Baldwin County GaArchives History .....History of Baldwin County - Huson-McComb Biography 1925
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 October 7, 2004, 3:44 pm

p. 377-382

HUSON—McCOMB

    The Huson and McComb families came to Georgia from Mecklenberg County, N.
C., in early part of the eighteenth century. The Husons coming to
Mil-ledgeville, and the McCombs going to Meriwether County. The Huson family
consisted of Mrs. Sara W. Huson, four sons and one daughter—Marcus D.. Frank,
Charlie, Thomas and daughter, Sarah. Mrs. Huson opened the first hotel
Milledgeville had, and it was known as the Huson Hotel. She ran this hotel for
several years, successfully. She then took charge of the Clay Hotel, on the
corner of Wayne and Green Streets. This house burned down about 1867. Her older
son, Marcus D., chose the profession of farmer, and was very successful. He
accumulated a large number of valuable slaves. Before our Civil War, he took
charge of the Milledgeville Hotel and ran same for a year or two. He was a
perfect man in physique —six feet, weighed two hundred and twenty-five pounds,
and had hair as white as snow. He never married but was very fond of young
people. His town residence was the Callaway house, at the corner of Wilkinson
and Green Streets, where he entertained lavishly the younger set of his day. At
the beginning of our Civil War he turned over the lease of the Milledgeville
hotel to his brother, Frank, who was married to a lady that every one knew as
"Aunt Millie." General Sherman said of her in his memoirs, that he had traveled
from the Atlantic to the Pacific and had never met a character like her. By this
marriage, he had two children: Mark and Fannie Huson. Both of these married and
had families.

    Mr. Huson was a very large man, weighing over three hundred pounds. Giving
up the hotel business after our war, he moved to Kingston, Ga., where his wife
owned a plantation. Federal soldiers were stationed there at that time. He was
arrested by them for some trival offense, and kept in confinement for several
weeks. After being released, and smarting under the treatment, it was said he
shot the arresting officer, through a window, at night. He was arrested for this
crime and was tried, but they lacked sufficient evidence to convict him. The
third brother, Charlie, lived with his mother until death claimed him. He, like
his father, was a man about town, whom every one liked. He was very generous and
loved children dearly, and many a child was made happy by his frequent gifts of
toys and sweets. The fourth brother, Thomas, located in Perry, Ga., where he
married and had two children; Thomas and Fannie. These two, when last heard
from, were living in California. Their only daughter, Sarah W. married Mr.
Robert McComb, Sr., who came from Meriwether County, with several nephews and
located in Milledgeville. This was in the early days of this city. He then took
charge of the Huson Hotel, and this hotel was known thereafter as the McComb's
Hotel. This hotel was known throughout the length and breadth of the land for
it's famous cooking, and service and servants. All of the big men of the time
stopped there, and were entertained.

    Hearing that LaFayette was to visit all of the capitals of the United
States, McComb had built the West wing of this hotel, fronting on Green Street.
Henry Clay spoke from the balcony of this house, on his famous speaking tour.
Many happenings of historical value could be associated with this old structure,
which will be pulled down in a few days. Mr. McComb, Sr., had by his first wife,
eight children: Thomas, Huson, Martha A., Robert A., Marquis D., William D.,
Samuel and Sarah W. McComb. Sarah W. Huson, wife of Robert McComb, Sr., was born
the first day of March, 1799, and married the 19th of August, 1817. Robert
McComb was born the 13th of March, 1797. His oldest son, Thomas, was born 28th
of October, 1818, and died 2nd of September 1821. Martha A. was born 2nd of
November, 1820. Robert A. was born 13th of Oct., 1822, and died September, 1874.
He married Mary Jane Lawson, of Hancock County, 1845. In 1857, at his father's
death, he, and his brother, Sam took charge of the old McComb hotel and ran same
successfully until after our Civil War. About this time, Mr. Frank Huson vacated
the Milledgeville Hotel and Sam and Robert McComb ran the magnificent hotel
until the Capitol was removed from Milledgeville. Robert A. McComb had four
children: Marcus Huson, Sarah Antoinette, Thomas Lawson, and Rox-anna McComb.
The two latter are now living. M. H. and T. L. McComb, after the fire that
destroyed the Milledgeville Hotel, opened the old McComb hotel again, to run for
several years, until the Oconee House was built, where the present Baldwin Hotel
now stands. R. A. McComb represented this County in the General Assembly when
Ga. withdrew from the Union. Marquis D. LaFayette McComb was born Mar. 5th,
1825, and died in July, 1859. He was Secretary of State under Governor Herschel
V. Johnson, and was said to be the handsomest man in Georgia. He also
represented this County in the Legislature. He won this honor over the
distinguished citizen, Hon. Augustus H. Kenan, which was said to have been one
of the hotest county elections ever waged. He died of typhus fever, in the very
prime of life. William D. McComb, was born the 22nd of September, 1826, and died
3rd of October, 1827.

    Sam McComb was born 14th day of May, 1828, and was killed by a pair of
runaway horses, February, 1872. He served through the Confederate War, and also
represented this county in the General Assembly. Sarah E. McComb was born the
26th day of May, 1830, and died 4th of May, 1831.

    Robert McComb, Sr., took to himself a second wife, Camilla Sanford, in the
year 1831. From this marriage the following children were born: William Sanford,
Zachavia, Roxanna, Frederick, Adolphus, John Hunter, Gordon, Henry Emerson, and
lone. All of the above eight children have passed over the river. Mrs. Camilla
McComb was one of the twenty flower girls who strewed flowers in the path of
LaFayette, from his carriage to the door of the Government House. He also lifted
and kissed each one of these twenty girls. Mrs. Camilla McComb lived to be 87
years old. It is through her, her research work and able memory, that I have
been able to write this short history of the Huson and McComb families.

      OLD TIMES—OLD PEOPLE 
A Noted Landlady and a Famous Hostelrie

    The writer of these "Talks" with our old citizens begs a little divergence
the present week, to revive a reminiscence or two of the early days of his
arrival in Milledgeville, in '37, and some of the remarkable people who lived
here then.

    A noted person at that day was Mrs. Frances Huson, an aged widow, who kept
first the McComb hotel and subsequently the famous "Huson Hotel" situated, then,
on Wayne Street, near the corner of Greene. Mr. Robert McComb, Sr., married a
daughter of Mrs. Huson, and they, together, for many years, kept the "Farmers'
Hotel," subsequently "Henry Clay House," named in honor of the great statesman,
who on his visit to Milledgeville in 1844, was a guest of that hostelrie. After
the defeat of Mr. Clay, the Henry Clay sign was removed, and the house was
called "McComb's Hotel," and is so designated today, and is kept by Mrs.
Stembridge.

    There was a small wooden building on the corner used as a law office, and
afterwards as a barber shop. The "Huson Hotel" began about where Mr. Skinner's
Store now is, and extended in front, to the present store-room now occupied by
Mrs. Wootten. It was two stories high and built of wood with large basement
below. It was destroyed by fire. Doubtless, there are hundreds of men in Georgia
today, who can locate the famous "Huson Hotel" and can remember vividly its
venerable proprietress, for she was a woman who once known was not soon forgotten.

    She had the finest servants that ever held a waiter or set a room in order.
Hamilton, Nelson, Aleck, Amos, Phyllis, Hagar, Judy, Jane, and the rest, how
plainly we see them now, moving about in their respective -spheres—no clashing,
all peace and harmony. There was no such thing then as feeing servants to get
civil and proper attention. Every one in the house, boarder or transient
visitor, was treated alike. The humble Senator, or representative from a
mountain county, who came to Milledgeville in his gig or sulky, with a leather
bag, was treated with all the respect that was paid the gentleman from Savannah
or Augusta, who traveled in carriages, or by stage, with numerous baggage and
equipments.

    But of Mrs. Huson, we mean to speak. She was an old lady at the time the
writer first knew her. She had no help, other than her servants, and she always
presided at the head of her table, at every meal. Every servant was thoroughly
master of his place; the cooking was in the good old way; every room was as
clean as a new pin; very bed soft and inviting; and the formality of modern
arrangements, as to preferred rooms—except in extraordinary cases—was never
thought of nor observed. The gentleman from Bullock, "old Uncle Peter Cone," as
he was called, and who represented the county thirty years consecutively, walked
into the room of the Chatham delegation with as little unconcern as a present
member of the Georgia legislature would accept a free ticket on a railroad. The
beauty about the sessions of the Legislature, in Mrs. Huson's day, was the
gregariousness of its members, so to speak. It was more like a family gathering
than a meeting of strangers. Indeed it was "communism on the elevated plans of
Brotherly Love." Mrs. Huson cultivated this family or social idea, and the
consequence was that the members of the legislature, who boarded at her house,
were all acquainted. The Wire-grass man from Irwin, the apple-bound,
chestnut-ribbed man from Union, met on the square with the oyster-eating,
bifurcated, coat-tail man, from McIntosh and Glynn.

    It was just near enough then to Arcadian simplicity to have made a few of
the politicians of the present day "die of a rose in aromatic pain."

    Mrs. Huson was exact in all her business matters. She wanted "all that was
nominated in the bond," but she wanted no more. She was a friend of the poor,
and no true object of charity ever left her door unsatisfied.



Additional Comments:
From: 

Part V

HISTORY of BALDWIN COUNTY GEORGIA

BY MRS. ANNA MARIA GREEN COOK

ILLUSTRATED

ANDERSON. S. C.
Keys-Hearn Printing Co.
-1925—


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