Evan Park Howell (1839 - 1905)

Born 10 Dec 1839 in Georgia

Ancestors

Husband of Julia Adelaide (Erwin) Howell — married 5 Jun 1861 in Erwinton, Barnwell, South Carolina, United States

Died 6 Aug 1905 at age 65 in Atlanta, Fulton, Georgia, USA

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Biography

Born on the 10th day of December 1839, Evan Park Howell, was a son of Clark and Effie (Park) Howell, of Warsaw Georgia in Milton County {now Cobb}. Evan was educated locally and at the Georgia Military Institute. After two years at the latter institution he studied law at Sandersville, Georgia, until 1859, when he entered the Georgia University Law School at Athens. The following year, Evan Howell graduated from the law school and began to practice law in the office of James S. Hook, a prominent lawyer at Sandersville.

On April 7, 1861, Evan Howell enlisted as orderly sergeant of Co. E, 1st Regiment Georgia Volunteers. He was soon promoted lieutenant in May, 1861, and served as first lieutenant until the regiment was discharged in May, 1862, the term of enlistment having expired. Later in 1862, his company was reorganized as an artillery company and he was made captain. He fought under Stonewall Jackson in Virginia, and then was sent West, where he fought in the Battle of Chickamauga and the Atlanta Campaign where he defended the city (Atlanta) as a captain of artillery. He ended the war in Hardee's Corps as Captain of Howell's Battery, Georgia Light Artillery.

During this time on June 5th 1861, Evan P. Howell married Julia Adelaide Erwin, daughter of Dr. William Robinson Erwin and the former Julia Caroline Robert of Erwinton in Barnwell County, South Carolina. They would go on to have the following known children: Clark (1863-1936) Albert (1866-1933) Effie Park (1870-1943) Ida Erwin (1873-1943) Rosalie W. (1877-1970) Adelaide (1879-1957) Evan Park (1881-1934)

On returning home from the war to his father's place near Atlanta, Captain Howell, as he was respectfully known, ran a lumber mill for the much needed building in the area. Around 1868, he resumed the practice of law. He was solicitor-general of his judicial circuit, 1869-75, and a state senator, 1872-77. He purchased a half-interest in the Atlanta Constitution in November, 1876, and was editor-in-chief of the paper and president of the corporation for twenty years. In 1881 he sold a fourth-interest to Henry W. Grady, and made him managing editor of the paper. He sold his remaining interest in the paper in 1896 and retired from journalism.

During these years, Capt. Howell was elected a director in all the various railroads converging at Atlanta; director in the two national expositions held at Atlanta; president of the Kimball House Company and a commissioner in charge of the erection of the state capitol. He declined the appointment of U.S. consul at Manchester, England, tendered to him by President Cleveland in 1885; served as a delegate to the Democratic National conventions of 1876, 1880, 1884 and 1896, and was on the committee on resolutions at each of the four conventions. In 1898 President McKinley appointed him on the commission to investigate the conduct of the war with Spain.

Capt. Evan Park Howell, a man of great respect throughout his adopted city and the state he served; departed this life on August the 5th 1905 at the age of 65 years, 7 months and 27 days old. He was laid to rest in the Howell Family plot at Westview Cemetery following a funeral that was attended by statesman, politicians, businessman and those who knew him throughout his remarkable

Sources

• https://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=17000195