FULTON COUNTY, GA - OBITS Dr. & Mrs. J. M. Brittain Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Gtbrittjoy@aol.com Table of Contents page: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/crawford.htm Georgia Table of Contents: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm Obituary of Jabez Mercer Brittain The Atlanta Constitution, February 12, 1912 BRITTAIN FOUND DEAD IN HIS BED Pastor of the Temple Baptist Church Succumbs to Heart Failure Dr. J. M. Brittain, pastor of the Temple Baptist church, was found dead in bed from heart failure yesterday morning at his home, 9 Orange street. He is survived by his wife, three sons, M. L. Brittain, state school Superintendent; W. H. Brittain, president and general manager of J. M. High Company, and Rev. C. M. Brittain, and one daughter, Mrs. Lillian Arnold. The funeral will be held this afternoon, at 3 o’clock, at the residence, Rev. John F. Purser and Dr. John E. White officiating, and the interment will be in West View. The deacons of the Temple Baptist church will act as pallbearers. Pastor of Many Churches Dr. Brittain was 69 years old. He had been pastor of the Temple church for three years, having lived in Atlanta for nine years, six of which he spent as pastor of the Central Baptist church. He had been pastor of churches in Eatonton, Ga., Barnesville, Covington, Conyers and Fort Valley, and was widely known all over the state. He was a graduate of the state university, having left school with the famous class of 1862, which enlisted in the confederate service on graduation day. Going to Virginia, the noted gathering of young men arrived in Fredericksburg upon the day of the historical battle, entering into the fight immediately after their arrival. Rev. Brittain was soon selected captain of his company, and established a brilliant war record. He was a son of Henry Brittain, and was born in Oglethorpe county in 1842. He was an active Mason, and a member of the Royal Arcanum and of the local camp of the confederacy. Rev. A. C. Ward’s Tribute Rev. A. C. Ward last night paid him the following tribute: “A pall of sadness hangs over the Temple Baptist church because of the sudden death of the beloved pastor, Rev. J. M. Brittain, D. D., who was found dead in his bed Sunday morning. The ominous silence is only broken by the whisper ‘Our pastor is dead.’ The heartbroken members of the church, like a flock of sheep whose shepherd is not, are dazed and confused. With bowed heads they can only cry out in their despair, ‘Lord help us.’ “Dr. Brittain was loved as few men are loved. His sweet, gentle, Christ-like spirit was demonstrated in everything he said and did, and all who knew him loved him for what he really was. “His life was an open book and while his field of labor was a very arduous one he was faithful to all his obligations in the work he undertook. “He once expressed to the writer a desire to be permitted, ‘to die in the harness.’ Some time between darkness of Saturday and daylight of Sunday the Lord gave him his desire. Innumerable sad hears will recall the many loving words and kindly ministrations of Dr. Brittain, who through the long years has faithfully filled the office of teacher, preacher and pastor. “Truly a great man has fallen on sleep.” =================== OBITUARY OF IDA CALLWAY BRITTAIN The Atlanta Journal, December 6, 1926 MRS. IDA BRITTAIN, TECH PRESIDENT’S MOTHER, DIES HERE Mrs. Ida Callaway Brittain, beloved Georgia pioneer and the mother of Dr. M. L. Brittain, president of Georgia Tech, died Sunday night at a private hospital, at the age of 81 years. She had made her home for some time at 209 East Pine street, with her daughter, Mrs. Lillian Boynton. Mrs. Brittain was born near Washington, Wilkes county, on land granted to her great-grandfather, Colonel John S. Callaway, in 1785, for distinguished services at the battle of Kings mountain in the Revolutionary war. Colonel Callaway was an outstanding figure in colonial days, and a brother of Richard Callaway, who explored Kentucky with Daniel Boone, being one of the three white men who first entered that state. He married Daniel Boone’s daughter, and Callaway county, Kentucky, was named in his honor. Mrs. Brittain was reared amidst the culture and refinement of the old south, and was a reigning belle of the days immediately following the War Between the States. She married Dr. J. M. Brittain, one of the best known Baptist ministers in the state, who held pastorates in Bryantsville, Fort Valley, Covington, Augusta and Atlanta. Dr. Brittain died in Atlanta in January, 1912, while holding a pastorate here, and Mrs. Brittain had since made her home in this city. Throughout her residence in Atlanta, Mrs. Brittain had been active in church and Sunday school work and charitable undertakings. She was a member of the Second Baptist church, where her funeral will be conducted at 2 o’clock Tuesday afternoon, by Dr. Carter Helm Jones, the pastor. Interment will be in West View cemetery. Mrs. Brittain is survived by a daughter and three sons, Mrs. Boynton, Dr. M. L. Brittain, W. H. Brittain, for many years actively connected with the J. M. High company, and Dr. C. M. Brittain, of Jacksonville, Fla. She was a first cousin of Fuller Callaway and Howard Callaway, prominent citizens of La Grange and Judge Enoch Callaway, of Augusta. Members of the faculty of Georgia Tech, deacons of the Second Baptist church, and members of the Ten club, to which Dr. Brittain belongs, will form honorary escorts at the funeral.