One of the old Salzburger families who made their home in Clyo was the Metzger family. George Alexander Metzger was the son of William Washington Metzger who married Marion Dorothy Exley (daughter of Zacharias and Susannah (Grovenstein) Exley) in 1858. George Alexander was known as “Alec”. Alec was the sixth child born to the Metzgers in 1869. Alec married Nollie Mae Snooks daughter of Charles David and Hannah Catherine (Dasher) Snooks in December 1903, and they had one son, George Snooks Metzger born in October 1904. “Alec” Metzger was also affectionately known to his family as “Pa”. Alec’s son known as George married Annie Sue Brandon in 1935 and they had a daughter, Mary C. (Metzger) Randolph, born in 1941 and a son, George Brandon Metzger, born in 1948. Their son, known as Brandon, married Myrna Bevill and they have two sons, Alec Bevill Metzger and Andrew Brandon Metzger, who carry the family name forward.

Alec Bevill Metzger married Cynthia M. Graham in 1999 and they have a son, Graham Alexander Metzger, and a daughter, Riley Anne Metzger.  Andrew Brandon Metzger married Kimberly J. Reddick in 2006, and they have a son, Brennan Andrew Metzger, and a daughter, Taylor LeighAnn Metzger.  

The following was a paragraph written by Andrew Metzger concerning Pa’s horse and mule business when he interviewed his grandmother, Mrs. Annie Metzger for a school project when he was in Effingham Middle School:

“George Snooks Metzger’s father, George Alexander Metzger, called “Alec” by friends and family, farmed and operated a horse and mule business in Clyo, Georgia. He would travel to Lebanon, Tennessee by train to the horse and mule market. We have a photograph of Mr. Grissim (see photo) who was a horse and mule dealer that Alec bought horses and mules from in Lebanon, Tennessee. The livestock that Alec bought in Lebanon would be shipped by train to Clyo. Upon arrival in Clyo, Alec, with the help of people in the community, would herd the animals to his farm which was only about a mile from the train depot in town. As a boy and then a young man, George would ride his pony “Dandy” to help lead the animals to their farm. Alec sold horses and mules to people all over Effingham County and had a good reputation for selling quality livestock.”

Lebanon, Tenn. (named for its many cedar trees, it took the Biblical name from reference to the cedars of Lebanon) was and still is nationally renowned for horse and mule sales. The Thompson Farm where Mr. Grissim worked let farmers in the area keep a mule for two years to be trained, learning how to be driven and plow, and then the farmers were given another mule to break. Mr. Alec would take orders locally in Effingham County, go to Tennessee and buy a boxcar full of mules and horses, about 30 in number. The animals were shipped by train to Clyo, where they were unloaded through a chute into a livestock pen beside the depot and allowed to settle down. The pen sat between the depot and Mallory’s store on the west side of the railroad.

The day that the mules came to Clyo and when they were moved was quite exciting for the community. Practically everyone came to town to see and help with the moving of the horses and mules. Mr. Alec would have men line up spaced along the railroad and road all the way to his farm to keep the animals going in the right direction.

My father, Arthur Exley, recalls that his father, Leon Exley, had the honor of being chosen by Mr. Alec to ride Metzger’s horse “Doc” and lead all of the horses and mules into Alec’s horse lot on the south side of Clyo. My father remembers as a boy the mule arrival was very memorable and anticipated something like a fair or circus. His father being selected by Mr. Alec to lead the mules was quite a privilege in the community.

It was said that Alec Metzger had a knack for taking orders for mules and horses and matching them to the farmer’s personality. He did well in the business and was good to provide this service to the community as every farmer had to have dependable mules and horses in order to farm.  

Mr. Alec lived humbly in a house that was built using heart pine trees that were blown down on his land by a hurricane in the late 1800s. He and his wife were active members of Laurel Hill Lutheran Church.

Laurel Hill Lutheran Church was built upon land donated by Mr. Alec’s father, William Washington Metzger. He served for 40 years on the Board of Trustees of the Evangelical Lutheran Churches of Effingham County. He was a direct descendant of the original Salzburger settlers of Effingham County and a charter and life member of the Georgia Salzburger Society. Mr. Alec supported the young men in the community who could not afford to go to college by lending them money for tuition. They, in turn, contributed to the community by becoming school teachers, principals, veterinarians and other occupations that benefited the community, county and state. 

If you sit real still today in Clyo by the railroad tracks in town, perhaps you can visualize the mules marching to Alec Metzger’s farm in your mind. We can hear the footsteps from the past still echo in Clyo, now a quiet residential town, a dim reminder of a town that once boomed with commerce and activity.

This was written by Susan Exley of Historic Effingham Society with photos and information provided by Brandon Metzger and family, Arthur Exley and Mrs. Edna Morgan. If you have photos, comments or information to share, contact Susan Exley at 754-6681 or email her at: susanexley@historiceffinghamsociety.org