﻿Biographical 
  Sketches. 
  131 
  

  

  ing 
  health, 
  died 
  in 
  1869, 
  and 
  his 
  interest 
  was 
  purchased 
  

   from 
  his 
  heirs 
  by 
  the 
  remaining 
  partners. 
  In 
  1870, 
  Mr. 
  

   Julian 
  S. 
  Carr 
  joined 
  the 
  firm, 
  and 
  since 
  that 
  time 
  Mr. 
  

   Blackwell 
  has 
  been 
  senior 
  partner 
  of 
  the 
  celebrated 
  firm 
  of 
  

   W. 
  T. 
  Blackwell 
  & 
  Co. 
  He 
  remained, 
  however, 
  sole 
  pro- 
  

   prietor 
  of 
  the 
  trade-mark, 
  until 
  his 
  interest 
  was 
  bought 
  by 
  

   M. 
  E. 
  McDowell 
  & 
  Co., 
  of 
  Philadelphia. 
  Mr. 
  Blackwell, 
  

   as 
  a 
  judge 
  of 
  tobacco, 
  has 
  few 
  equals. 
  While 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  

   the 
  firm, 
  he 
  gave 
  exclusive 
  attention 
  to 
  selecting 
  and 
  pur- 
  

   chasing 
  the 
  tobacco 
  manufactured 
  by 
  the 
  firm,ever3'' 
  pound 
  

   of 
  which 
  passed 
  under 
  his 
  inspection, 
  and 
  his 
  intelligence 
  

   and 
  experience 
  as 
  a 
  buyer 
  was 
  an 
  important 
  factor 
  in 
  the 
  

   extensive 
  popularity 
  of 
  the 
  Bull 
  Durham 
  Smoking 
  Tobacco. 
  

   He 
  was 
  married 
  December 
  27th, 
  1877, 
  to 
  Miss 
  Emma 
  Exum, 
  

   daughter 
  of 
  W. 
  J. 
  Exum, 
  an 
  extensive 
  planter 
  of 
  Hillsboro 
  

   and 
  formerly 
  of 
  Wayne 
  county, 
  N. 
  C. 
  

  

  To 
  W. 
  T. 
  Blackwell 
  mainly 
  belongs 
  the 
  honor 
  of 
  found- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Durham 
  through 
  the 
  establishment 
  and 
  

   successful 
  conduct 
  of 
  his 
  Tobacco 
  manufacture, 
  and 
  to 
  him 
  

   equally 
  belongs 
  the 
  credit 
  and 
  renown 
  of 
  having 
  fostered 
  

   and 
  sustained 
  a 
  communitj^ 
  which 
  has 
  grown 
  from 
  a 
  strag- 
  

   gling 
  village 
  of 
  273 
  persons 
  to 
  a 
  busy 
  town 
  of 
  5,000 
  or 
  more 
  

   inhabitants. 
  As 
  a 
  benefactor 
  of 
  his 
  kind, 
  as 
  the 
  promoter 
  

   of 
  the 
  best 
  and 
  truest 
  interests 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  Durham 
  

   county, 
  W. 
  T. 
  Blackwell 
  deserves 
  even 
  more 
  than 
  has 
  been 
  

   conferred 
  by 
  a 
  partiall}' 
  appreciative 
  public. 
  And 
  the 
  uni- 
  

   versal 
  popularity 
  of 
  the 
  brand 
  of 
  tobacco 
  established 
  by 
  

   him, 
  is 
  a 
  just 
  tribute 
  of 
  homage 
  to 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  illustrious 
  

   representatives 
  of 
  American 
  industries. 
  By 
  assiduous 
  

   energy 
  and 
  judiciously 
  applied 
  business 
  sagacity, 
  he 
  has 
  

   worked 
  his 
  way 
  up 
  from 
  poverty 
  and 
  obscurity 
  to 
  great 
  

   affluence 
  and 
  wealth. 
  He 
  has 
  wrought 
  out 
  for 
  himself 
  a 
  

   name 
  and 
  fame 
  which 
  will 
  be 
  handed 
  down 
  with 
  pride 
  

   from 
  generation 
  to 
  generation 
  so 
  long 
  as 
  Durham 
  occupies 
  

   a 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  annals 
  of 
  history. 
  His 
  philanthropic 
  acts 
  and 
  

  

  