Montgomery County TN Archives Biographies.....Titus, William P. 1852 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/tn/tnfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com October 25, 2005, 4:57 am Author: Will T. Hale WILLIAM P. TITUS. One of the sterling and honored citizens given to Tennessee by the fine old Empire State of the Union is this well known and progressive business man of Clarksville, the judicial center of Montgomery county. Mr. Titus has here maintained his home for nearly forty years and he has been closely identified with the civic and material development of the thriving and attractive little city, of whose municipal council he is a valued and popular member. He was for many years editor and publisher of a newspaper in Clarksville, where he was the founder of the Daily Chronicle, Clarksville's first daily paper. He finally retired from the newspaper field to devote his attention to general job printing and book publishing, and in these lines he controls a large and substantial business, with a plant that is essentially modern and metropolitan in equipment and facilities, an establishment that is a credit to Clarksville and a monument to his enterprise and progressive policies. Mr. Titus is well known in this section of the state, and his circle of friends is coextensive with that of his acquaintances. In the city of Buffalo, New York, William P. Titus was born on the 16th of May, 1852, and he is a son of Orin B. and Susan Maria (Pierce) Titus, both of whom passed their entire lives in the old Empire State, within whose gracious borders the respective families were founded in an early day. Orin B. Titus became one of the leading dry-goods merchants of Buffalo, where he continued to reside until his death, which occurred in 1865. His wife was summoned to eternal rest in 1886, and of their three children William P., of this review, is the youngest. The father was a staunch Democrat in his political adherency, and both he and his wife were zealous communicants of the Protestant Episcopal church. He was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was a man of sterling character and marked business acumen, and held secure place in the confidence and esteem of his fellow-men. In the public schools of his native city William P. Titus gained his early educational discipline, and at an early age he assumed the dignified position of "printer's devil" in a newspaper office in Buffalo. There he served a most thorough apprenticeship in the "art preservative of all arts," and he continued to follow his trade in Buffalo until 1876, when, at the age of twenty-four years, he came to Clarksville, Tennessee, where he has maintained his home during the long intervening years and where he has attained to substantial success and prestige through his own energy and ability. He secured a position in the office of the Clarksville Chronicle, and in the following year ,he purchased an half interest in the business. In 1885 he became sole proprietor and forthwith gave evidence of his confidence and enterprise by beginning the publication of a daily edition, under the title of the Daily Chronicle. He made the venture a success and the paper became a most valuable exponent of local interests as well as a power in the furtherance of the cause of the Democratic party. Mr. Titus was an effective editorial writer, and was ever ready to give, in a personal way and through the columns of his paper, an impetus and support to measures and enterprises tending to advance the best interests of the local community and the state at large. In 1889 he published a most creditable and attractive brochure, entitled "Picturesque Clarksville," and the same gave a brief history of the city, and effectively exploited its advantages and manifold attractions, both through the context of the publication and the many fine illustrations with which it was filled. In 1890 Mr. Titus disposed of his newspaper business and turned his attention exclusively to job printing and the publishing and binding of books. For this purpose he has kept his plant up to the best modern standard in all departments, and the same is one of the best and most extensive in this section of the state. As already implied, Mr. Titus is a staunch supporter of the principles and policies of the Democratic party, and he has served as a member of the city council, from the Second ward, since 1906. He is affiliated with the local lodge of the Knights of Pythias, is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, South, and Mrs. Titus is a member of the Christian church. On the 14th of October, 1878, Mr. Titus wedded Miss Addie Griffey, who was born and reared in Montgomery county, Tennessee, and who died in 1888, at the age of forty years, and she is survived by three sons, Thomas H., who is engaged in the bakery and confectionery business at Guthrie, Kentucky; and Harry S. and James C., who are associated with the work and management of their father's printing establishment. In 1889 Mr. Titus contracted a second marriage, by his union with Miss Mary E. Newhouse, of Clarksville. She was born and reared at Clarksville, Tennessee, and is a daughter of Henry Newhouse. The two children of this union are William P., Jr., and Spencer N., both of whom remain at the parental home. Additional Comments: From: A history of Tennessee and Tennesseans : the leaders and representative men in commerce, industry and modern activities by Will T. Hale Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., 1913 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/tn/montgomery/bios/titus183nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/tnfiles/ File size: 5.8 Kb