The Orrs of Anderson Pt 3: The Governor’s Children II

The final part in the series on the Orr family will cover the lives of James Lawrence Jr. and Dr. Samuel Marshall Orr, both giants in their respective fields. The two men were the first sons born to James and Mary Orr and they left a lasting mark on Anderson in the form of a textile mill.

James Lawrence Orr, Jr.

James Lawrence Orr, Jr. (August 29, 1852-February 26, 1905) Named after his father, James Lawrence Orr, Jr. was the eldest son of the James and Mary Orr. He was born in Abbeville at the home of his grandfather, Dr. Samuel Marshall, August 29, 1852. His maternal uncle was Col. Jehu Foster Marshall, hero of the Mexican War, notable figure of Abbeville, and commander of a Confederate regiment. Col. Marshall died during the Civil War.

Orr was a tall man. He stood six foot six inches, towering over nearly everyone he knew. Most of his contemporaries only reached his shoulder. He was physically very strong, weighing nearly 275 pounds. His strength was not only physical, however. His had a keen mind which marked him for future success.

Orr’s Passport Application, completed in 1873, when his father was minister to Russia. (National Archives)

At the age of twenty, he accompanied his father to Russia where he served as his private secretary. He returned to Anderson in 1873, and on the twelfth of November, married Bettie B. Hammett, daughter of Colonel Henry P. Hammett, a local textile leader. After a few years as an attorney, was elected to the South Carolina House as a representative from Anderson County. He was a young and ambitious politician. Early in his career he became a redeemer under Wade Hampton and was a vocal supporter of Hampton’s campaign to redeem South Carolina from Reconstruction. Orr played a pivotal role in the weeks after Hampton’s election.

Hampton’s election as governor caused a split in the state’s government. The sitting Republican governor, refused to give up his office and the there were two General Assemblies, each supporting their candidate. Each assembly met in a different location and each claimed to be there by the people’s will. It was Orr who led the “attack” on the Republican Assembly, and it was he, with a great show of force, who torn down the locked door they were meeting behind.

In 1878, Orr was elected solicitor of the Eighth Circuit, and as a prosecutor he had a marked success. Orr was not known for his speaking abilities and, in his own words, would “murder the King’s English” on a regular basis. Orr did not follow any certain grammatical or rhetorical rules, but he spoke with a common sense that was easy for everyone to grasp. It was not uncommon for many young lawyers in the Anderson and Greenville areas to “swear by Lawrence Orr.”

Orr resigned from the solicitor’s office in the early 1880’s and moved to Greenville where he began practicing law under the firm Wells & Orr. This was eventually expanded to Wells, Orr, Ansel & Cothran.

In 1890, Col. Hammett, Orr’s father-in-law died. Hammett was at the time one of the most successful textile pioneers in the state. The industry was still in its infancy and Hammett’s company, Piedmont Manufacturing Company, was in need of leadership. Despite his lack of experience in the business world, the company’s board of directors selected Orr as the next company president. It was here that Orr found his greatest success.

Under his leadership, Piedmont Manufacturing doubled in size and its stock was sold at the highest price for a mill in the state. His success at the mill prompted him to enter politics one more time. This time, however, he was up against the populist force known as Benjamin Tillman. Against his best wishes, he agreed to run on the 1892 gubernatorial ticket for South Carolina as lieutenant governor along with Sheppard for governor. Many of the state’s leading businessmen had begged Orr to run against Tillman himself, but he refused due to the responsibilities placed on him with the mill.

Like Tillman, Orr believed that reform was needed in the state. Unlike Tillman, Orr did not believe in the extreme and racial measures Tillman would take to see it happen. The campaign of 1892 was brutal and speaking engagements often descended into a battle of lung power: whichever side could yell the most. Orr, it was remarked by a contemporary observer, stood out. Despite his lack of speaking skills, his sledge-hammer logic and straight-from-the-hip speaking style actually swayed voters from supporting Tillman, but it wasn’t enough. In the end, Tillman won the election. After this defeat, Orr retired from political life and he dedicated his time to the growth of the Piedmont Company.

Between 1899 and 1900, Orr organized and built a new state-of-the-art mill south of Anderson, the second textile mill in the town, and the first textile mill in South Carolina to use electricity for all its power. Called Orr Mill, it and the surrounding mill village became a fixture of life in the town. Orr was the mill’s first president, John E. Wigington was the first manager, and John Lyons served as mill superintendent until the 1950’s.

Orr Mill, Historic Postcard

Orr’s leadership of the mill was very successful but sadly shortened by his death on February 26, 1905. Orr died after suffering for a week from erysipelas brought on by a skin infection. He was laid to rest in the churchyard of Christ Church (Episcopal) in Greenville, South Carolina. He was survived by his wife and six children.

Later that year, a cenotaph to James Orr was placed near the Orr Mill on South Main Street where it stood behind a wrought iron fence until 2008 when it was damaged in a storm. The monument was later moved to the Anderson County Museum, and is on display near the entrance. A nearby tablet provides historical context to the monument.

Orr Monument, Anderson County Museum (Author’s collection)

Dr. Samuel Marshall Orr (Anderson Intelligencer, 1896)

Samuel Marshall Orr (June 5, 1855-April 14, 1909) Named after Mary Orr’s father, Dr. Samuel Marshall, Dr. Samuel Marshall Orr was born in Anderson June 5, 1855, the second son of James and Mary Orr. Dr. Orr was reared in Anderson and studied at Professor Ligon’s private school at Anderson, the King’s Mountain Military Academy in Yorkville, and Furman University.

From 1873 to 1876 he gave his attention to mercantile pursuits before beginning to study medicine at Jefferson Medical College in 1877. Orr graduated in 1879, and opened a practice in Anderson as the partner of Dr. Waller Hunn Nardin. Dr. Orr at once found himself in possession of an active practice which has steadily grown until it now extends over a considerable portion of upper South Carolina. He practiced medicine for twenty-five years. His practice was not only successful, it was extensive. He was frequently consulted in medical cases from Abbeville, Greenwood, and Walhalla.

He took a post graduate course in 1892 in New York Polytechnic. He was the president of the Anderson County Medical Society, a member of the American Medical Association, and of the Board of Medical Examiners of South Carolina. He is also first vice president of the South Carolina Medical Association and was formerly lecturer on anatomy and physiology at Patrick Military Institute of Anderson. He is also surgeon of the Blue Ridge and the C. & W.C. railroads.

Dr. Samuel Marshall Orr House (Author’s collection)

He was married in October 1875 to Charlotte Althea Allen daughter of John E Allen of Abbeville County and granddaughter of the late Dr. Charles L Gaillard of Anderson County. They have four children. Ten years later, in 1885, Dr. Orr built a magnificent two-story Greek Revival house at 809 West Market Street. The house was a smaller replica of his father’s home on McDuffie Street, and is an example of a plantation style home in an urban setting. This speaks to Dr. Orr’s stature and leadership role in the community.

As a physician, Dr. Orr grew to care not only about his patients but his community as well. As such, Dr. Orr was very involved in Anderson’s development. He was president of the Anderson Water Light and Power Company, and in this position improved and extended the power system which eventually replaced the old steam powered system the city had been using. He was also the treasurer and director of the Anderson Cotton Mills, vice president of the Anderson Building and Loan Association, vice president of the Farmers and Merchants Bank, and a partner in the Hill-Orr Drug Company of Anderson. After his brother death, Dr. Orr was selected as president of Orr Mill, a position he held until his death. Under his leadership, the mill grew to 57,496 spindles, 1,504 looms, and 600 employees.

Dr. Samuel Marshall Orr Tombstone, Old Silver Brook Cemetery, Anderson, SC (Author’s collection)

Dr. Orr died April 14, 1909, while seeking treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He was surrounded by members of his family. They had traveled to Baltimore in anticipation of Dr. Orr not recovering. He had been suffering from several illnesses for some time, and they had gotten worse a few weeks before his passing. He was the last surviving son of Governor Orr. His elder brother James had died in 1905; his younger, Christopher, had died in 1888. His sister, Mary Orr Earle, was now the last surviving sibling. Dr. Orr was laid to rest in Anderson’s historic Old Silver Brook Cemetery.

The Orrs of Anderson Pt 2: The Children of the Governor I

The life and ancestry of Governor James Lawrence Orr has been covered in an earlier post. The esteemed governor and his wife Mary Marshall had seven children. This part continues the history of the Orr family by examining the lives of five of the seven. (The two remaining sons are discussed here.) From education to textiles to medicine, the surviving children of Governor Orr led lives as illustrious as their father’s. This is the first part of their story.

Eliza Foster Tombstone, First Presbyterian Churchyard (Author’s collection)

Eliza Foster Orr (October 25, 1844-January 7, 1851) Eliza was the first child born to James Lawrence Orr and Mary Jane Marshall. She was born in Anderson, South Carolina, and named after Mary’s mother, Eliza Compton Foster.

Very little is known of Eliza because she died at the age of seven, the first Orr child to not survive to maturity. She was laid to rest in the Orr family plot in the churchyard of the First Presbyterian Church of Anderson. Her grave is marked by a handsome tablet monument crowned by elaborate scroll work.

Martha Orr (Patterson) (December 24, 1846-November 12, 1905) Christmas of 1846 was a special time for the young Orr couple. They celebrated on Christmas Eve with the birth of a second child, a daughter they named Martha after James’ mother. Given Governor Orr’s activity in the Confederacy it may seem odd that Martha marry who she did, but love is often mysterious. Martha’s husband was William Chamberlain Patterson, Jr. of Philadelphia. Patterson’s father was a colonel in the Union army and his uncle was Union General Francis E. Patterson. One child was born to the couple, Lawrence Orr Patterson, who was named after Martha’s father. The Pattersons lived in Greenville, South Carolina.

Martha was very involved in many social organizations, most notably the United Daughters of the Confederacy. She was also close friends with Elizabeth Bleckley, wife of Anderson businessman Sylvester Bleckley. The two had become friends through their mutual social organizations. Martha served as president of the South Carolina Division, United Daughters of the Confederacy, and of the South Carolina federation of Women’s Clubs.

Martha Orr Patterson Tombstone (Christ Church (Episcopal), Greenville, South Carolina) (Find-A-Grave)

Martha’s death on November 12, 1905, was particularly tragic. She and Elizabeth had taken a trip to San Francisco, California, to attend the National Convention of the United Daughters of the Confederacy about a month earlier. While they were out enjoying an afternoon of horseback riding, an accident occurred. The horses became spooked and both ladies were thrown violently to the ground. Martha was badly bruised and taken to the San Diego Hospital for treatment. Elizabeth quickly recovered from her fall and returned to Anderson. Before she arrived, however, a telegram was received from the hospital that death had taken Martha. This was wholly unexpected and a great shock because she was recovering when Elizabeth left.

Martha had been a widow since 1901, and she was buried beside her husband in Christ Church (Episcopal) in Greenville.

Mary Marshall Orr Prevost Earle (Daughters of the American Revolution)

Mary Marshall Orr Prevost Earle (August 1, 1858-April 15, 1912) Named after her mother, Mary was born while her father was Speaker of the House, and she was perhaps the most intelligent of the governor’s children. Many compared her intellect to that of her father’s. She was married twice: first to John Blair Prevost of Anderson, and they had one son, Marshall Blair; after Prevost’s death, she married William Edward Earle of Greenville. Her husbands’ lives were just as eventful as Mary’s.

John Prevost was the son of a Haitian sugar plantation owner who had been killed by his slaves. His mother had fled the island and arrived in Charleston with John and her two other children. Prevost married Mary Orr in 1876, but died less than a year later of pneumonia. His death took place a few months before his son Marshall Blair was born in 1877. At the time, the Prevost family lived in Anderson, and John Blair was buried at First Presbyterian. (Their son, Marshall Blair Prevost, would later become a leading figure in the Greenville art community and was a forefather of the Greenville Arts Museum.)

Mary’s second husband was Civil War veteran Captain William Edward Earle of Greenville. Earle was a direct descendant of John Earle, a Royalist from Virginia who is the ancestor of the upstate Earle family. He had previously been married and was the father of four children. His first wife, Bette Price, died in 1878.

During the Civil War, Earle was a captain and major the famed Earle’s Battery which provided protection along the coast. Earle’s Battery was one part of the Horse Artillery Brigade, Butler’s Division, Wade Hampton’s Cavalry Corps. He served throughout the Civil War, and surrendered with General Joseph E. Johnston. After the war, he practiced law in Greenville. His success as a trial attorney resulted in his appointment in 1877 as an Assistant United States District Attorney. By 1880, Earle was practicing law in Washington, D.C. He married Mary Orr Prevost on January 13, 1881. For nearly fifteen years, Earle was a successful attorney, but his failing health began to take its toll. While on a family vacation in Portland, Maine, Captain Earle died in August 13, 1894. He body was returned to Greenville and was laid to rest in Christ Church (Episcopal).

Mary Orr Patterson Tombstone (Christ Church (Episcopal), Greenville, South Carolina) (Find-a-Grave)

While the Earles lived in Washington, Mary was a star among the social circles. She was a leading figure in the Daughters of the American Revolution, being a direct descendant of Robert Orr, a captain of Pennsylvania troops. She was one of the early D.A.R. vice presidents and a member of the first National Board. A contemporary account credited her with a “rare mental and social qualities.” Mary spoke five languages fluently and this made her very valuable among the Washington diplomatic corps.

With the death of her second husband, Mary returned to Greenville where she lived out her remaining years, continuing to be active in her social groups. She died after a brief illness at her home in Greenville April 15, 1912. She was laid to rest at Christ Church (Episcopal) along side Captain Earle.

Amelia Orr Tombstone, First Presbyterian Churchyard (Author’s collection)

Amelia Orr (July 1, 1860-December 5, 1872) The youngest daughter of Governor Orr, she died at the age of thirteen and was buried at First Presbyterian Church. Unlike the other Orr children, it is not clear who she was named for. The name Amelia does not appear in either the Orr or Marshall families.

The news of the child’s death came at the same time as Orr’s appointment as minister to Russia. In fact, the the obituary of young Amelia appeared on the same page of the Anderson Intelligencer as the formal announcement of Orr’s appointment to the position.

According to her short obituary, she was “a bright, intelligent child – the pet of the household.”

Christopher Hugh Orr Tombstone, First Presbyterian Churchyard (Author’s collection)

Christopher Hugh Orr (February 4, 1862-January 23, 1893) Named after his grandfather, Christopher Orr, he was the youngest son of the governor and was known as Christie to his friends. He was born shortly before Orr began his term in the Confederate Senate. As a youth, Christie attended the Yorkville Military School and later studied at the University of Virginia. After studying law in the office of his brother James, Christie was admitted to the bar. He lived in California for several years before returning home to take care of his aging mother.

Christie died after a long illness January 23, 1893 just a few days before his thirty-first birthday. His health had gotten worse in the early 1890’s, and took a sharp turn for the worst about three weeks before his death. During this time, Christie was stricken with paralysis and he died in this state. He was laid to rest in the Orr family plot at First Presbyterian Church. He never married.

The second part of The Children of the Governor will concern the lives of the remaining two sons, James Lawrence Orr, Jr., and Dr. Samuel Marshall Orr.

The Orrs of Anderson Pt 1: From an Inn to the Governor’s Mansion

There has been an Orr family living in Anderson since its founding, and their actions helped shape not only the development of the town but of the state as well. From one of the first executions in Anderson County to the Court of St. Petersburg, this is the first part of the story of an Anderson family and the street that bears its name.

The Orr family of Anderson County traces its line back to one Jehu Orr who built a two-story home in the Craytonville area of Anderson County in the early 1800’s. This was one of the first such homes in the county, and it also served as a stagecoach stop for travelers. Jehu Orr was born in 1763, in Wake County, North Carolina. He served in the Revolutionary War as a Captain of Dragoons in the North Carolina cavalry. It was after the war that Orr moved to what was then called the Pendleton District, which comprised present-day Anderson and Pickens Counties.

It was in Craytonville that Orr settled with his family, his wife, Jane Clinkscales, and their children. The business of innkeeper was very profitable for Jehu. His inn was situated not far from what was called the General’s Road which connected Andrew Pickens’ Hopewell Plantation in Clemson to Abbeville. This was a widely traveled road and served as the main north-south thoroughfare in the district. Stagecoach inns such as Orr’s were necessary part of travel in those days.

On December 20, 1826, under the leadership of Joseph Whitner, the Pendleton District was divided into two smaller, more manageable districts. They were named Anderson and Pickens. Almost a year later, on the evening of December 5, 1827, a man named Uriah Sligh entered Orr’s Inn seeking lodging. As customary, he was granted a room. Orr was a likable man. He knew that goodwill was the secret of any successful business, and he would often spend time with his guests. After a few drinks, Orr and Uriah began playing cards. The drinks continued and for reasons not exactly clear there was a confrontation between the two in which Sligh stabbed Orr. The wound was deep and mortal. Jehu Orr died December 14, 1827. He was buried in the Ruthledge/Emerson Cemetery west of Starr on private lands.

Sligh was arrested, tried for the murder, and found guilty. He was sentenced to be hanged. In his defense, Sligh claimed not to remember harming Orr, such was his drunkenness, but he expressed remorse for his actions and asked for those hearing him to avoid the dangers of drinking. Sligh was hung on March 22, 1828. According to contemporary accounts, he was the third execution in the district.

Among the Orr children, it is Christopher which next put his stamp on Anderson. He was born in Craytonville May 2, 1794. In 1820, Christopher, at the age of 24, married a local girl called Martha McCann. Orr was influential in the layout of the town. In fact, his was the first map of the downtown area and for the next twenty-four years, the Orrs were a fixture in the life of downtown Anderson.

Christopher Orr House, Manning Street, Anderson, SC (Author’s collection)

Like his father, Orr was an inn keeper. He established an inn/tavern near the courthouse. This two-story Greek Revival Style house was built in the early 1830’s and served not only as the Orr’s home, but was a bar, inn, and retail establishment. Eventually, this building was moved to its present location on Manning Street. The Christopher Orr House is one of the oldest residences in Anderson and is listed on the National register of Historic Places as part of the Anderson Historic District. In place of the home, Orr built another building, known as the Orr House. This was a lavish hotel for its time and stood until the 1880’s when it was torn down.

In 1844, Christopher Orr sold the hotel and moved most of his family to Pontotoc County, Mississippi. The advertisement for the hotel stated that it had twenty rooms and twelve fireplaces. On the ground floor were two law offices and a kitchen. Stables, a carriage house, and small orchard were also part of the property. Christopher Orr died in Mississippi May 17, 1864. His eldest son, James Lawrence Orr, remained in Anderson.

James Lawrence Orr (Matthew Brady Collection, Library of Congress)

James Lawrence Orr was born at the Orr Inn in Craytonville, May 12, 1822. Of Christopher Orr’s children, James was by far the most successful. His political career would span just twenty-four years, but he would serve his state and country honorably. He attended the Anderson Academy where he excelled at Latin and Greek. He also worked with his father as a shopkeeper and bookkeeper. After graduating from the University of Virginia in 1841, Orr returned to Anderson entered the firm run by Judge Whitner. In 1843, at the age of twenty, Orr was admitted to the state bar. After dabbling as a newspaper editor for the Anderson Gazette, Orr returned to the law and represented clients in Anderson, Greenville, Pickens, Abbeville, and Laurens Counties.

Orr was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1844 and remained there for two terms. In 1849, Orr was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives, representing what was then South Carolina’s Second Congressional District (later the Fifth). He held this seat until 1859, and for the last two years, 1857-1859, he was the thirty-fifth Speaker of the House, the second (and so far last) representative from South Carolina to do so. He was also the chairman of the House Committee on Indian Affairs from 1853 to 1855.

Orr married Mary Jane Marshall of Abbeville in the 1840’s. They would have five children.

Had the Civil War not happened, it is likely Orr would have continued to hold his seat. However, Orr was politically astute and he foresaw South Carolina’s secession. Orr was a strong supporter of states’ rights, but he was concerned about the actions in his home state. He personally opposed secession and would often warn others about the possible consequences. Still, his loyalty to South Carolina caused him to resign his seat in the House and return home.

Five men were appointed delegates from Anderson to the state’s secession convention in December 1860. They were Benjamin Franklin Mauldin, James Lawrence Orr, Jacob Pinckney Reed, Richard Franklin Simpson, and Joseph Newton Whitner, Jr. Abraham Lincoln had been elected president a month earlier; in response, and by a unanimous vote on December 20, South Carolina seceded from the United States.

After the vote, Orr is reported to have said, “Friends, you are headed for hell, but if you are determined to go, I’ll go with you.”

Of primary concern to the new South Carolina government was the status of federal properties in the state most notable were the forts in Charleston Harbor. Orr was one of a commission of three that was sent to Washington to negotiate a peaceful transfer of the properties. The failure of this commission was a direct cause of the later bombardment of Fort Sumter, the first shots of the Civil War.

Marker at the old Muster Ground Site. The other side speaks of a Methodist Camp which also used the location. (Author’s collection)

Orr’s social and political status gave him the rank of colonel in the new Confederate Army. He formed his own regiment, the First South Carolina Rifle Regiment, or Orr’s Rifles, Sandy Springs. A historical marker stands on the site.

Orr’s Rifles did not see much action for the first year of the war. They were nicknamed the “Poundcake Regiment” because of their easy assignments. Orr resigned from his command in January 1862, when he was elected to the Confederate Senate. He held this seat until May 10, 1865, serving on both the First and Second Confederate Congresses.

Incidentally, the regiment he formed was reassigned in April 1862, to the Army of Northern Virginia and fought in most of the major engagements of the war. Orr’s rifles began the war with over one thousand enlisted men and officers; it finished at Appomattox with just nine officers and one hundred and forty nine enlisted men. According to legend, Orr’s Rifles yelled the loudest in protest when Lee surrendered.

Orr focused his attention to rebuilding his state, and he turned his eyes to the governor’s seat. His opponent was none other than state hero Wade Hampton III. In November 29, 1865, Orr became the seventy-third Governor of South Carolina, the first governor to be directly elected. Prior to Orr, the governor was elected by the state senate. Orr remained in office until July 6, 1868, when the state adopted a new constitution based on Reconstruction.

One of the main accomplishments of his administration was the conversion of South Carolina College to South Carolina University. Otherwise, the state was under Federal military occupation and Orr largely served as a figurehead.

Like most politicians of his day, Orr was a mason. He was a member of Hiram No. 68 in Anderson but never served as grand master of the lodge. He did serve as Grand Master of Masons in South Carolina from 1865 to 1868. He refused another election as grand master, although it was clear he would have won again.

After leaving the governor’s office, Orr retired from public life, hoping to live quietly in his home on McDuffie Street called Forest Home (but locally known as Arlington). The people of Anderson, however, had other plans. Although he did not campaign for it, he was voted a circuit court judge in 1868, and established a reputation for a fair and balanced bench. He remained a judge until, in a gesture of post-Reconstruction healing, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Orr the Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States to Russia, an exalted title which is the equivalent to being an ambassador today. He took office on December 12, 1872 but unfortunately died in St. Petersburg on March 5, 1873, shortly after arriving, presumably due to the harsh climate.

Governor James L. Orr Monument (Author’s Collection)

Orr received a funeral in St. Petersburg at the English chapel. All English speaking and American residences attended and the casket was draped in flowers placed there by Maria Alexandrovna, the Empress of Russia. Afterwards, the body was packed in ice for shipment back to Anderson, but there were several stops on the way. First, Governor Orr’s body was received in New York by members of the Masonic Lodge. His body lay in state in the New York City Hall before being sent by rail to South Carolina. At major stops along the way, the train was met by other groups of Masons before arriving in Anderson in June 1873 and being taken to Hiram Lodge. Such was the condition of the body that dozens of sprays of flowers were needed to fill the rooms of the lodge.

After laying in state again in the Hiram Lodge, and receiving a funeral full of honors, the body of James Lawrence Orr, the seventy-third governor of South Carolina, was finally laid to rest on the June 19, in the First Presbyterian churchyard. His grave is marked with a tall column with an engraved base, and iron cross denoting his Confederate service.

To honor Governor Orr, the city of Anderson named Orr Street in his honor. This was one of the original streets laid out in the town and had previously been called First Street on the original Christopher Orr Map.

Edwards Bobo Murray, the Golden Boy of Anderson, South Carolina

Rev. John Scott Murray, father of Edwards Bobo Murray (First Baptist Church of Anderson)

If there was ever a “golden boy” in Anderson, South Carolina’s history, it was Edwards Bobo Murray. He had looks, money, family background, and a brilliant legal mind. But sadly, none of these could save Murray from the dangers of his swimming pond. His life, death, and the avenue that bears his name are the subject of this tale.

Edwards Bobo Murray was born in Newberry County, February 5, 1854, while his family was on a short visit. His farther, the Rev. John Scott Murray, was a well-known Baptist minister. His mother was Claudia Rebecca Edwards. Rev. Murray had been ordained in the fall of 1851, as the first full-time pastor of the Anderson Baptist Church, now called First Baptist Church.

Advertisement for the Rev. Murray’s Law Firm from 1866 (Anderson Intelligencer)

Like many ministers of his day, Rev. Murray had a second occupation: he was one of the most successful antebellum lawyers in Anderson. In his later years, the Rev. Murray would hold several elected positions at the local and state level, deftly mixing religion and politics. The Murrays placed a high value on education, being well educated themselves. They saw to it that their son was to receive the best education and training possible.

A life devoted to study very much pleased young Murray. He was an excellent student, excelling at nearly every topic he studied. Even when stumped with a subject, he would not stop his lessons until they were completed. He had a hunger and thirst for knowledge that seemed to know no bounds. Murray joined the Anderson Baptist Church in 1866. Three years later, at the age of fifteen, Murray was accepted to the 1869-70 term at Furman University. His classmates at Furman recognized his talents, and he was elected as the adversary essayist and session orator. Murray was able to hone his debating and reasoning skills.

From 1870 to 1871, Murray attended the University of Virginia, but due to ill health, he was forced to return home to Anderson to recover; he did not, however, stop studying. In 1872, after spending nearly a year at rest, Edwards entered his father’s law office and began reading and studying the law. At the age of nineteen, in 1873, Edwards passed a exam that is the equivalent of today’s state bar exam, receiving an order admitting him to the bar in 1875, when he reached the age of twenty-one. That same year, Edwards became an editor of the Anderson Conservator, a small paper which later merged with the Anderson Intelligencer, which Murray was also the editor of.

On March 3, 1874, the General Assembly passed an act empowering Edwards B. Murray to practice law in the state of South Carolina at the age of twenty. He is the only person in the state’s history to receive such an honor. The firm of Murray & Murray, partnered by the Rev. John Scott and his son Edwards Bobo Murray, was open for business. Murray quickly rose to a prominence that few lawyers attain. His skill at speaking and his argumentative prowess gave confidence to his clients and dread to his opponents. Murray approached the law differently. He relayed not on musty precedents but on original ideas and common sense. He fought to win and represented clients not just in state and federal courts. He was also well known in the surrounding counties, and his legal aid and advice was often sought by firms across the state and beyond.

Murray had always taken an interest in politics and was heavily influenced by his father. The Rev. Murray had been a staunch secessionist and served as a Confederate chaplain in the Civil War. The situation in the south after the war was distressing to many as Reconstruction continued to devastate the state. Murray was among those who resented the control the “carpetbaggers” had over South Carolina’s affairs. He believed that the state needed to make a change, and he wanted to be part of it. In 1872, Murray was elected as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from Anderson County. He held this seat until 1884.

Four years after he was first elected, Murray wed. His bride was the young, beautiful, and intelligent Eva Sloan, and the two were married on July 10, 1876. They had six children, two daughters and four sons.

As a representative, Murray was very popular, and the Anderson Intelligencer dubbed him “the real representative of Anderson County.” The citizens of Anderson respected him, although his actions were often misunderstood by the folks back home. His primary goal was the welfare of Anderson County, and he was a major factor in the economic growth of the town during this period. Murray respect among his peers was such that he was the leading voice of the upcountry representatives.

His life was not without controversy. The Intelligencer also noted the following:

“We should not be understood as saying he made no mistakes, for it is human to err, and he was human; but few men have ever been able to overcome their mistakes and errors with the power and ease that he did. Several incidents in his life would have relegated an ordinary man to the past forever, but he with his wonderful mental power and indomitable energy rose above them all, and continually went higher and higher, in the scale of life, leaving his mistakes below him.”

They are referring to a feud between Murray and Benjamin Tillman.

Democratic Nomination List (Anderson Intelligencer under Murray’s Editorship)

Murray was also a major supporter of Wade Hampton III during his run for the governorship in 1876. He campaigned for Hampton as what was called a “straightout” in Anderson County and beyond, often traveling day and night to speak on behalf of Hampton. Murray unabashedly used his reputation to ensure the votes for Hampton were there. In doing so, Murray put himself first among the young rising political stars in post-Reconstruction South Carolina.

In 1886, the citizens of Anderson County elected Murray to the state Senate, a seat he held until 1890, the same year his political career ended when he was defeated in the U.S. Senate race against George Johnson. Although he officially retired from politics, he did not retire from public life. He was chosen in 1891 as a deacon of First Baptist, having been active his whole life in the church’s Sunday School. Having been the beneficiary of a good and sound education, Murray was passionate about the issue. He was a trustee of Furman University and the Greenville Female College, and held a seat on the board of Converse College.

Murray incurred the wrath of no less than Benjamin Tillman in the 1890’s. Murray was selected as a candidate for the position of delegate to the State Democratic Convention of 1892. He supported John Calhoun Sheppard as opposed to Tillman. While speaking at Cedar Grove in Abbeville County, he was attacked by a mob. Although injured, when asked about pressing charges, he declined, stating that he bore the men no ill will. He knew that they were receiving orders from Tillman, a man Murray had nothing in common with personally or politically.

While both Tillman and Murray sought reformation in South Carolina, Murray was more conservative for his time. He was a member of the Bourbon Democrats, a branch of the Democratic Party in South Carolina which had risen to power with Hampton. Bourbon refers to the fact that they were returning to power, much like the Bourbon dynasty did in France. They called themselves the Redeemers because they had redeemed the state from Reconstruction. In essence, the Bourbons believed that power should reside with the old established families in the state. Tillman took a more populace approach and, not surprisingly, it eventually led him to the governor’s office.

The Announcement of Murray’s Death, Anderson Intelligencer, July 11, 1894, page 2

Less than two years later, Edwards Bobo Murray was dead. He died on July 7, 1894. The Murray estate was located just a few blocks north of Anderson to the west of Main Street. On the property was a large pond that was fed by an underground stream. Murray loved this pond and would often retreat to it and study. He was also an excellent swimmer. On this Friday afternoon, Murray, his daughter, Felicia, and two of her friends, Mary Preer and Helen Sloan, were all enjoying the pond. Murray and Preer were excellent swimmers and they were teaching the other two.

After about an hour in the water, the three girls headed for shore to rest. Murray remained in the water. He had pulled a boat out in the middle of the pond and was holding on to one side when he began to struggle. The girls noticed him and realized he was in trouble when he disappeared below the water. Felicia ran into the water but was unable to help due to her gossamer. Helen Sloan ran to the house which was about seventy-five yards away. Little Edward Jr. was sent into town for help.

Back at the pond, the ladies were working to try and save Murray. At one point his daughter was able to grab Murray hair and it was short and slipped out of her fingers. Frantic she began to paddle through the water, screaming for her father. But he did not reappear. The water calmed and then, as if a last breath had entered his lungs, Murray reached out of the water and grabbed his daughter. The boat tipped and as if he knew that he was endangering his daughter’s life, Edward Murray let go and sank to the bottom of the pond.

Edward Jr. returned to the house with several men from the town. J.L. Tribble, Lawrence Maxwell, and Williams Giles were the first to arrive. After some work, Giles was able to finally retrieve Murray from the water. By this point, he had been under water for half an hour. Drs. Wilhite, Frierson, and Harris all worked for an additional hour to try and save Murray but he was gone.

Anderson had not seen such a funeral since the death of Governor Orr. Cards and letters poured in from all over the state. At five in the afternoon of Monday, July 9, 1894, hundreds gathered at the Murray home before marching in solemn procession to First Baptist Church. Every seat in the church was occupied and there were many standing outside in the gentle rain which had been falling for some time.

Three ministers, Oscar L. Martin, Charles Manly, and I.M. Mercer, conducted the funeral. The list of pallbearers and honorary was a “who’s who” of Anderson’s elite. The pallbearers were W.W. Keys, Jefferson Davis Maxwell, James Albert Brock, Frank T. Wilhite, J.P. Duckett, James L. Orr, William Laughlin, J.L. Tribble, and H.H. Watkins. The honorary was Sylvester Bleckley, Benjamin F. Whitner, Aaron R. Broyles, Col. J.B. Patrick, Baylis F. Crayton, A.B. Towers, D. Sloan Maxwell, W.F. Barr, Patrick K McCully, J.F. Clinkscales, W.G. Watson, A.J. Stringer, J.W. Poore, Dr. W.H. Nardin, J.T. Green, J.S. Fowler, N.O. Farmer and George W. Sullivan.

Edwards B. Murray Monument, Old Silver Brook Cemetery (Author’s Collection)

Resolutions of respect were passed by the Vanderbilt Benevolent Association of Charleston, the Board of Trade of Anderson, the Sunday School of First Baptist Church of Anderson, and the Pickens Bar. Nearly every major state newspaper from Walhalla to Charleston published an editorial praising Murray for his legal knowledge, skill, and compassion.

Murray was remembered for many things, but his love of Anderson was the most important thing to him. He was taken with honors to Old Silver Brook Cemetery where a handsome monument now stands over his grave.

One of the many memorials had this to say:

“The most beautiful trait, however, in Maj. Murray’s character was his fidelity to his friends and devotion to his family. To his friends he was frank, generous and sincere, and no man who ever hard a claim on him was turned away unrequited. He tied men to him with hooks of steel, and probably enjoyed the ardent friendship of more men than any man in South Carolina. To his family he was most affectionate. No personal sacrifice was too great for him to make for their happiness, no exertion too much for their pleasure – a dutiful son and loving husband, a devoted father. In Church and State, in politics and religion, in business and family affairs, he filled the full measure of duty: a gentleman, a scholar, a patriot and a Christian.”

1901 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map Showing Original Murray Avenue prior to the bridge built over the railroad cut. The Murray property includes the area bounded on the west and south by Spring Street, the east by Main Street, and the north by Bleckley Street.

During the early twentieth century, when a new road was added to the north of the Blue Ridge Railroad Cut, the land through which the road would travel was the of Murray property. It was agreed at that time to name the road Murray Avenue, in honor of the late Edward Bobo Murray. For the first few decades of its existence, Murray Avenue did not connect across the railroad cut with the southern street, at the time called Peoples Street. It was not until the 1940’s that a permanent bridge between the two streets was completed.

Murray Avenue Today (Author’s Collection)

John E. Peoples, the Viaduct, and a Lost Street

John E. Peoples, First Baptist Church (Author’s Collection)

In my home town of Anderson, South Carolina, there are three statues of prominent Andersonians in the downtown area. Two are on the square: William C. Whitner and William W. Humphreys (atop the Confederate Monument). Both of these deserves their own story, but it is the third statue which concerns the first post of Under the Kudzu. The third statue is hidden behind a tree in the graveyard of the First Baptist Church on Manning Street. This life size statue of a man facing downtown is of John E. Peoples, and his name was once used to denote the southern part of what is today Murray Avenue.

 

Peoples was born in Newberry County, 20 March 1853. His father died when he was two, and his mother moved to Greenville. He lived with her until he moved to Anderson in 1875, at the age of twenty-two. Peoples quickly became one of Anderson’s youngest and most successful businessmen. He started working for his uncle, a Mr. Gilreath at the firm Gilreath & Burgess, dealing in stoves, tin-wear, etc. Within a few years, Peoples, bought our Burgess’ share in the company and it was renamed Gilreath & Peoples. Within a few years, Peoples bought out his uncle. His wealth continued to grow, and he made wise investments. Peoples seemed able to convert just about anything into money matching the skill of any medieval alchemist.

Peoples married into one of Anderson’s most prominent families in March 1887. His wife was Miss Josephine Bleckley, the eldest daughter of Sylvester Bleckley, a business pioneer in the town. They had two children.

During the fall of 1889, Peoples’ health began to suffer and he was diagnosed with  consumption. Around the first of February 1890, acting upon the advice of his physician, he, along with his brother-in-law G.W. Howell, went to Thomasville, Georgia, for a few weeks of recovery. For a couple of weeks, Peoples’ health got better, but it was only temporary. On the morning of March 12, just ten days after celebrating his thirty-seventh birthday, Peoples passed away.

Hand Holding Hat (Author’s Collection)

His body was bought back to Anderson by his brothers-in-law, and his wife. It was met by and escorted with honors the Board of Trade, the Knights of honor, and the Hiram Lodge, all of which he was a active member.

Peoples was buried in the First Baptist Church Graveyard. His funeral was lead by the Rev. Charles Manly, D.D., of Greenville, who preached what was described as an interesting and impressive sermon. Out of respect, all businesses were closed during the funeral service. The Hon. J.L. Tribble, Master of Hiram Lodge, delivered the graveside eulogy.

The statue that marks his grave was commissioned by his wife, Josie, and was carved in Italy from a photograph. The statue faces west, looking towards the downtown of his adopted home, holding his hat in his hand. Peoples’ prominent muttonchops dominate the now weathered face. To honor this young and much respected business leader, the city fathers of Anderson named the street beginning at the railroad cut and extending south Peoples Street.

Unlike its namesake, however, Peoples Street was never a great street. It not a widely used road because of its location. The main reason Peoples Street was difficult to use was because of the 1854 railroad cut that was made as part of the Blue Ridge Railroad. In about 1900, a new street that began north of the railroad cut was planned. It was named Murray Avenue, after Maj. Edwards Bobo Murray, whose property the street ran through. There was no bridge over the railroad cut between the two streets. The only way to go from Murray Avenue to Peoples Street was by cutting through downtown. This often caused traffic problems and bottlenecks, so work began on a bridge connecting the two streets. By 1919, a wooden bridge was constructed but it was not used because the angle on the Peoples’ side was too steep.

The solution to the problem? The Viaduct. The term viaduct is a combination of two Lain words, “via” meaning “to go,” and “ducere” meaning “road.” They are characterized by graceful arches which support the roadbed, and they very much resemble the aqueducts.

G. Cullen Sullivan, Mayor of Anderson (Anderson Daily Mail, 50th Anniversary Edition)

The first viaduct was completed during 1940 during the mayoral administration of G. Cullen Sullivan. Murray Avenue and Peoples’ Street were now connected but this only generated confusion. Where did one street begin and the other end? The city fathers took a hard look at the situation. There were dozens of homes were located on Murray. No one lived on Peoples. Businesses were established on Murray. There were train depots, and the coal yards. There was not much in the way of commercial activity on on Peoples Street.

These factors weighed in the decision, and, sadly, Peoples disappeared from the city map. The entire road south of the railroad cut became Murray Avenue. Incidentally, the original viaduct was torn down within five years, and a new four-lane viaduct was erected. Construction was completed during the summer of 1945 and dedicated on September 16 of that year. The official name of the viaduct is the G. Cullen Sullivan Memorial Viaduct, named after Sullivan who had died while in office. The present bridge was completed in 1955 and is technically not a viaduct, although it is still locally so called.