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 62

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 62

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).

IRWIN COUNTY.

WILLIS DORMINEY, planter, Irwin county, Ga., was born in Irwin county Oct. 12, 1828. His father, John B. Dorminey, was born and raised in Eman- uel county, Ga., and was one of the earliest settlers in Irwin county, which he represented in the general assembly several years. He died in 1878. Willis Dor- miney grew up a farmer boy, received a common country schooling, and began life on a farm, and is a farmer still. In 1861 he enlisted in Company A, Sixty-first Georgia regiment, and was made third lieutenant. After the war he resumed farming, and also became interested in a general store and the manufacture of naval stores. He was elected clerk of the superior court, serving two years acceptably ; and in 1884 was elected to represent the county in the general assembly, serving two years with credit to himself and satisfactorily to his constituents. In 1865 he

427

JACKSON COUNTY SKETCHES.

married Mrs. Rebecca (nee Duffie) Matthews, who has borne him six children, four sons and two daughters: Edwin J., Irwin county; Norman, farmer, Irwin county; John D., merchant; Minnie, Irwin county; Jackson J .; Mary E., Mrs. John T. Van, North Carolina, and Nellie, student, South Georgia college.

MANASSEH HENDERSON, planter and popular county official, Ocilla, Irwin Co., Ga., was born in Irwin county Jan. 1, 1843. His father, Daniel Henderson, was a farmer, and when Worth county was formed, including a part of Irwin, he was cut off into Worth county. Manasseh Henderson received a good com- mon school education, but about the time he was ready to enter upon the active business of life the war between the states began in the spring of 1861, and he enlisted as a private in Company G, Fourteenth Georgia regiment. The follow- ing fall he was discharged from that command on account of sickness. Having regained his health, in the early part of 1862, he again enlisted-this time as a private in Company B, Tenth Georgia battalion, of which company he was after- ward made first lieutenant, and was promoted to the captaincy before the close of the war. He passed through the entire war-was never wounded nor captured till the surrender at Appomattox court house. Returning to Worth county after the surrender, he was the following fall married to Miss Mary V., daughter of Rev. Jacob Young, of Irwin county, to which county he soon removed and engaged in farming, which he still follows with interest and profit. Since then Mr. Henderson has been elected clerk of the superior court, in which capacity he served the county four years. He was also elected county treasurer, but resigned the office before the expiration of the term. In 1888 he was elected to represent the Fifteenth sena- torial district in the general assembly, in which body he was chairman of the com- mittee on enrollment, a member of the special judiciary and other important com- mittees of that body. He is now serving as county commissioner, a position he has filled for two terms. He is a member of the Primitive Baptist church, and is a member of the Masonic fraternity, having been made a Mason in Military lodge, No. 7, during the war, and has presided in the east. He was exalted to the royal arch degree at Petersburg, Va., during the war.

JACKSON COUNTY.

HORATIO W. BELL, county ordinary, Jefferson, Jackson Co., Ga., was born in the town where he now lives, Aug. 9, 1841. He is the son of Jackson and Re- becca Wilson Bell. Jackson Bell was a prominent citizen of Jackson county, and was engaged in merchandising in Jefferson, and represented the county in the legislature during the session of 1863-64. Horatio W. Bell was educated at the Jefferson academy in Jackson county. At the age of nineteen he volunteered in the first company that left the county, and entered the Confederate service as sergeant of Company C, Eighteenth Georgia regiment, and served with this regi- ment through the war. He was promoted to be first lieutenant, and on account of his business qualifications was detailed from the line to fill the position of regimental quartermaster, with the rank of captain, and brigade commissary, with the rank of major. He was in the battle of Seven Pines, seven days' fight around Richmond, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Chickamauga. He was severely wounded at the battle of Gaines' farm, near Richmond, and at the battle of Chancel-

428

MEMOIRS OF GEORGIA.

lorsville commanded Company C during that fight. After the war he returned to Jefferson and began merchandising and farming, which he continued with success till Jan. 1, 1877, when he was elected ordinary, a position which he has filled up to the present day. When his present term-which is the fifth-expires, he will have served his county as ordinary twenty years. His administration has been a credit to himself and satisfactory to the people of this large and prosperous county. When he was first elected ordinary the finances and business of the county were in a bad condition and the county heavily in debt. His management soon placed the county on a firm cash basis, and to-day there is not a dollar of indebtedness and a tax rate of only forty cents on the $100, notwithstanding a splendid brick court house and stone jail, a comfortable, convenient county poorhouse and farm, three splendid iron bridges and seven covered bridges have been erected under his ad- ministration and supervision since he has been in office. As judge of the court of ordinary, but few of his decisions have been appealed to a higher court, and but one reversed. He is a member of the board of trustees and treasurer of Martin insti- tute, one of the finest high schools in the state. He is one of the projectors of the Jef- ferson Banking company, a stock holder and member of the board of directors, and advisor of the cashier in the management of said bank. He was one of the projectors and builders of the G., J. & S. railroad, and has been a member of the board of directors of said railroad company ever since its organization. With all these business responsibilities he finds time to take a lively interest in politics and . religion and all charitable institutions. He is chairman of the executive committee of the Democratic party of Jackson county, and a member of the state campaign committee. He is a member of the Methodist church, superintendent of the Sunday school, and among the foremost leaders of charitable work in Jackson county. He is worshipful master of the Unity lodge, No. 36, F. and A. M., high priest of Jefferson chapter of royal arch Masons and a member of the order of high priesthood. He was married Nov. 15, 1866, to Cornelia F. Watson, daughter of Samuel Watson, a wealthy and prominent citizen of Jefferson, by whom he has one son, Samuel J. Bell.

JESSE C. BENNETT, clerk of the superior court and ex-officio treasurer for Jackson county, was born in Jackson county, Ga., Jan. 7, 1869, and is the son of Capt. A. T. and Sarah L. (Morgan) Bennett. A. T. Bennett was a native of Jack- son county, born in 1828, and was engaged in farming until 1849, when he went to California. He was there four years, and returned in 1853 and resumed farming. He was elected sheriff of Jackson county, but resigned when the war broke out and enlisted in the service of the Confederate states in 1861. He was elected captain of Company E, Thirty-fourth Georgia regiment, and served until 1864, when he was discharged on account of sickness. At the close of the war he began farming again, and was elected a member of the inferior court, and in 1868 was elected a member of the legislature, and again elected in 1876. After the adoption of the new consti- tution in 1877 he was elected again, and re-elected in 1880. He still resides on his farm three miles east of Jefferson. J. C. Bennett was educated in Jackson county at Martin institute, and upon the completion of his studies he entered the office of the clerk of the superior court as an assistant in 1887. He served in this capacity three years, in the meantime prosecuting the study of medicine, and in 1890 was graduated from the Atlanta Medical college, standing fourth in a class of fifty. He then began the practice of medicine at Jefferson, and followed his pro- fession for two years, at the expiration of which time he turned his attention to politics He was appointed tax collector of Jackson county, and in January, 1893, he was elected clerk of the superior court for Jackson county, and was again elected to the office in 1895. There was an unexpired term on account of the death of W.

429

JACKSON COUNTY SKETCHES.

T. Bennett of three months in the office that was filled by Mr. J. C. Bennett, from October, 1890, to January, 1891. In 1891 he was elected a member of the board of trustees of the Martin institute, and was elected member of the city council in 1891, and has been president of the alumni of Martin institute. He is a member of the Baptist church, and is a Mason and secretary of the Jefferson chapter, No. 43, royal arch Masons. He has held the position since the chapter was organized in 1891. He was married to Miss Lizzie Dickson, daughter of Jeptha and M. E. Dickson, of Jefferson, in October, 1891, and they have one child, Jessie Marie. Mr. Bennett's home is in Jefferson, the county seat of Jackson county, where he has resided since 1887. He is quite a young man, and his friends predict for him a brilliant future.

JOHN N. HOLDER, Jefferson, Jackson Co., Ga., was born July 22, 1868, and is a son of Thomas R. and Martha A. (Pendergrass) Holder. Thomas R. Holder, a native of Virginia, was born January, 1812, and moved with his parents to Georgia when about five years of age, settling in Clarke county. He moved to Jackson county just after the war of 1812-14, settling on a farm three and a half miles from Jefferson. His whole life has been devoted to farming and politi- cal ambition has never possessed him, and the only office he has ever held is that of overseer. He married Martha A. Pendergrass in 1867. She was a daugh- ter of Nathaniel H. Pendergrass and sister of Dr. J. B. Pendergrass. He is still living on his farm at the age of eighty-three. John N. Holder received his pre- paratory education at Martin institute in Jefferson, and was graduated from the university of Georgia in 1890. He was first honor man and stood at the head of his class of thirty-nine. He taught school for a year at Avalon, Ga., and since 1892 has been editor of the Jackson "Herald," published at Jefferson, Ga., a journal having the largest circulation of any paper in the Ninth congressional district. He was chairman of the democratic committee of the Ninth congres- sional district, and chairman of the campaign committee for that district, and has taken an active part in the politics of the county and district. He is a Mason. Mr. Holder was married in 1891 to Ada, daughter of ex-Sheriff T. A. McElhan- non, a union which has been blessed with one child, Erin. Mrs. Holder is a graduate of Wesleyan Female college, at Macon, and is a very great help to her husband in editing the "Herald." Mr. Holder is a prominent member of the masonic fraternity.

TANDY E. KEY, merchant, Harmony Grove, Jackson Co., is one of the county's leading citizens and progressive business men. He was born in Banks county, Ga., Sept. 24, 1850. His father was P. C. Key and his mother Hunter E. Ash. The father was a native and resident of Banks county all his life, and a successful merchant and man of affairs. When the war broke out he enlisted in the Con- federate army and was made captain, and met his death in the battle of Griswold- ville, Ga. Mr. T. E. Key was educated in Jackson county, at Martin institute, and began his prosperous career as a clerk for C. W. Hood. This was in 1872, and two years later he went to Athens for five years as clerk with Center & Reeves. He returned to Jackson in a few years and formed a partnership with Mr. Hood. He is now in the merchandising business with John D. Barnett. Mr. Key has twice been elected mayor of Harmony Grove, in 1891-92, and was elected to the legislature, representing Jackson county, in 1886, and serving with dis- tinction on the railroad and other important committees. He is an elder in the Presbyterian church, a Mason, belonging to Lodge No. 294. Mr. Key was mar- ried to Miss Lizzie Cooper, daughter of John Z. Cooper, of Athens.

430

MEMOIRS OF GEORGIA.

JAMES BASCOMB PENDERGRASS, physician and surgeon, Jefferson, Ga.,

was born in Jackson county, Ga., May 31, 1851, and is a son of Nathaniel Harlingsworth and Martha (Bryant) Pendergrass. The mother was a daughter of William L. and Eliza (Trout) Bryant. She was educated at Salem, N. C., and was noted for her intellectual culture, being one of the best informed and talented women of that day. By nature she was endowed with a wonderful talent for art, and by cultivation she became an efficient artist. William Lane Bryant was a successful and extensive farmer and a leading citizen of Jckson county. His wife was Miss Eliza Huguenot Trout, a lady of great intellect and refinement. Nathaniel H. Pendergrass was born Oct. 25, 1807, in South Carolina, and moved with his parents, when only four years of age, to Georgia, and settled in Jackson county. He was elected sheriff of the county in 1841, served for two terms, and was then elected county treasurer in 1851. He was extensively engaged in mer- chandising and farming. He was a soldier in the war with the Creek Indians in 1836, and served in the state militia during the civil war between the states. He was a prominent Mason and a member of the Methodist church. He died June 3, 1879. From his early manhood he had been before the public, having held various offices of trust and honor. In every position, whether public or private, his course gained the respect and esteem of all with whom he came in contact. Nathaniel Pendergrass, the grandfather of Dr. J. B. Pendergrass, was a great believer in the Bible and lived a consecrated Christian life, often speaking in public and working for Christ. He was twelve years of age at the close of the revolutionary war. His wife was Miss Hannah Nixon, a woman of great beauty and intellect. She was of royal descent. Dr. James Bascomb Pender- grass was educated at Martin institute, Jefferson, Ga., and began to read med- icine in 1874 with Dr. J. David Long, of Jefferson. He was graduated in 1876 from the Kentucky school of medicine at Louisville. He at once began the prac- tice of medicine in Jefferson, and owing to his wonderful skill as a physician and surgeon he is now, without question, the most eminent physician in Jackson county. Dr. Pendergrass not only has a reputation in Jackson county, but all over Georgia, and is known in other states. He is a member of the American Medical association, of the Georgia Medical association and is president of the Jackson County Medical association. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, an Odd Fellow, a Good Templar and has often filled with credit and honor the highest offices in his lodges. For many years he has been a close stu- dent, and being thoroughly conscientious, he discharged his duties faithfully and well. His profession brought him into prominence and a trial of his skill has been displayed and proven satisfactory to the public and his friends. After hav- ing practiced medicine for ten years he decided to take a post-graduate course in 1886 at the New York polyclinic. It was while en route to New York he met Miss Nellie J. Egerton, a beautiful and accomplished young lady, who became his wife March 3, 1887. Mrs. Pendergrass was the only daughter of Charles Wilmot and Lou Egerton, the former being a brilliant young attorney of Louisburg, N. C., and the latter a beautiful, accomplished and very aristocratic and wealthy lady of the same state. After a short but happy married life Mrs. Nellie Egerton Pendergrass departed this life, Aug. 5, 1889, leaving one son, Wilmot Harlings- worth Pendergrass. Dr. Pendergrass, like other men, met with misfortunes and disappointments, but being a man of great determination, energy, and will power, he always looked forward to a better and brighter day, and by the help of God he has been successful, both professionally and financially. On Jan. 31, 1894, he was married to Miss Mittie Dell, the youngest daughter of James Thomas and Sarah Elizabeth Heath, of Norwood, Ga. She is recognized as one of

43I

JACKSON COUNTY SKETCHES.

the prettiest and most lovable women that Georgia ever produced. She was edu- cated at Wesleyan Female college, taking a very high stand in all the departments of this famous old institution. There never could have been a happier marriage than when Dr. Pendergrass and Miss Mittie Dell Heath were united in the holy bonds of matrimony, and they are thoroughly devoted to each other. Their union has been blessed by one bright-eyed little son, Jamie Evans Pendergrass.

W I. PIKE, lawyer, Jefferson, Jackson Co., Ga., was born in Macon, Bibb Co., Ga., in 1842, and is a son of Henry and Ann (Stevens) Pike. Henry Pike was born in South Carolina in 1804 and before his majority moved with his father, William Pike, to Georgia, settling on a farm in Walton county. In young manhood he moved to Macon, where he lived until 1851, when he returned to the farm in Walton county; in 1853 he moved to Jackson county, settling on a farm, where he died in 1855. Mr. W. I. Pike was educated in the common schools and Martin institute, and reading law with J. B. S. Davis, of Jefferson, was ad- mitted to the bar and began practice in 1866. When the civil war broke out he enlisted as a private in Company E, First Georgia Partison rangers' cavalry, which afterward became the Sixteen th Georgia battalion cavalry, and finally the Thir- teenth regiment, Georgia cavalry. He was promoted to ordnance sergeant in 1863, and after the evacuation of Richmond he was tendered the captaincy by the secretary of war at Charlotte, N. C., but the war closed before he donned his stars. He was with Morgan in Kentucky and Tennessee in 1862, with Long- street in Tennessee in 1863, with Early in the valley in 1864, with Breckinridge in Virginia and Tennessee in 1864-65, and surrendered with Johnston, April 26, 1865. He began the practice of law at Jefferson, where he has since remained. Mr. Pike was elected county solicitor in 1866, to the legislature in 1878-79, was one of the managers that impeached Goldsmith, comptroller of state, was a mem- · ber of the senate in 1882-83, was again elected to the legislature in 1892-93 and was a member of the judiciary committee at each session. He is a member of the Methodist church, belongs to the masonic order and is an Odd Fellow. When eighteen years of age Mr. Pike married Lucy, a daughter of Wm. S. Thompson, of Jefferson. They have six children: Jeff Davis, Gertrude, Cora (now Mrs. Hur- nan), Lena (now Mrs. Sikes), Neva (now Mrs. Tuck), and Lucy.

JAMES E. RANDOLPH, merchant, Jefferson, was born in Jackson county, Oct. 31, 1837, and is a son of Joshua H. and Nancy (Oliver) Randolph. Joshua H. Randolph was engaged principally during his lifetime in merchandising and was elected sheriff of Jackson county, in 1842, and served continuously until December, 1860, being elected nine consecutive times, and dying in office. James E. Randolph was educated in the common school of Jackson county and in Jefferson academy. He began merchandising directly after the war and has been extensively engaged in farming, contracting and fertilizers, and is a large owner of real estate in Jefferson. He is proprietor of the Randall house built directly after the war. At the beginning of the war he enlisted with Col. White, and was elected sheriff of Jackson county in the fall of 1862, and held that office till the close of the war. He has been mayor of Jefferson for fifteen years and has served as postmaster for nine years. He is a member of the Methodist church and is a Mason, belonging to Unity lodge No. 36. He is also an Odd Fellow. He has been a member of the board of trustees of Martin institute for thirty years. In 1877 he married Miss Elizabeth C. Thompson. She is a daughter of William S. Thompson of Jackson county. Two children born to them are deceased. Mr. Randolph has adopted Minnie May Randolph, a charming young lady.

432

MEMOIRS OF GEORGIA.

GUSTAVUS JAMES NASH WILSON, county superintendent of schools, was born near where Harmony Grove now stands, in Jackson county, Ga., Oct. 16, 1827. He belongs to a family living in the county when it was organized in 1796, and subsequently prominent in its political, business and social interests. He is a grandson of George Wilson, a leading citizen in the pioneer days of Jack- son county, and one who made the original draft of the first constitution of the state of Georgia. George Wilson was one of the first settlers of Jackson county, and was an elder in the first Presbyterian church organized in that part of the state. James Wilson, a son, married Martha Bowles, daughter of another old settler, and they are the parents of Mr. Gustavus Wilson. The father was an extensive farmer, and a brave soldier in the war of 1812, and in the Indian war of 1836. He died March 17, 1871, aged eighty-three years. In the youthful days of Mr. Gustavus Wilson, educational advantages were few. The "old-field" schools, and here and there a private academy, furnished the mental training of the masses. In the former Mr. Wilson's natural love for learning was nurtured until his mind was prepared to guide it into the channel of self-education. He has been from even his childhood days, a hard and thorough student, ever seek- ing knowledge. At thirteen years of age, so far had he advanced, that he began teaching a school near Harmony Grove, and so eminent were his qualifications as an educator, that he continued this school with great success for fourteen consecu- tive years. He was then associated with other schools in the county, and was at the head of some of the most successful institutions of learning in Jackson county in ante-bellum days. In May, 1862, Mr. Wilson left his profession and enlisted in the Confederate army, as an officer in Company E, Thirty-fourth Georgia regi- ment. After the war he devoted most of his time to mechanics and machinery, and was thus engaged when, in 1871, he was elected to the position he now fills, being elected subsequently for six consecutive terms-twenty-four years. Mr. Wilson is of pure Scotch-Irish descent, of fine mental attainments, and possesses a physique of herculean proportions. He is an elder in the Presbyterian church; a chapter Mason, and also an Odd Fellow. Though passing all his days in the common walks of life, Mr. Wilson can boast that he never owed a cent that is not paid; serving the county for nearly a quarter of a century, he has never cost the county or state as much as a "nickel;" and in a life of near three-score-and-ten years he is not conscious of ever passing an idle day. By using "mere scraps of time" Mr. Wilson now lives almost on his native heath in a pretty residence of rare workmanship built by his own hands. Mr. Wilson owns one of the largest private libraries in the state, and notwithstanding his busy life has found time to write essays and articles on educational and religious subjects which have attracted attention all over the country. Mr. Wilson was married Aug. 1, 1844, to Miss Carrie Coleman, daughter of Allen Coleman of Laurens county, S. C. They have two children: L. C. Wilson and Mrs. Maggie Johnson.

JASPER COUNTY.

JAMES HENDERSON, planter, Monticello, Jasper Co., Ga., son of James and Sarah (Bolton) Henderson, was born in Jasper county, Sept. 12, 1828. His great-grandfather was a native of Scotland, and came to North Carolina, where he married. He had one son, William, who married Miss Hannah John-

JASPER COUNTY SKETCHES.

433

son, migrated to Georgia, and settled in Wiikes county, where he raised a family of six children, none of whom is now living, namely: James; Henry; William; Elisha; John; and Dorothy, who married William Simmons. Elisha and Wil- liam were soldiers in the war of 1812-14 and James and William were Baptist preachers. His grandmother lived to be ninety years of age. Mr. Henderson's father was married in Oglethorpe county, Oct. 10, 1811, lived several years in Wilkes county, moved in 1818 to Jasper county and settled between two and three miles from Monticello. He afterward moved to where the subject of this sketch now lives. He was a prosperous planter-one whose unimpeachable recti- tude of character won and kept the entire confidence of the people. He was a Primitive Baptist preacher, gained a wide reputation within his denomination, and was a prominent and influential member of it. He died April 1, 1858, and his wife died March 7, 1862. To this union there were born ten children, all of whom were raised to maturity except Caroline, who died in infancy; Christian H. (deceased); Jemima A., widow of a Mr. Dodson, Sumter county, Ga .; Carolina B. (deceased); William C., West Point, Ga .; Sarah A. (deceased); James, subject of this sketch; Emily, wife of John F. Childs, Forsyth, Ga .; Isaac W., Jasper county; Martha V., wife of John M. Gibbs, Social Circle, Ga. Mr. Henderson has passed his life on his plantation in Jasper county, content with the life and income incident to the industrious pursuit of agriculture. When the war began he enlisted in a company that went from Monticello, of which he was made first lieutenant. His company was in nearly every important battle-twenty-three in all-including Sharpsburg, Antietam, Wilderness, Gettysburg, etc. The first battle he was in his company lost heavily, after which he was promoted to a captaincy. He received a peculiar wound in a peculiar way at the second battle of the Wilderness, May 8, 1864. He was lying down ready to make a charge, when he was hit on the top of his head by a minie ball, in consequence of which he lay at the point of death for many weeks. The indentation made by this ball, large and deep enough to receive a walnut, still remains in his head. He has the reputation of having been utterly fearless in battle. After the war he resumed his favorite pursuit, which he has diligently followed since. In 1890 he was elected to represent the county in the general assembly-the beginning and end- ing of his public service. He has a fine plantation of 500 acres, after having divided a like number of acres among his children. Capt. Henderson was mar- ried in Jasper county, Nov. 16, 1853, to Miss Miranda, daughter of Robert Sparks, a member of another early and prominent family. To them the following named children were born: Sarah L. (deceased); Robert E. (deceased); Elesiff T. (deceased); Irwin A., single, at home; Wallace H., Jasper county; Minnie, wife of A. S. Walker, Putnam county; Charles Lee, merchant, Monticello; James B., young man, at home. He is a strong and influential member of the Primitive Baptist church.

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. II, Part 62

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