History of Jonesboro, (Maury County) Tennessee United States of America

Our database does not include an historic photo for Jonesboro, (Maury County) Tennessee, do you have one you would like to contribute? Contact Us!

Biographies:

James W. Deadrick, jurist, was born in Jonesboro, Tenn., Nov. 28, 1812. His father was a Revolutionary soldier from Virginia and after the war was president of the Jonesboro branch of the Bank of Tennessee. His mother was a sister of the Hon. Joseph Anderson, U. S. senator from Tennessee, 1797-1815. James wasa student at East Tennessee college and at Centre college, Ky., leaving in 1832, having the same year married at Danville a granddaughter of Gov. Isaac Shelby, and a daughter of the first white female child born in the territory of Kentucky. Being possessed of an ample fortune he settled in Hamblin county, Tenn.. but the financial panic of 1837 swept away his fortune and he accepted office as Indian agent in Iowa. He was admitted to the bar in 1844, served in the state senate in 1851, and in 1860 was an elector on the Bell and Everett ticket. He was an active secessionist, and his sons, James G. and William W., served in the Confederate army. In 1870 he was elected judge of the supreme court of Tennessee and on the death of Chief Justice Nicholson in 1876 he succeeded him as head of the bench. He was re-elected in 1878 and was continued as cider justice. At the close of his term in 1886 he retired to his home in Jonesboro, Tenn., where he died, Oct. 8, 1890.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Jeter Connelly Pritchard, senator, was born in Jonesboro, Tenn., July 12, 1857; son of William Hyder and Elizabeth L. (Brown) Pritchard. His paternal ancestors were from Wales and his maternal grandparents were natives of Ireland. Jeter C. Pritchard attended Martins Creek academy; learned the printer's trade in the Tribune-Herald office at Jonesboro, and removed to Bakersville, N.C., in 1873, where he was joint-owner and editor of the Roan Mountain Republican, 1873-87; a presidential elector on the Garfield and Arthur ticket in 1880, and a representative from Madison county in the state legislature, 1884, 1886 and 1890. He was admitted to the bar in 1887 and settled in practice in Marshall, N.C.; was the Republican candidate for lieutenant,governor of the state in 1888, and the party nominee for U.S. senator in 1892. He was elected president of the North Carolina Protective Tariff league in 1891; was a delegate at large from North Carolina to the Republican national convention of 1892; a defeated candidate for representative in the 53d congress, and in April, 1894, was elected U.S. senator to fill the unexpired term of Z. B. Vance, deceased, and in 1897 was re-elected for the full term of six years expiring March 3, 1903. He was appointed chairman of the committee on patents and a member of six other important committees.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor