Ouachita Parish
LAGenWeb
Robert B. Blanks of Monroe, Ouachita parish, La., was born in Kentucky in l854, a son of Robert A. and Eliza B. (Birmingham) Blanks, natives of Alabama and Kentucky, respectively. The mother of our subject was his father's second wife, and they were married in Louisville, Ky. After living there a short time, they removed to Caldwell parish, La., where the father was quite extensively engaged in planting and merchandising. Our subject was the second born of three brothers and three sisters, four of whom survive. He received a good practical education in the local schools and at the age of nineteen began business life for himself as a merchant on a small scale, at Columbia, Caldwell parish. He has continued in that line of business ever since and the concern of which he is at the head at the present time ranks among the greatest and most extensive in the central and northern parts of Louisiana. He has also a business at Blankstown, La., which was established in 1889, the place being named in his honor. In connection with his mercantile interests he carries on planting quite extensively and his combined operations aggregate at least a quarter of a million dollars, annually. He handles from 5,000 to 6,000 bales of cotton every season, and is the owner of a valuable plantation of 1,200 acres of land near Opelousas, La, and considerable land and a large planting interest in Caldwell parish. He was one of the founders of the Ouachita National bank at Monroe, in which he is still a large stockholder. He was one of the prime movers in the organization of, and a large stockholder in the Merchants and Farmers bank of Monroe, which was founded in February, 1890, and of which he is president. This concern has a paid up capital stock of $100,000. Mr. Blanks is also largely interested in the Compress & Warehouse company; the Monroe Grocery company; the Independent Oil Mill and the Consolidated Ice company, of Monroe and Shreveport, which operate large factories at both places, and a business in Columbia, Caldwell parish, amounting to $150,000 a year. He is also a stockholder in Independent Mill at New Orleans, and has stock in the American National bank at that place. In fact, there is no recent industry or enterprise in his section of which he has not been an active promoter and in which he has not been largely interested pecuniarily. His success in business has been due entirely to his business tact and his untiring energy. He never inherited a dollar and was never given a dollar. His present large possessions he has gained by his own unaided efforts. In his business transactions he is lenient with his debtors and has always aided them to the fullest extent. His large business concerns have so entirely engrossed his attention that he has never been able to bring himself to be a recipient of public honors, though they have been tendered him on many occasions. He was married in 1880 to Miss Eugenia Faulkner, of Columbia.
[Page 297]
Hon. Charles Jahleal Boatner, of Monroe, Ouachita parish, La., is a member of the well-known Boatner family of Louisiana, and is descended from ancestors who were among the earliest colonial settlers of America and parishes of Louisiana. His great-grandfather was a native of Holland. He located in South Carolina in the latter part of the eighteenth century, and removed thence to what is now the Florida parishes of Louisiana He was a man of some prominence, and was a successful planter. The father of the subject of this sketch received his education at Centenary college, from which he graduated with the highest honors. He took a law course in the University of Louisiana, was admitted to the bar about 1845, and located at Columbia, Caldwell parish. He served his district as attorney from 1848 to 1852, and he was elected a member of the state senate, in which body he served until 1856. After the death of Lieut.-Gov. W. W. Farmer he was made president pro tem. of the senate. He died in 1858, in the thirty-fifth year of his age. He had married early in life Miss Sarah Sterling, daughter of John Sterling, a planter of East Baton Rouge parish. His parents were natives of Scotland, who immigrated to America early in the colonial days, and he died in the prime of life, about 1845. Both the paternal and maternal grandfathers of Charles J. Boatner married English ladies, and no member of the family has since married into a foreign family. It might be expected that the descendants of such sterling ancestry should combine their meritorious traits of character, and take a high rank in intellectual attainments. The death of his father having occurred when the subject of this sketch was but nine years of age, he was taken in charge by his uncle, Isaac H. Boatner, who was at one time a member of the state legislature, representing East Baton Rouge parish. Under his care young Boatner received the benefits of a good private tutor, and laid the foundations of his education. After the war (1865-66) he attended a high school at Lancaster, Ky., for one year. The disastrous loss of crops in 1866, resulting from an overflow, rendered it necessary for him to return home. Shortly afterward he obtained employment in the district clerk's office, in which he was employed for a year and a half, at the same time pursuing a course in law under the tuition of Mayo & Spencer, and afterward continued his studies privately. After leaving the clerk's office Mr. Boatner accepted a position in the office of the sheriff of Catahoula parish, where he was engaged continuously until he attained his majority. He was admitted to the bar by the supreme court, February 15, 1870, and at once began practice at Harrisonburg, Catahoula parish. In 1878 he accepted a nomination for the state senate, and was elected, representing the district in that body until 1878, when he resigned his seat. As a member of the senate Mr. Boatner displayed marked ability, and at once took rank as a leader. He was chairman of the committee on lands and levees, and was a member of the judiciary committee and of the committee on retrenchment and reform. He introduced the act upon which the levee operations of the state have since been conducted, also the bill abolishing the Louisiana Levee company, and effecting a settlement between that corporation and the state. After his resignation, May, 1878, Mr. Boatner removed to Monroe, where he resumed the practice of law. He rose rapidly in the public esteem and soon had established a large practice. In 1882 he was a candidate for congress from the Fifth district, against J. Floyd King, and received the support of the parishes of Catahoula, Caldwell, Ouachita, Morehouse and a part of Claiborne parish. In 1884 he was again a candidate for congress against his former opponent. The district was so close and each of the two factions were so uncompromising that the convention divided in effecting an organization, and each faction maintained its own candidate. After a very bitter campaign, General King was returned elected and awarded a certificate of election. At the ensuing election the two committees representing the Boatner and King factious healed all differences by fixing the basis of representation in the nominating convention, on the combined King and Boatner vote, the result of which was the nomination of Hon. C. Newton, who had been an ardent supporter of Mr. Boatner in the preceding campaign. With a view of securing a more desirable location for his practice, Mr. Boatner located in Shreveport, in March, 1888. In October of that year, without having become a candidate, he was nominated to congress by acclamation from the Fifth district. After his election to congress, Mr. Boatner returned to Monroe, January, 1889, where he has since been engaged in the practice of his profession when not representing his district in congress. In 1890 Mr. Boatner was nominated to succeed himself, by acclamation. Mr. Boatner has for several years been a prominent figure in Louisiana state politics. At the state convention of 1883, which nominated McEnery for governor, Mr. Boatner was chairman of the committee on credentials, and as such was the leader of the McEnery party. At the state convention of 1888 he was chairman of the committee on conference, and was active in his efforts to reconcile the different factions. He was at the convention, made a member of the democratic executive committee, which position he still holds. Mr. Boatner is a lawyer of high rank and takes great pride in his profession. He was married in 1870 to Miss Fannie Mayo, the second daughter of his law preceptor, Oren Mayo. They are the parents of five children--four sons and one daughter.
[Pages 298-301]
The well-known business man, Maj. William A. Bright, is a native of Arkansas, and was born in Hempstead county, February 12, 1852. His parents, William L. and Elizabeth (Franks) Bright, were natives of South Carolina and Alabama, respectively. W. L. Bright removed with his parents to Louisiana, when quite young. He taught school at Farmerville for some time, and in 1848, removed to Hempstead county, Ark., where he became a prosperous planter. He was one of the influential men of his section and represented Nevada county in the lower house of the legislature two terms. He was for many years treasurer of Nevada county, and was its sheriff at the time of his death in 1882. Young William A. Bright received the advantages of a good business education, and early in life evinced a natural aptness to business pursuits. At the age of sixteen years he engaged as clerk in a mercantile establishment, and at the age of eighteen began a mercantile business for himself on a limited capital. In this he continued with marked success until December, 1879, when he removed to Little Rock, and in partnership with T. W. Baird, under the firm name of Baird & Bright, opened a wholesale machinery and implement distributing agency, in the interest of which Maj. Bright traveled in Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. The business under this management soon assumed mammoth proportions, and at the time of Maj. Bright's retirement in 1887, was one of the first of its kind in the South. It was while traveling that Maj. Bright conceived the idea of building what is now the Houston Central & N. Arkansas R. R. His plans soon materialized and a company consisting principally of Little Rock business men was organized with Maj. Bright as its president. Only those who know the obstacles which had to be overcome, can conceive the immensity of the undertaking. Eastern capitalists were slow to take hold of a railroad in a section of which they really knew nothing, and of which their impression served to discourage the idea. Notwithstanding this, the road was surveyed and about sixty miles of road had been completed, when, in November, 1889, a trade was effected with Mr. Gould, by which the road changed hands, though Maj. Bright is yet one of its directors. As a more central business point, and a place with a promising future, Maj. Bright, in 1887, removed to Monroe, where he still resides. He is largely interested in the chief enterprises of Monroe, and is doing much toward its development. Maj. Bright was married in 1882, to Miss Ella Meredith, of Hempstead county Ark. Their elegant home is a model of convenience and beauty.
[Page 319]
H. H. Filhiol of Sinope, La., was born in the town of Monroe, in 1845. His father, John B. Filhiol, also a native of Monroe, La., was born in 1815, and received his education in the common schools. He was a merchant, planter and navigator. He began merchandising at Monroe, La., in 1841, an later at Logtown in 1865, and there established quite a reputation as a salesman. He was married in 1841 to Miss Nancy St. Clair Bellew, who bore him three children. The eldest son, Grammont, was killed at the battle of Chancellorsville during the Civil war. The subject of this sketch was the second in order of birth, and R. M. the youngest. H. H. Filhiol, received his education in the common schools of this place, in and around Monroe, and enlisted in Company I, of the Fourth Louisiana cavalry in 1863 and served in the confederate army for two years. He is an active politician and is identified with many of the prominent local interests. He is an extensive planter on the Ouachita river, in the southern part of Ouachita parish, his principal crops being cotton and corn. He and his family are members of the Catholic church. He was married in 1875 to Miss Louisa A. Farrand, a native of Louisiana, who was born in 1850. They have had six children, all of whom are living except one who died in infancy. John B., the eldest, was born in 1876; Joseph Roland in 1880; Alfred F. in 1882; Estelle N. and Mary L. (twins) were born in the year 1887.
[Pages 413-414]
Hypolite Filhiol. No family in the north part of Louisiana is more worthy of a place in the annals of the history of the country in which they have so conspicuously figured than that to which this sketch is devoted. The fame of the old Spanish commandant looms up conspicuously in the old long ago of the Ouachita valley, and the good name, proverbial honesty, instructive courtesy and unbounded hospitality of his descendants preserve his most prominent and admired characteristics fresh to the present. Don Juan Filhiol was born at Eymet, in Perigord, department of Dardongue, arrondisment Bergerac, France, September 21, 1740. Leaving France in 1763, he removed to the island of San Domingo, thence to Philadelphia in 1779, with the intention of joining Count D'Estaing upon his return with the squadron to France; but certain events prevented his carrying out this intention, and, changing his destination, he arrived in New Orleans in May, 1779. The loss of his vessel by a hurricane in the month of August, 1779, and the declaration of war between Spain and England, compelled him to remain in Louisiana. Joining the volunteers he helped Spain to take Florida and Pensacola. In 1783 he was appointed by the king of Spain as captain in the army, and commandant of the militia, and assigned to the duty at the post of Ouachita, under instructions from Don Estevan Mire, then governor general of the province of Louisiana, whose favor he had gained by his superior qualities as a gentleman and soldier. Upon receiving his commission, Commandant Filhiol embarked, accompanied by his newly-made wife, a few soldiers and attendants, on a small keelboat, and proceeded on their long and tedious voyage up the Ouachita, then, a. may be imagined, in its "most delightfully primeval state." A description of this now beautiful and fertile valley, written by himself as it then existed, is still in the possession of his descendants. Commandant Filhiol first established his post at Ecore-a-Fabry, now Camden, Ark. In 1785 he left that place and established Fort Miro, named in honor of the governor of the territory, where Monroe now stands. The Spanish government having granted him the entire land upon which Monroe is now situated, below De Siard street, he laid it out into lots, donating a large square near the river front for a courthouse. While acting as commandant of the then important post of Ouachita, Don Juan received many grants of land as a reward for his civil and military services from the Governor Miro, who was, by Spanish colonial laws, vested with full power to make grants of land, and convey by such grants the absolute, fee simple to the lands thus granted. He was, however, a most modest and unselfish man, and it is said refused the entire territory between Monroe and Columbia, now the garden spot of the Ouachita valley. Among the lands granted him were those upon which the celebrated Hot Springs of Arkansas are located, to which, in consequence, his descendants lay a just claim. The records show that he sold the Hot Springs grant to his son-in-law, Don Narcisso Bourjeat, of Pointe Coupee, for $2,000, subsequently repurchased it, and obtained a deed passed before Don J. Poydras, judge of the court in the parish of Pointe Coupee, July 17, 1806, which was duly recorded, the property having never since changed hands. Commandant Filbiol retained the office of commandant until 1800, when he resigned it into the hands of Don Guillaume de la Baume, captain of the dragoons in the militia, who was in his turn succeeded by Don Vincente Fernandez Texeiro. A number of Don Juan's letters extant, augmented by the testimony which has been handed down, give ample proof of his zeal and strict honesty in a position surrounded by severe trials at times. His descendants, as well as the many worthy citizens, who point with pride to him who founded their lovely town, and watched over the destinies of the then infant settlement, delight to dwell upon his virtues, and perpetuate, in unbounded praise, his sacred memory. He died in the parish of Ouachita on September 28, 1821, at the age of eighty-one years. He was married at the port of Opelousas on March 15, 1782, to Francoise Poiret, and by her he became the father of three children: Jean Joseph, born at Camden, Ark., then Ecore-a-Fabry, in 1784; Marie Barne, born in 1786 at Fort Miro, now Monroe, and Edmond Landry Grammont, born at the same place in 1789. Jean Joseph Filhiol died in the parish of Ouachita in 1829, without issue. Marie Barbs Filhiol was four times married. She died in the parish of Ouachita in 1859, leaving nine children. Edmond Landry Grammont Filhiol died at the old homestead near Logtown, Ouachita parish, July 3, 1871, being the oldest manor born citizen of the Ouachita valley. He resembled his illustrious father very much in person and manners, even his handwriting, bold and plain, is almost an exact reproduction of that of the old commandant from whom he had evidently had his first lessons. His first business venture was hotel keeping in Monroe. On account of his easy and good-natured disposition he was imposed upon to such an extent that the venture proved a failure, and he removed to a wild tract of land on the Ouachita, twelve miles below Monroe, which he called "Perseverance," the present Filhiol plantation. In 1851 he donated the ground upon which the Catholic church in Monroe stands; and was, with Dr. C. H. Dabbs, a member of the building committee. The war between the North and South affected him deeply. He never lost an occasion to deplore it. He was seen at times to be moved to tears while expressing his apprehension of the future prospects of his country. One of his grandsons, his namesake, died on the field of Chancellorsville. In the treatment of his slaves he was indulgent to a fault; indeed they were almost free long before emancipation. His honesty was proverbial among all with whom he had business dealings. In his manners he was considerate and exquisitely polite, partaking of the style of the gentlemen of the old school. He married early in life Donna Aurora Rolando, of New Orleans, which union resulted in the birth of four children: Jean Baptiste, who died in 1886; Hypolite; Mrs. Harriet L. Watkins, widow; Mrs. Frances Ann Bres, deceased. Hypolite Filhiol, the only surviving son, is a wealthy planter, residing in Monroe, where he was born in 1825. He received his primary education in the local schools, and for two years, 1839-40, attended St. Mary's college near Perryville, Mo. His elder brother, Edward L. Filhiol, was a student at the same time, and died while there. On returning from school Mr. Filhiol was for four years engaged as steamboat clerk. He was clerk of the "Buckeye" when she collided with the "De Soto" in 1844, resulting so disastrously. Succeeding this Mr. Filhiol was employed for several years in the grocery and dry goods business in Monroe, and later for a short time conducted a drug store, neither of which proved successful, and since that time he has given his attention to the operation of his plantations. Beside two valuable plantations, Mr. Filhiol owns considerable real estate in Monroe, a part of which has descended, without having left the family, from his illustrious grandfather. Mr. Filhiol possesses in a large degree those characteristics which, from the time of the old Commandant, have been prominent in the family, and have rendered the name a deservedly popular one. Though advanced in age he is remarkably robust and well-preserved, and had lost none of the genial power of entertainment for which he is noted. Mr. Filhiol was first married, in 1848, to Miss Louise Betin, who died in 1854, having become the mother of one child, who died young. In 1855 he married Mrs. Deborah (Tufts) Herring, a native of Cambridgeport, Mass. To this union five children have been born: Grammont, the only son, died at the age of fifteen at Mount St. Mary's college, Emmetsburg, Md., while a student at that institution. Two daughters died young, and two, Mrs. Anna E. Ferrand, of Caldwell parish, and Mrs. Heloise Breard, of Monroe, are both accomplished ladies, and graduates of St. Joseph's academy, Emmetsburg, Md. The mother died in 1879, and in 1881 Mr. Filhiol married Mrs. Emily (Delery) Mason, a descendant of one of Louisiana's prominent families. The family are all Catholics.
[Pages 412-413]
R. M. Filhiol of Logtown, La., is a native of this state and was born in Monroe, La. His father, John B. Filhiol, was born in the town of Monroe in 1815. Our subject was reared and educated in Ouachita parish, La, and succeeded his father in 1885 in the operation of his beautiful plantation on the Ouachita river. He has also a large interest in other lands and in a number of co-operations in the state. He is a very active politician and takes a great interest in all things that tend to the upbuilding of the community and the state in which he lives. His greatest pride is in his large mercantile and planting business, which he has operated very successfully for some time.
[Page 414]
Thomas, John and Edward Garrett, brothers, were born in England. Vested by the
crown with large land grants in the colonies of Pennsylvania, Virginia and South
Carolina, they came to America early in the eighteenth century; Thomas locating
in Pennsylvania, John in Virginia and Edward in South Carolina. Thomas Garrett
was twice married; each wife bore him a son. Thomas Jr., issue of the first
marriage, was born December 12, 1721; he removed to northern Virginia, where he
resided on a part of the crown grant of lands to his father until his death.
John, issue of the second marriage of Thomas Sr., became an extensive tobacco
manufacturer in Philadelphia.
Abel, fifth son of Thomas Garrett Jr.,
married Nancy Davis, whose birthplace became the historic battlefield of the
first Bull Run in 1861. From this marriage were born six sons and four
daughters. Isaiah, the youngest son, was born near Franklin, Williamson county,
Tenn. [and his birthplace became subsequently the battlefield of Franklin],
September 18, 1812. His parents removed in 1816 to Saline county, Mo., from
which state he was appointed to the United States Military academy, at West
Point, whence he was graduated in 1833. Owing to defective vision, after a brief
service, he resigned his commission in the army, and in 1834 became a resident
of Ouachita parish, La., and so continued until his death.
Having
studied law, he obtained license to practice from the supreme court of the state
in 1835, entering into a partnership with Judge E. K. Wilson, then the leading
lawyer of the north Louisiana bar, which partnership continued while Judge
Willson remained at the bar. Isaiah Garrett served a term as district attorney,
but his extensive practice precluded his holding office. He early became
renowned at the bar and continued one of the leaders in the legal profession in
Louisiana. He was a whig in politics so long as that party existed, and with his
wonderful popularity that he retained to his death was an acknowledged power and
made his influence felt throughout Louisiana. He was of fine physique--six feet
one inch in bight, broad-chested and erect, with brown hair and grey eyes.
In 1845 he was a leading member of the state constitutional convention. He
retired, from the active practice of the law in 1857 to his princely estate of
"Lindwood," eight miles below Monroe on the Ouachita river, where he was
residing when called by his fellow-citizens to represented them in the memorable
secession convention of 1861. Sent by his constituents as a co-operationist, he
earnestly counseled deliberation, warning the convention of the terrible results
that would ensue from precipitate action, predicting, when it was resolved to
separate from the Union, a long and bloody war. He refused to sign the ordinance
of secession adopted by the convention, his constituency being opposed thereto.
He lived to witness his sad forebodings realized and to mourn the spoliation and
humiliation of the land of his nativity-his beloved South. When the crisis came
he linked his destinies with those of his adopted state. His defective vision
forbade active field service, but was chairman of the state military board so
long as state's rights were observed.
He returned to reside in Monroe
and established a private hospital for sick and wounded Confederates, which was
kept open till the close of the war in 1865. He resumed the practice of the law
at the close of the war and soon acquired an extensive clientele, resuming his
position at the head of the north Louisiana bar. He took great interest in the
"reconstruction" problem and wielded a powerful influence against the
destructive efforts of radicalism; indeed he could always be found fighting in
the van on the side of right. To this day his memory is reverenced as the safe
counsellor and true friend.
He died, surrounded by the citizens of
Monroe, in his home with his family on May 7, 1874. His death resulted from a
fall, having been thrown from his buggy, the horses having taken fright and run
away. Isaiah Garrett was united in marriage with Narcissa Grayson, the youngest
daughter of Col. Thomas Grayson, of one of the first families of the Ouachita
district, May 10, 1836. The Graysons came to America about the middle of the
eighteenth century from England and settled in Virginia, where, January 1, 1770,
Thomas Grayson was born. He was bold and adventurous, and while quite young
removed to Kentucky and joined Daniel Boone, with whom he shared all the
vicissitudes and dangers of life on the border.
He married Sarah Stuart,
from North Caroline, of Scotch-Irish descent. In 1813 Thomas Grayson removed
with his family to Caldwell parish, La., on the Ouachita River, where his home
became the most noted landmark of north Louisiana. There were thirteen children
born to Colonel Grayson and his wife, all but one of whom lived to mature age.
One of the sons, Andrew J. Grayson, was a pioneer to California in 1849 and his
name is identified with the history of that state; he enjoys a national
reputation and is known as the Audubon of the West. Narcissa Grayson's memory,
as the wife of Isaiah Garrett, is green in the hearts of many; she was indeed a
fit mate for her husband, mentally and physically. She was the acknowledged
first lady of Monroe during all those troublous years of internecine strife. Day
and night she strove unwearied to aid the Southern soldiers; she had two sons in
the confederate army. She survived her husband sixteen years and died in 1890.
She never recovered from the death of her husband, whom she loved idolatrously,
and she rests next him in the family lot in the Monroe cemetery.
It can
be truly said of these two: Their children delight to call them blessed. Their
union gave birth to a large family, only three sons and two daughters reaching
maturity. Of these, two, Franklin the eldest, and Isaiah the second son, reside
in Monroe, one daughter in Virginia, the wife of J. A. Bethune, the other in
Ouachita parish, the wife of W. B. Chambliss; the youngest child and son, Thomas
A. Garrett is a prominent lawyer and citizen of Seattle, Washington. Thomas
studied law under his brother Franklin and subsequently served as judge of the
parish of Ouachita; he was also for one term of four years a member of the
Louisiana legislature. Isaiah, the second son, devoted himself to farming a
number of years after the war in which he served as private, having entered the
army a mere boy and gone through the war in the Fourth Louisiana battalion,
which won renown on many fields under Johnston, Hood and others. He was recorder
of Ouachita parish several years and United States postmaster during Mr.
Cleveland's term as president, at Monroe, resigning after Mr. Harrison had
failed to relieve him, and now has charge of the sheriff's office of Ouachita
parish.
[Pages 434-435]
Franklin Garrett, the eldest surviving son of Isaiah and Narcissa Garrett, was born in Monroe, La., on November 6, 1840; was educated at the local schools to nine years of age, then for two years attended school in Liberty, Miss. Returning to Monroe, he continued to attend school until 1855, when he was matriculated at Louisiana (now Jefferson) college in the parish of St James, remaining there a year; thence in 1857 to Centenary college, at Jackson, La., where he remained until the summer of 1S59, when he matriculated at the University of North Carolina, whence he was graduated in a class of over ninety with distinction in June, 1861; entered the confederate army in the Second Louisiana regiment soon afterward, serving on the Virginia peninsula until his health was wrecked in the spring of 1862, when he was discharged; resumed service in the staff department of the Mississippi, and subsequently the trans-Mississippi department of the confederate army. In 1864 was commissioned in the staff department and assigned to duty under Gen. P. 0. Hebert--subsequently put in charge of the collection of supplies to maintain a part of the Missouri and other troops under General Price in northern Louisiana--paroled at Natchitoches in June, 1865, with the rank of captain; taught school in Monroe after the war closed until November, 1865, when he became chief clerk of the senate enrolling committee of the first post-bellum legislature in Louisiana. He studied law two years under his father, and in March, 1888, was admitted to practice by the supreme court of Louisiana; at once became partner with his father, the partnership continuing until the death of the latter. He was an active leader during all the era of reconstruction from 1868 to 1876, and could at any time have commanded the suffrages of his fellow-citizens but devoted himself to his chosen profession. He was attorney for Ouachita parish in 1877-78, formulating many laws for the local guidance. In 1880 was elected to represent Ward 3 of Monroe in the city council and re-elected for three successive terms, during which period he acted as city attorney and drafted many of the laws that now are in force in that city. He was requested in 1880 to endeavor to establish public schools in Monroe that should be representative. He devoted a number of years to the task and finally evolved model graded schools wherein many children have been enabled to fit themselves for the battle of life. Starting with only $63 in the school treasury in 1880, he retired from active management of the schools in 1888 leaving available an annual revenue of nearly $6,000 besides comfortable buildings, etc. In 1888 he was again selected to represent Ward 3 in the city council for two years, and in the same year appointed by Gov. Francis T. Nicholls as the member of the state board of public education for the Fifth Congressional district and now occupies that position; has been active in local and state and national politics as a democrat since 1868; is a democrat of the strictest state's rights school, and delights to witness the confusion of all the so called democrats who claimed that the "war" settled adversely such doctrines in favor of the republican destructiveness of centralization, in the light of the recent demonstrations for states' rights and individual liberty throughout Kansas and the great Northwest. Franklin Garrett was married in Shelby county, Tenn., to Miss Agnes M. Bond, October 20, 1869, and four children--two daughters and two sons--survive as issue of the union; Mrs. Garrett died early in 1887. In the latter part of 1889 Mr. Garrett was married to Miss Leila E. Johnston, of Alabama. He is six feet in stature, has dark hair and eyes and weighs 215 pounds.
[Pages 437-438]
C. M. Goodwin of De Siard, Ouachita parish, La., is a native of Alabama and was born in 1846. His father, R. P. Goodwin, was a native of South Carolina and was born in 1812. During his life he was a planter, and first came to Alabama and afterward removed to Louisiana, later settling in Texas, where he died in 1888. He was a member of the Presbyterian church, and for many years was a Mason. In 1838 he married Miss Susan McLain, a native of Alabama. They were the parents of twelve children, of whom seven are living. The mother died in 1886 in Texas. In 1859 C. M. Goodwin came to Louisiana and located at Vienna in Lincoln parish, where for some years he engaged in trading with much success. For some time past he has devoted his attention to planting; he has a beautiful plantation in the north part of Ouachita parish, consisting of about 520 acres of land. His principal crops are cotton and corn. He ranks among the successful and progressive planters and the first-class citizens of the parish.
[Page 449]
M. M. Grady, of Monroe, Ouachita parish, La., is a native of Ireland, and was born in 1842. His father, John M. Grady, also a native of Ireland, was born in 1803, and was reared and educated in his native country. He came to the United States in 1848, and located at New Orleans. He was married, in 1839, to Miss Margaret Quilter, who was also a native of Ireland, and they became the parents of ten children - five sons and five daughters - only five of whom are living at the present time. Of these children, the subject of this sketch was the second in order of birth. He came with his mother to the United States in 1853, his father having come five years before. He removed with his parents to Mississippi from New Orleans, and after living there for a short time emigrated to Louisiana, where he located permanently at Monroe, in Ouachita parish. He received a practical education at Sea Shore seminary, Miss., and is a member of the Catholic church. He was married, in 1867, to Miss Rosa V. Commyns, a native of Florida, and their union has been blessed by the birth of four children, all of whom are now deceased except one. Mr. Grady is an extensive planter. His plantation consists of 1,600 acres of land, lying on the island in the north part of Ouachita parish, La. His principal crops are cotton and corn. He is a republican in politics, and has held the office of tax-collector for his parish for one term, and has also served as parish recorder. He devotes all of his time to his planting interests, with which he is wholly engrossed, and in which he is noted as being very successful.
[Pages 449-450]
F. Volliman, of West Monroe, Ouachita parish, La., a native of Prussia, came with his mother to New Orleans in 1849. His first employment was as office-boy in that city, and when he came to choose his life work he became a builder and was employed in contracting and building with much success until the war. At the beginning of the war he enlisted in Company A, of the Fourth Louisiana battalion, and served for a time with the Army of Virginia, later in the Army of Tennessee. At Missionary Ridge he was made a prisoner of war. In 1865 he located in Monroe and was there engaged in contracting and building until 1884, when he embarked in the manufacture of lumber, owning a small mill to which a planer was attached. His investment in this business now reaches the sum of $50,000, and his plant covers about six acres of land. He carries about 1,500,000 feet of lumber in stock and has about 5,000,000 feet of timber in the river. The capacity of his mill is about 30,000 feet per day and his planing mill has a capacity of about 40,000 feet, while his shingle mill turns out about 40,000 shingles per day. He does a large shipping business of cypress lumber and shingles to St. Louis and other Northern cities. Beginning life without capital and without influential friends, he has attained such a position that he is recognized as one of the leading citizens of that part of the state, and itis a source of much gratification to him to reflect that what he possesses was acquired by his own unaided efforts. He was married in 1868 to Miss E. T. Keller, of Monroe, by whom he has two children, the oldest is the wife of Mr. James McGrath, of Monroe, and the other, a son, is employed in the business with his father.
[Page 437]
Contributed 2021 Nov 04 by Mike Miller, from Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Louisiana, published in 1892, volume 2
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