The Goodspeed Publishing Co., History of Tennessee, 1887
Biographical Sketches, Shelby County TN
C Surnames
P. Callahan & Co., plumbers, gas-fitters, etc., are
located at 217 Second Street, Memphis.
Mr. Callahan, the principal member of the firm, is a native of Ireland, and
immigrated to
the United States with his parents when but an infant. He is the son of John and
Mary
(Sweeney) Callahan, and came to this city in 1859, serving for three years as an
apprentice with Kennedy & Smith. He worked at his trade in St. Louis, and in
1878 returned
to this city, where he established his present business. In 1876 he married Mary
Gloreing,
who died in 1880, leaving three children. In 1883 Mr. Callahan married Mary
Gallager, of
Memphis, and this union resulted in the birth of one child. Our subject and
family are
members of the Catholic Church.
Rev. John B.Canada, a talented minister of the Missionary Baptist
Church, was born in
Halifax County, Va., June 19, 1817. His parents were Willis C, and Annie
(Wilkes) Canada,
and were also natives of the above named country and were married in Virginia in
1814.
They were of Irish and English descent. Our subject was the second child of a
family of
five sons and a daughter. The father enlisted in the War of 1812, and was
stationed at
Norfolk, Va. He was a farmer and died in his native country in 1843. Our subject
was
reared on a farm, receiving a limited education. In 1843 he became a licensed
preacher in
the Missionary Baptist Church, but realizing the necessity of a more thorough
education he
devoted the next six years to earnest study. The first three years were passed
at Botatott
Seminary and the last three in the Columbian College, at Washington, D.C.,
where he
graduated with high honors. December 1,1849, he went to Memphis, Tenn., and in
1850 was an
ordained minister. Mr. Canada has been an earnest and conscientious minister and
has bean
rewarded with great success in his work. He has preached to the congregation at
Bartlett,
Tenn., for twenty-four years, and Beaver Creek Church nineteen years, and to
other
churches from ten to fifteen years. He was married at Germantown, October
17,1850, to Miss
C. J. Dennis, daughter of J. S. Dennis, a merchant and a native of Maryland. Ten
children
have blessed the union, seven of them living. Mrs. Canada was born in Baltimore,
Md.,
September 15, 1831. Mr. Canada is a Democrat and a prominent Mason. His wife and
most of
the children are members of the Baptist Church. Mr. Canada owns 376 acres of
land in
Fayette County and 150 acres six miles south of Memphis. He resides in
Collierville, where
he is loved and esteemed as a true Christian and a cultured gentleman.
Squire Henry E. Cannon was born in Wake County, N, C., July 5, 1840, and
is a son of Henry
J. Cannon, who was born in North Carolina and moved to Tennessee in 1843,
settling near
Somerville, Fayette County. He was a graduate of Chapel Hill College, North
Carolina, and
was licensed to practice law, but preferred farming to the legal profession. He
was a
well-read man, especially upon agriculture, and a member of the Agricultural
Bureau of the
State, and president of the district fair, which included Fayette County. Before
leaving
North Carolina he married Miss Sarah P. Peebles, a native of that State and
educated at
Raleigh. Five sons and two daughters were born to them, six living to be grown.
Our
subject was the second child. The father moved to Memphis in 1860, where he
remained until
his death, in the fall of 1861. Henry E. Cannon was raised and educated on the
farm. He
enlisted in the Confederate Army in May, 1861, in the Seventh Tennessee Cavalry,
under
Col. W. H. Jackson, and was at the battle of Corinth, Miss., and on the retreat
from
Dalton to Atlanta, being wounded while scouting around Lost Mountain, and was
disabled for
six weeks. He served through the entire war, and was surrendered near
Gainesville, Ala.
Mr. Cannon was married at St. Mary's Church in Memphis, October 29, 1872, to
Miss Susie
Virginia Devereaux Dunlap, daughter of Devereaux and S. Virginia (Ragland)
Dunlap. The
issue of this marriage was Sarah Virginia, Susie Dunlap, Henry Hugh, Mary
Dunlap,
Elizabeth Love, Charles Devereaux Dunlap and Robert Dudley. Susie D. and
Elizabeth Love
both died. The mother of this family was born in Shelby County, Tenn., January
20, 1855.
Mr. Cannon is a democrat and a Mason, and himself and family are members of the
Episcopal
Church. He has 3,000 acre's of land, 1,280 acres in Louisiana 1,100 in
Washington County,
Miss., 80 in Arkansas, and the rest in Shelby County, six miles southeast of
Memphis. Mrs.
S. Virginia Dunlap, the mother-in-law of our subject and a co-subject of this
sketch, was
born in the suburbs of Memphis, April 14, 1832. Her father, Dr. Nathaniel
Ragland, who was
the first druggist of Memphis, was born in Virginia, and moved to Kentucky in
1816. He was
a well-informed man, with a strong mind and unbending character, with clear
judgment and
strict integrity. He was married in Louisville, Ky., to Miss Elizabeth Love,
daughter of
Matthew Love, a native of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Dunlap was married in 1853, near
the present
home, to Devereaux Dunlap, son of Gen. Hugh W. Dunlap, a prominent and well
known citizen
of Tennessee, and twin brother to Hon. W. C. Dunlap, who served on the supreme
bench and
was a member of Congress for a number of years. Charles Devereaux Dunlap was
educated in
Kentucky and at La Grange, Ala., and died when still a young man on his
plantation in
Madison Parish, La., September 16, 1855. Dr. Ragland's family consisted of three
daughters
and one son: Louisa A. (Anderson), now living in Texas; M.E. (Rambert),
residing in the
suburbs of Memphis, and our co-subject, Mrs. Dunlap, and Edward D., a soldier in
the late
war and a graduate of the law department at Lebanon, Tenn., who is at resent a
planter in
Lee County,, Ark.
William D. Cannon, sheriff of Shelby County, was born in Fayette County,
Tenn., April 29,
1843, and is the son of Henry J. and Sarah S. (Peebles) Cannon, both parents
being natives
of North Carolina. His father came to Tennessee in 1843, and located in Fayette
County,
where he very successfully followed agricultural pursuits. He was an exemplary
citizen,
and in 1861 moved to Memphis, where he died in January, 1862. Early in life he
had
prepared himself for the practice of law, but relinquished it for the life of a
planter,
which pursuit better suited his tastes. He was active and prominent in politics,
but was
not an aspirant for office, and on one occasion refused the nomination to
Congress.
William D. passed his youth without noteworthy event, and in 1861 came with his
parents to
Memphis. He entered the Confederate service in 1865, and continued to serve
until the
final surrender. After the war he followed agricultural pursuits in Shelby
County until
1870, when he was elected constable of the Eighteenth Civil District. He served
thus until
September, 1874, when he became a deputy sheriff under Charles Anderson. He
served as
deputy eight years, and was then (April, 1882) elected sheriff to fill the
vacancy caused
by the death of Sheriff Athy. At the general election of 1884 he was elected
sheriff by
the largest vote east for any one on the ticket. He is one of the most popular
sheriffs
the county has ever had. Early in the seventies, while farming, he served two
terms as
Master of Melrose Lodge, P, of H. August 1, 1870, he was united in marriage with
M.
Florence Jackson, a native of Fayette County, and by her is the father of four
children-
two sons and two daughters. He is a Knight Templar of the Masonic Order; is a
member of
the K, of P. and the K, of H. In 1886 he was nominated by acclamation by the
local
Democracy, and was supported by the Republicans for the office of sheriff, and
was elected
by a handsome majority, a noticeable endorsement of his popularity.
Richard S. Capers, Clerk of the Shelby County Criminal Court, was born in
Haywood County,
Tenn., June 21, 1847, and is the son of Benjamin H. and Rebecca J. (Greaves)
Capers, both
parents being natives of Abbeville District, S.C. In January, 1850, Richard S.
was
brought by his parents to Memphis, and in this city he was reared to manhood. His
education was finished at St. Thomas Hall, Holly Springs, Miss., and at Urnes
College,
Clinton, Miss. Upon the breaking out of the war in 1861 he enlisted in the
Confederate
service, but was discharged on account of his youth; but in 1863 be again
enlisted in
Company F, Forrest's old regiment of cavalry, and served faithfully until the
close of the
war as a private. In May, 1865, he accepted a position as deputy clerk of the
criminal
court, which position he held continuously through all the various official
changes of
this court until August, 1886, when he was rewarded for his long and faithful
execution of
court duties by election to the position he now holds. He is recognized as a
conscientious, trustworthy and obliging officer, and is one of the substantial
citizens of
Memphis. February 3, 1883, he was united in marriage with Miss Alice J. Tapscott,
of
Marshall Institute, Mississippi. The issue of this marriage is one son, Richard
T. He is a
member of the orders, K.of P. and Commander of Progress Division.
A. T. Chambers, an influential citizen of Shelby County, was born in
Virginia, and in 1854
went to Texas, where he was engaged in farming and stock raising until 1860. He
then came
to Tennessee, and in 186l enlisted in the Fourth Tennessee Regiment Infantry as
a private,
but upon the reorganization in 1863 he was elected third lieutenant, which
office he
filled until the close of the war, receiving his parole at Greensboro, N. C., in
April,
1865. He then returned to Tennessee and located in Shelby County, and has been
identified
with the best interests of the people up to the present time. His parents, J.P.
and
Rebecca (Farro) Chambers, were living in Virginia at the time of their death
which
occurred about 1846 and 1880, the mother dying first. In 1867 our subject
married Mrs.
Henrietta (Polk) Bolten, widow of Leonidas Bolten. Two children were born to her
first
marriage, and six were born to her union with our subject. In 1867 Mr. Chambers
located on
his present farm, and has tilled it up to the present time. The Chambers family
are
originally of Scotch lineage, and have made honorable, law abiding citizens. Mr.
Chambers
is a Democrat in politics, and he and wife are members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church
South.
Maj. John A. Cheatham was born in Davidson County, in the suburbs of
Nashville, June 6,
1826, and was a son of Col. Leonard P. Cheatham, a soldier with Jackson in the
war of
1812, and a native of Virginia. He came to Tennessee at an early age. The
Cheatham family
were among the earliest settlers of Robertson County, and were recognized as
leading men
in that part of the State. Anderson Cheatham, the grandfather of our subject,
was sheriff
of Robertson County, and instrumental in forming the society and establishing
the
civilization of that locality. Gen. Richard Cheatham, who represented that
district in the
Legislature for a number of years, and was also a member of Congress, and Col.
Edward
Cheatham, who had been a member of both houses of the Legislature, and for whom
the county
of Cheatham was named, and who did a great deal toward the construction of the
Nashville &
Edgefield Railroad, were numbered among the prominent members of the Cheatham
family. The
present member of Congress from that district, Hon. Joseph E. Washington, is a
descendant
of the Cheatham family; his father, the Hon. George A. Washington, formerly
vice-president
of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, and one of the wealthiest and most
prominent
citizens of the State, was descended from the Cheathams on the mother's side.
The father
of our subject married Elizabeth Robertson, a granddaughter of Gen. James
Robertson, for
whom the county was named. He was the pioneer, and the acknowledged leader of
the colony
that settled the locality around Nashville. His life and virtues have been well
portrayed
by Col. Putman, in his "Life of Robertson." It was from this source that the
late Gen.
Cheatham, a brother of our subject, inherited his bravery during the late war,
and his
ability to command. Our subject's parents both died in Nashville, the father in
March,
1863, and the mother December 23,1881. The father was a lawyer and a politician
of wide
reputation, and held the position of postmaster under president Polk. The family
consisted
of eleven children, our subject being the fifth child. He was raised on a farm,
and has
made a business of farming and merchandising. He enlisted in the Confederate
Army,
belonging to an Arkansas regiment, but was afterward transferred to Gen.
Cheatham's staff,
and served from 1862 until the war closed, and was surrendered at High Point, N.C.
January 17, 1882, he was married in Memphis, at the First Methodist Episcopal
Church, to
Mrs. Charlotte W. Cheatham. Mr. Cheatham has always been a Democrat, and cast
his first
presidential ,vote for Cass. He has a beautiful home three miles from Memphis,
and a fine
plantation in the Mississippi bottom, sixteen miles south of Memphis. He is well
known in
Middle and West Tennessee.
Hon. W.L. Clapp, speaker of the House of Representatives and member of
the law firm of
Beard & Clapp, graduated at the University of Mississippi in 1872, after which
he read law
with his father in Memphis, and was admitted to the bar in 1874. He practiced
his
profession in the firm of Clapp & Meux until 1879, when the firm of Clapp &
Beard was
formed, our subject's father being senior member. In 1883 the elder Clapp became
silent
partner, and so remained until 1885, when the firm name was changed to Beard &
Clapp. The
father was a native of Abingdon, Va., and the mother, whose maiden name was
Lucas, of
Sumner County, Tenn. They were married at Holly Springs, Miss., where the father
practiced
law. During the war he was chief of the Produce Loan for the Confederacy,
receiving his
appointment from President Davis. Since 1867 he has practiced law in Memphis. He
was
elected to the State Senate in 1878 without his knowledge that he was a
candidate. He was
several terms a member of the Mississippi Legislature, and was a member of the
Confederate
Congress. Our subject is one of nine children, four girls and four boys yet
surviving. In
November, 1874, he was joined in marriage to Miss Lamira Parker, a native of
this city,
who has borne her husband the following children: Jerl, Lucas, Robert, Parker
and Aubrey
B. Mr. Clapp has been first lieutenant of the Chickasaw Guards since 1880, and
has been
president of the Tennessee Club two years. He was elected to the speakership of
the House
in 1886-87 over some of the strongest and most popular men of the State, and
presides with
exceptional skill and urbanity.
James E. Clary, chief of the Memphis fire department, is a native of
Ireland, where his
birth occurred in 1845. About a year later his father, Patrick Clary, came to
the United
States and located in Memphis, and here James E. was reared to manhood. He
secured a
limited education in youth, and upon the breaking out of the war ran away from
home and
school and enlisted in Company H, One Hundred and Fifty-fourth Senior Tennessee
Confederate Regiment, and served as a private throughout the entire war. Returning home he
accepted a position as a horseman in the city fire department, and has remained
in this
service ever since, having filled every official position. He was elected chief
in 1881,
and in this trying and responsible position has given excellent satisfaction. Under his
supervision the fire department is more efficient than ever before. In 1874 Mr.
Clary was
united in marriage with Miss Ellen Corbett, a native of South Carolina. To this
union are
six living children--one son and five daughters. Mr. Clary is a Democrat, and is
a member
of the orders K.of I., K.of H. and A.F. & A.M., being a Knight Templar of
the latter.
J. W. Cochran, president of the German Bank, and of the Panola Oil and
Fertilizer Company,
of the Hanauer Oil Works, and trustee in the American Cotton Oil Trust, is a
native of
Virginia and is of Irish descent, and is the son of Conley and Nancy A. (Cassady)
Cochran.
The parents were natives of the "Emerald Isle." Upon coming to the United States
they
first located in Virginia, but in 1844 came to Shelby County, and followed
agricultural
pursuits until their respective deaths--the father in 1852 and the mother in
1847. Our
subject was born May 2, 1835, and at the age of nine years began life for
himself. He
followed various occupations until his majority, then became clerk for a lumber
firm of
this city. In 1860 he embarked in the oil business, the nucleus of the present
oil
industry. He was treasurer and manager of this company--Memphis Oil Company--until
1875.
He has also been largely interested in oil-mills in Arkansas, and in 1883 he and
others
founded the American Cotton Oil Trust, of this city, with which organization he
is yet
engaged. He was for several years one of the directors of the German Bank, and
June 15,
1886, became its president. December 20, 1886, he was united in marriage with
Miss Ida C.
Williams, a native of Fayette County. They have these children: John Knox
(deceased), Ida
(deceased), ____ (deceased), and Mabel and Maggie living.
R. L. Cochran, dealer in lumber, shingles, doors, sash, blinds, packing
boxes, etc., and
senior member of the firm of R.L. Cochran & Co., is a native of this city and
was born in
1850. Since he began in business for himself, except two years when he was in
the grocery
trade as a member of the firm of Cochran & Barton, he has been engaged in the
lumber
trade. He has been quite successful in his business undertakings. In youth his
education
was finished at Emory and Henry College, Virginia, and at the Kentucky Military
Institute.
In 1875 he was joined in marriage to Miss Anna E. Gates, who bore him one child,
Richard
L., still living. This lady died in 1876 and in 1879 he married Mamie Taylor,
who has
borne him the following children: William T., Marcus E and Henry L. By
appointment of
Gov. Bate, Mr. Cochran served an unexpired term as commissioner of Memphis. He
is a member
of the board of directors of the Bank of Commerce. He and family belong to the
Methodist
Episcopal Church and he belongs to the following secret orders: F.& A.M., I.O.O.F,
and K. of H. His father, M. E. Cochran, established the lumber business here in
1844 and
controlled it until his death in 1873. The firm then assumed its present name,
the
members being R. L., C. A. and M. A. Cochran. The parents were both natives of
Virginia,
but came to this county at an early day and were here married. The mother, Sophy
(Leake)
Cochran, is still living.
Joseph L. Cody was born in Alabama and came to Tennessee in October,
1867, locating in
Fayette County, but subsequently in 1874 came to Shelby County. His parents,
Miles F. and
Minerva Cody, were natives of Tennessee and Mississippi respectively. The father
was a
farmer by occupation and resides in Marion County, Ala. The mother died in 1862.
In 1865
the father married Jane Duke. In 1861 our subject enlisted in the Confederate
service,
Sixteenth Alabama Regiment, Infantry, and remained in service until the battle
of
Murfreesboro, which rendered him unfit for duty for about three months. He again
returned
to the army and was the second time wounded at the battle of Shiloh, which
disabled him
about two months. After recovering he again joined the army, and in 1864 was
commissioned
captain in Col. Hetherington's regiment. In 1865 he was again wounded, while in
battle
near Mobile, Ala., and this disabled him from active duty the remainder of the
war. He was
paroled at Columbus, Miss., in May, 1865. In January, 1868, he married Harriet
A. Cody,
of Fayette County, and daughter of Thomas and Jane (Thomas) Cody. Four children
have
blessed this union, three of whom are living: Maude, Ola and Elsie. Mr. Cody
resides in
the village of Arlington and is engaged in farming and running a cotton-gin. He
is a Mason
and a K.of H.
A. E. Cole, of the firm of Hughes & Cole, dealers in staple and fancy,
groceries, general
merchandise, and who established their business in 1880, is a native of Shelby
County and
the son if Winfield and Frances A. (Massey) Cole, both natives of Virginia. After living a
few years in Alabama they came to Shelby County, where the father followed
agricultural
pursuits until his death in 1860. The mother, too, passed away in 1877. Mr.
Cole, the
junior member of the firm, was reared on a farm and followed agricultural
pursuits until
1874, when he was elected constable of the First District of this county, which
office he
held for six years. One year previous to the time he engaged in his present
business, he
was employed as traveling salesman for J.R. Godwin & Co., of Memphis. In 1871
he married
Mattie Douglas, of this county, and the daughter of G.L. and J. Douglas. Five
children
blessed this union, four of whom are living. Mr. Cole is a member of the K.of
H.F.M.
Hughes, the senior member of this firm, is a native of Lincoln County, Tenn.,
and the son
of Joshua and Temperence (Gunter) Hughes, both natives of North Carolina. They
came to
Tennessee about 1825 and here the father followed the occupation of a farmer. He
died in
1878 in his eighty-first, year, and the mother preceded him in death about two
weeks. Our
subject's father, mother, sister and brother-in-law, all died in the same house
within two
weeks time. F.M. Hughes was reared on a farm and followed agricultural pursuits
until
about five years since. He came to Shelby County with his parents about 1854. In
1861 he
enlisted in the Confederate service, Ninth Tennessee Regiment Infantry, and
remained until
the close of the war. He was twice taken prisoner, and after being released the
second
time was attached to Forrest's cavalry. In 1863 he married M. E. Stewart, of
this county,
and daughter of James T. and Mary Stewart. Two children were born to this union:
Luna May
and Emma Grace. Our subject's eldest daughter is a graduate in music, and in
November,
1884, she married J. L. Mercer, of Memphis. They have one child--Mary Grace. Mr.
Hughes
has been interested in the mercantile business most of the time since the war.
He has
taken all the degrees in Masonry, including the Chapter degree, and is also a
member of
the K.of H.
James M. Coleman, justice of the peace, notary public, and commissioner
of deeds, is a
native of Louisiana and was born September 14, 1830, to the marriage of Daniel
Coleman and
Amelia Stutts, natives respectively of Georgia and Louisiana. The father, Daniel
Coleman,
a skillful physician, came with his family, in 1836, to Tennessee, locating at
Raleigh,
this county, where he practiced his profession until his death in 1871. It was
here that
our subject was reared and educated. Upon reaching manhood he engaged in
mercantile
pursuits, continuing until 1874, when he was elected justice of the peace for
the Sixth
District and opened his office in Memphis, and has occupied this position by
re-election
until the present. Squire Coleman was formerly an old line Whig, but for many
years has
been a stanch Democrat, and has taken an active part in local politics, having
served as
chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Central Committee, as coroner of the
county, as
chairman of the poor-house committee eight years, during which last official
term he was
instrumental in securing the erection of the present poor-buildings. June
1,1851, he
married Miss Susan Bayless, a native of this county, and to this union there are
two
living sons: George B., deputy register of the county, and James M., deputy
sheriff. He
was appointed coal oil inspector of Shelby County by Gov. Robert L. Taylor.
Capt. Charles H. Collier, superintendent of the Memphis public schools,
is the son of C.
Miles and Sarah (Cowles) Collier, both of whom were born, reared and married
near Fortress
Monroe. In early life the father war an officer of "the line" in the United
States Navy
and afterward a mail contractor for eastern Virginia. His family consisted of
four sons,
who took active parts in the late war and at its termination returned home
without
receiving any wounds or being imprisoned. Two were in the army, one a surgeon,
the other a
captain. The other two were in the navy, one a midshipman and our subject an
engineer. He
was a native Virginian, born August 25, 1846 and educated in the Hampton
Military School.
After finishing there he began to prepare himself for the United States naval
service, but
the war broke out about this time and he enlisted in a company known as Wythe
Rifles.
After serving a year as private he was transferred to a naval engineer corps,
where he
remained until the close of the war, principally under Dozier, Rochell and
Tucker. In
1871 he came to Memphis and engaged as assistant teacher in the Memphis High
School. He
was afterward principal of Market Street and Linden Street schools. In 1875 he
married
Evelin Belcher, who lived only four Months. In 1879 he wedded Julia Bingham, by
whom he
had four children, three of whom are now living. Our subject is a member of the
Episcopal
Church, as his parents were before him. In 1880 he was chosen superintendent of
the public
schools, which position he is now holding. The schools are well organized and in
fine
working order.
A.M. Cooke, assistant general manager of the Louisville, New Orleans &
Texas Railroad,
was born in Virginia, October 17, 1850, and received his education at the
Virginia
Military Institute. He was, for some time, connected with the freight department
of the
Atlantic, Mississippi & Ohio Railroad, and after the consolidation of the
express
department he was also connected with that. In 1885 he became purchasing agent
for the
road with which he is now associated, and in 1886 was promoted to the position
he is now
occupying. He is one of Shelby County's best citizens and a wide awake business
man.
L.P. Cooper, a member of the law firm of Craft & Cooper, of Memphis,
Tenn., was born in
Rutherford County, Tenn., January 8, 1830. His father, M.T. Cooper, moved to
Bedford
County when he was a small boy, where he grew to manhood and lived until he
moved to
Panola County, Miss., in 1857. He was educated at Union University,
Murfreesboro, Tenn.,
from which he graduated in 1852. After graduating he was engaged in the business
of
teaching until 1856. In 1857 he attended the law school at Lebanon one session
of five
months. In the fall of 1857 he moved to Panola County, Miss., where he was
engaged in the
business of planting until the spring of 1862, when he entered in the
Confederate Army as
a private in the Forty-second Mississippi Regiment. Soon after he enlisted his
regiment
was ordered to Virginia. After the regiment arrived at Richmond he was made
quartermaster
of the regiment with the rank of captain. Late in the war regimental
quartermasters were
abolished. He, however, was retained as assistant brigade quartermaster and
assigned to
duty under Maj. Reid, quartermaster of Davis' brigade, in which capacity he
served until
the close of the war. For several months before the surrender he was acting
brigade
quartermaster. After the surrender he returned to his home in Mississippi. In
August,
1865, he was elected as a delegate from Panola County to the constitutional
Convention of
Mississippi, called by President Johnson, to amend and remodel the constitution
so as to
adapt it to the new condition of things. After the adjournment of this
convention he
returned to his home and commenced the practice of law in the town of Panola. In
1871 the
county site was moved to Sardis, to which place he moved and continued the
practice of law
there until he moved to Memphis, in 1874. There he practiced alone until 1878,
when he
formed a partnership with Judge Craft, the senior of the present firm. His
father, M.T.
Cooper, was born in Rowan County, N.C., in 1806. Henry Cooper, the father of M.T.,
moved to what was then Rutherford, now Cannon County, in 1816. In 1828 M. T.
Cooper was
married to Miss Sallie A. Vincent, daughter of Henry Vincent, Esq., of
Rutherford County.
Of this marriage there were born thirteen children, six of whom are living. When
the
subject of this sketch was a small boy his father moved to Bedford County, where
he grew
up to manhood and lived until he moved to Mississippi. His father was a farmer
and
merchant and did considerable business in trading in produce and stock. L. P.
was married
January 24, 1854, to Miss Pauline H. Scales, daughter of Robert Scales, of
Davidson
County, Tenn. Six children were born of this marriage, three of whom are
living--one
daughter and two sons. He lost his first wife April 10, 1864, and was married to
his
second wife, Miss Cornelia Battle, a native of Shelby County, on the 10th of
December,
1868. She is the daughter of the late William Battle, Esq., of Shelby County,
who was
originally from North Carolina, and who settled in Shelby County in 1830. L.P.
Cooper
and his wife are both members of the Central Baptist Church, of Memphis, and he
is a
Democrat.
Henry Craft, one of the oldest members of the Memphis bar, obtained his
literary education
at Oglethorpe University, Milledgville, Ga., completing the same in 1839. He
then followed
various occupations and in 1847 began the study of law at Holly Springs, Miss.,
with Hon.
J.W.C. Watson. He attended law school at Princeton, New Jersey. He was
admitted to the
bar in 1848, in Holly Springs, Miss., and practiced his profession there ten
years as a
member of the firm of Watson & Craft. In 1858 he came to Memphis, where he has
since
resided. In 1862 he enlisted in the Confederate service and was a member of Gen. Chalmer's
staff until his health failed. He has since practiced law, part of the time
alone, and
then as a member of the firm of Kortrecht & Craft, until 1873, and of Kortrecht,
Craft &
Scales until 1875. The present firm of Craft & Cooper was formed in 1878. His
father, Hugh
Craft, was born on the eastern shore of Maryland, in 1799, and his mother, whose
maiden
name was Mary E. Pitts, was born in North Carolina, in 1799. They married in
Georgia, in
1819, and his father was a merchant there, residing first in Milledgeville and
afterward
in Macon until 1839. The family moved to Holly Springs, Miss., in 1839, and his
father was
land agent there until his death in 1867. His mother had died in 1826, and his
father had
married Martha Cheney in South Carolina, who soon died, and he married Elizabeth
R.
Collier, who bore him three sons and five daughters. This lady's death occurred
in 1877.
Our subject was one of two sons and three daughters of the first wife and was
born April
8, 1823, at Milledgeville, Ga. In 1856 he married Miss Ella D. Boddie, daughter
of Elijah
Boddie, of Sumner County, Tenn. She has born him the following children: Alfred
D., born
1858, died 1884; Mary F., born 1861, died 1885; Henry, born 1866; Charles K.,
born 1868,
died 1873; Paul, born 1870; Hugh, born 1874. Mr. Craft is a Democrat and himself
and wife
are members of the Presbyterian Church.
Richard G. Craig, wholesale agricultural implement and seed merchant, of
Memphis, is a
native of Hamilton County, Ohio, and was born in 1837. He was there reared and
educated
and came South and located in Memphis in 1860, engaging in his present business
on a
limited scale. He has continued the same to the present time, and now has the
largest
establishment of the kind in the city or in the South. He has been largely
instrumental in
inducing the farming community to use more modern and improved agricultural
implements, to
diversify their crops and to restore worn-out farms. He is president of the
Memphis
Fertilizing Company, the business of which was established in 1882. Mr. Craig is
a
conservative Democrat, is a Mason, a member of the Baptist Church, and is
recognized as
one of the most reliable and well-informed citizens, in agriculture, of the
city. In 1858
he married Miss Sallie L. Bruce, of Ohio, and by her has three living children,
two being
sons.
Thomas B. Crenshaw, deputy county court clerk, is a native of this county
and was born
September 12, 1848, to the marriage of Thomas B. Crenshaw, Sr., and Miss Grace
Booker,
both natives of the "Old Dominion." The father came to this county in 1836 and
located in
the Ninth Civil District, where he conducted a plantation until his death in
1866. He was
magistrate of that district twenty-seven consecutive years, and was one of the
most useful
and substantial citizens of the county. Our subject was reared on his father's
plantation
and was there educated. He followed agricultural pursuits until 1878, when he
was elected
clerk of the circuit court at Bartlett, this county, which position he filled in
a highly
creditable manner. In 1885 the court was abolished, and he was then employed as
bookkeeper
at the same place, continuing until September, 1886, when he accepted his
present
responsible position under P.J. Quigley. He is a Democrat, and was candidate
for the
nomination for county register in 1886. He is a member of the K.of H. and is
one of the
rising young men of the city.
Mrs. E. J. Crockett, principal of the Memphis High School, is a daughter
of Edward and
Eliza (Johnson ) Belcher. The father was a native of Boston, Mass., and the
mother a
native of Alabama. From Boston the father went to Virginia, and finally came to
West
Tennessee, locating at Bolivar, where he became distinguished as a lawyer. After
marriage
they lived at Bolivar a short time and then went to Oxford, Miss., where they
made their
permanent home. Both were active members of the Episcopal Church. Their family
consisted
of seven children--three sons and four daughters. Two of the boys chose the
profession of
their father. After an active, useful life the father died, but the mother, is
now
residing in Memphis. Our subject was born at Bolivar, Tenn. but received her
education at
Oxford, Miss., graduating from the female seminary. In 1862 she and William H.
Crockett
were married. During the late war he fought bravely for the Southern cause,
being a stall
officer of Gen. Hindman. At the battle of Shiloh he was severely wounded, from
the effects
of which he never recovered. To this union were born three children, only one of
them now
living. This one, Elsie B. Crockett, is a member of the high school and partakes
of her
mother's love for books and learning. After the death of her husband Mrs.
Crockett began
teaching, and after assisting in the Memphis High School a time assumed the
principalship
of the same in 1875, and has filled that position ably ever since . She is a
member of the
Episcopal Church, as was her husband.
William R. Cross is a native of Cross County, Ark., where he was born
August 12, 1854. His
father, Col. David C. Cross, after whom our subject's native county was named,
came to
Memphis in 1866, but died in Arkansas, in 1874. Our subject finished his
education at the
University of Mississippi, and in 1874 engaged in the mercantile business at
Bartlett,
this county, and has since conducted the same enterprise. In 1882 he was elected
a justice
of the peace and yet retains that position. He is an able and conscientious
officer, and
has the highest confidence of the public. In August, 1884, he accepted his
present
position as clerk to the chairman of the county court, C. E. Smith, and has
retained it
since. In 1875 Mr. Cross was united in marriage with Miss Loula Person, of this
county,
and these parents have three living daughters. Mr. Cross is a staunch Democrat,
is a member
of the I.O.O.F., K.of P., of which latter he is chancellor commander. Himself and wife
are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Hugh B. Cullen, real estate agent and notary public, was born in Louisa
County, Va., July
12, 1851, and is the son of Hugh M. and Anne (Booth) Cullen, natives
respectively of
Ireland and Virginia. Hugh B. was reared and educated in his native State and
came to
Memphis in 1871 and took a position as deputy county court clerk under James
Reilly,
continuing under Owen Dwyer until 1882, when he was elected to the office of
clerk and
served one term of four years, at the expiration of which he entered his present
business
and has met with good success. In 1873 he was united in marriage with Miss
Lizzie Gibbs,
of this city, and these parents now have five living children--two sons and
three
daughters. Mr. Cullen is a Knight Templar in Masonry, a member of the Encampment
in Odd-
Fellowship, and is a member of the K. of P, and the K. of H. orders.
John Cummins, dealer in staple and fancy groceries, liquors, grain, feed,
cigars and
tobaccos, was born in Memphis, where he passed his youth and manhood. He is the
son of
William and Bettie (Quintan) Cummins, natives of Ireland and Ohio, respectively. They came
to Memphis about 1852, and at the breaking out of the late civil war William
enlisted and
fought bravely in defense of the Southern cause. He died about 1865. Our subject
is one of
those wide-a-wake, energetic business men with push and energy enough to succeed
in any
undertaking. The business that he is now engaged in was established in 1878 and
is
situated at 216 and 218 Poplar Street.
P. Cunningham (deceased ) was a blacksmith and wagon-maker, whose shop
was situated on the
southeast corner of Monroe and De Soto Streets. He established his business in
1858. After
locating in this city he was associated with different partners, and at one time
sold out
and went to Mississippi, where he was employed in the arsenals at Columbus arid
at Selma,
Ala. When the war closed he returned to Memphis and resumed his former business. From 1878
up to the time of his death, which occurred August 5, 1885, Mr. Cunningham ran
the
business alone. He manufactured carts, trucks and scales, also always kept on
hand
seasoned lumber, from which he executed the most finished and difficult work in
his line.
He served his apprenticeship in Dayton, Ohio, which is of itself a sufficient
guarantee of
his proficiency. He was a native of Ireland, and immigrated to Canada in 1842,
and from
there to the United States in 1850, locating in Memphis in 1855. In the
following year he
married Mary Welch, of Belfast, Ireland, and eight children were born to them,
six of whom
are living. Since the death of our subject, his daughter, Fannie, has taken
charge of the
entire business, with John Fox, an experienced workman, as foreman, and is
conducting it
successfully.