History of Davidson County, Tennessee, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 50

Author: Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford)
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia, J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1013

USA > Tennessee > Davidson County > History of Davidson County, Tennessee, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 50

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Mr. Nichol was for many years president of the Bank of Tennes- sec, assisted in disposing of the bonds of the State issued in part of its capital, and administered its affairs with skill and judgment.

Ilis services were regarded as of high value to the bank in its earlier days. He and Mr. Henry Ewing, the cashier of the bank, were regarded as altogether trustworthy and capable, and had the full confidence of the country for honesty and ability. The bank, under the skill and judgment of its president and cashier, was a success.

Mr. Nichol's character was without a stain or blemish. He was a kind husband, and had full confidence in his wife's good sense and judgment, a generous father, a kind neighbor and citizen, and a humane master, firm and gentle.

He was punctual in his business transactions, and had great pride of character, never seeking popularity, but set a high value on the good-will and respect of his friends and the public at large. The character of an " honest" man was fully accorded to bim.

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CITY OF NASHVILLE.

1824-25 .- J. K. Kane. 1826-27 .- Eli Talbot. 1828-38 .- E. Dibrell. 1839-49 .- William Garrett. 1850 .- William H. Woodward. 1851-56 .- Egbert A. Raworth.

1857-60 .- William A. Glenn. October, 1861, to April, 1862 .- Charles M. Hays. April to October, 1862-64 .- William Shane. 1865 .- W. H. Wilkinson.

1866 .- Robert C. Foster (3d). 1867-68 .- William Mills. 1869-71 .- Thomas J. Haile. 1872-80 .- Sinnett A. Daling.

POSTMASTERS.

The following is an official list of the postmasters of Nashville, the office having been established April 1, 1796: John Gordon, appointed April 1, 1796. William Stothart, appointed Oct. 1, 1797. Robert Stothart, appointed July 1, 1802.

Robert B. Currey, appointed June 8, 1811. John P. Erwin, appointed April 10, 1826. Robert Armstrong, appointed March 16, 1829. Leonard P. Cheatham, appointed March 15, 1845. John Shelby, appointed March 19, 1849. Samuel R. Anderson, appointed March 23, 1853. William D. McNish, appointed March 23, 1861.

The office was discontinued June 11, 1861. It was re- established March 20, 1862.

John Lellyett, appointed March 20, 1862. Adrian V. S. Lindsley, appointed June 12, 1862. Bowling Embry, appointed April 20, 1867. Enos Hopkins, appointed May 5, 1869. William F. Prosser, appointed March 31, 1871. Herman W. Hasslock, appointed Feb. 12, 1874.

William P. Jones, appointed May 22, 1877, who is the present incumbent.

RECOLLECTIONS OF NASHVILLE .*

Nashville in the year 1809 did not contain a population of more than two thousand persons. None but professional men and merchants lived in the town ; most of the popula- tion of the county at that day lived in the country. The principal business of the town was confined to Market Street and the south side of the public square. Mr. Josiah Nichol occupied the corner where the Burns Block now stands, and owned several houses next to this corner, both on Market and the square. Mr. Thomas Ramsey occupied the opposite corner. Next to him, Alexander Porter. Then Thomas Kirkman, who afterwards moved to the west side of the square, between Cedar and Deaderick, then known as " Cheap-Side." Thomas G. Bradford had a printing-office near this, and published the Nashville Clarion. Thomas Easton, editor of the Impartial Review, lived near. George W. Boyd owned the property from there to the corner on Water Street, and owned what was known as Boyd's Tavern, which stood where Berry &

Demoville formerly kept a drug-store. The county jail was back of Boyd's Tavern, on Water Street.

On the east side of the public square was the post-office, Robert B. Currey being postmaster, appointed by Mr. Jef- ferson ; retained his office until removed by President Adams in 1826.

This office was situated on the opposite side of an alley, which separated him from Talbot's Hotel, which stood on the ground now occupied by the Ensley Block. Talbot's Hotel is where the bloody fight took place between Gen. Jackson and Jesse and Tom Benton, which created most intense excitement.

The Commodore Perry Inn was the next house, and was situated where the Methodist Publishing House now stands, the public square descending gradually from this point to Water Street; the cut in the bluff for the bridge was not then made. Northeast of the public square at this point was the office of the old Nashville Whig newspaper, edited and owned by McLean & Tunstall. Col. McLean, one of the editors, is still living near Memphis, and his memory of old events is more vivid than any man's in the State. Ile is now in his eighty-sixth year, with intellect unim- paired by age. In 1816, McLean & Tunstall sold out their paper to Moses and Joseph Norvell.

Mr. Thomas Crutcher, the treasurer of the Stato, had his office next, and then the old Nashville Inn, which ex- tended to the corner of Market Street and the square. Col. Andrew Hynes owned the property next to the inn on this street north, and had a copper still and tin manufac- tory, where he manufactured stills for the whole country. Joseph B. Knowles superintended the business, and after- wards became his partner. Opposite the Nashville Inn Col. Hynes had his office. The first house on Market Street north, below, was built by Dr. Hennen, who moved at an early day to New Orleans, and who was the great- grandfather of Gen. John B. Hood's children. Dr. Felix Robertson studied medicine with Dr. Hennen. Dr. Hennen had several daughters, one of whom married Lieut. Yates of the regular army, who was stationed at the garrison at Southwest Point, in Roane Co., East Tenn., at the junc- tion of the Clinch and Tennessee Rivers, the Cherokee Nation of Indians occupying the south side of the Ten- nessee Rivers, opposite to this garrison.

Judge Van Dyke, of East Tennessee, was born at this place, his father being surgeon of the garrison. To this garrison Lieut. Yates took his wife and there treated her so cruelly that she returned to Nashville and filed a peti- tion for a divorce. Aaron Burr, who was at that time build- ing boats on Stone's River, appeared in the court-house, made a speech in her favor, and secured the divorce. Gen. Braham, who married the daughter of Col. Robert Weakly, was captain of that garrison, and Gen. Robert Purdy, after- wards marshal of the State, was lieutenant of the same garrison. Next to the corner, going west, on the public square, Hynes and Fletcher had a store-house. Joseph T. Elliston also owned a house here. Then the old " Bell Tavern," kept by Thomas Childress, a brother of John Childress. David McGavock, register of the land-office, had an office beyond the tavern. Mr. John II. Smith, an old merchant, lived north of the corner on that side of the

* By Col. Willoughby Williams.

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street. Dr. May, an eminent surgeon, and John E. Beck, a prominent lawyer of that day, who married the daughter of Gen. James Robertson, lived in this vicinity.

On the corner of Cedar Street and the square lived Mr. Caldwell, a merchant, who had a residence and store near together. He was the father of Mrs. James Erwin. West of this corner, on Cedar Street, Henry Dickinson, a prom- inent lawyer and collector, lived ; he married the daughter of Capt. William Lytle, of Murfreesboro'. As his widow she afterwards married Ephraim H. Foster, who also lived here. Next to Dickinson lived Robert Smiley, the father of Gen. T. T. Smiley, of Nashville, a clever Christian gen- tleman, and one of the best citizens of the town, who owned to the corner of Cherry Street.

On the opposite corner of the square and Cedar Street from Caldwell's is where Gen. William Carroll first opened a nail-store, the first of that article, in kegs, brought to Nashville from Pittsburgh.

Mr. John Baird, a prominent merchant, had a store and dwelling on that square, and also owned the property on Cedar Street opposite Foster and Smiley's. George Michael Deaderick had a dwelling at the head of Deaderick Street, back from the square. He was president of the first Nashville Bank, which was established about the year 1810, and located on the corner of Union and College, where Mr. Marr now lives. After the opening of Deaderick Street, some years after this time, there were several store- houses put up south, and were occupied by Shall & Bitchett, Stephen Cantrell, and Robert Anderson, who was killed in a duel by Thomas Yeatman in 1817, who lived a few doors south of him and was also a merchant. Wiley Barrow built a house opposite these stores, on the corner of the public square which was known as Barrow's Corner.

East of him William Lytle had a store in 1809, his store being on the corner of the square at that time. Next to him Thomas Deaderick had a store; then came James Jack- son, a brother-in-law of Thomas Kirkman, who erected the fine store-house now owned by the heirs of the late Joseph Vaulx. East of him was Robert Farquarharson; then John Nichol; then Josiah Nichol, whose property extended to the corner.

Down Market Street, south, were several business houses; among them, at the mouth of Union Street, was where Peter Bass, the father of John M. Bass, kept a leather- store, where he sold and delivered leather, he having a large tanyard, known as Bass' Tannery. Adjoining him was John Elliston, a silversmith, whose daughter the Rev. A. L. P. Green married. Farther down, on the alley lead- ing to College, Duncan Robertson, the most benevolent man that ever lived in Nashville, had a book-store. And next, below the alley, was " Black Bob's Tavern," which in the years 1806 and 1807 was a prominent tavern. There were no other business houses between that and Broad Street. On the opposite side of Market Street, up to the square, were several business houses ; among them were James Gordon and Addison East, a brother of Judge East.

The principal population of Nashville in 1809 lay north of the public square, towards the Sulphur Spring, on Water, Market, College, and Cherry Streets,

On College Street, south of Barrow's Corner and Union Street, Joseph T. Elliston, a silversmith, owned a house, which was afterwards occupied by Matthew D. Quinn, a merchant and Methodist minister, and also a son-in-law of Joseph T. Elliston. Union Street had not been opened from College to Market at that time. On the corner of Union and College Streets, Dr. Robertson erected a two- story brick house, on what was called ground-rent for ninety-nine years, the property belonging to John Childress. South of that, on Marr's Corner, was the old Nashville Bank, of which institution John Anderson was cashier and George M. Deaderick president.

There were no other buildings from College to Cherry on Union, except Jenkin Whiteside's office, which stood a few doors from the corner, on Cherry Street. This was not Gen. Jackson's office, as some one has stated in this latter day. The next house on College Street was George Poizer's, who owned the property on the alley south to Church Street, where he had a cotton-spinning manufactory run by horse-power.

The first building south of that on College Street was where Mrs. Robertson lived, a log house which is still standing. Mrs. Robertson was the widow of James Rob- ertson's brother, Elijah Robertson, and was very wealthy in lands. She was the mother of Mrs. John Childress, Mrs. Washington R. Hannum, and Eldridge B. and Stir- ling R. Robertson, prominent men, who afterwards moved to Giles County. This same Stirling R. Robertson ob- tained a grant from the Mexican government for lands in Texas, on the Brazos River, where he settled a colony, which is known as Robertson's Colony to this day. Here he lived and died. There was no other house between that and Broad Street. On the opposite side from the bank, going south, was a brick house. South of that, Thomas Masterson owned a brick dwelling-house. The property between Wood's Alley and Church Street was a vacant block owned by William Lytle. There was a still- house at the mouth of Church Street from which a large spring flowed, owned by William Boyd, the father of John and Dick Boyd, who was familiarly known as " King Boyd" at that day. Maj. John Boyd was one of the early sheriffs of Davidson County and a prominent man. Col. Dick Boyd lived in a frame house on the southeast corner of Market and Church Streets, this being the only house be- tween Church and Broad. All this property belonged to Dr. Wheaton, whose son, Stirling R. Wheaton, sold the above-mentioned property before he became of age to Ad- dison East; afterwards he brought suit and plead the " infant law," thereby causing long litigation, which almost destroyed Mr. East's usefulness as a man. East finally gained the suit. The first important building on this property was a warehouse built by Thomas Yeatman north of the corner of Broad and Water Streets, on the river, at a point above overflow.

Now back to Cedar Street, on the square.

From Cedar to Cherry, Henry Dickinson (afterwards Ephraim H. Foster's) and Robert Smiley lived. North on Cherry Street, to the Judge McNairy line, there were several buildings, one occupied by Andrew Morrison. Judge McNairy sold one hundred acres of land to White-

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Photo. by Armstrong, Nashville.

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side and Balch, which embraced the territory between his residence and town, on what is now Line Street. East from Cedar on Cherry was the office of Robert Searcy and John C. Mclemore, Jolin C. McLemore being surveyor- general, and Robert Searcy a lawyer and clerk of the Fed- eral Court. Deaderick Street was not opened at that time. There was no other building until you came to Josiah Nichol's residence, which was south of Union Street, a fine frame house, built by Joseph Coleman. The next buildings were some frame tenements, on the corner of Cherry and Church Streets, where the Maxwell House now stands. South of Church Street the first building was where Maj. Thomas Claiborne lived, in a house built by James King, the former husband of Mrs. Claiborne. Some years after- wards Dr. Robertson built a brick residence south of that. There was no other building from there to Broad Street on that side. On the east side of Cherry Street from Cedar Street was the office of Jenkin Whiteside, east of the corner some few doors, on the corner of Deaderick. This was the only building from Cherry Street to College, on Union, except the bank. On the alley where the MeGavock Block now stands, Patrick Bigley had a boot- and shoe- shop. There was no other building from that alley to Church Street. Below the corner where Demoville's drug-store now stands a Methodist church was erected; a portion of the building still remains standing. The Rev. Mr. Douglas was presiding elder, and the Rev. Mr. Mad- din, the father of Drs. John and Thomas Maddin, was the stationed minister. Here also the Rev. Mr. Bascom, a distinguished Methodist divine, preached and attracted a large crowd. He was the first Methodist preacher seen in Nashville with a fashionable " frock-coat" and with a cigar in his mouth. Methodist ministers at that day were distin- guished by the " cut of their coats." He clothed his lan- guage in such an unusual style that the ladies, on going to hear him, would ask for pocket-dictionaries to understand his big words. At this church, also, the great Moffatt held forth and produced a great revival.

On the corner of Cherry and Church, William Lytle owned a residence, where he lived. Some few years after that, Alexander Porter built a fine brick residence a short distance from the street. The next was a large frame house on or near the corner of Cherry and Broad, where Felix Grundy lived when he first moved to Nashville.

Between Cherry and Summer, on Cedar, were several houses pretty thickly populated. On the corner of Cherry and Cedar Dr. John Shelby lived. North on Summer Street towards the Sulphur Spring, near the railroad, were a good many cedar-log houses, some of which were still stand- ing a few years ago. The first building was erected some years after by John Nichol, on the corner of Union and Summer. The next and only building on that side of the street was William Tate's, a wealthy Scotch merchant, who lived in a frame residence opposite Col. Samuel D. Mor- gan's. He died of the " cold plague" in 1816, which disease was more destructive than the cholera at that day, thirteen members of one family of Gaines having died in one house.

The next building was the Presbyterian church, which stood on the corner where the present church now is, the

Rev. Gideon Blackburn being the pastor. South of that, Alexander Richardson, a merchant, lived; there was no other between that and Broad Street. On the west side of Summer Street, from Cedar to Union, there was no build- ing. Dr. Boyd McNairy owned a large block and built a fine brick residence, where he entertained all army officers and distinguished strangers. 'Twas here that Gen. La Fay- ette was received on his visit to Nashville. There was no other house between that and Church Street. The first fine brick house between Summer and Cherry on Church was the Masonic Hall, at the laying of the corner-stone of which John H. Eaton, a young lawyer, made a speech. Opposite the Masonic Hall, Nathan Ewing, the clerk of the County Court, lived, and owned the property from Cherry to the Presbyterian church. On the west side of Summer and Church Streets, Randal McGavock owned a large block, upon which there were one or two cedar-log houses. There was no other house to Broad, or from Summer to High, on that side of the street, this being a cedar-grove.

From Cedar south on High Street, George Shall built the first house, a fine frame building, owned by the heirs of Joseph Knowles. Thomas H. Fletcher began a fine residence, sold to and finished by Mr. George Bell, a brother-in-law of Judge McNairy ; it was afterwards the home of Joseph Woods, now occupied by G. M. Fogg and Mrs. William R. Elliston. The next house was built by Gen. William Carroll, on the corner of Union and High Streets. There was no other house on High Street to Church. Washington L. Hannum owned the entire block from the corner of High Street to the alley adjoining Mrs. John M. Hill, where he built a large brick house in the rear of the lot, having a large yard in front on Church Street, in which there was some statuary. A portion of this house is now occupied by Capt. Matthew B. Pilcher.

The opposite side from High to Vine was vacant property belonging to George W. Campbell, on which he afterwards built a residence, where he lived after selling Capitol Hill to the corporation. On the east side of High Street, where Dr. Nichol now lives, was a frame house ; no other building until you reach the corner of Union and High, where there was a small frame building; no other to Church Street. Mr. James Suart, a merchant, lived on Church, owning the property, embracing the Episcopal church and Scott's Hotel, to the alley. His house was built in the rear of the lot, with a large yard in front. No other building to Broad Street.

On Cedar Street, running west, George W. Campbell, who lived where the Capitol now stands, owned the entire block extending to the alley near George Shall's house.

The first building on the cast side of Vine Street from Cedar was built and owned by Dr. John Neumann (now owned by A. H. Lusk), the most prominent physician of that day. From his house to Church Street was vacant. The first building from Church Street on Vine, on the west side, was a brick building, owned by John Boyd, a painter. There was no building from there to the corner of Broad and Vine Streets; there Judge Robert Whyte owned a large block, where he lived. His dwelling at one time was the Methodist church. On the cast corner of Vine Street, William Goodwin owned and lived; there was no

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building from there to the corner of Church Street. Some time afterwards Mr. Smith, a carpenter and painter, bought the corner of Vine and Church, for which he paid twenty-six dollars a foot, fronting Church Street. Some years after 1809, Judge Felix Grundy built a residence where Mrs. James K. Polk now lives, he owning the en- tire block from Union to Church on Vine and Spruce Streets, and had an office near Col. Cole's residence. There I first met Francis B. Fogg, as clerk or student, a young lawyer from the North, in the year 1819 or 1820.

There was no other building north of Church on Spruce Street ; the first and only house on that street south was a white frame house, which now stands near the Hume High School, belonging to the Irving heirs. The first brick building on the west side was the one now occupied by Mrs. Hetty McEwen. Mr. Paul Shirley, a merchant of Nashville, built the first house on the southwest corner of Church and Spruce, where he lived. John C. McLemore built the first house on MeLemore Street, on the west side, being the corner of Mclemore and Broad. He bought and owned the entire property from there to Church Street back to the McNairy property, now the depot-ground, from Thomas Shackleford, a brickmason, and the father of Judge Shackleford, where all the brick was made that was used at that time in Nashville. He was also a very prominent man. South of the custom-house, on Broad Street, embracing the custom-house and country near, was vacant ground belong- ing to Cumberland College, called the South Field, where the troops were reviewed by Gens. La Fayette and Jackson on the former's visit to Nashville, and on which ground a gallows was erected where several prisoners were hung; among the number was a fellow by the name of Thornton. A vast crowd gathered to witness the execution. South of this property, at " Mile-End," the home of Orville Ewing, Anthony Foster, the uncle of Ephraim H. Foster, lived. He was a very prominent man.

On the south side of Broad Street, on the Wilson Spring Branch, Peter Bass, the father of John M. Bass, owned a large tannery, and the house where he lived and where John M. Bass was born still stands there. Peter Bass tanned leather on shares for the entire community, one-half for the other, the leather to be delivered twelve months after receiving the hides, either at the tanyard or the leather-store on Market Street. Judge Robert Whyte owned the property from Bass' to Broad Street, bounded by Summer and Broad, a block of four acres in a cedar- grove, where he lived about the year 1802 or 1803.

About the year 1816, Peter Bass and Thomas Shackle- ford, after selling all they could dispose of, moved to St. Louis by water. Being prominent men, a large crowd as- sembled at the wharf to see them start in barges down the river, Missouri being considered farther off then than Cali- fornia is now. Wiley Barrow owned what was called Bar- row's Grove, a large tract of some hundred acres of land lying south of Broad Street, extending to the cemetery. East of him lay a tract of land belonging to Mr. Cross, adjoining the university and the Terrel Lewis land, whose land was bought by Mr. Campbell, the father of John W. Campbell, and was known as " Salt" Campbell, whose son, John W. Campbell, married the daughter of Alexander

Porter, and who is the father of Gen. Alexander Campbell, of Jackson, Tenn. Cumberland College lay in the vicinity of this land. The first president of this institution was Dr. Priestly, at whose school most of the prominent men of Tennessee were educated. At the laying of the corner- stone of this institution a gentleman by the name of Wil- liam Chandler made a speech. Mr. Chandler was a Northern man, came to Nashville without employment, and proposed to do some painting about the first court-house ever built in Nashville. It was ascertained that he was a highly-cul- tivated gentleman, and he made this speech. I never knew what became of him.

I now return to Cedar and Vine Streets. Cedar Street was the main road leading west from Nashville to Charlotte and all the country north of the Granny White Pike to the Cumberland River, there being no other road leading west from Nashville between the Granny White Pike and Cedar Street. From Vine Street down to the foot of the hill west was thickly populated. At the foot of the hill Mrs. Knowles kept a noted hotel.

MEN OF NASIIVILLE AT AN EARLY DAY.

Among the prominent lawyers of that day were Andrew Jackson, John Overton, John McNairy, Howell Tatum, and John E. Beck, who married the daughter of Gen. Robert- son ; Bennet Searcy, who was afterwards elected judge of the Clarksville district, Robert Searcy, Stokely Donelson, Samuel Donelson, Jenkin Whiteside, Judge John Hay- ward, Robert Whyte, afterwards judge of the Supreme Court, Alfred Balch, William P. Anderson, William M. Cook, and Henry Dickinson. Soon afterwards came Oliver B. Hays, William Williams, and Jesse Wharton. John Dickinson was clerk of the Federal Court, a successful lawyer, and with whom Ephraim H. Foster studied law, and who afterwards married Dickinson's widow. James Trimble, a prominent lawyer from Knoxville, came from that section with a high reputation. He soon acquired a large practice, and was universally esteemed as an honest man and lawyer. He was elected to represent the county in 1817, when the Legislature met at Knoxville. The Hon. Felix Grundy, from Kentucky, came here about this time, with a high reputation as a criminal lawyer and the peer of Henry Clay, and whose fame as such extended through- out the South. He was called to Natchez to defend a great criminal case, where he met George Poindexter, the prose- cuting lawyer, and acquitted his man. At that day he was the most eloquent lawyer and the finest-looking man that ever graced the bar. His powers of appealing to the jury were beyond any cver witnessed before. Thomas H. Ben- ton was also a prominent lawyer in 1810. Maj. Thomas Claiborne came from Virginia, a lawyer, a man of fine ap- pearance, and a very fluent speaker and politician ; soon after- wards married the widow King. After that he was elected to Congress from this district, and represented the county in the Legislature. Soon afterwards Ephraim H. Foster came to the bar, a fine speaker, and one of the most popu- lar men ever in Davidson County. Henry Crab, a talented lawyer and afterwards judge of the Supreme Court. Nicholas P. Smith and John Marshall, from Franklin, at- tended this bar. William L. Brown and William A. Cook

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History of Davidson County, Tennessee, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 50

Author: Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford) Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Philadelphia, J.W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1013

Author: Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford)
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia, J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1013