Biographical and historical memoirs of Mississippi, embracing an authentic and comprehensive account of the chief events in the history of the state and a record of the lives of many of the most worthy and illustrious families and individuals, Vol. II, Part 100

Author: Goodspeed Brothers
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago, Goodspeed
Number of Pages: 1314

USA > Mississippi > Biographical and historical memoirs of Mississippi, embracing an authentic and comprehensive account of the chief events in the history of the state and a record of the lives of many of the most worthy and illustrious families and individuals, Vol. II > Part 100

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Capt. William Ratliff was born in Madison county, Miss., in 1832, a son of John Ratliff, a native of Tennessee. The latter removed to Alabama early in life, where he married Miss Catherine Densou, after which he resided for one year in Rankin county, Miss. At the end of this time he moved to Madison county, where he operated a plantation and kept hotel on the old Natchez road. In 1835 he moved to Rankin county, and during the year 1849 he died. He accumulated considerable wealth, sufficient to give his children a good start in life, and also saw that they received fair educations. William Ratliff received his initiatory training in the common schools, and finished his education at St. Mary's college of Bardstown, Ky. Upon finishing his collegiate course he devoted his attention to the management of his plantation until the opening of the war. On the great issue that gave rise to the war, Mr. Ratliff stood with a great number of the best men of his section in favor of secession, for which his first vote was cast. Early in 1861 he enlisted as a private in com- pany A, Eighteenth Mississippi regiment, and was assigned to duty in General Lee's army. In the winter of 1862 he was elected first lieutenant of the company, and was afterward promoted to captain. His career as a soldier was marked by intrepidity and courage, and he was highly respected and esteemed by his superior officers, as well as those beneath him in rank. At the time of the surrender he was in charge of a brigade, and he refused to surrender until his little remaining squad was literally overpowered, even then refusing to surrender his sword to a Federal lieutenant who demanded it, telling him that he would not surrender to an officer beneath him in rank. After the war he conducted a mercantile estab- lishment for a short time at Forest, Miss., and in 1866 opened a similar business in Brandon, which he managed with remarkable success until he was burned out in 1868, from which he suffered a complete loss of everything invested in the business. After this unfortunate cir- cumstance Captain Ratliff again took charge of his plantation, to which he has since given his chief attention. He has prospered, and is now the possessor of about eighteen hundred acres of land, well improved and stocked. In addition to this he also owns a store, and does a business that is constantly on the increase. For many years he has taken an active interest in local and state affairs, and in 1880 he was elected a member of the state senate, serving one term. While a member of that body he was recognized as an able, conscientious and incorruptible member, and did admirable service for his section. He has recently been solicited by many friends throughout Rankin county to allow his name to be used as a candidate for the senate for the ensuing term, and should he be elected he will be ranked among the leading members of that body. He has been married twice, his first wife being Miss Margaret Lucy, who died one year after their marriage, in 1860. In 1868 he was wedded to Miss Jennie Cavit, of Hinds county, by whom he has three sons and seven daughters.

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Rev. William P. Ratliff is a Mississippian but was born in Leake county, on the 9th of February, 1847, his father, Z. L. Ratliff, being a native of Alabama. The latter took up his abode in Mississippi about 1828, and until he attained manhood he was a resident of Madi- son county. When a young man he became one of the early settlers of Leake county, and was married to Miss Sarah L. Adams, a member of a well known pioneer family of Attala county. Her father was a prominent member of the Methodist church, in which he was for many years a class leader. Z. L. Ratliff farmed up to 1856 in Leake county, at the end of which time he located and now resides in Attala county. He has been very successful as a planter, and is now in good circumstances. He is one of the stewards of the Methodist Episcopal church, is a member of the A. F. & A. M., and is a public-spirited and law abiding citizen. He served in the Confederate army for a short time under Colonel George. Rev. William P. Ratliff is the eldest of his five sons and five daughters, all of whom are living and all of whom are heads of families, with the exception of three. Mr. Ratliff attained manhood in Attala county, and received his primary education in the common schools. The war came up and he joined the Confederate forces in 1863, first going into the service as a substitute for his father, but afterward joining on his own account. He became a member of Colonel Lay's regiment, Adams' brigade, and did service in Louisiana until the close of the war. After its close he returned home and engaged in planting in Attala county, and on the 22d of October, 1868, he was united in marriage to Miss Cornelia B. Mitchell, a daughter of Albert Mitchell, a member of one of the old families of the county. Mr. Ratliff was left destitute at the close of the war and had to once more commence the battle of life for himself. Being a good manager and full of pluck he fought the battle of life bravely and successfully, and although his first purchase was small and on time, he succeeded in paying off the debt and soon after purchased more land. He now has three good plantations, comprising one thou- sand one hundred acres of land, and is one of the thriftiest planters of the county. One of the plantations is located near Ethel and on this place about eleven acres are devoted to straw- berries, at the raising of which Mr. Ratliff has had remarkable success. In 1866 he joined the Methodist church and in 1878 was licensed to preach, since which time he has been a local preacher and is one of the prominent and leading members of the church in Kosciusko. He is a member of the A. F. & A. M., and in his political views is a democrat. He has held several local political positions in the county, and in 1875 was elected county assessor and made two assessments of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Ratliff are the parents of the following children: Anna L., Mary Belle, Sudie, John B., Zach M., Katie E., Florence C., Albert W., Pinkney and Grady. Mr. Ratliff purchased some excellent residence property in Kosciusko in 1890, and moved with his family to town in September of that year, for the purpose of giving his children the advantages of the town schools. He is, himself, mostly self-educated since coming to years of maturity. He has a well-selected library, and keeps well posted on the current topics of the day. He is progressive, enterprising and successful as a business man, and is a superior manager and a shrewd financier. He is very kindly and social in his manners, and is a man whom to know is to honor.

Capt. William C. Raum is one of the leading citizens of Vicksburg, Miss., but was born in Charleston, Jefferson county, Va., in 1829, being the second child born to the union of William C. Raum and Elizabeth Moody, both of whom were born in the Keystone state, the father being reared and educated in Cannonsburg. He studied medicine at Baltimore, graduating from a fine medical institution of that city, and his first practice was done in Gettysburg. After a time he moved to Charleston, Va., where he made his home until his death, being one of the leading medical practitioners of this town, His ancestors were of

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German descent and were early settlers of what is now Shippensburg, Penn., his grandfather having been born in that town. The Moody family are of Irish lineage and became resi- dents of Pennsylvania during colonial times, the grandfather. Rev. John Moody, being born at Shippensburg on the 4th of July, 1776. Dr. William C. Raum died in 1863, but his widow survived him until 1888, when she died at her old home in Virginia. They were earnest members of the Presbyterian church, in which the father had been an elder. Capt. William C. Raum received his education in Charleston academy and began life as a clerk in Virginia. In 1848 he came to Vicksburg, Miss., and after working as clerk for some time engaged in the dry goods business for himself, but at the end of two years turned his atten- tion to auctioneering and the real estate business, which callings he continued to follow until the opening of the war. Although opposed to secession, when Mississippi withdrew from the Union he remained true to what he considered her interests, and in 1861 raised a com- pany for the Confederate army and entered the service as a first lieutenant. In about one month he was chosen captain of the company and participated in the engagements at Shiloh, Perryville, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Franklin, and all the battles of the Georgia campaign. He was paroled at Greensboro, N. C., after which he returned to Vicksburg, and for two years followed the calling of a planter, being compelled to commence anew the battle of life, as nearly all his property had been swept away during the war. After giving up planting, he followed the calling of a clerk for a short time, and then secured an interest in a steamboat and became captain of the Era, No. 8, which plied on the Sunflower and Yazoo rivers. He continued as a steamboat captain for about seven years, then devoted one year to the auction and furniture business. In 1878 he was made deputy United States revenue collector for his district, and filled this position to the satisfaction of all concerned until 1881, when he was appointed United States marshal for the southern district of Mississippi by President Arthur, and held the office for four years. In the month of April, 1890, he took charge of a trader ship in the Indian territory, but one year later, in the month of May, he entered the postoffice of Vicksburg as assistant postmaster, the duties of which position he is still discharging. He was married in 1852 to Miss Ann Gwinn, a native of Virginia, who came to Vicksburg in youth, dying in Mississippi in 1865. The Captain's second marriage took place in 1866, to Miss Augusta Henshaw, a daughter of Major Henshaw, of Louisiana, and resulted in the birth of five children, who are living: William C., who is chief clerk of the Singer Sewing Machine company of Mississippi and Louisiana; Emma, wife of Dr. Sherard, Vicksburg; Elizabeth, Jennie and John. The family are regular attendants at church, and although Captain Raum is not a member of any religious organization he gives liberally of his means in their sup- port. In appearance he is of medium stature, rather portly, has gray hair and mustache, and possesses agreeable and courteous manners. Raumville is a beautiful suburb in the southern part of Vicksburg, consisting, originally, of about twenty-seven acres, on which many handsome residences have been built. It is proving very popular as a residence sec- tion, for it overlooks the river, and the view, as far as the eye can reach, abounds in beautiful scenery. It was laid out and named by Captain Raum, who now owns some fifteen of its dwellings. His own residence, which is in this suburb, is a very handsome one, and is sur- rounded by fine old forest trees.

Maj. John Rawle, who is a leading business man of the city of Natchez, Miss., was born at Point Plaquemine, La., August 21, 1837, being the youngest son of the late Judge Edward Rawle and Appolina S. C. Saul, daughter of Joseph Saul, of New Orleans. Judge Edward Rawle was born in Germantown, a suburb of Philadelphia, September 22, 1797, but was mar- ried in the city of New Orleans on April 19, 1827, his wife dying on February 27, 1844. The

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Judge departed this life at New Orleans November 4, 1880. He was a graduate of the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania on January 15, 1815, having been one of the founders of the Philo- mathean society of that institution in 1813. January 2, 1823, he was admitted to the Phila- delphia bar and afterward became a member of the Washington Benevolent society of Philadelphia, and on February 22, 1823, he delivered the annual address on Washington, before that body. In 1824 he moved to New Orleans, at which place he became the founder of the public-school system, and was a member of the first school board of the second munici- pality, acting as its president for many years. He was one of the founders, and a life mem- ber of the Second Municipal Public School Lyceum aud Library society of that city, and in 1839 was chosen attorney for the second municipality, in which office he served for several years. In 1856 he was elected a fellow of the New Orleans Academy of Science, and for many years he was a prominent member of the Keystone association of New Orleans, and for a portion of that time acted as its president. Prior to this he was appointed associate judge of the city court and upon his retirement from the bench he resumed the practice of law, which he continued until advancing years forced him to retire from active life. He was a man of high aspirations, of noble character, and his brilliant intellect was strengthened and enriched by the highest culture. His mind was well poised and analytical and the most difficult subjects were handled by him with ease. As a lawyer he was one of the most brilliant of his time and as an orator his style was pleasing, convincing and forcible, and impressed one at once with his depth of mind and breadth of views. His father was the distinguished jurist, William Rawle of Philadelphia, one of the honored and trusted friends of George Washington. He held the office of United States district attorney in Pennsylvania during that eventful era known as the whisky rebellion of that state, and in the prosecution resulting therefrom he acquitted himself with great distinction and ability. The crowning act of his life was his commentary upon the Federal constitution, written in 1787, in which he displayed remarkable judgment and a high order of statesmanship. So admirably were the objects of this work devised and so skillfully were they matured, that it became a standard text-book in many or all of the colleges of the United States at that time, and up to about 1860 was used in the military academy at West Point. A life-size medallion of himself now adorns Medallion hall in the beautiful municipal buildings of his native city, Philadelphia. This distinguished family is of English descent. An ancestor of the Ameri- can branch came to this country with, and was secretary for, William Penn. In 1724 one Francis Rawle, wrote a work on political economy entitled Ways and Means for the Inhabitants of Delaware to Become Rich. This book was the first that was ever printed by Benjamin Franklin. A reprint, for private distribution, was made in 1878, by William Brooke Rawle of Philadelphia, a copy of which, with the following letter, is full of interest, historically.

PHILADELPHIA, March 23, 1878.

MY DEAR UNCLE: I have had reprinted a few copies of a small book, or pamphlet, as we should call it in these days, written by our ancestor, Francis Rawle, who came over with his father in 1686, from Plymouth, Devonshire, to settle here. I send you a copy of it by book post. The only copy of the origi- nal was lost for some years, and has but recently been found. I have fulfilled a vow, that in case the book should ever turn up, I would thus save it from oblivion. The book is interesting for several reasons. Franklin told your father at Passy, in 1782, that this was the first book he ever printed with his own hand. It is supposed to have been the first book on political economy which issued from the press of this, if not of any American colony. When we consider that at the time it was written, 1724, there were few books and no libraries in this country, I think the work shows its author to have been a man of consider- able information and education.

Yours very sincerely,

WILLIAM BROOKE RAWLE.

HON. EDWARD RAWLE.

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The following extract from the life of Benjamin Franklin, by Jared Sparks, refers to the preceding:

"One day at his dinner table at Passy, France, surrounded by men of rank and fashion, a young gentleman was present who had just arrived from Philadelphia. He showed a marked kindness to the young stranger, conversed with him about friends he had left at home, and then said: 'I have been under obligations to your family; when I set up busi- ness in Philadelphia, being in debt for my printing materials, and wanting employment, the first job I had was a pamphlet written by your grandfather. It gave me encouragement, and was the beginning of my success.' " This young stranger was the Hon. William Rawle, grandfather of the immediate subject of this sketch. Maj. John Rawle was educated in New Orleans, and in 1853 began life as a mercantile clerk, but the coming clash of arms caused him to cast aside personal considerations to enlist as a private soldier, April, 1861, in the Louisiana guards, Drew's battalion, and he was promoted through the various grades until in June, 1863, he was made major, and was appointed chief of artillery in General For- rest's army. He was in many battles, and at all times was found in the performance of his duty, but providentially escaped without a wound. After the war was over he returned to New Orleans and embarked in the cotton commission business, but came to Natchez, Miss., in 1867 and began planting. In 1877 he founded his present business, that of an insurance and real estate agent, and as he is unerring iu his estimate of values, his judgment is sought and relied upon by capitalists, who consider him one of the most cautious as well as enter- prising and successful followers of the business. He is regarded as authority upon such matters throughout this section, and deals in all classes of property, from residence sites in towns to plantations in this and adjoining states. In his insurance branch he represents the best companies in the United States, and does a general business in life, fire, marine and tor- nado insurance. He is a practical business man in every sense of the word, possessed of untiring energy, and is one of the leading men of Natchez. By leniency, fair dealing and honest integrity he has won many warm friends. He was married in 1867 to Miss Elizabeth H. Stanton (see sketch of Stanton family), and to them seven children have been born: Juliet (wife of L. R. Martin), Bessie (wife of W. C. Martin), Ethel, Hulda, John, Jr., Georgie (deceased), and Cecil. Major Rawle and his family are members of the Episcopal church, and of this church he has been senior warden for many years. He is a member of the A. F. & A. M., the K. of H., the K. of P., the A. L. of H., and the I. O. O. F. He is president of the M., A. & G. railroad, and secretary of the Mississippi Valley railroad. He has never been in politics, but he has been active in agitating railroad projects and other public enterprises for Natchez, and several of them may yet be developed for the future pros- perity of this city. The Major's home is the mansion erected by his wife's father in 1857, and is one of the most beautiful and stately of Southern homes which were erected in ante bellum days. It is furnished throughout in almost royal magnificence, and here he and his wife dis- pense hospitality with true Southern generosity to the numerous friends who delight to gather beneath their roof-tree.

Dr. Robert W. Rea, a prominent physician and surgeon of Wesson, Miss., was born at Old Gallatin, the old county seat, in 1844, a son of George and Sarah (Simpson) Rea. His father was born in Clarion county, Penn., in 1808, and the mother in Feliciana parish, La., in 1813. The former received a moderate education in his native state, and there also acquired a knowledge of the tailor's trade. After leaving Pennsylvania, he worked as a journeyman tailor in New Orleans and Louisville, and in other places, finally locating at Gallatin about 1833. There he was married the following year, and lived during the balance

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of his life, gaining a reputation as an honest, upright and progressive citizen. He abandoned his trade, however, before the war, and engaged in planting, with such success that he accu- mulated considerable property. Previous to the war, he served his county as a member of the board of supervisors, as school commissioner, and in other official positions. Not long after the war he was appointed sheriff of the county, in which capacity he served for a short time. Though he was not identified with any church, he was a strictly moral man. He was a member of the A. F. & A. M. and I. O. O. F. He was a great reader, which rendered him conversant with general history and the Scriptures, and he was noted as being a fine conver- sationalist, and the fact that he was one of the pioneers of the county, made his reminiscences peculiarly interesting for the residents of this part of the state. He was one of seventeen children born to Joshua and Sarah Rea, who were born and passed their lives in Pennsyl- vania, though his father was of Scotch origin. Mrs. Rea is still living, and is possibly the oldest inhabitant of the county. She is the daughter of Samuel Simpson, who is thought to have been born in Kentucky, and gone from there to Louisiana, where his wife died while Mrs. Rea was an infant, and where he married again and remained, Mrs. Rea being brought by her aunt, Mary Cairns, while yet an infant, to Gallatin when central Mississippi was an almost unbroken wilderness and inhabited chiefly by wild animals and Indians. Mrs. Rea is the mother of twelve children, six of them yet living: Captain William, now circuit clerk of Copiah county (he was captain of company G, of the Twelfth Mississippi regiment, and served with the army of Virginia); George, deceased (he was first lieutenant of company G, of the Thirty-sixth Mississippi regiment, and died at Mobile, from the effects of a wound received at Nashville); Thomas, now at Port Gibson, was with company B, of the Twelfth Mississippi regiment during the entire war period; Dr. Robert W., our subject; Sarah E., wife of Capt. A. L. Ard; Anna, wife of Albert Carter; Ellen, who is unmarried. Dr. Robert received his primary education in the public schools. It was not until after the war that he was enabled to take advantage of better educational opportunities. In 1862 he joined com- pany G, of the Thirty-sixth Mississippi regiment, and fought at Farmington, Iuka, Corinth, Cold Water, and in the siege at Vicksburg; he was also with General Johnston's army at Resaca, Ga., and fought in the Atlanta campaign, and back under Hood to Franklin and Nashville, and on their retiring to Mobile, where he was detailed, and was located at Colum- bus, Miss., at the time of the surrender. During a portion of this time he held the rank of first sergeant. He was quite severely wounded at Corinth.

Returning home, he taught school and read medicine with Dr. William Shan, of Galla- tin; graduated from the Louisiana university of New Orleans in 1869. After practicing for a few months at Gallatin, he located at Wesson, where he has since resided, and built up a large and still growing practice, having come to be recognized as one of the leading physi- cians of the county, as well as one of its most prominent citizens. He is the owner of about seventeen hundred acres of good timbered and tillable land, all of which he has acquired by his own efforts. He is a member of the A. F. & A. M., and he and his family are members of and attendants upon the services of the Presbyterian church. He was married in 1874 to Rilla E., a daughter of Capt. William and Mary (Calloway) Oliver. Mrs. Rea was born in Georgia and educated at Staunton, Va. She has borne her husband eight children, five of whom are living. She is a womanof fine intellect and attractive social qualities, and is respected and admired by a large circle of friends. Her mother died in 1883. Her father, Captain Oliver, was born in Georgia in 1828, was reared there, and there was married at the age of nineteen. About this time he removed to Louisiana and engaged in merchandising, which he followed with marked success until the war, when he entered the Confederate serv-

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ice, serving in the quartermaster's department of the Western army, with a rank as captain, with great distinction until the close of the war. After the war he located at Trenton, La., and again engaged in trade as a general merchant. A short time afterward he became a partner of John T. Hardy, a prominent and wealthy commission merchant of New Orleans, who was also owner of the Mississippi mills at Wesson, Miss. In 1870 the Captain pur- chased an interest in these mills, which then constituted only a small factory compared with the dimensions of the present concern. The following year the original mills were burned, but they were at once rebuilt on a much larger scale. Since his connection with the mills the Captain has devoted his entire attention to their management, and it is due in no small degree to his extraordinary business capacity that they have become one of the most complete and extensive cotton and woolen factories in the South. The Captain is a born financier, and possesses an indomitable will and energy combined with the best natural abilities. These qualities, backed up by his long business experience, have naturally made the Captain a man of wealth. He has gained a wide reputation as being one of the foremost business men and financiers of the South. When Dr. Rea resumed the battle of life after the war, he found himself so broken in fortune as to be practically destitute, but his devotion to his pro- fession and business interests has been so great that he has attained not only the highest pro- fessional standing but ranks among the prominent business men of this section.

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Biographical and historical memoirs of Mississippi, embracing an authentic and comprehensive account of the chief events in the history of the state and a record of the lives of many of the most worthy and illustrious families and individuals, Vol. II, Part 100

Author: Goodspeed Brothers Publication date: 1891 Publisher: Chicago, Goodspeed Number of Pages: 1314

Author: Goodspeed Brothers
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago, Goodspeed
Number of Pages: 1314