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 155

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 155

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Augustus M. Wansley, Decatur, Miss., was born in Elbert county, Ga., in 1823, and is a son of Thomas and Jemimah (Means) Wansley, natives of Albemarle county, Va., and Elbert county, Ga., respectively. He grew to maturity in the county of his birth, and received his education in the common schools. In the days of the whig party he adhered to their principles, and cast his first vote for Henry Clay, when he was a candidate for president of the United States. Since the war, however, he has been an active democrat, energetically supporting all its measures. In 1853 he was married to Miss Theresa A. Harris, a native of

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South Carolina, and a daughter of James S. Harris. In 1857 he located in Newton county, Miss., near Decatur, and in 1867 he removed five miles north of Decatur. There he owns two hundred and eighty acres of land, one hundred of which he has placed in a high state of cultivation. In 1862 he enlisted in Captain Carleton's company, and served in the fight at Vicksburg, where he was captured; he was afterward paroled and came back home, but did not re-enlist. When the war closed he began planting again, and has been very prosperous. He has been prominently identified with the Masonic fraternity for thirty-five years, being a member of the lodge at Decatur. He and his wife are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. Mr. Wansley's farm is considered one of the most desirable in the county; it is the product of a long period of thought and labor, and is a satisfactory reward for all the effort that has been expended upon it. All his interests being agricultural he is naturally a strong Farmer's Alliance man, and is giving that body a hearty support.

William F. Ward, the father of Dr. Benjamin F. Ward, physician, Winona, Miss., was a native of South Carolina, and was of Irish parentage. He grew to manhood in his native state and was there married to Miss Martha Mecklin, also of Irish ancestry, and the daughter of Hugh Mecklin. Mr. Ward was one of the honest and successful yeomanry of his district and state, where he passed his uneventful life, dying when the Doctor was an infant. The Wards were nearly all members of the Presbyterian church, one of Mr. Ward's brothers being a minister of that denomination, but he also had a brother a minister in the Methodist church. Dr. Benjamin F. Ward, the youngest of five sons and two daughters, was brought by his mother to Mississippi in 1846, after the death of the father, and she settled in Cherokee county. There the Doctor spent his youthful days and received a primary education in the private schools. The Doctor, however, is principally self educated since reaching years of maturity. He went to Carroll county when a young man, taught school, and began the study of medicine. He took his first course of lectures in the University of Louisiana and his second course at Atlanta Medical college, from which he graduated in 1859. After com- pleting this course, the Doctor located in Carroll county, where he began the practice of his profession and this continued until the breaking out of the war. In 1861 he entered the Confederate service as a private, and soon after was promoted to the rank of surgeon and later brigade surgeon of Gen. Joseph R. Davis' brigade. He was made a member of the army medical board of health, serving his battalion all through the campaigns of Virginia, Mary- land and Pennsylvania. He was taken prisoner at Gettysburg and held five months at Fort McHenry at Baltimore. After being exchanged he rejoined his battalion. He surrendered with General Lee at Appomattox. After the war he located at Winona, and has been actively and successfully engaged in his practice since. He keeps thoroughly posted in his pro- fession, is a correspondent for a number of popular medical journals, and he often lectures, not only in medical, but other colleges in Mississippi. His reputation as a speaker, writer and lecturer is quite extended and he is often solicited to lecture in other states. An article, written by the Doctor, and published in 1886, was quite extensively copied and commented on both North and South. It was entitled the Old South, and was conceded to be a very able production. The Doctor is not only a physician and litterateur of prominence and ability, but is a man of excellent principles, and one who is held in the highest estimation by all whom he chances to meet. He is a member of the State Medical association and the state board of health. Although never an aspirant for office, he takes quite an active and promi- nent part in politics and is a strong advocate of his party. He was married on the 3d of June, 1886, to Miss Mary H. Hardeman, daughter of William Hardeman, of Tennessee, in which state Mrs. Ward first saw the light of day. She was left an orphan when but an

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infant, and was reared in Mississippi by an uncle. She and the Doctor are both members of the Presbyterian church. Their union has been blessed by the birth of four interesting children.

Among the professional men of prominence in Leake county, Miss., stands the name of Dr. B. N. Ward, physician and surgeon, Carthage, Miss., who was born in Edgecomb district, N. C., on the 2d of February, 1829. His father, Needham Ward, who was also a native of that state, grew to manhood and was married there to Miss Sallie Beaman, a daughter of Noah Beaman, who was also a native of the Old North state. Mr. Ward removed to Mississippi about 1833, settled in Noxubee county, and there followed farming for several years. In 1856 he moved to Leake county and continued his former occupation there until his death in 1858. His wife survived him until 1872. Their family consisted of three children, one of whom is deceased and only one besides our subject now surviving- Mrs. Martha Susan Smythe, a widow. Dr. Ward passed the first years of his life in Noxubee county, received a good education in the University of Alabama, and then studied medicine in Noxubee county. Later he attended lectures at the Medical College of the State of South Carolina, located in Charleston, graduating in the class of 1851. After this he located at Macon, where he engaged in the practice of his profession for about a year, and then removed to Winston county, Miss., where he remained till 1854, and in 1856 settled in Carthage, Miss. His sympathies were with the South, and he enlisted in the Confederate army in 1862, fortieth Mississippi infantry, as a private. He was soon promoted to regi- mental surgeon and served in that capacity until the close of the war. He served as brigade surgeon on the staff of General Featherston during the Georgia campaign. After cessation of hostilities the Doctor returned to Leake county, where he had located in 1856, and resumed the practice of his profession, and in 1858 he took a supplemental course at Tulane Medical college, New Orleans. Since that time the Doctor has practiced in Leake county, and has met with flattering success. In connection with his practice he has been engaged in merchandising, and is one of the largest merchants of the county. He is also the owner of a fine drug store. The Doctor is the chief health officer of Leake county. He is democratic in his political views and takes quite an active part in local politics. He has served as a delegate to numerous conventions, but is not an aspirant to office. He was married on the 18th of May, 1866, to Mrs. Caroline Sharkey, a native of Tennessee, and the daughter of Dr. James Dismukes. Mrs. Ward was reared and educated in Mississippi, and died here on the 19th of June, 1884, leaving three children: Benjamin N., a graduate of the University of Alabama, who after taking one course of lectures in the medical depart- ment of the University of Virginia will complete his medical education in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York; Sallie Agnes, wife of Dr. Frank D. Smythe, of Kosciusko, Miss., who is a young surgeon of fine promise; and Mattie C., a young lady now attending college. Dr. Ward is well read and posted on all subjects relating to the med- ical profession, and is a superior business man.

Enoch J. Ward, druggist, of Ellisville, Miss. This gentleman was born in Marion county, S. C., August 14, 1860. His parents were Enoch B. and Elizabeth J. (Gaddy) Ward, natives of Robertson county, N. C. They were married in South Carolina and sub- sequently returned to Robertson county, N. C., where they now live. They were the parents of eight children: Elizabeth E., Susan J., Enoch J., John W., Florence L., Katie P., Homer B. and Annie B. Enoch J. was educated in the public schools of Moore county, N. C., and afterward engaged in the drug and general merchandising business with his father and brother, at Rowland, N. C., for a number of years. In 1885 he began business for himself near

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that place, which he continued with considerable success until February, 1886, when he came to Ellisville and became a member of the drug firm of Peacock & Ward, Dr. W. M. Peacock being his partner until 1887, when Mr. Ward acquired his partner's interest and admitted J. J. Malady to a partnership in the enterprise. In November, 1888, he bought Mr. Malady's interest, and has since been sole proprietor. His drug store is the largest in the town, and he bas the reputation of being the ablest and most reliable druggist in the county. Polite and accommodating, he has won the esteem of all, and his devotion to his business is such that it absorbs all of his time and energy. He was married at Meridian, Miss., January 25, 1887, to Miss Mollie V. McClain, a daughter of Col. Robert McClain (deceased), a biograph- ical sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. Mrs. Ward was born in Enterprise, Miss., June 13, 1861, and is a highly accomplished and most popular lady. She has borne her husband two children: Edmund J., March 29, 1889, and Laura, September 11, 1890. Mr. Ward's interest in Ellisville is great, and since his residence here he has done his full share toward its development and improvement. In 1890 he was elected a member of the board of aldermen of the town, and as such served to the entire satisfaction of his fellow- citizens until the expiration of his term of office. Mr. and Mrs. Ward are members of the Presbyterian church, and contribute liberally toward the support of its several interests, doing so with great heartiness and an earnest desire to do their share in helping to make the world better.

George V. Ward is justly conceded to hold an enviable position among the successful planters of Washington county, and the admirable state of cultivation of his land has been brought about by his own earnest efforts, for although at the close of the war he was the owner of some real estate he had no means of working it, for all his slaves were freed and other help was next to an impossibility to obtain. With undaunted energy he commenced to build a home out of the wreck of his fortunes and now has a landed estate amounting to eight hundred acres, four hundred of which are under cultivation. His present residence, worth $12,000, was only saved from being swept away by the river (the land at that point caving in in an alarming manner) by razing it to the ground and moving it to another site. Mr. Ward was born in Scott county, Ky., April 25, 1832, the third of nine children born to Junius R. and Matilda (Vila) Ward, who were also born in that state. The father came to the state of Mississippi when quite a young man and located at Natchez, where he engaged in merchandising. In 1823 he purchased some land on Lake Washington, and until his demise, in 1886, followed the calling of a planter. He was for some time a member of what is now called the board of supervisors, and in other ways identified himself with every worthy interest of the county. His father, William Ward, was boru in Maryland and for a number of years was Indian agent to Mississippi for the Choctaw nation. George V. Ward was reared in Kentucky and received his education in the Western Military institute at George- town, one of his instructors being Hon. James G. Blaine. After giving his attention to his father's business for a number of years he began doing for himself at the age of twenty-five years, and has since been one of the leading planters of Washington county. In 1857 he was married to Miss Maria L. Williams, a native of Kentucky and a daughter of Minor and Mary C. (Viley) Williams, who were also Kentuckians. To Mr. Ward and his wife two children have been born: James W. and Junius R., Jr. Mr. Ward is a member of an old Kentucky family, but came to Mississippi when a boy, and has ever since made his home in this state, where he is highly esteemed and respected. (For further particulars of the Vileys see sketch of Merritt Williams.) Mr. Ward is of a social temperament and is a very agree- able and pleasant gentleman to meet.

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Junius R. Ward, planter, Erwin, owes his nativity to Washington county, Miss., his birth having occurred on the lake in 1844, and is the sixth child born to Junius R. and Matilda (Vila) Ward, the parents originally from the bluegrass regions of Kentucky. The father was perhaps the earliest settler on the lake, having located there about 1825, and began farming on a very extensive scale, becoming the owner of a magnificent plantation. He passed his summers in Kentucky, but returned to Washington county, Miss., to pass the winter months. He opened up several other places and became prominently identified with the agricultural interests of the county. He and wife both died in the year 1881. They were of representative families of Kentucky and were upright, honorable citizens. Junius R. Ward was reared in Kentucky, educated in the schools of that state and at the breaking out of the war enlisted in company B, Second Kentucky regiment, under Captain Breckin- ridge. He was in the bloody battle of Shiloh, in Morgan's command, with whom he remained for a year and a half. He then returned to his home in Mississippi and there remained until 1865, when he went to Kentucky. Shortly afterward he again returned to Mississippi and began planting for himself. In 1879 Mr. Ward bought his present plan- tation, consisting of six hundred acres, with two hundred acres under cultivation, and is one of the progressive men of the county. He is single and resides quietly at home.

Zack Wardlaw is one of the progressive and leading citizens of Hinds county, Miss., but was born in Warren county, of this state, December 22, 1844, the eldest of five children born to Zack Wardlaw, Sr., and his second wife, Falba L., who was the widow of a Mr. Wilkins, and the daughter of Thomas S. Moore, a native of Alabama. Mr. Wardlaw, Sr., was a native of Alabama, born in 1804, and devoted his life to agriculture. Although he com- menced life with no means, he was industrious, thrifty and painstaking, and prior to his death, which occurred in 1854, he had accumulated a comfortable competency. He was a great admirer of fine horses and always had some blooded stock about him. He was of a modest and unassuming demeanor, and at the time of his death he was an earnest member of the Baptist church, in which he had been deacon for a number of years. He was descended from an old and well-known Scotch family, his ancestor in America having come here with two brothers and settled in South Carolina, in which state some of his descendants became eminent. Among these may be mentioned Judge L. Wardlaw, who was supreme judge of South Carolina for some time. Zack Wardlaw, the subject of this sketch, was educated in Hinds county, whither his father moved from Warren county, and here he began attending the common schools, but his education was cut short by the opening of the war. With the enthusiasm of youth he espoused the cause of the Confederacy, enlisting as a private in com- pany B, Twenty-second Mississippi regiment, and served faithfully and well until the last gun was fired. At the battle of Shiloh he received quite a severe wound, which confined him to the hospital for some thirty days. He rejoined his command at Vicksburg, partici- pating iu the marine siege of that place, after which he was at Raton Rouge, La., Deer Creek, Baker's Creek, Jackson, Corinth, the Tennessee campaign and the Georgia campaign, during which time he was in almost constant service. He surrendered at Greensboro, N. C., and, walking abont eight hundred miles, reached home on the 8th of May, 1865. He soon after began teaching school, but at the end of three months he gave it up to enter a commer- cial college at New Orleans, La., graduating in 1866. For a short time thereafter he fol- lowed the calling of a bookkeeper, then went to Memphis, Tenn., and engaged in the tobacco and cigar business, and also kept a restaurant for a short time. He then returned to Hinds county, Miss., and here was married, in 1871, to Miss Laura A. Cook, a native of Missis- sippi, and a daughter of M. L. and Jenett (Scott) Cook, both natives of North Carolina. To

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Mr. and Mrs. Wardlaw three children have been born: Falba J., Mary J. and Zack, Jr. After his marriage Mr. Wardlaw farmed exclusively for ten years, but in 1882 also engaged in general merchandising in Utica, which calling he has continued with excellent success. He does an annual business of about $25,000, and has real estate to the amount of eight hundred acres, of which five hundred acres are under cultivation. In 1886 Mr. Wardlaw erected a handsome residence, and in this lovely and ideal Southern home he and his wife dispense a generous and free-hearted hospitality. He is a very congenial and agreeable companion, and he, as well as his wife, is highly esteemed in social circles. He has always believed that what is worth doing at all is worth doing well, and in the different enterprises in which he is engaged no department of his work has been neglected. He also owns some valuable real estate in Chattanooga, Tenn. He and his wife are members of the Baptist church, in which he is deacon, and socially he belongs to the A. F. & A. M., the Good Tem- plars, the A. L. of H., and the K. of P.

D. Cameron Warren, M. D. The profession of the physician is one which operates effectively in time of need in arresting and alleviating the most acute pains and ailments to which the human body is heir, and therefore deserves the most appreciative consideration on the part of the public. In this profession the gratitude of hundreds is due to the skill and talent of Dr. Warren, who is deservedly ranked among the leading practitioners of the heal- ing art in Jefferson county. The Doctor is a native Mississippian, and was born in the county in which he is now residing on the 6th of February, 1851, his parents being J. J. and Sarah J. (Cameron) Warren, the former being born and reared in Windham county., Vt., and the latter a native of Jefferson county, Miss. After reaching his majority, J. J. Warren determined to seek his fortune elsewhere than in his native state, and finally found himself in the state of Mississippi, and, being pleased with this section, settled in Jefferson county, where he met and married Miss Cameron, a daughter of Archibald Cameron, a pioneer planter of this county. He soon after opened up a farm in this county, and for a period of forty years was one of the honest sons of the soil of this region. He and his worthy wife, though quite aged, are still living, and make their home in Franklin county, where they are surrounded by everything to make their declining years comfortable and easy. To them a family of five sons and eight daughters were born, of whom two sons and seven daughters are living: Eugene, a farmer of Franklin county; Dr. D. Cameron; Mrs. F. M. McNair, of Fayette; Mrs. B. D. Knapp, of Harriston; Mrs. A. L. Torrey, of Hermanville; Mrs. W. A. Newman, of McNair; Mrs. E. M. Williams, of Meadeville; E. J .; M. L., a teacher at Harriston; and Marquis D., who grew to mature years, married, and moved to Texas, where he died. The other children died in early childhood. Dr. D. Cameron Warren grew to manhood in Jefferson county, and spent his youth in attending the com- mon and high schools and in learning the intricacies of farm work. After attaining a suitable age, and always having had a desire for the medical profession, he began studying with Dr. McNair, of Fayette, a sketch of whom appears in this volume. In the winter of 1873-4 he took his first course of lectures at Tulane university, of Louisiana, to which institution he returned the two following winters, taking three courses of lectures, and graduating from the institution in March, 1876. He soon after took up his location where he now resides, and has since devoted his time and attention to attending to the bodily wants of his fellowman. In this calling his efforts have been blessed with success, and he now has all the practice that he can give proper attention to. He was married in the month of March, 1871, to Miss Mary I. Torrey, a daughter of R. D. Torrey, of one of the oldest and best known families of Jefferson county (see sketch of John Torrey). Dr. and

CHICAGO

BLIND ASYLUM, JACKSON.

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MEMOIRS OF MISSISSIPPI.

Mrs. Warren have four children: Mary, Lucy, Lottie and George. The Doctor, his wife, and their eldest daughter are worthy members of the Presbyterian church, and socially he belongs to the K. & L. of H., and is examining physician for the lodge at Union Church. Dr. Warren has a pleasant country home, a place he settled and improved, it being situated about two miles from Union Church.

Dr. N. B. Warren, Marietta, Miss., is one of Prentiss county's most trustworthy physi- cians, and as he has ever had a liberal share of public favor, it is one of the best proofs of his skill and care. He was born in Alabama on the 10tli of April, 1834, and is next to the youngest of twelve children born to John S. and Sarah (Robinson) Warren, the father a native of Kentucky and the mother of South Carolina. John S. Warren was married twice; first in Kentucky to Miss Gentry, who bore him seven children-three sons and four daugh- ters. He resided in the Blue Grass state for several years, and there his first wife died. His next marriage was to Miss Robinson, their nuptials being celebrated in Tennessee. Twelve children were the fruits of this union, Mr. Warren being the father of nineteen chil- dren in all. He was a farmer by occupation, and after removing from Tennessee to Alabama engaged in the stock business for several years. From there he removed to Itawamba county, Miss., located near Fulton, the county seat, and there bought a large tract of land. He engaged extensively in farming and stockraising, selling a great many horses and cattle, and also ran a distillery on his farm. He was one of the pioneer settlers, and was held high in the estimation of all who knew him as an honorable, high-minded citizen. He never aspired to any official positions, and was a consistent member of the Primitive Baptist church. His death occurred in Itawamba county in 1863. His wife is still living, and is in her eighty-seventh year. There are now only six of the nineteen children living. Dr. Warren began working for himself when fifteen years of age, and engaged with the firm of Rhynic Brothers, of Fulton, Miss., to peddle dry goods and notions. He followed that part of a year, and afterward began teaching school and going to school at intervals until he had acquired a fair English education. He was educated mainly at the Euclid academy, in Tish- omingo county, Miss. In the fall of 1854 he began reading medicine, and in 1855 entered the office of Dr. Choate in Tishomingo county, with whom he remained one year. In 1856 he entered the Louisville Medical university, took only one course, and then returned home, beginning to practice near Fulton. The following year he went back, took another course, and again returned to his practice, locating at Ryanswell, in the same county, where he continued to practice for four years. In 1860 he returned to Louisville, took another course, and graduated in the spring of 1861. He again resumed his practice at Ryanswell, and remained there until April, 1891, when he removed to Marietta, Prentiss county, where he is now located. He has an extensive practice and is doing well. He was exempt from service in the army on account of being a cripple, and during that stirring period remained at home and kept up his practice, being the only physician for many miles around. He had frequently to make visits thirty and forty miles away. The Doctor has never married, but has two adopted sons, Robert J. and George B. Warren, whom he reared from infancy. The former is twenty-four years of age, and is a farmer by occupation. He was educated at Fulton, Miss. The latter is sixteen years of age, and was educated at Oakland Normal insti- tute. Dr. Warren is one of the directors of Oakland Normal institute. He has never aspired to official positions of any kind, but devotes his entire time to his practice and his farming interests. He is a large landowner, having nearly twenty thousand acres, embrac- ing several farms in Itawamba, Tishomingo and Prentiss counties. The Doctor was engaged in the drug business at Iuka for one year, also engaged in the same business at Fulton for

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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 155

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