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 113

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 113

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Phineas M. Savery, attorney at law, real estate and general insurance agent, is the senior member of the firm of P. M. & F. M. Savery, one of the most successful insurance agencies in the state. He is a native of New England, born in Massachusetts, July 30, 1830, a son of Dr. Phineas and Nancy (Messinger) Savery, natives of the same state. The said Dr. Phineas Savery was a leading physician of Attleboro, Mass., and a son of Phineas Savery who was born April 8, 1757, and married Hannah Swift in 1796. Samuel Savery, born August 18, 1718, was the father of the first Phineas Savery. They were of French descent. The father of our subject died in Massachusetts, and the mother died when he was an infant. He was reared and educated in his native state, receiving a practical business training. At the age of sixteen years he went to New York city, and thence to Mexico. In 1851 he returned to the United States, and settled in Clay county, Mo. He was employed as a clerk until 1853, when he was married to Miss Amanda G., the eldest daughter of Henry F. Mitchell, a native of Maryland, and a leading attorney of the state of Missouri. Soon after marriage Mr. Savery took up the study of law, and was admitted to the bar in 1858. When the war broke out between the North and the South, he joined the state troops, in which service he attained the rank of colonel, as provost-marshal-general of the state. In 1862 he entered the service of the Confederate States as captain of cav- alry; was for a short time a major, as provost-marshal-general of army of the West and trans-Mississippi department, then resumed his place as captain of the Western rangers, a company of Missourians who went into service in May, 1861, and remained until the final surrender. After the fall of Vicksburg this company was consolidated with the Second Missouri cavalry, and was known as company C, of that regiment. In 1865 Mr. Savery resided in Memphis engaged as clerk and special collector. In 1866 he moved to Baldwyn, Miss., and went into business as commercial representative in Mississippi of University Publishing company of New York for a short time, then commenced the practice of law. In 1868 he entered into the life insurance business and in 1870 that of fire, since which time he has made insurance a specialty and confined his law practice to collection of claims. He moved to Tupelo in 1888, and still resides there, representing eighteen of the leading insurance companies of the United States. Mr. Savery takes great interest in societies and

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fraternities. As a Mason he has filled the highest office in each of the several grand bodies of Ancient York Masonry in Mississippi and is a member of Royal Solomon lodge at Jerusalem. He belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Knights of Honor, Knights of Golden Rule, etc., in each of which orders he has been highly honored. Mr. and Mrs. Savery are the parents of three children now living: Charles V., Finnie M. and Mary A. F. F. M. Savery is a partner in his father's business of insurance and real estate. One son, James M., died at the age of twenty-three years. Politically Mr. Savery and sons adhere to the principles of the democratic party. He and his wife and daughter are members of the Christian church or Church of the Disciples.

Capt. W. H. Scales, merchant of Macon, Miss. As a man of business Mr. Scales' repu- tation has been an enviable one, and every step of his financial and commercial career has been illustrated with acts of liberality and kindness. He was born in Williamson county, Tenn., in February, 1840, to Dr. N. F. and M. A. (Webb) Scales, natives of the Old North state, who emigrated with their parents to Tennessee when the country was in a wild and unsettled condition. The paternal grandfather, John Scales, became a well-known citizen of Williamson county, where he followed the life of a planter until his death. Dr. N. F. Scales graduated from the Louisville Medical college and for some time practiced his pro- fession in Tennessee but in 1845 removed to Lowndes county, Miss., and located at Prairie Hill, where, in addition to practicing medicine, he carried on planting and merchandising successfully. He subsequently removed to Crawford, Miss., where he died in 1884, his wife's death occurring at the same place many years earlier, or in 1868. He was a man who com- manded respect and esteem from all who knew him, and professionally was one of the fore- most practitioners of the county. He and his wife became the parents of thirteen children, eight of whom are living: Mrs. E. Hosford, of Jackson, Tenn .; William H., of Macon; Thomas S., of Mobile, Ala. ; Walter W. and Mrs. C. E. Gay, of Starkville; Samuel S., of Crawford; Noah, of Macon; and Charles M., of Macon. After the death of the mother of these children the father took for his second wife Mrs. Brooks, by whom he became the father of three children: Ella, Mattie L. and Ewell. Three sons served in the Confederate army during the war: W. H., Dr. T. S. and W. W. Capt. William H. Scales was reared in Lowndes county, Miss., and received his education in private schools. He was reared to a mercantile life at Crawford, but upon the bursting of the war cloud in 1861, he at once became a member of company C, First Arkansas infantry, under Fagan, enlisting from Cam- den, Ark., to which place he had gone in 1860 and opened a mercantile establishment. He entered the service as a lieutenant, but after the battle of Shiloh he was promoted to a cap- taincy. He was at the battles of Manassas, Perryville, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga and was also in all of the Georgia campaign, under Gen. J. E. Johnston, the battles of Spring Hill and Franklin, Tenn., and Bentonville, N. C. He was slightly wounded at Murfreesboro, and Franklin. After the surrender he returned to Mississippi, and began merchandising at Crawford, removing to West Point in 1872, and in 1878 to Mobile, Ala. In this city he was a successful cotton factor until 1888, when he became a resident of Macon, Miss., where he has since made his home, with the exception of two seasons, which were spent at West Point in purchasing cotton. He is interested in a large mercantile establishment in Macon, estab- lished by his brother Noah, and owing to the honorable business methods they have always practiced and to their desire to please their patrons, they have built up a paying trade. He is also largely interested in planting, and in connection with his brother is cultivating about twelve hundred acres of their own lands in Noxubee county. Captain Scales was ' married, in 1861, to Miss Sallie Flowers, of Arkansas, by whom he has four children: William

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F., Lucius M., Anna E. and Mamie F. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and with this church he has been prominently identified for many years. To show the extent of his mercantile operations, it is but necessary to state that he is a mem ber of the firm of W. W. Scales & Co., of Starkville, Miss., and of S. S. Scales & Co., of Crawford, Miss., besides his business at Macon.

Thomas M. Scanlan, Newton, Miss. Edward Scanlan, deceased, was born in Cecil county, Md., about the year 1816. When he was four years of age his parents removed to Philadelphia, Penn., where he lived until the age of sixteen. He then went to Port Gibson, Miss., and in the year 1835 he located at the town of Union, the site of which was at that time in the northern part of Newton county; he embarked in mercantile pursuits, and con- tinned there and in Decatur for ten or twelve years. He then removed to a point within a few miles of the present site of Newton, where he engaged in planting. He was a devout Roman Catholic, and politically he was identified with the Whig party. He took an active interest in all public questions, but would not accept a public office. He married Miss Sarah, daughter of Wellington Blalack, one of the pioneer settlers of Newton county. Of this union nine children were born, five of whom are still living. Edward Scanlan's father, Dr. James Scanlan, was a native of Maryland and a well-known planter and physician of Cecil county. He was largely interested in real estate in Pittsburgh, Penn., and Charlottes- ville, Va., and was a successful dealer. Thomas M. Scanlan, the subject of this notice, is the son of Edward and Sarah (Blalack) Scanlan. He was born in Newton county, Miss., in 1845, and grew to maturity in the county of his birth. He was reared to the occupation of a farmer, and attended the common schools of that day. Although they had not then reached their present advanced state, he acquired a practical knowledge which fitted him for all the duties which have fallen to his lot. At the tender age of sixteen years he entered upon the arduous labors of a soldier's life, enlisting in the Thirteenth Mississippi volunteer infantry, and served from 1861 until the battle of Gettysburg; in that engagement he was wounded and captured. He was afterward paroled, and returned to his home. After the war he resumed his mercantile interests, and has since been connected with that line of busi- ness. He has a general store at Newton, and does an extensive business. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and also of the Knights of Honor, belonging to the lodges at Newton. He is an active member of the Presbyterian church, giving a liberal and hearty support to all its efforts in the cause of the Master. Mr. Scanlan was united in marriage, in 1872, to Miss Bettie Murphy, of Macon, Miss. This union has been blessed by the birth of eight children, seven of whom are still living.

Hon. Isaac W. Scarborough is an able attorney of Kosciusko, Miss. He was born near Tarboro, Edgecombe county, N. C., April 17, 1816, his father, John R. Scarborough, being a native of the same state and county, and his grandfather, a native of Wales. The latter immigrated to the states at an early day, and settled in North Carolina, afterward serving with distinction in the Revolutionary war, holding the rank of major. He and a brother, William S., who settled in New York, are said to be the ancestors of all of that name in the United States. John R. was reared to manhood in North Carolina, and was married there to Miss Nancy M. Watkins, a native of Nash county, N. C., and in 1832 moved with his family to Alabama, where he made his home for several years. In 1838 he moved to Mississippi, and settled in Attala county, locating on the Big Black river, where he opened a large plantation, and resided until his death, January 30, 1846. His widow sur- vived him until October, 1847, when she was called from life. Isaac W. Scarborough spent his youth in his native state and Alabama, receiving a fair education in Greene county of

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the latter state. After becoming sufficiently qualified, he began teaching school in Alabama, but in February, 1839, came to Mississippi, and for three years was engaged in merchandis- ing, near the present town of Durant. In 1844 he removed to Kosciusko, which was then a village of about two hundred people, and here sold goods for several years. In November, 1847, he was elected to the position of probate clerk, in which capacity he served by re-elec- tion for over eleven years, and during this time showed an aptitude for the position which the citizens of the county were not slow to recognize. In 1862 his numerous friends elected him to the position of probate judge, and he served until removed by order of the government, in 1868. Prior to this, Mr. Scarborough had been a close student of law, and in 1869 he was admitted to the bar, and until a short time since when he retired he practiced his pro- fession with great success. Of late years he has been devoting his attention to planting, and has now a good plantation near the town, which, when he settled here, was covered with a heavy growth of timber. He married in Attala county, in 1848, Miss Lucy J. Harrison, a daughter of John E. Harrison, a pioneer of this state, from Virginia. Mrs. Scarborough was born and reared in Orange county, Va., and has borne her husband twelve children: Otis W. , an attorney of Arkansas; Othello C., a physician of that state; Fenton G., wife of J. W. Fletcher, a druggist of Batesville, Ark. ; Isaac W., Jr., a dentist of Nashville, Tenn., and Lucy Lee, a young lady at home. Six children died in infancy, and Sule Sims died April 22, 1884, at the age of twenty-one years. Judge Scarborough and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he is steward and trustee, having held these posi- tions since joining the church in 1855. He attends all district conferences as a delegate, and is very active in church work. In 1847 he became a member of the A. F. & A. M., and is now a Knight Templar, serving as master and high priest. He has been a delegate to all the grand lodges of the state since 1849, and has always been a very enthusiastic Mason. He has always been an exemplary citizen, and is highly honored by his neighbors and friends as one of the finest and most useful citizens of the county.

John W. Scarborough, M. D., is an eminent, skillful and experienced physician and surgeon of Kosciusko, Miss., and although he has resided in Attala county, Miss., since 1838, he was born in Edgecombe county of the Old North state in March, 1821. He is a son of John R. and Nancy M. (Watkins) Scarborough, for a sketch of whom see biography of Hon. Isaac W. Scarborough. Dr. John W. Scarborough attained manhood in Attala county, and with his father followed the calling of a planter. He was given the advantages of the schools of Carroll and Attala counties, and was also instructed by private tutors. He began the study of medicine with Dr. Bates, and took his first course of lectures at New Orleans in 1843-4, after which he practiced in Attala county, and again attended lectures during the winter of 1844-5, finishing the course in the spring of the latter year. After practicing until 1848 he entered the St. Louis Medical college, from which he gradu- ated in the class of 1849, and has since been an active and highly successful medical practi- tioner of Kosciusko, and is the oldest resident physician of the place. He has served in the capacity of county physician, and as he has devoted the greater part of his life to healing the sick, and has met with the best of success, he has received a portion of his reward in this world, for he has the confidence, respect and love of his fellowmen, and the conscious- ness that he has driven sorrow and despair from many homes by his skill and talent as a physician. He has been married three times, first in Attala county in 1842 to Mrs. Mc- Carter, who died a few weeks after their marriage. He next married Miss Martha E. Hanson, who died in 1873, and his third union was consummated in Kosciusko, his wife being Mrs. (Campbell) Nash, a sister of Judge Nash. The Doctor is a member of the

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Methodist Episcopal church, but his wife is a Presbyterian. He belongs to the A. F. & A. M., in which he has attained to the chapter.

Emile Schaefer, Yazoo City, Miss., was born in Hanover, Germany, February 24, 1839, and is a son of Philip and Hannah (Benham) Schaefer. When he was a child his parents emigrated to America, and located in Biloxi, Harrison county, Miss. The father was edu- cated in Germany, and received that thorough mental training for which the German nation is justly noted. All his life he has been engaged in mercantile pursuits, and has been fairly successful. He is still a resident of Biloxi, where he is an honored and respected citizen. Emile was reared in this place, and received his education there and in the city of New Orleans. When he was fourteen years of age he accepted a position as office boy in New Orleans, and was soon promoted with an increase of salary. In 1858 he went into business with his father, the partnership continuing until the war. He then enlisted in company A, Third Mississippi volunteer infantry, and served through the entire conflict. After peace was declared he came to Yazoo City, where he became an active member of commercial cir- cles. He embarked in the dry goods trade, and by the exercise of excellent judgment he rapidly accumulated a comfortable fortune. In 1883 he disposed of these interests, and began planting, in which he has met with equal success. In 1886 he invested in the Yazoo Oil works, being elected treasurer of the corporation; these duties he has discharged faith- fully and efficiently ever since. He owns about fifteen hundred acres of land in the Yazoo delta, and makes about two hundred and fifty bales of cotton annually. Politically he affiliates with the democratic party, of which he is one of the leaders in Yazoo county. He was a mem- ber of the city council for several terms, and was chairman of the democratic county com- mittee; he served on the board of supervisors for two terms, and in all these positions he has proven himself worthy of the confidence reposed in him. He is a Mason of high standing, and has been Master of his lodge for years. He belongs to the I. O. O. F., and has filled some of its most important offices, among them those of grand high priest and deputy grand master of the grand lodge of Mississippi, I. O. O. F., as well as K. of H. In social, political and commercial circles he has been honored with positions of trust Mr. Schaefer was married in 1860 to Caroline Weinschenk, a native of Louisiana, and a daughter of Solomon Weinschenk, who was born in Germany. She died in 1873, leaving five children: Valerie, Stella, Florence, Elvine and Cuthbert; three are married and live in Vicksburg and Hazlehurst, Miss. In 1877 Mr. Schaefer was married again to Julia Marx, who was born in Germany. This union resulted in the birth of four children: Marx, Hilda, Adeline and Solomon.

Chancellor Charles Scott was born in Knoxville, Tenn., on November 12, 1811. He was a descendant of a Virginia family noted for its production of many distinguished soldiers and eminent statesmen. He first began the practice of law in Nashville, Tenn., where he married and soon afterward removed to Jackson, Miss., and there pursued his profession in copartnership with George S. Yerger, who had married his sister. This firm was eminently successful, and enjoyed distinguished reputation; and the ability and stanch integrity of Charles Scott, together with his high sense of honor and amiability of character, commended him so highly to the people, that in a few years he was elected to the office of chancellor of Mississippi, and long presided over the superior court of chancery with great ability, and with the universal commendation of both bar and people. It was he who first rendered the decree in the great case of Johnson vs. the state of Mississippi, establishing the liability of the state for the payment of the bonds of the Union bank, that case having been first instituted in the chancery court; and notwithstanding that the popular sensibilities

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were adverse to the result, the ability, purity and sincere integrity which characterized bis decision caused it to be generally received as a satisfactory emanation of conscientious duty. It was affirmed by the high court of errors and appeals. In 1859 Chancellor Scott removed to Memphis, Tenn., where he conceived a broader and more prolific field was presented to the practice of his profession, which he there entered upon with the opening prospects of a brilliant career, but so soon as the clouds of the war began to gather along the horizon he returned, in 1861, to Jackson, Miss., determined to cast his lot with his adopted state in the impending struggle. He had been a devoted friend of the Union, but when Mississippi seceded he promptly yielded to the demands of duty, and his heart and hand became warmly enlisted in her cause. He lived, however, but a short time after his return to Jackson, where he died, and was buried by his beloved brethren of the Masonic fraternity. Chancellor Scott was a most devoted Mason, and as such had a national reputation. He was for many years master of Silas Brown lodge, in Jackson, and afterward was grand master of the grand lodge of Mississippi. Chancellor Scott was not only an ardent, thorough student of the law, but he was also a ripe classical scholar, and was familiar with the standard poets and writers of modern times, particularly surpassing most of his contemporaries in his knowledge of that greatest of all modern poets, Shakespeare. His researches had even extended farther, and much of his time was devoted to sacred writers, while his knowledge of the Bible was thorough and extensive. His studies in this direction had convinced him of all the truths of religion, and he was an exemplary Christian. This sentiment pervaded his whole nature, and quickened a tender conscientiousness and amiability, which not only rendered him an orna- ment to society, but especially fitted him for the high office of chancellor. He was a man of noble candor and knightly courtesy, gentle and affable in his manners, devoted to his friends, unwearied in the performance of duty, and unswerving in fidelity to his high trust. A bright Mason, he cherished the virtue of charity ; a cultivated lawyer, he loved the principles of justice; an able and upright judge, he promulgated the purest doctrines of equity, and a good man, his heart flowed in sympathy and generosity toward his fellowmen. Many of his comrades and friends are still living in Mississippi, and cherish his memory with sincere affection.

E. M. Scott, general manager of the Rosedale Grocery and Commission company, is a native of Jackson, Miss., born in 1842, and a son of Hon. Charles Scott (see sketch). He was educated in his native state and the University of Nashville, leaving the latter institu- tion to enter the Confederate army in the spring of 1861. He enlisted in company K, Eighteenth Mississippi regiment, and was in the battles of Manassas, Ball's Bluff and Rich- mond. He was subsequently promoted and ordered to the western army as aid-de-camp to Gen. David W. Adams' Louisiana brigade, army of Tennessee. He was in the battles of Perryville, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, and later in northern Alabama, where he participated in the New Hope Church battle and the Selma engagement. At the time of the surrender he was at Jackson, Miss., and after this he went to Vicksburg, where he clerked in the Prentiss hotel for fifteen months. He then went to Jackson, and was in Hotel Edwards for three years. In 1874 he embarked in merchandising, continuing at this in Jackson until 1887, when he came to Rosedale and carried on the same business until January 1, 1891, when he became manager for the Rosedale Grocery and Commission company, a large mercantile cor- poration of that town, of which his brother, Charles Scott, is president. The value of the stock is $30,000 and the store is one of the largest in the delta, if not in the county. Mr. Scott has been twice married, first, in 1867, to Miss Josephine Julienne, of Jackson, Miss., and daugh- ter of Louis Julienne, an old resident of the latter place. Mrs. Scott died in 1874, leaving

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three children: Julienne, Charles and Edward M., Jr. Mr. Scott's second marriage was to Miss Eula Buckner, of this state, by whom he became the father of five children: Laura, Lizzie, Frank, Ida and Malcomh. Mr. and Mrs. Scott are members of the Catholic church. Mr. Scott predicts a prosperous future for Rosedale. He has chosen this city as his per- manent home, and in 1890 erected one of the finest residences here.

George Y. Scott, sheriff of Bolivar county, Miss., is a painstaking, capable and zealous official, and is well qualified for the position, not only on account of his sound judgment but for his self-command and coolness in personal danger. He was born in Jackson, Miss., in 1845, the second of seven children born to Charles and Elizabeth M. (Bullus) Scott, for a sketch of whom see sketch of Hon. Charles Scott. In his native city George Y. was reared, but also spent a considerable portion of his youth in Memphis, Tenn., and received his education in the Nashville military college, which institution he left to enter the Confederate army at the early age of sixteen years. He served for two years as a private in company K, Wirt Adams' cavalry regiment, aud was in the bloody battles of Shiloh, Bear Creek and Jackson, besides numerous sharp minor engagements and skirmishes. When Colonel Adams was made brigadier-general, Mr. Scott was promoted to first lieutenant and served through- out the remainder of the war as his aid-de-camp, and was afterward with Johnston and Hood until the close of the war, and at the time of General Lee's surrender he was at Gaines- ville, Ala. Mr. Scott immediately returned to Jackson, Miss., but soon after located in Vicksburg, as a clerk in the postoffice, where he remained for two years. At the end of this time he determined to try a different line of work, and with this end in view moved to Wash ington county, Miss., and engaged in planting on Deer creek. In 1870 he began the study of law in the office of Nugent & Yerger, at Greenville, and was admitted to the bar at Memphis, Tenn., and began the practice of his profession in Bolivar county, where he located in 1871. Two years later he formed a partnership with his brother Charles, with whom he remained associated until 1881. Two years later he was elected sheriff and tax collector of Bolivar county, and so ably in every way did he discharge the duties of this position that he was re-elected to the position in 1885-7 and 1889, which fact speaks volumes as to his popularity. He is interested in all measures of reform, and every movement for the improvement of the county or for the benefit of mankind finds in him a hearty and willing supporter. In 1873 Miss Lettie M. Baldwin of this county became his wife, and their union has resulted in the birth of a daughter, Annie B. Mrs. Scott is a daughter of George C. Baldwin, of Natchez, he, as well as his wife, being an early resident of Mississippi, his wife being a sister of Gov. Charles Clarke of this state. Mrs. Scott is an intelligent and amiable lady, is a kind and devoted wife and mother, and is an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Scott is a member of the A. F. & A. M., the Knights of Pythias and the Knights of Honor. In 1872, in connection with his brother Charles, he built the first land office and was the first lawyer of Rosedale, and the reputation he has gained as an attorney has been acquired largely through his own individual efforts, and at the expense of diligent study and hard practical experience. He erected him a pleasant and comfortable residence in 1886, an excellent two-story brick store in 1888, and in 1890 a two-story frame store build- ing. He is one of the stockholders in the Bank of Rosedale and also of the Rosedale Grocery and Commission company. Mr. Scott is of a very practical turn of mind, and his career from an humble beginning in life to the present position which he occupies has been one of honor and reflects great credit upon him. In 1891 Mr. Scott received the demo- cratic nomination for state senator from Bolivar county. The nomination being equivalent to election, it is reasonable to suppose that he will serve his county for the next four years as senator.

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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 113

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