Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1920-02-13

Maj. Stevens was a born hunter, eX-
b ceedingly fond Of the sport, whether
: nc game was bear, deer, WI, FOX
squirrel or rabbit. But his great de-
! light was in the annual camp-hunt
which occurred every fall, and lasted
5 ten days in the piney woods west of
: the Noxubee river. He never allowed
+, the fieeey cotton, white and ready for
the piekers, nor the golden ears of
lcorn, waiting to be gathered and
) housed, nor anything else to interfere
: with his hunting, Crops and every
thing must wait till the hunt was over.
Oh! how 7. j. Deupree did enjoy these
: camp-hunts He out-yelled all the
} the others and frequently after a
a camp-hunt he suffered for weeks
with sore throat.
Writing Of hunting necessarily re-
calls the name of Mr.. George Noble
: Ladd-most appropriately named, for
he was indeed a noble lad, who came
into NoXubee in the early days, and
who loved the chase and the hunt as
ardently as Maj. Stevens, Few could
equal him with rifle or shotgun. With
Mr.. George Ladd must be associated
Mr. George Afford. These two
Georges deserve more than mere men,
ton, for they were real benefactors, not
only of Deerbrook, but all of Noxubee
county Mr.. Ladd solved the problem
of furnishing an abundant supply of
pure, soft, palatable water, for man
and beast, by boring through lime
ctpna tbof t11aIn,.lfnc +ba 1,.,ne of
Mississippi, where there are. neither
springs nor running streams. He thus
reached the strata Of sandwich yield
ed an abundance of water for all pur-
poses. There are now hundreds Of
these bored wells in the eastern part
of NoXubee, from 10 0to 600 feet deep.
A few over-foW,but from mostof them
the water must be lifted from so to
10 0feet by pumps or buckets of some
sort. These wells are a permanent
monument to the genius of Mr., Ladd.
Mr. Afford built gin-houses, old
fashioned, wooden cotton presses,
barns and stables, thus supplyingwhat
every farmer needs, After the war
he operated grist-mill at Deerbrook
and supplied the good people for miles
around with the staff of life. Thts
first year of the war he served with
infantry at Pensacola, but for the past
three years he was member Of the
Deupree mess in the M2xubee Cavalry
Co. G Of the First Misk-asxi Cavalry.
He did valiant serEiee IL ,% 7ldier 1rsl
s-seo.,4F iiiiRitEf III wsN's
desperately wounded December goth,
1864, while the cavalry covered Hoods
retreat near Pulaski, Tenn. As he
could not be moved without imperill-
ing his life, he was left in Pulaski.
This gave Tom Brooks, mess-mate,
an opportunity to show his heroism
Though but a boy sixteen years old,
refused to leave his dear friend, risk
ing capture and Imprisonment. He
nursed Mr.. Afford back to health and
strength. Both were sent to prison
and kept there until the end of the war
All honor to this gallant youth of he
roic mold.
Mr., Ladd had married and built
home before 1861, and was beyond
military age. He did not enlist but
lived many years near Macon, honored
and loved by all who knew him. He
was far beyond ninety when called to
cross he river and rest beneath the
trees on the other side. Trusting in
his Saviour, whom he served faithful
ly, he quietly passed away. On the
other hand Mr. Afford was suddenly
though painlessly, taken; translated
like Enoch of old, into the realms of
light and glory, as gently as if he had
but fallen into pleasant dreams.
We here resume our story, for we
have not yet completed the list of
Georgians who later joined this colo
my. Mr.. Daniel Deupree first settled
east of the Tombigbee river in Pick /
ems county, Ala, but subsequently
bought more than a section Of land
west of Col. Billup's place, and in 1912
built a handsome residence. Later.
Drewry Deupree, cousin of Daniel and
Elijah, came from Georgia to manage
the plantation of Daniel Deupree. A
year afterwards Mrs. William Deu-
pree, widow of the Oldest brother of
Daniel and Elijah, came from Georgia,
but like Daniel Deupree, had lived
some years in Pickens county, Ala,
and settled west of Elijah Deupree.
About this time theDeuprees had be-
come numerous. Daniel had six sons
and four daughters; Elijah Deupree,
five sons; Drewry Deupree, five sons;
widow Deupree, four sons and grand
daughter This was high tide for the
Deuprees. Soon some of them moved
away. Drewry Deupree and all his
sons returned to Georgia; widow Deu-
pree died and her descendants went to
Texas OF the sons of Daniel Deupree,
Elijah Cox Deupree and William Man |
ly Deupree died before 1861 Colo A.
Louis Jared Deupree was on the st IF
of Gen, VIM. B. Bate, as voluntary
aid; DR.. Thomas Mercer Deupree, a
graduate of Charleston Medical Col
lege, S. c., was a soldier in the NoXu- |
bee Troopers, Co, +. of the First Mis-
sissippi Cavalry; Joseph Ellington
Deupree and John Greer Deupree were
privates, one in the Elevnth Mssiss-
ippi Infantry and the otherin the First
Mississippi Cavalry. OF the sons of
Elijah Deupree, Charles Barnett died
before 1861; William Daniel and
Thomas jefferson rose to the rank of
captain in the cavalry; Joseph Latti-
more sreved as privates.
Outside of this Georgia colony, we
must mention Mr.. Ansell Cunningham
and Mr.. Jared d. Brooks from North
Alabama, two of the best citizens NoX
ube county ever had. Their wives !,
were sisters and also sisters of Mrs.
L. T. Bush and Mrs. j. w. Bush of