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. II, Part 144

Author:
Publication date: 1859
Publisher: Atlanta, Ga., The Southern historicl association
Number of Pages: 1166

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. II > Part 144

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HENRY DICKENSON M'DANIEL was born at Monroe, Walton Co., Ga., Sept. 4, 1837. His father, Ira O. McDaniel, was a pioneer, and his mother was the daughter of Daniel Walker, a prominent merchant of Atlanta. Henry took the honors in the class of 1856 at Mercer university, and began the practice of law at Monroe in 1857. He opposed secession, being the youngest member of the secession convention, but voted for and signed the ordinance, and was made a member of the standing committee on the relations with the slave-holding states of North America. He took an active part in the war and served gallantly till its finish, attaining the rank of major. When hostilities ended he resumed the practice of law at Monroe. He was elected to the constitutional convention of 1865, and was elected state representative in 1872, state senator in 1874, 1878 and 1880, and governor in April, 1883, to fill the term of Alexander H. Stephens, deceased; and in 1884 for the full term, ending 1886. As governor he approved the new capitol act, choosing the five commissioners who, with the governor as ex-officio, erected the fine structure strictly within the appropriation. During his term of office nearly a million dollars of principal of state bonds were paid,

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and the interest upon the bonded debt of the state was reduced about $1 30,000 annually. Gov. McDaniel distinguished himself in the battle of Gettysburg as a leader of Anderson's brigade in the third day of the battle, and in the retreat through Maryland was shot through the body and taken prisoner. After spending five months in the hospitals of the north, he was sent, in December, 1863, to Johnson's Island, from which he was not released till July, 1865. Mr. McDaniel was the author of the measure which originated in the house of representatives during the session of 1874, taxing the railroads of the state like other property.

J. M. MICHAEL, farmer, Monroe, Walton Co., Ga., son of William and Lany (Cannon) Michael, as born in Walton county in 1840. His paternal grand- parents were Jacob and Lucinda Michael. He was a native of North Carolina, reared a farmer, moved to Virginia, and came tlience to Georgia. Mr. Michael's father was born in Virginia, came to Georgia with his father about 1791, and settled in what is now Oglethorpe county, and subsequently moved to Walton county; here he settled in the woods and cleared a farm when the Indians were roaming all around. For ten years he followed wagoning, a business profitably followed at that time by up-country slave-owners and land-holders when there were no railroads. He was superintendent of the construction of the first road built in the county. His maternal grandparents were Spy and Lany Cannon. He was a native of Scotland, emigrated to America when young, came to Georgia and settled in Jones county. Mr. Michael was raised on the farm and received a good education. In 1861 he enlisted in Company C, Capt. George Hillyer (ex- judge of the Fulton circuit court, ex-mayor and now a citizen of Atlanta), Ninth Georgia regiment. At the end of a year he was discharged on account of sickness; but subsequently entered the cavalry service under Capt. W. D. Grant, participated in the battles of Murfreesboro and Perryville, and served under the command successively of Forrest, Wheeler and Morgan. On one occasion he was captured but remained a prisoner only thirty minutes. After the war he resumed farming and has been satisfactorily successful, has a good farm of 630 acres and a comfortable home. Mr. Michael was married in 1866 to Miss Alice S. Wise, born in Oglethorpe county in 1843, daughter of Sherwood and Cynthia (Colquitt) Wise. He was closely related to ex-Gov. Henry A. Wise of Virginia, migrated to Georgia and settled in Oglethorpe county. He gave his entire attention to farming, and his success met his most sanguine expectations. He did faithful service as a volunteer soldier in the Seminole war. Of the children which blessed this union seven are living: Willie S .; Monia; Annie Laurie; Lany (who gained a scholarship at Milledgeville); Edwin E .; May, and Nellie. His wife and four of the children are active and useful members of the Baptist church.

W E. MOON, farmer, Monroe, Walton Co., Ga., son of Joseph and Eda (Hud- son) Moon, was born in Walton county in 1826. His paternal grandparents were Thomas and Sarah (Brooks) Mocn. He was a native of England, and with two brothers came to America and settled in Georgia; from them the families bearing this name in the south descended. He was a farmer and lived in Colum- bia county, Ga., until he died. Mr. Moon's father was born in Columbia county in 1795, moved to what is now Walton county in 1819 and lived there all his life. He was a good farmer, a large slave-owner, a justice of the peace for twenty years and a member of the Missionary Baptist church. His maternal grandpar- ents were William and Sarah (Booker) Hudson. He was a native Georgian, a

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farmer, and lived in Rockdale county, Ga., many years previous to his death. Mr. Moon was reared on the farm and what little schooling he received was obtained at the old-time log school house. In 1862 he enlisted in Company G (Capt. Bar- rett) Thirty-fifth Georgia regiment. With his command he participated in many hard-fought battles, among them Seven Pines, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. He came out of the war with a capital of $13 and commenced life anew. He now owns a splendid 1, 150-acre plantation, makes good crops and is prosperous. Mr. Moon was married Dec. 19, 1844, to Miss Susan J. Willingham-born in Wal- ton county in 1828-daughter of Cash and Martha (Moon) Willingham. He was a native of Columbia county, Ga., was a well-to-do farmer, and late in life moved to Walton county, where he died. They have eight living children: Fran- cis, Cicero, Benjamin F., Stephen A. D., Robert L., Elizabeth, Columbus and William. Mr. Moon is a master Mason.

JE. NUNNALLY, farmer, Nunnally, Walton Co., Ga., son of W. M. B. and Mary H. (Talbot) Nunnally, was born in Walton county in 1835. His paternal grandparents were John and Susan (Burton) Nunally. He was a native of Eng- land, emigrated to this country before the revolutionary war, in which he served as a soldier in the patriot army for seven years. After the war he was sheriff of Powhattan county, Va., thirty years, and changed the county books from British sterling pounds and pence to United States dollars and cents. In 1815 he moved to Georgia and settled in Clarke (that part now known as Oconee) county. Mr. Nunnally's father was born in Virginia, was a soldier in the war of 1812, and came to Georgia with his father's family in 1815. In 1820 he settled in the woods in what is now Walton county, lived in tents until he could fell timber and build a house, and had not even a horse. He, however, went to work resolutely, pros- pered, and accumulated a large and valuable estate. He was a very active and exemplary member of the Baptist church. His mother was the youngest daugh- ter of James Talbot, who was a native of Wilkes county, Ga., a brother of whom ran for congress in opposition to Gov. Troup, who defeated him by a small ma- jority. Mr. Nunnally was raised on the old homestead and received a fairly good education at the country schools. In 1861 he enlisted in Company H (Capt. T. G. Anderson), Eleventh Georgia regiment, with which he participated in the battles of Yorktown, Richmond and Second Manassas. At this last-named battle he was severely wounded and finally had to submit to the amputation of his left leg and return home. He was elected tax collector of the county and served to the close of the war. Just before its close he collected as much as $1,000,000 a month- Confederate currency. At this time a horse and buggy were the sum total of his possessions, but now he is the happy and prosperous possessor of nearly 600 acres of as good land as there is in the county, and of the unaffected esteem of his fellow- citizens, as is evidenced by the public positions to which they have elected him and in which they have kept him. He served the county twelve years as a jury commissioner; he was elected in 1890 to represent the senatorial district, com- prising Clarke, Oconee, Walton, Newton and Rockdale counties, in the general assembly, and served on the committees on lunatic asylum, of which he was chair- man, railroads, temperance and enrollment. He is chairman of the county board of education and of the democratic congressional committee. Mr. Nunnally made his first purchase of land and was married to Miss Sallie M. Hardeman, daughter of W. B. Hardeman, in 1865. Mr. Hardeman was a soldier in the Seminole war and is now farming in Morgan county, Ga. Mr. Nunnally is a master Mason, and himself and wife are members of the Missionary Baptist church.

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[ P. ROCKMORE, merchant-farmer, Loganville, Walton Co., Ga., son of E. M. and Nancy A. (Thompson) Rockmore, was born in Newton county, Ga., in 1845. His grandparents on his father's side, John and Mary (Barnes) Rockmore, were native Georgians. He was a son of an emigrant from France who came to this country when young and settled in Georgia; was a planter all his life, accumulated quite a large property, and was a member of the Missionary Baptist church. Mr. Rockmore's father was born in what is now Newton county in 1814, followed farming all his life, was a soldier during the Seminole war, acquired large estate, and died in 1858. He was a deacon in the Missionary Baptist church. His grandparents on his mother's side were Joe and Elizabeth (Lemsford) Thompson. He was born in Wilkes county, Ga., in 1797, was a planter and quite rich, and moved to Mississippi, where he died. Mr. Rock- more was raised on the farm and received but a limited education. In 1863 he enlisted in a company commanded by Capt. Carroll, but being seriously injured by the running away of a mule, was compelled to return home. After the war be found himself the possessor of a horse, so he bought a small farm and began life, worked hard and saved some money. In 1873 he embarked in a general merchandising business at Loganville, in which he has been successful, does a large and satisfactory business, and· has, besides, large and profitable milling and cotton-ginning interests. Mr. Rockmore was married in 1867 to Miss Elizabeth Braswell-born in Gwinnett county, Ga., in 1848-daughter of Ephraim and Dollie A. (Moore) Braswell. He was born in South Carolina, whence he moved to Geor- gia in 1828 and settled in Walton county. He was a farmer and merchant and served in the Seminole war. Himself and wife lived to be seventy years old. Of the children which blessed this union seven survive: Marshall L., Ephraim, Maude, Estella, Claude, Dollie A. and Henry Grady. Mr. Rockmore and his wife are active members of the Methodist church.

R R. SMITH, merchant-farmer, Social Circle, Walton Co., Ga., son of W. G. and K. (Hardwick) Smith, was born in Jasper county, Ga., in 1839. His paternal grandfather was Guy Smith. He was born in Virginia, of English descent, was a large planter, a Primitive Baptist preacher, and served as a soldier in the patriot army during the revolutionary war. Some time after the close of the war he migrated to Georgia and settled permanently in Oglethorpe county. Mr. Smith's father was born in Virginia in 1776, came with his father to Georgia, and became an extensive planter and prominent in public and political affairs. He was captain of a company during the last war with Great Britain. He was an "old line" whig before the war, and at one time was spoken of as a candidate for governor. He moved from Oglethorpe to Jasper county, where he died in 1865. He was a man of great natural ability and force of character-prominent and popular. Mr. Smith's maternal grandmother, Mary (Coffee) Hardwick, Geor- gia born, came of a family among the oldest in the state. Mr. Smith was reared on the farm, received a good primary education, attended and was graduated from Emory college, Oxford, Ga. During the war between the states he served on detail duty with the rank of captain, and continued in the service until the sur- render. After that event he resumed his agricultural operations with the most satisfactory results, and in 1878 moved to Social Circle and engaged in general merchandising, in which he has succeeded in establishing the second largest busi- ness in the city. He continues his planting interests with unabated ardor and vigor in running a fifty-horse farm. Progressive, enterprising, energetic and of unusual business ability and sagacity, he ranks high in the social and commercial

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world. Mr. Smith was married in 1863 to Miss Lizzie Flournoy-born in Jasper county in 1842-daughter of W. M. and Sarah (Maddox) Flournoy. He was a native of Jasper county, and was a large and wealthy planter. This wife died an exemplary member of the Methodist church, leaving one child, B. G. In 1889 · he contracted a second marriage with Miss Maggie Barrett-born in Walton coun- ty in 1843-daughter of Dr. W. S. and Elizabeth Barrett. He was an early settler in Walton county, had an excellent reputation professionally and as a citizen, and attained to great prominence and influence. He served during the unpleasantness as a captain and as a surgeon, and has represented the county in the general assem- bly. Mr. Smith is a very ardent member of the masonic fraternity, in the mysteries of which he is very far advanced, and himself and wife are very prominent and influential members of the Methodist church.

A. J. SWORD, farmer, Loganville, Walton Co., Ga., son of John and Mary (Casson) Sword, was born in Walton county in 1837. His paternal grand- father, James Sword, was a native of Ireland, migrated to the country when young, and settled in Pennsylvania, and served seven years as a soldier in the patriot army during the revolutionary war. After independence was proclaimed he came to Georgia and lived to the age of one hundred and four years. Mr. Sword's father was born in Lincoln county, Ga., and moved to what is now Walton county in 1812, and that same year enlisted as a soldier in the last war with Great Britain. His principal occupation was farming, but he also worked as a mechanic. Six of his sons served in the Confederate army during the war between the states, one of whom was killed, and another died of fever while in the service. His maternal grandfather, James F. Casson, was born in Edgefield district, S. C., whence he came to Georgia in 1810, and settled in what is now Walton county. He followed farming all his life. Mr. Sword was reared on the farm, and received a good education under the tuition of Robert Gwinn, one of the best country school teachers of his time. In 1862 he enlisted in Company D, Capt. W. D. Grant, Second Georgia cavalry, and with his command participated in many important battles, among them: Murfreesboro (first and second battles) ; Perryville, with the command that drove the Union forces from Lookout Point; Chickamauga, New Hope Church and Waynesboro, where he had his horse shot from under him. After the war he came home very poor, but by hard work and economy he has become the owner of a 400-acre tract of good land, has a comfortable home and the respect and esteem of his fellow-citizens. Mr. Sword was married in 1859 to Miss Amy L. Moon, born in Walton county in 1842, daughter of J. M. and Mary E. (Richardson) Moon. Her grandfather, William Richardson, was a soldier in the revolutionary war. Her father was born in Columbia county, Ga., was a volunteer soldier in the Seminole war, is still living in Walton county, and draws a pension. Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Sword, nine are living: Mary E., John M., Fannie W., W. H., James T., A. F., Annie, Carrie B. and Sallie W. Mr. Sword has been a justice of the peace for many years, and is a member of the masonic fraternity.

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WARE COUNTY.

MILES ALBERTSON, an energetic and prosperous business man of Way- cross, Ware Co., was born April 8, 1845. He is a native of Rohrsburgh, Columbia Co., Penn., where his father, Edward Albertson, was a successful farmer, who died in 1862; his wife was Almira Albertson. The son, Miles, was being given a good common school education, but after his father's death he left school and devoted himself to the carrying on of the farm and the care of the younger children until 1871. In November of that year he engaged in the manufacture of lumber, introducing the first portable mills into that part of the state, and continuing in the business for about ten years. In May, 1881, with his brother, W. C. Albertson, he came to Georgia and founded the town of Braganza, building a large mill and taking up extensive tracts of land, some 2,000 acres, besides large stumpage privileges. Seven years later they moved the mill to Clinch Haven, Clinch Co., and having greatly enlarged it, engaged in business with Paxton & Mattox, to whom he sold out in December, 1888, and who still carry on a thriving business. Mr. Albertson then came to Waycross for the purpose of educating his children, and the following July entered into a contract with the city of Waycross to establish the excellent system of electric lights now in use. Later he engaged in planing mill business with R. H. Murphy & Co., which business, after enlarging, he combined with his own. On New Year's day, 1890, the lights were first turned on. The following August he organized the Satilla Manufacturing company with a capital of $52,000, of which J. S. Bailey is presi- dent; H. W. Wilson, secretary and treasurer, and Mr. Albertson himself superin- tendent and general manager; for the grand success of which the credit is due chiefly to Mr. Albertson, as well as for the extension of the business, which has become an important factor in the development of Waycross. In March, 1891, this company built the ice factory which now supplies the city, having a capacity of six tons per day. In June, 1893, Mr. Albertson leased from the corporation, for the term of five years, the entire combined plant, as lessee becoming sole proprietor and manager. The products are largely shipped north and to south Florida, through correspondence. Mr. Albertson has been a stockholder and director in the South Georgia bank from the time of its incorporation. He is also waterworks commissioner, and, in fact, has from the first identified his own interests with those of the city of his adoption, whose upbuilding he has constantly forwarded. He is a member of the masonic fraternity. May 18, 1871, Mr. Albertson married Miss Hittie Ann Hayman. They have been blessed with four children, two sons and two daughters. The eldest son, Ward Benjamin, is assistant cashier of the South Georgia bank; the eldest daughter, Emma B., is attending school at Macon.

GILBERT M. ARCHER, Waycross, Ware Co., Ga., only son of David Isaiah and Sarah Elizabeth (Lee) Archer, was born in Screven county, Ga., July 15, 1855. His father was a farmer with whom he remained until twenty-one years of age, receiving such educational advantages as were afforded by the common schools. Having attained his majority he entered the employ of Leon Johnson, and was for two years engaged with him in the mill and lumber business, after which he engaged with the Atlantic & Gulf (now Savannah, Florida & Western) railroad, as track hand, at forty cents per day, a small remuneration, but affording

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an excellent stepping stone to something better, for in three weeks Mr. Archer received promotion to the place of foreman; two years later he was advanced to roadway and construction train service, and after six months was appointed a supervisor. About four months later he was sent to Jacksonville to assist in building the Waycross Short Line from Jacksonville to Waycross. After the completion of this enterprise he returned to Savannah, remaining there as super- visor two years, when he was sent to the Gainesville division of the Savannah, Florida & Western railroad and located at Jasper, Fla., for six years; Jan. 1, 1889, he was transferred to Waycross as supervisor, in which position he still remains. Although the business of the railroad demands Mr. Archer's constant attention, he nevertheless takes a deep interest in public affairs, and especially in whatever tends to the advancement of the city, and at present represents his ward in the city council. He is a member of the Roadmasters' association, and also of the masonic fraternity. In November, 1878, Mr. Archer married Miss Elizabeth Palmel Smith, daughter of Millington and Caroline (Best) Smith of Screven county. Mr. Smith was government agent, and cared for the families of soldiers during the war; the elder Mr. Archer was also in the Confederate army, and most of the time with the Effingham Hussars. Mr. and Mrs. Archer have one daughter.

DR. WILLIAM PIERRE BABCOCK, a leading citizen of Millwood, Ware Co., Ga., a native of Rhode Island, was born at Westerly, Sept. 11, 1839, and is a son of Pierre Greene and Martha (Wilcox) Babcock. He was well educated, having attended the public schools and academies in his native city and later in New York state, where he received his diploma from the Oswego Homeopathic Medical society, to which the training of hospital practice was added. In September, 1861, he enlisted in Company D, of the Eighty-first New York infantry. He received various promotions, so that at the close of the war he was mustered out a captain. He was in several different brigades and corps, and at of great promise, just ready to enter the profession of medicine and surgery with the time of mustering out was provost marshal of Gloucester county, Va. Mr. Babcock was in numerous engagements, the chief ones being: Yorktown, Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Malvern Hill, White Oak Swamp and Cold Harbor, where he was wounded and sent to the hospital. He was with the Federal forces which were first to enter Richmond, and his regiment was placed in charge of Libby prison. The year preceding the Federal prisoners had constructed a Union flag from mutilated clothing of suitable colors, and on the Fourth of July flung it to the breeze. Of course it was confiscated by the Confederates, who concealed it, and Mr. Babcock was so fortunate as to find it during his stay in Richmond. This flag was carried off by northern relic hunters. Dr. Babcock assisted in raising the first Union flag over Castle Thunder-the political prison of the Con- federacy. The commanding officer of Libby prison placed him in charge of the ward in which were confined the Confederate officers-military and political. The health of Dr. Babcock has been impaired ever since the war, and he draws a pension from the government. At the close of the war he returned to New York, where, with the exception of short intervals he remained until the fall of 1878, when he came to Georgia; settling first at Glenmore, afterward at McDonald's Mills, Coffee Co., and later at Millwood, his present home, where he has been chiefly engaged in the mercantile business, practicing medicine but little. Dr. Babcock is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and also of the masonic fraternity, and is worshipful master of the local lodge. March 16, 1864, Dr. Babcock was married to Miss Cecilia Margaret Davis, daughter of David and

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Sarah (Cole) Davis. They have now no children, their eldest son, a young man of great promise, just ready to enter the profession of medicine and surgery with marked honors and attainments, having been buried March 11, 1894. A younger son died Sept. 19, 1883.

JAMES STACY BAILEY, a prominent citizen of Duke, Ware Co., Ga., was born in Montgomery county, Ga., Oct. 9, 1848. His father, William Stacy Bailey, was born in Woolwich, Me., March 5, 1818, his parents being Abner and Mahala Bailey- the former descended from an Englishman who accompanied a certain duke on his mission to this country to lay out a grant of land he had acquired. Meanwhile Bailey's son and the duke's daughter yielded to the pas- sion of love and ran away and were married. The lady was disinherited, but in course of time, all other lineage having become extinct, the duke sought to find her, the only inheritor of an estate amounting to over three million dollars. Her descendants were found, but during the revolutionary war all records of the mar- riage had been destroyed; unable to prove this marriage, nearly a century was spent in a vain attempt to prove their title to the estate, which eventually reverted to the treasury of the English government. Mr. Bailey's grandfather was a soldier in the war of 1812 and his great-grandfather was a soldier in the war of the revolution. William Stacy Bailey after numerous vicissitudes settled in Montgomery county, Ga., in 1846, where he married Miss Mary Elizabeth Pit- man, July 20, 1847, who died in 1886, after which he married Mrs. Nancy Clem- ens, widow of Senator Clayton Clemens. In 1855 he brought his family to Ware county, settling near the present site of Waycross, on a farm of 500 acres; which homestead still belongs to the family, in addition to some city property. During the war Mr. Bailey served as private and as captain, having charge of the Rifles at Atlanta. He has been in the lumbering business during his entire residence in Georgia, and was treasurer of Ware county for twelve years. He is a devoted Methodist and also a member of the masonic fraternity. His son, James Stacy, was but a child when the family moved to Ware county, where he received train- ing both from private tutors and in the common schools. He early developed remarkable business talent, especially for milling, in which he became interested when but eighteen years of age. With his father and brother he engaged in extensive lumbering operations on the Satilla river. Two years later he formed a partnership with his father and Cuyler W. Hilliard, and three years afterward Mr. R. B. Reppard, of Savannah, was admitted to the firm, which lasted three years, when Mr. Reppard purchased the entire business. Mr. Bailey then formed a new partnership with Mr. Hilliard for lumbering operations in Nassau county, Fla., in connection with a mercantile business, which was carried on some thirteen or fourteen years. For two years of this time Mr. Bailey, with his brother, was working on the Saint Mary's river as J. S. Bailey & Co. In 1890 he closed out both these partnerships and bought an interest in the firm of W. T. Scott & Co., also in the lumbering business. About the same time he entered the Satilla Manufac- turing company, of which he is president. Mr. Bailey was one of the organizers and is now one of the directors of the South Georgia bank. He is a very large owner of real estate, of which some is in Tennessee, some in Florida, some in Georgia. He owns about 5,000 acres, with a lease of 35,000 acres that has not been cut, and his mill is one of the largest in the state. During his residence in Florida Mr. Bailey represented his district-Nassau county-in the state senate for four years. He is a master Mason and takes great interest in the fraternity. Mr. Bailey is an ardent Methodist, a trustee and a steward of the church, and also superintendent of the Sabbath school of the Methodist Episcopal church in

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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. II, Part 144

Author: Publication date: 1859 Publisher: Atlanta, Ga., The Southern historicl association Number of Pages: 1166

Author:
Publication date: 1859
Publisher: Atlanta, Ga., The Southern historicl association
Number of Pages: 1166