W W Drane, Memoirs of Georgia, Marion County, 1895

Marion County

Biographies

Marion County GAGenWeb

Trish Elliott-Kashima, County Coordinator

W W Drane, farmer, Friendship, Marion County, GA, son of Dr William and Martha H (Winfrey) Drane, was

born in Columbia county, GA in 1830. His paternal grandparents, William and Cassandra (McGruder)

Drane, were of English descent, and born in Maryland. He was recruited in the patriot army during the

revolutionary war and was within sixteen miles of Yorktown at the time of Cornwallis' surrender. He migrated

to Georgia and settled in Columbia county in 1790 where he farmed and reared his family, and died in 1845.

Mr Drane's father was born in Columbia county in 1800. After receiving preparatory education,

Dr Drane attended medical lectures at Bellevue hospital, New York City and in 1832 located in Talbot county,

where he practiced his profession until 1846. Smallpox was very prevalent in his section during a part of the

time he was in practice and he gained a wide-spread reputation for his successful treatment of it. He was in the

army a short time during the Indian war of 1836. During the late war he did nearly all the smallpox practice

in his own and adjoining counties. He was an ardent and influential politician, and represented Talbot county

in the general assembly eight years - after which he retired to the shades of private life. He owned large tracts

of land, and a great number of slaves; and was an elder in the local Presbyterian church. Mr Drane's maternal

grandparents, Jesse and Fannie (Spencer) Winfrey, were native Virginians. He was of French extraction and

migrated from Virginia to Georgia soon after the revolutionary war, in which he had been a soldier in the patriot

army, settled in Columbia county and died about 1810. He was considered to be one of the wealthiest

men in Georgia - as may be inferred from the fact that on one occasion he went to Savannah and bought

twenty-five slaves from a vessel just arrived from Africa. Mr Drane, when twenty years of age, engaged

in a general merchandise business, continuing it until war between the states was inaugurated. In 1861 he

enlisted in Company H, of which he was made captain, fifty-ninth Georgia regiment. Among other important

battles he participated in were those of Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spottsylvania courthouse, Cold Harbor,

Petersburg, etc. In the battle of Gettysburg he was wounded three times but did not leave the field. Having

been elected justice of the inferior court, he returned home in February 1865. He came out of the war

without anything. In 1868 he purchased a small tract of land, to which he has gradually added until now he

has over 600 acres of good farming land, partly well improved and productive, on which he has a

comfortable home. He is a very successful farmer, and an influential citizen. Mr Drane was happily

married in 1859 to Miss Eugenia N Brown, born in Crawford county GA in 1839, daughter of William M

and Amanda (Gray) Brown. Mr Brown was born in Green County GA, and during boyhood and youth

was deprived of educational advantages. When grown he also represented in the general assembly a

number of years. He was in the Creek Indian war, in which he served as major. He was an "old-line whig",

and about 1848 came within one or two voted of being nominated for congress, and was subsequently

appointed United States marshal under President Taylor. He was elected as an anti-secessionist to the

convention in 1860-1861, and was one of the few who signed a protest against it. He possessed large

planting interests, kept "open house" and entertained lavishly; the humblest of his guests received the

same considerate attention as the rich and distinguished - all were welcome and all alike shared his hospitality.

After the war he gave thousands of bushels of corn to the soldiers, and soldiers' families. He was brave and

courageous, and, like such, generous and magnanimous - a born leader. The union of Mr and Mrs Drane

has been blessed with six children: Albert, in the war department, Washington city; William; Minnie;

Eugene; Walter, and Bertie. Mr Drane is a master Mason, and himself and wife are prominent members