Garland, William Henry

Submitted by Mike Miller

William Henry Garland was born in Amherst county, Va., March 20, 1806. He was the fifth of ten children born to David S. and Jane (Meredith) Garland, native. of Virginia. His father was a merchant and planter of Virginia and was prominent in the politics of that state. He was a member of congress from Virginia, and was also general superintendent of the improvements of the state, and was frequently a member of the legislature from his county. He was quite a noted man and stood very high in the estimation of the people. He died at the age of eighty-one years, honored and respected by all. The paternal grandparents of our subject were William and Frances (Shepherd) Garland, natives of Virginia. His maternal grandparents were Col. Samuel and Jane (Henry) Meredith, also natives of Virginia. His maternal grandmother was the elder sister of Patrick Henry, the noted orator of Virginia. His maternal ancestry was from Aberdeen, Scotland--his great-grandmother was Jane Robertson sister of Robertson the historian. Mr. Garland was reared in Virginia and educated at the William & Mary college, where he graduated in 1825, and immediately afterward engaged in merchandising. He was in that business for ten years and shortly afterward he emigrated to Mississippi, and settled in Hinds county. He engaged in planting there for three years, and then removed to New Orleans, in 1841. Here he was engaged in the commission business for six years and in 1847 was elected treasurer of the second municipality, and afterward when the city was consolidated he was elected treasurer of the city, which office he held until 1856. During that time he took a very active part in politics, he was greatly in favor of internal improvements and was one of the first board of directors of the Illinois Central railway. In 1853 he laid off the towns of Amite City, La., and Osyka, Summit and Crystal Springs, Miss., and together with two others, he owned nearly all of said towns. In 1857 he removed to the town of Summit from New Orleans, where he resided until 1875, when he removed to Amite City, La., where he now lives, holding the position of superintendent of public instruction for the parish of Tangipahoa. He is eighty-five years old, but is still strong and active. He was in the late war, though of course exempt from service as he was then fifty-six years of age. But he obtained permission to raise a company, and consolidated his company with the Fourth Louisiana regiment, and was made lieutenant-colonel of the same. He first raised a battalion and was major of that before it was consolidated with the Fourth Louisiana regiment. After this he remained with it as lieutenant-colonel until six months before the close of the war, when he resigned. Mr. Garland has for the last forty years taken a deep and active interest in public education. For some eight years he was a member of the board of directors of the public schools of New Orleans. When he removed to Summit, Miss., he, as president of the board of directors, organized and built up the Peabody public school of that town, and when he resigned as president it was one of the most flourishing public schools in the South. For the last six years he has been parish superintendent of public education for his parish. He is a typical Virginian, and is descended from one of the finest old families of the state.

He has been twice married. In 1840 he married Miss Frances A. Eubanks, of Mississippi, a daughter of Judge Richard Eubanks, of Virginia. To this union there were four children born, named as follows: Eliza C., David H., William H. and Ida F., the last named child being dead. In 1856 ha was married to Mary Baldwin, a native of Louisiana, and a daughter of Joshua Baldwin, of New Orleans, who was a prominent citizen of that city. They have had two children born to them, Sidney M. (deceased) and Eva B. Mr. Garland is a member of the Episcopal church, and has long been identified with the Masonic order. He has twice been president of the convention held by the parish superintendents of public schools, and is regarded as one of the most prominent educators of the state. For many years he was president of the Peabody school at Summit, until he resigned. Mr. Garland is now quite advanced in years, but is still looked up to as authority on all matters of public issue, and enjoys the highest respect and esteem of all the people of his parish.

Biographical and Historical Memoires of Louisiana, (vol. 1), pp. 431-432. Published by the Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago, 1892.