Friday, January 21, 2011

Son to the Captain of the Granville Militia

WILLARD WARNER JR.
I decided to write about a family in Granville that my mother-in-law “Mary St.Clair” has taken care of in past years. They are the descendants of Willard Warner Jr.

Willard Warner Jr. was born the 24th of September 1826. There were many offices held by the active Warner family. Judge Luke Knowlton was a loyalist in the Revolutionary War and the Maternal grandfather of Willard Warner Sr. One accomplishment made by Warner Sr. took part in was serving as Captain of the Granville Militia.

Willard Warner Jr. traveled like many others to California for the great gold rush.
This is the life of Mr. Warner Jr!
1845 - Graduated from Marietta College
1849 – arrived in San Francisco California for the gold rush
1852 – settled in Cincinnati Ohio and ran a grocery store
1854 - became General Manager of the Newark Machine Works
1856 – married Eliza Woods
1861 – became active in recruiting men for the 76th Ohio Infantry
1862 – left Ohio with his regiment
1863 – promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel
1864 – General Sherman appointed him Inspector General for his army
1865 – became Brigadier-General and later Brevet Major General.
He returned to Ohio and became State Senator.
1866 – moved back to Alabama to his cotton plantation
1868 – he was elected a representative to the Alabama Legislative and
later was elected to the US Senate from Alabama.
1871 – Named “Collector of Customs” for the Port of Mobile Alabama. Warner
turned down the position of Governorship of the New Mexico and also the position at United States minister to the Argentina Republic
1873 – Willard Warner Jr. moved to Tecumseh Alabama and build Tecumseh Iron Works, a blast furnace manufacturer. He named it after his good friend William Tecumseh Sherman. Warner held the position of President and General Manager
1890 – He then moved to Chattanooga Tenn. As if he hadn't done enough already he was in banking, had a wagon company, a textile mill and a casket factory
1897 – Once again politics filled his blood and he was elected to the Tennessee General Assembly
1906 – On November 23rd Willard Warner Jr. passed away doing what he loved best-working. Mr. Warner was working as his desk at the time of death while he was working at the Chattanooga Coffin & Casket Co.

Willard Warner Jr. came from a long line of hard working men and stayed very active all his life. He now rest at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

References: Granville Historical Society archives

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