Sketches of prominent Tennesseans. Containing biographies and records of many of the families who have attained prominence in Tennessee, Part 27

Author: Speer, William S
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Nashville, A. B. Tavel
Number of Pages: 1278

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Out on the street a ragged girl From a perfumed tempter flies,

While hunger and woe fiercely look out Through her tear-stain'd, frighten'd eyes.

Out on the street-a reveller reels, Who was once a stainless man, The dreams of his youth forever fled Or changed to nightmares wan.

A broker stops on his way down town, And toys with his lob and chain. What thinks ho of death ? Bah! he's practical, And thinks of cotton and grain.

The heartless street, are left behind, and out The long white turnpike creops The slow procession ; the mourners talk and laneL; . The poor sad mother weeps.

Here where the tall grass waves, and evergreens Stand hush'd and solemn round, - Under a sky serene and unconcern'd A pit dug in the ground.

And to the spoken words of prayer that break The silence how profound ! The grate of spades and heavy thud of clouds The only answering sound.

And now the hackmen crack their whips and race .: Each tries to be the winner ; The family friends are in great haste To get back home to dinner.

The pall of night falls down ; the hot, foul stench From gutters and alleys rise ; And cool and pure and still the gravestones stand Under the awful skies.

Oh, choking heart, in yon gas-lighted room, See here this peaceful grave ; Upon it shines the light of all the stars- Be patient and bo brave.

Undor their wings the birds have hid their heads : The flowers have gone to sleep ; The infinite serenity that's here Bids thee no longer weep.

But for the storm the rainbow would not arch Tho smiling, lately frowning, sky ; But for the strife and wounds would not be felt The joy and calm of victory.

Heard in this solemn city of the dead, I'nder the midnight sky, Evon the loud voices of the day proclaim Man's immortality.

These extracts doubtless reveal to the reader the' man's real character and nature better than could any words of ours.

Judge Reid's father was John Reid, an eminent mem- ber of the Nashville bar, whose character is well de- scribed in an obituary notice, from the pen of a life- long friend, that appeared in The American, August 18, 1885, and from which we make this extract: "A steadfast man was John Reid. Wherever he stood, or sat or walked, honor and strength were by his side-a legacy to his fellow-men priceless as the stars. 'A man is already of consequence in the world when it is known

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that we may implicitly rely upon him.' That crown of bonor John Reid won and wore. Fidelity was his life- long badge. Ilis veracity was absolute. He hated a lie. The inner life of this quiet, unobtrusive, strong man was known only to the few. He lived in his re- serves, He was equal to every strife, within and with- out. Popular applause was not one of his conquests. His conquests were within. John Reid was of a mould that unfitted him for the frivolous pastimes of life and what the world calls happiness. Nature withheld from bim qualities that disqualify for the serious conditions of life. Long ago, we have. reason to believe, this silent, meditative man, as we saw him on the street, entered into what Carlyle calls the 'sanctuary of sor- rows,' where only the thoughtful enter, and where ' no religion,'says Goethe, 'that grounds itself on fear is regarded.' By the simple tenor of his life he won the public regard without the asking. He was singularly free from self-seeking. He shunned notoriety with the modesty of a woman. He was faithful to his trusts, and made the cause of his client his own. If he was impulsive, and overstepped the boundary of decorous debate, the ready reparation was at hand."

Judge Reid's grandfather was Maj. John Reid, the aid-de-camp of Gen. Jackson. He died January 18, 1816, in his thirty-second year. Gen. Jackson, in the following letter to his brother, written in 1842, bears this testimony to his character:

HERMITAGE, 24th August, 1812.

Nathan Reid, Esq .:

MY DEAR SIR-Your letter of the 1st inst. has been this day re- ceived, and found me greatly debilitated ; so much so, that I can scarcely wield the pen. But I hasten to acknowledge it, fearful from increasing debility that I may hereafter be unable; and justice to my deceased friend requires that I should speak of him as his services merit. Maj. John Reid acted as my aid-de camp in the Creek war, and was with me as such in the defense of New Orleans, and on all occasions displayed the calm courage of the true soldier. If I had strength it would give me great pleasure to give a detailed account of his important services. Fuffice it to say that in all the engagements I had with the enemy he was every- where, where duty or danger called ; and upon all and every occasion performed his duty well. Ile was a man of high literary acquirements-of most punetilious honor, and had he lived was raleulated to become one of the brightest ornaments of our coun- try. I viewed him as one of the best bolle lettre scholars of his Ago, And I would with great pleasure hore rehearse all his merits asan officer and civilian, if I had strength to do so. To close, I can only add that on overy occasion in the field his acts met with my full approbation.

With assurances of regard, etc., I am, etc.,

ANDREW JACKSON.

P. S .- Maj, John Reid had my confidence as much as any man that ever lived. A. J.

He was brevetted by President Madison " for gallantry at the siege of New Orleans."

His father, Nathan Reid, Judge Reid's great grand- father, was a Revolutionary veteran, and fought eight years in that struggle. ; He was one of the eighty selected by Gen. Wayne to assist him in storming Stony Point.

The Reids are a mixture of French and English blood. and connect with the Fontaines, Maurys, Perkinses, DeGraffenreids, and is one of the most extensive fami- lies in the country, one of the most illustrious of who m was Lieut. Matthew Fontaine Maury.

Judge Reid's mother, Miss Margaret Louisa Trimble, was born in Davidson county, Tennessee, in 1820, daughter of Judge James Trimble, judge of Davidson county circuit court. Her mother was Miss Letitia Clark, a sister of James P. Clark, former clerk of the Supreme Court of this State.

Judge Reid being descended, on his mother's side, from the Trimbles, renders appropriate some mention of his maternal uncle, John Trimble, who was born February 2, 1812, in Roane county, Tennessee, and died February 23, 1884, at his home, "National Hill," Nashville. He was one of the most original thinkers and remarkable men Tennessee has ever pro- duced. Judge E. H. East, at the bar meeting after Judge Trimble's death, said : " Mr. Trimble has filled many official positions-district attorney for the State, member of the General Assembly of the State during several sessions, district attorney for the United States, and member of Congress from this district. As a law- yer, none were more earnest and vigorous, or held his client and cause in greater sympathy. For thirty years he ranked with the foremost of our profession in the State, and was a participant in all the great lawsuits of the day. In whatever sphere he was called to act he was felt and heard. He was pronounced and readily defined; no prudence, no compromise, and thoroughly independent. Mr. Trimble was original in everything, and yielded to decisions and precedents only to the ex- tent that they convinced his judgment. He was capa- ble of great thought, and kept on thinking to the last. He divided mankind into two classes -- the natural man and the spiritual man -- and measured and appreciated them according to spiritual development. He declined to know men after the flesh. The haughty, the super- cilious, the shams and the demagogues he detested, and ordinary vocabulary failing, he would coin a word or a sentence of contempt for such. His faith in the ultimate triumph of truth was complete and sublime. He believed that God ruled the world, and in His own all-wise and mysterious way was doing the best for our weak, short-sighted and death-doomed race. He be- lieved that nations, governments and men were all His instrumentalities, and His moral agencies; therefore these were sacred in his eyes. . Mr. Trimble had an absolute confidence in God, and thus armed, he looked things fairly in the face. He never dodged, never retreated behind a great man, a great name, custom or institution, and to this confidence he added the highest reverence and devotion .. These high moral qualities wrought out as high a man as Tennessee has produced in these long years."

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HON. WILLIAM Y. ELLIOTT.

MURFREESBOROUGH.

T IIIS gentleman, one of the leading citizens of Murfreesborough, was born in Rutherford county, Tennessee, November 2, 1827. His father, James El- liott, was a native of North Carolina, and came to Ten- nessee about the year 1810, engaged in farming and was also extensively employed in constructing bridges, building mills, and in other useful enterprises in the then newly settled country. He was a successful busi- ness man in all his undertakings. He served as a soldier in the United States army in the war of 1812. He was the oldest of four brothers, sons of William Elliott, who died in North Carolina a short time before the family came to Tennessee, the father having pre- viously visited this State and located lands, to these his widow came with her family of four girls and four boys.

William Y. Elliott's mother's maiden name was Adaline Bowman. She was the daughter of Samuel Bowman, who came to Rutherford county, Tennessee, from , North Carolina about 1806, and settled in the vicinity of what afterwards became the celebrated bat- tlefield of Stones river, where the family acquired possession of a large landed estate. Samuel Bowman was a major in the war of the American Revolu- tion and took part in the battle of King's Mountain. The family was of old orthodox Presbyterian stock, and is now well-known in the church, both in North Carolina and Tennessee,

Mr. Elliott's parents were in comfortable circum- stances, and kept him at the best common schools of his day, most of the time up to his eighteenth year. He then began business life as a dry goods clerk at Mur- freesborough, and subsequently became a partner in the firm of Jordan & Elliott, remaining in the dry goods business during the progress of hostilities.

In early life Mr. Elliott was an ardent Whig, but became a Republican when that party was organized in Tennessee. During the war he was a strong Union man ; since the war he has been a consistent Republi- can. lle was a delegate to four Republican national conventions-Chicago in 1868; Philadelphia in 1872; Cincinnati in 1876, and Chicago in 1880. In 1865 he was elected to the lower house of the Tennessee Legis- lature and served two years, after which he was elected to the State Senate and served a term of two years in that body. While in the Legislature he was made

chairman of the committee on ways and means, a posi- tion in which his fine business qualifications were ably shown.

From 1868 to 1870 Mr. Elliott was a director of the Murfreesborough Savings Bank, and also served one year in the same capacity in the First National Bank of Murfreesborough. He was also a director in the First National Bank of Nashville for five years, declining a re-election in 1873 because of his appointment as United States pension agent at Nashville. This latter position he held more than four years, at the expiration of which time, the agency having been consolidated with the Knoxville agency, he went out of office. Since that time he has not held public position of any kind, devoting himself exclusively to his private interests.

Mr. Elliott was made a Master Mason in Mt. Moriah Lodge No. 18, at Murfreesborough, June 12, 1850; Royal Arch Mason in Pythagoras Chapter No. 23, Mur- freesborough, October 15, 1852, and a Knight Templar in Nashville Commandery No. 1, Nashville, 1859.

Mr. Elliott was married October 13, 1870, at McMinn- ville, Tennessee, to Miss Margaret G. Johnston, daugh- ter of James W. Johnston, a paymaster in the United States army during the late war, originally a lawyer at New Castle, Pennsylvania, who settled in Tennessee at the close, of the war, and being made a register in bankruptcy, held that position until 1872. His father, Rev. Robert Johnston, was a Presbyterian minister and a pioneer in Western Pennsylvania; of Scotch-Irish descent, and a man of strong character, being distin- guished among the ministers of his day. Mrs. Elliott's family, on her mother's side, were also of Scotch de- seent, her mother being Miss Esther Loughry, daughter of John Loughry, a native of " Auld Scotia."

Mr. and Mrs. Elliott have four children, all sons : (1). William Y. Elliott, jr., now fourteen years old. (2). James Johnston Elliott, aged twelve years. (3). Edward G. Elliott, aged ten years. (4). Harry W. Elliott, the youngest.

Mr. and Mrs. Elliott are both Presbyterians, he hav- ing been a communicant of that church since 1843.

Mr. Elliott's life presents a pleasing illustration of a self-made and successful business man ; one whose good fortune has come to him as the legitimate reward of constant integrity and purpose.

R Gf Laronly

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COL. ROBERT F. LOONEY.

MEMPHIS.

A distinguished gentleman of Memphis who has known Col. Robert F. Looney long and intimately, gives this high, but just, estimate of his character : "Col. Looney, though in business a pushing man, is noted among his acquaintances for his modesty. He is a man of great suavity of manner, who is certain to in- gratiate himself into the favor of all whom he meets. Hle is of exceeding gentleness of nature, yet bold and decisive; a man whose heart is ever moved by the appeals of the oppressed or distressed ; a man who loves his family, his friends, his country and his church. Hle is a very constant churchman, and never fails to attend service twice every Sunday when there is a church to be reached. As an orator, there are but few, if any, in the State who excel him ; a speaker of fine imaginative powers, while classical and finished in his style, he yet possesses that gift of eloquence that influences the multitude and exercises a magic-like power over the masses, enthusing an audience of thousands by the tor- rent of his eloquent logic in a single address. His is the art of firing the popular heart. In his family rela- tions, he may well be termed the youngest member. He is the one man of my knowledge who has not a black sheep in his flock or a skeleton in his closet. He has five daughters and three sons, all of whom are now grown, and neither of whom have in any way violated the mandates and examples of Christian parents. He is by nature endowed with an intellect and a physique that give him prominence as a man of mark in any company. In business relations he is quick of concep- tion, bold and venturesome, and when he sustains losses he sleeps well over them, and troubles neither himself, his family or his friends with his failures, while, on the other hand, everybody enjoys his successes. He is a man of great enthusiasm in whatever he undertakes. Ilis differences of opinion in business, in politics, of in the other relations of life, occasion no severances of friendship. He may oppose you ever so bitterly on a matter of principle, yet his heart will ever be open to you, and his latch string hangs on the outside always. Ile is peculiarly adapted to large enterprises. His powers of persuasion, together with his earnestness of conviction, often enlist the co-operation of large bodies of influential men. He was the first inaugurator and organizer in this section of the immense mining corpo- rations now operating in Mexico, out of which he has realized large sums."

Robert F. Looney was born in Maury county, Ten- nessee, August 5, 1824, and grew up there, going to school in that county until the age of twenty. He then commenced reading law under Hon. Edmund Dilla- hunty, (who had married his sister, Miss Sarah G. 16

Looney). He was admitted to the bar in 1845 by Judge Dillahunty and Chancellor Terry II. Cahal, and at once began practice at the Columbia bar. In the spring of 1847 he moved to Memphis, but went back to Columbia, married and settled there, practicing at Columbia from the fall of 1847 to the summer of 1852, very successfully, making a good deal of money. In 1852 he moved back to Memphis and, omitting the hiatus of the war, prac- ticed law there until 1870. Since 1870 he has been en- gaged in a thousand things, the recital of which would fill a book.

In 1861 he went into the Confederate army as captain of a company, was elected colonel of the Thirty-eighth Tennessee regiment, and commanded it two years in the Tennessee and Georgia campaigns. He was at the bat- tle of Shiloh, where he won great distinction, as also at the battles of Farmington, Corinth, and other noted engagements. He surrendered at Oxford, Mississippi, in 1865.

Col. Looney has never held a civil office in his life. In politics he was a Henry Clay Whig before the war, opposed secession, and made about the last Union speech that was ever made in Memphis before the commence- ment of hostilities. He also spoke in various other places in West Tennessee against secession and for the Union, but after the State seceded he went with her and cast his lot with her. Since the war he has acted with the Democratic party, one of the most zealous of its members, and highly valued for his great organizing and executive ability. He was a delegate to the Chicago National Democratic convention, in 1884, which nomi- nated Cleveland and Hendricks, and at which conven- tion Col. Looney was made the member of the National Democratic executive committee from Tennessee.

Col. Looney is a public-spirited citizen in its highest sense, and proves his faith by his works, subscribing liberally to enterprises to improve the city of Memphis, to advance its school facilities, and to church benefac- tions. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, as are also the other members of his family. . He joined the Odd-Fellows when a young man, but has never be- come a member of any other secret order.

Col. Looney's ancestors are of Irish origin. His great grandfather, David Looney, emigrated from Tre- Jand and located in Maryland, and afterwards in Vir- ginia, long before the Revolutionary war. His son, David Looney, grandfather of Col. Looney, was a colonel in the American army, a native of Virginia ; afterwards removed to Tennessee ; was a member of the convention that framed the first constitution of Tennessee, and was often a member of the Legislature from Sullivan county. He was a wealthy farmer, and left a large landed estate

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and negroes to his children. He married Miss Mary Mcclellan, a sister of the father of Col. Abe Mcclellan, formerly a member of Congress from East Tennessee. Judges Robert L. Caruthers and Abram L. Caruthers were nephews of Col. Looney's father. Hon. Robert L. Caruthers' father married Col. Looney's paternal aunt.

Col. Looney's father, Abram Looney, was a native of Sullivan county, East Tennessee. At an early day he moved to Maury county. Ile was an educated man, of fine literary attainments; a very successful merchant and farmer ; a Whig; a Presbyterian, and a man who stood high for his character and splendid sense. He died in 1841, at the age of sixty-five.

The mother of Col. Looney, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Gammon, was born in Sullivan county, Tennessee, the daughter of Hon. Richard Gammon, who came from London, England, settled first in Balti- more, and came to Sullivan county, Tennessee, while it was yet a part of North Carolina. His father, George Gammon, lived and died in London. Richard Gammon was a very successful merchant in Sullivan county, and left a large estate to his children. He also was a mem- ber of the first Tennessee constitutional convention, and several times a member of the Tennessee Legisla- ture. He is said to have been a most excellent man, morally, and it is furthermore related of him that he could not be induced to say anything harsh of anyone, not even the worst characters. On one occasion, when pressed to give his opinion of a noted gambler, he replied, " Well, I never saw him when he was not well dressed." Col. Looney's maternal grandmother was Sarah Gamble, a daughter of Samuel Gamble, of Maryland, of a Presbyterian family originally from the north of Ire- land.

Col. Looney's mother was a devout Presbyterian, and a woman remarkable for her charities-kind to every- body, beloved by everyone, and, like her husband, en- joyed the confidence and esteem of all who knew her. They were both the soul of honor and honesty. She died in 1838 at the age of fifty-five, the mother of twelve children, six sons and six daughters, to-wit: (1). Mary Looney, who married Matthew Rhea, of Sullivan county, and died at the age of eighty. (2). Sarah (. Looney, wife of Judge Dillahunty. (3). David Looney, first a merchant, then a lawyer at Memphis. (4). Richard G. Looney, a merchant ; died young. (5). Jane Looney, died the widow of P. W. Porter, of Memphis. (6). Eliza Looney, died the wife of Dr. A. F. Bracken, of Somerville, Tennessee. (7). Anise Looney, died fifteen years old. (8). George G. Looney, died young. (9). Abram M. Looney, colonel in the Confederate army ; now a prominent lawyer at Columbia, and State senator from Maury county in the Tennessee Legislature, session of 1881-5. (10). Joseph W. Looney, a farmer; died young. (11). Robert Fain Looney, subject of this sketch. (12). Adelaide Looney, died in infancy. Of

these Robert F. and Abram M. Looney are the only survivors.

Col. Looney married in Maury county, Tennessee, November 2, 1847, Miss Louisa M. Crofford, daughter of Col. James T. Crofford, a very successful planter. He came of a very distinguished family of South Caro- lina and Georgia, of which Hon. William II. Crawford, of Georgia, was a member. Ile was a soldier with Gen. Jackson in all his battles, including New Orleans. Mrs. Looney's mother was Miss Jane B. Porter, daugh- ter of William Porter, one of the early settlers of Mid- dle Tennessee, and belonged to a prominent Pennsylvania family. Mrs. Looney's paternal grandmother was a Craighead, sister to the celebrated Presbyterian preacher, Rev. Dr. Craighead. Mrs. Looney graduated from the Columbia Female Institute, Columbia, Tennessee. She is a highly cultivated lady, a fine writer, and one of the most scholarly women in Tennessee. Nine children were born of this marriage-three sons and six daugh- ters. The sons : Robert F. Looney, who is in merean- tile life in Memphis; Thomas C. Looney, a young lawyer, and Abram Looney, as yet a school-boy. The daughters: Sarah Elizabeth, who died young; Janie C., who is now the wife of Hon. L. L. Lewis, of Virginia, and Mary, Louisa, Sallie and Bettie.

Col. Looney is a man of splendid and striking personal appearance. He stands six feet two inches high, weighs two hundred and twenty pounds, and not only has the look of the typical southerner, but impresses one as being a strong man in every way, with a sound mind in a sound body. And although he is the son of a family of wealth and distinction, he began life on noth- ing, his father having failed about the time the son attained his majority. To-day he owns valuable real estate and stocks in Memphis, owns property in New Mexico, and has an interest in extensive silver mines in Mexico. He has been a very active man all his life, has failed often, has had many successes and many re- verses, but has always "lit on his feet," and never stopped paying. He spends his money like a man that makes it easy. He has made a good deal by speculating in coal and iron lands, and has dealt largely in real estate at times. Having large faith in mankind he was never a close collector, consequently has lost heavily by bad debts and by going security, and has made and lost money in almost every way. He never drank liquor in his life, not even wine, except medicinally ; has never gambled, never bet on anything. His success has come of energy, activity, enterprise, clear-headedness, boldness and as the legitimate fruit of strong intellectual ability.

He is a man of great will power and remarkable even- ness of temper ; hospitable, genial and companionable. While adapted to, and engaged in, the varied pursuits of life, he observes all the demands and usages of re- ligion. Youthful and impulsive in all his habits, his attentions and indulgences to his family are without stint or limit, so far as his purse can buy, and of his

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large family of children, physically and mentally per- feet, it is a happy reflection to him to know not one of them has ever given him a pang. He is never out of humor, and this is remarkable in one so exceedingly quick of action and thought, yet there is nothing sluggish about him -- nothing petulant, foolish or ccech- trie. Not only is he gifted with exceptional oratorical powers, but his soul is full of poetry, and both his fo- rensie style and conversational manner are at once florid,

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Sketches of prominent Tennesseans. Containing biographies and records of many of the families who have attained prominence in Tennessee, Part 27

Author: Speer, William S Publication date: 1888 Publisher: Nashville, A. B. Tavel Number of Pages: 1278

Author: Speer, William S
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Nashville, A. B. Tavel
Number of Pages: 1278