Seid Waddell, attorney at law, was born in Somerville, Tenn., May 2, 1849, son of John C. and Elizabeth D. (Bugg) Waddell, and is of Scotch-Irish descent. John C. Waddell was born in Carroll County, Tenn., about 1819, and died in Union City in 1884. The mother was also a Tennessean, and died in Arkansas. Seid Waddell began the study of law in 1873, and in January, 1874 entered the senior class of Lebanon University and graduated the same year. He came almost immediately to Union City, and here has since continued to reside and practice law, being a co-partner of Hon. Rice A. Peirce. Mr Waddell was one of the organizers of the Bank of Union City in 1879, and was made president of the same in 1884, and as such now continues. He is a Democrat, and in 1885 was elected mayor of Union City by the city council, and re-elected in 1886 by the people. In 1877 his marriage with Miss Eva P. Waddell was celebrated. She was born in Hardeman County, Tenn., in 1856, and is the mother of three children: Lizzie D., and Belle M., and Birdie M., (twins). Mr. Waddell owns a fine farm of 200 acres, on which he raises Holstein and Jersey cattle. He is a K. of   P., and he and Mrs. Waddell are members of the Swedenborgian or New Church.

Charles R. Wade, junior member of the firm of Wade Bros., dealers in groceries and general hardware, is a Gibson county Tennessean, born on the 12th of March, 1858, son of W. B. and Sally T. (Morton) Wade. Charles R.Wade is the fifth of eleven children. His boyhood days were spent on a farm, and he was educated in the country schools and the schools of Kenton. After finishing his education he clerked in a store for some time, and later worked for the Mobile & Ohio Railway Company for a short time. He then began trading in cattle, and continued the same with success until 1881, when he engaged in the grocery and hardware business in Kenton, in partnership with G. C. Powell. They dissolved partnership in May, 1885, and W. H. Wade, a brother of Charles R. purchased Mr. Powell‘s interest, and since that time the firm has been known as Wade Bros., our subject being the business manager of the firm. They are doing well financially. Charles R. is a Democrat and a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and was married to Miss Lida B. Elder, of Trenton, Ten.., on the 6th of October, 1886.

Mrs. M. J. Wade, eldest child of Benjamin K. Harper, remained with her parents until 1856; then married H. I. Wade, who was born in Montgomery County, and was one of a family of twelve children of Samuel and Sarah (Rogers) Wade. The father is deceased, but the mother is still living. H. I. Wade remained with his parents until he attained his majority, then went to California, where he remained a year or two and returned to Tennessee, in 1855, locating in Obion county. Soon after his marriage he settled on a farm on the Union City and Troy road, remaining there until 1860, then moved to another farm in the county, and in 1864 enlisted in Forrest‘s command, remaining with the same until the close of the war. He then resumed farming. He was killed while engaged in harvesting wheat on his present farm, by a limb falling from a tree, June 11, 1878. Eleven children were born to the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Wade, ten of whom are still living. The home farm consists of 450 acres of land. Besides this his widow owns a farm of 160 acres in the county. She is a church member and her husband was identified with the Christian Church and F. & A. M.

John W. S. Ward, a well-to-do farmer of Obion County, Tenn., was born in Weakley County, Tenn., and is one of two surviving members of a family of four children of John J. and Harriett (Turrell) Ward. The father was born in North Carolina, and came to Weakley County, Tenn., when young, where he married and followed farming until his wife’s death. He afterward came to Obion County and married Susan Caldwell, who bore him one child, John E., now deceased. At the age of twenty-one our subject began doing for himself. He obtained his education principally in the Troy High School, and afterward taught school for some time. September 5, 1878, he married Sinah Phebus, and by her became the father of three children: Artell, Maud and Minnie. Mr. Ward owns 165 acres of land, sixty acres in the home farm, which he purchased in 1876, and is a member of the Methodist Church and belongs to the Democratic party.

J. S. Watson, farmer and native of Obion County, was born January 15, 1838. His father, Billy Watson, was born in Georgia, November 17, 1799, and died March 27, 1855, having been a resident of Tennessee since 1823. His wife, whose maiden name was Margaret Caldwell, was born in the Blue-Grass State, August 30, 1800, and died September 2, 1885. J. S. Watson is the eighth of their nine children, three of whom are living. He was reared on a farm and resided with his parents until his father’s death. He assumed the responsibility of his father’s farm, and remained with his mother until her death. He was chosen magistrate in August, 1870, and served twelve years. He entered the Confederate Army, August 14, 1861, joining the Twenty-seventh Regiment Volunteers, Company B. He was very severely wounded at Shiloh, and on that account was discharged July 15, 1862. He was unfitted for work about five years. He was married March 18, 1863, to Margaret A. Sammons, daughter of James and Millie Sammons. They have no children. Mr. Watson has made his own way in life, and by industry and economy is now worth about $3,000, He is a Mason, a member of the Blue Lodge and Royal Arch. He is a Democrat and a Prohibitionist, and he and wife are members in good standing of the Missionary Baptist Church.

Rev. David T. Waynick, pastor of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, at Troy, was born in Dickson County, Tenn., January 21, 1854; son of David P. Waynick, who was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1812, and immigrated to America when a young man, settling in Dickson County, Tenn., in 1843, and died in that county in 1865. He was married to Miss M. C. Dickson, who was born in Virginia, and was a cousin of Gen. Lee, of Confederate fame. Our subject is the fifth of ten children, and was reared on a farm, attending the common schools. In 1871 he entered Tracy College, at Charlotte, Tenn., leaving that school in 1874. In 1877 he graduated from the theological department of Cumberland University , and in June of that year came to Troy and took charge of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church of that place. The erection of the new church in 1881 is due to his energy and untiring efforts. When he first came to that town there were only about thirteen active members of his church; now there are 142. Rev. Waynick is one of nature’s noblemen, and is in every way fitted for his calling. In 1884 he wedded Ella E. Bright, who was born in Troy, November 6, 1860. They have one child, Maggie Estella. Rev. Waynick is a Democrat, and is a member of the Masonic fraternity, Western Sun Lodge, No. 88, of which he is Master. He joined the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, October 9, 1867, at Bethany, Dickson Co., Tenn., and was licensed to preach in March, 1874, by the Charlotte Presbytery. He has recently had the honorary degree of A. M. Conferred upon him from Ozark College, at Greenfield, Mo.

John E. Wells, attorney at law, was born in the southern part of Obion County, Tenn., February 14, 1860, son of Jesse H. and Martha A. (Blackburn) Wells, and is of Scotch-Welsh origin. His father was born in North Carolina in 1816, and the mother in Maury County, Tenn., in 1821. She died on the 25th of August, 1885. Our subject attended the common schools of Obion County, and in 1876 entered Eminence College, Ky., and graduated with the degree of B. A. In June, 1878, ranking first in his class in scholarship. In the fall of that year he entered Cumberland University at Lebanon, Tenn., and graduated from the law department in 1879. He was admitted to the Obion County bar in July, 1879, and since that time has continued the practice of his profession in this, Dyer, Gibson and Lake Counties, and the supreme court at Jackson, Tenn. In September, 1883, he formed a partnership in law practice with Hon. A. B. Enloe, of Troy, Tenn., and this union has since continued. At the time of his admission to the bar he was one of the youngest lawyers in the State. His first presidential vote was cast for Cleveland, and he is now a member of the State Democratic Executive Committee for the Ninth Congressional District. He promises to become one of the leaders in his profession.

Jesse H. Wells, a well-to-do farmer of Obion County was born in Orange County, N. C. On the 26th of March, 1816, and is one of two living children of a family of ten born to John and Margaret (Hunter) Wells, who were also natives of Orange County, N. C. The father was a farmer and died about 1819. His wife afterward moved to Indiana, and then came to Tennessee in 1839, locating in Maury County, where she died in 1845. Jesse H. Wells came to Maury County in February, 1838, and followed farming and overseeing a plantation until 1859, when he came to Obion County, locating on his present farm of 375 acres near Palestine. In 1838 he married Martha E. Blackburn, of Maury County, and their union has been blessed with three sons and three daughters. Those living are Sarah Elizabeth (Mrs. Woody), Alex Kirkland, Alice Jane (Mrs. McCorkle), Jesse James, John Edward.  Rena Harris is deceased. Mrs. Wells died August 25, 1885. Mr. Wells and his family are members of the Christian church, and he is a Democrat. On his farm is the stump of a poplar tree that measured nine feet in diameter. About fourteen feet from the ground it branched in two prongs, which, when taken to the mill, sawed over 11,000 feet. The entire tree sawed over 12,000 feet. Alexander Kirkland Wells, son of Jesse Wells, was born in Maury County June 3, 1852, and has always resided with his parents. In December, 1876, Laura Miller became his wife. She is a daughter of Abraham and Bettie Miller, and is the mother one son: William Kirk.  Alexander Wells has charge of the home farm and devoted considerable attention to stock raising. He is a prominent young farmer, and is identified with the Democratic party. Jesse J. Wells, M. D., another son of Jesse H. Wells was born in Maury County November 2, 1857, and remained with his parents until twenty-three years of age, having previously attended two sessions at the Louisville Medical College, graduating in March, 1880. He began the practice of his profession in Palestine, continuing up to the present time, with the exception of one year’s practice in Louisville. October 6, 1880, witnessed his marriage with Mary E. Hogg, born in Hancock County, Ky. They have one daughter, Jessie Lander. The Doctor and his wife are members of the Christian Church, and he is a Democrat.

James H. Whipple first saw the light of day in Obion County, Tenn., October 15, 1837, son of D. H. And Jane S. (Caldwell) Whipple, who were born in Tennessee and Kentucky in 1812 and 1817 respectively. From the best information obtainable the Whipple family came originally from North Carolina. Our subject is one of eight children, and at the age of twelve years began working on the farm. He was educated at Rural Academy, in Kentucky, and Union Academy, in Tennessee, and in 1861 enlisted in the Avalanche Company, Ninth Tennessee Infantry, and served with it until the fall of 1861, when he was transferred to the ordnance department of the Army of the West, and served until the close of the war. He surrendered at Washington, Ga., in 1865. In 1867 he began farming and trading, and this has since continued. He is one of the leading farmers of West Tennessee, and owns 570 acres of fine land. He began manufacturing tile in June, 1885, and the enterprise has gained in favor every day. He is a leading spirit in the Tennessee Furniture & Chair Company, and is one of the most enterprising men the county has ever had. He is a Democrat, a Mason and a member of the I. O. O. F., and in 1867 married Callie T. Whitaker, born in Lincoln County August 18, 1846. They have five children: Robert M., Janes A., Laura E., Callie and Etna. Mrs. Whipple is a member of the Christian Church.

Robert P. Whitesell, a member of the Union City bar, is a native of Fulton Co., Ky., born May 11, 1860, son of Jesse and Elizabeth (Wright) Whitesell, of German descent. His father was born in North Carolina in 1822, and his mother in Davidson Co., Tenn., in 1838. His grandfather, Peter (Weitzel) Whitesell, was a native German, and came to America in an early -part of this century. He settled in Lincoln County, Tenn., and in 1828 removed to Weakley County (now Obion County), and died there about 1860. Our subject’s father is a farmer and capitalist, and now resides at Fulton County, Ky. Robert P. Whitesell is the eldest of four children and was educated int he schools of Fulton County, Ky., and Clinton College. He entered the latter in 1875 and graduated in 1879. He then took a special course in the University of Virginia, and subsequently attended the law department of Vanderbilt University, from which he graduated in 1883. In the fall of the same year he was admitted to the Union City bar and formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, A. J. Harpole, and they together have a large clientage. He is a Democrat in politics and his first presidential vote was cast for Cleveland. He is a Knight of Pythias.

George B. Wilson, merchant, and clerk and master of the chancery court, was born in Livingston County, N. Y., April 2, 1838, son of W. J. And Mary (Garvin) Wilson, and is of Scotch Irish origin. W. J. Wilson was born in Pennsylvania in 1806, and his wife in the Green Mountain State in 1808. She died in 1875. Samuel Wilson, our subject’s paternal grandfather, was a Pennsylvanian. George B. Wilson was educated at Temple Hill Academy in Genesco, N. Y. In 1856 he went to St. Louis, Mo., and for one year was clerk in the district court clerk’s office. In 1857 he came to Obion County, Tenn., and settled in Troy, where he was engaged in teaching school from 1857 to 1861. At the latter date he enlisted in Obion Avalanche Company, Ninth Tennessee Infantry, and served as private for four years. After the war he came back to Troy and continued to teach the “young idea” one year. In 1866 he engaged in general merchandising, and has since continued that business, having one of the most complete stocks of goods in Troy. He is a Democrat, and in 1875 was appointed clerk of the circuit court by Judge Hawkins to fill a vacancy. In 1876 he was appointed to his present position, which he is filling very efficiently. In 1867 Eliza G. Williamson, of Giles County, became his wife. She was born in 1850, is the mother of one child, Carroll P., and belongs to the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church.

Franklin G. Wilson’s birth occurred in Sumner County, Tenn., September 26, 1830, one of twelve children of  Z. D. And K. K. (Stone) Wilson, and of English descent. The father was born in Bedford County in 1802, and after residing in different counties finally came to Obion County, where he resided until his death in the fall of 1880. The mother was born in Sumner County, and died at Lebanon in July, 1852, and was buried in the family cemetery on the farm on which she was born. At the age of twelve years our subject began learning the brick mason’s trade, at which he worked until the beginning of the war. December 23, 1852, he married Amanda L. Hodges, daughter of Oakley Hodges. To them were born three children: Plummer M. born March 28, 1855, and died July 30, 1866; Laura F. born December 8, 1856, and Rebecca G., born December 6, 1858, and died August 25, 1868. Mrs. Wilson was born near Mount Pleasant, Maury Co., Tenn., October 29, 1833. Mr. Wilson was an old line Whig up to the late war, but since that time has affiliated with the Democratic party. He owns 195 acres of good land which he devotes to the raising of stock and the cereals, and is one of the prosperous farmers of the county. He and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South.

A. Wilson, merchant, of Obion Station, Tenn., and native of Obion County, was born on the 27th of February, 1859. His father, W. M. Wilson, was also born in Obion County, and resided here all his life. He was married to Nancy Ann Carothers, who was born in Giles County, Tenn. A. Wilson, our subject, was reared in Troy, Tenn., and when about twenty-two years of age came to Obion Station, and embarked in the grocery and drug business. He stands very high in the estimation of the people, and is scrupulously honest and exact in his business transactions. He is now worth about $10,000 which he has partially made by his judicious management. He is a member in good standing in the Methodist Episcopal Church South, and is a Democrat and Prohibitionist in his political views. He received a good early education, and supports all enterprise for the advancement of educational institutions.

Rufus R. Winston, M. D., was born in Dresden, Weakley Co., Tenn., October 29, 1856, son of Peter and Penelope (Boyd) Winston, and of Scotch-English descent. Peter Winston was born to Hanover County, Va., and his wife was born in Boydsville, Tenn. The Winstons came to Tennessee as early as 1850, and both our subject’s parents died in Fulton county, Ky. Rufus R. is the second of three children, and was raised on a farm. He first attended the common schools, and later spent two years at Cecilia College, in Hardin County, Ky. In 1871 he entered the University of Missouri, at Columbia, and there remained three years. He began the study of medicine in 1875, and first attended the medical department of the University of Missouri. He graduated from the University of Louisville, Ky., in the spring of 1877, and located at Dresden, and has practiced here since. He came to Union City in 1884, and is one of the leading physicians of Obion County. He is a Democrat, and his first presidential vote was cast for Hancock. He is a member of the Christian Church, and was married, in 1879, to Anna L. Irvine, who was born December 24, 1856. They have two children: Willie A. and Annie C.

Frank M. Woody, merchant, was born in Maury County, October 11, 1857, and is one of six sons and two daughters of John N. and Martha J. (Caldwell) Woody, both of whom were natives of Maury County, their parents being among the pioneer settlers of that county. John N. Woody was a farmer, and died in 1884. His wife is still living in Maury County. Our subject remained with his parents until twenty years of age, and then worked for one year as a clerk in a store in Columbia, and then became a member of the firm of J. M. Hay & Co., continuing eighteen months. He then located at Palestine, Obion Co., Tenn.,where he followed mercantile pursuits for three years, as one of the firm of R. & F. M. Woody. At the end of three years he accepted the position of traveling salesman for a Nashville wholesale boot and shoe firm, and still remains in their employ. December 9, 1880, he married Eugenia Johnson, and to their union one daughter has been born — May Belle. In 1882 Mr. Woody was elected magistrate of his district, and January, 1886, was elected chairman of the county court. He and wife are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

Rufus Woody, merchant of Palestine (P. O. Glass), Tenn., was born September 28, 1831, in Maury County, Tenn., and is one of eleven children, eight now living born to the marriage of Robert Woody and Mary Ann Brooks, who were born in Orange County, N. C. and afterward moved to Maury County, Tenn. They both died in Maury County, in August, 1870. The father was a farmer and miller. At the age of twenty-six Rufus Woody began farming for himself, and continued that occupation three years. After coming to Obion County he farmed until 1863, and then joined the Second Tennessee Cavalry, and after the close of the war returned home, and continued farming until about 1870, then established a lumber and saw mill in Palestine. This he afterward gave up, and in 1880 began merchandising in the same place, and his stock of goods amounts to about $4,500. In September, 1857, he married Sarah E. Wells, who bore him seven children all of whom are deceased except on daughter: Mary Ann. The family are members of the Christian Church. Mr. Woody is also a member of the F. & A. M. Politically he is a Democrat. His farm contains 108 acres, from which he recently cut a mammoth poplar, making over 11,000 feet of lumber.

Charles J. Wright, attorney at law, was born May 11, 1861, in Madrid Bend, which was formerly a part of Obion County, Tenn. Since that time, however, the land upon which his parents then lived has been washed away by the Mississippi River. He is of English descent, and the eldest living of ten children born to the marriage of Prof. Charles Wright and Martha E. Caruthers. The father was born in England in 1830, and immigrated to America in 1851, and six years later came to Obion County, where he yet resides. His life has been spent as an educator, and he is one of the leading instructors of West Tennessee. His wife was born in Lincoln County, Tenn., in 1841. Charles J. Wright was educated in the Troy schools, the Nashville Normal School, where he spent one year, and the Lebanon Law School, which he entered in September, 1883, and graduated from in 1884. In July of the latter year he was admitted to the Obion County bar, and has since been practicing his profession in this county. He is a close and conscientious student, and has met with good success in his legal work. He is a Democrat, and his first presidential vote was cast for Grover Cleveland. He belongs to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

A. R. Wylie, merchant at Obion Station, Tenn., was born September 8, 1827, in Chester County, S. C. He is of Irish descent, and with his parents, Hance and Elizabeth (Jamison) Wylie, came to Tipton County, Tenn., in 1851. He remained on the home farm until twenty-four years of age, when he left home and embarked in the mercantile business at Troy, remaining there until the fall of 1865, when he returned to the farm and remained there about two years. Since that time he has been engaged in the mercantile business at the following places: Bloomington, Randolph and Ireland. In 1883 he embarked in his present business, in which he has met with good success as well as many reverses. September 13, 1870, he married Martha E., daughter of James Dillahunty. She died September 13, 1877, leaving two children: James H. And Ida May. Mr. Wylie is a worthy citizen of the county, and is a member of the Associated Reformed Presbyterian Church. He is and has always been a Democrat and was raised such.