W. W. Babington Buried Friday In Ellis Cemetery
William Walker Babington died after a brief illness at the residence of his son, S. E. Babington of Magnolia, Miss., on Thursday, September 12, at 1:25 p.m. Funeral services were held from his residence in Franklinton on Friday afternoon at 3 o’clock, with interment in the ancestral plot in Ellis cemetery. The Rev. Ira W. Flowers, pastor of the Methodist Church officiated. He was assisted by the Rev. J. E. Albritton, pastor of the Baptist church, the Rev. A. E. Kelly of the Magnolia Methodist church, and the Rev. F. C. Collins of the Covington Methodist Church. Pallbearers were W. O. Burris, J. A. Pierce, Albert Moore, __. M. Burris, W. J. Magee, all of Franklinton, and Clayton E. Patterson of Magnolia. Honorary pallbearers included a wide circle of his close friends in Louisiana and Mississippi, numbering more than fifty.
Mr. Babington was born in the Town of Franklinton on May 25, 1856, the eldest son of Robert Babington and Ellen I. Ellis Babington, pioneer residents of Washington Parish. He was a lifelong resident of Franklinton, and first lived at the old Ellis home on Mile Branch. In April 1900, he moved to his late residence where he resided continuously until his death. This move was made the May before the 1900 “flood” and the family was forced to move out for a few days.
He received his early education in the public schools of the Parish. He spent four years of his youth in New Orleans, Louisiana, attending Soule College, which had then been established only a short time by the late George Soule. He attended school at night and in the daytime worked for the wholesale produce firm of J. L. Dunnica and Company, a concern in which I. W. Cutrer of Osyka was interested. On Sept. 14, 1874, he witnessed the battle between the citizens of New Orleans and the carpet baggers to restore white supremacy to the State of Louisiana. During this battle his roommate was killed.
At the age of two, Mr. Babington attended the wedding of his cousin, the late judge T. C. W. Ellis. He wore a little suit made by hand for the occasion by the late Mrs. Flora Burris, grandmother of W. O. Burris. This suit was highly prized by Mr. Babington and has been preserved for the last eighty-eight years. At the age of six he was mascot and drummer boy for Capt. Champion Bailey’s Company of Confederate troops, who drilled in the field back of the old Babington home, how owned by S. C. E. Babington, and in the streets of Franklinton. His father had fashioned for him a wooden gun and provided him with a drum, whistle, pony and whip. Mr. Babington often recalled vividly the events of this era as well as the stirring years of the reconstruction period.
From young manhood Mr. Babington was closely identified with the social, political and economic life of Washington parish. Until his retirement several years ago he was engaged in the mercantile business. He and is [sic] brothers formed a partnership known as Babington Brothers and took over the general mercantile business founded in 1855 by their father, the late Robert Babington. This business continues today on the same premises and under the youngest brother, C. S. E. Babington. In addition to the ownership and management of mercantile business Mr. Babington was also actively engaged in banking and real estate. At one time his firm was one of the largest owners of lands and timber in the Parish.
Mr. Babington was truly a pioneer in every sense of the word. He erected the first sawmill in Washington Parish just above the “Indian Hole”. He organized Franklinton at what is known as in 1903, and headed for several years, the first bank in Washington Parish. He and his brothers were largely responsible for inducing the New Orleans Great Northern Railroad to run a branch line, in 1907, to Franklinton, which was later extended to Tylertown. This entire branch line is today a part of the Great Mobile and Ohio Railroad. He was also vitally concerned with the progress of agriculture in the Parish, being the first to induce the farmers to plant an alternate crop of potatoes for cotton. In his early life, in addition to his store, sawmill and gin, he operated a large farm at the old Ellis homestead, where most of North Franklinton, as a part of the Washington Parish Fair, is now located. He was one of the first to recognize and appreciate the importance of the dairy industry and used his efforts to establish a milk route from Franklinton to the creamery and cooling plant in Kentwood.
From the time he reached the age of twenty-one, Mr. Babington never failed to vote in any [election] whether state, parish, municipal, except in the recent election of September 10th. Even so, he exerted his influence and insisted that he be kept informed on all phases of this election to the extent of practically demanding that there be read to him all printed matter concerning the election that came into the home. He was at one time Mayor of the Town of Franklinton, an office now held by his eldest grandson, Mouton Bickham. At various times he served also as Alderman of the Town of Franklinton, as Secretary to the Parish Police Jury, and as a member of the Parish School Board. He displayed at all times a keen interest in the active affairs of his community, being especially zealous for the cause of public education.
As a child of eight years, Mr. Babington united with the Centenary Methodist Church of Franklinton, being at the time of his death the oldest member. He was active in its affairs and served as Steward, Trustee and Superintendent of the Sunday School. He was also the oldest member, both in years and in membership, of Franklinton Lodge, No. 101, Mason of the age of twenty-one, F. & A. M., having been made a [incomplete in original]. For many years he was active in the work of the Lodge, having served as Master and also as District Deputy Grand Master. He was the last life member of Franklinton Lodge.
Mr. Babington was the oldest resident of Franklinton and moreover had lived there all his life. On February 28, 1946 Mr. and Mrs. Babington celebrated their sixty-first wedding anniversary.
He was a man of unostentatious demeanor and of simple tastes. One of the unique fasts [sic] of his life was that he had never traveled more than a hundred miles from Franklinton, and yet he was widely acquainted throughout the States of Louisiana and Mississippi, especially in the banking and business circles. He enjoyed excellent health throughout all his life, and even during his old age his mind was active and alert. He was a most interesting conversationalist, and due to his wide acquaintance and excellent memory was conservant [sic] with the family history of most of the early settlers in this parish. He was often consulted by those desirous of knowing some particular fact concerning their ancestors.
Mr. Babington’s first wife was Martha Washington Pritchard, the widow of Thomas M. Magee. She died in 1876. There are no surviving children by this union. He then married Florence Gulnair Magee, by whom there are four surviving children Mrs. Lela B. Bickham, Michael Babington and Mrs. J. L. Brock, all of Franklinton, Louisiana and Mrs. Lindsay McDougall of Covington, Louisiana. His second wife died in 1884. On February 28, 1885, he was married to his second wife’s younger sister, Mima Magee, who survives with the following nine children: Robert Babington, Jackson, Mississippi; William and Carl M. Babington of New Orleans, Louisiana; John J. Babington of Casa Grande, Arizona; Stephen E. Babington of Magnolia, Mississippi; Richard Babington of Alexandria, Louisiana; Mrs. Willie B. McNair and Miss Mima Babington of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Mrs. Frank W. Jones of Covington, Louisiana. Of this last union there was a daughter, Katie, who died in 1895 at the age of three. Mr. Babington is survived, also, by twenty six grandchildren and twenty great grandchildren; by a sister, Mrs. I. W. Lampton of Jackson, Mississippi; and a brother, C. S. E. Babington of Franklinton.
All of the children were present for the funeral except John J. Babington of Arizona, who was unable to attend.
Mr. Babington was a good citizen and lived a long, useful, and happy life. He was devoted to his family and his memory will long be cherished by a host of friends and relatives.
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The following out of town people attended the funeral of Mr. W. W. Babington:
Amite ―
Mr. and Mrs. Bullitt Grant, Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Ellis, Mrs. Robert Ellis, Sr., Mr. and Mrs. L. M. Brumfield.
Hammond ―
Miss Margaret Lowe, Miss Elizabeth Stoney, Miss Helen Pyburn, Miss Eva Nettles.
Covington ―
Rev. and Mrs. F. C. Collins, Mrs. T. Sewart, Mrs. Chas. Devid, Mrs. O. C. Price, W. G. Jones, Mr. and Mrs. Sladen, Mrs. Kate Martindale.
Bogalusa ―
Mr. and Mrs. K. I. Bean, Mrs. O. B. Magee, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Babington, and Dalphine and Billy Dale. Judge Robt. D. Jones, Mrs. Ernest Foil, L. B. Foil, Pink Richardson, Marshall Richardson.
Tylertown ―
Mr. and Mrs. T. D. Lampton, D. E. Lampton, M.B. Waring, N. E. Cowerly.
Brookhaven ―
P. C. Sylvester
Jackson ―
Mrs. S. T. Brown, Mrs. Mayrant Adams, Mrs. Lucille Burton, Lane Hart, C. M. Burk, R. A. Griffin.
Gulfport ―
Mrs. C. R. Galloway
Biloxi ―
Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Jones.
Philadelphia, Miss. ―
W. T. Wells.
Columbia ―
Mr. and Mrs. L. Mount McDougall, Dr. V. L. Terrell, Thad B. Lampton, Jr.
Magnolia ―
Walter C. Lee, Virgil D. Simmons, Sidney Whittington, Clayton E. Patterson, Miss Virginia Payne, Miss Amelia Doris, Mrs. Doris Delaney, Mrs. C. E. Doris, Mrs. E. W. Reid, R. B. McDougall, Mrs. And Mrs. M. H. Simmons, S. B. Lampton, Rev. E. A. Kelly, W. E. Collins, W. A. Bilbo.
McComb ―
Mrs. Louie Holmes, Mr. and Mrs. Dalton Burch, S. E. Moak, Mr. and Mrs. W. V. Johnson, Mrs. A. H. Jones.
Osyka ―
Percy Lampton.
New Orleans ―
Carl Thomas Babington, Mr. and Mrs. Rene A. Dubuorg, Wallace McDougall, Charles Babington.
Typed by Sidney Holdrege
From a faded photocopy of original article
January 2, 2010
