John C. Kirkpatrick (1844-1905) was the son of Judge Thomas McKee Kirkpatrick (1809-1882) and Parthenia Pace (1813-1894). The Kirkpatricks and Paces were pioneer families in Atlanta, Georgia. Kirkpatrick's paternal grandfather, James Hutchinson Kirkpatrick (1778-1853), established Kirkwood plantation (the present Atlanta community of Kirkwood) in 1827 and his maternal grandfather, Hardy Pace, founded Vinings Station (present day Vinings) and established a ferry across the Chattahoochee River.

John C. Kirkpatrick was born in Decatur, Georgia, and served in Company A, 63rd Regiment, Oglethorpe Light Artillery during the Civil War. Following the war he founded Kirkpatrick Hardware Company, married Mary Williams, and the couple had one daughter, Maude.

Judge Rufus Thomas Dorsey (1848-1909) was born in Fayetteville, Georgia, and moved to Atlanta in 1879. Dorsey served in the state legislature, as judge of the circuit court of Atlanta, on the Atlanta City Council, the Board of Aldermen, and the Board of Health. He married Sarah Matilda Bennett in 1870 and the couple had two daughters and four sons, including Hugh Manson Dorsey (1871-1948).

Hugh Manson Dorsey was born in Fayetteville, Georgia, graduated from the University of Georgia, and was admitted to the bar in 1894. He married Adair Wilkinson in 1911. Dorsey was appointed Solicitor General of the Atlanta Judicial Circuit, and in that capacity he prosecuted several famous criminal cases, including the trial of Leo Frank, who was convicted for the murder of Mary Phagan (1913). Dorsey was elected governor of Georgia in 1916 and served until 1921.