Georgia and Georgians - the Digital Library of Georgia

GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS 3217colony when it had been returned to'the royal domain. Through his effortsa colonial assembly was finally elected, and his administration of the affairsof the colony un^il his death in 1754 seems to have been acceptable to thepeople. ' •WILLIAM A. HUFF was born on the first day of March, 1832, about ten milesfrom Macon, in W.alden District, Bibb County, Georgia, and is a son of Travisand Caiidis (Maund) Huff. His father, Travis Huff, was a Virginian, bornin January, 1801, and was brought by his parents to Hancock County, Georgia,where they settled in 1804. In 3831, Travis Huff was married to Miss CandisMaund, the eldest daughter and child of Daniel C. Maund of Talbot County.Travis* Huff came with his young wife to Bibb County in 1831, and locatedon a little farm near Liberty Chapel Church, where their son "William Arnold,the subject of this sketch, was born, he being the eldest of nine children.Arnold Huff remained with his parents on the farm in Bibb County untilthe day he was twenty-one years old, at which time he came to Macon with$100 and a suit of homespun clothes presented to him by his father and mother.The great active, working, energetic and moving example of his father, andnoble Christian pride and ambitious hopes of his devoted mother were notlost upon him, as subsequent events have shown.He felt the importance of an education keenly, and made a determinedeffort to secure it. He' entered the young men's academy, then kept by Rev.Geo, Hancock, and applied himself closely to his studies for three months,when he found his funds were exhausted and that he must go to work. Hefound employment at the little grocery house then kept by Alien & Dunlap,on Cherry Street. He left this employment at the end of three months. Itwas while in the employment of this firm that he made the acquaintance of thedistinguished banker and well known railroad president, Isaac Scott. Onlearning that young Huff was out of business, Mr. Scott wrote him a noteoffering him a position as conductor on the Macon & Western Railroad. Theposition was gratefully accepted, and filled for five years, the last two of whichhe ran both the day and night trains of the road, doing two men's work andreceiving two men's pay, and for two years had only five hours' sleep out ofthe twenty-four.In 1858 he went into the grain and provision business in Macon. He continued successfully in this business, amassing a good fortune for that periodand time. However, the financial panic of the '70s caused reverses whichdetermined his discontinuing the business which had formerly proven sosuccessful.Referring to the career of Mr. Huff, the Atlanta Sun, October 25, 1870, inpart had this to say: "We are safe in presenting him as an example foryoung men. His history shows what may be accomplished by intelligence,energy, perseverance, integrity, sobriety and probity. This was the capitalupon which he commenced life. It has made his fortune and at the same timehasmade for him the confidence and esteem of all who know him.''In the spring of 1862 Colonel Huff volunteered in the Confederate service,and was assigned to the Commissary Department at Macon. His duties nevercarried him into active service with the Confederate armies.It was during his marked business career, in December, 1870, that he wassworn in as mayor of Macon, in which office he served for a continuous periodof ten years. His administration was characterized by vigorous and progressive attainments. He was largely instrumental in establishing theGeorgia State Fair, which was first held in Macon in 1871, and again in 1873,,he having the management of both of these exhibitions. Under his direction,.Central City Park, of 125 acres, was laid out. It was in the fall of 1871,during the holding of the annual Georgia State Pair, at Macon, the correspondent of the New York Express, in a letter to his paper, after speaking of