Carroll County GaArchives Biographies.....WORD, JOHN H. 1836 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Elizabeth Robertson lrober@plantationcable.net July 27, 2004, 2:37 pm Author: S. EMMETT LUCAS, JR JOHN H. WORD, merchant, Bowdon, Carroll Co., Ga., son of John Bryson and Amelia (Sparks) Word, was born in Carroll county in 1836. His great- grandfather, Charles Word, was a revolutionary soldier and was killed in the battle of King's Mountain. His grandparents, William and Elizabeth (Bryson) Word were North Carolinians, and he was a soldier in the revolutionary army. His father was born in Surry county, N. c., Jan. I, 1 79/?, and his mother in Franklin county, Ga., June 15, 1803. He came to Georgia when a young man and settled in Franklin as a school-teacher and taught there for many years, many of the scholars coming as many as seven miles to school. Himself and wife were married July 22, 1819. In 1836 he removed to Carroll county, where he soon rose to considerable prominence and was elected a justice of the inferior court; and for many years was a justice of the peace. On one occasion he married a couple and a short time afterward they called on him to "unmarry" them. For many years he was a deacon of the Baptist church. Mr. Word's mother was a daughter of Elijah and Amelia Sparks, early settlers in the country near Atlanta. Mr. Word was reared on the farm, which he made his home until he married. He received a good common-school education and taught school a short time. In 1861 he enlisted in Company B (Capt. Charles A. McDaniel), Cobb's legion, and participated in many hard-fought battles-among them Dam No. I, Yorktown, seven days' fight around Richmond; concluding with Malvern Hill, etc. He went to Maryland, but was too late for the Second Manassas. He was at the battle of South Mountain, Sept. 14, 1862, where he lost his left leg and was tak en prisoner. Only four of his company escaped death or wounds. A month elapsed before his leg was amputated. After it was done he was struck by lightning,and then he had to submit to a second amputation. In 1863 he was elected clerk of the superior court and served two years and was made a notary public and filled the office six years at Bowdon. In the meantime he began a general merchandise business at Bowdon, and Although he had but very small capital he has been eminently successful. He made his first start in business before the war closed but some Federal troops passed that way, took everything he had and broke him up. In 1884 he was elected to represent the county in the general assembly and served one term. In 1893 he was elected county commissioner of Carro1l county and took an active and prominent part in building the new court house. In 1866 Mr. Word was married to Miss Virginia, daughter of William and Ann (Stringer) Colquitt, South Carolian born. Mr. Colquitt was a soldier in the Confederate army during the war and a part of the time was a guard at the Andersonville prison. When he was married he and his wife began housekeeping with only a frying-pan and two old chairs, but they are better, and more comfortably, if not luxuriously, “fixed" now. Himself and wife are members of the Missionary Baptist church. He a liberal contributor to all worthy enterprises. Additional Comments: From the book, "Memoirs of Georgia", Historical and Biographical Sketches, published in 1896 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/carroll/bios/gbs75word.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/gafiles/ File size: 3.8 Kb