Samuel E. Stokes, born 1824, was a dedicated merchant and Civil War veteran from Clarke County, Alabama. Despite losing his wealth during the war, Stokes persevered, starting a business in Daphne, Alabama, with his remaining possessions and displaying admirable resilience and entrepreneurship.
John Hadley, born in 1820, was a notable stock grower in South Baldwin County, Alabama. He initially worked as a farm hand and United States express rider, before transitioning into the stock business with his brother. Hadley, despite an early life of hardship, successfully managed a diverse and substantial livestock farm, specializing in sheep and cattle. He also played a significant role in his community and family.
Howell W. Slaughter, born in 1857, was a progressive planter and the sheriff of Baldwin County, Alabama. Despite limited formal education, he was an adept bookkeeper and managed his father’s plantation successfully. He expanded his property holdings, including the acquisition of the old Booth estate, and contributed significantly to local community development, particularly in the realms of education and church establishments, despite having no religious affiliation.
Henry J. Hunt was a respected planter and lumberman from Tensaw, Baldwin county, Alabama. Born in Georgia in 1827, Hunt relocated to Alabama, where he served in the Alabama cavalry during the Civil War. Following the war, he established a successful lumber business and farming operation. Recognized as an active community member, Hunt was part of the Tensaw lodge and the Missionary Baptist church.
Josiah H. Marbury, the head of the Marbury Lumber company at Bozeman, Alabama, was born in Shelbyville, Tennessee, in 1841. His parents, L. W. and Mary (Kidd) Marbury, were also natives of Tennessee, where they passed their entire existence, the former expiring in 1863 and the latter about 1875. L. W. Marbury was a Primitive Baptist minister and merchant, was a soldier in the Mexican war, and at one time was a member of the Tennessee legislature. He was a self-made man, possessed of great industry and renowned for his uprightness in all the walks of life. His father was