The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1903-01-30
JUDGE JAMES FENTRESS.
A PROMINENT CITIZEN PASSES
AWAY.

The announcement of tn,
death of Judge James Fen
tress, which occurred il
Chicago Monday night, was
a great shock to this COM
munity.
About two weeks ago he
went to Chicago to attend
the marriage of his son, Cal
vim Fentress, and while there
contracted a severe cold, re
sulting in pneumonia. The
most skillful treatment and
careful nursing proved un-
avajling.
James Fentress, ex-general solicit
or for the Illinois Central railroad,
was born July 81, 1887, the second
of five children born to David and
Matilda Fentress, whose ancestors
came from England at an early day
and settled in Virginia. AS the
years multiplied so did the families,
and in process of time some Of them
located in Tennessee. His paternal
grandfather was speaker of the house
of representatives for number of
years. His maternal grandfather,
David Wendell of Murfreesboro,
was the only Wing postmaster who
was allowed to retain his Office
during Jackson's administration.
David Fentress, his father, moved
from Murfreeshoro to Bolivar when
this town was in the zenith of it's
prosperity, where he practiced law,
and was considered one of tie most
able lawyers of this entire section.
At one time he represented Harde-
deman county in the legislature. Of
the five children Judge Francis Fen
tress of Memphis is the only sur
vivor. One of his sisters was the
wife Of Capt. A. T. McNeal of the
University of the South, and the
other was the first wifi e of Col. Jer-
ONE Hill of Memphis. The subject
of this sketch was graduated from
the University of Virginia, and was
admitted to the bar in 1859. In
that year he married Miss Mary
Tate Perkins, daughter of Mrs.
Miller, widow of the late Pitser Mil
les, one of West Tennessee's pion-
GERS, who is now in her 64th year.
Six of ten children, as result OF this
union, are still living. His young
est daughter, Ethel, recently mar.
ried professor of languages, who
has been located for several years
in Beyrout, Syria. James Fentress
entered the Confederate service as
a volunteer OH May Is, 1861, leav-
ing Bolivar as lieutenant in the
Pillow G yards, under Rufus p. Nee
ly. AT Germantown the companies
were organized into the Fourth Ten
nessee infantry, when Nicely became
colonel and Fentress captain of Com
pany B. In 1862 he resigned his
commission and entered the cavalrr
service as private in Troop E,
Seventh Tennessee which was the
only cavalry troop to leave Bolivar,
known as the Hardeman Avengers,
under Col. J. ]. Nicely. On account
of i'll health he was unable to serve
his country actively in the field,
though was in several engagements.
Toward the close of the strife he was
assigned duty in Mississippi. As to
politics, he was a lifelong Demo
crat. In 1870 he was a mem Der of
the State constitutional convention
and took an active part in the revis
ion of the constitution; the same
year he was elected chancellor of
the Tenth chancery division of the
State, but resi- gned in 1871 and re-
sumed the practice of law. In 1876
he was appointed general solicitor
of the Illinois Central railroad,
Southern division, and made his
home in New Orleans, moving to
Chicago in 1890. He filled other
important positions as attorney for
different roads. For the past four
or five years his home has been at
his farm Shandy, north of Bolivar.
The remains were brought here in
a special car Wednesday and inter
red in Polk Cemetery. The funer-
al services were conducted by Rev.
J. S. Park, of Decatur, Ala,
friend of the family.