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 59

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 59

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).

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MEMOIRS OF GEORGIA.

William M., Camp county, Texas; Thomas J., Campbell county; Louisa, wife of James Nixon, Campbell county. The deceased children are: Jesse F., member of a Texas regiment during the war, and died of disease at Little Rock, Ark .; John, Fannie, Elizabeth, Moses N. and James B .. The father was a justice of the peace from his twenty-second year up to the day of his death, which occurred in 1856, the mother dying recently at the age of seventy-six years. He was a man well read in matters of law, a good planter, and one who took a lively interest in public affairs. He took an active part in the Indian war of 1836, being a lieutenant of a company, and was also colonel of a regiment of local militia for a period. Abner B. Smith was reared in Campbell county, the war being the first great event in his quiet life. When but eighteen years of age, in June, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company C, Nineteenth Georgia regiment. In 1863 he was made lieutenant of his company, in which capacity he served until he surrendered at Salem, North Carolina. He was mustered into service at Lynchburg, and was in the battles of Seven Pines and seven days' fight around Richmond, but was sick in the hospital during second Manassas. When he recovered he joined his command at Shepherdstown, Md., and was in the battles of Fredericksburg, the Wilderness, and was at Richmond when the enemy made a raid on that city, while Lee was at Gettysburg. He was also at the siege of Charleston, the battle of Ocean Pond, Fla .; Drury's Bluff and Cold Harbor; then in the trenches at Petersburg during the ivinter, where he took part in a large number of skirmishes of that eventful period. During Mr. Smith's service he participated in some of the most hotly contested battles of the war. In the fight at Ocean Pond, Fla., his brigade did most of the fighting. At one time they were stationed near where the famous mine explosion occurred. He was at the fall of Fort Fisher and at the battle of Kingston, his last fight being with Sherman in the last battle of the war-Benton- ville. Returning home from such exciting scenes, he settled down to the quiet life of a farmer, and has since followed that occupation. To the marriage of Mr. Smith to Miss Mary H., daughter of Willis Morgan, which occurred Feb. 8, 1866, nine children have been born: Albert Sydney, Bell county, Tex .; Jennie, wife of Dr. Camp, Fairburn; T. E., Atlanta; Mittie, deceased in infancy; Neva A., wife of John Carthron, Campbell county, Ga .; Gertrude E., Dora E., Rosa Lee, and Christmas Belle, all at home. Mr. Smith is a deacon of the Baptist church, having been a member many years before the war. He votes in conformity with the principles of the democratic party, and fraternally is a Mason.

FRANKLIN H. STEED, an influential citizen of Palmetto, Campbell Co., Ga., is the son of Sion P. and Pattie Steed, and was born in 1843, in Coweta county. He received a limited education and followed farming in the early part of his career. He, however, embarked later in the insurance business, and also in the handling of commercial fertilizers, and carried it on with a vigor and snap that soon placed him in easy circumstances. He is at present extensively engaged in farming and in the handling of live stock. When the war began Mr. Steed enlisted in a cavalry company, which served one year under Gen. Forrest, and during the latter part of the war with the famous Alabama general and present congressman, Joseph E. Wheeler. Mr. Steed was very light, physically, and had the distinction of weighing the least of any man in his regiment, being but ninety pounds in weight. Miss Pattie Perkins became Mrs. Steed in 1871. She was a daughter of John and Martha (Parks) Perkins, and became the mother of four children, as follows: Willie, died in childhood; Vedder and Calvin are young people, at home; Annie is deceased. Mr. Steed was one of a family of four brothers and sisters and six half- sisters. The father, who died Jan. 18, 1882, was in his time one of the most exten-

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sive planters of Coweta county. He was regarded by all as the best planter in the county, at one time receiving a silver pitcher in attestation of the fact. Five of his sons reached maturity. The eldest, T. N., went to Texas, where he died in 1887, leaving a wife and children and a large property; W. H. is a planter in Coweta county; J. G. was the literary member of the family; he graduated at Bowdoin college and expected to enter one of the professions; he went to the war under Col. McDaniel, was elected adjutant of his regiment, but sickened and died in 1862. J. W. is a merchant at Senoia, Ga .; and Franklin H. Mr. and Mrs. Steed are Methodists in religious belief, as, indeed, have been nearly all the Steeds for genera- tions. They occupy a generous place in the esteem of a large circle of friends and acquaintances, and merit the respect which is cheerfully accorded them.

CAPT. J. E. STEED, planter, Fairburn, Campbell Co., Ga. The great grand- father of this gentleman came from England to North Carolina before the revolutionary war. The grandfather, Clayton Steed, was a soldier in that great struggle, and lived and died in North Carolina. Capt. Steed's father was reared in Randolph county, N. C., and married in Gilbert county. After a few years he moved to Campbell county, Ga., settling on Cedar creek. This occurred in 1839. Later he moved to the central part of the county, where he lived to the time of his death, in 1874, and that of his wife, Jan. 2, 1893. To them were born a family of ten children: Elvira, deceased; John E., the subject of this sketch; Elizabeth C., wife of S. S. Langston, Campbell county; Colyer A., a member of Company C, Thirty-fifth Georgia regiment, killed on picket duty, the second day of the Get- tysburg fight; Martha M., wife of E. M. Yates, Carroll county; Stephen A., Douglas county; Mary E., wife of Henry N. Stipe, Carroll county; W. G., Camp- bell county; Annie E., wife of Thomas M. Orr, Nevada county, Ark .; Frances A., deceased. The father entered the ministry of the Methodist church at thirty years of age, and was a local preacher of that denomination until his death. He was a good farmer, an influential citizen, and a consistent Christian gentleman. Capt. J. E. Steed was born in Randolph county, N. C., July 25, 1838, but has spent the greater part of his life in Campbell county. In 1861 he enlisted in Company C, Thirty-fifth Georgia regiment, as a second sergeant. From Atlanta he went to the army of Virginia. His first battle was at Seven Pines. Sickness kept him away from the seven days' fight around Richmond, where the captain of his company, together with several other officers, was killed. Capt. Steed was soon made second lieutenant, after which he was in the fight at Cedar Run, the three days' fight at Second Manassas, then at Shepherdstown, where he was wounded. Then followed Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and the battle of the Wilderness, during which latter engagement he was wounded in the shoulder and right lung. The ball never having been extracted has caused much trouble since. As a consequence of his wound a furlough was given him, which lasted till September, when he again joined his company and remained with it till the surrender. To his marriage Dec. 20, 1867, to Miss Katie, daughter of John W. Beck, two sons have been born, Robert E. and Sion J., lads at home. The mother of these boys died Aug. 27, 1880. After two years, Jan. 19, 1882, the second marriage took place, Margaret Caldwell, of East Point, Ga., becoming his wife. She was born and reared in Fulton county, being the daughter of Joseph and Lois (Conolly) Caldwell. The following are the children by this marriage: Aline M., Joseph W., John G., and Annie K. Capt. Steed was county surveyor from 1873 to 1878. He is.a populist in politics. For thirty-seven years a member of the Methodist church, of which he is a trustee and steward, no man

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has been a better or more faithful captain for either the church or the state, or stands higher in the regard of neighbors and friends, than Capt. Steed.

L. M. WESTBROOK, an enterprising and successful merchant of Fairburn, Campbell Co., is a son of W. R. and Frances M. (Black) Westbrook, and was born in the county Feb. 1, 1859. He was given a common school education, and remained at home till he was of legal age, when in company with Mr. W. F. Lester and a brother, J. M. Westbrook, he began his business career at Fairburn. The firm of Westbrook, Lester & Co. changed to Westbrook & Co. after the first year, under which title it did business until 1887, when Mr. Westbrook bought the interest of his partner, and has since conducted the store alone. He carries a general stock of some $3,500, his yearly business amounting to about $10,000. Mr. Westbrook is a man of sterling business ability, and as such has been called upon to serve his town in the council hall quite frequently, having been a member of that body from 1888 to 1892. He was again elected in 1894, and is now a member of that body. He was happily married in the county Feb. 20, 1883, to Miss Annie, daughter of B. A. and Elizabeth Camp, a fine old family of Camp- bell county, and has four interesting children, Clifford E., Effie, Kate, and Joseph A. The family of which Mr. Westbrook is a member is of English descent, found in Virginia in early colonial days. They came subsequently to North Carolina, and in 1826 Moses, the grandfather of L. M., who had married Edna Gainey, brought his family to Fayette county, Ga., where both parents died in 1834 during an epidemic of bilious fever, which also carried away three other members of the family. W. R. Westbrook now lives near Fairburn, and has followed planting all his life. He is a veteran of the Indian war of 1836, and during the last war served under Gov. Joseph E. Brown. He has been a member of the Methodist church for over fifty years, and enjoys the respect of a large circle of friends in his old age. Mr. Westbrook and Frances M. Black were mar- ried Feb. 10, 1847, and are the parents of the following children: Aream, Mrs. James W. Edmonds, Titus county, Tex .; Edna, Mrs. Young H. Thornton, Camp- bell county, Ga .; Susan A., Mrs. H. H. Wood, Forsyth county; James M., deceased; Sarah F., Mrs. J. D. Smith, Campbell county; Samuel C., in Texas; Lycurgus M., merchant, Fairburn; Wm. J. W., Sipe Springs, Tex .; Cora J., Mrs. D. A. Carmichael, Campbell county; and Mary E., unmarried.

DR. WILLIAM S. ZELLERS, retired physician of Palmetto, Campbell Co., Ga., was born Feb. 7, 1831, in Newton county, Ga. The family is of German descent, though his parents, Sullivan and Emily Zellers, were born and reared in Lowndes county, Ga. The father was born in 1797, and died in 1863; the mother in 1801. Nine children were born of their marriage: John A., deceased; Simeon, merchant, Palmetto; William S., the subject of this sketch; Martha H., wife of H. Moss, Palmetto; Thomas E., merchant, Granitesville, Ga .; Mary N., deceased; Solomon T., deceased; Elizabeth R., wife of E. M. Woodley; and Peter C., who enlisted at sixteen in Company C, Nineteenth Georgia regiment, and was killed during the war. The parents of these children were pious and devout people, members of the Baptist church, and remembered for their great hospitality and generous charity. Dr. William S. Zellers received a common school education. He taught school several years, then attended what is now Vanderbilt university, Nashville, Tenn., for a period, and later took a course of lectures in the Atlanta Medical college, from which he graduated, and commenced the practice of his profession in Palmetto, where he has since resided, though not engaged continuously in the practice. Dr. Zellers has been a man of great service

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to his community and the state, having been honored with many positions of public trust. In 1872 he was appointed inspector of the port of Savannah, Ga., but resigned after a few months. He served in the state legislature in 1868-69, and again in 1880-81. His public service was marked by intelligent and con- scientious performance of the duties devolving upon him, and he retired with the encomiums of an appreciative constituency. Dr. Zellers was first married in 1858 to Miss Anne, daughter of Caborn and Ann Watts, of Campbell county. Her death occurred in 1863, having borne him two children: William A., educated at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, and the New York Polyclinic school as a physician, and died in September, 1890; and Kate, also deceased. The doctor's second marriage occurred in 1867, when he was joined to Miss Margaret K. Camp. This lady is a daughter of Col. Benjamin and Winifred Camp, both now deceased. Dr. and Mrs. Zellers have no children of their own, but have for years been accustomed to provide for the education of several in the public schools. They are useful and respected members of the community in which they reside, and hold the love of a host of friends.

CARROLL COUNTY.

7. T. ADAMS, farmer, Temple, Carroll Co., Ga., son of Absalom and Elizabeth (Reid) Adams, was born in Carroll county in 1845. His grandparents, Adams, were Virginians, and moved thence to Tennessee, whence they subsequently came to Carroll county, where they died. Mr. Adams' father came from Ten- nessee to Georgia and settled in Carroll county in 1829, where he cleared a farm. He was a soldier in the Indian war of 1838. His great-grandfather on his mother's side, Reid, was a soldier in the war of 1812, during which he was shot in the stomach, the ball passing through the body. A silk handkerchief was drawn through the orifice afterward and he recovered and lived many years. His maternal grandparents, Reid, were early settlers in this part of the state. Mr. Adams was reared on the farm and received a common country school education. Being too young to enter the Confederate service he enlisted, in 1863, in Company F (Capt. Long), Georgia regiment, state troops. Mr. Adams was married in 1864 to Miss Rebecca C. Coleman, daughter of W. A. and Sarah Ann (Barnes) Coleman, old settlers of this part of the state. When he was married he had nothing-was very poor. He has always been a plain farmer; has now a nice improved farm of nearly 200 acres with a comfortable house on it, within the corporate limits of Temple. Mr. and Mrs. Adams have had six children born to them: William M., born Nov. 14, 1865; Henry T., born Jan. 16, 1868, a teacher in Texas; David N., born July 11, 1869; Gilbert E., born Oct. 30, 1872; Z. T., born Nov. 22, 1876; and Bessie, born Feb. 10, 1884. Himself and wife are devoted and exemplary members of the Missionary Baptist church.

G.R. ADAMSON, merchant, Bowdon, Carroll .Co., Ga., son of John W. and Mary Ann (McDaniel) Adamson, was born in Henry county, Ga., in 1842. His paternal grandparents were William C. and Elizabeth (Crawley) Adamson. He was born in Wilkes county, Ga., and she was a native of Morgan, where they were married. Mr. Adamson's father was born in Morgan county in 1822, where

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he was reared and educated. About the time he reached his majority he went to Henry county, settled in the woods and cleared a farm. In 1852 he loaded his ox carts and moved to Carroll county, and again settled in the woods and cleared another farm. A few years after this he went over into Chambers county, Ala., settled in the woods and cleared a third farm. But he liked Georgia too well to be satisfied, so he returned to Carroll county, and for the fourth time settled in the woods and cleared a farm-the subject of this sketch helping him in all, particularly the last three. In 1860 he began the mercantile business in Bowdon, but the war coming on the business collapsed, and everything was lost. In 1862 his father enlisted in Capt. Este's company, Twenty-sixth Georgia battalion; served through the war-and was at Columbus about the time of the surrender, but escaped being captured. After the war he went into business again at Bowdon, and continued it until he died in 1888. In 1861 Mr. Adamson enlisted in Company B (Capt. Charles A. McDaniel), Cobb's legion, infantry. Capt. McDaniel was president of the college at Bowdon, and his company was mostly composed of his pupils, of whom Mr. Adamson was one. He was an active participant in many battles, among them -Dam No. I, Yorktown, Malvern hill, and South mountain, where he was severely wounded and captured, but was released. As a result of this wound he was disabled, but as soon as he recovered he returned to the army, in Tennessee. Thence he went to Virginia and was at the battle of the Wilderness. While his command was on duty on James river he was released on account of his old wound and returned home. While at Bowdon he was captured a second time, but it happened to be after the surrender. The close of the war left him com- paratively destitute. Thus father and son, by their bravery and long continued faithful service, made a record of which they rightly felt proud. After the war he engaged with his father in business; but when he married, he went to another point, where he remained until his father's death, in 1888, when he returned in 1889 to Bowdon, took charge of and continued his father's business, and is now a leading merchant there. Everything, immediate family connections, natural and by mar- riage, war record, and splendid business capacity, contributed to this result. Mr. Adamson was married in 1868 to Miss Fannie M. Yarbrough-born in Floyd county, Ga., in 1851-daughter of Nathan and Margaret (Lampkin) Yarbrough. Her father was born and reared in Franklin county, Ga., and went to De Kalb county in 1830 and clerked in a store in Decatur. In 1835 he went to Floyd county, and was one of the pioneers, if not one of the founders, and wrote the first charter of the now flourishing city of Rome. Years afterward he migrated to Texas, and is now living-85 years of age-in Comanche county. To Mr. and Mrs. Adamson ten children have been born: Edith, John, Herbert, Ralph, Norma (dead), Claris, Mattie, Ethel, Robert and Nathan. Mr. Adamson is a master and royal arch Mason, and himself and wife, are members of the Methodist Protestant church.

MOSES J. BAXTER, farmer, Temple, Carroll Co., Ga., son of John and Elizabeth (Stripling) Baxter, was born in Monroe county, Ga., in 1828. His paternal grandparents were John and Nancy (Dowdy) Baxter. His grandfather was born in England, and came to this country after the revolutionary war. He settled first in Virginia, afterward moved to North Carolina, and finally came all the way from North Carolina to Georgia in an ox cart, and settled in the woods in Monroe county-among its pioneers. He followed farming all his life. He was a soldier of the war of 1812, and during his service had a remarkable ex- perience with a wound. The ball went entirely through his body, and a silk handkerchief was drawn through the orifice, yet he recovered and lived many

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years in excellent health afterward. Mr. Baxter's father was born in 1807, and came to Georgia when a small boy with his father, who came to Carroll county in 1828; the subject of this sketch was an infant at the time, and the unconscious subject of a thrilling incident. The trip had been made in ox-carts, and when they reached the Chattahoochee river a negro nurse insisted on taking the baby in her arms. When the boat reached the opposite bank, the steers became scared and backed, and the negro jumped overboard with our subject in her arms. When she arose to the surface his father caught and drew them out. His father was a soldier in the Indian war of 1836; and, also, was a member of the Methodist church. His maternal grandparents, John and Mary Stripling, were among the early settlers of Monroe county. Mr. Baxter was reared on the farm in Carroll county, and the very limited education he received was at the old time dirt floor log house, with its unsatisfactory accom- paniments. In 1862 he enlisted in Company F, Cobb's legion, and went to the front. But he was soon taken sick and was sent to Richmond, where he remained many months, and when he had apparently recovered he returned to the army. It was not long before he was again prostrated, and, this time, came home on a furlough-he was at home at the time of the surrender. Like thousands of others, the war left him stripped of everything; but like them, he went bravely to work, impaired in health as he was, to build up. By dint of hard work and close management he has a fine, large farm, well improved, with nice dwelling and sub- stantial out buildings, half a mile from Temple; and commands the respect of all who know him. Mr. Baxter was married in 1852 to Miss Sarah J., daughter of James and Elizabeth (Baskin) Stripling, early settlers, by whom he has had eight children: William A., N. N., James D., Robert A., John M., Geo. Ann Florence, Frances, and Martha. Mr. Baxter is a master Mason and himself and wife are members of the Methodist church.

JAMES H. L. BENFORD, farmer, Victory. Carroll Co., Ga., son of John and Martha (Anders) Benford, was born in Twiggs county, Ga., in 1837. His paternal grandparents, George and Elizabeth Benford, were Virginians, and he was a soldier in the patriot army during the revolutionary war. His father was born in Virginia in 1818, came to Georgia when a young man and settled first in Bibb county; he afterward went to Twiggs county and settled in the woods and cleared a farm. He was a soldier in the Indian war of 1836, and was wounded in the arm. His maternal grandparents, Robin and Elizabeth Anders, were natives of Maryland, but migrated to Georgia, and were among the earliest settlers of Twiggs county. Mr. Benford was reared on the farm in Twiggs county and re- mained on it until he was eighteen years old, when he removed to Carroll county and settled in the woods on the tract whereon he now lives. There was not a stick amiss on the land, and he cleared the land for his farm by himself. There were four families moved together in ox carts, and all of them occupied an eighteen by eighteen log cabin together, cooking, etc., until they could build. He went to school only one week, and was never taught anything but the alphabet. In 1861 he enlisted in Company B, Cleburne's regiment, known as the "Pattison Rangers." He participated in quite a number of battles-Gatling's farm, Peters- burg, Columbia, etc., but was most of the time on scouting duty, and often on special courier service. For nearly a month, at one time, his command was chased by Gen. Kilpatrick, fighting nearly every day. He was captured once in Virginia, and when commanded to surrender his gun he threw it down and broke it; and then put his foot on his saber and broke that, too; he then told his captors to take him if they wanted to. As they were taking him to their lines,

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after dark, dangerous as the attempt seemed, he sueceeded in eluding their vigilance and escaped. For a long time he was a courier for Gen. Lee, whose pass he bore permitting him to go where and when he pleased at his discretion. At the time of the surrender he was scouting in the rear of the Union army. He came out of the war with nothing but his land, and when his father died had his family to care for, giving the children a fair education. He owns now 1,500 acres of good land, including a well-improved farm, and has the reputation among his neighbors of being one of the most progressive and one of the best farmers in Carroll county. He certainly ranks among the solidest and most substantial of the county's citizens. In 1865 Mr. Morris was married to Miss Fannie Morris, born in Meriwether county and daughter of William and Sarah (Ayers) Morris. Fifteen children have blessed this union, of whom thirteen are living: Henry, Price, Alice, Lity, Warren, Terrell, Eugenia, Perdue, Anna, Sula, Edell, Artentious, and Pious. Mr. Benford is a master Mason, and himself and wife are members of the Missionary Baptist church.

GEORGE A. BONNER, farmer, Carrollton, Carroll Co., Ga., son of Zadoe and Lucy (Ridgeway) Bonner, was born in Carroll county in 1844. His great-grandfather was a soldier in the patriot army during the revolutionary war. His grandparents, Zadoc and (Johnson) Bonner, were natives of Georgia, and his grandfather was born during the revolutionary war. Mr. Bonner's father was born in Clarke county, Ga., in 1804, and was reared there on a farm and removed to Carroll county in 1829. He was a man of great energy, progressive and ag- gressive, and possessed unusual foree of character. During the Indian war he raised a company, but the war closed before he could be mustered in. Although the county was always overwhelmingly democratic and he was a whig in politics, he was repeatedly elected a justice of the inferior court. When he moved to Carroll county he settled in the woods, lived to accumulate a very large estate and to become one of the county's most influential and honored citizens. His maternal grandparent, Drury Ridgeway, was an old settler of Georgia, who subsequently went to Alabama. Mr. Bonner was reared on the farm and received his early education in the common schools of the county. He then en- tered Bowdon college, where he was when the civil war began. In 1862 he enlisted in Company D, Capt. William Tumlin, First Georgia regiment, and served about eighteen months, during which time he participated in many hard-fought battles, among them Richmond, Ky., Frankfort, Shelbyville, Camp Dick Robinson, Perryville, Crab Orchard, Murfreesboro, Stone Hill, Winchester, Tullahoma, Munfordville, etc. Returning home he was engaged in gathering saltpeter and lead for the Confederate government until the surrender, and then he returned to the old farm where he now lives. His last service was the bearing of a dispatch from Jacksonville, Ala., to La Grange, Ga. When he reached his destination he found La Grange in the hands of the Union forces, but he was sharp enough to escape capture. He has been a jury commissioner for the last five years. Mr. Bonner was married in 1872 to Miss Mattie E., daughter of Green and Martha (Freeze) McGuire, of Irish descent, but among the early set- tlers: To Mr. and Mrs. Bonner eight children have been born: Zadoc M., Ola G., George L., Bessie B., Flora I., Lona Mc., Georgia and Ruth N. Mrs. Bonner. who was a devoted member of the Methodist church, died in 1893. Mr. Bonner has been a master Mason since he has become of "full age" and is one of Carroll's public spirited and progressive citizens. His family for generations have been among the most prominent and respected, but having been members of the minority party before the war seldom held office. This family is related by blood to that so prominent in New York.

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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 59

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