Sloan Biographies

Benjamin Johnston Sloan was born in Crawford County, Georgia, May 16, 1851, the son of Joseph Andrew Sloan and Rachel Jeffcoat. He was orphaned at age eight, but with his family's guidance became a genius working with the machinery of the late 19th century. This talent enabled him, with his brother-in-law, Columbus A. Alford of Willingham, Georgia to amass a fortune in Naval stores and in the lumber business. He was also a stockholder, and an officer of many South Georgia and Western North Carolina enterprises including a railroad, the Southern States Life Insurance Company, and was a major stockholder in the Sylvester Georgia Banking Company.

He married Mattie Arthur Johnston, granddaughter of Robert Love, founder of Waynesville, N.C. on Feb 5, 1880 in Americus, Georgia. He had a son Hugh Johnston Sloan born in Camilla, Georgia on July 15, 1883; and three daughters, Addie Louise, born November 15, 1886: Rachel Elizabeth, born July 8, 1988, and Marguerite Sloan, born July 14, 1892. He also had an adopted daughter, Janie Love Sexton, born August 31, 1896. The family lived in a palatial 6400 acre estate at Willingham, Georgia where the daughters were born. Willingham was the joint property of Benjamin J. Sloan and his brother-in-law, Columbus A. Alford.

At the turn of the century Benjamin J. Sloan and Columbus A. Alford decided to break up their partnership. In 1903 Sloan took over the joint ownership of the North Carolina properties which included the White Sulphur Springs Hotel in Waynesville, Haywood County, N.C. He built his home 'Blink Bonny' on the grounds of the hotel.

Sloan's first major investment was in HEPCO, the Haywood Electric Power Company, which he organized in 1903. His partners in this enterprise were Sam Welch and Dr. Thomas Stringfield. His direct interest was in supplying sufficient and stable power to the Haywood White Sulfur Springs Hotel. He had first tried by installing a steam plant to supplement the power of Daniel Marcus Killian who owned and operated the Killian Woolen Mill on Richland Creek, but this attempt proved unsuccessful.

Sloan eventually built a generating plant which harnessed the Pigeon River at Leatherwood Shoals. He foresaw the need for electricity across Haywood County and built for the future. He talked in terms of building a power plant with a capacity thirty times larger than that of Killian. He also made friends with Peter J. Thompson, an industrialist of Hamilton, Ohio who was interested in a paper pulp plant to be located in Haywood County. Sloan first showed Thompson a location in Clyde,N.C., but the owners of that property wouldn't sell and Thompson agreed on a Canton, N.C. location with the understanding that Sloan would supply the electric power to the site. (Thompson was the father-in-law of Ruben B. Robertson of Canton and Hamilton, Ohio).

In addition to large acreages purchased in the Leatherwood Shoals section of Haywood County, Sloan purchased land in Tuscola, along the mouth of Jonathan Creek and the old Milner Dam property also on Jonathan Creek.

Sloan was a life-long Methodist and was committed to the formation of the Southern Assembly at Lake Junaluska (Tuscola). His daughter(Rachel Elizabeth), had married the son of Bishop James Atkins, of the Holston Conference, and when the Bishop came to Sloan telling him that the Methodist Church was considering Tuscola as one of the three sites tentatively selected as the future home of the Southern Assembly, Sloan offered to put up $10,000 if the Tuscola site was selected. The Tuscola site was selected and Lake Junaluska thereby came into being. In addition to putting up the money promised, Sloan gave generously of his Tuscola lands to the Assembly. He was the first Treasurer of the Southern Assembly along with a distinguished Board consisting of President, James Atkins; Vice President, John R. Pepper; Secretary, S.C. Satterthwait; General Superintendent, Dr. James Cannon; Superintendent of Programs, Dr. George R. Stuart; and members, General Julian s. Carr, J.J. Gray, Jr. and T.M. Southgate.

Benjamin J. Sloan left a legacy to Haywood County and to his descendants. His son, Hugh Johnston Sloan married Linda Stringfield and they had five boys: Benjamin Johnston II, William Stringfield, Hugh Johnston Jr., Samuel Joseph, and Robert Love. His daughter Rachel Elizabeth, married James Atkins, Jr. and had two sons: Benjamin Sloan and Joseph Jackson. His daughter Addie Louise, married Dr. Samuel Lanier Stringfield and had five children: Thomas, Martha Sloan, Samuel Lanier, Jr., William Williams and James King. Marguerite, who married Joseph H. Way, Jr. had six children: Marietta Welch, Martha Sloan, Hilda, Joseph Howell, III, Charles Burr, and Marguerite Way. His adopted daughter, Jane Love Sexton, married Dr. J.L. Stringfellow and had four sons, Thorton, James Lawrence, Charles Ewing, and Woods Price.

Sloan's first wife died and in 1914 he married Sarah Burnie Stringfield, daughter of William W. Stringfiled and Maria, the cousin of his first wife. They had a son James Andrew.

Benjamin Johnston Sloan died in 1922 in Waynesville, N.C. He was 71 years old. He is buried with his son and grandsons in Greenhill Cemetery.