Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 4.djvu/586

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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

for whom Mr. Corley was named, entered the Confederate army in the spring of 1861. He was second lieutenant of Company C, Tw^enty-third Regiment of Tennessee V^ol- unteers, and he served as lieutenant until after the battle of Shiloh, and after that battle he was made captain of the company. In June. 1863, he was elected major of the Twenty-third Regiment on the battle-field of Farmington, Mississippi. At the re- organization of the army of General Bragg, he was unanimously elected major, which position he held until the surrender at Ap- pomattox.

(IV) John G. Corley was born in Nash- ville, Tennessee, June 20, 1863. He received his education through private tutors, and in 1887. ^s a young man of twenty-four, he located in Richmond, becoming an employee of the musical house of Sanders & Stayman, who had established a piano wareroom at No. 1217 East Main street. It was the small beginning of wdiat is now the largest musi- cal house in the southern states. In 1890 the firm name was changed to the Richmond Alusic Company, and the location to No. 7 East Broad street. It was the pioneer music house on Broad street. The business grew steadily and rapidly, necessitating larger quarters, and a move was then made to the present location, at No. 213 East Broad street. Mr. Corley had, during these years, been steadily growing in knowledge of the business and had developed marked capa- city. When in 1885 the. Cable Company of Chicago, said to be the world's largest manufacturers of pianos, took over the busi- ness of the Richmond Music Company, es- tablishing a branch under the name of the Cable Company, covering the territory of the two Virginias, North Carolina, and a part of South Carolina, it naturally followed that Mr. Corley became the general manager of this business. He conducted it so suc- cessfully for a number of years that in Octo- ber, 191 1, he was able to organize a local stock company, with a capital of two hun- dred thousand dollars, which took over the business of the Cable Piano Company, and now the Corley Company, wdiich continues to control the Cable pianos in this territory, has built up a w^idely extended wholesale and retail trade. The company does busi- ness as far south as Jacksonville, Florida, and New^ Orleans, Louisiana, as far w^est a« St. Louis and Kansas Citv, Missouri, and

even goes to the northwest as far as Minne- apolis. It has recently acquired property on Grace street, in the rear of its present loca- tion, wdiich it proposes to improve in the near future, and which will give them a l^uilding with two street frontages and a depth of three hundred and fifteen feet. The sales of this concern have reached an annual volume of more than five hundred thousand dollars, which in that particular business is a very large figure. In a recent article pub- lished in a Richmond newspaper, it is defi- nitely stated that this concern, during its quarter century of history, has done more for the development of the musical taste of Richmond than all other agencies coml^ined ; and that its great success is a striking illus- tration of what can be accomplished by a strict adherence to sound business prin- ciples, undeviating courtesy to its patrons, and everlastingly going after business. The success of this business, which has been due primarily to its head (Mr. Corlev being president of the company) is all the evidence needed as to John Greene Corley's business ability.

He has not, however, narrowed himself within the walls of his own business estab- lishment. He has been a useful citizen in the community, being at this time vice- chairman of the Richmond City School Board ; member of the board of trustees of the Woman's College; member of the board of directors of the Chamber of Commerce ; president of the W^ednesday Club ; president of the Rotary Club ; and member of the Country Club of Virginia. His religious leanings are toward the Baptist church, and his political affiliation is with the Demo- cratic party.

Mr. Corley married in Richmond, Decem- ber 24, 1889, Lillian Gray Towle's, of Orange county, Virginia, daughter of Thomas Reve- ley and Bettie Cave (Gray) Towles. The only surviving child of this marriage is a son, Frank Winston Corley, now a young man, an alumnus of Richmond College. An- other son. Alec McKenzie Corley, died in infancy.

Mrs. Corley is the seventh generation from Henry Towles, the emigrant. In Great Britain this is a very rare name and appears under the form of Towle. It is apparently of Scottish origin, though it is certain that the name was known in Derbyshire, Eng- land, in 1600. Henrv Towles came to Vir-