Crisp-Worth County GaArchives Biographies.....Sumner, Leonard Marcellus 1875 - living in 1913
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 October 18, 2004, 10:02 pm

Author: William Harden
p.778-779

   LEONARD MARCELLUS SUMNER. It is the privilege of the young men and young
women who grow up in this country to select whatever occupation they desire and
they may reserve the right to change such occupation whenever they please. In
this way the occupation best fitted to them, or the one which they wish to
pursue, is open to them at any time. It is not always that a young person is
able to tell what pursuit he is best qualified to follow, so that as time passes
and his own wants and abilities are developed, he may change his occupation and
strike his proper sphere before it is too late. Then for the first time life is
to him an earnest quantity. So the subject of this brief review has found it.
Leonard Marcellus Sumner, now chief of police of Cordele, Georgia, and an
admirable officer and citizen, was engaged in a number of occupations prior to
his becoming a public official. He was born April 14, 1875, at Sumner, Worth
county, Georgia, or rather on a farm in the vicinity of that place, and there he
resided until reaching the age of twenty years. He received his first
introduction to Minerva in the public schools and subsequently graduated from
the higher department of the Sumner school.

   In 1895, when about twenty years of age, Mr. Sumner was united in marriage to
Miss Cora Balkcon, daughter of Alex and Josephine (Warren) Balkcon, the father
an agriculturist of this section and a veteran of the Civil war, throughout the
entire course of which he served. Their union has been blessed by the birth of
the following interesting children: Leonna, aged fifteen; Janie, aged thirteen;
Cora May, aged seven; and Irene, aged six. They are students in the Cordele
graded school.

   Upon first beginning his career, Mr. Sumner entered a mercantile and grocery
establishment at Sumner and under McKinley's first administration, he was
appointed postmaster and proved an efficient and faithful servant of Uncle Sam.
Following his tenure of this office, he removed with his family to Cordele,
where he accepted a position as clerk in the J. S. Pates dry-goods store, which
he retained for six months. He then engaged with Carter & Darrongh, dealers in
musical instruments, and remained with this concern for one year and then became
traveling salesman for the Cable Piano Company, an association which he did not
terminate for a twelvemonth. It was ensuing upon this that Mr. Sumner became a
member of the Cordele police force and he acted in the capacity of patrolman for
four years, from 1905 to 1909, and in the latter year was made chief of police,
which important office he has held to the satisfaction of the citizens for the
space of four years.

   Mr. Sumner is a popular and prominent Mason, belonging to the blue lodge, in
which he is active, and also to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the
Woodmen of the World, in the latter not taking an active part. He and his
admirable wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

   The subject of this brief sketch is a son of Joseph M. and Jane (Young)
Sumner, estimable citizens, both of whom survive at the present time. His
grandfather and grandmother, also native Georgians, were Joseph and Mahala
(Smith) Sumner, and the family is an old and prominent one in this county. Mr.
Sumner is a member of a large family of brothers and sisters, as follows: Thomas
J.; John M.; Robert 0.; Henry L.; and Mrs. J. M. Williams; Mrs. M. C. Lemons;
Mrs. A. E. Bass; Mrs. Hattie Sykes; and Mrs.  C. J. Williams, all this number
being natives and residents of southern Georgia.



Additional Comments:
From:

A HISTORY OF SAVANNAH AND SOUTH GEORGIA
BY
WILLIAM HARDEN

VOLUME II
ILLUSTRATED
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
CHICAGO AND NEW YORK
1913

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