Coffee County AlArchives Biographies.....Sawyer, C. D. 1838 - living in 1893
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Ann Anderson alabammygrammy@aol.com May 16, 2004, 12:38 pm

Author: Brant & Fuller (1893)
    C. D. SAWYER, one of the leading farmers of Beat No. 9, was born in Morgan
county, Ga., in 1838. He is a son of Carter and Elizabeth (Harron) Sawyer, who
were probably born, the former in North Carolina and the latter in South
Carolina. In 1845 they came from Georgia to Coffee county, Ala., and settled in
the woods near where S. D. now lives, and improved a good farm, upon which Mr.
Sawyer died in 1863. Both Carter and his wife, the latter of whom is still
living, were members of the Primitive Baptist church, of which church Mr. Sawyer
was a deacon. He was an honest, industrious man, and owned some twelve hundred
or thirteen hundred acres of land at the time of his death. He served in the war
against the Indians in 1826, was opposed to the civil war, but served in the
home guards during the latter part of his life, at Pollard, where he died. His
father, Charles Sawyer, was a Virginian by birth, was married there, and came
with his son to Alabama, and died in this state at the advanced age of nearly
one hundred years. He was a small boy during the Revolutionary war. His wife
died in Georgia. Jefferson Harron, the maternal grandfather of C. D. Sawyer was
drowned while running on Flint river in Georgia, while Mrs. Sawyer was a little
girl. He was a South Carolinian by birth, served in the Indian war and in the
war of 1812. His wife died in Georgia. The subject was reared on the farm near
where he now lives and received but a limited education. In 1862 he enlisted in
the Thirty-third Alabama infantry, company K, and served a short time on the
coast. He then went to Corinth, to Kentucky, and fought at Murfreesboro,
Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, to Atlanta and back with Hood
to Nashville, on the retreat to Montgomery and to North Carolina, and
surrendered with Johnston. He was slightly wounded in the hip at Perryville. He
had frequently declared that he would never be captured by colored troops, and
while on picket at Nashville one morning just before break of day he was
approached by a regiment and ordered to surrender. He at once dropped his gun,
but on the near approach of the regiment he saw they were colored troops, and at
once picked up his gun, quickly dodged into the gully and crawled off in the
darkness and made his way to camp. After the war he came home and engaged in
farming. In 1867 he married Nancy, daughter of Tyre A. and Mary Goyaus, natives
of Warren county, Ga., the former born in 1804 and the latter in 1812. In 1855
they came to Coffee county, where Mr. Goyaus died in 1883. Mrs. Goyaus is still
living. Both were members of the Primitive Baptist church. Mrs. Sawyer was born
in Georgia, has had seven children, five of whom are living. At the time of his
marriage Mr. Sawyer purchased one hundred acres of land in the woods near where
he now lives, for which he paid $500. He has since added to his original one
hundred acres as he was able, until now he has about fifteen hundred acres, and
he is one of the most substantial farmers in the county. This property he has
acquired by his own industry and economy. He is one of the hardest working men
in the county at the present time. He devotes his entire attention to his work,
pays no attention to public affairs, and it is to this undivded attention to his
business that his success is in large measure due. Both he and his wife are
members of the Primitive Baptist church. Mr. Sawyer is the eldest of the family;
the others being Mary, wife of William Armour; Catherine, wife of Jacob Gunter;
Warren Clark of Texas; Joseph; Edith, deceased, formerly wife of George Harris;
Sarah; Martha, wife of Thomas King of Florda, and Noah. The family of Mr. Sawyer
stands high in the estimation of the public, and is always interested in the
progress of the community.



Additional Comments:
from "Memorial Record of Alabama", Vol. I, p. 681-682

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