Wise Guys Historical Tours
By: Wesley J. Worthington Rags to Riches William Kehoe was born in Wexford, Ireland on August 21, 1842 and grew up poor and then immigrated to America with his family in 1850. They landed in Savannah, GA and in a few short years, William began working in factories and eventually wound up in an iron …
James Sr. The Habersham family had great influence on the founding of the Georgia colony and can be considered as one of the first “American Dream” stories as well. James Habersham, Sr. was born in Beverly, Yorkshire, England on January 26, 1716. His mother died when he was 7, and his father died when he …
Early Life James Edward Oglethorpe was born to a wealthy aristocratic family in Godalming, England on December 22, 1696. His mother, Eleanor, called him Jamie when he was a child and had high expectations for her tenth and last child. During James’ youth, his family lived at Westbrook Manor, a country estate outside of London. …
Rufus Ezekiel Lester was born on December 12, 1837 in Burke County, Georgia near Waynesboro. Rufus was the child of Ezekiel and Mary Lester. He was educated in the country schools until he attended Mercer University, graduating in 1857. Having studied law, he was admitted to the Bar in Savannah, Georgia in 1859. And that …
Herman Nathan Myers was born in Bayern (Bavaria), Germany on January 18, 1847 to Sigmund and Fanny Myers. As a child Herman immigrated to Bath County, Virginia with his family and later moved to Lynchburg. In 1867 he and his brothers, Sigo and Fred, moved to Savannah. In Savannah Myers was to become a prominent …
Peter Meldrim 1848-1933 Peter Meldrim was one of the most successful men in Savannah, Georgia’s history. He was a lawyer, judge, educator, politician, and military officer. Meldrim was born in Savannah in 1848, just 13 years before the beginning of the “War of Northern Aggression”. Meldrim saw the horrors of the Civil War firsthand as …
