Page 89 - John Anderson

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served under the leadership of his old friend, Douglas Dummett as a
sergeant.
James Ormond III married Elizabeth Chaires in 1844 and they had
nine children. His business ventures included the Atlanta Paper Mill,
one of the first paper mill operations in the South and other
enterprises with his partner William McNaught. During the Civil War,
Ormond worked as an adjutant at Andersonville Prison. He moved his
family to Canada and then to England during the Civil War. After the
war, James Ormond III returned to Atlanta in 1867 and soon brought
his family back to the United States. He later visited Florida and
eventually settled near the remains of his family’s former plantation,
Damietta.
During the several visits to the New Britain Colony in late 1870’s, the
Ormond family stayed at the Bostrom’s boarding House, Bosarve, and
became close friends of the Bostrom’s, John Anderson, Samuel Dow
and Joseph Price. During these entertaining visits, John Anderson and
James Ormond III explored the former Damietta Plantation ruins and
relocated the gravesite of James Ormond II, James’ father. Many
stories were shared amongst the townsfolk, now close friends, and
when it came time to incorporate the New Britain colony, the name
Ormond was certainly a contender. The little town of Ormond, nestled
among several former plantations along the Halifax River, was named
after the Ormond family, by unanimous vote, on April 22, 1880.
James Ormond III was a very colorful character and as the friendship
between him and his New Britain colony friends grew through the late
1870’s, John Anderson and Samuel Dow encouraged him to put
some of his stories to writing. John Anderson was becoming an
author in his own right, known as Halifax John during these times,
and was fascinated by the stories James Ormond told.

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