Georgia and Georgians - the Digital Library of Georgia

3142 GEORGIA AND GEORGIANSJOEL CHANDLER HARRIS. The able journalist and quaint author, Joel C.Harris, but more widely known as "Uncle Remus," was a native of Eatonton,Georgia, where he was born December 8, 1848. He died in 1908. He waseducated at his home academy and in the practical school of typography,entered newspaper work when young and was editor of'the Atlanta Constitution for twenty-five years. In the columns of that newspaper first appearedthose quaint, mellow stories couched in negro dialect and strained throughthe wisely-humorous personality of Uncle Remus which stamped them asan original type of literature and brought fame to their author. He afterward abandoned active newspaper work and founded and edited the UncleRemus Magazine. He became the author o£ many books dealing with plantation topics, "Home Folks," "Uncle Remus and Br'er Rabbit," and otherhomely themes of southern folk, which, under his manipulations, never losttheir freshness.EARLY DAVIS. A substantial business man of Pierce County, Early Davishas been identified with that community for a great many years, has won anddeserves the esteem of his fellow men, and is thoroughly honest, reliable andcompetent in every undertaking.A native of Pierce County, he was born September 15, 1853. His father,Joseph Davis, was also born in Pierce County, in 1837, and spent most of hislife there and passed away in 1910. He was a farmer and planter, and hispatriotism and loyalty to the South were demonstrated by the fact that hewas one of the first to respond to the call for voluneers during the war betweenthe states. He served as a soldier in the ranks for two years, and then paid$1,800 for a substitute. While no one stood ready to sacrifice his interests to agreater extent in behalf of the Southern cause, there were certain parties inhis neighborhood who took out a personal grudge and tried to make him subject to the conscript rules. However, they failed to accomplish their aims,and he kept clear of the conscript service. Joseph Davis married 'MahalaCrawford. To their marriage were born twelve children, and the five nowliving are: Burley, Lamar, Marshall Canvass, Jewell and Early Davis.As Mr. Early Davis reached school age about the time the war broke outhis education was sadly neglected, since very few schools were maintainedanywhere in Georgia during the Civil war epoch. He was twelve years ofage before he attended his first regular school and only continued a studentfor two years. Most of his education had come from practical observation andstudy at home. As a young man he worked on a farm and had a strenuousexperience. He worked as a teamster hauling logs, also engaged in raftinglogs on the river, and from that took up the work of making ties for therailroad company. After a few years at that form of work, he decided tostart a business for himself, and he invested his modest capital in a stock ofgoods and started a store at Hortense, Georgia. A few years later he sold outand engaged in the hotel and restaurant business, and that has been his lineof service to the community for many years. He has the leading location andbusiness at Offerman in Pierce County and is a man of very genial andpopular manners.At the age of twenty-five Mr. Davis married Addie Viola Hodge, daughter of Elias Hodge. To their marriage were born eight children: Lou, adaughter, now aged twenty-five; Archie Henderson, aged twenty-four; William, aged twenty-two; Ellis, aged twenty; Berrie Alma, aged eighteen;Joseph Daughtrey, aged fourteen; Milton, aged five; and Addie Viola, whodied after birth, and her mother also passed away with the birth of thisyoungest child on June 20, 1913.On March 3, 1914, Mr. Davis married for his second wife Mrs. Clifford.Mr. Davis owns his own home, and is regarded as a substantial and well