Judson Larrabee Hand was born on March 20, 1850. Mr. Hand graduated from the University of Georgia in 1871. In the spring of 1872, he moved to Mitchell County, Georgia and established a sawmill and turpentine distillery near Pelham, a whistle stop on the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad. A commissary, established in about 1876 to serve Mr. Hand's employees, eventually grew into the Hand Trading Company, southwest Georgia's largest mercantile business. Mr. Hand was the first mayor and first postmaster of Pelham. He served several terms in the Georgia General Assembly. At the time of his death, 14 October 1916, he was president of the Hand Trading Company, Pelham Manufacturing Company, and Flint River and Northeastern Railway.
From the description of Judson Larrabee Hand, 1870-71, 1898. (University of Georgia). WorldCat record id: 295198853
