Business Men of 1850 - 1860 - 1870

Business Men of 1850

In 1854 the Lebanon Flour-mill was established on the site of the old cotton factory by W. W. Carter, for that time it was considered the best mill in the State. In 1859 John A. Lester, purchased a half interest in the mill, and since then several changes have occurred in its proprietorship, and at the present the property is owned by Mr. Lester and his son-in-law, Selden R. Williams. The mill is supplied with the most improved machinery, and has a capacity of 100 barrels of flour per day. The capital invested is $15,000.

Business Men of 1860

General Business Men of 1870

Boots and shoes, Samuel H. Matherly and J. A. Haynes & Co.

Tin shop and stoves, N. S. Williams.

Drugs, A. P. Thompson, and Gwynn & Peyton.

Livery stables, Swindle & Shorter, Murphey & Buchanan, and Orgain & Watkins.

In 1870 the Bank of Wilson was established with Dr. John Owen as president and T. J. Stratton as cashier. In 1872 the name of the bank was changed to that of the Second National, with James Hamilton, as president, and Mr. Stratton, cashier. The present officers are S. R. Williams, president; John Palmer, vice-president; W. H. Brown, cashier. The cash capital of this bank is $70,000.

In 1875 Waters & Co., erected a large flouring-mill and stocked it with the best of machinery, and the mill is in operation at the present under the same proprietors. The capital invested in the property is $15,000.

The business interests of the present are represented as follows:

S. Martin, J. E. Stratton, R. P. Oldham, McClain Bros, and Wilson & Waters, dry goods.

J. L. Drifoos, Shannon & Co., Freeman & Whitescower, Monroe Fish, W. D. Chandler, Edward Wheeler, R. S. Haley & Sons, Huggins & Seagraves and Ligan & Bros., groceries.

S. M. Anderson & Co., Gwynn & Hinds and McDonald, McKinzie & Co., druggists.

H. M. Drifoos and J. F. Odum & Co., merchant tailors: D. L. Brown, clothing.

John A. Haynes, Fakes & Co. 1 and Samuel Matherly, boots and shoes.

N. J. G. Allen tinware and stoves; J. P. Cox, undertaker.

R. M. Cartwell and Freeman & Whitescarver, saddlers.

J. A. Woodard & Bro., J. T. Lee, Billings & Ragland and Ligan Bros., saloons.

J. R. Shorter, Neal & Ligan, A. J. Rutherford, Hinse & Hannah, Murphey & Buchanan and Johnson & Vance, livery stables.

Trebbling & Smith, butchers.

J. M. Watkins, John W. Conner and Mrs. Cal. Woodard, hotels.

In 1884 the Bank of Lebanon was established with a cash capital of $25,000. The officers are James Hamilton, president; D. W. Dinges, vice-president, and S. G. Stratton, cashier.

The manufactories of the present are the Lebanon Planing-mill and Barrel Factory, Williams & Covington, proprietors.

John W. Reede and Pyle & Hartsfield, carriage manufactories.

John Shelton, marble-yard.

In June, 1885, the Lebanon Creamery was established by a stock company with J. Moldenhower, a native of Denmark, as manager. Upward of 4,000 pounds of milk are received at the creamery each day, which is manufactured into butter and cheese. The machinery used in the creamery is of the most modern make, embracing a Danish milk separator, which separates the cream from the milk at the rate of 2,000 pounds per hour. The milk for the establishment is supplied by the many herds of fine blooded milk cows for which Wilson County is noted.

 Wilson County | AHGP Tennessee

Source: History of Tennessee, Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1886