gdspBedC W. L. FARIS, a native of Franklin County, Tenn., was born June 17, 1864, son of G. W. and Eliza (Tucker) Faris.  The father was also a native of Franklin County, and died June 5, 1882.  The mother was born about 1838 in Bedford County.  Our subject assisted his parents on the farm until he was about twenty-two years of age, after which he worked for himself at farming.  At the end of three years he began the mechanics trade in connection with farming and still follows that business up to the present date.  December 21, 1875, he wedded Amanda R. Kirk, of this county, who was born August 3, 1856.  She was the daughter of Edwin Kirk, who was born in 1809, and died November 22, 1883.  To our subject and wife were born five children: E. E., Julian L., Lee G., S. I., and Cassie B.  Mr. Fairs is a self-made man, having made his property by his own unaided efforts, and is consequently a good substantial citizen.  He and wife are worthy members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South.  He is a Democrat in politics.
 

J. C. FISHER’S ancestors were from North Carolina.  His father, George W. Fisher, wan born in August, 1812, and was brought to Tennessee by his parents when only four years old.  George W. Fisher married Elizabeth Helm who was born in North Carolina, in 1814, and died in Tennessee in 1846.  Our subject was born in Marshall County, Tenn., January 16, 1838, and is the third of seven children and of Irish descent.  At the age of twenty years he began clerking for W. S. Hurst, at Hurst’s Cross Roads, Murray County, continuing two years.  When the war broke out he joined the Confederate Army, Company D, Fourth Tennessee Calvary, but after serving faithfully for some time was compelled to abandon the service to some extent.  For about two years after the war he farmed and stock traded and then engaged in the merchandise business in Verona and followed that business four years with good results, the style of the firm being Fisher & Robinson.  In 1871 he sold his interest and moved to Fayetteville where he was a partner of W. S. Hurst in the merchandise business two years.  The firm then divided their stock, and for three years longer MR. Fisher followed that occupation in that place and in 1877 moved to Shelbyville.  Since 185 he has been exclusively engaged in farming.  May 1, 1873, he wedded Mattie Bell (Daughter of G. W. and E. Bell), who has borne him six children: Oscar B., Stella (deceased), Elbert H., James D., Hugh C. and George B.  Mr. Fisher has accumulated his property by his own exertions and is perhaps the most thoroughly self-made man in this section of the county.  The greater part of his education has been acquired through self exertion.  He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church Sough, and his wife of the Christian Church.  Politically his is a Democrat.
 

B. F. FOSTER, ESQ., was born January 10, 1829, in Rutherford County, and was the son of James and Celia (Gentry) Foster.  The father was born April 22, 1800, and was a very successful farmer for his day.  The mother was born in 1803 in Georgia.  Our subject  received a practical education in the district schools, and at the age of nineteen engaged in the saw-mill business.  This he continued for about two years and then began teaching school.  At the end of fifteen months he gave this up and engaged in farming.  In 1870 he was elected magistrate, and served in this capacity for twelve years.  January, 1877, he was elected chairman of the county court and held this position for about six years.  Prior to  this, in a851, he wedded Nancy A. McBride, of this county, and  the fruits of this union were three children:  James J., Charles R.. and the eldest, Harriet M., who died in infancy.  The mother of these children died June 11, 1862.  Mr. Foster was married to Frances Hoover, nee Rankin, August 27, 1871.  This union resulted in the birth of one child, Lela G.  Mrs. Foster was the mother of two children by her former husband: they were named Thomas R. and H. C. Hoover.  Mr. and Mrs. Foster are members in good standing in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, she is also a member of the Masonic Fraternity and also a Chapter member of the same.  He represented his lodge in the Grand Lodge in Nashville five years in succession.  He is a Democrat in Politics.
 

H. R. FREEMAN was born in Bedford County, Tenn., December 25, 1835.  From twenty-one years of age until 1961 he farmed for himself, and at the latter date enlisted in Company F, Seventeenth Tennessee Infantry, and fought in many of the most noted battles.  He was commissary sergeant during the latter part of the war.  After his return he farmed until 1874, and then began merchandising in Unionville.  He has been very successful.  October 13, 1867, he wedded Salome Duggan, who died november 28, 1878.  March 9, 1882, he married Emma Barker.  They have one child, Enid Freeman.  Mr. Freeman is a Democrat and Prohibitionist.  His parents, Hartwell and Nancy (Harris) Freeman, were born in North Carolina in 1797 and 1801, respectively.  The father was a well-to-do farmer, and died in 1871.  The mother is yet living and is eighty-five years of age.
 

JOHN G. FROST is a son of John E. frost, a minister of the Primitive Baptist Church, who was born April 7, 1835, in Alabama. His mother was Alsie D. Hicks, daughter of D. D. and Malinda Hicks.  John G. Frost was born in Bedford County, October 13, 1859, and was the eighth of nine children.  He assisted his father on the farm until twenty-one years of age, and then began tilling the soil on his own responsibility.  In  1882 he went to Missouri,  where he farmed one year, but the same year traveled over the State of Kansas and the Indian Territory.  Since that time he has been engaged in the farming interests in Tennessee.  November 30, 1882, he was married to Mattie J. Coleman, daughter of N. A. Coleman.  She was born January 12, 1861.  They became the parents of three children, two of home died in infancy.  Joshua Wright is the child living.  Mr. Frost has been a church member since the fall of 1878.  He belongs to the Democratic party, and is worth $2,500.
 

WILLIAM A. FROST, editor and proprietor of the Shelbyville Gazette, was born September 30, 1855, in Troy, Obion Co., Tenn., being the eldest of five children of William D. and Martha L. (Brown) Frost.  The father is a physician and resides at Flat Creek in this county.  The mother died September 24, 1874.  The subject of this sketch was reared on a farm in Moore county, Tenn., and in Mississippi.  He remained with his parents to the age of nineteen, when he entered Mulberry Institute, Lincoln County, Tenn., in which he took a two years’ course.  He then was appointed deputy clerk of the Circuit Court of Moore County.  After one year as deputy he was appointed clerk of the same court and held the office three years.  In December, 1878, he bought the Lynchburg Sentinel, and published that paper till December 4, 1884, at which time he was burned out.  In 1880, June 30, he was appointed clerk and master of the Chancery Court of Moore County, and served four years.  January 1, 1884, he took charge of his present enterprise.  He has refitted the office with an entirely new outfit and make his the leading paper of the country, and he is regarded as the most successful county newspaper man in the State.  He was elected alderman of the Second Ward of Shelbyville in October, 1885, and is chairman of the finance committee.  He is justly regarded as a prominent and enterprising citizen.  He was married, May 4, 1880, to Miss Katie Whitaker, of Lincoln County.  This unions has been blessed in the birth of one son, William W.  Politically Mr. Frost is a firm Democrat.
 

WILLIAM D. FROST, M. D., was born in Madison County, Ala., August 12, 1830 and is one of sic children born to Ebenezer and Nancy (Wright) Frost.  The father was born in north Carolina, and in 1827 immigrated to Alabama where he remained until 1835, and then removed to Bedford County, Tenn.  He was one of the successful farmers of the county.  In 1837 he was employed by the Government to aid in removing the Indians in the territory to which they were assigned, and during one of these trips he died.  He reared a family of which the county is proud.    All of them are prominent citizens of the county. The subject of this sketch passed his boyhood on the farm, and received a fair education in the county schools.  In 1850 he began the study of medicine, and in the  same year entered the Ohio Medical School of Cincinnati, where he remained one term.  He then went to Obion County, Tenn., and began the practice of his profession, remaining there eight years, after which he went to Mississippi, where he remained nine years.  He then came back to Tennessee, and has since that time been a faithful practitioner of Bedford County.  In 1854 he wedded Miss Martha L. Brown of Obion County, Tenn., a member of the Missionary Baptist Church, who died in 1874.  Mr. Frost was a soldier in the late war; was in the Thirtieth Mississippi Regiment, and was severely wounded at the battle of Chickamauga, which rendered him unfit for general service.  After this he acted as assistant surgeon of the regiment until the close of the war.  Mr. frost has a family of four children: William A., who is editor of the Shelbyville Gazette, Walter C. who is editing a paper at Murfreesboro, and Clarinda E. and John W.
 

ALFRED D. FUGITT, farmer, was born in Rutherford County, Tenn., November 8, 1813, son of Townsend and Jane (Campbell) Fugitt, and of Irish-French descent.  The father of our subject was born in North Carolina in 1780, and the mother was born about 1784.  They were married in North Carolina about 1799, and to them were born eight children. The father emigrated from North Carolina to Kentucky in 1804, and owned the land where Danville, Ky., now stands, but concluding the land was too poor for successful farming, moved to Tennessee in 1806.  He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and died November, 1 878, at the advanced age of ninety-eight, the mother died in 1837.  Our subject received a fair education and followed farming and merchandising ever since.  He was married, January 10, 1837, to Miss Jane M. Norvell; of this alliance there were born ten children - three sons: Glodolphus C., John N. and Alfred T., and seven daughters: Sallie E., Mattie J., Maggie N., Cassie M., Mollie B., Ada J. and Annie N.  Mr. Fugitt was formerly an old-line Whig, and while he entertains no particular love for the name of Democracy he votes that ticket.  He has 600 acres of good land, which he devotes almost exclusively to stock raising.  Mrs. Fugitt, wife of our subject, was born in Bedford County, Tenn., September 5, 1814.  Her father John Norvell, emigrated form North Carolina about 1806, and was among the pioneers of the State.  Our subject had two sons in the late war, Glodophus C., who was a captain in the Second Tennessee Regiment under Col. Bate, was killed at Shiloh.  The second son was a member of the same regiment and was killed in Lincoln County, Tenn., in 1863.  While our subject was too old to partake of active service in the army, he display his liberality and State pride in contributing the amount of $1,000 a month to Capt. Fugitt’s company.  The grandfather of our subject, Benjamin Fugitt, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war and served seven years.