USA > Tennessee > Notable men of Tennessee. Personal and genealogical, with portraits, Volume I > Part 22
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justice of the peace of Hickman county, and their children are Stanley C., Lizzie, widow of W. B. Comer and mother of two children, Andrew Clagett and Willie; Annie Laura, now Mrs. Eugene Hutcherson; Troy Horatio and George Thomas. Mary Jane is the wife of John T. Walker, mayor of Union City and president of the Commercial bank of that city. Laura Elizabeth is the widow of A. H. Cunningham. Her children are John Horatio, who married Elva, daughter of H. Clay Carter, and has one son, John H .; Sothron S., James R., Walker, Lewis K., deceased, and Field F. Annie Sothron, who died in 1892, was the wife of M. P. Martin and the mother of five children: Clagett M., John Marshall, Walker, Alberta and Ruth, deceased. John Horatio, an attorney of Centerville, was the first student to enroll in Vanderbilt uni- versity. Robert M., for some years a merchant at Centerville, is now bookkeeper and teller in the First National bank. He is prominent in fraternal circles, being an Odd Fellow, a Knight of Pythias and a Knight of Honor. He married Tom- mie Easley, and has six children : Robert, Floy, Alfred, Annie Martin, Betsey Jane and Mary Walker. William George is a member of the mercantile firm of the Coble & Clagett Com- pany of Union City. He is a prominent Democrat, a Knight of Pythias and a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Few men are permitted to live longer or more useful lives than has Horatio Clagett. For nearly three-quar- ters of a century he has been identified with the business and political institutions of Hickman county, and now, at the age of eighty-five years, he remains at the head of one of Center- ville's well-established banking houses, where his ripe expe- rience stands as a tower of strength in the financial world. Surrounded by his children, his grandchildren and his great- grandchildren, he can enjoy the happy reflections consequent upon a well-spent life, and, firm in the faith of his life-long religion, welcome the command of the Master to "Come up higher."
PROF. WILLIAM B. KING, president of Hutchings col- lege, Hutchings, Tenn., was born in Bedford county of that
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state, Nov. 26, 1868, his parents being John B. and Sarah F. (Isom) King. The ancestry of Professor King can be traced back without difficulty for several generations. His grand- father, Charles Brandon King, came to Bedford county from Virginia with his parents, Jefferson and Achia (Dale) King, at a very early date. Charles B. King married Cyrene Mc- Quiddy, whose father, Newton McQuiddy, came from Ireland before the Revolutionary war. He served in the American army during that conflict, afterward settling in Bedford county. On the maternal side, the grandfather was James Isom, who came to Bedford county from Ireland. He there married Louisa Holt, a native of the county, and the descendants of these families have been represented in Bedford county for more than a century. During the Civil war the father of Professor King served in Company K, Forty-fourth Tennes- see infantry, for two years and eight months. He and his wife are now living at Malakoff, Tex. He is a Free Mason and a Democrat, and both he and his wife are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, in which for a long time he was an elder. Of the fourteen children born to them, ten are now living. Professor King received his education in the public schools, Center academy and Manchester college. At the age of seventeen he began teaching, which has ever since been his vocation. He has occupied important positions in the Auburn academy, the Verdie Normal school, as asso- ciate principal of Central college and is at present the presi- dent of Hutchings college, of White county. Professor King is a Democrat in his political views, belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and has for twenty years been a mem- ber of the Cumberland Presbyterian church. He was mar- ried, in 1894, to Miss Ella Gunter, of Cannon county, Tenn., and they have one child, Jesse Dale. Mrs. King is a member of the Christian church.
PROF. R. I. HUTCHINGS, superintendent of the White county schools, Hutchings, Tenn., and professor of mathe- matics in Hutchings college, was born in White county, Dec. 12, 1873. The Hutchings family is one of the oldest in White
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county, the great-grandfather of the subject, Webb Hutchings, being one of the first settlers. He came from North Carolina. One of his sons, George W., married Mollie Dildine, and this couple were the grandparents of Professor Hutchings. George W. Hutchings and his wife were both born in White county. During the war he served in the Confederate army. Coming down to the next generation, Professor Hutchings' parents were A. and Catharine (Barclay) Hutchings, the father a native of White county, and the mother of North Carolina. Her parents were Alexander and Catharine (Nelson) Bar- clay, who came from North Carolina, years before the war, and settled in White county. He was an opponent of seces- sion, and was killed in Buffalo valley during the war. The father of the subject still lives in White county, where he holds the office of justice of the peace, and has served as school
director. The mother died, July 19, 1902. Of their eight children, seven are now living. Professor King was educated in the common schools, at Doyle academy and at Pleasant Hill academy, in which he took a post-graduate course. He began teaching when he was seventeen years old, and had barely reached his majority when he conceived the idea of building a college at Hutchings. The next three years found him en- grossed with this scheme, and three years more passed before the institution was on a sure footing. Today it is one of the leading educational institutions in the state, having a depart- ment for young men, a department for young ladies, a main hall, etc., the buildings being worth several thousand dollars. Professor Hutchings laid out the town that bears his name, and is interested in mercantile pursuits and a saw-mill, besides his school duties. He is one of the most energetic young men in Eastern Tennessee, and his success is due to his industry and well-directed efforts. For two years he has been superintendent of the county schools, is a Democrat, politically, and is one of the progressive men of his section of the state. He was mar- ried, in 1902, to Miss Emma Davis, of Big Bottom, Tenn., and his wife shares his popularity in the community in which they live.
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ANDREW H. GRIGSBY, D. D. S., Centerville, Tenn., was born in Hickman county of that state, July 17, 1866. He is a son of W. H. and Mary (Partie) Grigsby, the former a native of Alabama and the latter of Hickman county. The father was for many years the postmaster at Centerville, a prominent Free Mason, a Democrat, and he and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. They had eight children, six now living. He died, July 20, 1901, and his widow still resides in Centerville. Doctor Grigsby's pater- nal grandfather was named Samuel Grigsby, a native of Vir- ginia, but went to Alabama at an early day, and there passed the most of his life. The maternal grandparents were William and Ann (Hassell) Partie, early settlers of Hickman county. She is yet living in Centerville at the age of ninety-six years. Dr. A. H. Grigsby received his primary education in the public schools of Franklin, Tenn., at Professor Campbell's academy, the Centerville high school, and in 1893 graduated from the dental department of the University of Tennessee. Since then he has practiced his profession in Centerville, and is generally recognized as one of the foremost dentists of Hickman and adjoining counties. Besides his dental practice, he owns a fine farm of 200 acres; was one of the principal organizers of the Hickman County bank, of which he has been president ever since it opened its doors, and is interested in real estate opera- tions. He has made his own property, and is one of the well- to-do men of the county. In political matters, he is a Demo- crat, and in 1904 was elected an alternate delegate to the national convention at St. Louis. Doctor Grigsby is a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Masonic fraternity, with a high standing in both orders. On Dec. 2, 1894, he was mar- ried to Miss Mattie, daughter of Dr. William and Martha (Hornbeck) Montgomery, of Hickman county. Doctor Mont- gomery graduated from the medical department of the Univer-
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sity of Nashville and practiced in Hickman county until he retired, in 1898. His father, John Montgomery, came from Pennsylvania in an early day, and afterward made several trips back to that state, on horseback, the first one when he was sixteen years old. He was a prominent lawyer, and practiced at the bar with James K. Polk. Mrs. Grigsby's maternal great- grandfather, Eli B. Hornbeck, was the second register of Hick- man county, holding that office at the time of his death. Mr. and Mrs. Grigsby have one daughter, Martha, born Jan. 1.4, 1896.
J. C. FLOWERS, M. D., a prominent physician of Dickson, Tenn., was born in Hickman county of that state, April 15, 1866. He is a son of Dr. D. D. and Mary (Curl) Flowers, the former born in Smith county and the latter in Hickman county, Tenn. The paternal grandfather, William Flowers, was one of the early settlers in that section of the state. The maternal grandfather, Jarrett Curl, was a native of North Carolina. He served in the war of 1812, and died in Hickman county at the age of 100 years and 2 months. Dr. D. D. Flowers practiced medicine for over thirty-five years in Hick- man, Perry, Humphreys and Wayne counties. In his day he was regarded as one of the leading physicians of Western Tennessee, and was very successful in the treatment of dis- eases. He was a prominent Democrat, a Free Mason, and he and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. He died in 1888, but his widow is still living. Of their twelve children, seven are still living, and are useful members of society. Dr. J. C. Flowers was educated in the public schools, the Centerville high school, and in 1894 grad- uated from the medical department of the Tennessee university. For eight years he practiced in Hickman county and then came to Dickson, where he has built up a successful business. Dr. Flowers is a member of the Tennessee State Medical associa- tion and the Dickson County Medical society, and has a high standing in his profession. In fraternal circles he is a promi- nent figure, being a Knight of Pythias and a member of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics and Sailors. In
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1895 he was married to Miss Florence Stephenson, an estimable young lady of Hickman county, and to this union there have been born five children: Duncan, Harry, Aubrey, Herbert and Louise. Doctor Flowers is a member of the Methodist Epis- copal Church South, and his wife belongs to the Christian church.
GEORGE ANTHONY HAND- MAN (deceased), for years a promi- nent resident of Chattanooga, Tenn., was born at Wolfrichbach, Bavaria, in 1813. His parents, Frederick and Katherine (Powell) Handman, came to Halifax, N. S., in 1830. Five years later they went to Brown county, Ohio. The father was a car- penter by trade and traveled a great deal. He died in 1851. After his death the mother lived at Cincinnati MARGARET J. HANDMAN. and Ripley, O., dying in the latter place. in 1868, at the age of eighty-four years. George A. Handman secured a limited education in his native town in Bavaria; crossed the ocean with his parents when twelve years of age; was apprenticed to a silversmith in Halifax, but the ill- treatment accorded him caused him to run away, and he made his way to Brown county, Ohio, where his parents joined him in 1835. He then learned the trade of millwright, and worked at it for years. In 1865 he went to Chattanooga, where he built a large addition to the old Crutchfield House (now Read House). The following year he built a saw-mill at the foot of Cameron hill, and formed a partnership with Grey & Richards. The floods of 1867 washed the mill from its foundations and floated it down the river some seven miles. Phillips lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, gave a picnic, loaded the mill on a flatboat and brought it back to its original site, where it was rebuilt, and Mr. Handman entered into partnership with John Gillespie, Frederick Ruoff and a Mr. Klaus. In 1875 the floods again washed the mill away, and this time it was not
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rebuilt. He helped build the Chattanooga Southern railroad bridge over the Tennessee river, at which time one of his hands was severely injured. He was the third contractor to under- take the building of this bridge. The others had failed in build- ing the cofferdams. His son, Alfred, at the time was with Major Whitney's engineer staff and had charge of all the steam pumps ; these he employed in pumping out the water, and the dams were successfully put in. In 1868 he was alderman from the Second ward of Chattanooga. Mr. Handman was an old-time Democrat, a member of the Lutheran church, and took a very active part in church work while in Cincinnati; a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and a Mason, and when he died, in 1886, was buried with Masonic honors. On June 1, 1848, he was married to Miss Margaret Kuhn, of Cin- cinnati. Her father and mother lived on a farm near Brooks- ville, Ind., and both were buried near that town. Margaret Kuhn Handman died in 1898, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Alice O'Rear, on College Hill, Chattanooga, aged seventy- four years. She and her husband are buried at Mt. Olivet cem- etery, Mission Ridge, Tenn. Four children survive them : Louisa M., wife of Cassius M. Bush, now living in the City of Mexico; Alice, wife of Sims K. O'Rear, of 407 Gillespie street, Chattanooga; Alfred H. C. and Miss Addie, also resid- ing in Chattanooga. Alfred H. C. Handman has been promi- nently connected with the Chattanooga fire department for over twenty years, in the capacity of engineer, which position he still holds. In 1894, he was united in marriage with Miss Carrie J. Lefeler, and their home has been blessed by one daughter, Margaret J., whose portrait appears with this sketch.
JOHN COWART (deceased), one of the early residents of Chattanooga, left but little in the way of family records by which his ancestry or his life from boyhood can be traced. He was born in Maryland, but the exact date is not known, nor is his father's given name known. When a young man, he went to Alabama, and later, about the year 1848, removed . to Chattanooga, Tenn., where he bought a large tract of land on the north side of the river and engaged in farming. He
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also opened a store, keeping a general stock of merchandise. He was one of the most conscientious of men, strong-minded and eccentric, but of a kindly nature, and made no enemies, unless they were of a political kind. He was an uncompro- mising Democrat, and never hesitated to express his views, and sometimes in language so vigorous that his opponents took offense. He was a man of ability; was once a member of the Tennessee legislature and talked of for Congress, but did not accept a nomination. For some time he served as major in the Alabama militia. His death occurred at Chattanooga in 1862. His wife was Cynthia Pack. The Pack family was part Cherokee, the grandmother of Mrs. Cowart having been a Cherokee woman named Showry and related to the noted chief, John Ross. They were pioneers in Alabama and Tennessee. The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Cowart: John (deceased), John II. (deceased), Slater (deceased), Slater II., in Indian Territory; Jennie, widow of Matt Williams, of Indian Territory ; Thomas Cowart, of Chattanooga, Tenn. (Hill P. O.), his wife having been Miss Jennie Day.
C. M. TURNER, division superintendent of the Nash- ville, Chattanooga & St. Louis railroad, Dickson, Tenn., is a son of Andrew W. and Eunice (Theise) Turner, and was born in Williamson county, Tenn., March 8, 1853. Both parents were natives of Scotland. but came in their early lives to America. They settled in North Carolina, but in 1852 came to Tennessee, where they passed the remainder of their lives. He was a railroad contractor, and after coming to Tennessee lived in Williamson and Davidson counties. He died at Kings- ton Springs, Cheatham county, Tenn. He and his wife had five sons and five daughters, six of the family yet living. The father served in the Mexican war, as a major, and was several times slightly wounded. When the Civil war broke out he drilled several companies for the Confederate service. C. M. Turner attended the common schools of his native county, where he received the greater part of his education, and began work as a railroader at the bottom of the ladder. He has worked in all departments, except the department of telegraphy.
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and has filled nearly every position from brakeman to division superintendent. Most of his life he has been with the Nashi- ville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railroad Company, though for four years he was with the Louisville & Nashville road. Although an unyielding Democrat, he does not take a very active part in political contests. He is a Royal Arch Mason, an Odd Fellow, a Knight of Pythias, a Knight of Honor and a member of the Knights and Ladies of Honor. Mr. Turner has been twice married. His first wife was Miss Alice Smith, to whom he was married .in 1871, and to this marriage there were born four children: Porter (deceased), W. A., C. C., both locomotive engineers, and Maud (deceased). His second wife was Miss Minnie Eberhart, and by this marriage he has two children, Minnie (deceased) and C. M., Jr.
NATHANIEL WILSON BAPTIST, chairman of the Ten- nessee Railroad commission, was born in Mecklenburg county, Va., Oct. 10, 1846, and was there reared and given a common school education. On April 27, 1862, he entered the Confed- erate service as a private in Company A, Eighteenth Virginia infantry (the Danville Blues), and remained in the army until June 24, 1865. when he was paroled as a prisoner at Point Lookout. During his military service he rose through the suc- cessive ranks of corporal, sergeant and second lieutenant to that of first lieutenant. He fought with his regiment at Seven Pines, Malvern Hill. Frazier's Farm, Gaines' Mill, Fredericks- burg, Sharpsburg and Boonsborough, and was then detailed for provost duty and left at Bucksville, Va., for the greater part of the year 1863. He then rejoined his command, and was at the battles of the Wilderness, the second Cold Harbor, Burgess' Mill and Sailor Creek, where he was captured and held a pris- oner until paroled, as above stated. After the war he returned to his home in Virginia, and remained there until 1868, when he came to Tennessee, locating at Mason, where he found employment as a bookkeeper. He continued in this occupa- tion for two years, was elected mayor of Mason in 1871, and subsequently was elected judge of the county court. After serving as judge for two years, he was elected clerk of the
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county court, and held this office two terms. Before leaving Virginia he had given some attention to the study of law, and soon after coming to Tennessee commenced practice. Upon retiring from the clerk's office, he devoted himself to the prac- tice of his profession. Mr. Baptist is one of those Democrats who are always ready to defend their political opinions and principles, and as a result he has frequently been called upon to serve his party. For eight years he was a member of the state central committee; was chairman of the state convention of 1892; was one of the presidential electors in 1896, and in 1898 was elected to the long term as railroad commissioner, his term expiring in 1905. He is a Knight of Pythias and a member of the Masonic fraternity.
JONATHAN W. BACHMAN, D.D., a prominent clergy- man and educator of Eastern Tennessee, was born in Sullivan county of that state, Oct. 9, 1837, and is a son of Jonathan Bachman, an old resident of the county. He attended Emory and Henry college, of Virginia, and was a student in the theological seminary at New York when the Civil war began. He left school, returned home, enlisted as a private in. Com- pany G, Nineteenth Tennessee infantry, under Captain Gam- mon, and soon after being mustered into the Confederate serv- ice was made chief clerk of the First Tennessee brigade, which was assigned to the Army of Virginia. He was with the army under Gen. R. E. Lee, at Cheat Mountain and Sewall Moun- tain, and went with Stonewall Jackson on the expedition to Bath and Romney. After this he returned to Tennessee, where he assisted in organizing the Sixtieth infantry, and was made captain of Company G, in that regiment. From that time until the close of the war he was engaged in the military operations along the Mississippi, was at Vicksburg, and after the battle of Champion Hills was the senior officer of his regiment. After the surrender of Pemberton he was at home some time on parole, and was later engaged in East Tennessee and South- west Virginia. After the war he completed his theological studies and entered the ministry of the Presbyterian church. In 1873 he carne to Chattanooga as the pastor of the First Presby- I-18
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terian church, which at that time had a membership of about ico. Under his ministrations four other churches have been organized from the parent body of the First church, which now has a membership of 500. Besides his pastoral duties, Doctor Bachman is a member of the board of foreign missions; a director of the Rogersville Synodical college; fills several other important positions, and is active in promoting the interests of his denomination.
HENRY PECK FRY, a promi- nent young attorney of Chattanooga, Tenn., was born at Atlanta, Ga., Sept. 27, 1880, his parents being George Thompson and Mary Anna Amelia (Cooley ) Fry, both natives of Tennessee, the former of Jefferson and the latter of Hawkins county. The father was a son of Henry and Elizabeth (Peck) Fry and lived in Virginia until 1868, when he went to Atlanta, where he achieved promi- nence as a legislator and served two terms in the Georgia leg- islature. During the Civil war he was a colonel in the Con- federate service. In 1890 he removed to Chattanooga, where he occupied a high position at the bar until his death, May 29, 1897. His great-great-grandfather, Col. Joshua Fry, who was the first of the family in America, served with distinction in the Revolutionary war, and died during one of the early Indian wars. On the maternal side, Col. George T. Fry's great-grand- father, Adam Peck, was chief justice of the supreme court of Tennessee, and helped to frame the constitution of the state. A great-uncle, Jacob Peck, was also chief justice, and several other ancestors have been noted jurists and prominent in public life. Col. Charles Fleming, an ancestor, was a soldier of the Revolution, and was killed soon after the battle of Brandy- wine. Gen. Patrick Peck was killed in the Mexican war, and the family has been represented in every war in which the United States has been a participant. Col. George T. Fry's
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wife was a daughter of Andrew Jackson and Lucy Ann Cooley, old residents of Rogersville. Henry Peck Fry was educated in the public schools of Atlanta and Chattanooga. He left high school of the latter city without graduating, and entered the Virginia Military institute, at Lexington, Va., in 1897. This was Stonewall Jackson's school, and was called "the West Point of the South." Mr. Fry graduated in 1901, well up in his class, being distinguished as a mathematician and tactician. Immediately upon graduating, he was offered and accepted the position of major and commandant at the University of the South, at Sewanee, Tenn., and held the position for seven months, teaching and reading law in his spare time. At the end of that time he resigned and took a position on the staff of the Chattanooga Evening News, continuing his studies in law at night. He was admitted to the bar on Jan. 13, 1903, passing a splendid examination before five of the best lawyers in the city of Chattanooga, and on March I, of the same year, he became associated with the law firm of Frazier & Coleman, the former being the governor of Tennessee. He then began what promises to be a brilliant career as a lawyer, and in less than seven months argued his first case before the supreme court of Tennessee. On July 6, 1903, he was elected county revenue commissioner by the county court, being chosen from ten candidates. although the youngest of the number. Although a member of the commission but a short time, he has saved Hamilton county several thousand dollars by discovering dis- crepancies and unearthing indebtedness due. While not a reformer, he has made it a political motto that "honesty is the principal requisite in the administration of public affairs," without regard to party. He is an ardent Democrat; promi- nent in local party councils; has served as a delegate to local conventions, and is in close touch with the Democratic politics. of Tennessee. While in newspaper work he established a repu- tation as a clear, exact and forceful writer, and has contributed several articles to magazines, from time to time. Mr. Fry is a live business man and belongs to several business organizations, including the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, in which he is an active worker. Coming from a race of military people,
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