History of Davidson County, Tennessee
with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers
by Prof. W. W. Clayton
CIVIL DISTRICTS OF DAVIDSON COUNTY.
On the 3d of October, 1859, upon motion of W. P. Massey, Esq., the judge
of the County Court appointed C. W. Nance, William H. Hagans, and John
M. Joslin commissioners to redistrict the county into twenty-five
districts, the city of Nashville being the First District. The
committee reported at the January term of court, 1860, and their report,
which was ordered published in pamphlet form for distribution
throughout the county, set forth the boundaries of the districts under
the following preamble:
We have availed ourselves of every opportunity to acquaint ourselves
with the size, shape, and boundaries of the old districts, as well as
the population in each; and we have also endeavored to ascertain the
views and wishes of many of the citizens in various portions of the
county in relation to the duties assigned us, in order to shape the new
districts to the greatest advantage of the voting population of the
whole county, and we submit to you the result of our deliberations and
investigations.At McWhortersville, which is the chief settlement and place of business, there are three stores, kept by A. S. Edwards, E. B. Graves, and J. L. Dortch; a grist-mill and cotton-gin combined, both erected in 1878, and owned by M. M. Leek, three blacksmith-shops, one woodworking. shop, and at the toll-gate the Donelson post-office, of which D. Stevenson is postmaster. There are two resident physicians, Drs. Boyd and Whitwortb, a Methodist Episcopal Church, a Christian Church, and thirty dwellings. McCrory's Creek Baptist Church is three and a half miles south of McWhortersville, and in the south part of the district is the old Franklin College.
The oldest resident of the district is Osworth Newby. M. M. Ridley is one of the oldest residents, and Jeremiah Bowen, Esq., is a representative of one of the earliest families.
Franklin College was built mainly through the efforts of Elder Talbot Fanning. The building were commenced in 1843 and completed in 1844. In October of that year he was elected president. On his resignation, in 1861, Professor William D. Carnes became president. The college was suspended soon after, and remained idle until after the declaration of peace. It was again opened, but soon after the building were burned and its existence ceased.
Hope Institute was then opened by Elder Fanning as a female college, and continued by him until his death, in 1874.
On the adoption of the new constitution the first justices were appointed in May, 1836. John H. Clopton and William G. M. Campbell were then appointed for this town, to serve for the term of six years.
Robert Weakley, afterwards prominent in Nashville, is credited to this district on the county records for 1791. The following named persons were assessed for lands owned in this district in 1816: John Blair, James, John, and Thomas Buchanan, William, Chris., James, and John Carter, D. Cross, William Donelson, "where he lives," Richard Drury, William Dickson, William Ewing, Thomas H. Everett, William Gowen, Nancy Green, William Harwood, George and Nicholas P. Hartman, John Johnson, Jr., Thos. Jones, Peter Lastly, Guy McFadden, William Matlock, John Moore, William Nance and Harris 0glevie, Daniel Vaulx, William Wharton, Daniel Woodard, Philip Wolf, William Waldron, Henry White, Jr., Peter Wright, Martha Turner.
The Naturalist, an educational and agricultural journal of merit, was published and printed at Franklin College, in this district, during the year 1848. It was a forty-eight page monthly magazine, at two dollars a year, and was edited by Rev. T. Fanning, Isaac Newton Loomis, John Eichbaum, and J. Smith Fowler.
The district contains two post-offices, Donelson and Glen Cliff. The old "Mud Tavern," in the western part, six miles from the city of Nashville, is a point of interest as a resort of early days. The Second District is the Second School District of the county. It contains a school population of six hundred and fifty-seven children, and has bad six schools during the last year, of which four were white and two colored. There were two hundred and twelve white and one hundred and fifty-four colored pupils enrolled. There are six schoolhouses in the district. The school directors are Dr. James Evans, Sidney Zucarillo, and Mr. Page.
Chrlton's church is in the north part, near Stone's River, and Burnett's chapel, more recently known as Charlton's chapel, in the east part, near Hurricane Creek, is the oldest church in the district. These points were centres around which clustered the dwellings of some of the earlier pioneers. Mount View Church is a union house, occupied by Baptists and Cumberland Presbyterians, on the Murfreesboro' turnpike. Smith's Springs, near the centre, became the central point for gatherings after the war, and a Baptist church was erected there.
Among the early families in the district were those of Ed. Beard and Dennis McClendon, father of the present T. J. McClendon.
The post-office is at Couchville, where there are two stores ; William Wright is merchant and postmaster. Ephraim McLane was a justice of the peace in the Third District in 1791. He was one of the leading citizens of the county for many years. Edward H. East and John Vandevill were afterwards prominent citizens. The fol1owing named were assessed for taxes in this district in 1816: Cary Felts, D. J. Fish, Jesse Fly, James Hailey, Dennis McClendon, Stephen Roach, Willid L. Shumate, Henry Seat, Joseph Smith, James Vaulx, Isaac and James Wright, Rachel Williams, Edmond Collinsworth.
This is the Third School District, It contains a school population of six hundred and fifty-seven. In the year 1878-79 there were held three white schools, in which were enrolled one hundred and eighty-six pupils, and one colored school of forty-two pupils. L. A. B. Williams, S. Y. Norvell, and S. B. McClendon are the school directors for 1880. There are four school-houses within the district.
Jan. 8, 1861, it was ordered by the court that the dividing-line between this and District Number Sixteen be so changed as to run from "the point where it digresses" at Thomas B. Page's, north of the residence of Elizabeth Hunt, and to extend thence to New Hope church. The place of holding elections was fixed at Mrs. Creel's in January, 1860.
There are two churches in this district,-viz., the Hermitage church, on the Lebanon turnpike, near its centre, and New Hope church, two miles east of the Hermitage station.
The "Hermitage," the most historic place in the district, is represented by an engraving and description in another part of this work. It contains the only post-office of the district, and is the point of chief interest within the county outside of Nashville.
James Ford was captain of the militia of this district in 1784. Col. Samuel Barton was life justice of the peace for this district in 1791, and was then "classed" for the third term of court. John A. Shute and John McNeill were early and prominent citizens of the district.
The following-named persons paid taxes on lands lying within the limits of the present district in 1816: David Abernethy, John Anderson, Anthony Clopton, Joseph Cook, N. Drew, David and Thomas Edmiston, Edward East, Jeremiah Ezell, John B. and Charles M. Hall, John Hoggatt, William Huggins, Stockley D. and Jane Hays, John and P. H. Jones, James Lee, James McFerrin, Zachariah Noel, Francis Sanders, John Tait, Sr., Spencer Payne.
This is the Fourth School District of the county. it contains seven schoolhouses and maintains seven schools, four white and three colored. There were two hundred white and one hundred colored pupils enrolled for the year 1878-79. The scholastic population in 1880 is six hundred and sixty-five. T. 0. Trainer, A. S. Hays, and M. T. Brooks are school directors.
New Hope Church, in this district, was organized as a missionary Baptist Church at the Cedar Glade school-house, in 1846, by Elders Peter and Thomas Fuqua. It then consisted of thirty members. Elder Peter Fuqua was pastor from the time of organization until his death, in 1863, and was succeeded by Elder G. W. Hagar, whose pastorate continued till 1879, when the present pastor, Elder John T. Oakley, assumed charge. John Cook and Thomas Wright were the first deacons, and their successors have been W. H. Wright, L. Ellis, Robert Gleaves, J. J. Ellis, William G. Sweeney, G. W. Sweeney, and B. McFale.
Soon after the organization the church built a respectable log meeting-house a little east of the schoolhouse above mentioned, in which they worshipped till the building was burned, in 1871. The neat brick church now occupied on the Central turnpike, two miles east of the Hermitage Station, was built after the fire. The church has had in all since its organization four hundred and sixty members. The present number is two hundred and two.
Rosedale post-office is within this district, at the grocery of David Harrison, who is postmaster. Olneyville post-office was first established, and is the earliest point of settlement. Elijah Robertson represented this district as justice in 1791. Thomas S. King and Herbert Towns, a life-member of the old court, were prominent citizens in early days. Mr. Towns, who was appointed a justice in 1824, is still living, and is at the present time one of the most active and intelligent magistrates of the county. He has been constantly under commission as a justice since his first appointment. In 1810 the following-named persons were assessed for taxes on lands now in this district: Samuel and John Bell, William "Bebby," Henry and Joseph Burnett, Edward Bryant, Thomas Edmonson, Henry Guthrey, Jeremiah Grezzard, James Glasgow, John Gowen, James Linch, Enoch Oliver, Edmund Owen, Francis Sanders, Richard Smith, Samuel Scott, Cornelius and Christopher Waggoner, "Mrs. Widow" Wilcox, Henry White.
The Tennessee Asylum for the Insane is in the east part of the district, on the Murfreesboro' pike. Its grounds, nearly a mile square, are finely located, and their appearance adds much to the reputation of the district.
This is the Fifth School District of the county. There are here five school-houses, in which were kept four white schools with an enrollment of two hundred and fifty-four pupils for the year 1878-79, and one colored school in which sixty pupils were enrolled for the same year. There are now five hundred and thirty-six persons of school age living in the district. E. G. Rowe, A. J. Roper, and Benjamin Turberville are school directors for 1880. The district has five schoolhouses.
Robert Clark, who was for thirteen months held as a prisoner by the Indians, was an inhabitant of this district. Mr. Clark, who was afterwards long and well known, was ransomed by an exchange of Indian prisoners and ponies.
Benajah Gray was an early citizen, and a life-member of the Notables' Court.
James Mears was magistrate in 1791; William H. Hagans and James Chilcutt were early citizens. The following persons were tax-payers in what is now included in this district in 1816: Isaac Battle, John Barr, James Campbell, Thomas Chilcutt, William Gibson, Benajah Gray, Isaac Johnson, Ralph McFadden, John McFarlin, Robert Orr, Godfrey Shelton, Hartwell Seat, John Smith, Robert Thompson, Nelson White, James Whitsett, James Weatherall, Daniel Young,
In the school organization this became the Sixth School District of the county. It contains four schoolhouses, in which were taught, in the year 1878-79, three white schools of one hundred and fifty-one pupils in all, and one colored school with sixty-seven pupils. The scholastic population for 1880 is four hundred and nine. B. Gray, T. K. Griggs, and S. H. Culbertson are the present school directors.
Paragon Mills, the post-office, was recently established in place of two others, Carter's and Lime-works, closed in 1879. James Mulherrin, Enoch Ensley, and John B. Hodges were among the early residents, and were all magistrates of the old Notables' Court.
The following persons were assessed for taxes in this district in 1816: Charles Crutchfield, Aquila Carmack, Robert C. Foster, Jacob Marvis, Jesse W. Thomas, Susannah Windle.
This was made School District Number Seven at its organization for school purposes. Two white schools and one colored one are maintained here, each of which has schoolhouses. The enrollment in the year 1878-79 was, white, one hundred and forty-one; colored, sixty. The school population for 1880 was four hundred and twenty. William T. Robinson, William McPherson, and Anderson Peebles are school directors.
There are churches at Mount Pisgah, in the southeast part; one in the centre, known as St. James; and in the north part of the district is Thompson's Church, on the Hollandville road. Edwin Hickman lived here in 1791. William Owen and John Hogan were early settlers.
In 1816 the assessment roll contained the names of the following persons, who were assessed for taxes in what is now the Eighth District: Nathan Gatlin, Henry Hide, Daniel and John Hogan, S. Shute, J. Cunningham.
This is the Eighth School District, and has a scholastic population numbering four hundred and forty-six. It contains five schoolhouses, in which were taught, in the year 1878-79, three white and two colored schools, with an enrollment of one hundred and forty-four white and one hundred and sixteen colored pupils. These schools are under the supervision of P. A. Smith, W. R. Rains, and William Holt, Esq., school directors for the district.
Whitsitt Baptist church is in the northeast part, near the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad.
A store is kept on the old grocery stand of years ago by Charles Warren.
Among the earliest residents of the district was Pierce Waller; John Cortwell and John Hathaway were old settlers. Both were early justices of the peace, and highly respected. Joel Rice was another early settler, and can be traced back to 1790 in this district. He has numerous descendants of the name in the county. In 1816 there were the following persons assessed for lands in what is included in the present district: John Blair, Adam Carper, Thomas Collins, L. Corbit, Thomas Crutcher, George M. Deaderick, Nathan Ewing.
This is the Ninth School District. It contained in 1880 seven hundred and twenty-four residents of legal school age. Two white schools were kept in 187S-79, with an enrolled attendance of seventy-seven pupils, and two colored schools in which one hundred and forty-nine pupils were enrolled. There are four schoolhouses. James T. Patterson, L. D Gower, Jr., and A. H. Johnson were school directors for 1880.
"Old Church" is in the south part, south of the Tennessee fairground.
John McRobertson and Joshua McIntosh were among the earliest prominent men of the district. They were both magistrates as late as 1836, and were prominent in the affairs of' the district and county.
Among its natural resources are valuable quarries of Beasley limestone, which is being rapidly developed as an ornamental building-stone, and also used in the industrial arts for various purposes to which a fine working stone is adapted. James Ross was justice of the peace for this district in 1791. The following persons were assessed within the limits of this district in 1816: Alexander Craig, J. H. Currv, F. McGavock. The Tennessee fair-grounds are in the north part, between the Richland pike and the railroad. District Number Ten was organized entire under the free school law as the school-district of that number, and so continued until April, 1880, when a part of the civil district was annexed to the city of Nashville. It contained. in 1878-79, two graded schools, three ordinary white schools, numbering two hundred and nineteen enrolled pupils, and two colored schools, with an enrollment of one hundred and eighty-three. The school population of the entire district, previous to the annexation in 1880, was fourteen hundred and twenty-seven. The district then contained seven schoolhouses. The school directors are D. A. McGredy, living in the remaining Tenth District, and T. D. Flippin and T. J. Keeton, in the portion recently annexed.
This district is so surrounded by churches as to have need none of its own. Among its early men were Robert Bradford, Esq., who was prominent about 1825, and Mr. Philip Shute, one of the early justices of the peace for the district.
Quarries of Beasley limestone, which abound in this district, have been slightly worked, and many of the finest buildings in Nashville are ornamented by fronts of this material. Prominent among these is the Methodist Publishing House, built in 1873.
The following-named persons were assessed for taxes in this district in 1816: Henry Barnes, William Banks, Joseph Coldwell, William Goodloe, William Goode, Thomas Harding F. B. Sappington.
This was made the Eleventh School District. It has three schoolhouses, and sustains four schools, two white, with seventy-three enrolled, and two colored, with ninety-three enrolled. The school population of the district is five hundred and forty-six. The directors for 1879-80 are George Mayfield, C. B. Chickering, and M. C. Carpenter.
In this district lived man years ago "Granny White," a respected and famous old lady, who kept the only house of entertainment between Nashville and Franklin, a noted place in the early settlement of the country; the friend of Thomas H. Benton, to whom he several times alluded in his speeches in the Senate.
This place, as well as the adjoining place, on which Thomas H. Benton lived, is now owned by Hon. John M. Lea.
Near the centre, south of Bell's Bend, is Gower's chapel.
William E. Watkins was an early settler and justice of the peace. Samuel B. Davidson was one of the most prominent early citizens of the district, and is still remembered as a man of leading qualities. Thomas Molloy was an early settler, coming as early as 1792. The following-named persons were assessed for taxes in what is now District Number Twelve in 1816: Daniel A. Dunham, James Donnelly, Thomas Dillahunty, Thomas Finney and heirs, William Gower, Martin Greer, Robert Hewitt, John and Giles Harding, Ezekiel Inman, John Larkin, Sr., John McGough, James McNeely, William Northern, Philip Pipkin, John Pugh, Robert Thomas, Johnston Vaughan, Joseph Erwin.
This, one of the original school districts, has four schoolhouses, and sustains four white schools and one colored one. The enrolled attendance is, white, one hundred and sixty-eight; colored, fifty-six. The school population for the year 1879-80 was four hundred and nine. L. D. Gower, H. C. Davidson, and Z. T. Jordan are district school directors.
The popular race-grounds of the Nashville Blood Horse Association are in this district, adjoining Burns' Island, on the Cumberland River.
School District Number Thirteen includes the whole district, and contained, in 1880, two thousand three hundred and forty-six resident school-children. There are three graded schools in the district, one of which is for colored pupils. Seven white and six colored teachers are employed in these. There are besides two white common schools. The number of pupils enrolled is, white, four hundred and fifty-seven; colored, five hundred and one. There are five school-houses in the district. The school directors for the year ending in 1880 were John Leonard, J H. Burns, and M. McDonald.
There is a Christian church in the south corner on Harpeth River, Pleasant Grove church on Richland pike, Providence Church at Reynolds' mill, and Liberty Grove church near Newsom's Station, on Buffalo Creek, where there is also a post-office. News Station and Belle View post-offices are both in this district.
Among the early men of prominence were John Davis and Martin Forehand.
In 1791, Robert Edmondson was a prominent man, and magistrate for the district. There were taxed in 1816, within the limits of this district and west of the Harpeth River, the following-named persons : Thomas and Zachariah Allen, James and Hugh Allison, Andrew Boyd, Newsom Barham, Samuel Bryan, L, Barter, James Bird, Moses and Lewis Balding (win ?), Jeremiah Baxter, Leonard Burnett, Samuel Carroll, Benjamin Cox, Andrew Caldwell, W. Champ, Henry and Huston Cooper, John E. Clark, John Connor, William, James, and Silas Dillahunty, John, Thomas, Henry, and Lewis Demoss, Samuel Dennis, Ezekiel Douglass, Lewis Dunn, William and Jeremiah Ellis, Newton and Levin Edney, Robert and William B. Evans, John and Arthur Exum, T. Fulgin, Aaron Franklin, William Fassell, William Fowler, John Goodwin, Isaac, Greenbury, and George Greer, James and Anthony Gillum, John D. Garrett, Elisha Garland, William Henry, John Herbison, Francis and John Hartgraves, John Harwood, George and Jep. Hooper, James, Francis, and George Hodge John Hannah, William Harris, John Johns, Dempsey, John, Jarvis, and Isaac Jones, John and Daniel Joslin, Thomas M. Jefferson, Jonathan Johnson, Robert Kennedy, Sr., Moses Knight, David Keen, Obedience Lewis, George Lile, Thomas Levi, Henry McIlwain, Edward Mobley, Rencher McDaniel, William, Francis, Balam, Eldridge, and Nicholas Newsom, William Nelson, Butler and Corbin Noles, R. C. Napier, Benjamin Pritchard, R. Phipps, George Pierce, Benjamin Pack, James Richison, William Reach, William George, and James Reeves, David and William Renn, Jesse Reynolds, George Roper, Gus and Henry Rape, Robert Shannon, Robert Shaw, William Scott, Aquillo Suggs, John W. and Thomas J. Thornton, Samuel and Allen Thompson, William Winstead, William Williamson, Thomas Westbrooks.
This district was organized as the Fourteenth School District. In the year 1878-79 there were five white schools taught, with an enrolled attendance of two hundred and forty-seven pupils, and two colored schools, numbering seventy-two pupils. The school population of the district in 1880 was five hundred and forty-seven. The school directors are M. N. Brown, N. M. Morton, and J. B. Linton.
The absence of churches is only an indication that the inhabitants of this district transferred the their liberal support to those of surrounding districts, at which many of them hold memberships. Thomas Allison was for many years in the early days of the county a prominent resident in this district. William Herrin, Esq., was a neighbor of his in the days when magistrates were appointed for life, and was a prominent man. David Rays lived here as early as 1791.
The following persons were assessed for taxes on lands included in this district in 1816 : Bennett and John Blackman, Robert Champ, John Johnston, Henry Queenseberry, George Ridley, John Rains, Sr., Thomas Thompson, John Overton, Esq.
District Number Fifteen was made a school district under the new law, and two white schools and one colored school opened. The population is small, but the schools are fairly sustained. The enrolled scholarship for the year 1878-79 was ninety white and eighty-eight colored pupils. The district has three schoolhouses. In 1880 there were two hundred and ninety-five schoolchildren in the district. C. H. Goodlett, B. F. Lester, and John 11. Anderson are school directors.
The beautiful cemetery of Mount Olivet, and, joining it towards Nashville, the Calvary Cemetery, are both located in this district, on the south side of the Lebanon pike, where they occupy one of the most beautiful locations in the county.
On petition of John Hart, the dividing line between Districts Four and Sixteen was so changed, Jan. 8, 1861, as to "run and extending from the point where it digresses" at Thomas B. Page's, north of the residence of Elizabeth Hunt, and extending, thence to New Hope church. Gilpin Hallum's was chosen as the polling-place.
Phillips church is in the south part, east of Stone's River and near the east line of the county. New Hope church is in the north end of the district.
Stewart's Ferry, at which is the post-office of that name, was an early point of settlement by Mr. Stewart, from whom it takes its name. William Greer and Lewis Dunn were early magistrates of the district. James Robertson represented the district's justice of the peace in 1791.
The following persons were assessed for taxes in this district in 1816: William Hall, James and Eleazer Hamilton, John Thompson.
This is the Sixteenth School District. It maintains three white schools with an aggregate attendance of eighty-one scholars, and a colored school of which the attendance in 1878-79 was thirty. The total number of residents of school age in 1880 was one hundred and thirty-five. There are three schoolhouses. AV. J. Chandler, John Seaborn, and J. H. Eskridge were school directors for the year 1879-80.
The churches are Lindsley's chapel, Hobson's chapel, in the south part, near the Edgefield line, and Trinity, on the Louisville turnpike.
Among the more prominent and earlier settlers were the families of John McGavock and John Hobson, both of whom were leading men and members of the old "Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace." Adam Lynn was an early settler, and was a magistrate in 1791.
The following persons were taxed in this district in 1816 John, George, and William L. Boyd, Andrew Hynes, Greenwood, Zachariah, and Morgan Payne, Jones Reed, James Love.
A portion of this district was taken to form School Districts Numbers Nineteen and Twenty-eight, with parts of the Twentieth, Twenty-second, Eighteenth, and Twenty-first Districts. The Twenty-eight was formed in October, 1879.
The main part of this civil district became a school district of the same number on the formation of districts under the free-school law. Two schools were organized, one for each race. The white school numbered fifty-five in 1878-79, the colored school fifty. They each have a school-house. The entire enrollment of the district for the year 1880 was five hundred and twenty children. J. B. Love, A. W. Webber, and H. F. Banks were school directors for 1879-80.
New Bethel church is in the north corner of the district, near Dry Creek. The post-office is Madison, on the Louisville, Nashville and Great Southern Railroad. Reuben Payne, Edmund Goodrich, John Kirkpatrick's, and the Iredale, Clemmons, and Wilson families were among, the early settlers.
Among those taxed in 1816 in what is now District Number Nineteen were William E. Beck, William Carroll, Thomas Folkes, John Frazier, William Hill, I. Metcalfe, Samuel Neely, Alexander Walker, William Ray, Nicholas Raymond.
This became the Nineteenth School District on the organization of the county for schools. A portion was afterwards set aside to form, in connection with continuous parts of the Twentieth and Twenty-Second Civil Districts, a new school district numbered twenty-six. In the Nineteenth School District there were two white and two colored schools, having enrolled in 1878-79, respectively, seventy and eighty-four pupils and attending at four schoolhouses. The entire school population of the Nineteenth School District in 1880 was three hundred and fifty-eight. J. Sloan, Dr. W. Goodrich, and A. B. Ford were school directors in 1880. The Twenty-sixth School District contains one hundred and forty-six children, of whom, in 1878-79, forty-three were enrolled in the white school, and fifty-seven in the colored school. The trustees of this district for 1880 were W. J. Campbell, J. C. Willis, and T. J. Kemper.
The United States National Cemetery occupies a broken piece of ground among the hills in the south part, on both sides of the railroad. This ground is well kept and forms a most beautiful park. The soldiers buried here were gathered, from the surrounding battle-fields, where they fell in the late civil war.
On the 25th of September, 1870, a Presbyterian Sabbath-school was organized in a large and spacious room over C. E. Woodruff's store at Madison Station. On Jan. 8, 1871, Rev. James H. McNeilly, chairman of the missionary committee of the Nashville Presbytery, with C. N. Ordway and D. P. Rankin, elders, met and organized in the same room a Presbyterian Church, composed of twenty four members, with officers as follows : S. S. Hall and Alexander Baker, Elders; C. E. Woodruff, Deacon. The name chosen was Madison Presbyterian Church. Soon after the organization of the church the ministerial services of Rev. Alexander Cowan were secured as stated supply two Sabbaths in the month, and continued as such up to the spring of 1874. In the month of April, 1875, Rev. C. L. Ewing was installed pastor of the church for two Sabbaths in the month, and continued as such until April 25, 1879, when Rev. B. F. Thompson commenced preaching, as stated supply, and continued for several months, but resigned to accept an appointment as missionary to Brazil. Rev. W. E. Carr preached several times for the church during the spring of 1880., and a call was placed in his hands to become its pastor for two Sabbaths in the month, but be declined to accept on account of ill health. The Number of members at this time is fifty-one, and the officers are Alexander Baker, S. S. Hall, and William Williams, Elders; J. A. Hall, E. E. Hall, and William Taylor, Deacons. A neat and commodious church edifice was erected on a beautiful eminence near the station, and dedicated in the year 1872, costing- three thousand two hundred dollars, since which time the services of the church and Sunday-school have been held there.
Enoch P. Connell and John C. Bowers were early magistrates. Among those assessed for taxes in 1816, in what is now District Number Twenty, were Pembroke, Thomas, Jacob, and Robert Cartwright, Enoch Cunningham, Adam Clement, George and William Campbell, William, John, and Thomas Cole, Nicholas Cross, John Camp, John Congo, Abraham Echols, Daniel Frazer, William Grizard, James Guiliford, Jesse Glasgow, William Hackney, Ann Hope, Oliver Johnston, E. Logue, John Pirtle, Reuben Payne, Josiah and George Purvy, Dempsey Powell, Ann Randle, Thomas Ragan, Lemuel Tinnon, George and Samuel L. Wharton, Elmore Walker, David Dunn, Paul Desmukes, and Thomas Davis.
On the formation of school districts, a small portion of this district was joined with parts of Civil Districts Nineteen and Twenty-two to form the Twenty-sixth School District. The remainder was organized into School District Number Nineteen. It contains five school-houses, and has three white and two colored schools. The attendance at these in the year ending 1879 was two hundred and nineteen white and seventy-one colored pupils. The school population of the Twentieth School District was five hundred and seventeen in 1880, besides which a portion or the one hundred and forty-six in the joint district were of this civil district. The directors for 1880 were William Linton, Wesley Drake, and A. K. Goodlett.
Charles W. Moorman and Claiborne Y. Hooper were justices and leading men in 1828. They were both descendants of early settlers.
Thomas Talbot, one of the pioneers, who received a life appointment as magistrate under the old law, settled in this district as early as 1791, on the place now partially occupied by the fine residence of Mr. ____ Bang, former editor of the Banner. He came from Bedford Co., Va., in 1785, and was a justice in 1791. He died in 1831, leaving fifty-one descendants.
The following persons were assessed for taxes in 1816 David Hunter, John Bacchus, Joel Beaver, Barnabas Bails.
This district comprises School District Number Twenty-one and a part of School District Number Twenty-eight. This latter district is formed of contiguous portions of Civil Districts Eighteen, Nineteen, and Twenty-one, and was formed in October, 1879, with one school of forty scholars. It contained one hundred and thirty-four school-children in 1880, who were then under the administration of Peter Tamble, A. J. Crump, and John Taylor, directors. There are four schools in the Twenty-first District, of which, in 1878-79, the three white had an attendance of one hundred and nine, and the colored school twenty-seven. The school population of the school district in 1880 was two hundred and forty-one. T. A. Harris, John D. Vaughan, and J. H. Jackson were then school directors. The district has four school-houses.
There is a church at that place and another at Beach Grove, both Methodist Episcopal; a third, at Mount Hermon, is Cumberland Presbyterian. The lower room of the Cool Spring church is occupied as a school-room.
Napoleon B. Willis has for many years been a prominent citizen and a magistrate of the district. Gilbert Marshall, father of Dr. Marshall, now above eighty years of age, is the oldest resident of the district and an early settler. David Ralston and John Cloyd were prominent men and descendants of pioneer families.
The post-offices are White's Creek and Ridge Post.
The following persons were assessed for land-taxes in 1816 : George Fly, Henry Bonner, Elihu S. Hall, Jacob Dickinson, Sr.
The greater part of this civil district is included in the Twenty-second School District. This contains four schoolhouses, and maintains three white schools and one colored one. The attendance for the year 1878-79 was one hundred and eighteen white and forty-seven colored pupils. The enrollment of the district for 1880 included two hundred and seventy-seven school children. The directors for 1880 were J. C. Helums, N. J. Cummins, and A. T. Shaw. A portion of this district is included with parts of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Civil Districts to form the Twenty-sixth School District, which contained a white school of forty-three and a colored school of fifty-seven members in 1878-79, and had one hundred and forty-six resident children in 1880.
Jan. 6, 1862, on petition of Catherine Stump, James Gingry, E. P. Graves, Z. M. H. Carney, C. H. Manlove, Th. Bysor, and I. M. Mayo, it was ordered by the court that the line between District Twenty four and this district be so altered as to include the petitioners in the Twenty third District, by changing the line to extend up White's Creek to the mouth of Earthman's Creek; up Earthman's Creek to Thomas Bysor's line ; thence following that line west to the dividing ridge between Earthman's and Dry Fork, by said ridge to the head of Little Marrowbone; thence with the dividing ridge between that stream and Earthman's Creek to the Big and Little Marrow-bone divide, following the ridge to the Cheatham county-line; thence by the county-line to Little Marrow-bone Creek, which it follows up to the Three Forks. William 1.Drake's was made the polling-place for the district in 1860.
The first settler in this district was Thomas Eaton, who settled on the present Dr. Jordon place, about two hundred yards below the famous lick where occurred many exciting adventures of the early settlers. Thomas Hickman, of district Number Twenty-five, was for some time his only neighbor. Among the first settlers were the families of Jesse Smith, Lewis Williams, and William R. Drake. Henry Holt, Esq., is the oldest man now living in the district.
Simpkins chapel (Methodist Episcopal and Cumberland Presbyterian), Holt's chapel (Methodist Episcopal and old Zion Free-Will Baptist), and present voting precinct, are the old churches of the district. Eaton's Creek post-office is at H. C. Hyde's store, where is the chief settlement, two churches, and half a mile below T. H. Young's store. William S. Drake and David Abernathy were the first justices of this district under the new law appointing for six years.
The following-named persons were assessed for land-taxes in this district in 1816: Beal Bosley, Roland Cato, James Dean, John and Jonathan Drake, John B. Dillard, Absalom Hooper, Nathan G. Hail, Thomas and Robert Eaton, Balser Hoffman, Jordan Hyde, Joseph Love, John Lucas, James Marshall, Isaac Newland, Robert Patterson, Thomas Parker, David Ralston, William Shaw, Samuel Shannon, Frederick and Christopher Stump, Frances, George, Samuel, Robert, and Thomas Taylor, Rachel and Simon Williams, John Wilson.
This district was organized as School District Number Twenty-three when the free-school law went into effect. It contains four school-houses, and has three white schools and one colored one. The attendance for the year 1878-79 was one hundred and sixty-two white and seventy-three colored pupils. There were three hundred and seventy school-children living in the district in 1880. The school directors for that year were Wilson Stevens, G. B. Stewart, and W. D. Simpkins.
July 2, 1860, it was ordered by the court that all that land recently taken from Robertson County and lying west of a line 'beginning at a point on Sycamore Creek near Wilkinson's burnt steam-mill, and running, north with the road by Warren's Pond to Samuel Smiley's, including said Smiley," be annexed to this district.
Jan. 6, 1862, a part was taken off and annexed to District Number Three, and changing the line to run as follows: To extend up White's Creek to the mouth of Earthman's Creek and up that stream to Thomas Bysor's north line; thence on that line west to the dividing ridge between Earthman's and Dry Fork, and by that ridge to the head of Little Marrow-bone; thence with the dividing ridge between that stream and Earthman's Creek to the Big and Little Marrow-bone divide, and following that ridge to the Cheatham county-line; thence by the county-line to Little Marrow-bone Creek, which it follows up to the Three Forks. It was ordered in 1860 that Dismuke's tanyard be the polling place of the district.
The churches are Forest Grove and Garrett's chapel, Methodist Episcopal, Oakland, Free-Will Baptist, and the old Ebenezer Methodist Episcopal church, now abandoned and falling into decay. A German church has been recently built for the accommodation of the more recent settlers of that nationality. A Mr. Waggoner was one of the first settlers in the district. Among the most prominent citizens of the early part of the present century were Jonathan Garrett and Daniel Brice, Esqs.
The following persons paid taxes on lands in this district in 1816; Moses Calvert, Jacob and John Cagle, Samuel Crockett, Richard Champ, John Devus, John Franks, Michael Gleaves, Thomas Hail, Jacob Hunter, Benjamin Hyde, Micajah Morris, George Raimer, Robert Vick. The Twenty-fourth School District, which is comprised in this civil district, was not reported for the last year, and cannot, therefore, be mentioned in detail. It contains three schoolhouses, in each of which schools are kept. In 1880 there were three hundred and eighty-three school-children reported as residing within the district by the school directors, W. L. Earthman, Kinderd Reasoner, and James E. Carney.
Hickman's Ferry, three-fourths of a mile from the old Hickman's place, was fixed upon as the place for holding the district elections.
The oldest resident is Mr. Willoughby Dozier. White's Bend post-office is at Hickman's Ferry, where there are two stores, kept by H. L. Abernathy and William Hyde, R. C. Meadows and S. C. Williams' blacksmith- and wagon-shops, several dwelling, and the African church. At the old Hickman place, three-fourths of a mile distant, is the Cumberland Grange church, a house fifty by one hundred and twenty feet in size, which was built by the Patrons of Husbandry in 1875. The organization is now extinct in the district. The building is occupied for religious worship by the Methodist Episcopal, Free-Will Baptist, Presbyterian, and Christian denominations on alternate Sundays. The land occupied was deeded by William Hyde, Esq., to the four denominations jointly. There are also Lipscomb's Christian chapel and a Baptist church in Bell's Bend. Among the first settlers in this part of the county was Thomas Hickman, of this district. Thomas W. Sherron and Wilson Crockett were early justices of the peace.
The following-named persons paid taxes on lands in this district in 1816: James Duren, Jesse Garland, Sr., Elisha and William E. Gower, Mishack Hail, William Levy, John Lovell, Benjamin Pack, Sr., Thomas Pierce, James Russell, Sr., William and Thomas Russell, Ezekiel Smith, Bennett Searcy.
This district was organized as School District Number Twenty-five. It contains four white schools, at which the attendance in the year 1878-79 was fifty-four pupils, and two colored schools with thirty-three pupils the same year. In 1880 the school population was three hundred and fifty one. W. F. Bang, W. S. Higgins, and S. B. Howlett were school directors for 1879-80.
Why no listing of prominent black businesses or people?
ReplyDeleteThis is a partial history and lacks a lot. Not a single mention of the Patton or others that contributed to tge area/state.