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Article on John William Seaton, Sr. 

John William Seaton, SR . A man of integrity and honor and one well worthy of the high regard in which he is held throughout the community in which he lives is John William Seaton, of Linden, now clerk of the circuit court in Perry County and for eighteen years prominently identified with educational work in that county. He is a native of Gibson County, Tennessee, where he was born March 1, 1873.

Ryan Seaton, his grandfather, was one of the many immigrants to Tennessee from the older commonwealth of North Carolina, his advent here having been made during the forepart of the last century. He was a soldier in the War of 1812 and fought with Gen. Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans. Prior to leaving North Carolina, he was married to a Miss Stinson, and on coming to this state located with his family near Pulaski, Giles county, where the remainder of his career was spent as a farmer.       

He and his wife reared five children, of which family John Green Seaton, the father of John William, was second in birth. John Green Seaton was born in Maury county, Tennessee, May 15, 1840, and there received such educational discipline as the common schools of the period afforded. He was numbered among the gallant sons of Tennessee that fought to sustain the southern cause during the Civil war.

In Maury county, in 1872, he was married to Miss Lou Bell, who was born in Lawrence county, this state, June 9, 1848. To this union were born five sons, as follows: John William Seaton of this review; Smith B.; James T.; Benjamin, deceased ; and another that died in infancy. The father died September 26, 1878, and later his widow married M. G. Alley. They are now farmer residents near Humboldt, Gibson county, Tennessee.

John William Seaton was educated in the public schools at Trenton, Tennessee, in Scott’s Hill Academy, Henderson County, and at the Southern Normal University, Huntington, Tennessee. He then took up the profession of teaching and for eighteen years was employed as an instructor in Perry County and Decatur County.

From 1907 to 1909 he was superintendent of public instruction in Perry County and at the same time he continued to be engaged in teaching, as was permissible at that time.

In 1910 he was elected clerk of the circuit court in Perry county for a term of four years and is now engaged in that official service. He has also served as a district tax collector in that county.

In 1896 he was united in marriage to Miss Penina Lomax, who is a daughter of John Lomax, a farmer residing near Cedar Creek, Perry county.

Six children have been born to this union, namely: Grace, who died in 1898 in her second year; Eugene, who died in 1903 at the age of four; Nettie, O’Dell, John William and Pauline.

In political views Mr. Seaton is a Democrat; in church membership, he is identified with the Baptist denomination and is now clerk of the Tennessee Baptist Association.

Source:   A History of Tennessee and Tennesseans: The Leaders and Representative Men in Commerce, Industry and Modern Activities, Volume 5, Will Thomas, Hale · Dixon L. Merritt.  Jan 1913 · Lewis Publishing Company