Franklin County Biographies

 

BATTLE, Kemp Plummer, educator, was born near Louisburg, Franklin county, N.C., Dec. 19, 1831, son of William Horn and Lucy (Plummer) Battle. He was graduated at the university of North Carolina in 1849, with first honors in a class of distinguished graduates. Immediately thereafter he was elected tutor in the university, but, on being admitted to the bar in 1854, he resigned, and soon acquired an extensive legal practice. In politics he was an old-line Whig, and a decided friend of the union, and in consequence of his powerful presentation of the dangers and disasters which would attend secession, he came, in 1860, within only three votes of an election to the legislature in a strong Democratic county. A campaign document prepared by him was so highly approved by the Whig executive committee, that fifty thousand copies of it were printed and circulated; but when President Lincoln, in April, 1861, called upon North Carolina for her quota of the seventy-five thousand men to assist in coercing the seceding states, Dr. Battle, in common with nearly all the Whig leaders, cast his lot with the southern Confederacy. He was elected to the secession convention of North Carolina, and signed the ordinance just below the name of George. E. Badger. In 1866 he was elected treasurer of the state, and again in 1867; and in 1876 he was chosen president of the University of North Carolina, filling the office with great ability until June, 1891, when he resigned it to take the more congenial position of professor of history. In 1870 he was appointed state superintendent of public instruction. He also filled the office of director of the insane asylum and president of the state agricultural society. As a delegate to the general convention of the Episcopal church in 1865, he aided in reuniting that denomination throughout the United States. He was for many years treasurer and trustee of the St. Augustine normal school for the colored race. The degree of LL.D. was awarded him by Davidson college, N.C. Dr. Battle is the author of various historical monographs, among which are: "History of the Supreme Court of North Carolina" (1883); "History of the City of Raleigh" (1893); "History of the University of North Carolina," "Trials and Judicial Proceedings in theNew Testament," "The Colonial Laymen of the Church of England in North Carolina," and "Fifty Years' History of the Episcopal Church in North Carolina." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BATTLE, William Horn, jurist, was born in Edgecombe county, N.C., Oct. 17, 1802, son of Joel and Mary (Johnston) Battle. He was graduated at the University of North Carolina at the age of eighteen; then began the study of law under Chief Justice Henderson, and at the age of twenty-one was admitted to the bar. He represented Franklin county in the legislature in 1833 and 1834, and, associated with Mr. Devereux, reported the decisions of the supreme court of N.C., from 1834 to 1840. In 1835 he was appointed one of the commissioners to revise the statutes of the state. He was appointed a judge of the superior court in 1840; in 1843 was elected professor of law in the University of N.C., and in 1848 was appointed associate justice of the supreme court, but failing an election by the legislature at the next session, was by it elected a judge of the superior court. In 1852 he was again elevated to the supreme bench, which distinguished position he held with great credit until a new court was established in 1868. In 1873 Judge Battle, by selection of the legislature, again collated the statute law under the title of "Battle's Revisal." He ranked very high as a jurist, and is said to have had a most retentive memory, being able to recall in a moment the names of all the leading cases in England and the United States. He was married June 4, 1825, to Lucy Martin, daughter of Kemp Plummer, who was descended from Col. Nicholas Long, commissary-general of N. C. in the revolutionary war. He died at Chapel Hill, N.C., March 14, 1879. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DAVIS, Joseph John, jurist, was born in Franklin county, N.C., April 13, 1828. He attended Wake Forest college, and was graduated in law at the University of North Carolina in 1850. He was admitted to the bar and practised at Oxford, N.C., removing thence to Louisburg, N.C. In 1861 he joined the Confederate army and was appointed a captain. He served with the 47th North Carolina regiment until the battle of Gettysburg, where he was taken captive and imprisoned at Fort Delaware. He was later transferred to Johnson's Island and there carried on law classes among his fellow prisoners. After the close of the war he returned to Louisburg, and was representative in the state assembly in 1866. He was a representative in the 44th, 45th and 46th congresses, 1875-81. He was a justice of the North Carolina supreme court from Feb. 12, 1887, until his death. He received the degree of LL.D. from the University of North Carolina in 1887. He died at Louisburg, N.C., Aug. 7, 1892. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HAWKINS, John Davis (1781-1858) was born in Warren County, N.C.; graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1801; studied law with Judge John Haywood; lived in Franklin County, N.C.; and was a land owner in Franklin and Warren counties. He served in the state senate, 1834, 1836, 1838, and 1840. He married Jane A. Boyd (1784-1875), a daughter of Alexander Boyd of Boydton, Mecklenburg County, Va. John and Jane had six sons: James Boyd, who moved to Texas; Frank (1815-1896), who moved to Mississippi; physician William J. (1819-1894), of Raleigh; John D., Jr., who moved to New Orleans; Philemon Benjamin (1823-1891), who remained in Franklin County and served in the North Carolina legislature; and Alexander Boyd Hawkins (1825-1921), who moved to Florida and later to Raleigh. The couple also have five daughters: Ann, who married Wesley Young; Lucy, who married Thomas Kean; Mary, who married Protheus E. A. Jones; Virginia, who married William J. Andrews; and Jane A., who did not marry. He was the son of Philemon (1752-1833) and Lucy Davis Hawkins of Warren County. And he was the grandson of Philemon Hawkins (1717-1801), son of Philemon and Ann Eleanor Howard Hawkins of Virginia. When he was about 18, Philemon Hawkins moved to North Carolina with his mother, stepfather, younger brother John, and sister Ann. They settled in Granville County, which later became Bute and subsequently Warren County. Philemon married Delia Warren, with whom he had six children: Fannie, who married Leonard Bullock; John; Philemon, Jr. (1752-1833); Benjamin, who was a United States senator and Indian agent; and Ann, who married Micajah Thomas. John D. Hawkins siblings were William (1777-1819), governor of North Carolina, who married Ann Swepson Boyd; Eleanor Howard, who married Sherwood Haywood; Ann, who married William Person Little; Delia, who married Stephen Haywood; Sarah, who was the second wife of William Polk; Joseph, who married Mary Boyd; Benjamin Franklin, who married Sally Person; Lucy Davis Ruffin, who married Louis D. Henry; and Philemon, Frank, George W., and Mildred, all of whom did not marry. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ROSS, Jack Ferrill, pioneer financier, was born in Franklin county, N.C., Oct. 29, 1791; son of the Hon. John (1754-1815) and Temperance (Ferrill) (1760-1823) Ross. He attended the University of North Carolina, and on May 20, 1813, enlisted as third lieutenant in the 3d infantry; was promoted second lieutenant in February, 1814, and first lieutenant in July, 1814; saw active service under General Jackson, and was sent to Mobile in 1814 to pay off the troops. He was retained in 1815 as third lieutenant of light artillery, U.S.A., but resigned about April 15, 1817. He was married, Feb. 11, 1817, to Anne Amelia, daughter of Col. George Fisher of Rowan county, N.C., who settled in southern Alabama. He removed to Alabama, and engaged as a merchant in St. Stephens. He was the first territorial and state treasurer of Alabama, 1818-22, and was succeeded by John C. Perry; was one of the incorporators of the state bank at St. Stephens, Feb. 13, 1818, the second established in the state, and was one of the superintendents for taking stock subscriptions under the state banking act of Dec. 21, 1820. He owned large plantations in Clarke and Greene counties; removed to Mobile, Ala., in 1824; was sheriff of Mobile county; a representative in the Alabama legislature, 1826-27 and 1835, and state senator in 1828. He died in Mobile, Ala., Oct. 12, 1837.   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

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