The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-24

charged with being a southern synlpa- thizer. but was subsequently released, and from that time to the end of the war took no part on either side of the con troversy Two of his brothers served In the Confederate army John c. Underwood' now living in New York, was major Ill the Confederate army; John C. UnderWood. on the Confederate sue m the battle CT shiloh and other battles. Toward the end of the war he was captured and con fined in a northern prison until the close of hostilities. Eugene Underwood, rom the time of the outbreak of the civil war; aligned himself with the democratic party and consistently voted the democratic ticket from that time to the time or ms death In his youth he voted the Whig ticket. Joseph R. Underwood, oscar w. Underwood grandfather was whig Up to the time of the civil war; after that time he aligned himself with the demo- cratic party and always voted the dem ocratic ticket He was a member of the national democratic convention that non1- mated Seymour for President. All of oscar w. Ilnderwood's ancestors on his paternal side were southern people, either Virginians or Kentuckians.
 All for Confederacy
 Underwoods S maternal grandfather was Jabe1 Smith, who was born in Groton, Conn.,, and moved to Petersburg, Va, when he was d boy IS years or age lie built one of the first cotton mills in the south, at Petersburg, and for number of years was mayor of that city before the civil war He was always democrat and came from a democratic family. Dur ing the civil war his sympathies were with the south
 He died at Petersburg during the siege at the age of 76. His son and two of his grandsons served in the Confederate army; one of his grandsons being killed during the siege of Petersburg. Oscar Underwood's maternal grandmother was a Miss Walthall of an old Virginia family, and cousin of the late Senator Walthall of Mississippi.
 Why They Left South
 When Oscar N. Underwood was three years old, in the fall of 1865, his mother had d number of hemorrhages. The doc tors, fearing tuberculosis. advised his father to take her to a dry climate, and they moved to St Paul, Minn, when Il | was frontier country, and there was | only 10 miles of railroad in the sOte. His father lived there until lSio. when l he returned to Kentucky and brought oscar w. Underwood back with him and | placed him in school in Louisville, where | his father esta blished the family home | oscar w. Underwood remained there and | went to school until 1881, when he was | sent to the University of Virginia and graduated there in law in June, 1884. In Birmingham
 l Shortly after his graduation he went i ito Minnesota and was admitted to the l bar but only remained there about two months, from there going to Birmlnghar to join. his brother, William T. Under wood who was in business in Birming- ham, Oscar W. | underwood was admitted to the bar in Birmingham on September l, l 1SSl and practiced law there until he was | elected to Congress in 1894 His two sons were born in Birmingham, and that city has been his home for nearly 2S years. Ills first wife was Miss Eusenia Massie whom he married at Charlottesville, Va. and who was member of Virginia l family of revolutionary stock. His sec ond wife was Miss Bertha Woodward, who was born in Wheeling, W. Va, her father moving to Birmingham when she was or years old. and has resided there ever since that time.