The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-02-13
.SOMERV|LLE PROUD
OF HER GREAT MEh
Country Village Claims Worth
Distinction
GOVERNORS BORN Their.
Governor Patterson of Tennessee and
Judge Samuel Q. Weakly of Bir-
mingham Were Born In
the Same House.

Decatur February 12-(speoiaL)-Th
quiet little country town of Somerville,
! lying almost IN the center of this county
! some twenty miles to the southeast of De
catur is the birthplace of Hon Malcolm
r. Patterson. the present governor of the
state of Tennessee, az well as being the
birthplace of many other men of stat
and national reputation
There is, perhaps. not another town IN
the entire southland that has given birth
to so many great men as has the town Of
Somerville 1t has been suggested that
there must be something about the place
that causes its sons to become great. Ac
cording to the last census of the United
States, the town had a population of only
264. No railroad has ever entered its con-
fines. 1t lies peacefully surrounded by the
foot hills of the Blue Ridge mountains
and 1t is said that the great men that II
has produced owe much of their greatness
to the invigorating air and the pure watsi
found there In great abundance.
Was County Seat.
Somervile was the seat of the county
government for many years. The county
Of Morgan first came into existence in
the year 1918, and Somerville became the
county Site 1t remained the seat of gov
eminent until the sos. when it was moved
to Decatur. Since that time the town has
! continued to go down. The town is In
corporated. but there is at this time
bill before the legislature to do away with
the corporation in order that the tow
may get its share of the road tax TO US,
| on its streets.
Somervile from the earliest days was
noted for it's schools, and 1t was perhaps
the early training that many of its for
mer citizens received there that made
| them great. There stands today on hish
hill to the east of the town an old rock
school house, where the present governo.
of Tennessee and many other noted men
studied the old "blue back spelling bool
in days long since passed aud gone. Thi.
| old school house is nearly hundred
years old, yet it is in fair state of pres
| creation STILL l.. p Walker and d. G.
Hpmphries, who In later years became
| famous as lawyers, attended school at the
| old rock school house. Mr.. Walker was
Secretary of War of the Confederate gov
eminent In after years. Col. Willis Garth.
! now of Huntsville. and the famous Con-
| federate general, Gen. James Longstreet
were schoomates at this school. Col. Jo-
slab Patterson, a former congressman of
! Tennessee, was born in Somerville and at
tended school there in the early days. lie
was famous lawyer and colonel In the
| Confederate army.
Judge Samuel ID. Weakley. late of the
supreme court of Alabama, was born
| in Somerville and attended school there
| in his early days Col Hugh Scruggs
who was colonel of the Fourth Alabama
| regiment of the Conferedate army. was
also born and educated In Somerville
Governor Chapman, who was governor of
Alabama in the 40's. lived at Somerville
for many years. Hon. Samuel Blackwell
was raised and received his early ed
ucation at Somervlle He WAS the fourth
auditor of the United States treasury
under President Cleveland's second term.
For the past four years Mr.. Blackwell
has been mayor OF New Decatur. He
is Il prominent lawyer also.
Schools of Sommerville.
The schools of Somerville are still good
and many boys and girls from other
parts of the county attend school there
today. The place has no saloons and
is free from all the communicating vices
of the city. Judge William e. Skeggs,
probate judge of this county today and
E. w. Godbey, a prominent lawyer of
Decatur, both taught school in SomerVile
some years ago. Some OF the famous
early days were u. f. Freeman and
ID. Il. Lakin. Both of these teachers
were from the north When the war
between the states broke out Professor
Freeman raised a company and did serv-
ice for the Confederacy, believing that
the cause of the south a just one.
Professor Isakin went north when the
war commenced. He was sent there. 1t
is said, by many wealthy people of Som-
erville and other places in north Ala
bama, who gave him their money and
asked him to take care of 1t for them.
1t is said that after the surrender tho
professor returned to Somerville and re-
funded every cent Of the money that
had been entrusted to his keeping. An
other noted teacher at Somervllle was
DR. II. NJ. WEIGH. He died few years
ago in Arkansas. Sidney j. Mayhem
conducted school there for young ladies
for many years.
In those early days Somerville had n
number of brick houses. Several of these
are still standing One of the most noted
is the home of General Longstreet. It
is about mile south of the town. near
Town creek. When boy the famous
general went fishing along the banks Of
this creek and with other boys went In