Clarke County Mississippi Biographies and Biographical Sketches

Search free Clarke County Mississippi biographies, biographical sketches of prominent families online.

CAMERON, Robert M. Biography

Robert M. Cameron, a prominent planter of Clarke county, Miss., was born in that county in 1858. He was the second of five children of Daniel and Sarah (Bass). His father settled in this county in 1850. He was born in North Carolina in about 1S24, the son of Norman Cameron who was a native of Scotland. He is still livincr, engaged in planting. He is a Mason and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church South, and a Democrat. The mother of our subject was born in South Carolina in 1820, the daughter of John Bass. Mr. and Mrs. Cameron were married in Alabama, when they moved to Mississippi. The children are: Mary C. , Robert M. , Sarah N., Lou C. and Joseph D. In his early life Robert M. Cameron lived in Clarke county, where he was educated, and at the age of twenty-one he married Nora Peel, daughter of David B, Peel, also of this county, but who was born in Alabama in 1851. Mr. and Mrs. Cameron have seven children, named as follows: James A., Lillie V., Robert A., Bella L., Thomas F., David P. and Dewitt D., all of whom are living with their parents, both of whom are members of the Methodist church (Episcopal) South, the children also being attendants upon the service of the same religious deuomi nation. Mr. Cameron is a man of much public spirit, taking a helpful interest in all things pertaining to the public good. He is liberal in all his support of education and religion, and has given according to his means to benevolent institutions of different kinds. He has been for many years engaged in planting, and about a year ago started in the milling business, doing most of the grinding and ginning for his section of the county. In a business way he has been successful, all that he possesses having been acquired through liisown efforts. He is not a man who devotes much of his time to politics, preferring rather to attend strictly to his home interests. His father served in the Confederate army during the war, enlisting in 1863 in Miller’s cavalry company. [Source: Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Mississippi, Chicago, The Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1891.]

CARR, D. S. Biography

D. S. Carr, the father of John W. Carr, was born in North Carolina in 1800, and was married to Miss Margaret Duffy of that state about 1821, removing to Georgia about nine years after his marriage. In 184S he removed to Clarke county, Miss., and there devoted himself to planting, but died in Newton county of this state about 1883, his wife having passed from life some time in the forties. He was a member of the Primitive Baptist church but his "wife was a Presbyterian. John W. Carr was one of seventeen children and was born in Henry county, Ga., January 21, 1833. From his native state he removed to Mississippi with his father, and being reared on a farm received what eductitiou he could obtain at intervals. In 1857 he went to Georgia, wrhere he l'emained in school one year, after which he returned home. He enlisted in the Confederate service in 1801, going out with Colonel Holland for sixty days. He then returned home and reenlisted in the Seventh Mississippi battalion, becoming a member of company E, which was under command of Captain Pierson, who wras later killed at Vicksburg. His command was in the battle of Corinth, but Mr. Carr was sick in the hospital at Saltillo at that time. From Corinth his command marched to Holly Springs, Mr. Carr joining it at Waterford, and was afterward tiansferred to Vaiden and then to Yazoo city. They went by boat to Snyder’s bluff, twelve miles above Vicksburg, and forty-seven days after their entrance into Vicksburg they were compelled to suiTender to General Grant on the 4th of July, 1803. After eight days’ time Mr. Carr was paroled, and went into parole camp at Enterprise. He returned home on the 20th of July, 1863, and was married to Miss E. A. McNeill of Clarke county, Miss., July 30, 1863. In the following February he was exchanged and returned to service, and after some time spent at Mobile he went to Pollard. Ala., thence to Montgomery and Selma. He returned home on furlough of forty days but afterward rejoined the Confedei'ale army and was in the engagement at New Hope church and in the defense of Atlanta. He was also with Hood in his disastrous Tennessee campaign, being in the engagement at Altoona and Franklin, receiving a slight wound in the latter engagement, after which he was in the hospital some time with his brother Samuel F., the latter dying while there. Upon recovering he reported for dutyr at Meridian and took transportation to Mobile, but was afterward captured at Blakely on the 9th of April, 1865, being taken as a prisoner to Ship island, thence to New Orleans and later to Vicksburg. He was discharged at Meridiau on the 10th of May, 1865. To Mr. and Mrs. Carr the following children have been born: Mary Victoria, Samuel Alexander, Ida Lee, John L., D. W. and Henry L. The eldest daughter is the widow of J. W. Smith, who died in 1889. She has two children — Rennie Elois and Josiah Curtis. During the war Mr. Carr purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, which constituted his worldly possessions at the close of hostilities. By energy and perseverance he has become the owner of three hundred and twenty acres, which will produce one-half bale of cotton to the acre, and twenty bushels of corn. He uses some commercial fertilizer on his plantation and home compost. His wife is a member of the Missionary Baptist church and is a worthy and upright lady. Their son, Prof. Samuel A. Carr, is a rising young educator of the county, with a bright future before him. [Source: Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Mississippi, Chicago, The Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1891.]