Garris, Philip Charles A. B.

Submitted by Mike Miller

Philip Charles Garris, A. B. With the exception of several years when he was applying his activities to the cultivation of a newly purchased property, Prof. Philip Charles Garris, of St. Francisville, has devoted his entire career to the educator's profession, and in it has found pleasure and preferment. At the present time he occupies the position of superintendent of schools of West Feliciana Parish, a capacity in which he has the opportunity of exercising his abilities as an executive and instructor in behalf of the cause of education in his community.

Professor Garris was born May 25, 1876, in Colleton County, South Carolina, a son of Senus P. J. and Mary (Goodwin) Garris. His father, who was born in 1842, at Smoaks, South Carolina, fought all through the war between the states as a member of a South Carolina infantry regiment. Mr. Garris has spent his entire career in the Smoaks community, where through industry and good management he has accumulated a farm of 700 acres of valuable land, which he still operates profitably. In politics he gives his allegiance to the democratic party. For a number of years he was a director of the State Penitentiary of South Carolina. His religious faith is that of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and fraternally he is affiliated with the Masonic order.

Mr. Garris married Miss Susanne Smoak, who was born at Smoaks South Carolina, and spent her entire life there, the town having been named after her ancestors.

They became the parents of one child: Calvin W who is engaged in farming at Denmark, South Carolina. Mr. Garris married for his second wife Mary Goodwin, who was born at Smoaks, in 1848, and died in 1876, leaving five children: James G., a farmer, who died at Smoaks when about thirty-five years of age; Lottie, the wife of Mason Hodges, a farmer of Smoaks; John S., a lawyer of Spartanburg, South Carolina, who died aged about thirty-five years; Senus P. J., Jr., a farmer and school teacher of Smoaks, who died when about forty-two years of age; and Philip Charles, of this review. The third wife of Senus P. J. Garris was Celia Spell, who was born at Cottageville, South Carolina, and died at Smoaks, and they had four children: Mamie, who died in childhood; Sallie, who was married and died at Cleveland, Tennessee, aged thirty-five years; Leila, a teacher in the public school at Ravnell, South Carolina, and the wife of W. H. Snipes, a farmer of that locality; and Berry, who died infancy. After the death of his third wife Senus P. J. Garris married Miss Henrietta Spell, who was born at Cottageville, South Carolina, and who died in 1924. They had one child, Clemson, a teacher in the public school at Milton, Florida. In December, 1924, Mr. Garris married Miss Maude Copeland, of Denmark, South Carolina.

In his boyhood Philip Charles Garris attended the public school at Smoaks and the Bamberg (South Carolina) High School, after which he furthered his education by attendance at Wofford College, Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he was graduated with the class of 1900 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and completed his training by two years' attendance at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. He then entered upon his career as an educator, his first charge being that of principal of the graded school at Oswego, Sumpter County, South Carolina, where he remained two years. He then spent a like period as principal of the graded school at Strickland, South Carolina, one year as principal of the Smoaks High School, two years as principal of the graded school at Salem, Georgia, and from 1913 to 1919 as principal of Rockyule (Georgia) Academy. In 1916 Mr. Garris came to St. Francisville and purchased a farm of 200 acres of valuable land situated seven and one-half miles east of the corporate limits, which he still owns and operates and on which he makes his home. In 1919 he became principal of the high school at Gillis Springs, Georgia. In 1920 he received appointment as superintendent of schools of West Feliciana Parish, a post which he has held to the Present time. He has discharged his duties in a capable manner, having under his supervision eleven schools, twenty-two teachers and 340 scholars. In his political allegiance Mr. Garris is a democrat, and his religious connection is with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in which he is a local preacher.

He is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and also holds membership in Hollywood Camp No. 19, W. 0. W., of Sumpter, South Carolina.

On April 3, 1916, at Augusta, Georgia. Mr. Garris was united in marriage with Miss Cosie Lyons, a daughter of Benjamin and Fannie (Price) Lyons, the latter of whom resides at St. Francisville, while the former, an agriculturist, died at Summerville, South Carolina. Professor and Mrs. Garris are the parents of one child, Benjamin Lyons, born November 12, 1922.

A History of Louisiana, (vol. 2), p. 43, by Henry E. Chambers. Published by The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, 1925.