Muscogee-Meriwether-Talbot County GaArchives Biographies.....Tigner, Wesley Fletcher 1834 - 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 31, 2004, 10:59 pm Author: William Harden p. 1027-1028 WESLEY FLETCHER TIGNER. After a career of forty years as a dental practitioner in Georgia, Dr. Tigner now lives retired at his home in Columbus, and is one of the most highly esteemed citizens of that locality. Wesley Fletcher Tigner was born in Meriwether county, Georgia, August 13, 1834, and is thus one of the oldest native sons of the state. His parents were Rev. Young Fletcher and Sarah (Tinsley) Tigner, concerning whom and this interesting family, further details will be found in the sketch of G. Y. Tigner, in other pages of this work. Dr. Tigner was reared in a rural community and his earliest education was that afforded by one of the neighborhood schools which existed in Georgia before the war. He was very liberally educated for his time, and from the common schools attended Collingsworth institute and in 1856 graduated from Emory College. The following years were spent in teaching, up to the beginning of the Civil war. Then in May, 1861, he enlisted in a company first known as the Henry Grays, and subsequently designated as Company A and attached to the Sixth Regiment of Alabama infantry. Few Georgia soldiers saw a more active and strenuous career as soldier than Dr. Tigner. His regiment was sent into Virginia, and became part of the army of northern Virginia. Its campaigns were many, and the doctor's service can be briefly suggested by referring to the important battles which were Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, Seven Pines, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Yorktown, Williamsburg, Winchester, Kernstown, the Seven Days Fighting around Richmond, and the battles about Petersburg, concluding with the surrender of Lee's forces at Appomatox. He was paroled with the rest of the southern forces and made his way south riding on a pony. He passed through North Carolina and South Carolina in this way, and reached the banks of the Savannah river at Barksdale Ferry, and thence to his father's home in Chattahoochee. He soon afterwards began the study of dentistry at Baltimore college. After a term of two years he began active practice in Columbus, and subsequently returned to Baltimore, where he was graduated in dentistry. Dr. Tigner was for a great many years the family dentist for hundreds of the best people in Columbus and vicinity, and it is of interest to note that he occupied one office in this city for a period of forty years. He has since retired from his active profession and now lives quietly surrounded by family and friends in Columbus. In 1869 he married Mary Eliza Cunningham, who was born at Talbotton, Georgia, a daughter of James D. and Caroline (Sallie) Cunningham. The two children of the doctor and wife are Mary Frances and Annie Louise, the latter being the wife of J. Ralston Cargill. 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 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/muscogee/bios/gbs496tigner.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/gafiles/ File size: 3.5 Kb