John Milton Odell | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1831-01-20)January 20, 1831 |
| Died | July 21, 1910(1910-07-21) (aged 79) |
| Occupation(s) | Industrialist andConfederate officer |
| Spouse(s) | |
John Milton Odell (January 20, 1831–July 21, 1910) was an American industrialist and Confederate officer from Concord, North Carolina.[1] He organized M Company, 22nd North Carolina Regiment and served as its captain during theAmerican Civil War.[2] He is considered one of theNew South industrialists who flourished in the postwar era.[3]
He was born on January 20, 1831, to James and Anna O'Dell, farmers fromCedar Falls, North Carolina.[4] His great-grandfather Nehemiah O'Dell was an Irish immigrant.[5] After graduating from Middleton Academy, he became a schoolteacher at the age of 20. In 1856, he began working as a salesman for the Cedar Falls Manufacturing Company.[6] In 1859, he married Rebecca Kirkman, with whom he had three children.[7] He was a member of theWhig Party.[5] He quit his job as a salesman during the outbreak of theAmerican Civil War in 1861.[6]
He enlisted in theConfederate States Army during the Civil War serving under ColonelJ. Johnston Pettigrew. Odell was captain of M Company, 22nd North Carolina Regiment,[5] better known as the "Randolph Hornets" during thePeninsula campaign.[6] His brother Laban served as first lieutenant in the same company.[5] Odell resigned due to health issues after theBattle of Seven Pines, in 1862.[5]
Odell returned to Cedar Falls after the war and worked as a clerk.[8] He also joined theDemocratic Party.[5] In 1869, he moved to Concord, North Carolina where he founded the hardware store Odell, Curtis & Company. He subsequently founded the general store Odell & Company in Greensboro in 1872. He became director of the National Bank of Greensboro, established 1876,[8] and was president of theConcord National Bank and the Concord Electric Light Company.[9]
During these years, Odell built a luxurious home onNorth Union Street and Buffalo Avenue in Concord, with a wraparound porch,carriage house, and central bay.[10]
In 1877, Odell purchased the McDonald Cotton Mills, thereafter named theOdell-Locke-Randolph Cotton Mill. The town ofForest Hills, North Carolina developed as a result of the mill's success. He founded Odell Manufacturing Company in 1878, which manufactured "Forest Hills-plaids".[10]
During his lifetime, he was president of several other companies including the Salisbury Cotton Mills, the Pearl Cotton Mills, the Southern Cotton Mills , the Cannon Manufacturing Company, the Magnolia Mills, and the Kerr Bag Manufacturing Company.[7] Communities typically grew around these mills, marked by the appearance of churches and schoolhouses.[5] The paternalistic ethos of Odell made a notable impression on his protege, James W. Cannon, founder of the Cannon Manufacturing Company.[11]
Odell encouraged the young men who worked in his factories to play an active role in local church and political organizations.[12] The social changes brought by industrialists like Odell had the effect of marginalizing older men and farmers who had previously played prominent roles in the community.[13]
In 1889, Odell's wife Rebecca died. He remarried in 1891 to Addie A. White.[7]
Odell was aSunday school teacher at theMethodist Episcopal Church, South.[7] He died on July 21, 1910 after suffering a stroke of paralysis.[14] He was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Concord.[6]