LAUDERDALE COUNTY, TN - BIOGRAPHIES - Goodspeed's Biographies ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Betty Casey betty.casey@worldnet.att.net ==================================================================== Goodspeed Biographies, Lauderdale County, TN James S. Maclin, a prominent farmer of Lauderdale County, is a son of Maj. R. F. and Frances (Read) Maclin. The father was a native of Virginia, born in 1813, and the mother of North Carolina, born in 1824. They were among the early settlers of Haywood County. Mr. Maclin, Sr., was one of the founders and first merchants of Brownsville, being one of the two firms that survived the panic of 1837. Only two of the six children born to them lived to be grown, and in 1863 the mother died and two years later Mr. Maclin married Emily Maclin, daughter of Capt. William Maclin, of Haywood County, and by this marriage had six children. In 1866 they moved to Tipton County, where they still live. They are members of the Presbyterian Church. Politically he was an old line Whig, but is now a Democrat. Most of Maj. Maclin's life has been spent in mercantile pursuits, but of late years he has been farming. He is of Scotch-Irish descent on both sides. James S. Maclin, our subject, was born in Brownsville, Tenn., June 26, 1842. He received a common school education, and in 1861 volunteered in Company M, of the Seventh Cavalry (Confederate Army); was a brave soldier for three years and served without being captured or wounded. In 1864 he married Helen Read, born July 15, 1847, in Haywood County, and they have had ten children -- six sons and four daughters. After the war Mr. Maclin turned his attention to farming. In 1866 he moved to Lauderdale County, and settled in his present home, being the place originally settled by Col. Jett at an early day. Both himself and wife are Presbyterians, and in politics he is a Democrat. He has been quite successful as a farmer, owning 387 acres of good land, and besides this has a half interest in a cotton-gin, under the firm name of Maclin & West. Mr. Maclin has resided in Lauderdale County for twenty years, and stands high as a citizen and a man of integrity. Joseph B. Mann, a citizen and industrious farmer of the Tenth District of Lauderdale County, is the son of Rowland T. and Charlotte L. (Mitchum) Mann. The father was born in Chatham County, N. C., October 27, 1795, and died there in February, 1842; the mother was born January 25, 1803, and died November 20, 1885. They were married in 1819, and our subject, J. B., was the third of twelve children born to their marriage. He was born January 25, 1825; was raised on a farm, and remained with his mother until twenty years of age, and in North Carolina until twenty-five years of age. He then came to Lauderdale County and settled on the farm where he now lives, and has been very successful at farming. In 1853 he was elected constable and served eighteen months. September 29, 1852, he married Elizabeth N. Norman, daughter of Jack and Theresa F. Norman. Her father was born June 10, 1811, and her mother March 10, 1818. Mr. and Mrs. Mann had eleven children, but only three are living, and they are Lavenia Jane (wife of James Warmouth), Dulcena Elizabeth and Joseph Zachary Taylor. Mr. and Mrs. Mann are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. He is a Democrat and a Mason, belonging to the Western Valley Lodge. He is now in good circumstances, the result of his own thrift, labor and economy, and stands well in the community in which he lives. John Harrison Martin, a farmer residing at Double Bridges, in the northern part of Lauderdale County, was born in Calloway County, Ky., October 14, 1858, and was the third child of six sons and one daughter born to E. R. and Elizabeth (Powell) Martin. The parents were both natives of Williamson County, where they were raised and married August 5, 1855, and in the following November they moved to near Shiloh, Calloway County, Ky., but in 1860 moved to West Tennessee, and settled at Double Bridges. The father was a Mason, and a member of the Baptist Church, and engaged in farming until his death, which occurred April 15, 1867. The mother is still living and makes her home with our subject. John H. Martin was raised and educated on the farm, and has followed farming as his occupation. He was married in Lauderdale County January 29, 1885, to Miss Emma Ada Lee, daughter of Thomas F. Lee, a farmer. She was born near Gates, Lauderdale County, October 9, 1862. Mr. Lee, her father, was a native of North Carolina, came to Tennessee when a young man and married Susan C. Williamson, and died March 7, 1881. Our subject is a Democrat, and cast his first presidential vote for Gen. Hancock, and with his wife belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church South. They have one child -- Alice Lee. Mr. Martin has a farm of eighty acres of fine land ten miles and a half north of Ripley and their residence is pleasant. He stands well in his community, and is regarded as a correct business man and a good citizen. Dr. R. W. Martin, physician and farmer, is a son of William A. and Charlotte (Robion) Martin. The father was born in Chesterfield County, Va., and the mother in Cumberland County, Va. They had twelve children -- ten boys and two girls --only four of the sons survive. The father was a soldier in the war of 1812, serving until the end. He was a Methodist, and in politics an old line Whig. He died in 1858. The mother was a Missionary Baptist, and died February 7, 1863. Our subject is of Scotch descent on the father's side, and French on the mother's, her parents being French Huguenots. Mr. Martin was born in Chesterfield County, Va., July 25, 1841, and was raised on a farm, receiving a high-school education, and in 1861 graduated in the Virginia Medical College at Richmond. After graduating he volunteered April 16, 1861, in the First Virginia Infantry (C. A.), and was promoted in August to assistant surgeon, and in 1864 promoted to the rank of surgeon, which he held until the close of the war. October, 1868, he came to West Tennessee, locating in Lauderdale County, where he engaged in the practice of medicine with marked success. July 16, 1870, he was united in marriage to Miss M. V. Posey, a daughter of Mr. W. P. Posey. They have one daughter -- Mary E., born August 7, 1875. They are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. Dr. Martin is a Democrat, and belongs to the Masonic, Odd Fellows and Knights of Honor Lodges. In addition to his professional duties he has a farm of 450 acres of land, most of it under cultivation. Dr. Martin is a cultured, pleasant gentleman, and is well liked by all who know him. Dr. James L. Mitchell, a prominent physician of Lauderdale County, is located at Dry Hill, in the northern part of the county, and was born in Davidson County, thirteen miles west of Nashville September 15, 1829, and was the oldest of seven children. His father, Zachariah Mitchell, was born in Middle Tennessee in 1805, and was raised in Davidson County, where he married, in 1828, Minerva Davis, a daughter of Seth Davis, a farmer. In 1836 he moved to West Tennessee and located near Hall's Station, where he died in 1871. Our subject's mother was born in Davidson County in 1810, and died near Hall's Station November, 1870. Dr. Mitchell was raised on a farm and received a common school education. He read medicine under Drs. Richardson & McGaughey, and then graduated from the medical department of the Nashville University after the session of 1856-57, and has since been a most successful practitioner. During the past few years he has given some attention to farming and has also been merchandising since November, 1883. February 2, 1852, he was married to Miss C. B. Dunavant, a daughter of Leonard Dunavant, a farmer. Two sons, Alonzo H. and James Buford, were born to this union. The mother was born in Middle Tennessee in March 1828, and died November 12, 1875, and Dr. Mitchell was married again in the same county, October 2, 1877, to Mrs. M. J. Parker, a daughter of Lemuel R. Mullens, a farmer, and formerly of Virginia. Dr. Mitchell was formerly an old line Whig, but is now a Democrat, and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, his wife being a member of the Christian Church. He owns a good farm of 160 acres nine miles north of Ripley, on the Ripley and Dyersburg road. Dr. Mitchell is regarded as a skillful physician and a true gentleman. De Witt C. Mitchell was born in Lauderdale County, within a short distance of where he now resides, October 15, 1843. He is the only member living of a family of four sons and three daughters, born to Zachariah and Minerva (Davis) Mitchell, and is of Irish Descent. His father was born in Davidson County, near Nashville, where he was raised and educated. He married and lived in that county until 1836, when he moved to Lauderdale County, where he remained until his death in 1871. The mother was also born in Davidson County, and died in 1870. Our subject was raised on a farm and received a common school education, and has made farming his chief business. Mr. Mitchell entered the Confederate Army, Company E, First Confederate Cavalry, under Col. King. He was in the battles of Perryville and Murfreesboro, and served over three years; was captured at Murfreesboro, and held as a prisoner at Camp Douglass for twenty-one months. He was married December 5, 1866, at Hall's Station, to Miss Martha J. Jordan, daughter of S. A. Jordan, a prominent farmer, and one of the founders of Hall's Station. Mr. Mitchell was born in Williamson County, August 1, 1847. One son, James Archie, was born to this marriage January 22, 1876. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell are members of the Missionary Baptist Church, and he is also a member of the K. of H. and G. C., and is a firm Democrat. He owns 159 acres of land, and a nice residence. William H. Moorer, a farmer of Lauderdale County, is a son of William A. and Harriet B. (Jenkins) Moorer. His father was born in Orangeburg District, S.C., July 29, 1807. The mother was a daughter of Rev. James Jenkins; she was born in Sumter District, S.C., March 27, 1814. They were married June 18, 1835, and had eight children, four sons and four daughters. The father was a farmer, and after marriage, in 1847, they came to Lauderdale County, settling near Durhamville; they were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. Mr. Moorer, Sr., was a Democrat in politics. He died February 18, 1878. Mrs. Moorer is still living. Our subject is of German descent on his father's side, and English-French descent on his mother's, and was born in Orangeburg District, S. C., October 2, 1836. He remained on the farm with his parents, until seventeen years old and received a good education. November 16, 1859, he married Fannie A. Henning, who was born in Lauderdale County, April 10, 1843, and by their marriage they had six children: Willie C., born March 6, 1863; Charles A., born September 23, 1866; Tee, born August 18, 1868; Harriet A., born February 8, 1871; Fannie A., born December 22, 1872, and Greaves H., born July 29, 1874, all of them now living. Mr. Moorer volunteered in 1861, in the Seventh Tennessee Regiment of Cavalry, Confederate Army, and was in several battles, and not wounded; he served as lieutenant until the close of the war. After this he continued farming. Mrs. Moorer was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, and died November 14, 1885. Mr. Moorer and all of his children are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. In politics he is a Democrat, and is a Mason, and K. of H. He has been quite successful as a farmer and now owns 1,500 acres of good land, and has been a resident of Lauderdale County for thirty-nine years, and is regarded as a valuable citizen and true gentleman. Dr. Henry B. Moorer, a farmer of Lauderdale County, and a brother of W. H. Moorer, was born in the county September 16, 1850, and remained on the farm with his parents until eighteen years of age, when he went to New York, and entered Bellevue Medical College in that city, graduating from the college in March, 1871, and then returned to Durhamville, Tenn., where he engaged in the practice of medicine, which his fine advantages and natural aptitude for that profession most ably prepared him for. December 15, 1875, he was married to Miss Ella Henning, who was born at Durhamville, March 3, 1857. Three children have been born to this marriage: Allen M., born January 26, 1881, and died December 17, 1883; Henry B., born May 14, 1883; Earl H., born July 31, 1885. Dr. and Mrs. Moorer are active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. In politics he is a Democrat, and is a Mason, having received the degree of Most Excellent Master in the order. In 1878 Dr. Moorer moved to Henning, Tenn., and gave his attention to farming, owning over 1,000 acres of productive land; he has been a resident of Lauderdale County all his life, and is a most popular, entertaining and hospitable gentleman. W. T. Myrick a citizen of Fulton, Tenn., was born March 19, 1845, in Hardeman County, Tenn., and is a son of William H. and Jane (Thompson) Myrick. His father was born in Virginia in 1797, and died in Tennessee in 1847, having come to Tennessee in the pioneer days of the State. His mother was born in this State in 1831. Our subject is of Scotch-Irish descent. He was raised in Bolivar, Tenn., until the war, and, being only seventeen years old, he did not enter the Confederate service until 1862, when he enlisted in Company E, Seventh Tennessee Cavalry, but was afterward put in Gen. Forrest's command, where he remained until the war closed. He was captured at Whiteville, Tenn., but was released on account of his youthful appearance. May 3, 1866, he married Miss Annie Lea, the daughter of John H. and Elizabeth Ann Lea, and immediately after his marriage he went to Hicksford, Va., and engaged in merchandising there for four years; then came to Fulton, Tenn., where he has since lived, working in the interest of J. A. Lea & Co. Mr. and Mrs. Myrick have one child, Alma Lea, born in May, 1870. Mrs. Myrick was born in September, 1847, in Claiborne County, La. Mr. and Mrs. Myrick and their daughter belong to the Missionary Baptist Church, and he is a Mason. In politics he is a Democrat. He has been a very energetic business man, and is respected and liked for his kindness of heart and honesty of purpose. William M. Norris, a citizen of Hall's Station, Tenn., was born at Fredonia, Ind., July 18, 1856, and was the youngest child in a family of three sons, and seven daughters born to Jimmerson and Martha A. (Webster) Norris, and is of Irish descent. His father was born and raised in Kentucky, and married in that State in 1839. He moved to Indiana and settled in the southern part of the State, and died in Greene County, Ind., in 1865. The mother was born in Kentucky in 1818, and is still living in Greene County, Ind., and a remarkably active woman for her age. Our subject was raised on a farm and received a common school education, and has made the lumber business his chief occupation. Mr. Norris was married at Lawrenceville, Ill., November 9, 1882, to Miss Eliza J. Payne, of Lawrence County, Ill., a daughter of Mrs. Burthena Payne. Mr. and Mrs. Norris have had three children, but one of who is living -- Jessie Pearl, born March 22, 1886. Mrs. Norris was born in North Carolina in 1862, and is a member of the Methodist Church. Mr. Norris is a Democrat; he is a generous, kind-hearted man, holding the confidence of all who know him. He has recently erected a very comfortable dwelling house at Hall's Station, and is an industrious, prosperous man. Among the early settlers of Lauderdale County were Dr. Samuel and Cornelia C. (Honyman) Oldham; her father, Dr. Robt. Honyman, was a noted physician and member of the royal navy, for many years surgeon of the "Portland," a ship of the line, that was sent to St. Helena in 1771, to await Capt. Cook's expected arrival from his first trip around the world, and convey his ship to England. He was also a direct descendant of the Dr. Honyman, who extracted by command, the fifth rib from the side of James V, King of Scotland, which rib was transmitted to him by his ancestors, and he by will to his only son, with the request, "that he will carefully keep the said rib, and carefully transmit it to his descendants." Mr. and Mrs. Oldham were born and raised in Virginia; he was a graduate of the Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, and one of the noted physicians of his State; they moved to Lauderdale County in 1838, and he died in 1860, and left three sons, none now living. Robert H., the second son, was also a physician and succeeded to his father's practice; he was a graduate of the literary department of the University of Virginia, and of the Jefferson Medical College, and for sixteen years practiced in Lauderdale County, standing at the head of his profession. In 1850 he married Laura E. Partee, who was born in 1835; one son and one daughter of this marriage are living; both parents were members of the Protestant Episcopal Church. While Dr. Oldham took an active interest in politics, being a Democrat, he did not care for any official position. He died in 1862, lamented by all; his wife is still living with her daughter in Brownsville, Tenn. The son, Robert H., was born January 10, 1856, in Lauderdale County, and had fine educational advantages; he attended successively the colleges at Lebanon, Andrew College in Gibson County; Bethel College at Russellville, Ky.; the University of the South at Sewanee, and the college, at Georgetown, D. C., becoming a thorough classical scholar. In 1877 he married Lucy A. Palmer, who was born in 1856, a cultured and beautiful woman. They have four children: Frances C., Sue P., Palmer and Alice. Mr. Oldham is not a church member; Mrs. Oldham is a Methodist. In politics he is a Democrat; he gives his time to farming and the insurance business, and for three years has been a salesman for H. D. Glass & Co. He is an enterprising and popular young man. E. R. Oldham was born at Eylau, the residence of Dr. Samuel Oldham, which was then in Haywood County, but is now in Lauderdale County, on 24th of April, 1844. His father was James Oldham, son of Dr. Samuel and Cornelia C. Oldham, both of whom were native Virginians. Cornelia C. Oldham was a Miss Honyman. James Oldham came with his parents to Tennessee in 1835, and they settled the farm so well known as Eylau. E. R. Oldham's mother was a Miss Helen C. Owen, daughter of Rev. Thos. and Mildred Owen (a Miss Nelson). Rev. Thos. Owen moved from Virginia to Tennessee about the year 1830, and settled near Brownsville, in Haywood County. E. R. Oldham's father and mother were married at her father's residence on the 16th of February, 1843. They had four children, only two of whom, James Oldham of Ripley, Tenn., and the subject of this sketch, are now living. His father's family were prominent Episcopalians, and his grandfather, Dr. Samuel Oldham, contributed largely toward establishing the present Episcopal Church at Ripley; his mother's family were Baptists; his grandfather, Rev. Thos. Owen, being a prominent and much beloved minister of that denomination. His father favored the old Whig party, while all the rest of the family were Democrats. A few years after his parents' marriage, they settled on their farm, situated on Hatchie River, near Durhamville. His education was acquired mostly under the teaching of Judge Byars, of Covington. In 1862 he stopped school and entered the army. He was a member of Company M, Seventh Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry. The principal battles in which he participated were Briton's Lane, Corinth and Franklin. He was in Vicksburg during the Federal siege of that place, and with Forrest's command during many of his raids and smaller battles and skirmishes. While he was never wounded, still he always kept his place and served with credit. He was married at Fulton, Tenn., on December 8, 1876, to Mattie Lindsay Bacon; his wife was born in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on February 24, 1858. They have four children, all living: Edward Lindsay, born November 4, 1877; Thomas, August 30, 1879; James Honyman, September 21, 1881; and Rosa Lea, May 21, 1885. His occupation is milling, ginning and farming, in the pursuit of which he has attained moderate success. L. A. Palmer, editor of the Ripley Enterprise, was born February 22, 1840, aboard the ship "Henry G. Pressley," in the East Indies. His father was a native of England, and followed the sea for fifty-four years, being master of a vessel the most of the time. His mother, Isabella Wise, was also a native of England, and a great-granddaughter of Sir George Grenville; she spent a great deal of her time on the ocean, and four of the five children born to them, were born on ship-board. She died in 1849, and was buried 86° east longitude and 3°, 40' latitude, and there being no minister on the ship, the bereaved husband read the beautiful and impressive Episcopal burial service, while our subject and his three-year-old sister stood with clasped hands, the only mourners. Having left the sea in 1850, the father lived in Kentucky, and then in Illinois, where he died in 1868, being eighty-eight years old. All of the Palmer family -- as far as known -- have been seafaring men, and have held responsible positions. Our subject learned his alphabet from a cooking stove that had "Hitchcock & Glassner, manufacturers, Gravesend," engraved on it. He enter the Bible Publishing House, at New York, to serve an apprenticeship of three years. Mr. Palmer then fired on a railroad engine, and took a trip across the plains and returned, and commenced to learn piloting on a boat; but their boat, the "A. T. Lacy," burning at Booth's Point, and destroying many of the passengers, he lost his taste for piloting, but during the war he took an active part for a time as engineer of a Confederate gun-boat. In 1865 he went to sea as steward of a ship, and served in various capacities until 1871. In 1872 he published the Richmond Headlight aboard the steamer "Richmond," running from New Orleans to Louisville. From 1872 to 1877 he traversed the United States as a journeyman printer, visiting all of the cities of any importance. In 1878 Mr. Palmer was united in marriage to Margaret hall, by whom he has four children. In 1885 he established the Ripley Enterprise, and the merits of the paper establish his claim as a fine journalist. He has led a varied and romantic life, is a man of bright fancies, warm sympathy and unusual energy, and bids fair to rank as one of the brilliant journalists of the new South, and is not void of poetic insight, as the lines below, selected from one of his poems, testify: Pass on! and leave me standing here alone. My soul predicts the future holds for thee Wealth and the fame of men; it hath for me Life's humbler duties. Dear, thy every tone Hath made my pathway brighter. No weak moan Shall pass my lips because my eyes may see Thine nevermore on earth, altho' the tree Hang leafless o'er my head that once weighed down With its abundant harvest. Many a ray From out the golden past shines on the rain; But for the storm and tears of life, the day Had never its fair rainbow. Blessed pain, That makes us trust our Father, till the way Lead heavenward, friend, and we clasp hands again! Levi S. Perkins, farmer and merchant of Lauderdale County, was born in Lawrence County, Tenn., November 9, 1839, and was the son of Andrew M. Perkins, who was born in Rutherford County in 1813, and was raised and educated in that county. After attaining his majority, he married in Lauderdale County, Charlotta Voss, a native of the county, and they had four sons and four daughters. The father was a framer, and moved to West Tennessee in October, 1849, locating in Haywood County, where he stayed seven years, then moved to Lauderdale County, where he died June 4, 1874, and the mother died November, 1864. Our subject was raised on a farm, attending the schools in the county; he has since followed farming, but since 1880 has also engaged in merchandising at Edith, Tenn., being a member of the firm of Perkins & Pennington, dealers in general merchandise. Mr. Perkins was married in Lawrence County, December 6, 1860, to Tennessee F. Pennington, daughter of Joseph M. Pennington, a farmer and a native of Lawrence County, where she was born in 1845. Mr. Perkins is a Democrat in National politics but in local elections gives his support to the best man regardless of party nominations, and with his wife belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church South. He owns a valuable farm of ninety-five acres, eight miles north of Ripley, and with its comfortable dwelling it is one of the pleasant homes of the county. Mr. Perkins stands well as a citizen and a business man. Atwood Pierson, residing at Double Bridges, Tenn., and a prominent farmer of Lauderdale County, was born within two miles of his present home September 16, 1856. His father, John F. Pierson, was born at Derby, Conn., and in his ninth years, imbued with the love of travel an Western adventure, went to the State of Ohio and remained there until his eighteenth year, when he went to an Eastern seaboard and spent two years in ship building. He then attended a law school at Lexington, Ky., where he graduated with high honors, and located at Vicksburg, Miss., to practice law. He remained there several years, and passed through one of the fearful scourges of yellow fever peculiar to the place, and this caused him to leave there and to change his plans, so he moved to Hale's Point, in Lauderdale County, where he established himself as shipping merchant and dealer in general merchandise. He became one of the large land owners of Lauderdale County, and was a man of extensive reading and sound judgment, and was acknowledged by all to be an upright, conscientious, honorable gentleman. Mr. Pierson, Sr., married Miss E. Lee, who was descended from the oldest and most prominent families of Virginia, her father being a relative of Gen. Robert E. Lee, and her mother of Franklin Pierce. Eight children were born to this marriage, five of them now living. Our subject, Attwood Pierson, inherited Scotch and Irish blood. His father died at Ripley, Tenn., September 8, 1878, and his mother at the same place September 11, 1881. Mr. Pierson was well educated, and has made farming his chief business. He was married in the house where he now lives February 18, 1880, to Miss Mattie L. Jones, a daughter of Decatur P. Jones, and has had three children: Egbert L., Kate F. and Neal Dow. Mrs. Pierson was born at the present homestead June 3, 1859. Mr. Pierson is neutral in politics. He owns a farm of 360 acres, and raises grain and stock. It is a splendid stock farm, well watered, and located at Double Bridges, in the northern part of Lauderdale County. Mr. Pierson is a man of great force of character, and strictly hones in every transaction. Blair Pierson, chairman of the county court, was born June 29, 1858, in Lauderdale County, and in the house in which he is at present living. His parents, John F. and Susan E. (Lee) Pierson, were born in Connecticut and Virginia, respectively, the father in 1810 and the mother in 1829. They both came to this county when young, and were married in 1849. To them were born eight children, five of whom are now living. In politics the father was a Whig before the death of that party, and after that event he has never affiliated with any party. By profession he was a lawyer, practicing his profession in Ripley about twenty years. He died in 1878, and in his death the family lost a kind and loving father, and the bar an able member. The mother lived till 1881. Our subject is of Scotch-Irish descent. He was born in Ripley and received the greater part of his early education at that place. In 1873 he entered the University of Tennessee, where he completed his education. He then began farming and continued this occupation about five years, after which he taught school for a short time. He then engaged in the mercantile business in Ripley. In 1881 he opened a livery stable in partnership with T. P. Ferguson, and is engaged in that business at the present. In 1880 he wedded Ella E. Jones, and to this union were born two children: John E. and Lucy A. Mr. Pierson is a Democrat in politics, and has been elected to the office of magistrate a number of times. In October, 1882, he was chosen chairman of the county court. When but twenty years of age he was elected mayor of the town, and ever since has served the people in some place of public trust. He is also recorder of the town, and is a young man well known and highly respected. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and his wife of the Presbyterian. W. P. Posey is a son of David P. and Peachey T. (Powell) Posey. The father was born in Maryland in 1781, and the mother in South Carolina in 1785. They were married in South Carolina March 29, 1805. Eleven children were born to them -- eight girls and three boys; two sons and three daughters are still living. His parents came to West Tennessee in 1832, settling in what is now the Third District of Lauderdale County, near Hurricane Hill. They were both members of the Methodist Church, and his mother died in 1845; the father in 1856. He was an old line Whig. Our subject was of Scotch-English descent, and was born in Lawrence County, S. C., July 31, 1817. He was raised and educated on a farm, and came with his parents to West Tennessee. They were two months on the road, driving all the way in wagons. January 20, 1848, he married Miss Mary E. Lackey, who was born in Murfreesboro, Tenn., January 12, 1825. They had three daughters: Ellen T., born August 19, 1851; Medora V., born October 27, 1853, and Laura A., born November 15, 1857. The oldest and youngest are both dead. Medora V. married Dr. R. W. Martin June 16, 1870. Mr. and Mrs. Posey are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. Before the war Mr. Posey was a Whig, but now votes with the Democratic party. He has been quite successful as a farmer, and now owns 160 acres of excellent land. He is a Mason, and one of the pioneer farmers of the county, having been a citizen of Lauderdale County ever since its organization. Joseph Price, a farmer and resident of the Fourth District, was born December 12, 1832, in Edgefield County, S. C. His parents were Joseph and Mary (Jennings) Price. His father was a native and farmer of South Carolina, where he died; also his mother. Our subject is of English descent, and was raised on a farm until twenty-five years of age, when he commenced farming for himself, continuing until the war, when he went into the Confederate service, joining an artillery company of Georgia, remaining in that company for two years. He was then with the Sixty-third Georgia Regiment, and was transferred from that to the Twenty-fourth South Carolina Infantry, where he stayed until the surrender at Greensboro, N. C. Soon after this he came to Lauderdale County, and located in the Fourth District, and engaged in cotton planting, which he has most successfully continued ever since. He is now worth about $15,000, which he has made himself by his energy and economy. He was first married to Carrie Mosely, of Lincoln County, Ga., in December, 1856. They had one child -- Gussie May. Mrs. Price died in 1872, and in May, 1874, he married Emma Samuels. One son, Frank, was also born to this marriage, and this wife died, in 1878, and he was married to his present wife, L. L. Lankford, July 9, 1879, and by this last union has had three children: Anna, Robert and Cora. Mr. Price is a man of good social standing and a member of the K. of H., and politically votes with the Democratic party. Mr. Price's ancestors were English, and there is now a large legacy of several hundred million dollars belonging to them in England which is being investigated, and Mr. Price is by descent from some of the nobility of England. Thomas Price, a citizen and cotton planter of the Fourth District, was born September 6, 1828, in South Carolina; his father being a farmer. He was raised and worked on a farm until the war, having assumed control of it at the age of seventeen. He enlisted in the Confederate service in 1861, entering the Hampton Regiment of South Carolina, but, after the battle of Manassas, he was discharged on account of ill health, but as soon as sufficiently recovered he joined the heavy artillery of South Carolina, Second Regiment, and remained with it until the close of the war, when he resumed farming. Two years later he came to Tennessee, and located at his present residence, four miles east of Fulton and two miles south of Fort Pillow, and has since given his attention to cotton planting with the most successful results. November 1, 1857, he was married to Susan Chamberlain, daughter of E. H. and Susan Chamberlain. They have one son -- Hammond Ebenezer. Mr. Price is a most worthy and substantial citizen, scrupulously honest in every act, and a self-made man, of good social standing. He is a Democrat, and a member of the Missionary Baptist Church, also of the Masonic lodge at Western Valley. Sidney A. Pugh, a farmer, merchant and mill owner, was born in Orange County, N. C., September 22, 1840, and is the oldest of two sons and one daughter born to John and Nancy (Lashley) Pugh, and is of Irish descent. His father was born in North Carolina, and lived there until his death just before the war. His mother was also a native of that State, and died there in 1871. Mr. Pugh was raised on a farm, and had good school advantages; he has made farming his business. He was in Company G, Fourth Tennessee Infantry, Confederate Army, under Col. Neeley, of Bolivar, Tenn., and was in the battles of Belmont, Shiloh and at Perryville, also at the bombardment of Island No. 10. He was captured at Perryville, and held as a prisoner at Camp Douglas for eight months, when he was sent to City Point, Va., and exchanged. He was severely wounded at Perryville. Mr. Pugh was married, at Double Bridges in 1865, to Miss Lucinda Curtis, a daughter of William Curtis, a farmer. One daughter was born to them -- Mary Jane. Mrs. Pugh died in 1867, and in 1870 Mr. Pugh married Mrs. Mary A. Adams, a daughter of Samuel Hooper, and by this marriage Mr. Pugh had one son -- Sidney Eugene. Mrs. Pugh was born in Lauderdale County, near Double Bridges, and is a member of the Missionary Baptist Church. He is a Democrat, and belongs to the F. & A. M., and owns 640 acres of valuable land, and raises cotton on a large scale. Mr. Pugh is a man of integrity and sound judgement, and of fine social standing.