Part of the American History and
Genealogy Project
William P. Otts
William P. Otts, president of Homer National Bank, Homer,
Louisiana, was born in the Palmetto State, Spartanburg District,
September 19, 1814, and is a son of William Otts, a native also
of South Carolina. The father was married in that State to Miss
Delilah Brewton, of South Carolina, and after farming in that
State for a number of years he removed to Alabama in 1831, and
located in Butler County. His death occurred there in 1837. He
was a soldier in the War of 1812, and was private secretary of
Gen. Thomas Moore. He was a man of fair education, and served
his district as surveyor, and also filled other positions. His
wife also died in 1837. Of their family, which consisted of nine
sons and four daughters, all of whom grew to mature years, only
our subject and two sisters now survive.
The former passed his youth in Alabama, received a limited
education, but has improved this to a great extent by study
since growing up. He began clerking in Alabama, continued at
this for several years at old Fort Dale, and then removed to
Greene County, of that State, where he cultivated the soil for a
few years. In 1852 he removed to Louisiana, Jackson Parish,
engaged in merchandising at Vienna, and there remained up to
1808.
In the last of October of that year he removed to Homer and
engaged in mercantile pursuits, at which he was very successful
until 1877. At that time he sold out and embarked in livestock
and brokerage business and on the organization of Homer National
Bank in December, 1889, he was chosen its president. This bank
opened for business in March, 1890, and has a capital stock of
$50,000 paid up capital and opened in a flourishing condition.
Mr. Otts was married in Greene County, Alabama, on September 2,
1841, to Miss Catherine H. Wilder, a native of Greene County,
Alabama, where she was reared and educated, and the daughter of
William Wilder. Mrs. Otts died on February 4, 1889, and was
buried in the Homer Cemetery. Mr. Otts has four daughters by
this union: Elizabeth Jane (wife of Drew Ferguson), Laura F.
(widow of Dr. Averyt), Alice A. (wife of Dr. Griffin, of
Rushton, Louisiana), and Mary D. (wife of Frank Allen, of
Homer). Mr. Otts' second marriage occurred at Burke Station,
Iberia Parish, Louisiana, on July 11, 1889, to Mrs. Mary J.
Reid, a widow and a native of Alabama. She was reared and
educated in Minden College, Louisiana, and is a lady of culture
and refinement.
Mr. and Mrs. Otts are members of the Presbyterian Church, and
Mr. Otts is a member of the Masonic fraternity, having joined
that order about 1848. He is a Royal Arch Mason, and has served
as master and has tilled other official positions. He
represented his lodge in both Alabama and Louisiana. Although he
has never taken an active part in politics, he is a strong
Democrat and has voted that ticket for fifty years. Mr. Otts is
a man of good judgment, is enterprising and progressive, and is
one of the leading business men of northwestern Louisiana.
Biographical Sketches|
Claiborne Parish
Source: Biographical and Historical
Memoirs of Northwest Louisiana, Southern Publishing Company,
1890
This web page was last updated. Thursday, 30-Jun-2016 17:14:36 EDT
|