Chatham-Brooks-Thomas County GaArchives Biographies.....Stephens, William Berry 1870 - living in 1913 ************************************************ 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: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 October 30, 2004, 9:10 pm Author: William Harden p. 1002-1004 MAJOR WILLIAM BERRY STEPHENS. A record of well won success has been made by Major William Berry Stephens, a stalwart member of the Chatham county bar, who has proved his remarkable fitness for the profession he adorns in the heat of constant litigation. Among his many claims to distinction is his prominence in Georgian military affairs, for he holds the office of major of the Savannah Volunteer Guards and is a veteran of the Spanish-American war, in which he served as sergeant of Company B, of the Second Georgia Infantry, United States Volunteers. Major Stephens is the scion of one of the oldest and most distinguished American families, with the members of which through many generations patriotism has stood for far more than a mere rhetorical expression. Major Stephens shares his natal day with the Father of the Country, his birth having occurred near Morven, Brooks county, Georgia, February 22, 1870. He is a son of John Hugh and Sarah C. (Hendry) Stephens, the former born at Society Hill, Darlington county, South Carolina, September 19, 1842, and the latter at Morven, Brooks county, August 19, 1846. It is a matter of well-confirmed tradition that Major Stephens' maternal great-great-grandfather, Robert Hendry, who came from Virginia to Georgia and lies buried at Taylor's Creek, Liberty county, served under "Lighthorse Harry" Lee in the Revolutionary war. The paternal, grandfather of Major Stephens served with the South Carolina troops in Florida during the Seminole Indian war of 1835-42 and two maternal grand-uncles, AVilliam Hendry and Normal Campbell, are known to have served against the Indians in Georgia, participating in the battle of Brushy Creek. Major Stephens' maternal grandfather, Neal Hendry, was one whose conscientious conviction of the supreme right of the states to sever their union with the national government led him to give his influence and service to the Confederacy, at the time of the Civil war. - He was major in command of a detachment in middle Florida, guarding salt works along the coast and supplying cattle to the southern armies. The subject's father, as a youth of twenty, entered the service of the South, enlisting on August 1, 1861, at Madison, Florida, as a private in Company C, Fourth Florida Volunteer Infantry and he served in turn in the brigades commanded by Preston, Palmer, Anderson, Finley, Stovall and Smith. He was in the thick of events; was wounded at the battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and later participated in the battles of Jackson, Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge, as well as at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, April 9, 1865, thus serving until the close of the war. This highly respected gentleman now resides in Jacksonville, Florida, and finds pleasure in renewing associations with the comrades of other days as a member of Robert E. Lee Camp, No. 58, United Confederate Veterans. The Stephens family is a race of soldiers and three of the sons of the foregoing upheld its military prestige at the time of the war with Spain. John Hugh, Jr., and Robert D. were members of the First Florida Infantry, United States Volunteers, and the former lost his life by disease while in the service. Major Stephens received his early education in the public schools of Thomas and Mitchell counties, Georgia, and his higher academic studies were prosecuted under the direction of private tutors. In early youth he became imbued with the desire to enter the law and in 1889 he became a clerical assistant in the law office of Chisholm & Erwin, of Savannah, under whose able preceptorship he prosecuted his legal studies. In 1896 he was admitted to the bar and his excellent preliminary training having given him a grasp upon essentials which he utilized to the last degree, he at once entered upon a career, which has given him both success and high renown. From 1898 to January 1, 1900, he was division counsel for the Plant system of railways and then, upon the dissolution of the firm of Erwin, DuBignon, Chisholm & Clay, he resigned the aforementioned office and entered into a professional partnership with Hon. Fleming G. DuBignon, under the firm name of DuBignon & Stephens, this association continuing until the latter part of the year 1902, when it was dissolved upon the removal of Mr. DuBignon to the city of Atlanta. Since that time Major Stephens has conducted an individual professional business in Savannah. Major Stephens' connection with affairs military dates from May, 1890, when he became a private in Company B, Savannah Volunteer Guards, and was later promoted to corporal and sergeant. On May 2, 1898, he was enrolled as a private in Company B, Second Georgia Infantry, United States Volunteers, for service in the war with Spain. He was appointed sergeant as soon as mustered and proceeded with his command to the reserve camp at Tampa, Florida, where he remained in service until the close of the war. He was honorably discharged at Huntsville, Alabama, August 29, 1898, in compliance with his own request. Upon his return to Savannah he immediately re-enlisted, as a private in Company B, Savannah Volunteer Guards, serving as such until he was commissioned captain of his company, February 1, 1900. In March, 1904, he resigned the captaincy and re-enlisted as a private, serving as such until the following November, when he was commissioned major of battalion of the Savannah Volunteer Guards, the battalion having been converted into heavy artillery by act of the general assembly, December 18, 1900. He still holds the office of major of this battalion and is also a member of Francis S. Bartow Camp, No. 95, United Sons of Confederate Veterans in Savannah. Major Stephens has always been loyal to the principles of the Democratic party. In 1906, he was urged by a strong representation of Savannah's best citizenship to become a candidate for the state senate in opposition to an already nominated candidate who, although personally a man of the highest character, represented a political element in the city that a great many people deemed dangerous and inimical to Savannah's best interests. Major Stephens, responding to this call in a spirit of patriotism, entered the race just seven days prior to the election, and after a spirited and exciting contest, was elected by a majority of about six hundred, as a member of the state senate, representing the first senatorial district, embracing the counties of Chatham, Bryan and Effingham. Major Stephens' most notable achievement in the senate was his success in bringing the senate and the lower house together in the passage of the law which terminated the convict lease system in Georgia, thus taking the hire of convicts out of the hands of corporations and putting them to work on the public roads. Public opinion upholds this as one of the most beneficent enactments of legislation that has taken place in Georgia in many years. Major Stephens accomplished this by skillful parliamentary tactics and a final speech in the senate, in the face of the strongest and most bitter opposition. The following tribute to Major Stephens is contributed by Judge Walter G. Charlton, of Savannah, judge of the supreme court, and one of the ablest jurists in the state: "In the pursuit of his profession, Major Stephens has not only attained to success, but his career has also been marked by a thorough devotion to the highest ideals of his calling. This has been the dominant purpose of his life, to which his active participation in public affairs has been the natural incident. Of a singularly open and candid nature, rapid in conclusions and entirely bold in expression, he has been an effective soldier because he has been a consistent and fearless lawyer." Major Stephens was happily married on September 6, 1899, his chosen lady being Miss Clifford B. Dasher, daughter of Frank W. and Grace B. (Lovell) Dasher, of Savannah. Into their household, one of the favorite social gathering-places in the city, has been born one son, William Hugh, the date of whose birth was December 18, 1900. Major Stephens is identified with the following organizations: Ancient Landmark Lodge, No. 231, Free and Accepted Masons; Georgia Chapter, No. 3, Royal Arch Masons; Georgia Council, No. 2, Royal and Select Masters; Palestine Commandery, No. 7, Knights Templar; Alee Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; Alpha Lodge, No. 1, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite; the Savannah Bar Association; the Guards' Club; the Oglethorpe Club; the Savannah Yacht Club, and the Forest City Gun Club. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, South, and are active in church and philanthropic work. From: A HISTORY OF SAVANNAH AND SOUTH GEORGIA BY WILLIAM HARDEN VOLUME II ILLUSTRATED THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY CHICAGO AND NEW YORK 1913 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/chatham/bios/gbs483stephens.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/gafiles/ File size: 9.3 Kb