John Milton Odell (Concord, NC)
John Milton Odell (Jan. 20, 1831 – July 21, 1910)
Biography
- Name: John Milton Odell
- Birth: January 20, 1831 Grays Chapel, Randolph County, North Carolina
- Death: July 21, 1910 Concord, North Carolina
Early life and family
Captain John M. Odell, son of James and Anna Odell, was born about a mile east of Millboro and eight miles north of Asheboro in Randolph County, North Carolina, on the 20th day of January, 1831. He was the second son of James Odell, a prosperous farmer, and was reared on the farm and resided at his native home until 21 years of age. During his boyhood days he attended the neighborhood schools with the exception of a short time when he was a student at Middleton Academy in Randolph county. From the age of 21 to 24 he taught school during the winters. He then clerked in the store of the Cedar Falls Manufacturing Co. for one year. The company was changed to the Cedar Falls Company, Mr. Odell taking an interest therein, but was still retained as clerk in the store of the new company until he was elected an agent for the same.
On March 9th, l854, he was married to Miss Rebecca C. Kirkman of Randolph County. They had three children, William Robert Odell (b. 1855) of Concord, James Thomas Odell (b. 1857) of Wills Point, Texas, and Miss Ollie (Mrs. S.J. Durham (b. 1873)), of Bessemer City. Mrs. Carrie Odell died June 13, 1889. On August 4, 1891, he married Mrs. Addie Allison White of Concord. The former Mrs. White was a descendant of the Lockes, Youngs, Phifers, and Grahams of Revolutionary War fame in North Carolina. She was the daughter of Robert Washington Allison and Sarah Anne Phifer Allison of Concord where she was born March 26, 1852.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, he and his brother, Laban, raised a company in 1861 known as the Randolph Hornets. J.M. Odell was elected captain and the unit was designated Company M, 22d North Carolina Infantry, but later became part of Colonel Pettigrew's 12th regiment. The company was ordered to the banks of the Potomac and fought in the Peninsula until after the battle of Seven Pines. Because of ill-health, he retired from service being succeeded in command by his brother. His brother was a magnificent, daring soldier and his action at Marye's Heights, Fredericksburg, brought him merited promotion as major of the regiment. Major Laban Odell fell mortally wounded on May 3, 1863 during the famous movement of Stonewall Jackson when he led the North Carolina brigades across Hooker's front, striking the Federal army in rear and flank at Chancellorsville.
Other career highlights
In the fall of 1869 he resigned his position with the Cedar Falls Co. and moved to Concord, where he engaged in merchandising under the firm name of Odell, Curtis & Company who did a very large and successful wholesale and retail general merchandise business. In 1874, he sold all his interest in Concord and removed to Greensboro, where he continued in the wholesale and retail business under the firm name of Odell Company, for some years. He was one of the charter members of the National Bank of Greensboro, which was organized in 1876, when he was elected a director of the this bank, a position he retained until the bank closed. In 1877 he bought the McDonald Cotton Mills in Concord, where he had been a director before buying controlling interest in its stock. He incorporated the mill in 1878 as the Odell Manufacturing Company, with J.M. Odell, president and his son, W.R. Odell, secretary and treasurer. His home, however, was still in Greensboro until 1880, when he again moved to Concord and devoted most of his attention to the cotton business. His success was evident as in 1882, about $100,000 was added to the capital stock of his manufacturing company.
Capt. Odell would operate 4 cotton mills in North Carolina. In addition to the mill in Concord, he was president of the J.M. Odell Manufacturing Co. of Bynum, the Salisbury Cotton Mill, and the Durham Cotton Mill. In 1890, his Concord mill had capital stock of $500,000, employed 800 hands, operating 852 looms, 20,000 spindles, using 8,000 bales of cotton per year. He also was president of the Kerr Bag Manufacturing Co. and the Concord Electric Light Company, both of Concord.
He was an organizer and first president of the Concord National Bank which opened in July 1888. Along with his son, W.R. Odell, and J.W. Cannon, D.F. Cannon (the bank's vice president), and G.M. Lore, he was a co-owner of the St. Cloud Hotel that opened in January 1889. This three-story brick building housed the Concord National Bank on the first floor.
Later life and death
On July 2, 1910, Capt. J.M. Odell was reported as dangerously ill from a second stroke, and his physicians were apprehensive as to his recovery. His brother, Mr. J.A Odell of Greensboro and his sister and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. S.J. Durham of Bessemer City arrived to be at his side. Around midnight on July 21st, he died in his home surrounded by loved ones.
The funeral was held at the Forest Hill Methodist Church, Rev. W.L. Hutchins, Captain Odell's pastor, conducting the funeral. Rev. Plato Durham preached the funeral sermon. The floral offerings were magnificent, from friends in every section of the State. He was interred at Oakwood Cemetery in Concord. All the business houses of the city were closed during the funeral service.
Bank Officer Summary
During his banking career, J.M. Odell was involved with the following banks:
- National Bank of Greensboro, Greensboro, NC (Charter 2322): Director 1876-1896
- Concord National Bank, Concord, NC (Charter 3903): President 1888-1906
Sources
- John M. Odell on Findagrave.com
- Banks & Bankers Historical Database (1782-1935), https://spmc.org/bank-note-history-project
- The Concord Times, Concord, NC, Fri., Jan. 4, 1889.
- Raleigh Christian Advocate, Raleigh, NC, Wed., Apr. 9, 1890.
- The Standard, Concord, NC, Fri., Aug. 1, 1890.
- The Concord Daily Tribune, Concord, NC, Sat., July 2, 1910.
- The Charlotte News, Charlotte, NC, Fri., July 22, 1910.
- The Concord Daily Tribune, Concord, NC, Fri., July 22, 1910.
- The News and Observer, Raleigh, NC, Sun., July 24, 1910.
- The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, NC, Sun., Aug. 21, 1910.