The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-08-09

prominent even distinguished men, that
Granville county had in the eighteenth
century several of them were from cold
Virginia John Penn signer of the Phil
adelphia Declaration of Independence, was
a native of Virginia, as were Governor
James Turner, Governor Hutchings, G..
Burton, Col. Robert Burton, his father,
Judge John Williams, Judge Richard Hen
derson, and Bishop John Stark Ravens
croft of distinguished citizens and public
servants of this State living in other
counties who were also natives OF Virginia
/ may mention Governor John l.. More
head, Judge John Kerr. Governor Hawkins,
and Chief Justice Ruffin Chief Justice
John L. Sneed, of Tennessee, was born at
Raleigh Granville county has had some
notable men who were born in that cour-
ty. l mention Chief Justice Leonard
Henderson, Archibald Henderson, the great
lawyer; Judge Robert B. Gillian, Bishop
Junius NJ Horner, Prof Ashbel G.. Brown
formerly professor in the University of
North Carolina, and teacher of the
highest rank; Judge Bromfeld Ridley (of
TENNESSEE, Prof. Arthur Taylor, NJ D., OF
Memphis Medical College in 1865 and later;
Col. Charles Blacknall, who was killed in
battle Prof. Smith, William Jewell Col
lege, Missouri. l have an impression
that Judge Edwin G.. Reade was also
native of Granville but OF that / am mot
sure I know he lived in his boyhood at
or near WILLIAMSBURG the old Colonial VII
lage of Granville antique, historic, dl-
lapidated. / used to think that DR.. Lotion
G. Watson, the greatest physician ever
~ I'M how M
was native of Granville, where he prac-
ticed medicine for so many years, but I
now believe he was really a native of
Guilford county. He was at one time
Professor in Pennsylvania Medical College,
Kentucky l have heard that he came
near being elected to professorship in
one of the medical schools in Philadelphia,
and prior to 1850 He was forty years
ahead of his times. DR.. u. NJ. Paschall.
of Oxford. who died several years since,
and was the equal no doubt of any physl-
clan ever born in Granville, said in 1876,
that he read medicine under DR.. Watson
in 1885, and he knew that that great
doctor practiced medicine exactly in that
remote town as he and his partner. DR..
Peter w. Young, an old school-mate of
mine, with an excellent mind were 'prac-
ticng medicine in July, 1876. BY the re-
quest of the people of Granville county
delivered an elaborate address on "The
History of Granville County, on 4th July
1876, speaking for two and three-quarter
hours on a day of most excessive heat. I
recall that a Baptist lady complimented
me after this flattering style soon after
the performance ended: "Mr. Kingsbury,
you can take longer to say nothing than
any man l ever heard My good friend
John H. Mills, was present, and he and I
enjoyed the joke genuinely. I referred in
terms of eulogy to DR.. Watson as an ac-
complished man, a bellies lettres scholar.
and the foremost physician in his time in
North Carolina, and mentioned how he
practiced physic in 1856. DR.. Paschall
heard me, and asked my eldest son, Roger.
where I had obtained that information.
He said he had read medicine under him,
and knew that l was precisely correct IN
all / said. but he thought he was the
only living man who knew the fact. He
added, that DR.. Watson practiced medl-
cine years before just as he and Dr.. Young
were practicing then. Both OF these physl-
clans were up-to-date men. DR.. Young
had served four years as surgeon IN the
Confederate Army. He was an able. gift
ed physician. The two were no doubt the
foremost doctors ever born in Granville.
Young loved books other than professional
as did DR.. Watson. I may mention that
in 1876 the Federal Congress passed law
requesting every county in the United
States to have history of the county
written and delivered on 4th July of that
year, and have copy OF each address
filed in the Congressional Library at Wash
ington. and in each State Library, and i'll
Ill and II1l n
libraries generally. This was not done.
But three addresses were delivered IN
North Carolina. think Dr. Kemp P. Bat
tie delivered the one at Raleigh, I deliver
ed the one at Oxford, and l think some
one delivered an address at Pittsboro. 1T
was an excellent idea if it had been prop
erly carried out. North Caroinians used
to be far too careless and Indifferent az
to gathering preserving historical mem
orabilia and statistics. 1t is awake now
and much is doing. The time comes when
it is impossible to gather data. l forum
ately obtained some information in 1876.
from Dr. William f. Henderson, the then
only surviving son of the eminent Chief
Justice Henderson. Dr. Henderson was
nearly 76 years of age. His father had
died in 1882, q believe it was but write
from memory. and the Dr. had. therefore,
been with his father nearly or quite 81
years, and had heard much, no doubt,
from him of the past The Chief Justice
must have remembered his own father,
Judge Richard Henderson, and have gotten
from him no little information as to the
past Chief Justice Clark did a most self
sacrificing and meritorious thing for North
Carolina in writing those 5000 letters with
his own hand, and securing as he did the
history of the different commands that
were in the great war from his native
State, and getting them printed in five
large handsome volumes. If not done n:
they were it would have very soon beer
too late.
j.
whats past, and what's to come, Is
strew'd with husks
The formless ruin of Oblivion"
Shakespeare.
Judge Clark wrote much of the volumes
besides editing all.
Before turning from Granville, | mus
mention briefly, two distinguished men
who resided in that county. Hon. Abran
horn n