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Deep Running Roots, Far-Reaching Branches the story of The City of Oxford, Georgia In Commemoration of Oxford’s 175 th Anniversary 1839 - 2014

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Page 1: Oxford Anniversary Book Sample Pages

Deep Running Roots, Far-Reaching Branchesthe story of

The City of Oxford, Georgia

In Commemoration of Oxford’s 175th Anniversary1839 - 2014

Page 2: Oxford Anniversary Book Sample Pages

Deep Running Roots, Far-Reaching Branches

the story of

The City of Oxford, Georgia

Edited By

L. L. Dorward

Biography Committee ChairpersonJ. P. Godfrey, Jr.

Storybrook Committee ChairpersonLouise Norton Eady

Historical Sites Committee Chairperson

Michael Ready

PubLishED by ThE CiTy of oxfoRD, 2014

Page 3: Oxford Anniversary Book Sample Pages

Mayor and City Council Members2014

Jerry D. Roseberry, Mayor

Council Members

sarah Davis

David Eady

George R. holt

Lyn Pace

Terry smith

James h. Windham

Preface

Throughout oxford’s 175 year history, there have been many of its citizens who have contributed to making it a remarkable community. some have been in the public eye and have captured the attention of many, while others have not been widely known, although their efforts have been vital in making oxford the cherished community it has been for generations of its citizens.

Part One of this book pays tribute to the citizens of oxford whose accomplishments reached beyond the confines of our community. because oxford was founded by the Methodist church to provide a town in which to place Emory College, town, church, and college are inseparably linked; most of the early leaders of the community were also leaders in the Methodist church and Emory College. The college has grown over the years into a world renowned university whose graduates have made major contributions to the community, the state, the nation, and even the world. Many of these remarkable individuals were also citizens of oxford who were born here, raised here, or lived here as valued members of the community.

Part Two of this book commemorates the African Americans whose incalculable contributions have had a profound impact on our community and yet have gone largely unrecognized by history due to the loss of identity imposed by the institution of slavery and compounded by the too-slow progression of societal redemption for the stain slavery has left on our history. Many names are still unknown to us, but the search continues by historians, genealogists, and devoted family members who will not allow their identities to go unnamed.

Part Three of this book honors many of the remarkable citizens and families of oxford whose accomplishments and contributions to the city have made our community truly exceptional -- who have made oxford a hometown that continues to be beloved by its residents.

Part Four of this book consists of the oral histories, local legends, and cherished memories contributed by citizens of oxford. Many of these stories have been passed down through generations; some are excerpts from family diaries, as well as from published and unpublished manuscripts, reproduced here by permission. Together they tell the story of life in oxford through its history.

Part Five of this book is a tour through oxford’s historic sites, past and present.

The City of Oxford would like to acknowledge the citizens of Oxford who have contributed their stories and family histories in the making of this commemorative edition. Without their generosity, this work would not have been possible.

far Reaching branches iiDeep Running Roots i

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IntroductIon

“Let us cultivate industry and economy, observe law and order, practice virtue and justice, walk in truth and righteousness, and press on with

strong hearts and good hopes.”

Atticus Greene Haygood, 1880

oxford, Georgia: A Place set Apart

The City of oxford’s beginning was remarkable. it was an early example of city planning, town and college fully laid out together on an engineer’s drawing board and with the streets owing their straight lines to a ruler, rather than meandering paths. The town’s planners were men with noble ideas as to how life should be lived on this earth, and they now went about planning “a place set apart, pervaded by an atmosphere of culture and science,” where no evil thing should enter. “We will entertain no public sins which could be guarded against,” they wrote in the town charter. Alcohol, gambling, and dancing were not allowed in the town limits. They intended to create a village that was as close to paradise on earth as possible. it was to be not only free of sin, but full of love for God, mankind, nature, and learning. it was to be peaceful, safe, and beautiful. The pursuit of knowledge was one of their highest values. They even encouraged the education of women, which was not the norm in the 19th century.

in 1836, the Georgia Conference of The Methodist Episcopal Church incorporated a college to be named Emory College after Methodist bishop John Emory. The college was to be built on land north of the City of Covington. in conjunction with the college a village was to be built which would be called oxford after the university attended by John Wesley, the founder of Methodism.

The trustees of Emory College purchased the land from Cary Wood of Covington, all that part of oxford that lies west of oxford’s main street. from the campus to the north end of town was solid woods, with the exception of two small clearings.

Edward Lloyd Thomas, a well-known surveyor, was hired to survey the town. The streets were to radiate out from the college and were to be named after important figures of the Methodist Church, with the main street named Wesley street after John Wesley. The town of oxford was surveyed and plotted in 1837 and the Georgia state Legislature granted a charter for its incorporation on December 23, 1839.

since the Methodist Episcopal Church founded the college and town, church services were held from the very beginning. in 1841, The oxford Methodist Episcopal Church building (now known as old Church) was built and later, a small church was placed in what is now the southeast corner of the oxford historical Cemetery so that the slaves in the community could hold church services. After emancipation, African American citizens of oxford founded the Mt. Zion baptist Church and Rust Chapel Methodist Church. in 1910, the young John Allen Memorial Methodist Church was built.

Although it was the official doctrine of the Methodist church that slavery was a “moral evil,” most of the early leaders in both the college and the town were slave holders. This issue would ultimately cause the church to split into two factions. After the Civil War, and up until the mid-twentieth century, racial segregation was prevalent in all aspects of community life in the southern united states, including oxford.

for a time, the education of children was conducted in homes until the oxford female seminary was built in the mid-1800s. in 1861, this school transitioned into the Palmer institute and, in the early 1900s, the Palmer institute and several schools were consolidated into the Palmer-stone Elementary school. Prior to the emancipation of the slaves, state law prohibited the education of African Americans. After emancipation, segregation would still be the law of the land for another hundred years. African American children were educated is schools established in conjunction with the African American churches. it wasn’t until 1921 that a school

It was to be not only free

of sin, but full of love for

God, mankind, nature, and

learning.

far Reaching branches 2Deep Running Roots iv

Deep Running Roots, Far-Reaching Branches

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for African American children, called the oxford (Rosenwald) school was built. in fact, in 1964, ten years after the historic Brown v. the Board of Education ruling by the united states supreme Court, the vast majority of school districts in Georgia were still segregated. it wasn’t until 1969 that Palmer-stone Elementary school, along with all other elementary schools in Newton County, was integrated at all grade levels.

in the early years, transportation was provided by a mule driven trolley car, which travelled from oxford to the railroad depot in Covington. Covington had a similar trolley which continued through Covington. The train carried passengers between Augustus and Atlanta. otherwise, travel was by carriage, wagon, or by foot until the invention of the automobile. Even so, it took a while before automobiles were a common site in oxford.

The only commercial activities in the town were those necessary to support the residents and college, such as a post office, general stores, a blacksmith, and a barbershop.

for much of the history of oxford, Emory students were an integral part of town life. The students who didn’t live with their own families in town boarded in the homes of the city’s residents or in “helping halls,” houses in town that were owned by the college that were co-oped by students. After the advent of dorms, the students became more separate from town life. Later, when women were admitted to the college and as their numbers increased, the male students tended not to mix as much with local girls. but still, the relationship between college and town remained strong through the years.

in 1919, Emory College moved to Atlanta to become part of Emory university. The oxford campus stayed within the Emory university system but was refashioned into “Emory Academy,” a college preparatory school educating high school students. in 1929, a junior college division of Emory was established, called Emory-at-oxford. Then, in 1964, Emory-at-oxford became oxford College of Emory university.

over the years, the town has changed and developed. Electric lines were brought in and a water system was established. indoor plumbing became the norm. Kitchens were moved from separate buildings to rooms within the house. With the advent of the car, it was no longer necessary to shop or to work in or near oxford, and when large chain stores and shopping centers came to nearby cities, oxford’s stores began to close -- but the citizens of oxford were determined that their beloved continue to thrive. And it did.

initially the town was governed by seven commissioners; the chairman of the group had the title of “intendant.” A new charter was granted for the town of oxford on september 14, 1914 that provided for a “chairman of the board” to be selected from the seven commissioners. it also included a resolution to change the name of benson street to Emory street. Another charter, dated october 27, 1953 provided for the election of oxford’s first mayor by the voters of the town of oxford. The charter has been changed at least once since then and outdated ordinances have been replaced. The town is currently governed by 6 councilpersons and a mayor. in addition, there is a Planning Commission and a Trees, Parks, and Recreation board.

for a time, the needs of the town were tended to by a city clerk, a town marshal, and a “superintendent of public works.” Now oxford has 13 employees, which include a full-time city manager, city clerk, superintendent of public works, a chief of police, and four police officers. oxford has a new city hall and a new state-of-the-art maintenance facility. The 1889 annual budget for the city was $649. Today, the city operates on an annual budget of approximately $200,000.

in many ways, life in oxford remains as peaceful and idyllic as the founders intended, as warm and welcoming as many who grew up here remember. Many fifth and sixth generation families – both black and white -- still make oxford their home and work together to make their community “a place set apart.

. . .the citizens of Oxford

were determined that their

beloved continue to thrive.

And it did.

ACT of iNCoRPoRATioN

PAGE 1

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Act oF IncorPorAtIon

An Act to IncorPorAte the town oF oxFord, GeorGIA In the county oF newton, Also to APPoInt commIssIoners For the sAme, to deFIne theIr Powers, And to desIGnAte the corPorAte lImIts oF the town.

sIGned december 23, 1839

JOSEF H. DAY,

sPeAker oF the house oF rePresentAtIves

ROBERT M. ECHOLS

PresIdent oF the senAte

CHARLES J. McDONALD

Governor

THE FIRST COMMISSIONERS (1839)

Richard L. Simms

Ignatius A. Few

Samuel J. Bryan

Archilaus H. Mitchell

William H. Mell

Harmony Lamar

James H. Bryan

far Reaching branches viiDeep Running Roots vi

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City of Oxford

far Reaching branches 1xDeep Running Roots viii

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Ignatius Alonso Few, the eldest son of Captain ignatius few, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, was the first chairman of the Emory board of Trustees and the first president of Emory College. born in Columbia County, Georgia, few studied briefly at

Princeton and in New york City before returning to Georgia to study law in Augusta. At this time, few was a passionate advocate for philosophical rationalism and was not hesitant to engage in lengthy debates on one of his favorite subjects, the “Grounds for Religious beliefs.”

in 1823, he became seriously ill with what was then known as “lung fever,” what today is believed to be tuberculosis. During his illness, he experienced a religious conversion and joined the Methodist Episcopal Church. five years later, he left the law and joined the ministry. however, after serving in churches in Macon and savannah, his precarious health required that he leave the active ministry at the end of 1834. That same year, the Methodist Conference Manual Labor school was founded in what was later to become known as Clark’s Grove, an area just west of downtown Covington. few became its founding director. Despite the financial hardships that plagued the school from the onset, few persisted

and campaigned the Methodist Episcopal Georgia Conference for the Manual Labor school to be replaced with a traditional college based on academics. After considerable debate, he was successful in persuading the Georgia Conference of 1836 to ask the state legislature for a charter to establish a college. Thus was Emory College born. With a budget of $10,000, President few and trustees samuel J. bryan and Charles saunders formed a building committee and, by 1838, the first cornerstone of the first building – a small wooden chapel “without ornament or belfry” – was laid. ignatius few remained active in both church and college affairs until his death in 1845. Emory’s few hall was named in his honor.

Ignatius Alonso Few (1789 – 1845)

“After considerable debate,

he was successful in

persuading the Georgia

Conference of 1836 to ask the

state legislature for a charter

to establish a college. Thus

was Emory College born.”

far Reaching branches 2

notAble oxFordIAns

“Let us stand by what is good and make it better if we can”

-- Atticus Haygood

Deep Running Roots 1

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frictional electricity, causing current to pass through wires that were attached to a chunk of black carbon, which caused the material to burst into light. one eyewitness stated that “Never … have i seen a more brilliant light. Nothing in all the phenomena of our wonderful age has ever impressed me more than this exhibition and i can never forget it as long as my memory lasts.” Although the concept of electric light was not original with Dr. Means, (that distinction belongs to England’s sir Michael faraday who had already invented both the incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs), it is likely that this was the first light bulb to be seen in the united states.

During his trip to England in 1851, Dr. Means acquired a bell as a gift for Emory College. Cast in 1796, it currently hangs in the bell tower of seney hall and is the oldest historical monument at oxford College.

During the run-up to the Civil War, Dr. Means was elected to the state Convention for secession on January 2, 1861 where he presented a 45-minute speech against secession. When a test vote was taken, Means, along with 129 others, voted against secession, while 165 delegates voted for it. A second test vote yielded nearly the same result. When the official vote was taken, Dr. Means recorded in his diary that he and several others voted for secession in order to “present as solid a front as possible to our enemies by swelling the majority vote.” from then on, Means supported the Confederacy with enthusiasm, calling Virginia’s decision to secede “glorious news.”

After the war, Dr. Means became the state Chemist of Georgia, the first position of this type in the united states. he died at the age of 82 and is buried in the oxford historical Cemetery.

Edward Lloyd Thomas was the surveyor who laid out the town of oxford and Emory College. in payment for his services, he received four lots, each containing a little over two acres. his was one of the first houses built in oxford and is known today as the Thomas / stone house on Wesley street.

in 1808, Thomas married Mary (“Polly”) hogue of Clarke County, the daughter of a successful farmer, Jacob hogue. Edward and Mary Thomas had two daughters and six sons; one of their sons died in infancy. in 1827, Thomas was selected to survey the 1,200 acre town of Columbus, Georgia. Thomas took his young son, Truman, with him as a

member of his crew. Truman got sick and died during the project. The house on 808 broadway street where young Truman died still stands; his was the first burial at the Linwood Cemetery in Columbus.

Thomas’s remaining four sons grew to adulthood and all of them served in the Civil War. henry Phillip (1810 – 1863) was a Colonel in the 16th Regiment of Georgia infantry and was killed in the battle of fort sanders; Lovick Pierce (1812 – 1878) served as Quartermaster of the 35th Georgia infantry; Wesley Wailes (1820 – 1906) was a Major in Company f, Phillip’s Legion of Cavalry; Edward Lloyd ii (1825

Edward Lloyd Thomas (1785 – 1852)

  far Reaching branches 4

Alexander Means was a man of immense diversity. Physician, school teacher, scientist, college professor, poet, college president, statesman, and state chemist, Means was born in statesville, North Carolina, the only child of Alexander Means, sr., an immigrant from Tyrone County, ireland, and sarah McClellan Means from Pennsylvania. his mother took charge of his early education and, at the age of ten or eleven, Alexander began studying chemistry and attending the “old field schools.” his education was furthered at private “academies,” which were basically tutelages under learned men, until his father’s financial resources ran out. several of Alexander’s mentors, impressed with his intellect and promise, offered to pay for his continued education at the university of south Carolina, but his mother declined their offer. instead, Means began teaching, but soon left his position due to ill health. he tried his hand at being a merchant, but felt he was unsuited for the job. After his mother died, Means moved to what was then considered the very rural “frontier” of Georgia. he returned to teaching and was able to save enough money to pursue the study of

medicine under the guidance of a Dr. Randolf and a Dr. Walker. sometime in 1820, Dr. Means moved to what would later become the city of oxford and purchased a small farm house on what is now Emory street. he set about constructing orna Villa (meaning “bird house”) incorporating the foundation of the original house on the site into a grand Greek Revival home designed by architect Richard K. Dearing. in 1825, Dr. Means entered into a medicalpartnership practice with Dr. henry Gaither of Covington.

Means joined the Methodist church in 1825 and became a licensed minister in 1828. he remained deeply involved in education, however, and in 1833 he helped found the Newton County female seminary. The following year he became president of the newly formed Georgia Conference Manual Labor school. in 1838, he resigned this position in order to accept a professorship of natural sciences at the newly founded Emory College. it was around this time that his writings and lectures began to attract considerable attention and, in 1840, he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Medicine and a professorship of chemistry at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. Dr. Means conducted his classes in Augusta during the winter term while continuing his professorship at Emory.

Dr. Means became fascinated with what was being discovered on the new frontier of electricity. in 1851, he traveled to England where he became acquainted with the leading scientists and inventors in the field, sir Michael faraday and sir Charles Lyell. inspired by their work, he began to conduct his own experiments in electricity, what Means liked to call “God’s vice-regent.” Later, on June 2, 1857, after presenting a lecture to a gathering of Atlanta’s leading citizens at Atlanta’s old City hall, Dr. Means invited them to attend an exhibition the following evening where he was going to demonstrate a device he constructed, a primitive version of the incandescent light bulb. it produced

Alexander Means (1801 – 1883)

“Means joined the Methodist

church in 1825 and became a

licensed minister in 1828. He

remained deeply involved in

education, however, and in 1833

he helped found the Newton

County Female Seminary. ”

 

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Deep Running Roots 3

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Educated at yale university, A.B. Longstreet served as the second president of Emory College from 1839 to 1848. he had previously been an exceptionally successful lawyer, politician, writer, farmer, and minister. During the precarious financial condition of the college in the early years, Longstreet sometimes used his own funds to keep the school operational and the salaries paid. Due in large part to his excellent bona fides, he was able to attract patronage and increase student enrollment. Perhaps the most distinguished of these early graduates of Emory College was Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, who became a united states senator, secretary of the interior, and Associate Justice of the united states supreme Court.

Longstreet married frances Eliza Parke in 1817 and they had eight children, only two of whom survived to adulthood. in 1821, Longstreet became a representative in the Georgia General Assembly, but his term was interrupted when he was appointed to serve on the superior Court of the ocmulgee Judicial District. in 1824, while campaigning for a seat in the united states Congress, his first-born son, Alfred Emsley died, causing Longstreet to withdraw from the race. Prior to the death of his son, Longstreet was not a religious man; but his grief was so acute, he began to study the bible in earnest and soon became converted to Christianity. he and his family joined the Methodist church in 1827. The following year he became a minister.

in 1835, Longstreet published Georgia Scenes, Characters, Incidents, Etc. in the First Half Century of the Republic. it was the first important literary work to come from the state of Georgia and was given a rave review by author Edgar Allan Poe. his earliest publications have been lost and some were not discovered until long after they had been published. in 1864, Longstreet published his first and only novel, Master William Mitten; or A Youth of Brilliant Talents, Who Was Ruined by Bad Luck, which was not well received. Most of his later works were political in nature, including two lengthy defenses of slavery entitled Letters on the Epistle of Paul to Philemon (1845) and A Voice From the South (1847).

Longstreet’s career as a minister ended when he became president of Emory College in 1839. he resigned his position in 1848 and moved to oxford, Mississippi to join his wife who had taken ill and was living there with their daughter. During the Civil War, when union troops reached their home in Mississippi, the soldiers used Longstreet’s papers as kindling to burn down their house. The Longstreets then moved back to

oxford, Georgia for the duration of the war.

in the year 2000, Augustus baldwin Longstreet was inducted into the Georgia Writers hall of fame.

Augustus Baldwin Longstreet

(1790 – 1870)

During the precarious financial

condition of the college in

the early years, Longstreet

sometimes used his own funds

to keep the school operational

and the salaries paid.

far Reaching branches 6

– 1898) had, by the end of the war, become General of the 35th Georgia infantry.

in addition to being a surveyor, Thomas was a Methodist minister, farmer, and land speculator. in 1808, he even served as a justice of the peace in franklin County and was captain of Militia District 209. he learned surveying from his uncle, Levin Wailes and surveyed many district lines in Georgia. in 1826, Thomas became chief surveyor appointed by the governor of Georgia to establish the long-disputed western boundary between Georgia and Alabama. it wasn’t until 1840 that Alabama accepted his survey.

Edward Lloyd Thomas spent the last years of his life in oxford and is buried in the oxford historical Cemetery.

Elijah Mixon was an expert cabinetmaker, carriage-maker and builder in the early 19th century. he was born in beaufort County, North Carolina and moved to Georgia in 1820. he married Charlotte of hancock County in 1823.

When they moved to Georgia, they moved into almost unbroken wilderness and built a simple, dirt floor cabin that was later converted into a blacksmith shop.

simple country folk, Mrs. Mixon was accustomed to going barefoot – except in church. she would walk to church carrying her shoes and stockings in a bundle to wear during the service; however, she took them off again right after the meeting.

The Mixons had eight children and moved to oxford in 1838 as Mr. Mixon wanted his children to attend the newly opened Emory College and get a good education. he established a workshop in oxford and built many of the first homes in the town. his

shop was so busy, his work often spilled out onto the sidewalk.

Mixon’s son, Asbury Coke Mixon graduated from Emory College in 1845 and lived in oxford until his death in 1919.

Elijah Mixon’s handmade furniture pieces are collectors’ items today. The decorative arts called “plantation craftsmanship” refers to handmade furniture made in the Antebellum period that were typically found in farmers’ homes of that period. They are pieces of high quality craftsmanship using inexpensive materials, such as white pine wood, that were neither veneered nor polished.

Elijah Mixon (1785 – 1873)

Deep Running Roots 5

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