George Fearn


 President of Huntsville, 1832-1833

Born:July 1, 1798, Danville County, Virginia
Died:July 26, 1884, Jackson, Mississippi
Buried:Greenwood Cemetery, Jackson, Mississippi
Brother of:Dr. Thomas Fearn
Brother of:Robert Fearn (1795)

Notes:

•  The title of "President of Huntsville" was used instead of "Mayor" in the early years.

•  Huntsville Alderman, 1833, 1834 - Record II

•  Married Elizabeth Burrus in Huntsville Alabama on May 18, 1824. - Ancestry.com

•  Elizabeth M., wife of Geo. Fearn, died May 4, 1838. She was 32 years old. - Maple Hill

•  One daughter listed in Ancestry.com: Sophronia Lee Fearn (1827-1922) married John Murdoch Putnam in Madison Co., Alabama on April 7, 1847. - Find A Grave

•  February 16, 1827, Attorney George Fearn opened his office on Eustis Street. - Eden

•  While George's brother held the Private Water System to the City of Huntsville from 1836-1858, George was also involved in the Water System from 1836-1843.

•  George Fearn was so instrumental in the development of the canal that it was known to be Fearn's Canal.

•  Betts says this about the canal construction: "During the next few years the doubtful success of the plan, even ultimately, is reflected in the general lack of interest in the progress of the work. From all accounts it seems to have been deserted by all its friends, except Thomas and George Fearn, who remained steadfast in their fidelity to the original purpose until their efforts were crowned with a laudable success." - Betts

•  October 18, 1833, "Thomas and George Fearn wish to employ 50 good hands to excavate the Basin in Huntsville and throw up embankments, to start on Nov. 11. Hands will be given 75 cents each day." - Eden

•  "In December, Huntsville was authorized to appropriate money for the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, incorporated by Act 206 of January 7, 1850, in Alabama. The same railroad had been incorporated in Tennessee on February 2, 1846. The road was organized in May 1850, for Alabama, and Huntsville's George P. and Robert Fearn were elected Directors, along with Huntsville's Samuel Cruse, Treasurer. Commissioners for the road in Madison County were John W. Otey, F. J. Levert and Cruse." - Record I

•  "Viduta - derived from Spanish 'vida' meaning 'life' In a time when yellow fever, malaria, and cholera threatened, Dr. Thomas Fearn and his brothers Robert and George were drawn by the cool air and medicinal springs to establish a small colony on the northern section of Monte Sano Mountain in 1827. In 1833 the town of Viduta was officially established. The area contains a variety of architectural styles, dating from the late 1800's. Approximate boundaries: Lookout Drive (N); Denison Avenue (S); Monte Sano Boulevard (W); and Shelby Avenue (E). Listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage, March 8, 1994." - Luttrell


Related Links:

•  Ancestry.com - Page owned by jlb12741 (Originally found at http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/1307318/person/-1955620156.)

•  Betts - Early history of Huntsville, Alabama 1804 to 1870, by Edward Chambers Betts, pages 66-70.

•  Eden - Eden of the South: A Chronology of Huntsville, Alabama, 1805-2005, by Raneé G. Pruitt, Editor, 2005, page 17, 20, 21

•  Find A Grave - Page created by Natalie Maynor

•  geneology.com - Connecting information found in a list of Descendants of Henry Farrar on a website created by Randal Alan Farrar.

•  ICNC - Betts covers the story of the Indian Creek Navigation Company and Fearn's role in it.

•  Luttrell - Historical Markers of Madison County, Alabama, by Frank Alex Luttrell, III, Editor, Huntsville-Madison County Historical Society, 2001, page 131.

•  Maple Hill - Maple Hill Cemetery, Phase One, by Diane Robey, Dorothy Scott Johnson, John Rison Jones, Jr., & Frances C. Roberts (Huntsville-Madison County Historical Society), page 8.

•  Record I - A Dream Come True: The Story of Madison County and Incidentally of Alabama and the United States, Volume I, by James Record, Printed 1970, page 103.

•  Record II - A Dream Come True: The Story of Madison County and Incidentally of Alabama and the United States, Volume II, by James Record, Printed 1978, pages 343, 247+

•  Wikipedia (Huntsville Mayors) - List of City Presidents and Mayors


The Following Pages Link to this Page:
•  Betts
•  Dr. Thomas Fearn
•  Eden
•  ICNC
•  Luttrell
•  Maple Hill
•  Record I
•  Record II
•  Robert Fearn (1795)