USA > Mississippi > Mississippi : comprising sketches of towns, events, institutions, and persons, arranged in cyclopedic form Vol. III > Part 89
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Colonel Adams was promoted to brigadier-general young Scott was raised to the rank of first lieutenant, serving for a time as an aide to his old commander and later with Johnston and Hood in the Georgia and Alabama campaigns. After the war he studied law and began practice in Bolivar county, where he was elected to the offices of sheriff, tax collector and State senator. The third son, Charles Scott, left school at the tender age of fifteen years to become a soldier in the Washington cavalry. A sketch of his life appears elsewhere in this work, as does also a sketch of his brother, D. A. A younger son, Frank M. Scott, was born in 1852, and was therefore too young to enter the army. He was educated in the University of Virginia, graduated in the law department of the University of Mississippi at Oxford, and began the practice of his profession at Rosedale as a member of the firm of Sillers & Scott, later becoming largely interested in planting. Thus Chancellor Charles Scott, through his own unimpeachable career and those of his sons, has left an indeli- ble impress on the institutions and progress of the Bayou State. Not only was he "learned in the law," but he was also well versed in the world's best and most classical literature, Shakespeare being an especial favorite. He was likewise a great student of the Bible, believed in its precepts, and was a practical and consistent Christian, one of the unostentatious kind, who in doing good deeds or bestowing charity, "let not the left hand know what the right hand doeth.' The influence of such men lives long after they have been cut down by the scythe of time, and it is unquestionably true that the influence of Charles Scott, the upright judge, the patriotic citizen, the devoted friend and Christian gentleman, is still silently but potently felt in Mississippi.
Stevens, Hiram Stuart, of the well known law firm of Stevens, Stevens & Cook, of Hattiesburg, is one of the well trained and prominent members of the bar of Perry county, and is also a citizen of liberal and progressive views, tak- ing a loyal interest in local affairs. He was born in Augusta, Perry county, Miss., April 27, 1874, and is a son of Benjamin and Lorena (Breland) Stevens, the former of whom was born in Jackson county and the latter in Greene county, Miss., both being representatives of old and hon- ored families of the South. Benjamin Stevens was one of those loyal sons of Mississippi who went forth to do battle for the Confederacy at the time of the Civil war. He was made captain of Company E, Steed's battalion, Ninth Mississippi cavalry, in which he served four years, during the last six months of the time being acting colonel of his regiment. His regiment served under Generals Wheeler and Forrest, principally in Georgia and Mississippi, taking part in many important engagements and remaining in the service until the close of the war.
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Hiram S. Stevens was for one year a student in the Centenary college of Louisiana, in Jackson, that State, and in 1895 he was graduated in Millsaps college, Jackson, Miss., with the degree of Bachelor of Science, having taken medals for both scholarship and oratory in his sophomore, junior and senior years. He was soon afterward matriculated in the law department of the University of Mississippi, from which he was graduated in 1897, with the degree of Bachelor of Laws, while he received a special-distinction diploma. In the same year he established himself in the work of his profession at Hattiesburg, where he was associated in practice with his brother, J. Morgan Stevens, under the firm name of Stevens & Stevens. They secured a representative clientage and are numbered among the leading members of the bar of Perry county. In 1905 William Felder Cook was taken into partnership and the firm name is now Stevens, Stevens & Cook. Another brother, W. Forrest Stevens, deceased, was circuit judge of the Fifth judicial circuit of Mississippi at the time of his death. Hiram S. Stevens is a member of the di- rectorate of the National Bank of Commerce and is president of the Hattiesburg Light and Power Company. In politics he is a stalwart Democrat, and has taken an active part in the promotion of party interests, being chairman of the Democratic executive committee of Perry county. On Nov. 3, 1903, he was elected to represent his county in the State legislature, and has made an excellent record in
this connection. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, the Knights of Pythias and the Kappa Alpha college fraternity, and is a trustee of Millsaps college, while both he and his wife are zealous and devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal church, South, and he was the superintendent of the local Sunday school of the church at the time this review was written. On November 16, 1897, Mr. Stevens was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Dancy Mcclellan, daughter of Benjamin McClellan, a prominent and influential citizen of Millikens Bend, La.
Sexton, James Seymour, has achieved distinction as an able and successful mem- ber of the bar of Mississippi and is engaged in the practice of his profession in Hazle- hurst, the judicial center of Copiah county. He is a native of this county, where he was born Nov. 2, 1854, being a son of John Curtis Sexton and Mary Elizabeth (Perry) Sexton, the former of whom was born in Tenn., March 4, 1801, and the latter of whom was born in South Carolina, the parents of each having immigrated to America from Ireland. The marriage of John C. Sexton and Mary E. Perry was solemnized Aug. 30, 1840, and they thereafter continued to reside in Rankin county, Miss., until 1849, when they removed to Copiah county and settled on a plantation four miles southeast of Crystal Springs, this farm having been the birth-
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place of the subject of this sketch and still being in the possession of the family. The parents remained on this homestead until 1860, when they took up their residence in the village of Crystal Springs, where the father died Dec. 31, 1861, his wife surviving him by many years. He was an old-line Whig, a royal-arch Mason and was a member of the Methodist church, as was also his wife, who contracted a second marriage several years after his demise. Of their nine children, five are living. In this family James S. Sexton was the fourth in order of birth of the five sons who attained to years of maturity. He received his early education in one of the old-time field schools near his home, and afterward attended the University of Mississippi for three years, then putting his acquirements to practi- cal use by engaging in teaching in the schools of his native county. He read law under the preceptorship of Judge T. E. Cooper, who later became one of the associate justices of the supreme court of the State, and he was admitted to the bar in 1881. He has gained precedence as one of the representative members of his profession in Copiah county and has had to do with much important litigation in the State and federal courts. He is stanch in his allegiance to the Democratic party but has never sought office, believing his profession worthy of his undivided time and allegiance, but he served as a delegate to the State constitutional convention of 1890, having been the youngest delegate from the State at large. Both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, South. In 1875 Mr. Sexton was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Wilson, daughter of William Wilson. She was born and reared in Copiah county, and her death occurred, in Hazlehurst, in 1888. She is survived by two children, May, who is the wife of Dr. Robert E. Higdon, and Luther S. In 1889 Mr. Sexton married Miss Lillian Ruth Wise, daughter of Dr. John P. Wise, and they have four children, namely : Kathleen, Jamie, Frances and Dana.
Scarborough, James J., the popular and efficient incumbent of the office of post- master of Poplarville, Pearl River county, and recently assistant cashier of the Bank of Poplarville, is successfully engaged in the real estate and insurance business, as a member of the firm of J. J. Scarborough & Co. Mr. Scarborough was born in Noxu- bee county, Miss., on Aug. 23, 1856, and is a son of James and Fannie (Minchew) Scarborough, the former a native of Sum- ter county, Ala., and the latter of Noxubee county, Miss. The father was a valiant soldier during the Civil war, having been a member of a regiment of Mississippi volunteer infantry under Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston and hav- ing served during practically the entire course of the great conflict. He passed away Dec. 22, 1905, and his wife is now living in Fearn Springs, Miss., with her son and daughter. James J. Scar-
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borough received a common school education in his youth and early gave evidence of that discrimination and business acumen which have conserved his success in connection with the practical affairs of life. After leaving home he became bookkeeper in the mercantile establishment of Dr. J. A. Fox, of Louisville, Miss., with whom he remained for the long period of twelve years. In 1890 he identified himself with agricultural pursuits and with general merchandising, at Fearn Springs, Winston county, where he continued to reside until 1899, which year witnessed his removal to Poplarville, where he has since made his home. Here he established himself in the real estate and insurance business, and with this line of enterprise he is still concerned, as a member of the firm of J. J. Scarborough & Co., the agency controlling an excellent business in both of its departments. In 1900 Mr. Scarborough was one of those instru- mental in organizing the Bank of Poplarville, of which he became a stockholder and director at the time, while he served as assistant cashier from the inception of the enterprise, until his son, J. J. Scar- borough, Jr., was elected to succeed him. The bank was incorpor- ated with a capital stock of twenty thousand dollars, since increased to $75,000 and is being nationalized; has a deposit balance of $175,000 as an average, and is one of the ably conducted and substantial banking houses of the State, having paid handsome dividends to its stockholders and handling a business of representative character. In 1902, without his personal solicitation or even knowledge, Mr. Scarborough was honored with the appointment of postmaster of Poplarville, and he has given a most satisfactory administration of the affairs of this local branch of the public service and was re- appointed in 1906. In politics he is an uncompromising adherent of the Democratic party, fraternally is identified with the Wood- men of the World, and both he and his wife hold membership in the Baptist church. On Dec. 5, 1878, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Scarborough to Miss Jennie Cagle, daughter of Charles H. and Mary E. (Richardson) Cagle, of Louisville, Winston county, this State. Of this union have been born six children, five of whom are living, namely : Bessie Edna, Mabel Fannie, Hilda Aline, James Jack- son and Guy Osborn. Hunter Bruce died at the age of twelve years.
Scott, William T., of Poplarville, is giving a most able and popu- lar administration of the office of sheriff of Pearl River county, in which he is serving his second term. He held the shrievalty from 1896 to 1900, and in 1903 was again elected sheriff, taking charge of his official duties in January, 1904, so that his present term will expire in 1908. Mr. Scott was born in Kemper county, Miss., Jan. 25, 1846, and is a son of Charles C. and Mary Ann (Bell) Scott. His father was a successful planter and merchant of Kemper county and served one term as sheriff in the early days in that county. He died in Kemper county in 1862, from an attack of measles, con- tracted while in service as a soldier of the Confederacy, having en- listed at the first call of the governor for volunteer State troops, His wife died in 1877, on her father's old homestead, in Kemper county, and both she and her husband were laid to rest in the ceme-
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tery at Dekalb. Mrs. Scott was a daughter of Dr. Samuel and Jane (Craig) Bell, both of whom were born in the city of Dublin, Ireland, whence they came to America and located in North Carolina, where Dr. Bell became a prominent representative of his profession. He finally removed with his family to Kemper county, Miss., where he acquired a large and valuable estate and where he lived practically retired for a number of years prior to his death, which occurred in 1850. Mrs. Bell died in 1866. Sheriff Scott was reared to the sturdy discipline of the home plantation and was afforded the advan- tages of the common schools of his native county. At the age of eighteen years he there purchased a farm, to whose operation he thereafter gave his attention for a period of about fourteen years. In 1880 he identified himself with railroad work on the Mobile & Ohio railroad, first becoming section foreman and thereafter ad- vancing through practically all grades of promotion in connection with the track department. He continued in railroad work until his election to the office of sheriff of Pearl River county, as already noted. After the expiration of his first term he was elected county assessor and he held this position until his second election as sheriff. He has ever given an unqualified support to the Democratic party and he is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias. Both he and his wife hold membership in the Baptist church. He is well known in southern Mississippi and here his circle of friends is limited only by that of his acquaintances, save for the ill will which he may have engendered in the minds of malefactors who have felt the power of his official hand. In July, 1871, Mr. Scott was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Eveline Whitsett, daughter of Howell and Martha (Saffold) Whitsett, both of whom died in Kemper county, where Mr. Whitsett was an influential planter and a courtly gentleman of the old-time type. Mr. and Mrs. Scott have five children, all daughters.
Sharborough, Bartlett White, who is engaged in the practice of his profession at Laurel, is recognized as one of the representative members of the bar of Jones county and has attained to marked prestige in the department of criminal law. He is an ex-member of the State senate and has been prominent in civic affairs for several years past. Mr. Sharborough was born in Jasper county, Miss., July 11, 1858, and is a son of James Ives Sharborough, who was born in Montgomery, Ala., and who died in Laurel, Miss., in April, 1893, at the age of seventy-three years. He came with his parents to Smith county, Miss., when a boy, and he ultimately became one of the prominent and influential planters of that section, owning farms in both Jasper and Smith counties and living near the dividing line between the two counties. His father, Malachi Sharborough, was a soldier in the War of the Revolution, and he himself rendered loyal service as a soldier of the Confederacy during the Civil war, having been a private in Company K, Thirty-second Mississippi infantry, and having been paroled at the close of the war. His wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Yelverton, was born in Jasper county, Miss., and she died at Taylorsville, Smith county, in 1891,
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at the age of fifty-six years. Bartlett W. Sharborough, the immedi- ate subject of this sketch, was afforded the advantages of the schools at Harperville and then entered the University of Mississippi, where he continued his academic studies, later being matriculated in the law department of Cumberland university, Lebanon, Tenn., where he was graduated as a member of the class of 1884, receiving his degree of Bachelor of Laws and soon afterward being admitted to the bar of his native State. He initiated the practice of his profes- sion by opening an office at Paulding, the capital of Jasper county, where he met with unequivocal success and where he continued his professional headquarters until 1903, when he removed to Laurel, where he has added still further to his professional prestige and success. He has devoted his attention largely to criminal practice, having defended thirty-seven men, only three of whom were sen- tenced to the penitentiary and none of whom was sentenced to death. He is a member of the Mississippi State bar association and is affili- ated with the Masonic fraternity, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Knights of Pythias. The Democratic party re- ceives the unqualified allegiance of Mr. Sharborough, and in 1885 he was elected to represent Jasper county in the State legislature, serving one term. In 1900 he was elected to represent his district, comprising the counties of Jasper and Clarke, in the State senate, serving during the sessions of 1901 and 1904. He was chairman of the committee on enrolled bills and was a member of the impor- tant judiciary committee of the senate. He and his wife are mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church, South. On Nov. 11, 1885, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Sharborough to Miss Eliza Mc- Cormick, daughter of the late George C. McCormick, of Jasper county. They have six children-Charles James, Bartlett White, Jr., Olivia, Clayton Lamar, Rebecca and Johannis Reb.
Shelby, George B., Sr., of Shelby, Bolivar county, is a worthy scion of a family whose name has been long and prominent- ly identified with the annals of American history. The town of Shelby was named in honor of the family and he is one of the most extensive planters and landhold- ers of Bolivar county, where he has other capitalistic interests of importance. He is a man who commands unreserved con- fidence and esteem, is one of the influential citizens of that section of the State, and is an honored veteran of the Confederate service in the Civil war. Mr. Shelby was born at Kirkwood, Madison county, Miss., Oct. 6, 1844, being a son of Marcus D. and Sarah J. (Barnes) Shelby, the former of whom was born near Bristol, Tenn., in 1793, and the latter in South Carolina, in 1807. Marcus D. Shelby was a nephew of Col. Isaac Shelby, who was an officer both in the War of the Revo- lution and that of 1812 and who was also the first governor of Ken-
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tucky and he was the grandson of Brig .- Gen. Evan Shelby. The parents of the subject of this review passed the closing years of their lives in Madison county, where the father was a successful planter. George B. Shelby duly availed himself of the advantages of the com- mon schools of Madison county and then entered Madison college, where he was a student at the time when the dark cloud of Civil war overspread the national firmament. His loyalty to the cause of the Confederacy was of no wavering or uncertain type, and he subordinated all other interests to go forth in defense of the Southern cause, withdrawing from college for this purpose. In the spring of 1862 he enlisted in the company of Captain Luckett in the Mis- sissippi regiment commanded by Col. Wirt Adams. About a year later he joined a company of scouts which had been organized by Captain Harvey and which entered the service under the name of Harvey's Scouts. This intrepid band did effective service in Mis- sissippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia and Alabama-first under Gen. Crosby Armstrong, later under Gen. W. H. Jackson, and finally under General Forrest. Mr. Shelby was with his command under General Johnston as the latter retreated before General Sherman, and he was the first of his command to see the flag of truce which announced the final surrender of Johnston. He took part in all the campaigns and engagements in which his company was involved and made a gallant record. He was mustered out at Demopolis, Ala., after the close of the war, having been at Columbus, Ga., at the time of the surrender of General Lee. The fortunes of war had visited most heavily his family, and he was compelled to start in life empty-handed after the close of the great conflict which so devas- tated and depressed the fair Southland. His ambition was one of courage and action, however, and his standing today indicates how effectively he has labored and how successfully he has brought his abilities and energies to bear, for he is one of the substantial capi- talists of Bolivar county, where he owns one of the finest plantations in the Delta district, the same comprising 2,760 acres, splendidly improved. On the place are excellent tenement houses, steam cotton-gin, grist-mill and sawmill, large commissary store, etc., besides the beautiful plantation house. Mr. Shelby is vice-president of the Shelby bank and has lent his aid and co-operation in the fur- thering of enterprises and measures which have conserved the general welfare and the advancement of his home county and State in ma- terial and civic lines. He and his wife pass their time largely in traveling through the various parts of the Union, following the dic- tates of their fancy and greatly enjoying their journeyings, but they usually pass the winters in Shelby, near their children and their largest interests. Mr. Shelby is a stalwart in the camp of the Demo- cratic party, and in 1900-1901 he represented his county in the State legislature. He is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the Knights of Pythias, as well as the United Confederate Veterans, and both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, South. On Feb. 2, 1876, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Shelby to Miss Janie Poitevent, daughter of Jacob and Mary (Gause) Poit-
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event, of Grenada, Miss. The parents were born in North Carolina, the father being of French Huguenot descent. Mr. and Mrs. Shelby have two sons, Dr. Frederick P., who is a successful physician and surgeon of Shelby, and George B., Jr., who is engaged in the practice of law at Cleveland, the county seat, being one of the representa- tive members of the bar of Bolivar county.
Scarborough, John Watkins, M. D., who is now living retired in Kosciusko, Attala county, has the distinction of being the oldest physician in the State and for many years he was engaged in the active practice of his profession, which he honored and dignified by his able and faithful labors. The doctor was born in Edgecombe county, N. C., Feb. 24, 1820, and is a son of John R. and Nancy (Watkins) Scarborough, both of whom were likewise native of the old North State, whence they came to Alabama in 1833 and then moved to Mis- sissippi in the fall of 1838, here passing the remainder of their lives. The Scarbor- ough family is of stanch English ancestry and was founded in Ameri- ca in the colonial era of our national history. James Scarborough, grandfather of the doctor, was a patriot soldier in the War of the Revolution, as were also six of his brothers. He himself held the rank of major in the Continental service. The father of the subject of this sketch became one of the extensive planters and influential citizens of Attala county, where his death occurred Jan. 30, 1846; his widow died in October, 1848. Dr. Scarborough secured his fundamental education in North Carolina and he has been a resident of Attala county, Miss., since 1838, so that he is entitled to special recognition as one of the pioneer citizens and physicians of this sec- tion of the State. He was given the advantages of the schools of Attala and Carroll counties and also received instruction from private tutors of ability. He began the study of medicine under an able preceptor and in January, 1841, and in the winter of 1843-4, took a course of lectures in the medical department of what is now Tulane university, New Orleans. He at once began the practice of his pro- fession in Attala county, but returned to the medical school for the session of 1844-5, in the spring of which latter year he completed the prescribed course. In 1848 he entered the Joseph McDowell medical college at St. Louis, Mo., in which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1849 and from which he received the degree of Doc- tor of Medicine. He continued in successful practice until 1894, when he felt justified in shifting the burden of responsibility and labor to younger shoulders, after having given more than half a century to the work of his noble and humane profession. He has ministered unselfishly and faithfully to those in affliction and dis- tress and in many homes throughout this section of the State is his name held in loving and reverent regard. He has been faithful
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and true in all the relations of life and now, as the shadows begin to lengthen from the golden West, he finds solace and satisfac- tion in reverting to the good he has been able to do for others. He is a stalwart supporter of the cause of the Democratic party, has been a member of the Methodist church since 1846 and is one of the oldest members of the Masonic fraternity in the county, being affiliated with the lodge and chapter of the order. Dr. Scarborough has been thrice married. In 1842 he wedded Mrs. McCarter, whose death occurred a few months later. He later married Miss Martha E. Harrison, who died in 1873, leaving no children. In 1875 the doctor married Mrs. Louisa (Campbell) Nash, who died in 1897, leaving no children. And now he is spending the remainder of his days in his comfortable home in Kosciusko, Miss., where he has lived for more than sixty years.
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