Cosmo Richardson Davis (1845-1904)

Portrait from the Atlanta Constitution, July 19, 1891.

   We continue our trek through Georgia to spotlight the life and political doings of a man named Cosmo--Cosmo Richardson Davis of Bulloch County! A Confederate veteran and farmer, this obscure man represented his home county in the Georgia State Assembly for one term and held no other political offices other than his service as a state representative. Born in Savannah, Georgia on March 10, 1845, Cosmo Richardson Davis spent the majority of his early life in the city of his birth and during the Civil War served with both the 47th and 57th Georgia Infantries.

   Following his removal to Bulloch County, Georgia, Davis resided in Statesboro and briefly practiced law before concentrating his efforts on farming. He would serve as president of the Bulloch County Alliance (an agricultural organization) and in the early 1880s married to Sarah Catherine Porter (1858-1926), with whom he had three children, Cosmo Patrick (1885-1946), Porter (1888-1890) and Emma (1890-1975).

   Elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1890, Davis served during the 1890-92 session and was named to the committees on Enrollment, Special Agriculture, and Temperance. Little else could be found on Davis' life after leaving the legislature, excepting notice of his attending a Confederate veterans reunion and parade in Statesboro in August 1902. Cosmo R. Davis died shortly after his 59th birthday on March 24, 1904, and was survived by his wife Sarah, who, following her death in 1926, was interred alongside her husband at the Macedonia Baptist Church Cemetery in Statesboro.

Algerine Justin Trapnell (1882-1954)

Portrait from the 1952 Georgia Official Register.

   The town of Metter, Georgia received extensive mention in the February 20th write up on former Metter Mayor and judge Weylud Hudson Lanier. In addition to Mr. Lanier, Metter also produced another oddly named political figure, Algerine Justin Trapnell, a three-term state representative and farmer. While ample information was located for Mr. Lanier, the same cannot be said for his political counterpart. With just a brief write-up in the Georgia Official and Statistical Register, very little exists online in regards to Algerine Trapnell, hence why his profile here will be on the short side!  

   Born in Metter, Georgia on June 14, 1882, Algerine Justin "Algie" Trapnell was the son of George Robert (1854-1927 and Margaret Ann (Atwood) Trapnell (1859-1907). A descendant of a family prominent in Bulloch County, Georgia, Trapnell's grandfather and namesake, Algerine Trapnell (1828-1906), served as the first acting mayor of Metter, Georgia in the early 1900s. One should also note that Trapnell's first name is spelled in several different ways, including Algerine, Aljarine, and Aljerine. While Trapnell's gravestone in Statesboro records the spelling as "Aljarine", the Georgia State Register lists it as "Algerine"--all in all very confusing!

   A student in the public schools of Metter, Algerine J. Trapnell also attended the agricultural school at the University of Georgia, taking a one-year course in 1904. He married in Bulloch County in February 1908 to Maggie Lou Allen (1890-1979), with whom he had the following children: Solomon Ray (1910-1988), Algerine Francis (1914-1968), Allen Hamilton (1917-1999) Arthur Lamar (1923-2012) and Joann (born 1927).
   For a good majority of his life, Algie Trapnell worked at farming in Statesboro, Georgia, and in 1949 was elected to represent Bulloch County in the Georgia House of Representatives. He would serve three terms in that body from 1949-54 and died in office on January 25, 1954. He was survived by his wife Maggie and was later interred at the Lower Lotts Creek Chruch Cemetery in Statesboro, Georgia.