Elmore County AlArchives Biographies.....Milstead, A. J. 1831 - living in 1893
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Ann Anderson alabammygrammy@aol.com May 20, 2004, 10:58 pm

Author: Brant & Fuller (1893)
   A. J. MILSTEAD, superintendent of the Tallassee Falls manufacturing company
of Elmore county, was born in Prince William's county, Va., in 1831, the son of
William and Mary (Hammill) Milstead, who were natives of the same county, but
who afterward removed to Maryland, and spent the rest of their lives there. He
was an industrious, energetic and public-spirited citizen, who devoted all his
life to agriculture. He was the son of Isaac Milstead, also a Virginian by
birth, of English descent. John Hammill, the maternal grandfather, was also a
Virginian, and a soldier of the war of 1812. His wife was a Miss McIntosh, and
they had a large family. A. J. Milstead is the eldest of eleven children, ten of
whom are living. He received a good education in Virginia and Maryland, and
remained at home till his majority, when he apprenticed himself to a cotton
factory and thoroughly learned all the details of the fabrication of cotton
goods. When he acquired this valuable knowledge, he superintended a factory in
Alexandria, Va., which he operated till 1876, when he came to Tallassee, Ala.,
where he found the mills he now superintends in the hands of a receiver and in a
most deplorable condition. He was made superintendent of these mills, where his
thorough knowledge of the business and his practical common sense soon became
apparent to the company, who had implicit confidence in him and placed almost
unlimited power in his hands, and as a result, the mills are now the most
complete and profitable in the south. Since his incumbency the property of the
company has been largely augmented in the erection of many new buildings,
offices, warehouses; etc. They manufacture on a large scale a superior quality
of osnaburg shirting, sheeting, rope whang and canvas. The capacity of the mills
is 20,000 spindles, 370 looms and about 700 operatives, with a pay roll of
$10,000 per month, and they consume about 10,000 bales of cotton annually. They
also have in connection, a saw, planing and grist mill, carpenter and machine
shops, foundry and blacksmith shops and some 10,000 or 12,000 acres of land with
a valuation of $500,000. The mills are supplied with all the modern improvements
and equipments. The factory first began operations nearly fifty years ago, by
William Marks and Thomas Barnett, and the present main building was erected in
1854. Mr. Milstead is regarded as one of the best and most practical
manufacturers in the south. His good business methods and manly qualities have
endeared him to all classes. He was married in 1856, to Elizabeth, daughter of
John Davis, a native of Maryland. He is a member of the I. O. O. F. and of the
Red Men.



Additional Comments:
from "Memorial Record of Alabama", Vol. I, p. 941-942
Published by
Brant & Fuller (1893)
Madison, WI

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