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|
|--Morrison C. ELLIOT
|
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|__|
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_George FORT _
_Elais FORT I______|______________
_Elais FORT II_____|
| | ______________
| |_Phillis CHAMPION _|______________
_Elais FORT I_|
| | ______________
| | ___________________|______________
| |_Elizabeth JORDAN _|
| | ______________
| |___________________|______________
|
|--Alice FORT
|
| ______________
| ___________________|______________
| ___________________|
| | | ______________
| | |___________________|______________
|_Sarah _______|
| ______________
| ___________________|______________
|___________________|
| ______________
|___________________|______________
_Elias FORT ______+
_Elias FORT _|_Catherine ?? ____
_William FORT _______|
| | _Aquilla SUGGS ___+
| |_Sarah SUGG _|_Elizabeth MAUND _
_Jacob Hilliard FORT _|
| | __________________
| | _____________|__________________
| |_Elizabeth HILLIARD _|
| | __________________
| |_____________|__________________
|
|--Edward FORT
|
| __________________
| _____________|__________________
| _____________________|
| | | __________________
| | |_____________|__________________
|_Cynthia COPELAND ____|
| __________________
| _____________|__________________
|_____________________|
| __________________
|_____________|__________________
__
_________________|__
_Joel Battle FORT ____|
| | __
| |_Piety HORN _____|__
_Josiah William FORT ______|
| | __
| | _Illae METCALFE _|__
| |_Nancy Carr METCALFE _|
| | __
| |_Susannah _______|__
|
|--Joel Battle FORT
|
| __
| _________________|__
| ______________________|
| | | __
| | |_________________|__
|_Elizabeth Penelope DANCY _|
| __
| _________________|__
|______________________|
| __
|_________________|__
[111]
JOEL BATTLE FORT: For the past three or four years Joel B. Fort
has been county judge of
Robertson county and he is one of the distinctively prominent and
brilliant lawyers of the state of
Tennessee. Joel B. Fort was born in this county, on the 5th of August,
1854, a son of Josiah W. and
Eliza P. (Dancy) Fort, both of whom are deceased. Joel B. Fort is the
fourth generation of the family
in Tennessee, where his great-great-grandfather, Elias Fort, established
his residence in 1787. This
sterling pioneer secured a large tract of government land in Robertson
county and resided there until
his death. He brought the land to a high state of cultivation and was one
of the most successful
planters of his day. Some of this land is still in the possession of his
descendants and is one of the fine
estates of that section of Tennessee, with whose civic and industrial
development and progress the
family name has been closely concerned. Elias Fort migrated to Robertson
county, with his four
married sons and their families, and all settled in the section near Port
Royal. William Fort, the eldest,
was a member of the First Constitutional convention of Tennessee, and
voted for Andrew Jackson for
presiding officer of that convention, and so fond was he of General
Jackson that he appointed him the
executor of his will, which is the first will recorded in Robertson
county. Afterward William Fort was
the first chairman of the county court of that county. Josiah was the
second son, and he was the first
trustee or treasurer of Robertson county. He was the great-grandfather of
Joel B. Fort, the subject of
this sketch, the youngest son being Elias Fort, Jr., whose relatives are
scattered over West Tennessee
and the southern states. Josiah Fort was the father of Joel B. Fort, Sr.,
who was the father of Josiah
Fort, who married Eliza P. (Dancy) Fort, and they were the father and
mother of the subject of this
sketch.
Joel B. Fort was reared to manhood on the old homestead and
acquired his early education in
the neighboring district schools. Subsequently he matriculated as a
student in Cumberland University,
in the literary department of the institution, and was graduated in June,
1874. He then returned to his
life as a farmer but his ambition was to become a lawyer. Therefore he
spent his spare time in the
study of law and after two years, in 1886, was admitted to the Tennessee
bar. He immediately located
in Springfield for the active practice of his chosen profession and
rapidly gained prestige as one of the
most skilled attorneys in the state. He has enjoyed an extensive and
lucrative clientage and has figured
in numerous litigations of importance in the state and federal courts.
For the past three or four years
he has held the office of county judge of Robertson county, discharging
the many duties devolving
upon him with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of his
constituency. Shortly after the
gubernatorial election he was tendered by Governor Peay, the position of
state purchasing agent,
unsolicited. He resigned the position of county judge of Robertson county
and moved to Nashville,
purchasing a home. All of his children are residents of this city. By
reason of his unimpeachable
conduct and close observance of the unwritten code of professional ethics
he has gained the
admiration and respect of his professional brethren and is held in high
esteem. Although Mr. Fort
maintained his business headquarters in Springfield, he lived on his fine
rural estate of two hundred
acres in this county, about four miles from Adams. He devotes a great
deal of his time to the
cultivation of this beautiful land and is greatly interested in tobacco
culture, in that connection being
with the people as opposed to the trust.
On the 5th of April, 1877, occurred the marriage of Mr. Fort to Miss
Sallie D. McKay, a daughter
of Felix (;. McKay, a prominent farmer and merchant, with residence in
Nashville. Mr. and Mrs. Fort
have eight children: Janie, Susie, Della, Ida G., Joel B., Jr., Duncan
M., Charles H., and Walter A.
Since attaining his majority Mr. Fort has given his political
allegiance to the democratic party and
the principles for which it stands. In 1887 he was elected to the state
legislature and he served as a
member of the assembly for two terms. Fraternally he is an exemplary
member of the Masonic craft
and is likewise affiliated with the Knights of Pythias. The religious
faith of the family is that of the
Baptist church, to the support of which they are generous contributors.
The above sketch is from the book "Tennessee - The Volunteer State,
Vol. 3".
See also the book- "History of Port Royal" by Ralph Winters.
_Elias FORT ______+
_Elias FORT _____|_Catherine ?? ____
_Elias FORT III___________|
| | _Aquilla SUGGS ___+
| |_Sarah SUGG _____|_Elizabeth MAUND _
_Lewis Albartus FORT _|
| | __________________
| | _William PRINCE _|__________________
| |_Catharine "Caty" PRINCE _|
| | __________________
| |_Elizabeth ______|__________________
|
|--Martha FORT
|
| __________________
| _________________|__________________
| __________________________|
| | | __________________
| | |_________________|__________________
|______________________|
| __________________
| _________________|__________________
|__________________________|
| __________________
|_________________|__________________
__
__|__
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| |__|
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|
|--Dora MCDOWALL
|
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__
_Thomas MULLEN _______|__
_William J. MULLEN , Sr._|
| | __
| |_Elizabeth GARNETT ___|__
_James P. MULLEN _____________________|
| | __
| | _Moses ENDECOTT , Sr._|__
| |_Sarah ENDECOTT _________|
| | __
| |_Martha HILL _________|__
|
|--Joseph Riley MULLEN
|
| __
| ______________________|__
| _________________________|
| | | __
| | |______________________|__
|_Permelia Ann (Nee) Lefty MIKELS , #3_|
| __
| ______________________|__
|_________________________|
| __
|______________________|__
__
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|
|--Benjamin PORTER
|
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_____________________________
__________________|_____________________________
_____________|
| | _____________________________
| |__________________|_____________________________
_Capt. David SMITH ___________|
| | _____________________________
| | __________________|_____________________________
| |_____________|
| | _____________________________
| |__________________|_____________________________
|
|--Josiah C. SMITH
|
| _Goerge FORT , Sr____________+
| _Elias FORT ______|_Elizabeth Accabe DUCKWOOOD _
| _Elias FORT _|
| | | _____________________________
| | |_Catherine ?? ____|_____________________________
|_Obedience Bedie Beauty FORT _|
| _George A. SUGGS , Sr._______+
| _Aquilla SUGGS ___|_Sarah IVES _________________
|_Sarah SUGG _|
| _William MAUND ______________
|_Elizabeth MAUND _|_Esther TUCKER ______________
______________________
__________________________|______________________
_Orval Albert WELCH , Sr._|
| | ______________________
| |__________________________|______________________
_Orval Albert WELCH , Jr._|
| | ______________________
| | __________________________|______________________
| |_Floy ROSS _______________|
| | ______________________
| |__________________________|______________________
|
|--Brandon Orval WELCH
|
| ______________________
| _Samuel Mullen MONTOMERY _|______________________
| _Willard S. MONTGOMERY ___|
| | | ______________________
| | |_Alma Margaret REGSTEAD __|______________________
|_Diane MONTGOMERY ________|
| _John Tinsley SNIDER _+
| _Earl John SNIDER ________|_Ella Mae SIMMONS ____
|_Eileen Elizabeth SNIDER _|
| ______________________
|_Mary s. MORRISON ________|______________________