Barrow, Cordelius J.

Submitted by Mike Miller

West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana

For many years Cordelius Johnson Barrow, now a member of the police jury of West Baton Rouge parish, has been a prominent factor in that parish, lending strength to her industries, tone to her finances and grace to her society. He was born in St. Francisville, West Feliciana parish, La., on September 3, 1845, and is the son of Willie Macajah and Cordelia (Johnson) Barrow, the father, a native of Tennessee, born near Nashville, and the mother, of Watertown, N. Y. The parents were married in St. Francisville, La., and there made their home until 1850, when they moved to Home stead plantation, West Baton Rouge parish, of that state. When a young man the father came to the Creole state, followed merchandising for a number of years, but not being entirely satisfied with this occupation, bought Barrowza plantation, which was considerably smaller then than at the present time. He became prominently identified with the growth and prosperity of West Baton Rouge parish, and held the office of treasurer for a number of years. He was a quiet, unassuming man, and did not aspire to political honors. He died in 1853. His brother, Alexander, was United States senator from Louisiana, and another brother, Washington, was a United States senator from Tennessee and consul to Lisbon. The Barrow family is of Scotch-Irish extraction, and have made America their home for several generations. Many members of this family have been prominent in civil and military affairs. Pope Barrow, United States senator from Georgia, was a branch of this family. To the parents of Cordelius Johnson Barrow were born five children: Alexander D. is parish treasurer, which position he has held for a number of years, and secretary of the levee board of Louisiana; Wylie M. was a confederate soldier, a member of the Delta Rifles, and died in active service 1864, Cordelia died in early girlhood, and one died in infancy. Our subject was the youngest of this family, and, he was left motherless the day following his birth. His grandfather, Philo S. Johnson, was a prominent man of Jefferson county, N. Y., and was postmaster at Watertown for over fifty years. He was over ninety years old at the time of his death. Cordelius J. Barrow received the rudiments of an education in West Feliciana parish, then attended the Mississippi Military institute, at Pass Christian, and finished his schooling in the Louisiana State university, at Alexandria, when W. T. Sherman had charge of that institution. On July 4, 1863, he mounted his horse, swam the Mississippi river and rode to Jackson, Miss., where he joined the fifth company of Washington artillery, with which he served until cessation of hostilities. He participated in the following engagements: Jackson, Chickamauga, Buzzard Roost, Glass Mills, Missionary Ridge, Atlanta, Peach Tree Creek, Jonesboro, Resaca, Dalton and Spanish Fort. He was wounded three times: In the leg at Peach Tree Creek, in the shoulder at Resaca, and received a severe wound from a shell at Spanish Fort. Although the wound he received at Resaca was a severe and painful one, he declined to leave the field, and only did so upon peremptory orders from his captain and the assurance that he would be permitted to return from the field hospital when his wound was dressed. The nature of the wound, however, was so severe that the field surgeon, after examining same, refused to give his consent to his return, and the young soldier with much reluctance was sent away to a hospital, where he remained a short while and returned again to his command with his wound unhealed, but persisted in taking part in the battle of Peach Tree Creek, where, by a singular coincidence, he was struck by a spent minie on the opposite side of the shoulder from the unhealed wound, bruising and swelling his shoulder and entire arm so that he was again compelled to abandon his post of duty and go to the hospital for a short time until he recovered entirely. At Spanish Fort, when the, brigade commander called for volunteers, this young soldier enrolled his name among those to lead a forlorn hope in a night attack on the miners and sappers who were busily engaged in undermining the fort. That very night the orders were changed and an evacuation of the fort was made. He was discharged with his other comrades at Meridian, Miss., in May, 1865. Returning to West Baton Rouge parish with limited means, he concluded to try planting, but not making a success of this, he took charge of the railroad office at Port Allen. Soon after, he went to Nashville, was agent for an express company for two years, and then returned to this parish, where he embarked in merchandising, soon after forming a partnership with E. L. Charroppin, with whom he continued until 1875. He then bought out his partner and conducted the business on his own account until 1890, doing an extensive wholesale and retail business all over the state. During the years in which he conducted such a large and extensive wholesale and retail business at Port Allen he was actively engaged in all enterprises for the public good, and had occasion to show his devotion to his people by the active part he took in the hour of their great and appalling distress, when the yellow fever epidemic of 1878 raged in their midst and brought sorrow and grief to so many happy homes. He was then most active as president of the Howard association. In 1882, the great flood year, he was, as president of the police jury, again called upon to display his energy, pluck and nerve, and made the first successful organized effort of holding fifty-six miles levee front through which the mighty Mississippi had broken its bounds in every high water before for years past. So greatly and stubbornly was this work carried on that it gave an impetus to the possibilities of organized effort, and many combined in holdinglevees. His effort, recorded by the press, went abroad in the land, and called the attention of even the national government to the necessity for aid to these important bulwarks. In that year he came to Lobdell and bought his partner's interest. He is the owner of 1,350 acres of land and has 850 acres under cultivation. In 1875 he was appointed a member of the police jury, held that position for twelve years, and recently was again appointed to that office. He is also superintendent of public instruction of this parish, has held the position four years and has made a marked and very perceptible improvement in the schools of the same. He is a man of vigorous intellect, possesses extraordinary stability of character, and being eminently qualified for the position which he holds, fills it satisfactorily to his constituents. He has held some commission from Gov. Kellogg until the present, and was postmaster at Port Allen for some time. In 1884 and 1885 he was commissioner to the World's fair at New Orleans, appointed by Grover Cleveland, and he it was who originated the celebrated Louisiana exhibit. Three years ago he was brought out for congress, ran against his brother-in-law, S. M. Robertson, and was beaten by a few votes. He has been importuned, time and again, to allow the use of his name for the senate or house, but has declined. In 1870 Mr. Barrow married Miss Martha Johnson Robertson, daughter of Hon. E. W. Robertson, a member of congress from this district. By this union they have two sons and three daughters. Mr. Barrow and wife are members of the Episcopal church, leading and popular members of society, and possess social qualities of a high order. Their oldest children are members of the same church. Mr. Barrow built the church at Port Allen, and was warden in the same. He is a Mason, Red Cross degree of Knight Templars, and a member of the Knights of Pythias and the American Legion of Honor. Politically he is in sympathy with the democracy.

From Biographical and Historical Memoires of Louisiana, volume 2, pp. 263-264.