Wednesday, October 1, 2003
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Wednesday, October 1, 2003 |
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Vivacious women etched lasting lines in Fayette's history Bruce L. Jordan is the author of two regional best-selling true-crime books, "Death Unexpected," about 100 years of murders in Fayette County, and "Murder in the Peach State," about famous murders in Georgia history. Lt. Col. Jordan heads the Criminal Investigation Division of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department. By BRUCE L. JORDAN
Turn of the century Fayette County was a world away from what is now our congested suburban community. Although it was a poor farming area, the people that built the towns were proud people, striking characters whose faces if not for the early development of photography would have been lost forever. Those black and white photographs captured the times and the flavor of the people that developed this county more than a century ago. Here are some of the untold stories behind those intriguing but otherwise silent pictures. A line begins The Davis family was one of the early families to settle here in the west central part of the county known then as Shakerag. Her Davis descendants still live in the Ebenezer Road area of Fayette County. Elvira Belle Davis grew up with few expectations. The American dream for her was as simple as finding a man of character to marry and raise a family, and that's what she did. Her children and their children would shape the future of Fayette County. Elvira's natural beauty won her the attention of a man from another large family that settled in Fayette County in the early years. The Brown family had settled here long before the beginning of the 20th century. F. B. "Tobe" Brown was one of 12 children born to a woman whose name was recorded only as "Granny Great Brown." Tobe was one of eight boys born to Granny Great. Seven of the eight brothers were so similar in appearance that the people in Fayetteville in those days had trouble distinguishing which Brown brother was visiting in town. By 1900 Tobe and Elvira were married and far along in raising their family. Tobe had just been elected sheriff of Fayette County. They moved their family into the county jail. They soon had a son George and two daughters, Lois and Lovalle Brown. A sheriff's wife It was difficult for all of the families trying to raise children in the small farming town, but it was even more difficult for Tobe and Elvira, or as her friends now called her, "Bunch." Tobe and Bunch were living in the upstairs living quarters of the county jail. Tobe frequently had to fend off lynch mobs, including one in 1908 that had formed bent on hanging Jim Bennett for the murder of Buddy McEachern. Bunch hid Bennett in a clothes hamper while Tobe convinced the crowd to go home. Later in the night Tobe concealed Bennett under a lap robe in his buggy and took him to Jonesboro for safekeeping. Life was a challenge for the wife of a 1900s sheriff but Bunch was a feisty character up to the challenge. She had big hopes for the future of her children, and their future would be the future of Fayette County. An unexpected marriage Things were much more comfortable for J. R. and Octavia Seawright living in their large two-story home in Atlanta. Their home was equipped with an electric lift on the stair case (Octavia was somewhat of an invalid) and a foot pedal buzzer in the dining room used for summoning the hired help during dinner. They had big plans for their son Eugene Chester Seawright, whom they had just put through college and medical school at The School of the South in Tennessee. Mr. J.R. Seawright had made his money off of a string of saloons stretching from Tennessee to Florida. He was now heavily connected into the politics of the city of Atlanta, holding several key positions, including at one time the position of mayor pro tem. The Seawrights had never heard of the Brown family of Fayette County but they soon would. Their son, Dr. Eugene Chester Seawright, had just completed his internship at Emory University. Little did the Seawrights suspect that while there he would fall in love with the daughter of the sheriff of Fayette County, a dirt-poor farming community south of Atlanta. Lois Brown had swept Eugene Seawright, now Dr. Seawright, off his feet, and she would change the destiny his parents had planned for him. The Seawrights of Atlanta and the Browns of Fayetteville had very little in common up to this point in the century. This love affair would insure a common bond for decades as their decedents shaped the politics of Fayetteville. A doctor's wife Lois Brown was an attractive, sassy brunette. Her poses in photographs reveal a bold sensuality which would have been less than humble for a lady of her times. Lois married Dr. E. C. Seawright and convinced him to come back to her small town and become the community's family doctor. The doctor obliged his attractive bride, moved with her to Fayetteville and became the horse and buggy doctor of the town. His large gray mare Maud carried him throughout the county performing his duties. The cost of his visits would range from $3 to $5, depending on whether or not he may have to stay the night for a mother in labor. Lois' parents, Sheriff and Bunch Brown, ran a store on the town square where the law offices of Ballard and Ballard are today. The upstairs was where people in town came to watch silent movies. The downstairs was a general store where Dr. Seawright also set up his pharmacy. In those days, a doctor was allowed to run a pharmacy in addition to practicing medicine. Lois and Dr. Seawright moved into one of the nicer homes in town, directly across from where Dunkin' Donuts is today and began their family. Their children and their children's children would be the town mayors and leaders who would shape the community for the following century.
NEXT INSTALLMENT: A line of mayors.
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