In West Tennessee, where many residents favored secession but Unionism remained strong especially in counties near the Tennessee River, two notable Unionists lived on opposite sides of Huntingdon. Isaac R. Hawkins, born in 1818, was the son of Samuel Hawkins, who immigrated to West Tennessee in the 1820s with his brother John Hawkins. A lawyer, Isaac volunteered for the infantry during the Mexican War, served as a delegate to the peace conference in Washington, D.C., in 1861, and as colonel of the 7th Tennessee Cavalry (US) fought at Lexington, Trenton, and Union City in Tennessee. Forces under Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest captured him twice, and he spent almost a year in prison camps before later serving three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican. Alvin Hawkins, born in 1821 and a son of John Hawkins, also practiced law, won election to the Tennessee legislature in 1853, supported John Bell's presidential campaign in 1860, and after the Union occupation of West Tennessee helped rebuild local governments on behalf of Military Governor Andrew Johnson. He later served on the state supreme court, was elected governor as a Republican in 1880, and became known as a judicial and educational reformer. The Civil War divided the Hawkins family: Isaac Hawkins's brother Lucian Hawkins remained with the Union, while among Alvin Hawkins's ten brothers, four became Confederates and Ashton W. Hawkins served as a captain under Isaac in the 7th Tennessee Cavalry.