USA > North Carolina > History of North Carolina: North Carolina biography, Volume IV > Part 30
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Doctor Thames was married in 1894, the year he graduated in medicine, to Martha Geneva Cecil. Mrs. Thames was born near Thomasville, in Da- vidson County, North Carolina, a daughter of Jesse W. and Elizabeth (Moffitt) Cecil. The Moffitts were English Quakers. Doctor and Mrs. Thames have four children: John Allan, Elizabeth Moffitt, Francis Cecil and Mary Louise. Both Doctor and Mrs. Thames are members of the Presbyterian Church. He has long been actively identified with Masonry. He became a Mason in Hiram Lodge No. 466, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, in 1894, and has thrice transferred his membership, at present being past master of Wilmington Lodge No. 319. Doctor Thames has thrice held the of- fice of worshipful master in as many different lodges. He is also past high priest of Chapter No. 1, Royal Arch Masons, at Wilmington, and pre- sided at the centennial of its organization. He is affiliated with Munson Council No. 4, Royal and Select Masons, at Wilmington, and Plantagenet Commandery, No. J. Knights Templar, at Wil- mington, and Oasis Temple of the Mystic Shrine. Doctor Thames is also a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Junior Order of United Amer- ican Mechanics.
When the United States declared war against Germany Doctor Thames felt the call to assist in winning the world for democracy. He gave up the health work, applied and was accepted in the Medical Reserve Corps of the United States Army May 15, 1917. Since that time he has advanced rapidly in rank, and has filled some of the most important positions, where the knowledge of pre- vention of disease was required. It is hoped that he will survive the great world war and return to his native state, better prepared to pursue his. work of helping to make North Carolina a safe place to live, free from contagious disease.
MATT RANSOM LONG. The list of prominent and successful young business men of Roxboro would be incomplete were not mention made of Matt Ran- som Long, whose entire career has been passed in this thriving and enterprising community and who has risen to a place of importance through the
exercise of natural abilities. Belonging to a fam- ily which has long contributed through its members to the growth and development of business and civic interests, he has shown himself a worthy rep- resentative of the name he bears and in connection with several important enterprises is contributing his share to the general welfare.
Mr. Long was born at Roxboro, Person County, North Carolina, a son of James Anderson and Laura Rebecca (Thompson) Long. His father was born in this county, May 23, 1841, a son of Rat- liff and Mary (Walters) Long, and received a common school education, beginning life as a farmer. When the Civil war broke out, he en- listed in Company H, Twenty-fourth North Caro- lina Regiment, C. S. A., with which command he fought to the end of the struggle, rising to the rank of sergeant. Later in life he became major on the staff of Gen. Julian S. Carr, United Con- federate Veterans. When the war closed he re- sumed his farming operations, but his interests gradually extended to other fields, he becoming president of the Peoples Bank of Roxboro and of the two Roxboro Cotton Mills, and owner of the Loch Lily Roller Flour and Grist Mills, Saw Mills and Planing Mills. Mr. Long has been prominently before the public in many positions of civic trust. As early as 1885 he was a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from Person County, and in 1889, 1901, 1905 and 1909 was elected to the State Senate. He was appointed by Governor Kitchin a member of the State Building · Commission to supervise the erection of the State Administration Building provided for by the Leg- islature of 1911, and was selected by Col. Ashley Horne as a member of the committee to supervise the erection of the monument to the North Carolina Women of the Confederacy, presented by the colonel to the State of North Carolina, to be erected in Capitol Square, Raleigh. He is a member of the Methodist Church, is a trustee of the Methodist Orphanage, belongs to the board of trustees of Trinity College, and is chairman of the board of trustees of Greensboro Female College. In 1882 he was united in marriage with Laura Rebecca Thompson, and they became the parents of three children.
Matt R. Long received his early education in the graded and high schools of Roxboro, following which he attended Trinity College, and then com- pleted his training by a course at the Virginia Military Institute. When he entered the business world it was as proprietor of an automobile garage and a dealer in automobiles and supplies, but in 1911 he disposed of his interests in that direction. Mr. Long is well and favorably known in busi- ness circles of Roxboro and the surrounding country and his standing among his associates and com- petitors is an excellent one. He is president of the Roxboro Light and Power Company and a di- rector in the Peoples Bank, and in various ways is an active factor in the busy life of this growing locality. He is an adherent of the Good Roads Movement and has been able to accomplish much good in this way as chairman of the County High- way Commission.
Mr. Long was married February 22, 1914, to Miss Oveda Page, of Bartow, Florida, and to this union there has been born one child, Laura Oveda.
JOHN BLACKWELL SPARROW has spent his active life as a business man of Washington, is a banker
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in that city, and has made himself a factor in its civic advancement and welfare.
His father, the late Thomas Sparrow, was born at Newbern in North Carolina in October, 1819, and was long distinguished in North Carolina's professional and public affairs. He was a son of Thomas and Jeanette Sparrow, the former a native of Newbern and the latter of Hyde County, this' state. Thomas Sparrow, Jr., was liberally edu- cated, attending Caldwell Institute at Greensboro from February, 1836, to April, 1839. In October, 1839, he entered the sophomore class of Princeton College, New Jersey, and in October, 1842 was graduated valedictorian. He afterwards took a post-graduate course for the Master of Arts de- gree.
In 1842 he began the study of law under Judge William Gaston, was licensed to practice in the County Court in 1843, and in the Superior Court in 1844. Thomas Sparrow located at Washington in 1847, forming a partnership with Hon. Edward Stanley. He rapidly rose to prominence both at the bar and in politics. In the Legislature of 1870 he was chairman of the Board of Managers at the impeachment trial of Gov. W. W. Holden.
He left a well established law practice to serve his country at the beginning of the war. In 1861 he organized the first company from Beaufort County and was one of the most devoted followers of the Southern Confederacy. At the battle of Hatteras he was taken prisoner and spent six months at Fort Lafayette in New York Harbor and Fort Warren in Boston Harbor. He was com -. missioned major of the 40th North Carolina Artil- lery and made inspector of ordnance for the de- fenses of the Cape Fear. Headquarters were at Wilmington, North Carolina. Major Sparrow never surrendered his sword or took the oath of allegiance. The sword which he carried is now in the possession of his son John B. Sparrow. He was several times a member of the State Legisla- ture. In politics he was affiliated with the old whig party and from that became a democrat. He was a ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church.
In April, 1844, Thomas Sparrow married Ann M. Blackwell, daughter of John Blackwell, of Newbern, North Carolina. They had six children: Rev. George A. Sparrow, of Lowell, North Caro- lina; Anna, wife of Dr. R. H. Lewis, of Raleigh; Margaret, Mrs. C. M. Payne, of Raleigh; Eliza- beth, Mrs. H. A. McCord of Chicago; Caroline, Mrs. R. F. Dalton, of Greensboro, North Carolina; and John B. Sparrow.
The original ancestors of the Sparrow family came from England and were colonial settlers in Southeastern Virginia.
John Blackwell Sparrow was born January 19, 1860, in the State of Illinois, where his parents lived a short time before the war. When he was about a year old his parents returned to North Carolina and he grew up at Washington. His early education was under the direction of a pri- vate tutor. Mr. Sparrow was a general merchant at Washington for ten years and for thirteen years was connected with the firm of S. R. Fowle & Son. In May, 1903, he became one of the organizers of the Savings & Trust Company of Washington and has since been its cashier. He is also secretary and treasurer of the Home Build- ing and Loan Association. Mr. Sparrow has been an official in the Washington Chamber of Com- merce, is president of the Washington Public Library Association, chairman of the County Board of Education, was city clerk and treasurer
eight years, a member of the city council six years, and is an elder in the Presbyterian Church. No- vember 30, 1892, he married Miss Fannie Tunstall Payne, of Lexington, North Carolina, daughter of Dr. Robert Lee and Winifred ( Wilson) Payne. They have one son, Thomas De Lamar, born Sep- tember 10, 1895, and now a student of medicine in the University of Pennsylvania.
THOMAS BROWN FINLEY. Conspicuous among the more talented and able members of the Wilkes County bar is Thomas Brown Finley, of North Wilkesboro; a lawyer who has gained prominence in his profession; a public-spirited citizen whose influence has been felt in the establishment of enterprises conducive to the betterment of the community in which he resides; and a business man of undoubted ability and integrity. A na- tive of Wilkesboro, he was born at Fairmount, now Kensington Heights, a son of Augustus W. Finley, and grandson of Maj. John Finley, an early settler of Wilkes County.
Maj. John Finley was born and brought up in Adams County, Pennsylvania, where he acquired a good education, and a practical training in busi- ness pursuits. Coming in early life to the Valley of Virginia and then to North Carolina, he pur- chased property in Wilkesboro, and on a rise of ground erected a substantial brick house near the site of the present courthouse. In partnership with Colonel Waugh, he engaged in mercantile business on an extensive scale, establishing a chain of stores, including one store in each of the following named places: Wilkesboro; Jefferson; Shouns Cross Roads, Tennessee; Lenoir; and one in Cherokee County. Buying their goods in the North, this en- terprising firm either had them transported with teams from Baltimore, or else had them shipped to Fayetteville, this state, and transported from there with teams.
In addition to his mercantile interests, Major Finley was identified with various other enter- prises. He owned valuable real estate, operated a tannery, and was interested in a hotel in Wilkes- boro. He lived to a ripe old age, dying when eighty-seven years old. He married Ellen Tate, who was born near Staunton, Virginia, and they reared four children, namely: Augustus W .; Wil- liam W .; John T .; and Clarinda Eliza, who mar- ried Doctor Bouscheele.
Augustus W. Finley was born in Wilkesboro in 1812, and died at his home, the present site of North Wilkesboro, December 30, 1889. He received an academic education, and after reaching man's estate migrated to Mississippi, where he embarked in mercantile pursuits, while there becoming fa- miliar with the language of various Indian tribes. Returning to Wilkes County, he purchased land including the present site of North Wilkesboro, and Fairmount, now known as Kensington Heights, where stood the "Red House," built by Charles Gordon, and in the house subsequently erected on that spot, he spent many years, and in it occurred the birth of his son Thomas, the subject of this sketch.
An extensive agriculturist and land owner and dealer, Augustus W. Finley made several trips to the then far West, journeying either by stage or on horseback. He visited different parts of Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota, and in each of these states bought land, mostly unimproved. He owned large tracts of grazing land in Ashe County, North Carolina, where he kept herds of cattle during the grazing season, but taking them to
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HISTORY OF NORTH CAROLINA
Wilkesboro winters. A few days prior to his death, he sold, and signed the deed to the first lot of land sold in North Wilkesboro.
The maiden name of the wife of Augustus W. Finley was Martha Gordon. She was born in Wilkesboro, in 1821, a daughter of Nathaniel Gor- don, and granddaughter of George Gordon, a pioneer of Wilkes County, a member of the cele- brated Gordon family of Scotland. Leaving Vir- ginia, his native state when young, George Gordon located in Wilkes County, this state, and having bought a large tract of land on the west bank of Reddies River, close to the present site of North Wilkesboro, and extending westward, he improved a fine estate, which he operated with slave labor. There he spent the remainder of his days, a pros- perous agriculturist, and a respected citizen. His son, Nathaniel Gordon, father of Martha Gordon, and grandfather of Thomas B. Finley, was active and prominent in public life, and served several terms in the State Legislature, of which he was a member at the time of his death.
. Nathaniel Gordon married Sarah Lenoir Gwyn, who was born in Wilkes County, and was a mem- ber of the family of Lenoirs to which Gen. William Lenoir, of Revolutionary fame, .belonged. They reared several children, among them having been Gen. James B. Gordon, in whose sketch, which appears on another page of this volume, may be found further ancestral record. Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Finley, eight children were born, as follows: Sarah Ellen, who married Sam- uel F. Pilson; Martha Octavia; James Edward; John George; Carrie G., wife of Frank Pilson; Arthur A .; and Thomas Brown. The mother survived her husband several years, passing away in 1898.
Obtaining his early education in the public and private schools of Wilkesboro, Thomas Brown Fin- ley was fitted for college at the Finley Higli School at Lenoir. He afterward spent three years as a student at Davidson College, subsequently studying law, for which he had a natural apti- tude, under Col. Geo. N. Folk, at his home on the Yadkin River, Caldwell County. Admitted to the bar in 1885, Mr. Finley immediately opened a law office in Wilkesboro, and through his legal knowl- edge, ability and skill has built up· an extensive and remunerative practice, not only in his own county, but in adjoining counties. In his labors, he has been associated with other attorneys of note, having first been in partnership with John S. Craner; later with H. L. Greene; and since 1902 has been with F. B. Hendren.
Keenly interested in everything pertaining to the welfare of city and county, Mr. Finley has been actively identified with enterprises of a bene- ficial nature. He was one of the founders of the Town of North Wilkesboro, and was one of the organizers, and a director of its first bank. He has always taken a genuine interest in agricul- ture, and in 1907 was a member of the Wilkes County Corn Club, and raised 110 bushels of corn to the acre, and won the first prize. He was one of the promoters of the Wilkes County Fair As- sociation, which he has served as president since its organization in 1908. He is also president of the Oak Furniture Co., The Shell Chair Co., and the Gordon Hotel Co., director in various other companies, and the chairman of the Graded School Board of Trustees. Mr. Finley has title to vast tracts of real estate, owning upwards of 16,000 acres of mountain land, much of which is covered
with valuable timber, and more than a 1,000 acres in the vicinity of Wilkesboro.
A loyal supporter of the principles of the demo- cratic party, Mr. Finley is active and prominent in public affairs, and at the solicitation of friends became a candidate for nomination for judge in 1910. The convention met at Newton, but ad- journed without nominating, and later convened at Hickory, over 700 ballots were cast, with Mr. Finley leading the field until the final combination was made. He served as an elector on the presi- dential ticket in 1916, casting his vote for Wood- row Wilson at Raleigh, and was present at Wash- ington when both houses of Congress met to pro- claim the vote for President of the United States. On June 1, 1918, T. B. Finley was nominated for judge of the 17th Judicial District in the primary, by an overwhelming majority over two opponents. This nomination is equivalent to an election as judges are elected by the entire state.
Mr. Finley married September 27, 1893, Miss Carrie Lizzie Cowles, who was born in Wilkesboro, a daughter of Col. W. H. H. and Cora (Worth) Cowles. Her father was a distinguished Con- federate colonel, solicitor for eight years, and a member of Congress for eight years. Into their attractive home five children have been born, namely : Lura, wife of Mc'd. Coffey; Thomas Augustus, who was graduated from Davidson Col- lege with the class of 1917; Corinna C .; Ellen and Elizabeth. Mrs. Finley has two brothers in the army, one at West Point, and their only son and son-in-law are in the Navy and the other mem- bers of the family are doing their best for their country. The family are all members of the Pres- byterian Church. Their home, "The Oaks,"' a finely built, modern structure, is beautifully lo- cated on a hillside, overlooking the valley and the mountains beyond, and is noted for its generous hospitality, the friends of each and every member of the family always being warmly welcomed.
JOSEPH REID FLETCHER. One of the most sub- stantial names in mercantile affairs at Winston- Salem is that of Fletcher. The Fletcher Brothers, including Joseph Reid, have for many years con- ducted a large wholesale and retail clothing house in that city, and have a trade covering practically all Western North Carolina and Southern states.
It was after a long and thorough apprenticeship as a clerk, traveling salesman and general busi- ness man that Joseph R. Fletcher entered the pres- ent firm at Winston-Salem. He is also well known in banking and public affairs in that city. Mr. Fletcher was born on a farm in East Bend Town- ship of Yadkin County. His grandfather Ambrose Fletcher is thought to have been a native of the same locality. He was a shoemaker by trade. When he practiced that art shoe factories had not come into existence. The trade of shoemaker was one of the best of the manual arts. All shoes and boots were made to order and in the hands of a skilled operative the trade was a most profit- able one. Ambrose Fletcher followed this busi- ness practically all his life in Yadkin County.
John F. Fletcher, father of the Winston-Salem merchant, was born in East Bend Township in what was then Surry County, learned the trade of his father, and subsequently bought a farm near the present site of Enon Church. Early in the war he enlisted and gave faithful service to the Confederate cause. Following the war he lived on his farm for several years and while superintend-
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ing its operations he also followed his trade. Later he rented the farm and moving to Winston-Salem spent the rest of his days in that city. He mar- ried Caroline Brann. She was born near the present site of Enon Chapel in East Bend Town- ship. The grandparents were of German ancestry and from their former home in Caswell County moved to what is now East Bend Township of Yadkin County, and there hewed a farm from the woods. Caroline Brann's father was Thomas Brann, who was born on the homestead that has been her birthplace. He was a farmer, lived prosperously and diligently in that community all his life. Mrs. John F. Fletcher is still living at Winston-Salem at the age of seventy-four. She reared seven children : Lucinda, Joseph Reid, New- ton G., Hiram D., John Henry, Cora Elizabeth, and Thomas Luther. All the children are living ex- cept Lucinda, Hiram D. and Thomas Luther.
Joseph R. Fletcher as a boy attended rural schools and subsequently the Oak Ridge Institute. While in the institute he was assistant teacher part of the time. He was graduated in 1886 and following that had a year of experience as a teacher. Coming to Winston-Salem, he learned merchandising as clerk for Jacob Tise, and then entered the offices of P. H. Hanes & Co., where he spent eleven years. For two years Mr. Fletcher traveled over much of the country selling rice and coffee for a wholesale house at Charleston, South Carolina. Next he was agent for a hosiery mill five years. In the meantime he had become finan- cially interested in the clothing business with his brothers John H., Newton G. and Thomas L., under the firm name of Fletcher Brothers. He is now actively identified as a partner in that concern, and though they started modestly and with small cap- ital the establishment has been built up to large proportions and influential connections throughout this section of the state.
Mr. Fletcher was married in 1898 to Catherine Conner Broughton, who was born in Clarendon County, South Carolina. She is a daughter of Col. Jackson J. and Mrs. (Harven) Broughton, and is a lineal descendant of Sir Thomas Brough- ton, who was a member of King George's privy council. Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher have two children: Frances Josephine and Joseph Reid, Jr. Mrs. Fletcher is an active member of the First Presby- terian Church while Mr. Fletcher is a member of the Board of Deacons of the First Baptist Church. He is also a director of the Merchants National Bank at Winston-Salem.
During his residence at Winston-Salem Mr. Fletcher's interest has always been keen in local affairs, and for four years he served as an alder- man. During that time he was chairman of the waterworks committee and the finance committee.
THOMAS N. CHAFFIN. An active and able mem- ber of the Davie County bar, Thomas N. Chaffin, a prosperous attorney of Mocksville, has won prestige in the legal profession, and holds high rank among the more useful and respected mem- bers of his community. He was born, July 6, 1867, in Mocksville, his home city, while his father, Mar- tin Rowan Chaffin, was born on a farm lying two miles south of Mocksville, his birth occurring No- vember 25, 1828.
Mr. Chaffin's grandfather, William O. Chaffin, was a pioneer teacher of Rowan County, and a man of considerable influence. In a very early day he moved to Indiana where he continued his resi-
dence until his death. He was twice married. The maiden name of his first wife was Hendrix. She died in early womanhood, leaving two children, Martin Rowan and Sarah. By his second marriage he had two children, Stanley and Emily, both of whom settled in Kansas.
Martin Rowan Chaffin studied under Baxter Clegg when young, acquiring an excellent educa- tion, and for many years was a successful and pop- ular teacher in the public schools. He has spent his entire life in Davie County, since 1866 having made his home in Mocksville. On September 15, 1858, he was united in marriage with Mary F. McClennon, who was born June 3, 1835. She died September 10, 1861, leaving two children, both of whom died in childhood. He married second, June 15, 1865, Emma Frances Brock, who was born No- vember 18, 1838, a daughter of Nathaniel and Clarissa (Smith) Brock, both natives of Davie County. She died August 17, 1911. To her and her husband seven children were born, as follows: Aura A., who married S. M. Halton; Thomas N., of this sketch; William B., deceased; Jessie B., wife of A. M. McGlamary; Corinne, wife of Joseph W. Kimbrough; Clara T., who married Bruce Craven; and Helen E., wife of Oscar Rich.
Having laid a good foundation for his future education in the public schools of Mocksville, Thomas N. Chaffin attended Trinity College for a year. Beginning life as a teacher, he first taught in School No. 2, Howard District, Davie County, subsequently having charge of schools in both Bethel and Elbaville. Ambitious to enter the legal profession, Mr. Chaffin while yet employed as a teacher, studied law under the preceptorship of Quinton Holton, and proved himself so apt a stu- dent that in 1889 he was admitted to practice. He taught school one more year after receiving his license, and then located in Wilkesboro, where he was engaged in the practice of his profession for two years. Returning then to Mocksville, his native place, Mr. Chaffin has since built up a large and extremely satisfactory patronage as a lawyer of high standing, and has also established an extensive insurance business.
Mr. Chaffin married, January 15, 1893, Miss Pattie E. Reid, daughter of Rev. Numa and Sallie (Wright) Reid. She died December 24, 1905, leaving one daughter, Emma L., now a student in Trinity College. Mr. Chaffin married for his sec- ond wife, February 14, 1907, Miss Ida F. Betts, who was born in Ashboro, North Carolina, in Oc- tober, 1885, a daughter of Albert L. and Lettie (Hannah) Betts. By this marriage there are five children living, namely: Sarah, Hattie, Louise, Albert N. and William B.
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