Savannah Biographies

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  A Short Biography of Edward Padelford

  Larry Tinker

  On June 27, 1870 Edward Padelford, one of Savannah's oldest merchants and most respected citizens, died at the age of seventy-one years, one month and twenty-eight days. Marion, his daughter and only surviving child, was with him at his home at the time of death. His career in the shipping business had been eminently successful, and at the time of his death he was among the wealthiest of Southern merchants.

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  A Short Biography of James Morrison

  Andy Walker

  James Morrison, a native of Londonberry, New Hampshire, was a notable figure in Savannah, Georgia during the second and third decades of the nineteenth century. After graduating from Dartmouth College and Tapping Reeve Law School he went to Savannah and mar­ried into the prominent Johnston family. He became involved in such institutions as the Union Society, and The Savannah Poor House and Hospital. Morrison was a City Alderman for eight years and served three terms as the Mayor of Savannah.

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  A Short History and Geneaology of the Family of William Bellinger Bulloch

  William A. E. Brown

  The Honorable William Bellinger Bulloch was born in Savannah in April 1776 to Archibald and Mary Bulloch. Of the four children born of that marriage, WIlliam was the youngest. He received the very best education obtainable in the Colonial United States. He was an excellent student and graduated with honors, attaining a Doctorate of Laws degree from the College of William and Mary. He promptly gained recognition at the Georgia State Bar in 1797. WIlliam opened a law office in Savannah and soon became prosperous, influential and well-known attorney.

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  A Sketch of the Ancestry and Life of Augustus Munro McIver

  Susan Simmons

  Augustus Munro McIver (1828-1881) was a planter and teacher in Liberty County, Georgia. After marrying in 1858, he and his wife had four children. He fought for the Con­ federate cause in the War Between the States. In 1878 he and his family moved to Duval County, Florida where he died.

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  A Son of Liberty: The Life and Times of John Elliot Ward

  Christopher Elkins

  John Elliot Ward was born in Sunbury, Georgia, in 1814. His parents were William ward and Ann McIntosh, who was the daughter of Lachlan McIntosh, a very prominent Georgian. In 1835, Ward attended Amherst College but dropped out. Later that year, Ward became an attorney. Ward later became Solicitor General of the Eastern District Court, opened his own law practice in Savannah, became a ember of the Georgia legislature, was selected as President of the Senate, Became Mayor of Savannah, was selected as a minister to China and moved to New York City after the Civil War. Ward Died in Dorchester, Georgia, on November 29, 1902.

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  Aspasia Mirault

  Melissa D. Wolverton

  Aspasia Mirault, a Mulatto, was born in Santo Domingo and immigrated to the United States in 1800 as a free person of color. She probably immigrated to the United States because of the unrest in revolution-ravished Haiti. As Ms. Mirault was not born in Chatham County, no county records exist concerning her date of birth, and marital or family status. In William Harden's Recollections of a Long and Satisfactory Life, she is said to have had a husband named Simon Mirault; however, no other sources confirmed the marriage.

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  A Summons to Memphis: Exploring the Life and Times of the Reverend Mr. George White (1802-1887)

  Thomas G. Wilkes

  A native of Charleston, S. C., he removed to Savannah, Georgia, in 1822. As principal of the Chatham Academy, and for fourteen years of his own Savannah Academy, he acquired fame; he is best remembered by the brilliant, Classical scholarship of his students. Ordained an Episcopal clergyman in 1836, he engaged in mission work, preaching to seamen and to the Negro population, also establishing a church. For over sixty years he was married to Elizabeth Millen of Savannah; they had eight children, three surviving them. As a charter member of the Georgia Historical Association, he wrote important early histories, his Statistics of Geotgia (1849) and Historical Collections of Georgia (1855. Between 1849 and 1858

  he lived in Marietta, Georgia, served in relief or as missionary elsewhere in the state, and served a two-year rectorship at Trinity Church, Florence, Alabama. In 1858, he removed to Calvary Church in Memphis, which he served valiantly during the War Between the States and the yellow fever outbreak of 1878, which took his son, A tireless servant of the Church, and of God, he died Apr. 30, 1887,

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  Augustus Peter Wetter

  Patrick Walsh

  Augustus Peter Wetter was born in Germany in 1829 and died in Pennsylvania in 1882. He came to Savannah before the civil War and was one of the wealthiest men in Savannah for a period of time. Augustus P. Wetter was many things; he was a Civil Engineer, a planter, an Alderman for Savannah's first district and Cotton press director, just to name a few. He also held many positions on committees and boards. His life contained many triumphs and tragedies that would indicate a very full and sometimes sad existence.

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  Benjamin Burroughs

  John P. Muntzer

  In Burke's Peerage, the name of an ancient family is shown under the name of Burrows, having originated In Kent, England. The different ways of spelling the same name was a common custom in the old days.

  The History of the Burroughs Family goes back to the Elizabethan days of England's glorious marine exploits. An old record names captain Stephen Burroughs as captain of one of three vessels which attempted to reach China by way of Nova Zempla in 1553. In the old books of heraldry is described the Burroughs Coat of Arms, and many other records that indicate the prominence of the name in England during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Sir John Burroughs who was knighted in 1624 was an attendant and court official to King Charles I, and his descendants have been prominent in England from that time to the present day, one of them in recent years having been the head of the largest drug house in the world located in London, England.

  The founder of the family in America was John Burroughs, who was born in Dorsetshire, England in 1617, and traveled to Salem, Mass. about 1642 (See Appendix 2). As an adherent of Charles I he had been one of those who fled to America from England at the time to escape the religious and political persecution following the dissolution of the long Parliament, of which he was a member.3

  Fourth in descent from John Burroughs was Benjamin Burroughs. Benjamin was born at Newtown, on Long Island, March 31, 1779.4 In 1795, he brought the name of the Burroughs family to the south by relocating in Augusta, Georgia and proceeded in the following year to venture down to Savannah where he planted his roots by marrying a Savannahian, Miss Catherine Eirick on Tuesday July 2, 1799. Miss Eirick was the daughter of Alexander Eirick, a member of the Colonial parliament.

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  Betsey Baptiste: Biography of a Free Woman of Color

  Grace A. Robbins

  Betsey Baptiste came to Georgia in 1795 as an African slave and received her freedom in 1813. She worked as a "vendor of small wares" and was able to support herself, buy a house and add to her property holdings over the years. Betsey was forced to live under the authority of nineteenth century whites, who were uncomfortable with this odd class of free blacks in a slave-holding society. The whites created laws to control and hinder virtually every action of the blacks. Despite the constant hardships she faced, Betsey lived fifty-one years in Savannah as a free black. She never married or had children and she died in 1857 of old age.

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  Biographical Sketch of Isaac Drummond LaRoche (1816-1895)

  Martha Coolidge

  Isaac Drummond LaRoche was born in Augusta, Georgia on August 21, 1816. His parents were Isaac LaRoche, son of Isaac LaRoche and Elizabeth Drummond, and Eliza Sophia McIntosh Oliver, daughter of John Oliver of Augusta. Isaac Drummond LaRoche's father, Isaac, died in Augusta in 1822. According to Robert M. Myers, Isaac LaRoche (d.1822) came from South Carolina and early in life settled in Augusta where he practiced law. Records show that Isaac LaRoche (d.1822) and Eliza Oliver were married in Augusta in 1809; however, this Isaac must have lived part of his life in Savannah.

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  Biographical Sketch of John Paul Jones Bulger

  Lynne M. Caldwell

  Paul Bulger left his native New York to come to Savannah where he made a home for himself, his wife and their three daughters. Mr. Bulger established himself as an apt machinist and he owned and operated a prosperous machine shop for several years before his death in 1876. His grave marker reads: “An Honest man is the noblest work of God.”

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  Biography of Augustus Barie

  Sandra L. Vick

  Augustus Barie was born in Augusta, Georgia on July 15, 1815. While he was still a boy, his family moved to Savannah, Georgia; here, his father became the French Consul.

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  Biography of Henry Brigham

  Kathy Bergman

  Savannah merchant and banker. Mr. Brigham was born on October 4, 1811 in Southborough, Massachusetts. He took up residence in Savannah in 1835 at the age of twenty-five.

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  Biography of Henry Frederick Willink (1785-1873)

  Martha Coolidge

  Henry Frederick Willink was born in Germany on September 13, 1785. The area in Germany in which he was Dorn and lived before immigration to the United States is unknown. However, in a will of 1870 he left money to a niece living in Wolthausen in the kingdom of Hanover and to a nephew living in Pinneburg in the dutchy of Hols tein.

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  Biography of Henry Urban-Architect (1848-1927)

  Michael Barker

  Henry C. Urban was born on December 27, 1848, in Frank fort, Germany. He attended the Berlin School of Art, where he studied architecture, After one year of mandatory service in the German Army, he went to Paris, where he built several public buildings. There he met William Preston, of Boston, who asked Urban to work for his agency. He agreed, and came to the United States in 1883. He came to Savannah in December of 1888 (on his honeymoon) to supervise the construction of the De Soto Hotel. After that, he built the recently destroyed lndep endent Presbyterian Church. Deciding to stay in Savannah, he became a noted architect, building for the city as well as private citizens. He had two daughters (Elfrida and Doris), and lived fairly well. He retired in 1915, partly due to the anti-German sentiment of World War I. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage on September 20, 1927, at the age of 78. He is buried at Laurel Grove Cemetery, Lot No. 38.

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  Biography of Jerome N. Wilson: Photographer 1827-1897

  James D. Hill

  Jerome N. Wilson was a professional photographer in Savannah during the late 19th century. He was a native of New York, born in 1827, and arrived in Savannah around 1865. He marries Bridget Vaughan, a native of North Ireland, that same year and fathered eight children with her. Three of his children died during an outbreak of diphtheria in late 1879. The other five lived on until adulthood. Jerome was entangles in several legal matters ranging from law suits to cases of failure to pay debts and taxes. Jerome did have much luck in court room when it came to such cases. He continued to do photography work in Savannah until 1896. In February of the following year, Wilson passed away at his residence of 309 York St from complications of facial cancer.

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  Biography of Joseph Samuel Clayhorn

  Margaret Taylor

  Joseph Samuel Claghorn (1817-1879) was born in Connecticut and came to Savannah with his family in the 1820’s. He began commercial life in Savannah as the junior member of the firm of Wood & Claghorn. In 1848 he and Major John Cunningham formed a co-partnership under the name Claghorn & Cunningham when he was made a member for life. A person whom the community held in high regard. Captain Claghorn devoted time and money to support the Confederate cause, which continued until 1877. In 1856 he was elected Captain of the Chatham Artillery, which he held until 1862,.

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  Biography of Madame M. C. Cazier

  Margaret M. Behr

  This paper is a biography of Madame M. C. Cazier. Madame Cazier, also known as Maryann C. Cazier, had an important role as citizen of Savannah during the period of the Civil War. Although there is little information on her before this period, it is apparent that she played an important part in society as a “physician” and humanitarian to the soldiers of the Civil War. Madame Cazier, from my research and my opinion, was very well respected and was an intelligent woman to be in the position of Lady Manager at the Bartow Hospital.

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  Biography of Margaret Ann Prendergast

  Terry Robinson

  The following biography of Margaret Ann Prendergast reveals a life of a woman who remained in the shadow of her family. She appeared only infrequently in compari­son to the male predominance that was customary of the early and middle 19th Century. A glimpse at her character and .J tyle of livine is

  seen best through her male counterparts. These would include her maternal grandfather, Joachim Hartstein, her father, Tobias Vanzant Gray and her husband of 16 years, Pierce Butler Prendergast.

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  Biography of Mary Walton Johnston Charlton (1846-1931)

  Judson M. Kratzer

  The biographical research paper documents the personal aspects, relationships, and events that influenced and shaped the life of Mary Walton Johnston Charlton. The research uncovered a life richly filled with education, literacy and musical appreciation, religious commitment civic duty, social standing and a host of personal friendship. Through these activities she gained the admiration and respect of many members within the Savannah community. Like all individuals, her life was not without sadness nor disappointment and these elements molded her later years. Death at age 85, ended a varied and interesting life providing a unique personal profile.

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  Biography of Oliver Sturges

  Mitchell Blakely

  Oliver Sturges was born in Fairfied, Connecticut, in 1777 the son of the Honorable Johnathan Sturges, L.L.D., a member of the Congress under the Confederation. Oliver and his wife Eliza Neal arrived in Savannah, via Augusta, in late 1802, Oliver quickly established himself in the merchant business and also rather quickly began to serve in City government. His work with the Free Hospital and Poor House and his involvement with the Presbyterian Church suggest a solid Christian, humanitarian life. His involvement as Director of the State Bank of Georgia, Planters Bank, and United States Branch Bank of Savannah, suggest a business sense necessary in the life of a thriving merchant. Ultimately, Oliver's mark will be made by his involvement in the first steamship crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in 1819. Unfortunately for Oliver, the depression of 1819-1822 weighted heavily on this hard working man. While other Savannah New Englander's recovered from this lull, Oliver only suffered)and suffered, and died in 1824.

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  Biography of Owen Foley

  Debbie Bergman

  Savannah grocer, Mr. Foley was a native of Leitrim County, Ireland, and was born between 1811 and 1815. After immigration to the United States on October 5th or 6, 1834, he took up residence in Savannah on October 24th or 25th, 1834. Several pieces of property were owned by Mr. Foley: Lots #4 & #5 Moore Tything, Percival Ward; Lot #5 Holland Tything, Percival Ward, Lot #6 Carpenter's Tything, Decker Ward; Lot #16 Crawford Ward; and Lot 47 West Farm Street . Owen Foley married Honor L, Kirby on January 12, 1851, and they had two children, Catherine and Francis O. who were both born before Owen's death on May 30. 1855.

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  Biography of Reverend Charles William Rogers (1809-1861)

  Delores Gaulden

  The early life of Rev. Charles w. Rogers is very obscure. Having been born into a wealthy family and becoming a Minister, I am going to assume he was well educated. He married Caroline M. R_?., a native of Connecticut. To them four children were born; Anna, Carrie, Georgia and Charles U. Rogers. Indications are that Anna was the oldest of the four children, named for her grandmother. Already married at the time of her father's death, she was also first child mentioned in her father's will. Anna married Dr. Joseph West. Daughter Carrie married Samuel Stiles of Savannah. Two months after the death of her father Georgia Georgia married Peyton L. Wade of Screven County July 16, 1861. Georgia was later widowed and in 1865, she married Fraser Ho Grant Jr., a local bookkeeper. Charles w. Rogers, son of Rev. Charles W. Rogers died in 1863, at the age of 18, two years after the death of his father.

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  Biography of Samuel Kennedy Talmage (1798-1865)

  Tom Waters

  Samuel Kennedy Talmage was born December 11, 1798 near Somerville, N.J. He was ordained a Presbyterian minister and moved to Georgia where he helped found Oglethorpe University at Midway. He served as President of the school from 1841 till his death September 2, 1865.