E. M. Lazenby - Conspicuous among the old and reliable families of
ButIer county, the name of Lazenby is especially prominent.  The
Lazenbys are of Welsh-Scotch extraction and the history of the family
in this country is traced back to Maryland, where, in an early day,
was born one Ellis Lazenby, who when a young man, emigrated to Georgia,
in which state he married and reared a family.  One of his sons, Ellis
Lazenby, was born in Columbus county, Ga., in 1794, and served with
distinction in the war of 1812.

He was married in his native state, about the year 1815, to Frances
Zachrey, a descendant of an old Virginia  family, and became the father
of the following children, namely:
William Lazenby, of Columbus county, Ga.; James Lazenby, deceased;
Jesse Lazenby, deceased; Martha Lazenby, widow of John Ferdon; E. M.
Lazenby; John Lazenby, deceased; George Lazenby, farmer of Columbus
county, Ga.; Frances Lazenby, widow of James Hatcher, and Artemus M.
Lazenby, a resident of Georgia.

Ellis Lazenby and wife passed their entire married life in their
native county and state, dying there in the years 1852 and 1860
respectively.  E. M. Lazenby, the fifth child of the above parents, was
a native of Georgia, born in the county of Columbus on the 27th day of
September, 1823.  He was bred a farmer, with no facilities for an
education save those furnished by the indifferent schools of that day,
and early assumed the supervision of a farm and chose agriculture for
his life work.  On reaching the years of maturity he came to Alabama
and engaged with the Western railroad as bridge builder, but acted  in
various capacities while in the employ of the company, which embraced
a period of about eight years. In 1853, he moved to a point about four
miles from his present location and engaged in farming until after the
war, since which time he has been prominently identified with the
milling and mercantile  business at Forest Home, where he owns large
and valuable interests. He  operates a saw and grist mill and
personally oversees a valuable plantation of 1,000 acres, but has
recently divided the bulk of his wealth, which was considerable, among
his children, nearly all of whom reside at or near the town of Forest
Home.

Mr. Lazenby has been very successful in his various enterprises and is
one of the foremost citizens of Butler county, and occupies a
prominent place in the esteem of his fellow citizens.  He is an active
worker in the democratic party, served as county commissioner for a
period of seven years, and for thirty-five years has been a steward of
the Methodist church, to which body his wife and children also belong.

Mr. Lazenby was married, December 14, 1848, in Butler county, to Mary
Benson, daughter of James K. Benson, one of the earliest settlers of
Butler county.  Mr. Benson became a resident of Butler county in 1816,
and was the first white man to locate in the vicinity of Forest Home.
He served as quartermaster in the war of 1812, and was one of the
garrison of Fort Bibb, in the spring of 1818, when Captain Butler (in
honor of whom Butler county was named) and several others were
surprised and massacred by the Indians.  He was also a member of the
squad that received the body of the brave captain, and buried it with
the honors of war.

The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Lazenby has resulted in the birth of five
children, namely: John G. Lazenby, James Lazenby, George Lazenby,
Henry G. Lazenby, and Frances Lazenby, wife of J. G. Reynolds.
John G. Lazenby, oldest son of the above parents, was born in Macon
county, Ala., September 21, 1849.  He received a practical English
education and early engaged in farming, which useful occupation he is
still pursuing in the vicinity of Forest Home, where he owns a
beautiful and highly improved plantation.  Politically, he is a
democrat, and is also identified with the farmers' alliance movement
and belongs to the Masonic fraternity.  He was united in marriage,
December 2, 1883, with Mrs.L. J. Powers, who has borne him three
children, Minnie Lazenby, Ruth Lazenby, and Marylva Lazenby.  Mr.
Lazenby is one of the highly esteemed citizens of the community and a
leading member of the Methodist church.

James E. Lazenby, second son of E. M. and Mary Lazenby, is a native of
Alabama, born in the county of Macon on the 13th day of March, 1852.
He received a liberal education in the Cooper institute, Dalesville,
Miss., and spent one year in  the Alabama Agricultural college at
Auburn, and began life for himself as a farmer, and he still carries
on agriculture with the greatest success.  Mr. Lazenby also conducts a
mercantile business at Forest Home, representing yearly sales of
$25,000, the stock being carefully selected to suit the demands of the
general trade and now valued at about $6,000.  Beside merchandising,
Mr. Lazenby is interested in planting, owning a fine farm of 1,000
acres, and also has an interest in the milling business of Lazenby,
Reynolds & Co.  Mr. Lazenby and Miss Carrie Green, daughter of captain
A. C. Green, were united in marriage on the 6th of September, 1875 and
they are now the parents of the following children: Claude G. Lazenby,
Etta E. Lazenby, Vandier Lazenby and Augustus G. Lazenby, all living.

H. D. Lazenby, youngest son of E. M. and Mary Lazenby was born
November 5, 1858.  He was educated in the common schools and Greenville
Collegiate institute, and for a number of years has been prominently
identified with the commercial interests of Monterey, being a  member
of the well known business house of Lazenby, Shanks & Co.  He is also
engaged in agricultural pursuits and is deservedly classed among the
substantial citizens of the community in which he resides.  He is a  
democrat in politics, and belongs to the Methodist church, being at 
this time superintendent of the Sunday school in Monterey congregation.

October 16, 1883, Mr. Lazenby and Ella, daughter of William Floyd, were 
made man and  wife, and their union has resulted in the birth of four 
children, as follows:  William L. Lazenby, Edna R. Lazenby, Fannie M. 
Lazenby, and Gertrude Lazenby.