Georgia and Georgians - the Digital Library of Georgia

GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS 2945County, Georgia, August 8, 1852, a son of Burwell and Mary (Fitzpatrick)Greene. His father was born in Jasper County and his mother in MorganCounty. At the time of his death Burwell Greene was judge of the CountyCourt of Macon County. When Muskogee County was divided to make MaconCounty, it was Judge Greene, who, then a member of the State Legislature,introduced the bill for that purpose. He was a lawyer by profession, andenjoyed a high prestige' in his section of the state. He was too old and in toofeeble health to enlist for service during the war. His death occurred inMacon County in 1868 at the age of fifty-eight. He was survived for manyyears by his widow, who passed away in 1905, aged seventy-eight.The sixth in a family of twelve children, Professor Greene acquired hisearly education in the schools of Mac&n County, which were only fitfullymaintained during the decade of the '60s and most of his learning came bystudy at home. In 1877 lie began his educational work in Mason County,and was an active teacher in various schools until 1895. In that year he waselected superintendent of schools of Dooly County and the people have neverfailed to show their confidence in his ability and administration by repeatedlyre-electing him to office.Mr. Greene has also acquired some business interests especially in farmingand in the cotton warehouse business at Vienna. Fraternally he is a BlueLodge and Royal Arch Mason, is a democrat in polities and a member of theMethodist Episcopal Church.On December 23, 1881 in Dooly County he married Miss Nancy Lee Hall,whose father was Rev. J. H. Hall of Dooly County. To their marriage havebeen born eleven children. Alvin is station agent for the Georgia Southernat Adel and is married and has two children. Edgar Lee is a jeweler at LakeButler, Florida, and has one child. Mrs. Mary Sims lives in Dooly Countyand is the mother of two children. Mrs. Clea Cook has her home in DoolyCounty and has three children. Mrs. Rossie Cook is also the mother of twochildren and lives in Dooly County. Mrs. Bertha Sims is a resident of DoolyCounty. Mrs. Bessie Sims lives in the same pouiit.y and has one child. Glenn,Maude, Nannie and Thelma all live at home and the three older children arestudents in the Vienna High School.WILLIAM C. OLIVER. Character is best developed through struggle, andthe youth who has fellowship with adverse conditions and is compelled earlyto assume individual responsibilities becomes most definitely appreciative ofthe true values of human thought and action, the most self-reliant and themore confident in his personal stewardship. It is by very reason of all thisthat America has ever paid special deference to the man who has dependedupon his own ability and exertions in making his way forward to worthysuccess as one of the world's productive workers, and Georgia, the EmpireState of the South, has not failed to produce its due quota of such strong andresourceful characters, men of broad mental grasp, of impregnable integrityof purpose and of large and worthy achievement. Such a man is William C.Oliver, who through his own efforts has become one of the substantial capitalists, representative business men and influential citizens of Wilcox County.He maintains his home at Abbeville, the county seat, and his civic loyalty andliberality have been prolific in the furtherance of financial and industrialenterprises of broad scope'and importance and of inestimable value in furthering the civic and material prosperity of his home city and county. He ispresident of the Bank of Abbeville and the executive head of the Oliver Mercantile Company, both of which owe their inception and upbuilding to him.At the age of sixteen years Mr. Oliver was doubly orphaned and was compelled to face the battle of life on his own responsibility. Who emerges triumphant from -a struggle thus early initiated, develops resourcefulness andversatility if he be honest and determined, and if lacking in the true charac-