Georgia and Georgians - the Digital Library of Georgia

3068 GEORGIA AND GEORGIANSis at present serving as a member of the school board. As a Dixie Highwaybooster, he was one of the leading factors in the first carnival entertainmentheld at Waycross, in 1915, promoted and organized by local people, with anentertainment given by local talent, which proved such a success that it wasdecided to make it a permanent affair. Much of the success of its managementshould be accredited to Mayor Beaton's untiring and unselfish efforts. Infraternal circles Mayor Beaton is one of the most popular men in this partof the state, holding membership in the Masons, in which he is a Shriner, theJunior Order of United American Mechanics, the Independent Order ofOdd Fellows, the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is a democrat and is considered one of his party'sstrong and reliable men in Ware County.Mayor Beaton was married March 7, 1897, to Miss Louisa A. Edwards ofSt. Augustine, Florida, a daughter of John T., and Louisa B. (Holland)Edwards, both of whom are now deceased. Her mother died when Mrs.Beaton was only 3!/2 years of age. She moved to Jacksonville, later to Brunswick, Georgia, where she received most of her education. Both of her parentswere born in Florida, and one of her father's ancestors was John T. Turnbull,who came to Saint Augustine, Florida, and secured a large grant of land givenhim by the Government for his service in the Indian wars. Mrs. Beaton'sgreat-grandmother was a Grecian Princess, coming from Greece, and hertomb is still standing at Richmond, Virginia.Mayor and Mrs. Beaton have had six children, two of whom died in infancy. The others, all at home, are Leslie Earl, Everett, Alberta and Jeanette.Both Mayor and Mrs. Beaton are members of the First Methodist Church ofWaycross and active in its work, as are also their children.iEVANS V. HEATH. A representative of one of the prominent and honoredold families of Burke County, it has been given to Hon. Evans Virgil Heathto achieve distinctive prestige as one of the leading younger members of thebar of his native county and to serve as a representative of the county in theGeorgia Legislature, to which he was first elected in 1912, his effective workas a legislator leading to his re-election in 1914, for a second term of twoyears, this signal official preferment indicating the high popular estimateplaced upon him in the county which has been his home from the time of hisbirth. In 1916 he was elected state senator from Seventeenth SenatorialDistrict of Georgia.Mr. Heath was born in the Village of Girard, Burke County, Georgia, onthe 9th of February, 1889, and is a son of Hon. Justin B. and Mary (Rouse)Heath, both of whom likewise were born and reared in Burke County, wherethe respective families were founded in the early pioneer era of the historyof Georgia. Justin B. Heath was born in 1856 and thus was fifty-six yearsof age at the time of his death, in 1902, his widow still maintaining her home inher native county. He was a son of Isaac Heath, who passed his entire lifein Burke County and who was an extensive planter and slaveholder, as wellas a citizen of prominence and influence, as was also his father, Jordan Heath,who was a native of Virginia. Jordan Heath and two brothers came toGeorgia from Westmoreland County, Virginia, some time between 1176 and1800, or at least prior to 1800. Jordan Heath settled in Burke County, andall of that name in this county are descendants of his. . Another brothersettled at Thomasville, Thomas County, Georgia, and a third brother settledat Branchville, South Carolina. The name of the Heath family has thus beenconspicuously and worthily identified with the civic and material development and progress of this favored section of the Empire State of the South.Justin B. Heath was reared to maturity on the old homestead plantationof his father and in his mature life he fully upheld the prestige of the familyname, both as a public spirited citizen and as an extensive agriculturist. He