Mississippi : comprising sketches of towns, events, institutions, and persons, arranged in cyclopedic form Vol. III, Part 55

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 55

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Leggett, Thomas H., a member of the board of supervisors of Wayne county, is one of the representative agriculturists of this section of the State and also oper- ates a grist mill and cotton gin, thus con- tributing still further to the industrial stability and prestige of his native State. He was born in Covington county, Miss., March 31, 1857, and is a son of James Leggett, who was born and reared in this commonwealth where he passed his entire life, having been a prosperous planter of Covington county, where he was born, being a son of William Leggett, who came to Mississippi from South Carolina in the early pioneer epoch, having been one of the first white settlers in Covington county, where he developed a good plantation, which continued to be his home until death. Thomas H. Leggett was reared on the old homestead and secured such educational ad- vantages as were afforded in the schools of the locality and period, while it is interesting to record that he has never wavered in his allegiance to the great basic art of agriculture, through connection with which he has gained success of unequivocal order, being one of the substantial men of his native county and one who commands the respect and confidence of all classes of citizens. On his farm he has erected and maintains in operation a well equipped grist mill and cotton gin, whose facilities are greatly appreciated by the resi- dents of this section of the county. The farm is located near Eucutta, which is Mr. Leggett's postoffice address. In the matter of politics Mr. Leggett is a firm advocate of those beneficent basic

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principles and policies for which the Democratic party stands sponsor, and he has ever maintained a public-spirited attitude and done all in his power to promote local interests. He has served as a member of the board of supervisors. He is a member of the Woodmen of the World, and both he and his wife are prominent and valued members of the Methodist Episcopal church, South, at Eucutta, in which he is a steward. In December, 188?, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Leggett to Miss Helen I. Robertson, daughter of Peter Robertson, who was a native of Jasper county and became a representative planter of the same. Mr. and Mrs. Leggett have no children.

Lowrey, Gen. Mark Perrin, was born in McNairy county, Tenn., Dec. 28, 1829, and while he was yet in early childhood his father died, leaving the widowed mother to struggle with the difficulties of those pioneer days in a country district. The children, therefore, were early taught the lessons of practical industry and economy and, of necessity, their educational ad- vantages were very limited. At the age of eighteen years Mark P. joined a com- pany of Mississippi volunteers, with which he went to Mexico to take part in the war against that country. After the close of the war be became a brick maker and brick layer. At the age of twenty-one years he was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Holmes, daughter of a prosperous neighbor- ing farmer and a young woman of very handsome appearance, good sense and exceptionally fine character. At the age of twenty-four young Lowrey entered the Baptist ministry. Though his early educational advantages had been meager, as already intimated, he was a close observer and devoted much attention to close and appre- ciative study at home. His was naturally a strong intellect and he became an independent and vigorous thinker while yet a young man. At the inception of the war between the States he was a village pastor, having charge of the churches at Kossuth and Rip- ley, Miss. He forthwith joined a company of sixty-day volunteers in the Confederate service and was elected captain of the company. At the close of the sixty days he was given a commission as colonel and entered the service in a permanent way, at the head of the Thirty-second Mississippi regiment. The first battle in which he participated was that of Perryville, Ky., in which he commanded Wood's brigade and in which he received a severe flesh wound in his left arm. At the close of the battle of Chickamauga, in which he displayed conspicuous coolness and courage, he was placed permanently in charge of Wood's brigade, General Wood having resigned his position as brigadier-general. At the close of this memorable battle General Claiborne introduced Colonel Lowrey to General Hardee as the "bravest man in the Confederate army."

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General Lowrey saw much hard fighting during the Georgia campaign and during Hood's campaign in Tennessee. He passed unscathed through the terrific battle of Franklin and at its close was placed in charge of Cheatham's old division. The war closed, however, before he received his official commission as a major- general. At the battle of Nashville he commanded this gallant division, and here again his coolness and valor were notably ex- emplified. He was greatly loved and implicitly trusted by his men, who felt that he had their interests at heart and who knew that he himself was always willing to go where he commanded them to go. At the close of the war he sheathed his sword and re-entered civic life at the age of thirty-six years. Throughout his entire military career as captain, colonel and general, he never laid aside his respon- sibility as a preacher. He preached a great deal to the soldiers, and his position as an officer, together with his unquestioned bravery, kindness of heart and evident strength of manhood, al- ways secured to him a hearing. A wicked wag of a soldier once stated that General Lowrey would "preach like hell on Sunday and fight like the devil all the week!" He was often referred to as "the fighting parson of the Army of Tennessee." Colonel Pickett, in an article published in the Confederate Veteran in the latter part of 1906, spoke in glowing terms of the valor, generalship and fine character of General Lowrey, and said that General Claiborne and General Hardee were both very fond of him. At the close of the war he continued his work as a Baptist minister. For two years he was State evangelist for Mississippi, and for seven years he was Mississippi editor of The Baptist, a denominational organ then pub- lished in Memphis, Tenn. In 1873 he organized and established Blue Mountain female college, and for eleven and one-half years he was president of that institution, which continued to grow in prom- inence from the day of its inception. On Feb. 27, 1885, General Lowrey dropped dead in the depot at Middleton, Tenn., in the presence of a group of his young lady teachers and students, who were en route to the Cotton States Exposition at New Orleans. The college founded by General Lowrey at Blue Mountain, Miss., is now one of the most famous and popular institutions for the edu- cation of young women in the Southern States. It has an annual enrollment of nearly 500 students and, by reason of lack of room, is compelled to decline several hundred students each year. Gen- eral Lowrey was an intense and loyal Mississippian, as have been all members of the family. He was but a child at the time of his mother's removal from Tennessee to this State. He was a stanch adherent of the Democratic party and was a valued and apprecia- tive member of the United Confederate Veterans. His cherished and devoted wife was summoned to the life eternal in 1898. They became the parents of eleven children, all of whom are living (Feb- ruary, 1907). The eldest daughter, Mrs. Modena L. Berry, has been lady principal of Blue Mountain female college from the time of its organization to the present; the second daughter, Mrs. Maggie Anderson, who was one of the first teachers in the college, is the

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wife of Rev. John D. Anderson, of Mobile, Ala .; the third daughter, Mrs. Janie L. Graves, has been for many years a missionary at Canton, China; the fourth daughter, Mrs. Linnie L. Ray, has for a long period been the matron of Blue Mountain female college ; and the youngest child, Mrs. Sallie Potter, is the wife of Dr. William D. Potter, of Senatobia, Miss. Of the six sons the eldest is Rev. Will- iam T. Lowrey, D. D., LL. D., president of Mississippi college, at Clinton ; Booth Lowrey, the well known poet, satirist and lecturer, resides in Blue Mountain, Miss .; Judge Perrin H. Lowrey is an eminent member of the bar of the State and resides at Batesville ; B. G. Lowrey, A. M., is president of Blue Mountain female college ; T. C. Lowrey is secretary and treasurer of that institution; and Joseph J. Lowrey is a prominent cotton buyer and exporter of Monroe, La.

Lucas, John H., M. D., of Greenwood, is one of the venerable and representative physicians and surgeons of the State and has been actively engaged in the practice of his profession for two score of years. He is the owner of a fine plantation in Leflore county and is one of the best known and most highly esteemed citizens of this section of the State. Dr. Lucas was born in Lawrence county, Tenn., May 16, 1826, being a son of Dr. Willis and Sallie (Linman) Lucas, both native of Union district, S. C., where the former was born Dec. 6, 1793, and the latter Jan. 2, 1783, thus being a decade older than her husband. Willis Lucas was a skilled and successful physician, having been educated in a leading medical school in Philadelphia, Pa., and he followed his profession until his.death, which occurred in 1861, his wife having passed away in 1848. Dr. John H. Lucas remained in Tennessee until he had attained to the age of twenty years, having in the meantime secured good educational ad- vantages. In 1846 he settled in Hinds county, Miss., near the city of Jackson, where he was identified with agricultural pursuits. In 1850 he went to California, joining the great throng of argonauts crossing the Isthmus of Panama, and he was engaged in prospecting for and mining gold in various portions of the State, remaining in California five and one-half years. He then returned to Mississippi and located in Calhoun county, whence he came to the Delta dis- trict of the State three years later, having taken up his residence in old Sunflower county in 1857. Here he took up the study of med- icine and finally entered a leading medical school in the city of New Orleans, where he amply fortified himself for the practice of his chosen profession .. For two years prior to the Civil war Dr. Lucas was engaged in practice in Sunflower county, Miss., but subordi- nated personal considerations and ambitions to go forth in defense of the Confederate cause. He enlisted as a member of Company

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C, Fifth Mississippi cavalry and was made assistant surgeon of his regiment in which capacity he acted as long as he remained in the field. On account of poor health, General Polk appointed him to a position in the Tax in Kind department which he held until the close of the war. After the close of the war, the doctor located in McNutt, Sunflower county, Miss., where he was engaged in prac- tice for a few years, during three years of which he served as mayor of the town. He then removed to Leflore county and purchased a small plantation near Greenwood, continuing to reside on this pleasant homestead until 1892, when he removed to Greenwood, with the purpose of retiring, but the demands made upon him by his wide circle of appreciative patrons have caused him to continue in the active work of his profession, while he gives a general super- vision to his fine landed estate, which now comprises 1,900 acres, of which 1,000 acres are under effective cultivation. It is divided into two plantations, both in Leflore county, and among the best in this section. It is a well authenticated fact that Ferdinand DeSoto traversed this plantation during his great exploration tour. Dr. Lucas is a stalwart supporter of the principles of the Democratic party, and is public-spirited in his attitude, having always been ready to lend his aid in the promotion of worthy objects. In 1857 Dr. Lucas married Miss Mary Rankin, daughter of Adam Rankin, and she died in 1860, leaving one child, Thomas, who has the sup- erintendency of his father's plantation. In 1861 Dr. Lucas wedded Miss Teresa Camp, daughter of Col. B. T. and Jane (Avery) Camp, and they have one child, Sallie A., who is now the wife of W. T. Loggins, president of the First National bank of Greenwood.

Lesser, Leo, president of the Bank of Tunica and also of the local electric light and power company, has extensive capitalistic and real estate interests and is one of the representative business men and honored citizens of Tunica county, where the major portion of his life has been passed. Mr. Lesser was born in Coldwater, Tate county, Miss., Feb. 8, 1867, and is a son of S. and Rosalie Lesser, both of whom were born in Germany, while both passed the closing years of. their lives in Mississippi, where they located prior to the Civil war, the father becoming a prosperous merchant of Tate county and being later engaged in the same line of enterprise in Tunica county. He was a man of much ability and inflexible in- tegrity and ever commanded the esteem of those with whom he came in contact. Leo Lesser received a good public school educa- tion and early began to assist in the general store of his father, while he was fifteen years of age at the time of the family removal to Tunica county. He is still interested in mercantile business in the city of Tunica, is the owner and operator of a fine plantation of 2,000 acres in this county, and is the owner of an attractive residence and other property in his home city. He is a stockholder in four banking institutions in the city of Memphis, Tenn., as well as the bank at Riverside, Miss., while he is the chief stockholder of the Bank of Tunica, which he organized in 1903 and of which he has since been president. He was also one of the organizers and in-

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corporators of the Tunica Electric Light and Power Company, of which he is president, while he is vice-president of the corporation owning and operating the Tunica oil mills, and is a stockholder in the Jamestown Cotton Oil Company. He is primarily and essen- tially a business man, and he has his varied and important interests well in hand, each benefiting from his initiative and executive ability, while his course has been such as to retain to him the high regard of all who know him. Mr. Lesser is a loyal adherent of the Democratic party and has held various local offices of trust, having been mayor of Tunica for six years, county treasurer for two years and also city treasurer. In a fraternal way he has advanced to the thirty-second degree of Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Masonry, being identified with the consistory at Jackson, while he has held various offices in the different Masonic bodies with which he is identified, including the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, while he is also affiliated with the Knights of Pythias. In the year 1895 Mr. Lesser was married to Miss Delia Hope, who was born and reared in Mississippi, being a daughter of F. L. Hope, who met his death while serving in the Confederate ranks during the Civil war. Mr. and Mrs. Lesser have no children.

Liddell, William W., M. D., a practicing physician of Carrollton. comes from a family noted for its courage and patriotism. Moses Liddell was a soldier in the Revolutionary army, enlisting from South Carolina. A son of his, James Liddell, married a Miss Hemphill, whose father, James Hemphill, had been assassinated by the Tories of South Carolina because of his Revolutionary tendencies. James Liddell was born in the Abbeville district of South Carolina in 1784. In later life he was appointed by Pres. Martin Van Buren one of a commission whereby a treaty was affected with the Creek Indians in which they gave up their lands and were removed to the Indian territory. James Liddell removed to Georgia, settling in Jackson county, where, Jan. 10, 1820, a son was born to him, whom he named William W. Liddell. This son was reared in Georgia, and in 1844 removed to Greensboro, Choctaw county, Miss., to engage in the practice of medicine. Two years later found him located and practicing his profession in Carroll county, where he remained the rest of his days. His death occurred in 1875. During the Civil war he had been a member of the Mississippi legislature, and had rendered great service to the forces in the field by raising supplies. At the time of his death he was vice-president of the Greenville, Columbus & Birmingham railroad. During his residence in Carroll- ton, William W. Liddell married Elizabeth Small, who was born near Clarksville, Tenn., June 10, 1825, and to this union William W. Liddell, the subject of this sketch, was born Nov. 28, 1857. His instruction in early life was under private tutors and in the Odd Fellows' college at Carrollton. In 1887 he entered Tulane uni- versity and two years later was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Since graduation he has been successfully en- gaged in the practice of his profession in the county of his birth, being the health officer of the county at the present time. In re-

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ligious matters both Dr. Liddell and his wife are affiliated with the Presbyterian church. On June 29, 1889, Dr. Liddell married Miss Frieda Elwang, who was born in New Orleans, La., April 10, 1868, and to this union four children have been born-Wanda E., March 4, 1893 ; James M., Oct. 1, 1898 ; William W., Jr., Jan. 13, 1902; and Frank B., Feb. 26, 1906. The doctor has memberships in the Masonic fraternity, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the Woodmen of the World, the Mississippi State medical association, the Carroll county medical society and the Alumni association of Tulane university.

Longmire, John T., the efficient and popular postmaster at Pela- hatchee, Rankin county, is a native of Mississippi and a scion of stanch old Revolutionary stock, his paternal grandfather having been a major in the patriot army during the great struggle which determined the independence of the nation. Mr. Longmire was born in Amite county, Miss., Oct. 3, 1841, and is a son of Robert and Martha (Capell) Longmire, the former a native of South Carolina and the latter of Virginia, while they early came to Mississippi, where they passed the remainder of their lives, the father having been a successful planter of Amite county. Mr. Longmire secured good educational advantages in his youth, availing himself of the opportunities afforded in the schools of his native State, and having been a youth of twenty years at the time when the Confederate States seceded from the Union, for the sake of protecting their inherent rights, and thus precipitated the Civil war. Young Long- mire, like so many others of the fine young men of the South, man- ifested his loyalty by enlisting for service in the Confederate ranks, becoming a private in Company E, Twenty-second Mississippi in- fantry, with which he served until the close of the war, having par- ticipated in the battles of Peach Tree Creek, Franklin and Nashville, under command of General Hood, and having taken part in other engagements, including numerous skirmishes. He was mustered out in April, 1865, after the surrender of the Confederate armies. After his return to his native State, Mr. Longmire turned his atten- tion to teaching and farming, and with the latter industry he was actively identified for many years. He is a stalwart Democrat in his political proclivities, and he has been called upon to serve in various positions of public trust, including the offices of assessor and justice of the peace, while in March, 1903, under the administra- tion of President Roosevelt, he was appointed to his present position of postmaster, in which he is according a service which is giving utmost satisfaction to the local public, while he is held in high esteem as one of the sterling citizens of his town and county. On Feb. 7, 1866, Mr. Longmire married Miss Judith Middleton, daughter of Dr. Robert Middleton, of Jefferson county, Miss., and the names of the children of this union are here entered in the order of their birth: Jennie, John, Pearl, Flora, Robert, Carey, Middle- ton, Roy and Rose.

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Magee, William Harris, a member of the firm of McLeod & Company, of Pur- vis, Lamar county, dealers in general merchandise and also identified with the lumbering and turpentine manufacturing industries at this point, claims Missis- sippi as the place of his nativity, while he is a representative of old and honored families of this part of the Union. He was born in Covington county, Miss., May 10, 1859, and is a son of Hugh R. and Amanda (Gray) Magee, both of whom were likewise born and reared in that county, while they passed the closing years of their lives in Covington county, WILLIAM H. MAGEE. honored by all who knew them. The father rendered valiant and loyal service in the Confederate army during the Civil war, and in the connection his record was one in which his descendants may well take lasting pride. William H. Magee received his early educational discipline in the public schools of his native State, making good use of the advantages thus afforded him, while he was about twenty-three years of age at the time of his re- moval to Marion county. Prior to the erection of Lamar county from Marion county he served as deputy chancery and circuit clerk of the latter county for a period of seven years, his long tenure of the office attesting the satisfactory character of his labors in this connection. In 1897 he purchased an interest in the general merchandise business of the firm of McLeod & Company, of Purvis, and he has since been actively identified with the management of the firm's finely equipped department store, while in con- nection with this enterprise the concern also carries on an important lumbering business in this section and is engaged in HUGH R. MAGEE. the manufacturing of turpentine. The progressive tendencies and liberal spirit of Mr. Magee are further indicated in the fact that he has served as president of the Purvis Electric Light and Power Com- pany and at present is president of the Lamar county bank, one of the solid financial institutions of this section of the State. He ac- cords a stalwart allegiance to the Democratic party, fraternally is identified with the Masonic order and the Knights of Pythias, and both he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church. On Oct. 28, 1890, Mr. Magee was united in marriage to Miss Kate Smith, who was born and reared in this State, being a daughter of Benja- min L. and Nettie (Garrison) Smith, of Purvis. They have four children, namely: Eugenia, Rosebud, Williebelle and Louis Gray

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(deceased). In a supplementary way it may be stated that Mr. Magee is the resident manager of the firm of McLeod & Company, being secretary and treasurer of the concern, which is incorporated under the laws of the State, with an authorized capital of $40,000 while the others of the executive principals are William E. Griffin, president, and John A. McLeod, vice-president.

Magruder, William Wailes, State sena- tor from the Twenty-third district, com- prising the counties of Oktibbeha and Choctaw, is one of the leading members of the bar of the former county, being associated in practice with Thomas B. Carroll, under the firm name of Carroll & Magruder, in Starkville. He was born Dec. 14, 1867, at Hazlewood, Madison county, Miss., and is a son of Dr. Augustin Freeland Magruder and Julia (Abbey) Magruder. The ancestry in the agnatic line is of pure Scottish derivation, ema- nating from the stanch old clan of Mc- Gregor. The original progenitor in the new world was one Alexander Magruder, a sturdy Scotsman who immigrated to America in 1655 and settled in Maryland. Rev. Richard Abbey, D. D., maternal grandfather of Mr. Magruder, was financial agent of the general publishing house of the Methodist Episcopal church, South, at Nashville, Tenn., retaining this incum- bency many years, while he was the author of many books on re- ligious subjects. Mr. Magruder attended the primary schools of Yazoo City, and was reared in Yazoo county. In 1883 he was matriculated in the University of Mississippi, where he remained as a student for two years, at the expiration of which he entered the Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical college, in which he was graduated in 1887, with the degree of Bachelor of Science. In 1894 he entered the law department of the State university and was gradu- ated in June, 1895, with special distinction, receiving his degree of Bachelor of Laws. Shortly after his graduation he began practice in Starkville, and there he has been associated in his professional work with Mr. Carroll since 1896. He has been president of the Security State bank, of Starkville, since 1898, and has also served most acceptably as president of the board of trustees of the Starkville public schools. On Nov. 3, 1903, he was elected to represent the Twenty-third senatorial district in the upper house of the State legislature, and he is making an admirable record in this connection. He is a stanch advocate of the principles of the Democracy, and has served as a member of the executive committees of his county and district. He is a prominent member of the local organization of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he is a steward, and also super- intendent of the Sunday school, being also a member of the Sunday school board of the North Mississippi conference, and he is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias. He is the author of a valuable histor-

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Mississippi : comprising sketches of towns, events, institutions, and persons, arranged in cyclopedic form Vol. III, Part 55

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