Confederate History Month
Profile: Cavalry rider and Mayor Algerine Trapnell (First Acting Mayor)
(As appeared in the Metter Advertiser 2003. Compiled by Jay Clifton and Tony Thompson)
Algerine Trapnell’s father, Elijah Trapnell was one of the early settlers of Emanuel County. Elijah Trapnell and his wife Teresa Hull Trapnell lived south of Nunez and ran a sawmill near Yamgrandy creek. When Elijah died in 1854 he left his oldest son Algerine as the trustee of his estate and guardian of his youngest children Mary Ann and James Crawford Trapnell. Algerine was married to Nancy Kennedy, daughter of Samuel Kennedy and Sarah Brown and had four children of their own at the time of Elijah’s death. As executor of his father’s estate, Algerine began selling some of his father’s land in Emanuel County and began to buy land across the Canoochee River in western Bulloch County. Sometime around 1860, he and Nancy built a home near a sparsely populated crossroads on the Sunbury Road that would later become Metter.
When the War for Southern Independence erupted, their lives were put on hold. Algerine and his younger brother James Crawford enlisted together in a local cavalry company that was being reorganized. On 9 May 1862 they signed on with the Bulloch Troop of the 2nd Georgia Cavalry under Captain George Best. The company had previously been mustered in 1861 under Dr. A.I. Henry at the home of W.D. Brannen in Bulloch County.
Through May and June of 1862, the troop was stationed at Camp Rose, near Savannah, Georgia. During this early period of war, the 2nd Cavalry provided survellience and protection from union gunboats that patrolled the coast and rivers.On 20 Jan 1863 the 1st and 2nd Georgia Cavalry Battalions consolidated into the 5th Georgia Cavalry Regiment. The Bulloch troop became Company E, 5th Georgia Cavalry Regiment. The 5th was sent to Mississippi and placed in Wheeler's Cavalry Corps. Afterwards, the unit participated in the Atlanta Campaign, the defense of Savannah, and the campaign of the Carolinas. On April 26, 1865, it surrendered with the Army of Tennessee in Greensboro.
The men of the 5th Georgia Company E included the following:
Captain Alfred Iverson Hendry, MD
Captain George Best
Captain George Best Sergeant Moses B. Wilson1st Sergeant William Perry Rountree
1st Sergeant William Perry Rountree 4th Sergeant Gideon Hayes Brown1st Corporal W.T.Boston
1st Corporal W.T.Boston Second Corporal Jason B. Brinson
Ancil AldermanJohn William AaronAllen Aspinwall
John William AaronAllen Aspinwall M.J. “Jew” Baer George R. BeasleyElbert Bennett
George R. BeasleyElbert Bennett David L.BestAndrew BirdAugustus Bird
Andrew BirdAugustus Bird Elbert BirdLouis BirdMelton Bird
Louis BirdMelton Bird W. BlandArthur BoytD. J. Brinson
Arthur BoytD. J. Brinson Paton Brinson Simon BrinsonAugustus Brown
Simon BrinsonAugustus Brown Gideon Hayes BrownJ. E. BrownJ. T. Brown
J. E. BrownJ. T. Brown J. W. Brown Lucius M. Campbell Jack Chitty
Lucius M. Campbell Jack Chitty James Emmett ColemanAugustus Lewis CowartHezekiah Parrish Cowart
Augustus Lewis CowartHezekiah Parrish Cowart James M. CowartJoseph Warren CowartLewis Cowart
Joseph Warren CowartLewis CowartZachariah Cowart Bryan Daughtry Wiley Davis
Wiley Davis William Davis
G. W. DekleRobert William DeLoachW. H. DeLoach
Robert William DeLoachW. H. DeLoachWash DeLoachZachary Taylor DeLoachTom Drew
Zachary Taylor DeLoachTom Drew F. J. Durden Ephraim Edenfield Richard Edenfield
Ephraim Edenfield Richard Edenfield J. R. Evans Jr.J. R. Evans Sr.Charles Evans
J. R. Evans Sr.Charles Evans James EvansThomas EvansD. E. Ferry
Thomas EvansD. E. Ferry J. D. FordP. M. Ford Alterman Franklin
P. M. Ford Alterman Franklin Calvin Gay Charlton Gay John Wesley
Charlton Gay John Wesley Mathew GayJames GrooverJohn Groover
James GrooverJohn Groover"Jew" Gurst James HallW. N. Hall
James HallW. N. Hall William Michael Henderson E. W. HodgesW. A. Hodges
E. W. HodgesW. A. Hodges Tom HollandBerrien Johnson Frank Johnson
Berrien Johnson Frank Johnson Davis KeelerElijah KennedyJ. P. Kennedy
Elijah KennedyJ. P. Kennedy Felin KimbrellJohn KirbyRobert Kirby
John KirbyRobert Kirby William KirbyRichard KirklandAugustus Lanier
Richard KirklandAugustus Lanier Joshua LanierEbb LeeJacob Leitsey
Ebb LeeJacob LeitseyMal Lewis Arn LouisGus Mallard
Arn LouisGus Mallard Sol Mallard John Martin Augustus McCroan
John Martin Augustus McCroanWilliam Elias McElveenD. E. Mercer John Mercer
D. E. Mercer John Mercer George MerrittJames Merritt J. W. Mikell
James Merritt J. W. Mikell Seaborn "Sebe" Mikell"Jew" MillerGeorge Washington “Wash” Mikell
"Jew" MillerGeorge Washington “Wash” Mikell Clem Miller Fred MillerGus Miller
Fred MillerGus Miller Marion Miller Math MillerG. W. Moore
Math MillerG. W. Moore Wayne Moore John NealLeon Neal
John NealLeon Neal Icabod NewsomeJames NewsomeD. E. O’Connell
James NewsomeD. E. O’Connell M. N. Odom Frank OlliffJames Overstreet
Frank OlliffJames Overstreet Ben Parrish Mike ParrishMitchell Parrish
Mike ParrishMitchell ParrishW. J. ReddingJames RimesJ. H. Rowe
James RimesJ. H. Rowe O. L. SampleHenry StevensA. W. Stewart
Henry StevensA. W. Stewart Algerene Trapnell Jim TrapnellRowan Warren
Jim TrapnellRowan Warren Millinton WatersMint WatersElias Webb
Mint WatersElias Webb Joe WebbE. A. WeilHenry Weil
E. A. WeilHenry Weil Cooper WilliamsR. N. J. WilliamsS. J. Williams
R. N. J. WilliamsS. J. Williams W. R. WilliamsElisha WilliamsonJack Williamson
Elisha WilliamsonJack Williamson John A. WilliamsonW. J. Wilson Colen Worley
W. J. Wilson Colen WorleyJoseph Zetterower
While Algerine and James were away with the 5th Cavalry, their brother, J.Preston Trapnell had enlisted in the 48th Infantry Company H in Emanuel County. After the 5th Cavalry surrendered in North Carolina, Algerine and his brother were paroled at Hillsboro, North Carolina. Together, the two brothers made their long walk home to devastated Georgia. More bad news awaited their return. Brother Preston, they learned, had been killed during the fighting in Virginia.
Algerine returned home to the embrace of his eight children and his wife Nancy Kennedy. Despite the economic collapse of the war, and subsequent military occupation of Reconstruction, Algerine rebuilt his father’s estate by buying and selling land around the Metter area. His home was a two story house in southeast Metter, bordered by Leroy and Hiawatha Streets. (The house was later destroyed by a tornado in 1929.) His brother James Crawford (“Jimmy”) owned a large farm on the western side of town.
When the city of Metter was organized under a temporary judicial certificate at the turn of the century Algerine Trapnell was elected mayor. By this time, former confederates had regained the right of suffrage and could hold elected office. The city councilmen were Daniel L. Kennedy (former Capt. of the 47th Ga. Infantry Company G of the CSA- profiled last week), J.T. Trapnell, L.D. Rountree, Mack Mercer, and Charlie Mikell.
Algerine Trapnell lived to see Metter receive its official charter from the Georgia General Assembly in 1903. He died in 1906 at age 77 and was buried in Lake Church Cemetery. (Shown below with wife Nancy Kennedy.)
