William Mattox, born 1836 in Elbert County, Georgia to Henry Page and Sophia N. Mattox, was a lot of things. He was a son, a brother, a husband, and a father. He was also a large landowner, a shrewd businessman, a soldier, and a statesman. But was William Mattox the meanest man in Georgia ? Those who labored for him might argue he was. A great-great grandson of Col. Mattox, Mr. Ray Chandler, penned an article about his notable ancestor. It was published in the Summer 2011 edition of Georgia Backroads magazine. In detailing the life of Mattox, Mr. Chandler described the acquisition of land which began after his great-great grandfather's 1856 graduation from college. By 1860, W. H. Mattox owned more than 1,000 acres in Elbert County, much of it along the Savannah River. To go with that property was 79 slaves. Mattox believed in bringing industry to the South, but had to wait until after the Civil War to put his plan into practice. After a couple ...
Telling the Tales of Tombstones