Richard and Frances (Crosby) Lumpkin, who was born in Chambers county, Ala, in 1843. He was reared on the farm and educated at the common schools of the county. In 1861, aged eighteen, he enlisted in Company G, Thirty-seventh Alabama regiment, and remained with the army throughout the war without a furlough. During his service he participated in some of the most hotly contested and bloodiest battles of the war, and passed through some of the most trying campaigns. At the siege of Vicksburg he was captured but soon exchanged. After the surrender he came to Heard county and engaged in farm- ing, and followed it many years with remarkable success. In 1891 he moved to Franklin and embarked in the hotel business, in which he prospered. On Feb. 23, 1894, he was murdered in cold blood without any known cause. To this union four children were born, three living: Minnie, wife of a Mr. Shackelford; John C., and Lillian Renoe. Since the death of her husband Mrs. Lumpkin, with the assistance of her son, has successfully conducted the hotel and the large farm. Her excellent management has made her hostelry one of the most popular in that part of the state.

W ILLIAM H. MELSON, farmer, Franklin, Heard Co., Ga., son of Abelton and Penelope (Sims) Melson, was born in Coweta county, Ga., in 1829. His paternal grandparents, Daniel and Mary (Grace) Melson, migrated from Mary- land to Georgia, coming all the way in ox-carts, the latter part of the last century, and settled in Hancock county. He served with some distinction as a soldier in the patriot army during the revolutionary war. Mr. Melson's father was born in Hancock county in 1801, reared a farmer and given the education obtainable in the rural districts at that time. In 1828 he moved to what is now Heard county, and when the new county was organized in 1830 assisted in the work of organization. He was a volunteer soldier in the Seminole war, after which he devoted all his time and attention to his farming interests. . He died in 1872. Mr. Melson grew to manhood on the farm, and obtained his education at the historic old log school house, where so many of Georgia's distinguished men acquired the rudiments of an English education. Reaching manhood he began the life of a farmer, which has been his life pursuit, in which he has abundantly prospered. In 1862 he enlisted in Company E, Capt. J. D. Sims, which was assigned to the command of Gen. John H. Morgan. After his discharge in 1863 he enlisted in the s'ate service and served two terms of six months each. At the close of the war he returned to his farm a few miles east of Franklin, and has since been satisfied with the quiet enjoyments of farm life and a comfortable home. In 1870 he was elected justice of the peace, and held the office by successive re-elections for more than twenty years. Mr. Melson was married in 1853 to Miss Martha, daughter of Thomas and Nancy (Maine) Holland, and to them four children have been born: Louisa, Mrs. Pendergress; Nancy, Mrs. Ware; Carrie, and John Holland.

JOHN I. MILLER, merchant-capitalist, Corinth, Heard Co., Ga., son of Joseph T. and Mary T. (Moreland) Miller, was born in Heard county, Ga., in 1852. His paternal grandfather, John Miller, was a native of Ireland, emigrated to this country just before the beginning of this century, and settled in Jones county, Ga. Mr. Miller's father was born in Jones county in 1814, where he was reared on the farm and educated at the common schools of the country. In 1837 he moved to

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Heard county, transporting all his household goods on a wagon, behind which his farm stock was driven. He bought land in the virgin forest, cleared a farm and cultivated it with exceptional success until 1860, when he died. Mr. Miller's mother was a daughter of Isaac and Penelope (Ousley) Moreland, a prominent family of Jones county, and died in 1864. Mr. Miller, it will be observed, had the misfortune to lose his father when only eight years old and his mother when twelve years old. After the death of his mother he went to live with his aunt, Mrs. Annie Johnson, in Jasper county, where he remained two years. While on the home farm he attended school at Corinth, and while with his aunt he attended school at Holly Springs, Jasper county, walking four miles. Since reaching man- hood planting has been his chief business, and he owns and manages a very large plantation which includes some of the most productive land in Heard county, cultivated by improved implements and by improved methods. In addition to his extensive planting interests he has engaged in merchandising, milling, general trading and cotton brokerage, all of which he conducted with unflagging energy and consummate skill. In all his transactions he has displayed remarkable business sagacity and financial ability, and made a complete success of the many and varied enterprises he has undertaken. He is one of the solid, substantial citizens of the county and of unquestioned integrity. His interesting family occupy one of the most delightful homes in Corinth. Socially and financially he ranks among the foremost of Heard county's citizens. Mr. Miller was married in1 1870 to Miss Ambrosia, daughter of Henry and Mary Pitman, who bore him two children, and died May 2, 1872. One of the children died, but the other, Norman C., is living. The ensuing year he contracted a second marriage with Miss Sallie F., daughter of Christopher and Nancy (Fleming) Brown, by whom he has had nine children: Nancy F., Mary E., Fannie R., Annie P., John I., Jr., Ida E., Harvey A., Mattie M. and Thomas I. He has been an ardent and active member of the Methodist church since he was seventeen years old.

WESLEY SPEARMAN, farmer, Corinth, Heard Co., Ga., son of Edmond and Martha (Cook) Spearman, was born in Heard county in 1833, and died at his home near the place of his birth July 4, 1895. His paternal grandfather, John Spearman, was a native of Maryland, whence he migrated in the latter part of the last century to South Carolina. Not many years afterward he moved to Georgia and settled in Wilkes county, and thence to Jasper county, where he died. Mr. Spearman's father was born in Wilkes county in 1806, worked on the farm, and was educated at the country schools in Wilkes and Jasper counties. In 1830, with his three brothers, he came to Heard county, bought land and cleared a farm in the woods. The next year he married his wife, who was a daughter of John and Mary (Heard) Cook. Mr. Spearman grew to manhood on the farm, and was educated at the schools common to the locality and period. In 1861 he enlisted in Company D, Fourth Georgia regiment, and served until the surrender of Atlanta. When the war closed he found himself impoverished by the destruction of his property : but he set to work to retrieve his losses and rehabilitate himself, in which he was eminently successful. At his death he left a large and well improved farm in the best portion of Heard county, and an excellent home in Corinth, where in his last years he enjoyed all the comforts of life that could be desired, and the good will and esteem of his fellow-citizens. In 1861 he was elected justice of the peace and held the office uninterruptedly for twenty-nine years. In 1880 he was elected to represent Heard county in the general assembly. and he was a member of the county board of education for many years. In all the public positions he held, the discharge of their duties was characterized by promptness, fidelity and con-

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scientious regard for the public good. Mr. Spearman married Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Christopher and Frances (Fannin) Brown, by whom he had two children: Edmond C., and Ruth, wife of Dr. J. B. Sanders. Mr. Spearman was a devoted and exemplary member of the Methodist church for half a century.

HUMPHREY A. TOMPKINS, farmer, Franklin, Heard Co., son of Nicholas and Lucinda T. (Springer) Tompkins, was born in Heard county March 9, 1851. His paternal grandfather, Giles Tompkins, was a soldier in the patriot army during the revolutionary war, and migrated from Virginia to Georgia, and settled in Oglethorpe county the latter part of the last century. Mr. Tompkins' father was born in Oglethorpe county in 1798, received such education as could be obtained at the country schools of the locality at the time, and when grown, entered upon farming as a life pursuit. Later, he moved to Putnam county, Ga., and thence to Troup county about 1830, and settled on land now within the bounds of Heard county. He served during the Seminole war, holding a commission as major. He also served as a soldier in the war with Mexico. At the close of that war he returned to his farm. Such were his skill as a planter and his business sagacity and management that he became the owner of 175 slaves and the largest land-owner in Heard county. He died Aug. 12, 1860. He was married twice; his second wife being the mother of the subject of this sketch. She was a daughter of William G. and Mary (Baxter) Springer. Mr. Springer was for many years an Indian agent. By this marriage he had five children: William G., John T., Humphrey A., Benjamin Hill, and Eliza Baxter. Mr. Tompkins was raised on the family plantation, and received as good an education as was obtainable, con- sidering the locality, and the fact that his boyhood was passed during "war times." When only fourteen years old he assumed control of his father's extensive plantation, which had suffered immensely from the ravages of war, and entered upon the management of the property. With wonderfully good judgment, a perseverance and a spirit of determination, that quailed not at any obstacle, he succeeded in preserving intact and rehabilitating the large and valuable estate, which to-day stands as a monument to his unwearying industry and tireless energy. Notwithstanding the apparently stern and inflexible will needed to accomplish such results, he is one of the most genial and whole-souled gentlemen to be found in any community. In 1890 he was elected treasurer over an opponent, who had held the office fourteen years, and was regarded as invincible, which speaks volumes for the estimation in which he is held, and the good will entertained toward him by his fellow-citizens. Mr. Tompkins was happily married in 1882 to Miss Viola L., daughter of Matthew and Lousiana (Yates) Monk-a union which has been blessed with four children: John S., Effie Lou, Eliza Baxter, and Florence C. He is an ardent member of the masonic fraternity, and a prominent and influential member of the Methodist church.

BENJAMIN HILL TOMPKINS, planter, Franklin, Heard Co., Ga., son of Nicholas and Lucinda T. (Springer) Tompkins, was born on the plantation on which he now lives, in 1860. (For sketch of his parents, see that of his brother, Humphrey A. Tompkins, elsewhere in this work.) Mr. Tompkins was left father- less when an infant, was raised on the family homestead, and educated at the common schools of the county. His surroundings compelled him, while very young, to assume the duties and responsibilities of mature manhood. But follow- ing the example, and inspired by the spirit and courage of his brother Humphrey, he set manfully to work to solve the great problem of life and success. He, like his brother, determined to know no such word as fail-and like him, he has worked out a splendid success. He owns several thousand acres of fine land, including the original family homestead, improved by his father more than sixty years ago-of

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HEARD COUNTY SKETCHES.

which lie is justly proud-and is otherwise supplied with an abundance of the good things of this life-and is, therefore, happily situated. Mr. Tompkins was married Sept. 1, 1880, to Miss Montie, daughter of Joseph and Mary (Pendergrass) Holliday. To them the following children have been born: Nicholas, Joseph B., John, Berd Berry, Mary Baxter, and Levi Ridley.

JAMES B. WARE, farmer, Corinth, Heard Co., Ga., son of John M. and Lucy (Sturdivant) Ware, was born on the plantation on which he now lives in Heard county (then just organized) in 1830. His paternal grandfather, Henry Ware, was born in Maryland in 1756-his parents having been among the early English settlers of that state. He was a soldier in the patriot army during the revolutionary war, at the close of which, Dec. 14, 1783, he married Miss Winnie Mims, and soon afterward migrated to South Carolina, where he died Nov. 21, 1807. His widow died Sept. 14, 1812. Mr. Ware's father was born in Edgefield district, S. C., in 1788, grew to manhood on the farm, and was educated at the near-by country schools. While yet a young man he migrated -to Georgia, and began farming in Lincoln county. In 1827 he moved to Pike, and the next year to Troup, and later to Coweta county, Ga., where he died Aug. 18, 1838. May II, 18II, he married his wife, who was an orphan girl living with her uncle, Lockhart, of Lincoln county. She died Oct. 22, 1869. Mr. Ware was raised a farmer on the plantation, and received his primary education at a little log school- house, still standing, a few miles from the old homestead. He began life on the plantation of his father, and has prospered in his labors. His natural capacity and superior abilities as a man of affairs being quickly recognized by his fellow-citizens, he was elected a justice of the peace in 1852, and held the office seven years. In 1859 he was elected to represent Heard county in the general assembly. In 1874 he was again elected, and on each occasion represented his constituency with fidelity, and usefully. He was also elected a justice of the inferior court, and rendered efficient service to the county in that capacity for eleven years. In 1887 he organized the Corinth Agricultural Club and Fair association, of which he was then elected, and has continued to be, president, in which capacity he has done quite as much, if not more, than any other citizen to improve and advance the agricultural interests of the county. In 1863 he raised a company of seventy men -of which he was elected captain-which becanie Company G, of Col. Wilcoxon's regiment of state troops. In 1864 he enlisted in the Confederate service, in which he continued, rendering valuable service until the surrender. During the "unpleasantness" he gave up his business and devoted money, time and labor to caring for the families of the soldiers, a noble service on his part which they have never forgotten, and for which they have ever been ready to express their grati- tude. It was the soldiers in the field, who, though in Virginia, were allowed to vote, first elected him justice of the inferior court. He has been much before the public and much in public life, and has always been found working for the best interests of the people. As a planter, he has been eminently successful, and a sort of leader by general consent. His well-arranged and well-cultivated fields bear ample testimony to his intelligent supervision and skill. He is progressive or nothing, and exercises a wholesome influence among his farmer-friends. Mr. Ware was married Oct. II, 1849, to Miss Sarah M., daughter of John and Comfort (Grace) Sims. Of the children, which blessed this union, the following are living: Mrs. Alberta V. Orr, A. E., Mrs. Addie G. Snow, John F., Alonzo C., Alfred Z., Henry H., Robert H., and Minnie. He is an ardent and active member of the masonic fraternity, of forty years' standing, and has been a member of the Baptist church since 1851, of which he has been a deacon since 1860, and treasurer of the Western Baptist association for the past seventeen years.

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MEMOIRS OF GEORGIA.

HENRY COUNTY.

HENRY J. COPELAND. This is the name of one of the oldest and most respected of southern families. The family is of English origin, the great- grandfather of the younger generation having come from England and settled in South Carolina. W. M. Copeland, now residing in McDonough, Henry Co., Ga., was born Feb. 18, 1823, in Laurens district, S. C., and is the son of William and Nancy (Bryan) Copeland. The Bryans were of Irish descent, and were also from South Carolina, where the grandparents lived during the revolutionary war. William and Nancy Copeland, with a small family, came to Henry county, Ga., in 1826, where they settled about seven miles east of McDonough, one of his sons now residing on the plantation. They passed their days in Henry county, both living to a good old age, the father being eighty-nine and the mother eighty years of age at the time of their death. Although not possessed of great wealth, they made a very comfortable living, and had plenty of the good things of life. In politics Mr. Copeland was a whig, and a Baptist in religious belief. W. M. Copeland has passed his life in Henry county as a farmer. During the war he was one of Joe Brown's "pets," and served faithfully at the siege of Atlanta, and also at Savannah. Jan. 20, 1848, Mr. Copeland was married to Miss Mary A., daughter of William and Mary Green, the Green family also being one of the early ones of Henry county. To this marriage were born three children: Henry J., merchant, McDonough; Mary J., Mrs. J. T. Fields, Henry county; and W. G., at home. Henry J. was born March 18, 1849. His first business venture was made at Conyers in 1870. This lasted about a year. From that time until 1880, he clerked and farmed alternately. In that year he went into the mercantile business for himself at Hampton. On the building of the E. T., Va. & Ga. railroad through McDonough, he removed his stock to the latter place, where he has since con- tinued to do a successful and thriving business. He carries an average stock of $6,000, and does a safe and constantly increasing business, which, together with his ginnery and farm, gives him little time for leisure. He married in Rockdale county, Jan. 16, 1873, to Miss Emma V., daughter of John E. and Mary Reagan, and is the father of seven interesting children: Edward M., Arthur G., Henry W., Zachary W., Lila M., Annie Lou and Frank M. Like other former Copelands, he is a Baptist in faith, and a democrat in politics.

WILLIAM N. NELSON, ordinary of Henry county, McDonough, Ga., is the son of Perry and Martha (McGough) Nelson, and was born in Greene county, Ga., Aug. 17, 1822. His grandfather, Taylor Nelson, who was of Welsh descent, lived in Maryland, and was a private in the revolutionary war. Soon after the close of the war he moved to Hancock county, Ga., where he lived for a period of years, and from thence to Morgan county, where he died at an advanced age. The father, Perry Nelson, was born in Hancock county in 1792, and was married in Greene county in 1821, to Miss Martha McGough, whose family were South Carolinians. Of Irish descent, her father, John McGough, immigrated to- gether with his father, mother, brothers and sisters, from Ireland to America and settled in South Carolina, Abbeville district, when he (John) was only ten years old. A large family of Carsons came over to America in the same ship. John McGough married Miss Elizabeth Carson, the grandmother of Mr. William N. Nelson. To their marriage were born three sons and three daughters: Willian

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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 160

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