Panola County Mississippi Biographies and Biographical Sketches

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CARUTHERS Family Biography

The Caruthers family trace their origin to Scotland, from which country two brothers of that name emigrated to the United States and settled in the Old Dominion. One branch drifted through Kentucky into Missouri ; the other into South Carolina and Tennessee. Dr. C. K. Carutliers, planter, Como. Miss., comes of the latter branch, his birth occurring in Tipton county, Tenn., on the 22d of January, 1S37. He was the fourth of seven children born to T. N. and E. M. (Gaither) Carutliers, natives of South and North Carolina respectively. About 1824 the father removed to Tennessee, was one of the pioneers of Madison county and a successful and progressive planter of the same. He had accumulated considerable property before his death, which occurred- in 1807, at the age of sixty years. Dr. C. K. Carutliers was educated in his native state, graduated in medicine from the University of Virginia in 1858, and from Jefferson medical college, Philadelphia, the following year. After this he located in Panola county, Miss., and devoted his time and attention to his profession for one year, starting out with a large practice from the first. In 1801 he enlisted in the Confederate army as a private in company I, Second cavalry regiment, under Colonel Martin, and was soon after promoted to a lieutenancy, in which capacity he served faithfully until the battle of Shiloh. He then succeeded Captain Davis in the captaincy of his company. Afterward, by seniority, he commanded the First Mississippi battalion of sharpshooters until after the battle of Corinth. When his command reached Grenada he resumed his commission and was appointed to the position of surgeon, being assigned duty in the Seventh Tennessee regiment of cavalry. He afterward served as senior surgeon of the first brigade of Forrest’s cavalry until the close of the war, and was paroled at Gainesville, Ala. Returning home he resumed the practice of medicine, and had a large, successful and lucrative practice until 1870, when, on account of failing health, he abandoned it to engage in merchandising and planting. He has continued the latter occupation very successfully since, and is a wideawake, enterprising man. He was a member of the board of supervisors for six years, and part of the time was president of the same. In 1887 he was elected to the legislature and acquitted himself with credit in that body. In 1889 he was elected to represent the sixth senatorial district in the state senate and is the present incumbent. In this office, as in all others, Dr. Caruthers has ever guarded the best interests of his people, and is an able representative. In 1807 he was married to Miss Pattie Ellis, a native of Bailee Springs, Ala., and the daughter of Maj. A. G. and Mary (Hewlet) Ellis, the father a native of Virginia and the mother of Tennessee. This union has resulted in the birth of six children: Pattie, Ida, C. K., Kate, Ellis and Genie. The two eldest are attending school at Columbus, Miss. C. K., Jr., is in the military academy at Huntsville, Ala. Dr. and Airs. Caruthers are members of the Presbyterian church, but their three daughters hold membership in the Alethodist church. The Doctor is a member of the Alasonic fraternity, the Knights of Honor and the Ancient Legion of Honor. [Source: Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Mississippi, Chicago, The Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1891.]