Coffee County AlArchives Biographies.....Garrett, John W. April 4 1851 - living in 1893
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Ann Anderson alabammygrammy@aol.com May 16, 2004, 12:40 am

Author: Brant & Fuller (1893)
   JOHN W. GARRETT, M. D., physician and surgeon, a merchant and farmer of
Clintonville, was born in Coffee county, Ala., April 4, 1851. He is a son of
Joshua E. and Tempa (Wilkinson) Garrett, the former a native of Virginia and the
latter a native of Coffee county. Mr. Joshua E. Garrett came to Coffee county
with his parents when a lad and was brought up in the wilderness, with but
limited educational advantages. He was married three times, his first wife being
the mother of Dr. John W. Garrett. Mr. Garrett was a farmer and mechanic and
served in the late war, in the service of the state, two or three years. He was
the father of nine children and died March 26, 1876, aged fifty-six years. His
father, Robert Garrett, was a Virginian by birth, an educated gentleman, and
possessed a very choice and valuable library. He was one of the pioneers of
southeastern Alabama, coming here in 1827, but spent some years in Coosa,
county, and also in either Montgomery or Lowndes county. He was an active
business man, and possessed of considerable ability. He was a stanch democrat
but took very little interest in politics. He died about 1853. Grandfather
Wilkinson was one of the pioneers of southeastern Alabama and may have been born
in that part of the state, for he lived here when the Indians yet occupied the
country, and had a son killed by them. He was married several times and died
here. He was very familiar with the Indians, and could understand  their
language. The mother of Dr. Garrett died when he was about six years old, he
being the eldest of four children. He was reared on the farm with meager
advantages for acquiring an education, attending school not to exceed ten months
in all, and five months of that ten after he had attained his majority. He then
took up the study of medicine, borrowing books of Dr. F. M. Rushing, and
receiving his instructions mostly from the late Dr. John G. Moore. He then
attended Louisville Medical college during 1874 and 1875, and in 1881 graduated
from the Kentucky school of medicine at Louisville; but in the meantime had
passed a thorough examination by an examining board, and had practiced to some
extent. His first year's practice was at Elba, and since then he has been
located at Clintonville, where he now has a very extensive practice. For some
years he has been engaged in farming, and for the past four years he has also
been engaged in merchandising. He has been a hard student and has kept up with
the progress of his profession. He also pursued other studies under the
instruction of his first wife, who was a talented lady. He is now one of the
examining board of Coffee county, and a member of the State Medical association.
On October 21, 1878. he married Miss Mattie B., daughter of James R. and Sallie
E. Gaines, of Ga., who moved to Barbour county, Ala., after the war, and to
Coffee county in 1875, but since then Mr. Gaines has resided at Snow, Ga. He
resided near and was the originator of and one of the managers of Andersonville
prison. Mrs. Garrett was born in Georgia, received a fine education, was the
mother of three children and died in 1883. Dr. Garrett's second marriage took
place in December, 1883, to Anna Lee, a sister of his first wife, also born in
Georgia. She is the mother of six children, four of whom are living. In 1882 and
1883 Dr. Garrett represented Coffee county in the legislature and served on
several committees, among them the military committee and the committee on
education. He has since served as justice of the peace four years. He was until
recently a member of the Coffee county democratic executive committee, having
served on that committee sixteen years. In 1884 he was census enumerator of
Coffee county. He became a Mason at Elba in 1872 and is now dimitted. His first
wife was, and his present wife is, a member of the Methodist Episcopal church,
south. Dr. Garrett began his career with but little knowledge of the outside
world, but being actuated by a strong desire for knowledge, he has been a hard
student all his life and has become one of the best informed men of the county.
He is well informed on national and state politics, and has a large fund of
general information.



Additional Comments:
from "Memorial Record of Alabama", Vol. I, p. 664-665


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