Carr, Boyd & Company
(1903-1913)

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“The employees of the department store of Carr, Boyd & Co., Maysville, Ga., organized a successful baseball team the past season.

The store of Carr, Boyd & Co. is one of the best equipped and most progressive general merchandise establishments in the state of Georgia.  They carry everything that the farmer needs, including dry goods, notions, hats, shoes, clothing, hardware, groceries, wagons, buggies and farming implements of all kinds.  As Maysville is a small town in the northeastern part of the state the trade is made up almost exclusively of farmers.

In 1903, J. R. Carr & Co. began a very conservative business amounting to $10,000 or $11,000 a year.  They occupied one room with a floor space of 2,400 square feet, but as time passed they were building a reputation for fair dealing.  In January 1903, the Farmers’ Supply Co., and Comer, Deadwyler & Co., with several representative citizens, united with this firm under the name of Carr, Boyd & Co., and the business was placed under the management of Mr. B. F. Carr, who still serves in this capacity, and who, prior to this organization, held the same position with J. R. Carr & Co.  The new firm for the first two years, 1903-1904, occupied the two stores with a floor space each of 2,400 square feet and carried a $20,000 stock.  In 1905, needing more room, they built a warehouse 60 x 170 feet, where they store buggies, wagons and farm implements, with Mr. A. G. Boyd in charge of this and the hardware department.  In 1907 the business having again outgrown its quarters they added two rooms, 30 x 90 feet, giving them a floor space of 25,000 square feet.  They carry a $50,000 stock, and require 18 regular employees, a large number of whom are stockholders, there being at least one stockholder on duty regularly in each department.  The degree of success which this enterprising firm has reached is attributed to the safe, conservative management and the application of the Golden Rule in dealing with customers.

The baseball players and the position each man holds in the store are as follows:

B. F. Carr, general manager and office man.

T. A. Henry, general manager and buyer of dry goods, notions, and ladies’ ready-to-wear department.

R. J. Reynolds, salesman in shoe department.

D. J. Hopkins, salesman in grocery department.

F. H. Boyd, buyer and manager shoes, clothing, and gent’s furnishings departments.

J. J. Parks, salesman in shoes and clothing departments.

G. H. Boyd, vehicle and implement salesman.

J. W. Bacon, salesman in hardware department.

C. L. Carr, buyer and general manager grocery department.

E. H. Carr, salesman in grocery department.

Billed as Maysville’s first and only “department store,” the large mercantile firm offered a wide selection of goods.  One of its most popular lines was “ready-made” or “ready-to-wear” clothing.  In times past, clothing was all custom-made, usually at home.  The idea of being able to walk into a store and buy pre-sized clothing was considered quite a convenience.

The Feb. 6, 1903, edition of The Jackson Herald commented on the opening of the firm: “In another place will be seen an announcement of Carr, Boyd & Co. of Maysville.  This is one of the best firms in Jackson County.  No firm has a better rating by Dunn or Bradstreet than this one.  It is composed of as honorable men as this county affords.  The members of this firm are not only honorable, but are good business men, who make a close study of the wants of the trade, and always endeavor to please their numerous customers.  The firm is composed of Messrs. J. R. Carr, B. F. Carr, A. G. Boyd, W. J. Comer and John G. Deadwyler, all of whom are well known to the people of this county.  They are doing a large volume of business in Maysville, and are anxious for a large trade in Jackson County.  We bespeak for them a splendid trade.”

In 1907, the firm grew even larger when it acquired Charlie Bacon’s business in Maysville, as noted in the March 21 edition of The Jackson Herald: “Mr. B. F. Carr has just returned from New York and Baltimore, where he purchased the spring stock of goods of Carr, Boyd & Co.  He stated to us that he had bought a larger stock than his firm had ever purchased at any one time in its entire history, as his firm has bought out C. T. Bacon & Co., and will hereafter occupy four large store rooms in the city of Maysville.  Mr. Carr said: "Tell the readers of The Herald that our milliner has arrived, and has about fifty pattern hats for Easter buyers.  We will get you up an ad for next week."

In 1908, David R. Marlow, of the Holly Springs community, became a partner in the firm as noted in the Feb. 20 edition of The Jackson Herald: “Mr. D. R. Marlow of Miller district has purchased an interest in the mercantile firm of Carr, Boyd & Co., of Maysville.  This firm does a large volume of business.  It is engaged in selling general merchandise, buggies, wagons, hardware, etc., and in addition to all these things, handles hundreds of bales of cotton each year.  Mr. Marlow is a splendid acquisition to the firm.  He has many friends, not only in Miller district, but throughout the county, who will be glad to trade with this firm on his account.  Mr. Marlow will not move to Maysville, but will still reside on his farm.”

Late 1912 brought Carr, Boyd & Company’s great demise.  Headed for bankruptcy, the store began selling its large stock of goods at deep discounts. 

The bankruptcy proceedings were noted in the Jan. 16, 1913, edition of The Jackson Herald:

“In the federal court room at Athens, the stock of goods belonging to Carr, Boyd & Co., of Maysville, was bought by J. H. Benton, of Monticello, for $17,500.  The sum realized 48 percent on the wholesale invoice.

Bids were opened for the advertised effects—stocks of dry goods, furnishings and shoes, hardware and vehicles, and other classes of assets.

These several stocks would realize, according to the several separate bids, $10,300 and all these bids were rejected.  The inventory of the various lines showed a valuation of something like $35,500.  The trustee, Mr. Ferris of Atlanta, then asked for bids for the entire lots of goods of all classes in an aggregate bid.  For $17,750 the stocks were sold to Mr. J. H. Benton of Monticello, Ga.  This sale realized about 48 percent on the invoice prices.

At private sale some weeks ago, nine thousand dollars was realized on the sale of livestock belonging to the firm and to individual members of the big partnership—making in all about $27,000 now realized by the trustee from sale of personal property.

The real estate remains to be sold.  The company being a partnership and not a corporation, not only will the realty of the firm, but the lands of each individual member of the big firm, will be sold.  In a partnership all the property of every partner is liable for the debts of the firm.”.

Page last updated 10/21/2007

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