OBION COUNTY TN - GOODSPEED - The Goodspeed Biographies of Obion County TN R - T ********************************************************************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Jane N. Powell ********************************************************************************************************** GOODSPEED BIOGRAPHIES R - T G. J. Ramsey, M. D., was born in Gibson county on the 14th of December, 1841. His father, W. F. Ramsey, was born in Rutherford County, Tenn., in 1809, and was married to Nancy J. Knox, who was born in the same year, and by her became the father of twelve children. They both died in Gibson County, the former in 1883 and the latter in 1882. Dr. Ramsey is the fifth of his father's family. He attended the common schools in his boyhood days, and in 1861 enlisted in Company B, Twelfth Tennessee Infantry, and served about two years. He was wounded at Murfreesboro and discharged in 1863. He began the study of medicine at Trenton in the office of Dr. Baiges, and later attended lectures at the St. Louis Medical College. He resided for about one year near Trenton, and came to Kenton in 1867, and here has since resided and continued the practice of his profession. He is considered a prominent physician and is quite well-to-do in worldly goods, owning over 300 acres of valuable land. He is a Democrat, a member of the I. O. O. F., and in 1870 was married to Mary J. Welch, of Mississippi, who died in 1871, leaving one child - Nannie E. In 1873 Dr. Ramsey married Kate Potter, who was born in Maury County, Tenn., in 1851, and by her is the father of three children: Clinton, Mary and James. Dr. and Mrs. Ramsey are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- George A. Reynolds is a son of Richard and Mary E. (Stone) Reynolds, and was born in Williamson county, Tenn., March 29, 1823. He is the second of seven children, and of English descent. His father was born in the same county as himself in 1800, and was married at the age of twenty. He settled on the farm on which he was born and there reared his family, and continued to reside until he died of cholera, July 4, 1835. His wife was born in Williamson County, in June, 1803, and died at the old homestead in March, 1846. George A. obtained a good common school education, and made his parents' house his home until after attaining his majority. October 16, 1845, his marriage with Mary E. Cook was celebrated. She was a daughter of Henry Cook of Giles County, and was born June 25, 1824, and died in Marshall County, Miss., July 11, 1861, leaving the following family: Richard H., who died May 26, 1864; William G., George A., Charles S., James H. (who died November 2, 1880), and Mary P. May 13, 1862, Mr. Reynolds married Martha E. Bufford, of Marshall County, Miss., daughter of S.T. Bufford, a saddle and harness manufacturer. They have four children: Samuel A., who died September 19, 1864; Eugenie, Alice (wife of Prof. J. H. Himemon of Union City), Walter G. and Thomas R. Mrs. Reynolds was born at Dover, Tenn., January 7, 1837. She was reared in Shelby County until thirteen years of age, then moved with her father to Marshall County, Miss. Mr. Reynolds owns 148 acres of fine land and is surrounded by all the comforts that make life enjoyable. He and wife are church members, and he is neutral in politics. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James J. Roberts is one of twelve children born to John and Mary (Herring) Roberts. John Roberts was a Virginian, and came to Montgomery County, Tenn., when quite young. Here he married and followed farming until 1869, when he came to Obion County and followed the same occupation until his death, which occurred in 1880. The mother still resides on the home place, about two miles west of Union City. James J. was born in Montgomery County, Tenn., in December, 1855, and remained with his parents, assisting them on the farm until his marriage, in 1877, to Mary F. Rives, a native of Sumner County, but reared in Obion county. The following are their children: Carrie (deceased), Willie, Essie, James and Benny. Mr. Roberts has been a resident of the farm of forty-five acres, where he now resides, since 1878. He and wife are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James Andrew Rochell, groceryman, of Troy, Tenn., is a native of Weakley County, born December 22, 1851, and is of French descent. His father, James A. Rochell, was born in Gibson county, about 1819, and his wife, whose maiden name was Nancy King, was born in Weakley County in 1821. The both died in Weakley County, in 1861. Our subject is their fourth child. He remained on the farm until 1872, when he came to Obion County and began clerking in a store at Obion Station, remaining there five years. He came to Troy in 1876 and two years later engaged in the general grocery business and has continued the same up to the present time, meeting with good success. Mr. Rochell is a Democrat and his first presidential vote was cast for Horace Greeley. December 4, 1878, his marriage with Miss Nannie J. Hurt was celebrated. She was born in Roanoke County, Va., in 1853, and is a daughter of P. H. Hurt. Mr. and Mrs. Rochell have one daughter, named Jimmie Judson, born July 4, 1889. Mr. and Mrs. Rochell are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church of their town. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Calvin J. Rogers was born in Hickman County, Tenn., July 3, 1823, the eldest of eleven children born to the marriage of John W. Rogers and Patience Tansil. The father was born in North Carolina, July 5, 1798, and there married. He came to Tennessee, residing for a few months in Hickman County, where our subject was born. From that time units 1848 he resided in Weakley County, and at the latter date moved to the Lone Star State, where he died in 1853. The mother was born in North Carolina, February 20, 1802, and died in Texas in June, 1882. Calvin J. Rogers received a common school education and has made farming his chief business thoughout life. October 9, 1845, he wedded, Mary A. Gleason, daughter of W. W. Gleason, who was a prominent merchant of Dresden, Tenn., born in Virginia in 1804, and died near Dresden in 1865. To Mr. and Mrs. Rogers seven children were born, only the following two of whom are living: Jennie L. (Mrs. Lee C. Taylor) and Mary Calvina (Mrs. J. M. Moore). Their mother was born in Gibson county, September 3, 1826. Mr. Rogers served in the Confederate Army and belonged to a select company in the Trans Mississippi Department. This company, being of superior drill and equipment, became a bone of contention between Gen. Wharton and Col. Bailor, resulting in the former's death. Mr. Rogers served two years and was paroled. He is a Democrat, a Royal Arch Mason, and he and wife are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He own 700 acres of land and a splendid residence in a beautiful location. William H. Scott was born on the 26th of May, 1858, in Humphreys County, Tenn.,and is one of seven children, born to Benjamin T. and Lavisa J. (Foster) Scott, born in Davidson and Hickman Counties, Tenn., respectively. They were married in Humphreys county, where they resided until their deaths in 1879; the father's March 28, and the mother's March 26. Benjamin T. Scott served throughout the late was, in Forrest's command. William H. Scott has always followed the life of a farmer, and resided on the home farm until 1884. In 1880 he married Asilee Shipp of Humphreys County, and by her is the father of a family of four interesting children: Harry D., Ula (deceased), Charles F. and Freddie. Mr Scott came to Obion County in 1884, and here owns a tract of well improved land near Union City. He is a Democrat. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- William S. Scott, County Court Clerk of Obion County, Tenn., is a native of Williamson county, born on the 16th of December, 1823, son of William and Eunice (Reed) Scott, who were born in South and North Carolina, in 1786 and 1792, respectively. Thomas Scott, the first representative of the family in America, was a native of the Emerald Isle, and came to the "land of the free and the home of the brave" prior to the Revolutionary war. The family immigrated to Tennessee about 1806, and was one of the first families to settle in Williamson County; there Thomas Scott died about 1836. Our subject's parents came to Obion county in November, 1830, and settled near where Union City now stands. The father died in 1848, and the mother in 1856. William S. Scott is the third of their nine children. He received a common school education, and remained on the farm until 1854, when he was elected tax collector for the county, and held that office for three years. He was then elected to the office of sheriff, which position he held four years. In 1861 he enlisted in Company A. Twelfth Regiment Kentucky Cavalry, Confederate States America, and served until the end of the war. He was a prisoner for four months at Camp Morton, Indianapolis, Ind. From 1865 to 1870 he tilled the soil, and in April of the latter year was elected county tax collector, filling the position very efficiently for four years. In 1878 he was elected county court clerk, and was re-elected in 1882, making one of the best officials the county has ever had. He is one of the leading men of the county, and has been a resident of the same for more than one-half century. He is a Democrat and his first presidential vote was cast for James Buchanan. He is also a Mason, and was married in 1861 to Mary E. Harris, a native of the county. They have four children: Samuel A., Sallie E., Robert L. and Mary E. Mrs. Scott died in 1880, and in 1885 Mr. Scott married Mrs. M. C. Hill, who was born in Obion county, in 1845. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John T. Senter, druggist, of Kenton, Tenn., was born in Gibson County, Tenn., May 24, 1862, son of William M. and Nancy J. (Pemberton) Senter, and is of Scotch- Irish lineage. The father and mother were born in Cumberland County, N. C., about 1833, and Middle Tennessee, about 1838, respectively. The family came to Gibson County in 1857. The father was a Confederate soldier, and now resides in Gibson County. His wife died in 1882. Our subject is the third of seven children. He was reared on a farm, and in 1879 entered the Jackson District High School, at Montezuma, Tenn., and there remained until 1883. From that time until 1885 he worked at telegraphy, and at the latter date accepted a position as traveling salesman for a grocery firm in St. Louis, working in that capacity until January, 1886. The month following he engaged in the drug and grocery business, in Kenton, and there now resides. On the 18th of October, 1883, he married Nannie H. Rodgers of Montezuma, Tenn., born in 1863. They are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Senter is a Democrat politically. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- W. P. Simmons was born on the 5th of December, 1837, in Weakley County, Tenn., son of John Simmons, who was born in Middle Tennessee, about 1814. He lived there until nearly grown, then came to West Tennessee. He married Polly Crockett, who was born in 1815, and by her became the father of fifteen children. She died in 1857. John Simmons was twice married, and became the father of twenty-four children. At the age of nineteen W. P. Simmons left the paternal roof, and began depending on his own resources for a livelihood. He joined the Federal Army in the summer of 1862, serving in the Sixth Tennessee Cavalry, Company L. He was captured, in December, 1862, by Gen. Forrest, and was exchanged in 1863. After his return home, in 1865, he resumed farming , and has very successfully continued up to the present time, being worth about $5,000. October 11, 1877, he wedded Martha Nolen, who was born in 1839, and became the mother of nine children, two of whom are dead. Those living are Mary E. (Mrs. Dallas Johnson), Martha Jane, Robert S., Carlie W., D. H., William B. And Sarah Ella (Mrs. John Jackson). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hon. T. R. Shearon was born in Tuscumbia, Colbert Co., Ala., April 4, 1825. His ancestors were among the first settlers of Maryland, and moved from that State to North Carolina, where our subject's parents were born. He was reared on a farm, but the greater part of his time was spent in school. He was educated partially in Williamson County under Ed. Paschal, but finished his course at Yale College, taking the degree of A. B. in 1840. About 1857 he began practicing law in Troy continuing there until August , 1881, when he gave up his profession on account of failing health. He joined the Confederate Army in November, 1861, and was major of the Forty-seventh Tennessee Infantry, Company A. He is a man of the intellect and good education and in 1879 was elected to the State Senate. He is a Mason, Rising Sun Lodge, No. 88, and was for some time Deputy Grand Master of the Odd Fellows Lodge, being a member of Lodge No. 114, at Troy. He is a Democrat, and was married in September, 1849, to Mary J. Lowe, and by her became the father of five children: Mary S., Mrs. W. A. Bonner; Thomas, who is studying law at home; Lowe, editor of the Chico Bee, at Chico, Tex., and William and Marvel, who are at home. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James Graham Smith, a prominent lawyer of West Tennessee, was born in Chester District of South Carolina, September 18, 1828, son of Alexander Smith, a farmer of South Carolina, who was born in County Antrim, Ireland, in 1796, and immigrated to America in 1819. In 1836 he moved from Chester District, S. C., where he had located on coming to America, and came to Tipton County, Tenn., where he resided until his death in 1870. He was married to Esther Graham, who was born in South Carolina in 1797. She was a daughter of James Graham, who was a Revolutionary soldier under Francis Marion, and who died in Tipton County, Tenn., in 1837. Mrs. Smith died in the same county in 1864. Of her four children our subject is the eldest. He was educated at the old field schools and academies of Tipton County, and in 1850 went to Mississippi, and taught school there for some time, continuing the occupation there and elsewhere for about eight years. In May, 1853, he came to Troy, Tenn., and took charge of Westbrook Academy, and continued teaching at that place for five years. He began the study of law in 1853 under Judge S. W. Cochran, and was admitted to the Obion County bar in 1857, but did not begin the regular practice of his profession until June, 1859. Since that time he has been actively engaged, and now practices in Obion and the adjoining counties and the supreme court at Jackson, Tenn. Throughout this section of the State Mr. Smith is highly esteemed, not only for his professional ability, which is of a high order, but also for his personal integrity and worth. He is a Democrat, and his first presidential vote was cast for Pierce. Since 1865 he has been a member of the Masonic fraternity, Western Sun Lodge, No 88. He is of Scotch-Irish descent, and in 1854 united his fortune with that of Miss Sarah E. Allen, of Tipton County, Tenn., born in May 1834. They have six children: Mary Wallace, Fannie B., William A., Dora A., Luther A. And Fitz James. Both husband and wife are members of the Associated Reformed Presbyterian Church. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James B. Snow was born in Madison County, Tenn., March 19, 1825, the third of eight children of Levi R. And Abigail (Bodine) Snow, and is of German lineage. Levi Snow was born in North Carolina, February 25, 1792, and after attaining his majority came to Bedford County, Tenn., where he married, February 4, 1819. He lived successively in Madison, Henderson and Weakley (now Obion) Counties. In 1861 he moved to eastern Texas, where he died May 21, 1869. His wife was born on the French Broad River, in East Tennessee, September 24, 1803, and died on the farm of 900 acres, now owned by our subject, June 17, 1861. James B. Snow began doing for himself soon after attaining his twenty-first birthday, and was married in Fulton County, Ky., December 6, 1853, to Nancy A. Boaz, daughter of Shadrach Boaz. Mrs. Snow became the mother of ten children, six of whom are living: William H., born August 21 1854; Levi S., Born April 27, 1856; Mary E., born August 31, 1857; Nancy A., born January 3, 1859; Sarah E., born July 20, 1863; and Kosei, born July 1, 1867. Mr. Snow is a Democrat, and he and wife are members of the Primitive Baptist Church. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stephen M. Stone was born in 1824, in Sumner County, Tenn.; son of Stephen and Mary (Loving) Stone. The father was a Virginian, and after coming to Tennessee, married Miss Loving. She died in Sumner, her native county, after bearing a family of fourteen children, four now living. The father then married a Mrs. Shippell, and also outlived her, dying in March, 1862 in Sumner County. At the breaking out of the war, Stephen M. Stone enlisted in Smith's cavalry, remaining with the same a few months, then returned home and followed farming until 1863, when he came to Obion county, locating on his farm of 100 acres near Union City. In 1861 he married Sallie Moore, who was born in Sumner County, and by her became the father of six children - five sons and one daughter. Mr. and Stone and family are members of the Methodist Church. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- William B. Stovall, editor of the Troy New Era was born on the 5th of February, 1858, son of William H. and Susan E. (Collier) Stovall, and is of English origin. His parents were born in Sumner County, Tenn., and Shelby County, Ky., in 1821 and 1836, respectively. They came to Obion county, in 1861. Our subject was educated in the McKenzie schools, and in the fall of 1882, entered the Valparaiso, Ind., Normal School, and graduated in 1884. In January, 1885, he was elected county superintendent of schools, of Obion County, and is now successfully filling the duties of that office. In June, 1885 he was one of the organizers of the Troy New Era, and upon establishment of the paper was made its editor. He is a Democrat and cast his first presidential vote for Hancock. He is a Mason and one of the prominent and well respected young men of the county. John H. Tate was born in Maury County, Tenn., March 4, 1827, and is the fifth of six children born to the marriage of William Tate and Elizabeth Stratton, who were born in South Carolina in 1792, and Virginia, respectively. The father came to Tennessee when a young man and settled in Maury County, where he married and reared his family, following the occupation of farming. He died in 1858 and his wife in 1875. John H. Tate's early advantages for education were limited. He has made farming his chief business in life, which he has followed for himself since attaining his majority. He owns 76 acres of good land, on which he raises tobacco and the cereals. From 1856 until 1866 he resided in Graves County, Ky. Since the latter date he has lived in Obion County, Tenn. He is a Democrat and belongs to the Masonic fraternity and was married November 15, 1849, to Lucy A. McGown, daughter of Robert McGown, a farmer, of Maury County. Mr. and Mrs. Tate are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A. J. Taylor, M. D., was born in Obion County, Tenn., September 9, 1842, and is one of six sons and two daughters born to the marriage of William Taylor and Elizabeth Atkins, the former born in Stewart County, Tenn., and the latter in North Carolina. They both came to Obion County when young. Here they remained until the father's death in May, 1875. The mother is still living in the county. William Taylor was constable of his district before reaching the age of twenty- one. Our subject remained with his parents until about twenty three years of age, then began the study of medicine and attended the medical department of the University of Nashville during the sessions of 1867 and 1868, and began practicing in Mississippi county, Mo., remaining there one year. He then located in Obion County, Tenn., near Kenton, where he practiced until 1881; then moved to Weakley County, where he remained a few months, then established a drug store at Rives, in this county. In 1885 he relocated in Kenton, where he now practices his profession. In 1869 he married Fannie Holland. To them were born two daughters, only one of whom is living. Mrs. Taylor died in 1884, and in 1885 the Doctor wedded Lelia Crittendon, who is identified with the Baptist Church. The Doctor is a member of the Methodist Church and belongs to the F. & A. M. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- George Taylor, farmer and native of Obion County, Tenn., was born on the 16th of February, 1838, being the youngest of ten children, all of whom are dead save our subject. His people were among the first settlers of the county and he was reared on a farm and supported his mother up to the day of her death, in March, 1874. For about eighteen months he was in the mercantile business in Kenton, Tenn., but the greater portion of his life has been spent at farming. He and Sallie A. Milliner were married February 11, 1863. She was a daughter of B. J. Milliner, and became the mother of four children: Lillian E. (Mrs. W. V., Stovall), Mary Saludia (Mrs. G. W. Cordell), Luella M. And John William. Mrs. Taylor died November 24, 1878, and August 19, 1885, Mr. Taylor took for his second wife Eliza Stovall, daughter of James Stovall. Our subject is worth about $4,000, all of which he has made by his own economy and industry. He and Mrs. Taylor are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and he is a stanch Democrat. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- E. A. Taylor, M. D., is an Obion County Tennessean, born July 22, 1845, son of Col. William Taylor, who was born in Stewart County, Tenn., in 1817, and grandson of Frederick Taylor, who was born in Middle Tennessee, and died in Obion County prior to the birth of our subject. The latter's mother, Elizabeth (Atkins) Taylor, was born in North Carolina, in 1825. William Taylor died May 8, 1875. Our subject is the third of twelve children, eight living. Dr. Taylor attended the country schools in boyhood, and began the study of medicine in 1866. He began taking lectures in the Nashville University, and soon located in his old home neighborhood, and continued the practice of his profession until 1872, when he removed to Kenton, and here has since resided. While studying medicine he was engaged in the drug business. On the 16th of December, 1869, he was united in marriage to Miss Mattie Crittendon, of Obion County, who was born June 3, 1842. They have two children: Alice E., born July 25, 1871, and Edward E., born May 17, 1873. Dr. Taylor is a Democrat, and has served four years as a member of the Kenton council. He has been a Mason since 1874, and is one of the leading physicians of the county. Mrs. Taylor is a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Milus F. Thomas is a Wilson County Tennessean, born January 22, 1827, the fourth of ten children of James and Isabella (Donnell) Thomas, and of Scotch-Irish descent. James Thomas was born in North Carolina, in 1795, and immigrated to Middle Tennessee with his parents when a small boy. He moved from Wilson to Dyer County, Tenn., in 1831, and after residing about twelve years in the last named place, moved to Obion County, and settled within one mile of the farm now occupied by our subject. He died at the residence of his son, Milus, in January, 1882. He was in the war of 1812, and afterward drew a pension for his services. His wife was born in North Carolina, in 1799, and died on the old homestead, in 1879. They were worthy members of the Christian and Cumberland Presbyterian Churches respectively. Milus F. Thomas was educated in the common schools, and has made farming his chief calling through life. He was married, in March, 1845, to Elizabeth E. Ward, daughter of Howell Ward, and five children have blessed their union: George D., Littleton H., James H., Mattie I. (Mrs. Henderson White) and Mary Etta. Mrs. Thomas was born in Carroll County, Tenn., January 23, 1823. Mr. Thomas is a Democrat, and has served as magistrate for ten years. He is a Mason, and he and family are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. In 1849 he came into possession of his farm of sixty-four acres, and devotes it to raising stock and cereals. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James H. Thomas was born in Dyer County, April 8, 1833 [For parent's history see sketch of M. F. Thomas.], and was reared on a farm. His education was obtained in the common schools and in Belle Forest Collegiate Institute, which was destroyed during the late war. James H. Was married, on the 23rd of March, 1858, to Martha A. Peery, daughter of Archibald Peery. To them were born six children: Dora A., Mary L., (Mrs. D. C. Coleman), Milus L. , Alice M., Eleanor E. and Sarah I. The mother of this family was born in Weakley County , September 19, 1839, and died at the homestead, surrounded by her family June 30, 1877. Mr. Thomas was an old line Whig, but since the war has affiliated with the Democratic party. He is a Mason, and an elder in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and has served four years as county surveyor, and at the present time is serving in the capacity of deputy. He purchased his farm of seventy three acres in 1867, and devotes it principally to raising cereals. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Charles G. Thomas is a Weakley County Tennessean, born February 16, 1843; son of William G. and Elizabeth (Vincent) Thomas, and of English lineage. The father was born in the blue-grass State, May 19, 1811, and came to Tennessee in 1829, locating in Weakley County, where he still resides. The mother was born in North Carolina, in 1842, and died at the homestead, in Weakley County, in August, 1863. Charles C. Thomas early days were spent on his father's farm, and in attending the common schools. Having a predilection for farming, he has made that his chief calling through life , and owns 195 acres of good land, which he devotes to stock, cereals and tobacco. He joined the Confederate Army, serving in Company C, Seventh Kentucky Cavalry, under Col. Faulkner, and was at Shiloh, and in various skirmishes under Gen. Forrest. He had one brother killed at Franklin, and two brothers wounded at different battles. He was paroled at Gainesville, Ala. and was married January 9, 1867, to Martha A. Jones, who was born in Tennessee, October 12, 1849, daughter of William Jones, who was a prominent farmer, and represented his county in the State Legislature one term. He also served as magistrate of his district twenty-two years. To Mr. and Mrs. Thomas were born nine children: Nora Etta, William A., George M., Miranda E., Ora Ethna, Nina Nella, Lillian Love and Charley; and one daughter, Mary A., who died July 1, 1876. Mr. Thomas is a Democrat, also a Mason, and he and wife and two oldest children are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South.