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GENEALOGY COLLECTION
1 ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02317 2858
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016
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Men of Mark in South Carolina
Ideals of American Life
A Collection of Biographies of Leading Men of the State
J. C. HEMPHILL Editor of "The News and Courier" Editor-in-Chief
VOLUME III
Illustrated with Many Full Page Photo-Steel Engraved Portraits
MEN OF MARK PUBLISHING COMPANY Washington, D. C. 1908
Copyright, 1908 by Men of Mark Publishing Company
JOHN DUNCAN ADAMS
A DAMS, JOHN DUNCAN, United States marshal for the district of South Carolina, was born in the county of Laurens, in the state of South Carolina, on May 1, 1860. His father was James D. Adams; his mother's maiden name was Harriet Gunnells. Mr. Adams's great-grandfather, John Adams, came from England and settled near Fairview, Greenville county, in 1740, after having lived a few years in the state of Pennsyl- vania. Among his distinguished ancestors were Simeon Peter Adams, his grandfather, who was a soldier in the War of 1812, and afterwards built the first cotton gins used in his section of the country. 1390208
The father of John D. Adams was a farmer by occupation, and the subject of this sketch grew up and passed his early life in the country. He was a healthy boy, fond of horses and outdoor sports, and had always a strong desire to travel. In his country life he had many regular tasks which involved manual labor, and being by several years the eldest of four children who were born after the War between the States, in which his father served for four years, and as a consequence of which he lost his slaves and finally his lands, Mr. Adams was his father's only help and began work on the farm before he was ten years old, continuing his labors until he was eighteen, and doing all kinds of farm work. This discipline, he believes, has helped him greatly in making his way through life.
Home influences were very strong in the development of Mr. Adams's character; the influence of his mother especially shaped all the best qualities of his nature. He had few opportunities for acquiring an education, being able to avail himself only of the facilities offered by the common county schools; but he has learned much in the great school of life.
In 1878 he left the farm and was impelled by circumstances to work as a clerk in a general merchandise store in Laurens, South Carolina, for several years. But he was always ambitious, fond of the companionship of older men than himself, and glad to seize any opportunity of honorable advancement which offered itself. For several years he was a traveling salesman for a
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JOHN DUNCAN ADAMS
hardware house of Baltimore, Maryland. He is identified with the Republican party in South Carolina, having changed his political allegiance upon the issues of free silver and the tariff. In February, 1902, he was appointed deputy United States mar- shal for the district of South Carolina. He resigned this office on August 1, 1902, and was appointed on the same day deputy collector of internal revenue, in which post he served until February, 1903, when he was appointed United States marshal for the district of South Carolina, which position he still holds.
When the Spanish-American war broke out, Mr. Adams was elected captain of a military company at Laurens, South Carolina, and applied for foreign service, but was too late to join the regiment going to Cuba.
Mr. Adams is a member of various prominent fraternities and clubs, namely: Of the Palmetto lodge, No. 19, Free and Accepted Masons; Rising Sun chapter, No. 9, Royal Arch Ma- sons; Commandery No. 4, Knights Templar; Oasis Temple of the Mystic Shrine, and Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is a member of the Charleston Commercial club; of the Hibernian society, of Charleston, South Carolina; of the Saint Patrick society; and of the National Union, W. D. Simpson council, No. 925. He has held the position of king of chapter No. 9, Royal Arch Masons; J. D. of Palmetto, No. 19, Free and Accepted Masons; and president of W. D. Simpson council, No. 925, National Union. He is a member of the Methodist Church, South.
While Mr. Adams has given no special attention to athletics or any modern system of physical culture, he has always been fond of outdoor exercises, of riding and of driving. Mr. Adams has been married twice: First, on January 17, 1883, to Maggie Haynes; second, on August 14, 1902, to Annie Keller. He has had six children, four of whom are now living,-two by each marriage.
His address is No. 95 Rutledge avenue, Charleston, South Carolina.
EDWARD PORTER ALEXANDER
A LEXANDER, EDWARD PORTER, engineer, brigadier- general of artillery, chief of artillery for Longstreet's corps, professor in the University of South Carolina, railroad manager and president, and engineer arbitrator of boundary survey between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, was born at Washington, Georgia, May 26, 1835. His father, Adam Leo- pold Alexander, a graduate of Yale, was a planter and banker. Dr. Adam Alexander, an early ancestor of the family in America, came from near Inverness, Scotland, and settled in Liberty county, Georgia, shortly before the Revolution.
His early life, that of a strong and healthy boy, was passed in a village, where his father's circumstances were such as to free him from any demands upon his time for manual labor, while an interest in shooting, fishing, etc., accompanied his studies in preparation for West Point. He was graduated from the United States Military acadamy at West Point in 1857; was appointed second lieutenant in the United States engineer corps; resigned in 1861, and entered the Confederate army, as a captain of engineers, serving in the Army of Northern Virginia until its surrender at Appomattox in 1865; at first as chief of ordnance, and later as brigadier-general of artillery and chief of artillery in Longstreet's corps.
After the war he was appointed professor of mathematics and engineering in the University of South Carolina, serving from 1866 to 1870. With the development of railroads in the South, General Alexander became the general manager and the president of several roads (the Louisville and Nashville, the Central of Georgia, the Georgia Railroad and Bank Company), from 1871 until 1892. He was capitol commissioner of the state of Georgia from 1883 to 1888. He was appointed a member of the board on the navigation of the Columbia river in Oregon, and on the ship canal between Chesapeake and Delaware bays, 1892 to 1894; and he served as government director of the Union Pacific Railroad company from 1885 to 1887. From 1897 to 1900 he was engineer arbitrator of the boundary survey between
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Nicaragua and Costa Rica. And he writes himself now "a rice planter in South Carolina."
General Alexander has written a book upon "Railway Prac- tice" which is regarded as an authority in its line; and he is the author of numerous magazine articles upon engineering and railways. He has also written "Military Memoirs of a Confed- erate," published by C. Scribner's Sons (1907).
He has been twice married: to Bettie Mason in 1860, and to Mary L. Mason in 1901. In later life, as in his boyhood, he has found exercise and amusement in fishing and shooting.
His address is Georgetown, South Carolina.
JOHN WHITE ARDREY
A RDREY, JOHN WHITE, of Fort Mill, York county, South Carolina, was born in Mecklenburg county, North Carolina, November 30, 1845. His father, William A. Ardrey, was a physician, and descended from Irish ancestry. His early life was passed in the country, and after some years' study in school and college, he enlisted, on the breaking out of the War between the States, as a member of the First North Carolina cavalry. Shortly after the close of the war Mr. Ardrey engaged in farming, in which he has ever since taken an active interest.
While engaged in farming Mr. Ardrey was for a period of some twenty years also interested in mercantile business. The leading influences in his life, he feels, have been the training he received from a devoted mother, and the examples of those who had achieved success. He has also been an interested reader of the biographies of eminent soldiers and statesmen.
Mr. Ardrey's interests have not been confined to his imme- diate business. He has served as secretary of Confederate camp, No. 920; and he was for eighteen years master of the local (Catawba) lodge, No. 56, A. F. M., and for four years he was deputy district grand master. For six years he held office as intendant or mayor of the town of Fort Mill, York county, South Carolina. From 1904 to 1906 he was a representative in the state legislature.
Mr. Ardrey is a member of the Presbyterian church. His life, though unostentatious, has been useful and has been marked by self-control and devotion to duty.
His advice to young people who would attain success in life is: "Respect your parents, and be faithful to their teaching. Avoid the use of strong drink and tobacco. Have something definite to do in life, attend to it closely, and do it thoroughly and well."
On October 27, 1866, Mr. Ardrey married Mary Massey, daughter of Captain B. H. Massey, of York county, South Caro- lina. They have had seven children, of whom five are now (1907) living.
His address is Fort Mill, York county, South Carolina.
HARRY ASHBY BAGBY
B AGBY, REV. HARRY ASHBY, D. D., of Greenwood, South Carolina, was born in King and Queen county, Virginia, November 23, 1863, the son of the Rev. George Franklin Bagby, a minister of the Baptist church, who had been president of the Baptist general association of Kentucky, and was noted for his sincerity and courage. His mother was Mary Thomas Courtney, and he feels that her influence upon his moral and spiritual life "has been blessed in every way." The ancestors of his family came from Wales and Scotland, and settled in Virginia before the Revolutionary war. His father and two of his uncles were distinguished Baptist ministers in Virginia.
A sound and healthy boyhood was passed by him first in the country, then in village life, and then in the city. He says: "I often did work, during my vacations, in the wheat fields of Kentucky, and I found it the finest physical and moral tonic." From his boyhood he has been especially fond of reading history and biography; he had excellent educational facilities, and he was graduated from Bethel college, Kentucky, with the degree of M. A. in 1884, and from the Southern Baptist Theological seminary at Louisville, Kentucky, with the seminary diploma for the full course, in 1887. In 1901 Richmond college, Virginia, conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity.
On October 25, 1887, he married Miss Elizabeth Woodruff Thompson, and the active work of his life as a pastor began in that month, when he assumed pastoral care of the churches Cynthiana and Union, in Harrison county, Kentucky. In 1890 he became pastor of the Baptist church at Suffolk, Virginia, and in 1893 he was called from that place to the pastorate of the Calvary Baptist church, of Richmond, Virginia, where he remained until 1902.
Doctor Bagby's long pastorate in Richmond was eminently successful, and brought him many marks of favor from his denomination. At the time of leaving Virginia he was, and had been for several years, moderator of the Dover association-the largest association of Baptists in the State.
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In the fall of 1902 Doctor Bagby entered upon the pastorate of the First Baptist church in the city of Greenwood, South Carolina. Here, in one year, one hundred and ninety-two persons united with the church. In 1906 the Southern Baptist conven- tion elected him vice-president for the state of South Carolina of the foreign mission board of the convention. In May, 1907, he was elected a trustee of the Southern Baptist Theological seminary, of Louisville, Kentucky. His Greenwood pastorate is probably, thus far, the most prosperous of his ministry.
Doctor Bagby feels that his choice of a profession was determined not by his own will, but "contrary to my own wishes in the matter, I was called of God into the ministry." While he ranks as preeminent in his life the influence of his early home, he places next to that the impulse to good which came with his theological training; and he adds: "My association with men of fine character is a university from which I never expect to graduate." In political affiliations a Democrat, in social frater- nity a Mason, the father of two children, finding amusement in backgammon and golf, Doctor Bagby has not only influenced for good the congregations to which he has ministered, but has also made for himself many friends in the communities where he has dwelt. His sound Americanism and his faith in education and in popular government, are shown in his declared conviction that "the graded school is the secret of success in America."
WILLIAM LEONIDAS BASS
B ASS, WILLIAM LEONIDAS, teacher, superintendent of schools, editor, since 1899 engaged in the practice of law at Lake City, South Carolina, and solicitor for the Bank of Lake City, was born six miles from Scranton, Florence, now Marion county, South Carolina, on the 10th of March, 1862.
His father, Thomas Randolph Bass, a physician and farmer, was a member of the house of representatives of South Carolina from 1872 to 1874, representing Marion county; and he led the first Democratic delegation elected after the "Reconstruction" period. He is spoken of by his son as a man of marked ability, energy and devotion to duty, and of high principle. His ances- tors came from Burton-on-Trent, England. His great-grand- father, Henry Bass, settled in Transylvania county, Virginia, before the Revolution. Joseph Bass, his son, removed from Vir- ginia to Marion county, where his son, Thomas Randolph Bass, and his grandson, William L. Bass, were born. Thomas R. Bass married Mary Anna Carter, who is the mother of Mr. William L. Bass.
All his early boyhood was passed in the country. He had robust health until his thirteenth year, when paraphlegia per- manently crippled him, compelling him then and ever since to walk only with the help of a crutch. His natural taste for read- ing and for experimenting with machinery and with electrical devices, marked even before his thirteenth year, was perhaps strengthened after he was cut off from the forms of active exer- cise common in boyhood and youth. He was trained to work with his hands in his early boyhood and "learned to love work and regular tasks." He had the advantage only of the ordinary common schools until he was thirteen; for several years after that time poor health interfered with study; but in June, 1884, he completed the course for teachers at South Carolina college.
He then read law in the office of Hon. Thomas M. Gilland at Kingstree, and by examination before the supreme court he was admitted to the bar in 1885.
It is interesting to note in Mr. Bass's record, of the books which have had the strongest influence upon his life, the names
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of authors to whom so many of the strong men of the last half century have felt themselves indebted for inspiration and moral fiber. He names: "The Bible and Josephus, Plutarch, Guizot's History of Civilization, Ruskin's Sesame and Lilies, Carlyle's Sartor Resartus, Macaulay's History, and Hugh Miller's Testi- mony of the Rocks, with Campbell's poetry."
In 1889 he took the position of principal of the Lake City high school; and in 1896 he resigned that position to become superintendent of the graded schools of Blackville, South Caro- lina. From 1897 to 1898 he was editor of the Valdosta (Georgia) "Mercury." Since 1899 he has been practicing law at Lake City. His natural bent and his ambition and desire led him toward the study of natural science and the pursuit of physical, chemical and electrical research; but necessity and the logic of events have made him a lawyer; and he has attained a good measure of success in his profession. For many years he has contributed articles to the newspapers and periodical press.
On the 16th of June, 1886, he married Miss Eddie R. Lucas, daughter of Edward R. Lucas, of Darlington, South Carolina, who was in charge of the printing of currency at Columbia for the Confederate States during the war. They have had four children, two of whom are living in 1907.
While in college he was a member of the Euphradian society, serving for two terms as its president. He is vice-chancellor commander in the Knights of Pythias. He has been prominent in the order and the work of the Good Templars.
In his party relations he acts and votes with the Democratic party. He was a member of the house of representatives of South Carolina from 1902 to 1906. In the year last named he was elected senator from Williamsburg, which office he now holds. He is connected with the Missionary Baptist denomination. His favorite amusement and exercise he has found in fishing. He writes: "I also enjoy the use of an automobile, but I find nothing comparable with the 'big end of a fishing rod.'"
To the younger people of South Carolina he offers this sug- gestion : "Learn that luxury enervates; and that mere money- getting is an unworthy aim in life, and an aim which is followed by no truly great and earnest man."
NORMAN ALONZO BATES
B ATES, NORMAN ALONZO, a prominent planter and business man of Batesburg, South Carolina, was born in that town July 1, 1850. He is of Scotch and Ger- man ancestry. His father, Thomas S. Bates, was a planter and merchant. His mother's maiden name was Catherine Amelia Holstein.
His early life was passed in the country, and, owing to the deficiencies of the schools during his childhood and youth, the securing for him of a good primary education was a matter of some difficulty. He was enabled, however, to obtain a very good academical training by attendance on the local high school and at Ben Neeley institute, Augusta, Georgia.
He began the active work of life in 1867, when he started on his chosen career of cotton planter in his native county of Edgefield. In this vocation he has met with pronounced success, and has acquired considerable wealth.
He is interested in quite a number of business enterprises, and is vice-president and a director in the First National Bank of Batesburg.
On July 7, 1877, he married Miss Ellen Clinkscales, who has borne him six children, four of whom are now (1907) living. He is a Baptist in religion, and a Democrat in politics. His principal recreations are riding and driving.
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Men of Mark Publishing Company Washington, D. C .
Yours July N. a. Bates
WILLIAM EDGEWORTH BEATTIE
B EATTIE, WILLIAM EDGEWORTH, banker and mill president, was born in Greenville, South Carolina, Sep- tember 25, 1859. His parents were Hamlin and Sallie (Cleveland) Beattie. His father is president, and one of his uncles, J. E. Beattie, is vice-president, of the National Bank of Greenville, one of the strong financial institutions of the state. The paternal grandfather of the subject of this sketch was F. F. Beattie. He was one of the first to engage in mercantile business in Greenville, and was a man of high character and more than average achievement. The mother of William Beattie was a daughter of Harvey Cleveland, one of the leading citizens of Greenville, and a descendant of Jeremiah Cleveland, an early settler of Greenville county and a man of large means. The families of the Beatties and the Clevelands have long held a high rank in the state as regards wealth and social position.
In childhood and youth William Beattie lived in the town in which he was born; he attended its schools, and, after obtaining a suitable preparation, entered Princeton university, from which he was graduated in 1882. In the following year he became cashier of the First National Bank of Greenville. From Decem- ber, 1898, until March, 1905, he was also president and treasurer of the Reedy River Manufacturing company. At that time he resigned both positions in order to become president and treasurer of the Piedmont Manufacturing company, near Greenville, one of the oldest and most successful cotton mill corporations in the state.
Although Mr. Beattie is one of the younger business men of his city, he is recognized as a man of great financial ability. He is conservative and cautious, yet sagacious and enterprising. He is interested in civil and political affairs, but he has never sought official honors of any description. His religious affiliation is with the Protestant Episcopal church, of which he is an honored member.
On December 17, 1885, Mr. Beattie was married to Kittie Marshall, daughter of the late Doctor Samuel S. Marshall, for many years a leading physician in Greenville. Of their three children, all are now living.
The address of Mr. Beattie is Piedmont, Greenville county, South Carolina.
J. H. MEANS BEATY
B EATY, J. H. MEANS, practical manufacturer, formerly director of Clemson Textile school, and now (1908) general manager of large cotton mills, was born in Winnsboro, Fairfield county, South Carolina, January 30, 1871. His father, James Beaty, a merchant, favorably known for his diligence in business, his keen business foresight, his attention to details, served as a trustee of Mt. Zion institute and was captain in the Seventeenth South Carolina regiment. His mother, Sarah Thorne Beaty, although she was an invalid for the last five years of her life and died while her son was young, left upon him a strong impression, morally and spiritually. He is of Scotch- Irish Presbyterian stock.
Mr. Beaty's life has an exceptional interest for boys and young men, because of his intense determination to make his way along a definite line of effort which has characterized his career. "Determination in the face of obstacles," he feels, has been the distinguishing mark of his life. He was not strong in his boyhood, which was passed in a village; but he had a very special interest in the use of tools and machinery from his earliest years; and he always had some regular daily tasks to perform. This, he says, "taught me regularity; attention to small duties; the habit of putting business, no matter how small it might seem, before pleasure; close attention to details, and the desire to have some results to show for my work. I did not care especially for the kind of work that was assigned to me when a boy, but I tried to do it thoroughly and quickly." "The biographies of successful men from boyhood have stimulated my ambition to hard work." He studied at Mt. Zion institute; attended the South Carolina university from 1888 to 1891, but was not grad- uated, as the mechanical department was transferred to Clemson college in 1891, and Mr. Beaty then left college to go to work. He apprenticed himself to learn the machinist's trade in the Southern railway shops at Columbia, South Carolina, and was there until 1895. Then he definitely chose the manufacture of cotton as his business. His own words may help young people
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who may be left, as he says he was left, to "make my own choice, my parents long dead":
"After completing my apprenticeship in the railway shops at Columbia, South Carolina, I went to Chester, South Carolina, and began work in a yarn mill there. The understanding was that I should get no wages until I earned them. I was to be at my own expense while learning. The first pay day brought me compensation at the rate of sixty cents per day from the first minute I entered the mill. In six months I was appointed super- intendent of the same mill and operated it as such for about two years. In the six months previous to being made superintendent I did any and all kinds of work throughout the mill; and some of it was very dirty work."
His rapid promotion in this, his first mill, was only a prophecy of the favor his energy and perseverance would win for him. Later he was superintendent of the Norris Cotton mill at Cateechee, South Carolina, from November 20, 1897, to Sep- tember 20, 1898. From September, 1898, to June, 1905, he was director of the Clemson Textile school; and from June, 1905, to March, 1907, he was the assistant of Lewis W. Parker, president of several cotton mills. On the date last named he was trans- ferred from Greenville to Columbia and became general manager of the Olympia and Granby cotton mills, which belong to the system of mills of which Mr. Parker is president. He feels that the greatest public service he has rendered has been done in the effort to "aid the milling industry and the people engaged therein; my especial desire has been to put a textile training within reach of the poor mill-boy. This will be a great public service if successfully carried out."
Mr. Beaty has made several improvements in machines and in processes, but has not endeavored to take patents on them.
He married Miss Louise McFadden, of Chester, South Caro- lina, December 5, 1901. He is a Democrat. He is a member of the Presbyterian church. Walking is his favorite exercise, and reading his favorite diversion. To his young fellow-citizens he says: "Always be contented, but never satisfied. I speak from experience. I have often been restless and discontented; and I have found that it worked against my progress. Be sober, honest and industrious; not afraid of work and not too fond of society.
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