William Sidney Mullins, (CSA)

From Marion County, South Carolina from Its Earliest Times to the Present, 1901 By W. W. Sellers, Esq., of the Marion Bar retrieved from http://genealogytrails.com/scar/marion/history12.html

Mullins - This family is an importation from North Carolina, and a good importation it is - would like to have several others such. The first of the name in this county was the late Colonel William s. Mullins, followed a few years later by his brother, the late Dr. James. C. Mullins, and from these two brothers came all by the name now in the county. Their parents were Fayetteville, N. C., people - name not known. It is said their father was a merchant in Fayetteville, and did not succeed in making a fortune for his children - only enough to educate them -- three sons, William S., James C. and Henry; one daughter, as known to the writer, Ida, who became the wife of E. B. Owens, of this county, and another daughter, who became the wife of a Mr. McNeill, who finally settled in Horry. It seems that the greatest ambition of their father was to educate his children (a very laudable ambition). His son, William S. after graduation in the University of North Carolina, and after admission to the bar of North Carolina, came to Marion County, and married a Miss Hodges, daughter of the late Dr. Samuel Hodges, of the Little Pee Dee and Gapway section; by his marriage he acquired a large property in lands and negroes; and having a competency thus acquired, and the exigencies of the family and the large estate which had fallen in by the death of Dr. Hodges, and of his only son, William H., who died unmarried, he did not pursue the profession of law, for which he was peculiarly and eminently fitted, but devoted himself to his farm and family, to which may be added politics or state craft, and he was much better adapted to the latter than to faming.

Colonel Mullins was first introduced to the public of Marion County in the memorable contest between Co-operation and Secession, or Separate State action, in 1851. The contest was exciting and bitter - every nerve was strained and every legitimate means used by each party. The county was carried by the Co-operation party by only thirty-five majority, and the success of the party in Marion County was attributed mainly to the eloquent appeals to the fears of the people by Colonel Mullins, he was a natural born orator, and having a mind well stored with general knowledge of affairs, and especially with the knowledge of governmental science, his stump speeches were overwhelmingly effective. The State was also carried by a safe majority for Co-operation, and thus prevented, for the time, the final issue between the North and the South. The Secession party believed then, as it is most generally believed now, if the State had then (1851) seceded, there would have been no attempt on the part of the Federal Government to coerce the seceding State or States, as the case might be; that the fanaticism of the North had not been worked up to the point of war as it was in the next nine or ten years, and the South would have been allowed to depart in peace. Whether that would or would not have been better for us, need not and cannot be discussed here. Thus was Colonel Mullins introduced to the people (publicly) of Marion, and initiated into South Carolina politics; he filled a large place in the confidence of the people, it may be said, to the end of his useful life.

In 1852, there was a general election for Senators and Representatives in the Legislature, and the contest in that election was about as lively as it had been the year before - each party had its candidates. The result was that Dr. Harllee (Secession) was elected Senator by 171 majority, and Dr. W. R. Johnson (Secession) and W. S. Mullins and Colonel W. W. Durant (Co-operation) were elected members of the lower Houses by small majorities. Colonel Mullins was then successively elected to the lower House from that time to 1868, when Reconstruction put him out, with all other Democratic white people. Colonel Mullins at once took a high stand in the Legislature - a strong and successful debater, was one of the then several leaders in that body.

During his career as a member of that body he was run for Speaker against (now) Judge C.H. Simonton, and was beaten only by three votes. There were strong men then in that body - such men as James Simmons, B. F. Perry, C. H. Simonton and many others. To be Speaker of that House was no little honor or attainment. William S. Mullins was no ordinary man - hence so much space (much needed) in this book is devoted to him. He was brilliant, quick and always ready, and had a reputation as orator and legislator of which his adopted people and his family, descendants may justly be proud. Colonel Mullins was President of the Wilmington and Manchester Railroad Company for one or two years; he was also elected Senator to the Legislature in 1872, but was counted out, as all other Democrats elected that year were by the Radical election officials then in power.

As already stated, he married Miss Hodges, and they raised to be grown six sons, William L., Frank, Charles, Edward, Henry and Guerry, and three daughters, Mary, Lizzie and Julia. Of the sons, Frank and Charles died young men and unmarried. William L. is yet unmarried. Edward married a Miss Shaffer, lives in Marion and, I think, has two daughters, not grown; he was so unfortunate as to be accidentally shot on Thanksgiving Day, a few years ago, by which he became paralyzed and lost both his eyes. Henry married a Miss Norwood, daughter of Geo. A. Norwood, of Greenville, and is one of the leading merchants of Marion; has two or three children (small); he was a graduate of the South Carolina College; studied law and entered upon its practice with flattering prospects of success, but after two or three years abandoned it altogether, engaged in merchandising, and is now following it, in partnership with his brother-in-law, Samuel A. Norwood, at Marion - apparently doing a large business. Guerry Mullins, the youngest son of Colonel Mullins, married, first, Maggie McKerall, daughter of the late W. J. McKerall, Esq., who died childless, in about a year after marriage; he married, a second time, Miss Emily Price, daughter of the late Dr. D. S. Price, of Marion; think he has by her one or two children (small); he is engaged in buying cotton at Marion. The eldest daughter, Mary, married Joseph McIntyre, of Marion; they lived at Mullins, and own and cultivate the old homestead of her father, W. S. Mullins; they have several children, some of them grown, names unknown to the writer. Lizzie, the second daughter, married Dr. Archie McIntyre, of Marion, within the last year; they live in Marion. Julia, the youngest daughter, is unmarried.

Dr. James C. Mullins, the second importation from North Carolina, after graduating in medicine, came to South Carolina for the practice of his profession, about 1851, and located first near Parnassus, in Marlborough County; he married there Miss Artemissia DeBerry, a daughter of old Henry DeBerry; he moved to Marion just before the war, and settled in the town for the practice of his chosen profession, and at once obtained a good and lucrative practice; he had three children, sons, Benjamin R., Henry and Johnson; he went to the war as an army surgeon, and remained therein till the end at Appomattox; he wife, Artemissia, died during the war - I think, in 1863 or 1864; he came home from the war, and remained a widow until 17th May, 1871, when he married again, Miss Florence Moody, daughter of E. J. Moody; by this marriage he had three sons, R. Randolph, Frank K. and Charles Woods, and one daughter, Florence. Of these, Frank died unmarried, a young man. Randolph and Wood are both single. Of the children of his first wife, Henry, a very promising young man, died in Bennettsville, where he was engaged in a profitable business, some ten or more years ago. B. R. Mullins, his oldest son by first marriage, married a daughter of Dr. Dixon Evans, of Marion, and has several children; he is a capital business man and is now Sheriff of the county, and promises well in that important position. Johnson, the youngest son by his first marriage, went West some years ago. R. Randolph, the oldest son by the second marriage, is in business (druggist) in Greenville. The Doctor died some five or six years ago; his widow, with her two youngest children, Woods and Florence, live in Marion. Dr. Mullins was an excellent physician; up to a short time before his death, he did an immense practice and had the confidence of the entire community; for the last year or two of his life, there seemed to be a failure of his mind - his mental powers gave way.

Colonel W. S. Mullins and Dr. J. C. Mullins, it was said, had a brother, named Henry, who was more talented than either of his brothers; he went into the war as Captain of a company in a North Carolina Regiment, and was killed in battle in Virginia. The Mullins were loyal to their section. [transcribed by Nancy Overlander]

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/76900549/william-sidney-mullins

Son of John and Althenia Cade Mullins.

The town of Mullins was named after Col. William S. Mullins, who served as a representative for Marion County in the South Carolina State Legislature from 1852 to 1866.

William graduated from the University of NC, he married Sarah Hodges on April 28, 1847.

"William S. Mullins was no ordinary man. He was brilliant, quick and always read, and had a reputation as orator and legislator of which his adopted people and his family, descendants may justly be proud. Colonel Mullins was President of the Wilmington and Manchester Railroad Company for one or two years; he was also elected Senator to the Legislature in 1872, but was counted out, as all Democrats elected that year were by the Radical election officials then in power.

Colonel W. S. Mullins and Dr. J. C. Mullins, it is said, had a brother, named Henry, who was more talented than either of his brothers; he went into the war as Captain of a company in a North Carolina Regiment, and was killed in battle in Virginia. The Mullins were loyal to their section." - pages 508, 509, A History of Marion County

"William Sidney Mullins was born in 1824 in Fayetteville, N.C. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, he was admitted to the bar and practiced law in that state.

At some point in the 1840s, Mullins moved to Marion, S.C., where he married Susan Hodges, the daughter of Dr. Samuel Hodges. Mullins’ occupation turned from the law to planting as he inherited extensive land holdings upon the death of his father-in-law.

Mullins was a prominent voice during the secession crisis of 1851 and was credited with carrying the Marion District for those who favored cooperation over separate state action. In 1852, he was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives, where he served until 1866. Mullins was a stockholder in the Wilmington and Manchester Rail Road Company and served as its president in 1857 and 1858.

During the Civil War, Mullins served as adjutant with the 8th Regiment, South Carolina infantry. After the war, Mullins attempted unsuccessfully to restore his agricultural holdings. He was elected to the state senate in 1872 but did not serve as the results of the election were overturned. Mullins was in declining health for several years and died on Dec. 6, 1878, two years after the death of his wife." - University South Caroliniana Society Newsletter, Fall 2008

"United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1850 ", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HRWZ-J3W2 : 23 February 2021), William S Mullen in entry for MM9.1.1/MVZ1-R3T:, 1850.

Promoted to officer of Sgt. Major. "South Carolina Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XGRX-16T : 12 December 2014), William Sidney Mullins, 1861; from "Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of South Carolina," database, Fold3.com (http://www.fold3.com : n.d.); citing military unit Eighth Infantry M-O, NARA microfilm publication M267 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1959), roll 232.

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KC2B-BGR

Sarah Hodges and William Mullins had the following children:

1. William Lide MULLINS 1848–1910
2. Francis Hodges MULLINS 1851–1874
3. Edward Wade MULLINS 1851–1910
4. Mary MULLINS 1854–1918
5. Charles Samuel MULLINS 1856–1897
6. Elizabeth MULLINS 1862–1903
7. Henry MULLINS Sr 1864–1930
8. Walter Guerry MULLINS 1867–1948
9. Julia MULLINS 1870–1954