Mississippi : comprising sketches of towns, events, institutions, and persons, arranged in cyclopedic form Vol. III, Part 12

Author: Rowland, Dunbar, 1864-1937, ed
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Atlanta, Southern Historical Publishing Association
Number of Pages: 938

USA > Mississippi > Mississippi : comprising sketches of towns, events, institutions, and persons, arranged in cyclopedic form Vol. III > Part 12

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Beckett, Richard Capel, of West Point, one of the most distinguished lawyers of Mississippi, was born in Pickens county, Ala., Aug. 24, 1845, and entered the Con- federate service April 14, 1862, as a private soldier in Company I of the Forty- first Mississippi infantry, Col. W. F. Tucker commanding. The regiment was organized at Tupelo, and first encountered the enemy in the trenches about Corinth, during the siege, and at the battle of Farmington. Marching into Kentucky, it participated in the battle of Perryville, Oct. 8, 1862, and then fell back into east Tennessee. On the way to middle Tennessee, previous to the battle of Murfreesboro, Mr. Beckett was taken sick at Bridgeport, and was sent to the hospital at Dalton, Ga., where, on account.of his youth and physical disability, he was honorably discharged. He returned home in December, and after- ward attended the Southern university of Alabama during one session. In July, 1863, he re-enlisted, becoming a member of Captain Ryan's company of cavalry, afterward Company B of the Sixteenth Confederate cavalry, known as Armistead's regiment, commanded by Col. Charles G. Armistead, and after the latter was wounded,

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by Lieut .- Col. P. B. Spence. He was appointed second sergeant, but served as orderly-sergeant until the close of the war. He was with his command under General Pillow in the fight at Lafayette, Ga., and at Rome, under General Wheeler, where he received a flesh wound in the neck. When General Hood marched into Tennessee he served in front of Sherman's army, and afterward his command went to Mobile with General Liddell's troops, took part in the successful encounter with the enemy at Pine Barren, and fought in the works at Blakely in April, 1865, but made their escape across the river before the surrender of that post. Then retreating with General Taylor's forces, he was surrendered with his company at State Line Station. Thence he marched to Gainesville, Ala., and was paroled in May, 1865. Mr. Beckett was admitted to the practice of law at Aberdeen in 1868, and in 1871 made his home at West Point. In the course of his practice he has been associated with Capt. R. E. Houston, Col. C. R. Barteau, Hon. F. G. Barry, and Judge F. A. Critz, as partners. He is a ripe scholar and is ad- mitted to be one of the most profound lawyers of the South. In courts of every grade, from the United States supreme court down, he has appeared with the dignity of a gentleman and the powerful influence of a thoroughly equipped advocate. Some of the most notable causes in which he has been successful as counsel are suits brought by the State of Mississippi to recover back taxes from various corporations, resulting in judgments for over $1,500,000. Mr. Beckett was married in 1874 to Miss Blanche Tucker, of Co- lumbus, Miss., who died in 1889, leaving five children; in 1890 he married Miss Mary Bell, of West Point, who died in 1891, and in 1893 he was married to Miss Mary Randle of Aberdeen. The father of Mr. Beckett was Dr. J. M. Beckett, a native of South Carolina, of Irish parentage, who practiced medicine at Columbia, S. C., married Willie Capel, a daughter of a Methodist minister at Montgomery, Ala., and afterward was a planter in Pickens county, Ala., moving to Aberdeen, Miss., in 1853. Three of his sons, beside Richard C., were in the Confederate service: Newton J., captain of Company I, Forty-first Mississippi infantry, who died just after the battle of Murfreesboro; James, who served through- out the war as a corporal in the Forty-first regiment, and died in 1871, and Frank, a boy soldier with the State troops of Mississippi, who was a lawyer at Vernon, Tex., but died in the spring of 1906. The paternal ancestors of the subject of this review were Scotch- Irish and came from County Antrim, Ireland, previous to the Revo- lutionary war. The grandfather, James Beckett, attempted to re- turn to Ireland and was lost in a storm. The Becketts are Presby- terians. The maternal ancestors of R. C. Beckett were French Huguenots, who came from France and settled at Baltimore before the Revolution. The maternal grandfather, Britton Capel, was a Methodist minister, and went from Baltimore to Montgomery, Ala., where he died. His son, Jabez Capel, was a captain in the Mexican war and was shot through the head at Chapultepec,

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but not killed. He afterward became an extensive land owner in Texas, and was also sheriff there for many years.

Brown, Captain William F., deceased, for many years one of the prominent figures in the mercantile activities of Meridian, was born in Wilcox county, Ala., Feb. 6, 1833. He was a son of John and Elizabeth S. (Fountain) Brown, both native South Carolinians, Captain Brown came to Mississippi when but ten years of age, his family settling on a farm in Lauderdale county within five miles of where the captain had his last home. He received his education in the schools of Lauderdale county and immediately after completing his scholastic labors he en- gaged in agricultural pursuits and was a planter to the time of his death. At the outbreak of the great Civil war Captain Brown enlisted as a lieutenant in Company K of the Pettus Guards of Barksdale's (afterward Humphrey's) brigade of the Confederate army and at once joined the Army of Northern Virginia. The regiment was in the first battle of Manassas, at Ball's Bluff, Seven Pines, the Seven Days' battles about Richmond, suffering heavily at Malvern Hill, the two Fredericksburgs, Harper's Ferry, Sharpsburg, Gettysburg and all the skirmishes of that campaign and was then ordered to join Gen. Braxton Bragg. While with the latter it participated in the Chickamauga fight and in the siege of Knoxville, being the leading regiment in the assault on Fort Sanders. Later Captain Brown went with his company to rejoin the Army of Northern Virginia under Lee, arriving in time to become a participant in the Cold Harbor, Spottsylvania and Petersburg affairs. Two days before Lee surrendered his army at Appomattox the captain was taken prisoner and first confined in the old capitol prison at Washington, arriving in that city the night that President Lincoln was assassinated. Subsequently he was removed to Johnson's Island in Lake Erie and confined there some two months after Lee had surrendered. Captain Brown entered the service as a lieutenant and after the battle of Malvern Hill was made a captain, which rank he retained during the remainder of his service. Upon being released he returned to Mississippi, only to find his property burned and everything of value destroyed or run off. With admirable grit he set about replacing the lost articles and buildings, erecting first a log structure in Meridian in which he embarked in the mercantile business. This line of busi- ness furnished him a livelihood for ten years, and then he engaged in the cotton compress business, being the originator of that in- dustry in the city of Meridian. Along with this he operated and managed a cotton brokerage office. Eventually he disposed of his investments and became interested in real estate. He also purchased a mill in the outskirts of the city and until his death, which occurred

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suddenly on Aug. 27, 1906, he was actively engaged in the manage- ment of the two last named interests, and with his son in a mercan- tile business. In 1866 Captain Brown was united in marriage to Miss Sallie M. Simms, a daughter of F. C. Simms. The children of this union who survive are six in number. W. L. is in the mercantile business. The others are Albert Sydney ; Minnie Dewitt ; Sallie, the wife of John A. Lloyd, a special insurance agent ; Mittie married Spinks King, bookkeeper for Roenberg & Company; and Nettie A. is the wife of Preston Cheney. Captain Brown was a Democrat in his political relations and for two terms was a mem- ber of the board of supervisors. He was prominently identified with the Walthall camp of the United Confederate Veterans, and was a member of the Knights of Honor and the Free and Accepted Masons. The captain for many years took a prominent and influ- ential part in the commercial, social and political life of Meridian and his sudden taking off caused grief to a host of friends.

Boykin, Jasper, of Meridian, an able and popular traveling representative, was born in the village of Boykins, Smith county, Miss., June 11, 1876, and is a member of one of the old and honored families of that county, the place of his birth having been named for the family. In Smith county were born his parents, Jasper and Emily (Russell) Boykin, the former Nov. 9, 1834, and the latter Dec. 26, 1834. The father died Sept. 27, 1897, having been one of the prominent and influential citizens of Smith county, where his widow still resides. Jasper Boykin, Sr., was one of the valiant sons of Missis- sippi who did yeoman service in the Confederate cause during the Civil war. In May, 1861, he enlisted as a member of a company organized by Captain Hardy, this being the first company sent forth from Smith county, and on June 20, following, the company was mustered into the Confederate service, while on June 29, it was ordered to Corinth, where it became Company H of the Fifteenth Mississippi infantry. The regiment was ordered to Virginia after the first battle of Manassas, and Mr. Boykin was in service there until the latter part of 1862, when he returned home on account of illness which disqualified him for active duty. After recuperating his energies he re-enlisted, becoming a member of the Thirty-seventh Mississippi infantry, with which he served until the close of the war, taking part in many of the important battles and having been present during the siege of Vicksburg. The sub- ject of this review secured his educational discipline in the public schools of Bethel, Smith county, and later took a special course in mathematics under the tutorship of Prof. Z. L. Burton, of Kansas City, Mo. He has maintained his home in Meridian for a number of years and is popular in both business and social circles. In poli-

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tics he is aligned as a supporter of the cause of the Democratic party, and in August, 1904, was elected alderman from the Third ward of the city, for a term of four years. He is affiliated with King Solomon Lodge, No. 333, Free and Accepted Masons, and also holds membership in the Travelers' Protective Association, the Knights of Pythias, the Knights and Ladies of Honor, the Fra- ternity of American Citizens, and the Knights of the Maccabees. On Jan. 15, 1903, Mr. Boykin was married to Miss Fannie Kate Dunham, daughter of Mark and Mattie (Daugherty) Dunham, of Desotoville, Ala., and they have a little daughter, Kate Anita, born Jan. 8, 1904.

Butler, John Thomas, M. D., is one of the leading physicians and surgeons of Lincoln county, where he controls a large practice, maintaining his home and pro- fessional headquarters in the attractive little city of Brookhaven. Dr. Butler was born in Lawrence county, this State, June 19, 1854, and is a son of Charles C. and Sidney Ann (Longino) Butler, both of whom were likewise born in Mississippi, the former being of Irish lineage and the latter of Italian ; the mother is a sister of ex-Governor Longino of Mississippi. Dr. Butler received good educational advan- tages in a preliminary way and finally entered the University of Missouri, being for a time a student in the literary or academic department of the same and then entering the medical department, from which he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine, in 1877. In 1880 he took a post-graduate course in Bellevue Hospital medical college, in New York city, re- ceiving a diploma from that celebrated institution. He was engaged in the practice of his profession in northwestern Missouri from 1877 until 1894, in which latter year he returned to Mississippi and located in Brookhaven, where he has since followed the work of his profession with pronounced success. He held the office of county health officer from 1899 to 1905, and while practicing in Missouri he served as health officer of Holt county. He was also a member of the board of pension examiners for Holt county, Mo., for two terms, during the administration of President Cleveland, and he holds membership in the American medical association and the Mississippi State medical association, and is also a member of the Tri-county medical society composed of Copiah, Lincoln and Pike counties. He is numbered among the loyal supporters of the prin- ciples and policies of the Democratic party, is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, South, and is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and Woodmen of the World. On April 18, 1883, Dr. Butler was united in marriage to Miss Margaret H. Thompson, daughter of John H. and Margaret A. (Watson) Thompson, of Beauregard, Copiah county. They have three children, Charles T.,

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Julia P. and Clara C. Charles T. graduated from the University of Mississippi in the class of 1905, securing the gold medal for the best essay on patriotism awarded by the Mississippi society of colonial dames. He is now taking the law course in the University of Missouri.

Brame, L., a prominent attorney of Jackson, is a native of Perry county, Ala., where he was born June 16, 1848. In early childhood he came with his parents to Mississippi, the family locating near West Point. His real name is Alex- ander Rufus Brame, the "L" being merely an abbreviation of the sound of his first name. At the age of fifteen years he entered the Confederate service as a member of the First Mississippi regular State troops. The war left his family in an impoverished condition and he was compelled to begin the battle of life bare- handed. Notwithstanding this handicap he managed to secure an education, mainly by self-study, and as- sisted in the education of others. In 1869 he was admitted to the bar and began practice at West Point. He soon manifested a high order of legal talent and a fine discernment as to the merits of a case, qualities which placed him in the front rank of the lawyers of that day and have since made him eminent in his profession. In 1876 he was appointed chancellor of the Sixth (Columbus) district by Gov. John M. Stone, and has frequently been referred to as a model chancellor. After four years of service he declined another term, although unanimously endorsed by the bar of the entire district. In 1886 he formed a partnership with C. H. Alexander, which lasted until 1897. During this period the firm reported the State supreme court for seven years, publishing seven volumes of the Mississippi reports. They resigned this work to compile Brame & Alexander's Digest, a compendium of the supreme court decisions covering a period of thirty years. This work was published by legislative authority in 1898, and has been pronounced by good judges of such publications to be one of the most comprehensive and accurate digests ever prepared. While this work was in course of prepara- tion the firm was all the time engaged in the active practice of law, appearing in some of the most celebrated cases in the State. In 1889 Judge Brame was honored by being elected to the presidency of the State bar association, a fitting recognition of his personal popularity, integrity and high standing as a lawyer. He is more of a lawyer than a politician, but ever since he became a voter he has taken an active interest in matters pertaining to the public weal. During the unhappy days of the reconstruction era he was a recognized leader of the young Democracy of Clay county, and par- ticipated in the revolution of 1875. In 1888 he was one of the leaders of the movement which secured Democratic control of the city

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government of Jackson. Judge Brame is an unswerving advocate of Democratic principles. While true to his party and always loyally supporting its nominees, personally he did not entirely ap- prove the position of the party on the currency question in the presidential campaigns of 1896 and 1900, being classed as a sound money Democrat. He is actuated more by a desire for the promo- tion of the general welfare than for his own personal aggrandize- ment through political honors. Public spirited and progressive, he is always ready to aid any cause that has for its object the up- building of Jackson and its institutions, or the betterment of the moral and material improvement of the State. He is a member of the Episcopal church, and has for years served on the standing committee. Here, as elsewhere, he has been unremitting in his attention to his duties, and has won the esteem of his associates by the exercise of his splendid ability and ripe experience in the ad- vancement of the interests of the church. In 1871, while very young, Judge Brame was united in marriage to Miss Ella Munger of West Point, who died in 1875. In 1877 he married Miss Lille Ross Boykin, of Mobile, Ala., a niece of Gov. John J. McRae, and by this marriage he has a young lady daughter, Lillie Boykin Brame, whose mother died in 1886. In 1889 he was united in mar- riage to Miss Lida Terrell, daughter of Hon. V. L. Terrell of Crystal Springs, Miss., and by this marriage has two children, Lida Belle, now twelve years old, and Terrell Alexander, five years of age. His home life is peculiarly happy, and he is never so contented as when with his family.

Batson, Nathaniel, is one of the repre- sentative citizens of Pearl River county, where he has important lumbering in- terests and where he is also president of the Bank of Poplarville, in which thriv- ing village he maintains his home. He was born in Perry county, Miss., Feb. 11, 1867, and was reared to manhood in southern Mississippi, where he received the advantages of the public schools. He was reared on the little farm where he was born but had to give up farm life on account of a partially paralyzed limb and in his eighteenth year he became telegraph operator and station agent for the New Orleans & North Eastern railroad and also agent for the Southern Express Company, and he remained thus employed about seven years, at the expiration of which, in 1891, he was elected sheriff of Pearl River county. This office he retained four years, giving a most admirable administration of its duties. In 1895 he was elected clerk of the circuit and chancery courts of the county, assuming the duties of this office in January, 1896, and continuing incumbent for two terms-a period of eight consecutive years, re- tiring on account of ill health. Since retiring from office he has

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given his attention to various industrial and business interests of importance. He has been a forceful factor in the upbuilding and progress of Pearl River and northern Hancock counties and is known as a reliable and enterprising business man and public- spirited citizen. He and his brother, L. B. Batson, together own the well equipped saw mill plant at Millard, and he has other lumber- ing and timber interests in this part of the State and in Louisiana. He was one of the organizers of the Bank of Poplarville, in 1899, and is its president. The other members of its executive corps are as follows: J. O. Bilbo, vice-president ; D. L. Batson, cashier ; and M. N. McCoy, assistant cashier. The original capital of the bank was $10,000 which was gradually increased by sale of stock to $20,000, and in 1905 a stock dividend of an equal sum was declared, thus making the capital stock $40,000, and it is now incorporated with a capital of $50,000 (1907). Its surplus and undivided profits aggregate $8,000 and its deposits $235,000. The bank has exercised beneficent and helpful functions and it is one of the solid and popu- lar financial institutions of that section of the State. Mr. Batson is also a member of the directorate of the Hattiesburg Trust and Banking Company. He is modest and retiring in disposition and yet aggressive when duty demands. On Jan. 29, 1891, Mr. Batson was united in marriage to Miss Lucile Badon, and of their five children two are living-Shelby Howell and Lyndall.

Brashear, Anon Killingsworth, of Port Gibson, has served consecutively as circuit court clerk of Claiborne county since 1896, and is one of the able and popular officials of the county, which has been his home from the time of his birth, Feb. 26, 1869. He is a son of Joseph N. and Martha E. (Garrett) Brashear, both of whom were likewise natives of Missis- sippi. His father was a member of Com- pany D, Twenty-fourth Mississippi bat- talion in the Confederate service during the war between the States and was a citizen of prominence and influence in his community. The subject of this sketch was afforded the advantages of Chamberlain-Hunt academy, of Port Gibson, and W. R. Smith's commercial college of Lexington, Ky. In 1896 he was elected circuit clerk, and in this office he has proven a capable and discriminating executive and gained unquali- fied commendation. His political allegiance is given to the Demo- cratic party and he is identified with the Masonic fraternity, the Knights of Pythias, and Woodmen of the World. Both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, South. In April, 1896, Mr. Brashear was united in marriage to Miss Nora Cole Foote, of Claiborne county, Miss.

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Bennett, James Watson, M. D., is one of the venerable and honored representa- tives of the medical profession in the State and is still engaged in the active practice of his profession at Brookhaven. He was a surgeon in the Confederate service in the Civil war and is a man who has ever commanded unqualified esteem as a citizen and as a physician. Dr. Ben- nett was born in Anderson district, S. C., Oct. 24, 1827, and is a son of Elisha and Cynthia (Watson) Bennett, both of whom were likewise native of South Car- olina, where the former was born in Jan- uary, 1802, and the latter in 1800. Both continued residents of South Carolina until death, the father having passed away in 1847 and the mother in 1844. Of their seven children, the doctor was the first born. Elisha Bennett was a shoe- maker by trade, and he also gave his attention to farming and school teaching for a number of years. He was the owner of a good plantation at the time of his death. His father came from England to America when a boy and the family first settled in Virginia, whence he later removed to Anderson district, S. C., where he passed the remainder of his life. The maternal grandfather was of Scotch ancestry, and came to America when young. Dr. Bennett was graduated in a college at Knoxville, Tenn., as a member of the class of 1856, and in 1858 he was graduated in the medical depart- ment of the University of Louisiana (now Tulane university), in New Orleans, from which he received his degree of Doctor of Med- icine. Soon after his graduation he began the practice of his pro- fession in Pike county, Miss., locating at a point about ten miles south of Brookhaven, where he was still established at the time of the inception of the war between the States. In 1863 he entered the Confederate service, in the capacity of assistant surgeon, and was assigned to hospital duty at Clinton, Miss., where he remained from May until September, in which latter month he was assigned to a company of artillery commanded by Captain Winston, in the Army of Tennessee. He joined this command at the time of the retreat from Jackson to Meridian. He was with his command in Mobile about four months and in the spring of 1864, when he was attached to a regiment of Alabama artillery as assistant surgeon, and he continued in service until the close of the war. He was paroled near his old home in South Carolina, the old Bennett house having at that time been used as an office by Federal officers. The doctor saw his full quota of arduous and hazardous service, having been with the commands of Generals Johnston and Hood in their various maneuvers and having thus been at the front in many sanguinary engagements. He shows his interest in his old com- rades by retaining membership in the United Confederate Veterans. After the war, Dr. Bennett went to Texas and located in Lavaca

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county, where he was engaged in the practice of his profession about one year. He then returned to Mississippi and took up his residence in Brookhaven, where he has since continued the work of his humane profession and where he controls a large and repre- sentative practice. He is the dean of his profession in this section and is held in high regard by his confreres. He is a stanch ad- herent of the Democratic party, is affiliated with the Masonic fra- ternity and both he and his wife hold membership in the Baptist church. In February, 1882, Dr. Bennett was united in marriage to Mrs. Mary E. Stewart, of Brookhaven, a daughter of Jacob Shaller. They have no children.

Blair, John A. Those elements which make for exalted manhood and signal use- fulness in life were splendidly exemplified in the character of Col. John Alan Blair, who was one of the most distinguished members of the bar of Mississippi, a gal- lant officer of the Confederate service in the Civil war, and a man whose reputation was unblemished in every relation. He wrote his name large upon the annals of Mississippi and in this publication it is eminently consistent that a tribute to his memory be incorporated. John Alan Blair, who died at his home in the city of Tupelo, Miss., Nov. 1, 1898, as the result of paralysis, was born in Hardeman county, Tenn., Aug. 23, 1835, and when he was a small boy his parents removed thence to Tippah county, Miss. As has been said of him, "Every pulsation of his heart and every conception of his mind was loyal to his State and its people." From an appreciative estimate of his char- acter written by an old and tried friend at the time of Colonel Blair's death, the following extracts are made, with but slight change in phraseology. "He sprang from the great intermediate condition of life which has furnished history so many notable ex- amples of man's power to attain eminence, in any of the walks of life, by the exercise of conscientious effort and native ability. That Colonel Blair was eminent in his profession is freely attested by those most capable of judging-those who themselves are leading members of the bar. He was graduated in the law department of the University of Mississippi as a member of the class of 1860 and had just fairly entered upon the practice of his profession in the old town of Jacinto, Tishomingo county, when the Civil war broke out. When the South adopted the policy of secession and thereby appealed to the arbitrament of arms, he was among the first, as he always was when the public safety demanded personal sacrifices, to throw himself into the breach, and no man who drew his sword in defense of southern rights sheathed it more untarnished that he. His surviving comrades, who witnessed his bearing in the shock of battle, bear proud testimony to his unshaken courage and to his

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Mississippi : comprising sketches of towns, events, institutions, and persons, arranged in cyclopedic form Vol. III, Part 12

Author: Rowland, Dunbar, 1864-1937, ed Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Atlanta, Southern Historical Publishing Association Number of Pages: 938

Author: Rowland, Dunbar, 1864-1937, ed
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Atlanta, Southern Historical Publishing Association
Number of Pages: 938