Sketches of prominent Tennesseans. Containing biographies and records of many of the families who have attained prominence in Tennessee, Part 75

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

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Williamson county, Tennessee, a lady of much beauty, and intellectual and social attractions. (2). George W. Gant, born December 9, 1816; married in McMim county, Temessee, in- 1811, Miss Adeline Dorsey, daughter of Rev. Micajah Dorsey, a Methodist minis ter; followed farming in MeMinn county until 1855, when he moved to Missouri, where he died, July 14. 1874, leaving nine or ten children. (3). Judge Jesse II. Gant, subject of this biography

Of the children who died before the mother, two died in infancy. A daughter, Mahala Gaut, died the wife of John Dorsey, son of Dimmon Dorsey, a farmer, leaving two children, James A., and Celina Jane, the latter now wife of John Selvidge, of Bradley county. Nancy and Mary Gaut both died unmarried. Minerva Gaut, died in 1852, in Arkansas, wife of A. Taft.

Jesse HI. Gaut was born near Athens, MeMinn county, Tennessee, November 25, 1824, and grew up in that county; was required to work on his father's farm till seventeen years of age, going to the common schools of the neighborhood, which lasted only a few months each year. By this means, and by studying at home, he ac- quired a good rudimentary education. When seventeen, he taught school a year at twenty dollars a month. He then attended school at Cleveland one year, under a teacher named H. W. Von Aldehoff, a Prussian, of fine education. He next attended the university at Knox- ville two years, studying Latin, geometry, chemistry, surveying, philosophy, etc. March 1, 1818, he began to read law with his brother, John C. Gaut, in Cleveland and after reading with him closely for two years, ob- tained law license from Charles F. Keith, judge of the circuit court, and Thomas L. Williams, then chancel- lor of all East Tenessee. He then went into the prac- tice of law at Cleveland, and formed a partnership with his brother, John C. Gaut, which lasted till his brother became judge in November, 1853. Has lived there ever since, in the practice of his profession, and has practiced before the Supreme court of the State every year from 1853 till the present. He has also practiced before the circuit, district and Supreme courts of the United States. He was, for thirty-two years, attorney for what is now the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia railroad, and was attorney for the branch Bank of Tennessee, at Athens, from 1855 till 1861. Among the most noted cases in which he was leading attorney, may be men- tioned the case of Thomas Hopkins' heirs against Thomas II. Calloway, known as the "Jolly Island case," he being of counsel for Calloway. Another noted case was the Union Consolidated Mining company of Polk county against Black, MeCauley and others, involving over half' a million of dollars. The Jolly Island case was in the Supreme court several times, where he ar- pued it twice alone. The last time it was argued, his brother, John C. Gaut, and John M. Gant, nephew of Jesse II. Gaut, aided him and rendered valuable ser. vice, The case was finally compromised and settled

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according to the decision they obtained. In the cases of the Union Consolidated Mining company of Polk county against Black, MeCanley and others, he argued it before the circuit court of the United States and got it remanded back to the chancery court, his associates having no confidence in the motion and declining to aid him in it. These facts are mentioned' merely to show the accuracy with which Judge Gaut examines the cases entrusted to his care.

On October 1, 1881, Gov. Hawkins commissioned him special judge of the Supreme court at Knoxville, in the place of Chief Justice J. W. Deaderick, who was unable to attend the court on account of sickness, and he has several times served as special chancellor and circuit judge, either under appointment from the gov- ernor, or by election of the lawyers.

He was elected to the Legislature in 1865, and served in the session of 1865-66, as chairman of the judiciary committee and of the committees on incorporations and on Federal relations. In 1868, he was defeated for the chancellorship of the Third chancery division, by Hon. D. M. Key. To polities, he was a Whig until that party went down; since then he has been a Republican. In 1882 and 1883, he was each year unanimously elected mayor of the city of Cleveland, and served those two years in that capacity, and did much to preserve peace and good order, and to establish a good system of schools in the city. In 1884, Judge Jesse II. Gaut was elected to the State senate, and served his district in that ca- pacity.

Judge Gaut married first, in McMinn county, near Athens, December 6, 1849, Miss Sarah E. Isbell, who was born in that county, September 29, 1829, daughter of Benjamin Isbell. Her mother was Martha Parks. Her paternal uncle, James Isbell, was a noted banker at Talladega, Alabama. Her four brothers were Thomas, John W., Howard and Dennis R. Isbell. The first was a Baptist minister; John W. and Howard, young men of fine talent and good education, both died in the Federal army, and Dennis R., a man of excellent education. is now a farmer, surveyor and stock dealer in MeMinn county. Her sister, Francis D., is the widow of William L. Rice, her first husband being John Hughes Her sister, Martha, died, the wife of Robert A. McMillan, a merchant at Talladega, Ala. bama. Her sister, Missouri, is now the wife of Robert A. McMillan above named.

Judge Gaut's first wife died at Cleveland, May 28, 1864, leaving three children : (1). Thomas Iskell Gaut, born July 18, 1856; educated at Richmond College, Virginia ; read law with his father, obtained law license and had practiced his profession only a few months when he was employed as clerk in the Fifth auditors' - office in the treasury department at Washington, where he has served the government honorably and efficiently nearly four years. He married Mary M. Lee, daughter of William M. and Matilda Lee, both now deceased, 1

and has two children, Tone and James W. (2 and 3). Oscar Hamilton and Orlando Parks Gaut, twins, born July 15, 1863, educated together at Cleveland. Oscar is clerk, salesman and book-keeper for Manlove & Co., Nashville. Orlando is book - keeper for R. A. Mc Millan & Co., at Talladega, Alabama.

Judge Gaut's next marriage, which took place at Jonesborough, Tennessee, March 8, 1866, was with Miss Ella A. Lackey, a native of that place, born February 18, 1836, second daughter of Hon. Seth J. W. Luckey, circuit judge and chancellor for thirty-six years, a na- tive of North Carolina. Her mother was Sarah Rhet, of a noted and numerous family in East Tennessee, for one of whom, Hon. John Rhea, who was an uncle of Mrs. Gant's mother, Rhea county was named. Mrs. Gaut's elder sister, Jane, died in 1884, the wife of Col. . - William K. Moore, of Dalton, Georgia, leaving five children, Alice, Elizabeth (married, May, 1884, Rev. W. K. Walker. a Presbyterian minister of marked abil- ity, a graduate of Albany Seminary, New York), John R. Rhea and Ella. Mrs. Gaut's sister, "Pet," is now the wife of John E. Williams, of Knoxville, and has five children, Luckey, Neil. Annie, Agnes and Bessie. Her sister, Elizabeth, is the wife of George W. Hamil- ton, a merchant at Dalton, Georgia, and has five chil- dren; Jennie, Bessie, George. Seth and Cornelius. Her sister, Agnes, is the wife of Dr. Joseph K. Walker, of Rogersville, Tennessee, and has five children, Corne- lius, Seth, Margie, Jesse Gaut and Mary. Her brother, Cornelius E Luckey, a prominent Knoxville lawyer, married Miss Julia Simms, of Georgia, and has one child, Mary.

Mrs. Gaut went to school at Jonesborough and Ro- gersville, and like her sisteis, is a strict Presbyterian and well educated. These sisters all lead in the society in which they move, and exer. ise their influence against all immorality. They are all women well informed ; well posted in religion and politics ; fond of reading, and are devoted to their church and their prayers, never retiring to bed at home or abroad without their secret prayers, and they raise their children to this devout and wholesome custom, They are also all noted for being diligent women and fine house-keepers. By his mar- riage with Miss Luckey, Judge Gaut has six children : (1). Sarah Luckey.Gaut, born February 1, 1808. (2). John Watson Gaut, born January 28, 1870. (3). Jessie Rhea Gaut, born August 16, 1872. (4 and 5). Agnes Moore and Luella Erwin Gaut, twins, born JJanuary 17, 1875. (6). Cornelius Luckey Gaut, born August 4, 1877. Judge Gant is a member of the Cumberland Presby- terian church, as is also his wife, who joined that de- nomination since her marriage.

The only method Judge Gant has in his business affairs is to be prompt. . In the court-room. as out of it, he treats everybody with becoming respect. In the management of a law : nit, if there is no proof against his client to hurt him, he stops the case without intro-

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ducing any. His mind is essentially of the judicial east. ITe eliminates all surplusage from the proof. and addressing himself directly to the judgment of the court or jury, selects the strong point in the case to argue and argues that well. An old lawyer once said of him in open court, " He has such an affidavit face it is impos-

sible to answer him successfully." His personal habits from boyhood have been good. He has never played cards or been intemperate. His greatest ambition is to provide for his family and educate his children well. He is a most sociable man in his manners, and very fond of anecdotes and reminiscence.

HON. PRESLEY T. GLASS.

RIPLEY.

PRESLEY T. GLASS was born in Halifax county, Virginia, October 16, 1824. His parents, Dudley Glass and Nancy Carr, were of Scotch-Irish descent, his remote ancestors having settled in Virginia during the colonial period. His grandfather, Dudley Glass, was a farmer by occupation, a frugal man, of practical good sense, and a Baptist in religion. He was a captain in the Revolutionary war, as was also Maj. Glass' ma- ternal grandfather. He died in 1827. His father, who also bore the name of Dudley, was raised on the farm and inured to habits of industry, thrift and economy. In October of the year following his father's death, he removed with his wife and younger children, three in number, Elizabeth, Presley (the subject of this sketch), and John, the youngest, then an infant, to Tennessee, and settled three miles west of Dresden, the county seat of Weakley county. That section of the State was at that time an almost unbroken wilderness, and the new settlers went to work vigorously to make homes for themselves. Mr. Glass was the owner of a few slaves, whom he put to work clearing land and building houses. A few cabins were erected, and about ten acres of land cleared in time for the next year's planting. He was successful in his farming operations. his economical habits and sound judgment standing him in good stead in his new home. At that carly period, neither cotton or tobacco were grown in that section as market crops, the cereals and forage, together with hogs and such vegetables as the immigrants required, being raised. Mr. Class generally sold his corn and oats to his mer chants in sacks, and the first money his son Presley ever earned was for sewing up these sacks at a cent apiece. The father never held office of any kind, but devoted himself wholly to his farm, and soon accumu- lated a competency, and was regarded as a prosperous man. He was not permitted to enjoy the fruits of his well directed labors in his new home but a short time, having died in the winter of 1834, about six years after his removal to Tennessee. He was prompt and faithful in the discharge of every public and social duty, and his death was a severe loss, not only to his family, but to the new community, in the development of which he had taken an active and useful part.

Maj. Glass' mother was a daughter of Thomas Carr, a

well to do farmer, who lived and died in Halifax county, Virginia. Like her husband, she was industrious and frugal, engaging with great energy in all the household duties and industries of the early days, superintending and aiding with her own hands in the spinning and weay- ing of the cloth which clothed ker entire family, both white and black, at least during the milder seasons of the year. In those early times in West Tennessee, a patch of flax was cultivated by almost every family, and the libre manufactured for home use. Many hours of her children's early life were spent in listening to the whirr of Mrs. Glass' little old fashioned flax wheel, watching the unwinding of the fibres from the reel and the thread taking shape under the dexterons manipu- lations of her fingers. This flax was often woven into cloth by the colored women, and made into garments for her two small boys. This truly good woman died in 1859, at a ripe old age, respected and beloved by her children and neighbors. She was never a devotee of fashion, her sphere being the domestic circle, and she justly prided herself upon her skill and taste in the management of her household affairs. She was a mem- ber of the Baptist church: Industry and piety were her leading characteristics. Of nine children born to her, she left six surviving her, viz .: Thomas. Dabuey, Dudley, Elizabeth, Presley T. (subject of this sketch), and John. Elizabeth is the widow of Jeptha Rogers, and has nine children. . John, the youngest child, served in the Confederate army, and after the war, was a prominent newspaper editor at Trenton for sixteen years. He died in April, 1882. Dabney was a mer- chant, and Thomas and Dudley were farmers. The oldest daughter married W. Martin, who came from Virginia to Weakley county, Tennessee, about 1835, and accumulated there a large estate. Their descend- ants now reside in the town of Martin and vicinity, and are among the most intelligent and influential citizens of that section. One of the sons, Hon. George W. Martin, has been a member of both houses of the Gen- eral Assembly of Tennessee, and traveled extensively abroad. (For a full account of the Martin family, see sketch of Hon. George W. Martin elsewhere in this volume).

Maj. Glass was raised on the farm of his parents, and

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in his youth enjoyed such educational advantages as the then sparsely settled condition of the country afforded. The log school house, with its stick and dirt chimney, puncheon floor and benches, and its broad plank writ- ing desk, extending across the entire width of the build- ing, and lighted by means of an opening made in the wall by cutting out one or two logs, was his alma mater, and his instructors the illiterate pedagognes of the backwoods. At the age of fourteen, his widowed mother put him to work on the farm, upon which he labored continuously for four years, performing the bard tasks incident to the primitive modes of farm work of that day. Tobacco being the principal money crop of the region at that period, young Glass learned all about its culture and caring, from burning the plant-bed to pre- paring and packing the product for market, doing much of the labor with his own hands. At eighteen, he again entered school for a short time, going to the county academy, of which Jesse Leigh, a man of some culture and learning, but not an accurate scholar, was princi- pal. He afterward attended one session of the Lex- ington, Kentucky, law school, and obtained his license in 1847, from Judge William C. Dunlap and Chancellor MeCampbell. He began the practice of law in Dres- den shortly afterward in connection with Hon. Emer- son Etheridge, but the partnership lasted only one year, being terminated on account of the widely divergent political views entertained by the two members of the firm.

Maj. Glass first married, on December 20, 1848, in Lauderdale county, Tennessee, Miss Sarah C. Partee, who was born in the adjoining county of Haywood, April 3, 1831, and by her had two children : (1). Hi- ram D., born September 12, 1819, who is now a success- ful merchant at Ripley ; married Miss Virginia Pahner, daughter of William E. Palmer, of Lauderdale county, and has sis children, Mary, Laura, Presley, Hiram, Ada Sue and Frank. (2). James Nelson, who died in in- fancy. Mrs. Gila died July 2. 1852 at Gibson Wells, Gibson county. Tennessee. . Maj. Class' nest wife, was Miss Maria S. Partee, a cousin of his first wife, to whom he was married August 15, 1855, in Panola county, Mississippi. She was born in Henry county, Tennessee, October 18, 1831. and was a daughter of S. B. Partee. her mother being a Miss Edwards, of thit county, By this marriage there were two children : (1). Ada Pau- line, born in Lauderdale county, June 18. 1857; edu- cated at Brownsville and Trenton, Tennessee, and Bellwood, Kentucky, at which latter place she gradu- ated. She was married July 1, IST7, to W. P. H. But- ler, a farmer, son of a Baptist minister of Georgia. They now live at Flippin, Tennessee. (2). Mattie Irene, who died when one year ohl.

After the death of the second wife occurred - No- vember - , 1860, Maj, Glass married. in Haywood county, Tennessee, December 15, 1868, his prosent wife, Miss Susan Taylor Barbee, daughter of Dr. Allen J.

Barbee, of that county, a relative of Rev. Dr. Barbee, of Nashville. Her mother, Susan Taylor, was a daugh- tor of John Y. Taylor, of Haywood county. Mrs. Glass was educated at Brownsville, and is a zealous and earnest member of the Methodist church, to which both ber parents belonged. She is a lady of strong intellect and great force of character, plain and simple in her tastes, and frugal and domestic in her habits. She has made household economy, horticulture and floriculture matters of careful study all her life, and is exceedingly well informed upon all these subjects. Being gifted with superior taste in all matters in the sphere 6º woman's duties, she has at all times ordered her house- hold economy with a view to her husband's happiness- in other words, possessing, in an eminent degree, those qualities that make her a help-meet indeed, and truly' lovely in her husband's eyes.

The many public positions occupied by Maj. Glass during his life, show in what high esteem he has always been held by his fellow-citizens. At the age of eigh- teen. he was elected colonel of a regiment of State mili- tia in Weakley county, and held the office two years, 1813 and ISEt. In 1817-8, he represented Weakley county in the General Assembly of the State, having been elected as a Democrat. At this time he was only twenty-two years old, and was, by a few days, the young- est member of that Legislature. In 1818, he was pres- idential elector for his county, Gen. Lewis Cass being at the head of the ticket. During his first legislative experience, he was a member of the committee on the State lunatic asylum, of which Hon. John M. Bright was chairman. At this session, the plan for the estab- lishment of the asylum, presented and urged by the great philanthropist, Miss Dix, of New York, was adopted by the General Assembly, Maj. Glass earnestly advocating the measure, both in committee and in the house of which he was a member. He regards with a just pride the part he took in founding that grand char- ity of our State, the Tennesee Hospital for the Insane. After removing to Lauderdale county, which was in March, 1819, be served as one of the magistrates of that county several years, from 1851 to 1857; from 1850 to 1957, he was one of the trustees of the Ripley Male Academy, and was an aldermat of the town of Ripley from 1851 to 1855. Upon the breaking out of the civil war, he joined the forces of the Confederacy, and in May, 1861, was appointed commissary with the rank of major, which position he held until May 10, 1865. His liest service was with Gen. Cheatham, at Union City, from May, 1Set, until the removal of the forces to Co- lumbus, Kentucky, in the antuum following. After the evacuation of Columbus, he went with the army to Island Ten as commissary on the staff of Gen. Medown, where he remained until shortly before it fell into the hands of the Federal forces. He was with MeCown at Corinth, until that place was evacuated, in July, 1862, when he was ordered to Chattanooga, where he collected

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one million of rations for the subsistence of Gen. Bragg's army on its campaign into Kentucky. He ac- companied Gen. McCown on his march from Knoxville, and was with him at the battle of Perryville, returning to Knoxville, in October, 1862, going thence to Ready- ville, and soon afterward engaging with MeCown's com- mand in the memorable battle of Murfreesborough. On the evacuation of Murfreesboroush. he was ordered to Shelbyville, traveling all night in the rain. Soon afterward he was relieved from duty with Gen. Met own and ordered by Gen. Polk to report to Gen. Pillow, at Huntsville, Alabama, where he remained on duty until the place was evacuated, July 4, 1863. From Hunts- ville he went to Marietta, Georgia, where he was sta- tioned until November, when he accompanied Gen. Pillow to Montgomery, Alabama, where he remained until the following June, going thence to Talladega in the same State. He accompanied Gen. Pillow in his expedition to Tunnel Hill, near Dalton, Georgia, where the latter had been ordered to proceed and do what he could toward damaging the tunnel on the Western and Atlantic railroad, in order to cut off supplies from Sherman's army, then commencing its march to the sea. While on the march, Gen. Pillow, learning there was a brigade of Federal troops at La Fayette, determined to make a night attack upon them. The enemy was forti- fied in the court-house at LaFayette, and after eight or ten hours of fruitless fighting, and the loss of several valuable men, Gen. Pillow concluded to retire, Owing Jo considerable random firing by the enemy, the horses belonging to the Confederates, which were being held by a small number of men detailed for the purpose, became restive and finally stampeded. The enemy keeping up a damaging fire all the time, the retreat became almost a rout. Maj. Glass, having engaged actively in the con- fliet, rode among the disordered and scattered troops, composed of Tennesseans and Alabamians, endeavoring to restore order. The first field officer he met was Col. Ball, of Alabama, and having asked him if he could do anything to stop the wild stampede, Ball replied : " Help me to rally them behind this fence." Failing in this effort, Maj. Cilass rode a little further and met Col. Neely, who had his brigade drawn up in good order. On putting the same question to him, he replied : " Yes ; let the Alabamians get to the rear and I will put a stop to the stampede." Maj. Glass rode down Neely's lines and appealed to the men as Tennesseans to stand firm and do their duty, which they did. Order was soon ro- stored and the Confederate troops marched quietly off, the enemy giving no further pursuit. Gen. Pillow being released soon after this, Maj. Glass was ordered to report to Gen. Dan Adams, then on duty at Talla- dega, and was then charged with procuring supplies for the commands at Cahaba and Opelika. He was with Gen. Adams when Gen. Wilson assaulted and captured Seha, but succeeded in crossing the river and making his way to Montgomery. Being separated from hi offi

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cial papers, which had been sent with his servant to De- mopolis, Alabama, Maj. Glass was permitted by Gen. Adams to go in that direction, with Lieut. Donelson, of Forrest's staff, and made his way to Uniontown, where he found his papers and servant, and remained a few weeks. While there he heard rumors of the surrender of Gen. Johnston. and later on. of Gen. Lee. In the meantime, Gien. Adams had gone to Meridian, Missis- sippi, from which point Maj. Class received a dispatch to report there immediately. To that place he repaired promptly, and was paroled, May 10, 1865.

The war over. Maj. Glass returned to his home at Ripley, and spent the remainder of the year in trying to collect up the remains of a once prosperous mercall- tile and farming business. After settling up his old matters he removed to Memphis and engaged in the commission business for two years. He then moved to Trenton, and conducted editorially the Trenton Gacette for one year. Marrying his present wife about this time, he spent one year (1869) on a farm, returning in September of that year to Ripley, and resuming his mercantile business. The business proved a pros- perous one, and he continued in it until 1877, when he turned it over to his son and devoted himself exclu- sively to farming, in which he is at present engaged.

In 1882, he was elected representative from Lander- dale county in the State Legislature. He was made chairman of the committee on agriculture, and was recognized as the leader in the house of the agricul- tural interests of the State. He was the author of the bill making important and valuable changes in the fish laws of the State, and also of the act creating the agricultural experiment station at Knoxville, under the direction of the University of Tennessee, at that place. He supported by his vote and advocacy the act creating a railroad commission, and took an active and leading part in all the important legislation of the session. Ile was the friend and advocate of all measures looking to the suppression of the use of ardent spirits, and intro- duced and warmly supported the bill to pay in full all bonds of the State held by educational institutions, in or out of the State, including especially the three hundred thousand dollars of Tennessee State bonds held by the Peabody Institute, of' Baltimore, The advocacy of these measures attracted public attention to Maj. Glass, and gave him a position among the fore- most of Tennessee legislators. He voted for the 50-3 settlement of the State debt, but would have preferred a settlement at 60-6. if such a settlement had been practicable; but the temper of the public mind was such that fear was felt upon the part of conservative State credit men that, should the proposition to settle at 50 3 fail, from any cause, repudiation of the entire debt would probably be the final result

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Sketches of prominent Tennesseans. Containing biographies and records of many of the families who have attained prominence in Tennessee, Part 75

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