Jefferson
County, Alabama Biographies
The following biographies
were extracted from:
Jefferson County and Birmnigham, Alabama: Historical and
Biographical, 1887, Author: John Witherspoon
Dubose.
L
SAMUEL L. LEDBETTER
was born
in August, 1855, in Mississippi, and is a son of Laban L. and Mary H. Ledbetter,
the former a native of Virginia, the latter of Kentucky. The father of
Samuel was a merchant and planter, and our subject passed his early years on the
plantation, attending the common schools until he was seventeen years old, when
he entered the University of Mississippi, located at Oxford, and was graduated
therefrom in 1876. Entering the office of Dr. Frazier, of Tupelo, Miss.,
he commenced reading medicine, and after attending the University of Louisville,
Ky., two years, was graduated in 1879. He entered upon his professional
life work in Memphis, Tenn., where he remained until he came to Birmingham in
November of the same year, where he has been in constant and earnest
practice. In January, 1887, he formed an association with Dr. James A.
Cox.
Dr. Ledbetter has confined his practice to the treatment of the eye,
ear, and throat. Began the specialty in 1884, spending a portion of 1884
and 1885 in New York City prosecuting his studies in the branches mentioned, and
has established a fine reputation as a skillful and educated physician and
surgeon.
He was married in 1882 to
Miss Netti, daughter of Judge John C. Morrow, or Birmingham, and one child has
been born to them, Samuel L., Jr.
SAMUEL H. LIGHTON was
born at Knoxville, Tennessee, February 11, 1857. He is a son of Andrew
D. and Eliza J. Allen Lighton, the former a native of Philadelphia, Pa., and the latter of Madison County,
Alabama. His father was a foundryman at Huntsville, Ala., for some years.
The subject attended the common schools
until he was ten years old, and then began assisting his father in the foundry,
where he worked with him for two years, or until the latter's removal to
Louisville, Ky., in 1869. Young Lighton attended a school
one year after arriving at his new home, and then commenced work for Sneed & Co., of that city, who were
iron workers. He entered their establishment to learn pattern-making, and, after
remaining with them nine years, he entered the iron works of Ansley, Cochrane
& Co., where he was assistant pattern-maker, and among other notable work he
did was to assist in making the patterns for the Birmingham Rolling Mills which
were built a few years ago, and one of the largest concerns of the kind in
America.
In August, 1882, he engaged with Aikin
& Drummond, of Louisville, and made patterns for their molding
machines for four months, and was then appointed foreman of their works. His
effectiveness in this capacity attracted their praise, and in six months he was
promoted to be superintendent of the entire establishment, and held it two
years. Mr. Aikin then sold out his interests, and young Lighton remained with
the Drummond Manufacturing Company one year longer.
In September, 1884, he moved to Birmingham, and formed a
copartnership with Mr. Aikin, and built a large foundry and machine shop, and
since has been very prosperous, the business having very greatly increased;
indeed, being much larger than he ever anticipated. The firm make a specialty of
the Aikin improved molding machine, which is a great success, judging by the
popularity it has attained.
Mr. Lighton was married September 5, 1882,
to Miss Maggie, daughter of Mr. Aikin, his former employer, and at present his
associate in business. Thus is seen in Mr. Lighton's career an example of what
maybe accomplished by the deserving and worthy. He commenced an apprentice boy,
and is now one of the proprietors of an important, thriving, industrial
establishment. No worthier example of emulation can be found than he. He is
quite a young man, and his greatest achievements are before and invite him
onward.
E. W. LINN, Cashier of the First National Bank, and son of Charles
Linn, its founder, is a native ofMontgomery,
where he was born in 1852. His education was commenced in the public schools of
his native city, and prosecuted for some time in Germany, whither he went in 1865. In
1870 he entered the University of Illinois, and graduated therefrom in 1872.
Following his life as a student he was engaged in agricultural pursuits in
Jefferson
County for about five
years. In 1880 he became a commercial traveler for a hardware house of Cincinnati, traversing the Southern States in
the interests of that firm for one year. Soon after he was appointed secretary
and treasurer of the Linn Iron Works, which position he efficiently conducted
until May, 1882, when he entered the National Bank as exchange clerk and
collector, and rose steadily in position until appointed assistant cashier in
January, 1884, and in January, 1886, after the consolidation and organization of
the First National Bank he was elected cashier, and in that responsible position
we find him at the present writing. Mr. Linn is one of the most faithful and
deserving of the officers of the First National, in which he has large
interests, and to which he gives his best service. He possesses the
qualification of being rapid and accurate in the discharge of his official
duties, together with safe and conservative views as to the management of the
large interests in which he has a substantial voice. He is ever progressive, and
is identified with many of the prominent industries that are fast multiplying in
this section.
He is
secretary and treasurer of the Southern Bridge Company, and a director of the
Birmingham Gas and Illuminating Company, and secretary and treasurer of the East
Birmingham Land Company, besides being a large real estate
owner.
THOMAS B. LYONS is a native of Louisiana, and was born
in 1840. His father, Z. S. Lyons, was of English-German parent-age, and his
mother, Mary E. Ranoldson, Scotch. The former was a native Pennsylvanian, and
lived near Philadelphia, and the latter of
Fredericksburg, Va. They were married in Louisiana.
His father traveled extensively, but
finally settled in Feliciana Parish, Louisiana,
studied law, and practiced there until his death, which took place in 1852.
During his life he was district attorney. There were three children born to
them.
Thomas was reared in Louisiana, and attended school until fourteen years of
age, and then went to Hanover
College, Virginia, and subsequently took a course at the University of Virginia. After this he traveled for two
years in Europe, and on returning to America in 1861, joined the
Confederate forces under General E. Kirby Smith, and served as staff officer.
Later he was sent to Stevenson's Division, and later yet served on the staff of
General Seth Barton, in the Army of Northern Virginia. He was also in Kentucky with General Smith, and was in the defense of
Vicksburg
against Grant's siege. He was exchanged, along with that garrison, and rejoined
the Army of Virginia, being assigned to Pickett's Division of Longstreet's
Corps, and subsequently to Ewell's corps. He was a participant in the last fight
of the Army of Northern Virginia, at Sailor's Creek. In Lee's retreat he was
taken prisoner two days before Appomattox. He was in the Kentucky campaign; Pemberton's operations around Vicksburg; at Champion Hills, Cold Harbor; the fights on
the south side of the James River; and finally at the siege of Richmond. Among his
military experiences was three months a prisoner on Johnson's Island.
After the war he returned to Louisiana, and settled at
his old home. Having studied the civil law in France, he began
the practice in 1867. He continued the practice until elected judge in 1874, in
which position he served two years, and also two terms in the State Legislature,
beginning with the year 1876, and was then elected to the constitutional
convention in 1879. The constitution then formed is still the fundamental law of
the State.
Judge Lyons, in the meantime, had acquired
an interest in the Clinton and Port Hudson Railroad, which he still
holds.
In the year 1884 he came to Birmingham,
and invested money in the Alabama State Bank, then recently organized, and in
the following year came to reside permanently.
Since his residence here, Judge Lyons has
been among the most progressive and successful of Birmingham's truly progressive men. He has
large interests, and is connected prominently with some of the most important
enterprises in the city. A mention of these will suffice to convey the most
intelligent and convincing opinion of this assertion. He is vice-president of
the Alabama National Bank; a director of the Birmingham Street Railway Company;
director and treasurer of the East Lake Land Company; treasurer of West End
Improvement Company; president of the Central Trust Company of Alabama, and, besides having large real estate interests,
also owns stock in some of the strongest companies in Birmingham.
Judge Lyons is a member of the Knights of Pythias;
Knights of Honor; of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and vestryman in the
Episcopal Church.
He
was married in 1872 to Miss Mary Norwood, a native of Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. Judge Lyons resides on the South
Highlands, one of the most picturesque suburbs of Birmingham.
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