reputation, and as an educator was known throughout the States of Tennessee and Alabama.
The primary education of N. F. Thompson was under the intelligent direction of his mother, who gave it her own personal supervision. He also attended the public schools and entered the college at Shelbyville, Tennessee, where he came under the instruction of Dr. A. L. Hamilton. Leaving the college at Shelbyville, he went to school at College Grove, a village founded by his uncle, in Williamson county, Tennessee. He remained there until 1862, when he entered the service of the Confederate States of America as a soldier. He enlisted in company D., First regiment, Rock City guards of Tennessee. He served in that regiment six months, when he was discharged for being under age. Afterward he re-enlisted, this time in Wheeler's cavalry, and served a short time as secretary to the inspector. Later he joined the escort of General Forrest, with which command he remained until April 11, 1865, surrendering on that date, with General Forrest, to the Federal General Canby at Gainesville, Alabama. During his service the engagements in which he participated included all of those hotly contested ones of the Army of the Tennessee and a number of other skirmishes and engagements. In the fighting above and at Selma, Alabama, which was the closing of the war, he had five horses shot from under him and fourteen bullet holes through his clothing, yet he escaped unhurt; after the war he returned to Bedford county and entered upon the study of the law, and was admitted to the bar in that county in 1866. He then for five years practiced his profession in Kentucky and Tennessee. In 1871 he entered actively into the work of the order of Good Templars
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as grand secretary and treasurer of the State of Kentucky. During his incumbency in this office, which was for three years, he vigorously pushed the work of the order with the satisfactory result that thirty-three thousand members were added to the organization. In 1872 he was elected a delegate to the world's convention of that order at Boston. During his three years' official connection with the Good Templars he was editor and proprietor of the Louisville Riverside Weekly, which he disposed of in 1874. In 1875 he entered the employ of the Standard Oil company as southern salesman, was later promoted to the position of manager of their station at Wilmington, North Carolina, where he remained until 1881, when he resigned and became southern manager of the United Gas and Improvement company of Philadelphia, with headquarters at Savannah, Georgia. He remained with the above company until 1885, when he went to Birmingham, Alabama, and engaged in the real-estate business, and was thus engaged during the great boom in that city. He became the southern manager of the Commercial Alliance Life Insurance company of New York, in 1888, and continued as such until 1892. In 1893 he was one of the prime movers and a charter member in the organization of the Birmingham Commercial club, which organized with seven hundred members. This gave a great impetus to the growth of the town and contributed much to its development; he was also secretary at the same time of the Alabama Commercial association. Of his connection in this relation, we quote the following extracts from two worthy Birmingham papers. The following is from the Birmingham State-Herald, January 31, 1896: "To-day Birmingham will lose a citizen who has, during his residence here,
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