The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 19??-1922, 1920-01-07
History Of Columbus in 18th Century

fits Of his profession, he abandoned it
for the field Of commerce anil trade;
and soon, by his operations in land
and bank stocks. accumulated hand
some fortune. He suffered seriously
from the failure of the Real Estate
Bank IN Columbus, but in time re-
covered his losses, and but for the de-
vastating sweep of the confederate
war. would have closed his life man
of large fortune, His son, Capt. W.
w. HUMPHREYS, represents his fathers
intellect and energy; and in the army
at the bar, On the forum and legisla-
tive floor wherever, his native town
and state has needed man to defend
their homer and advance their inter
est, he has been ever ready to expend
his money, time and talents in their
behalf.
Mr.. Abram S. HUMPHREYS was by
nature and choice a merchant and a
financier and knew by intuition the
theory and art of making one dollar
make another" He passed through
all the changes of clerk, county mer-
chant, wholesale dealer in town and
in city and demonstrated in counting
rooms and in banks that nature made
no mistake in fitting him for a man
of affairs. He was partner IN that
great mercantile firm Of Cozart, Hum
phries & BilIups in Columbus and
HUMPHREYS, Walsh & Co., in Mobile
Ala. He was charter member OF
the Columbus Insurance & Banking
Co., and a director of the Mobile q
Ohio railroad. But for the Confed-
crate war he would have been one of
/ the whealthiest citizens Of north Mis-
, sissippi. Like his brother, with pru-
dent forethought and wisdom, he felt
that there would come a time when
of trade would be too much for his
the whirl of progress and activities
declining years, so he invested large
Nv in prairie lands and negroes, feel
and the most enduring comfort. A
ing that in them was the surest safety
rich Mississippi plantation was Tho
dream and objective point in the am
bition of Mississippi's industrious anC
enterprising citizens.
4 Col. w. d. HUMPHREYS is the oldes
son of Mr.. Abram s. HUMPHREYS anC
he reveres the character and memory
of his father and grand-father will
almost idolatrous devotion. Facts, in
cidents, and places in the history o
his native town for many bright pag
es in his life book. He loves Column
bus with true heart, fervently. n,
wonder the cares, anxieties, and la
bors of the past four years spent a
its chief magistrate were to him year
of pleasant duty and great success
As mayor of the city, he supervised
the establishment of a complete waite
and sewarge system, equal to any II
any Southern town, and leaves 1t al
together an up-to-date 10th centur!
municipality. Merchandise was TO
time his occupation, but he sooi
changed measures of cloth for acre
of land and became a prairie plante
on a large scale. He can tell all tn
: possibilities and impossibilities Of fire.
negro labor, and is well educated ex
perienced patron of husbandry. Whe
he dies Columbus will lose one of he
most valuable and oldest native citi
zens. Jefferson HUMPHREYS was tn
Youngest son of j. J. HUMPHREYS. Hi
name is written here with all tn
Sentiment and sacred memory whic
! boy feels for his first school teach
en-. In 1895, Mr.. Abram Maer wa
principal and jefferson HUMPHREYS as
sistaat in the Old Franklin Academy
+ and here this writer learned to reaC
> spell, and write. The obituary of JET
: ferson HUMPHREYS is before us and a
: its high tributes of praise of his min
and character accord with our boyis
memory. He was scholar and
: gentleman, and at twenty-three yeaI
! of age died in all his triumphs of tn
Christian faith. With JOY and thanks
: giving we close these tributes to Il
. old pioneers of Columbus, with I'll
b blood stained banner of Jesus Chris
waving in triumph over them.
' Farewell to the Log Cabins.
- Up to 1880 more than one-half O
t all the houses built in Columbus wer
D made Of logs. Log houses have a
4 ways been the attendant of phone,
S and rural life. But town tweh
years old with six or seven huldre
: inhabitants, half of them living in 10
S houses, is an anomaly in civilization
= The reason was obvious. The supp
r of carpenters tools and saw mill
= was extremely scant, while the ma
g terial for logs was abundant and nea
n at hand. Great brakes of tall straigh