MONROE’S EARLY LEADERS

RECALLED IN OBITUARIES

          Recently I mentioned how each life has a story and often times these stories are used when writing an obituary for the individual.

          In going back to the 1930’s I am recalling the lives of two Monroe citizens whose lives were remembered in obituaries as detailed in The Walton Tribune, profiling their lives and families with the influence they had in Monroe’s developing history.

          In the May 4, 1934 issue of the Tribune we find the obituary recalling the life of Sanders McDaniel, son of the late Governor and Mrs. Henry D. McDaniel:

                   Mr. McDaniel is Dead, After Brief Illness

          News of the death of Sanders McDaniel, distinguished son of the late Governor and Mrs. Henry D. McDaniel and brother of Mrs. E. S. Tichenor, at Emory University Hospital late Wednesday came as a shock to friends in Walton County and throughout the state.

          Few people in Monroe ever knew of the illness of Mr. McDaniel, who went to the hospital two weeks ago for an operation, which was thought to have been successful, as he was getting along nicely until a few days ago.

          Mr. McDaniel was a member of the firm of McDaniel, Neely & Marshall, one of the outstanding law firms in the South, was born in Monroe September 19, 1867.  Following his completion of the public schools in Monroe he entered the old Monroe Academy and later took his A. B. degree at the University of Georgia, graduating in the class of 1886.

          Descendent of two of the most prominent families in the state, Mr. McDaniel soon made for himself a name in his chosen profession and after practicing with his father for a few years, went to Atlanta in 1895 where he entered practice with the firm of McDaniel, Alston & Black, the other members of the firm being Robert C. Alston and Eugene R. Black.

          A few years late the firm was changed to McDaniel & Black when Mr. Alston left to form his own concern and still later was changed to McDaniel & Neely when Edgar Neely became associated with Mr. McDaniel.

          Several years ago Rembert Marshall, son-in-law of Mr. McDaniel, entered the firm and it is now known as McDaniel, Neely & Marshall.

          Mr. McDaniel has been vice president of the Southeastern Express Company since its organization many years ago and was division counsel for the Southern Railway in Georgia and the Georgia Railway and the Atlanta Joint Terminals.  He was counsel for several other large corporations, including the Southern Bell Telephone Company.

          Scion of leading families of the South in reconstruction days, Mr. McDaniel was noted for his eloquence as a lawyer and for his reverence for cultural traditions and pursuits. His manner was always quiet and dignified and his charm and personality won for him a wide circle of friends.

          He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, The Capital City Club, Piedmont Driving Club and Druid Hills Club, and before the reorganization of the university system of Georgia a few years ago, was a trustee of his alma mater, The University of Georgia.

          Mr. McDaniel was a former president of the Atlanta Bar Association.  While at the University of Georgia he distinguished himself in scholastic work and was elected to the honorary fraternity of Phi Beta Kappa and was a member of the Chi Phi social fraternity.

          Mr. McDaniel’s mother, Mrs. Hester Felker McDaniel, daughter of the late Stephen and Malinda Harbin Felker, came from a family equally as noted as that of her eminent husband.

          Mr. McDaniel was married to the former Miss Ann Henderson, daughter of Colonel and Mrs. W. H. Henderson of Knoxville, Tenn., who survives him.  The union brought one daughter, the former Miss Harriett McDaniel, now Mrs. Rembert Marshall, who also survives. Another survivor is a grandson, Sanders McDaniel Marshall, namesake of the grandfather.

          Other survivors are a sister, Mrs. E. S. Tichenor, of Monroe; a niece, Mrs. Francis Warfield, of Nashville, Tenn.;  an uncle, Judge Joseph H. Felker, of Monroe; a nephew, Henry McDaniel Tichenor, of Monroe, and a sister-in-law, Mrs. James H. Kirkland, wife of the chancellor of Vanderbilt University, of Nashville, Tenn.  Messrs. George W. and Paul H. Felker and Mrs. Lena F. Lewis, of Monroe; Mrs. W. H. Hollingsworth, of Fayetteville, Mrs. C. R. Ware and Mrs. R. C. Mizell, of Atlanta, are first cousins.

          On October 2, 1936 The Tribune carried this obituary of another well-known Monroe resident whose relatives still reside in Monroe and whose father was one of Monroe’s most prolific and civic minded leaders: George C. Selman, Jr.;

          George C. Selman Dies in Atlanta

          Monroe and Walton County lost one of their best known and most highly respected citizens in the death of George C. Selman, which occurred at St. Joseph’s Infirmary last Saturday afternoon following the amputation of his left leg Thursday morning.

          A suffer from diabetes, Mr. Selman had been in failing health for some time, though he was able to keep going until this last setback.  He had sustained a sore on his foot for some time and though it gave him some trouble it was not considered serious until recently when it became infected and it was necessary to send him to the hospital for treatment.

          Upon his entry to St. Joseph’s on September 15, the attending physicians decided immediately it was necessary to remove his left limb which was done last Thursday morning.

          Mr. Selman apparently stood the operation well but owing to his weakened condition was not able to sustain the shock to his system and death ensued two days later after everything humanly possible had been done to prolong his life.

          Son of the late George Cowan and Mary Briscoe Selman, of this city, Mr. Selman was born and reared and spent his entire life in Monroe, and was one of the community’s most prominent and influential citizens.

          A man of sunny and unselfish nature and strong character, he was quiet and unostentatious in manner and enjoyed the warmest esteem of all.

          Mr. Selman never united with any church and never married.  He was 70 years of age on March 11^th.  He resided at the ancestral home with his sisters to whom he was thoroughly devoted.

          Funeral services were held at the home Monday morning with interment following at the old cemetery (The Old Baptist Cemetery), the E. L. Almand Co. in charge.  Dr. James A. Clarke conducted the rites which were largely attended and marked the closing of a long and useful career.

          Mr. Selman is survived by four sisters, Mrs. Eva Pollock, Mrs. Lucy Gibbs, Miss Lula Selman and Miss Judith Selman, all of this city. He is also survived by one niece, Mrs. E. L. Pugh of Athens, and three nephews, Mr. D. M. Pollock, of Monroe, Mr. Ralph Gibbs, of San Antonio, Texas and E. W. Blalock, of Atlanta.

          These were the obituaries I remember reading as a child in that the deceased were remembered in the kindest and most positive ways, showcasing their impact on their city and county.

          Back in the day when Monroe was much smaller than it is now, most of the population knew everyone and either had a business, civic or social connection. So when Death knocked on a door and a loved one was taken, the family’s sorrow became the town’s sorrow and the quote from Madame de Stael rings true: “We understand death for the first time when He puts His Hand upon one we love.”

          Monroe’s history is rich with obituaries of her citizens whose unselfish generosity and desire to make our town better in every way possible tells of a different time and place but the intention to always improve remained foremost in their lives as revealed in the legacies they left behind. More of these historic obituaries will be presented in the months to follow.