Madison County FlArchives Biographies.....Drew, Mitchell Columbus 1846 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/fl/flfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 4, 2008, 3:22 pm Author: B. F. Johnson Mitchell Columbus Drew Among the substantial men of Madison and one who has contributed most largely to the development of that now flourishing section, is Mitchell C. Drew, farmer, merchant, banker, and general business man. Mr. Drew is a native of Madison county, with which his family has been identified since the pioneer days of Florida. His grandfather, W. B. Drew, was a native of North Carolina, where the family had been settled since the Colonial period. In North Carolina the family increased to such an extent that in 1790 there were fourteen heads of Drew families. Mr. Drew's father was Farnell Drew. He moved from Georgia to Florida in 1832. He served in the Seminole War which raged in Florida from 1835 to 1842, and his children and grandchildren have been identified with the State since that date. M. C. Drew was born July 22, 1846. One of his brothers, J. M. Drew was killed at Seven Pines, fighting for the Southern Confederacy. Another brother, W. B. Drew, died during the Civil War, and he now has living one brother, J. E. Drew. Young Drew was reared in the country, obtaining such education as the common country schools could give, and being a diligent and faithful student used to the utmost the limited advantages offered. He entered upon the serious work of life as a farmer. In this he met with a measure of success, being both industrious and a thinker, and after the accumulation of some capital engaged in the mercantile business, in which he prospered. He built up the largest business in that line in his section of the country. Constantly accumulating capital, he finally became interested in banking, and was an active factor in various business enterprises of that part of Florida. His financial abilities were recognized by his election to the presidency of the Bank of Madison, in which capacity he served ten years, and during his administration it was changed from a State to a National bank, under the name of The First National Bank of Madison. Mr. Drew is a stanch Democrat in his political beliefs, but not himself an office seeker; he is contented as a private citizen with supporting the policies and the candidates of the party nearest to his views in its policies. In his religious views, he is a man of broad and tolerant spirit, and is in hearty sympathy with every movement for the betterment of the people. At the outbreak of the Civil War he was a mere boy of fifteen and too young for the regular army, but before the end of that gigantic struggle, like many other lads in the Confederacy, he was mustered into the service and served one year. His entire life has been spent in the county in which he was born; he has been identified with its every interest, moral and material. He has made a financial success, and far better than that, has built up a reputation for integrity and conscientiousness which has won for him the esteem not only of those who have done business with him but of all who know him. The Drew family has contributed some valuable citizens to our Republic. There were two main branches; one of them settled in New England, and the other in North Carolina, from which descendants of the first settlers drifted westward and southward. The New England family has furnished to Florida a governor in the person of George F. Drew, the first Governor elected by the Democrats after Reconstruction, and his sons are now recognized as among the most prominent citizens of the State. One of the North Carolina Drews emigrated in the early days to Tennessee, and from there his son Thomas moved on into Arkansas. A farmer by occupation, he was a man of strong sense and sturdy patriotism, and after service in minor capacities came to be the Governor of the State some sixty years ago. Drew County in Arkansas was named in his honor, and there are old men in that State who remember him affectionately to this day. The family has made a great record in business circles in New York City, and the Drew Theological Seminary, founded by Daniel Drew, who was during his life one of the most successful business men in New York and practically the founder of the present system of trading on the New York Stock Exchange, is a school which has done much for the Methodist Church, of which old Daniel Drew was a most devoted adherent. It will thus be seen that M. C. Drew comes of a stock which has contributed its share of good citizens. In his hands the family traditions have not suffered; in a long and active business career he has built upon a good foundation. The branch of the family to which he belongs was founded originally in Virginia and North Carolina, thence drifting through the descendants into Tennessee, Georgia and other States, everywhere standing for good citizenship in all respects. Of late years, Mr. Drew has confined himself principally to looking after his investments and banking interests, he being a large stockholder and interested in several important financial institutions. Additional Comments: Extracted from: FLORIDA EDITION MAKERS OF AMERICA AN HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL WORK BY AN ABLE CORPS OF WRITERS VOL. III. Published under the patronage of The Florida Historical Society, Jacksonville, Florida ADVISORY BOARD: HON. W. D. BLOXHAM COL. FRANK HARRIS HON. R. W. DAVIS SEN. H. H. McCREARY HON. F. P. FLEMING W. F. STOVALL C. A. CHOATE, SECRETARY 1909 A. B. CALDWELL ATLANTA, GA. COPYRIGHT 1909 B. F. JOHNSON Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/fl/madison/photos/bios/drew51gbs.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/fl/madison/bios/drew51gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/flfiles/ File size: 6.1 Kb