(NOTE: The following appeared in the 1985 Odum Homecoming program and was written by Hazel Dean Overstreet. It is being reproduced here for the Odum, Georgia website….KH)
Mr. W.J. (Jackson) O’Quinn came from the O’Quinn settlement, built a large brick mercantile store, and moved his family to Odum in 1905. He was prosperous and bought a good bit of property in and around Odum, sometimes in partnership with Wallace Odum, son of Godfrey and father of Mr. Genell Odum, who later operated Odum’s Department Store. Genell and his wife, Aldine Davis Odum, played a significant part in Odum’s life, both business-wise and social-wise.
The Odum Telephone System began in Odum and played a colorful and dramatic part in the town’s life. Mrs. Essie Moody Carter Martin (Mrs. Joe Martin) acquired the company from the Jacksons and, through her devotion to the business in her own home, gave quite a ‘ring’ to Odum’s history.
The Hires, Poppells, Daniels, Hattons, Thompsons, Harris, Clarys, Browders, Shuptrines, Deans, and Withrows were among the families who contributed to the community’s growth.
The families Ring, Perkins, Mallard, Jones, Odum, Overstreet, Aspinwall, Madray, Davis, Horton, Roberson, and Sutton have all left their mark on the community, as have many others. The various ministers, their families, and schoolteachers and their families have been a significant part of Odum’s history, providing the educational church culture to the community.
Mr. Emory Dean, a turpentine operator with holdings in Charlton, Ware, Camden, Glynn, Pierce, and Brantley counties, came to Wayne County in 1933 and moved his family to Jesup the following year. Several years later, he purchased the Dixie Hatton turpentine still place and the old Ritch farm (Dr. Ritch’s father’s). In 1941, he built a home on the Ritch farm and moved his family to Odum. Buying, trading, and swapping land became a trademark of Mr. Dean, and it is believed he had, in his lifetime, owned, at one time or another, as much land as anybody in the South, having had many business interests. It has been said that everybody knew Mr. Emory Dean!
Another prominent family in Odum has been the Pearces. Moving to Odum in 1935, ‘Doctor Pearce’ as he was affectionately known, operated a ‘facsimile’ drug store, selling everything but ‘drugs by prescriptions’. He was very good with figures and assisted many people with income tax problems and most other problems, from life to farming. He served very ably on the County School Board of Education and was one of the best-liked men in this section by all classes of people. Upon Dr. Pearce’s death in 1953, his store in Odum and insurance business were assumed by his son, Ben Pearce, and son-in-law, Doug Daniel, and continued in operation, still selling everything from seeds to electric stoves. However, in deference to the ‘no drug’ selling, the name was shortened to Pearces Store instead of Pearces’ Drug Store, though people still said drug store when referring to the landmark and popular store.
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