History of Davidson County, Tennessee, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 97

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 97

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).

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 buildings were commenced in 1843 and completed in 1844. In October of that year he was elected president. On his resignation, in 1861, Pro- fessor 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 buildings 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 Wil- liam 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 Car- ter, D. Cross, William Donelson, " where he lives," Richard Drury, William Dickson, William Ewing, Thomas H. Ev- erett, 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 Oglevie, 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 Eich- baum, and J. Smith Fowler.

The district contains two post-offices,-Donelson and Glen Cliff. The old " Mud Tavern," in the westeru 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 popula- tion of six hundred and fifty-seven children, and has had 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 school-houses in the district. The school

367

Digitized by

Google

368

HISTORY OF DAVIDSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

directors are Dr. James Evans, Sidney Zucarillo, and Mr. Page.

DISTRICT NUMBER THREE.

District Number Three was the original district of that number. Its boundary-line begins at the mouth of Ham- ilton's Creek and follows up Stone's River to the Ruther- ford county-line; thence with the county-line to where the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad crosses Hurri- cane Creek ; thence down said railroad to the crossing of the Franklin and Lebanon road at the Mount View Station ; thence along the said road to the Murfreesboro' turnpike ; thence along the Murfreesboro' turnpike to Hamilton's Creek ; and thence down Hamilton's Creek to the begin- ning. The polling-place was changed from Hutchinson's Springs to Smith's Springs in July, 1859.

Charlton'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 pio- neers. Mount View Church is a union house, occupied by Baptists and Cumberland Presbyterians, on the Murfrees- boro' turnpike. Smith's Springs, near the centre, became the central point for gatherings after the war, and a Bap- tist 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 fol- lowing 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.

DISTRICT NUMBER FOUR.

District Number Four, with District Number Sixteen, comprises the territory of the old Fourth District. Its boundary-line begins at Stewart's Ferry on Stone's River, and runs easterly with the old Lebanon road to Thomas B. Page's line; thence north, east, and south, so as to leave out the house of Thomas B. Page and to intersect the Old Lebanon road above said house; thence with said road, and passing at New Hope to J. H. Hagan's burnt mill; thence east to the Wilson county-line; thence north- erly with the county-line to Cumberland River; thence

down the river to the mouth of Stone's River ; thence up Stone's River to the place of beginning.

April 2, 1860, on motion of H. Hagan, the line was so changed as to run from Stuart's Ferry with the Old Leb- anon road, passing New Hope to Hagan's burnt mill.

Jan. 8, 1861, it was ordered by the court that the di- viding-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 Her- mitage 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 carly 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 Eust, 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 school-houses 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 hun- dred and sixty-five. T. O. 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 pas- tor from the time of organization until his death, in 1863, and was succeeded by Elder G. W. Hagar, whose pas- torate 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 respect- able log meeting-house a little east of the school-house above mentioned, in which they worshiped till the building was burned, in 1871. The neat brick church now occupied on the Central turnpike, two miles east of the Hermitage Sta- tion, was built after the fire. The church has had in all

Digitized by Google

Photos. by Armstrong, Nashville.

Jeremiah, Bowen

Rebeca Y. Bavec

JEREMIAH BOWEN, JR.,

was born in Carthage, Smith Co., Tenn., Aug. 7, 1822. His father, Jeremiah Bowen, Sr., was born in Pennsylvania in the year 1770. He served an ap- prenticeship at hatmaking in Philadelphia, and in 1800 came to Carthage, Smith Co., Tenn., where he embarked in the hat-manufacturing business. In 1814 he married Miss Martha Powel Spivey who was born in Burtee Co., N. C., Oct. 10, 1797, and emigrated to Smith Co., Tenn., in 1812. Of this union there have been three children,-O. L. Bowen, born 1816; James Bowen, born 1818 ; and Jeremiah Bowen. Mr. Bowen died Aug. 22, 1822. In Jan- uary, 1831, Mrs. M. P. Bowen married Wm. Mc- Murry and moved to Davidson County ; by this mar- riage there were two children,-Ann McMurry, born in 1832, and Margarett McMurry, born in 1833. Mrs. McMurry died Jan. 28, 1847. She was of Irish descent, was a kind wife, a devoted mother, and a Christian woman. Jeremiah Bowen Jr., came to Davidson County with his mother and stepfather in 1831 ; lived here about three years, when he went to Shelby Co., Tenn., to live with his aunt, Mrs. Ann C. Carter, where he remained three years and then returned to his home in Davidson County. When nineteen years of age he apprenticed himself to R. S. Orton, and learned the tanning business. He worked as a journeyman tanner until Jan. 1, 1848, at

which time he formed a copartnership with W. B. Ewing, and they established a tannery on White's Creek, five miles north of Nashville.

On Oct. 25, 1848, he married Miss Rebecca S. Buchanan, daughter of James and Lucinda Buchanan, who were among the old pioneer settlers in David- son County. Mr. Buchanan was born in Virginia, July 16, 1763, and moved to Davidson Co., Tenn., eight miles east of Nashville, about the year 1800. His wife, née Miss Lucinda East, was also born in Virginia, Dec. 11, 1792, and came to Tennessee with her father about the year 1800. Mr. Buchanan and Miss East were married in 1810; he died Feb. 14, 1841, and she died April 15, 1865. They were the parents of sixteen children,-ten daughters and six sons.

In 1859, Mr. Bowen retired from the tanning business, and engaged in farming six miles east of Nashville. In 1865 he was elected justice of the peace in the Second District, Davidson County, and served in that capacity eleven years. In January, 1868, he was appointed railroad tax-collector for Davidson County for one year.

Mr. and Mrs. Bowen have been the parents of nine children,-eight daughters and one son. Two of the daughters died in their infancy ; the remain- der are still living.

Digitized by

Google

Google - --

Digitized by

369

CIVIL DISTRICTS.

since its organization four hundred and sixty members. The present number is two hundred and two.

DISTRICT NUMBER FIVE.

District Number Five, which comprises the original dis- trict, was bounded by a line beginning at the crossing of Mur- freesboro' pike and Mill Creek, and running thence up Mill Creek to Antioch church; thence with the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad to the Franklin and Lebanon road at Mount View Station ; thence with said road to the Mur- freesboro' turnpike; thence down the turnpike to Hamil- ton's Creek ; thence down Hamilton's Creek to the crossing of the same by the Franklin College and Stone's River turnpike; thence down that road to the Murfreesboro' turnpike, and down the Murfreesboro' turnpike to the place of beginning. Harris' Place was made the voting precinct.

Antioch Baptist church, in the southern part, on the line of the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, near Olney- ville post-office, was one of the first churches in that part of the county. It is still existing under its original faith. Hamilton church, in the east part, on the Murfreesboro' turnpike, and Locust Grove, are also both in this district.

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 set- tlement. Elijah Robertson represented this district as jus- tice 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 ap- pointment. 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, Jere- miah 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 appear- ance adds much to the reputation of the district.

This is the Fifth School District of the county. There are liere 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 Ben- jamin Turbeiville are school directors for 1880. The dis- trict has five school-houses.

DISTRICT NUMBER SIX.

District Number Six, the original district of that num- ber, is bounded by a line beginning at the southeastern corner of Davidson County near Gooche's, and running

northward with the Rutherford county-line to the Nash- ville and Chattanooga Railroad ; thence northward down said railroad to Mill Creek at Antioch Church; thence up Mill Creek to the Williamson county-line; and thence east- ward with the county-line to the beginning. The polling- place was fixed at Cane Ridge, which is near the centre of the district, and the location of a church of that name.

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 ponics.

Benajah Gray was an early citizen, and a life-member of the Notables' Court.

James Mears was magistrate in 1791; William H. Ha- gans and James Chilcutt were early citizens. The follow- ing persons were tax-payers in what is now included in this district in 1816 : Isaac Battle, John Barr, James Campbell, . Thomas Chilcutt, William Gibson, Benajal Gray, Isaac Johnson, Ralph McFadden, John McFarlin, Robert Orr, Godfrey Shelton, Hartwell Seat, John Smith, Robert Thompson, Nelson White, James Whitsett, James Weath- erall, Daniel Young.

In the school organization this became the Sixth School District of the county. It contains four school-houses, 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.

DISTRICT NUMBER SEVEN.

District Number Seven was the same previous to 1859. Its boundary-line begins at the crossing of the Nolensville turnpike-road and Mill Creek, near Holt's or Hampton's Mill, and runs down Mill Creek to the mouth of its west fork at Thompson's saw-mill; thence up the west fork to the Nolensville turnpike-road; thence southeast along said turnpike-road to the place of beginning. Dunn's school- house was made the voting precinct.

Gethsemane church is at Baker's or Smithville, near Mill Creek. This is one of the earliest churches, and be- longed to the old Mero Association.

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 dis- trict in 1816: Charles Crutchfield, Aquila Carmack, Rob- ert C. Foster, Jacob Marvis, Jesse W. Thomas, Susannalı Windle.

This was made School District Number Seven at its or- ganization for school purposes. Two white schools and one colored one are maintained here, cach of which has school- houses. 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. Wil- liam T. Robinson, William McPherson, and Anderson Pee- bles are school directors.

Digitized by Google

370

HISTORY OF DAVIDSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

DISTRICT NUMBER EIGHT.

District Number Eight, one of the original districts, is bounded by a line which begins where the Franklin turn- pike crosses the Williamson county-line, and runs eastward with the county-line to Mill Creek ; thence down Mill Creek to the Nolensville turnpike; thence northward along said road to the crossing of Lee Shute's spring-branch ; thence up said spring-branch to the old mill; thence westward with the old line between the dwellings of John Overton and John Cunningham to the Franklin turnpike ; and thence southward with the Franklin turnpike to the place of beginning. Owen's store was selected as the place for holding elections.

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 carly settlers.

Iu 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 con- tains five school-houses, in which were taught, in the year 1878-79, three white and two colored schools, with an en- rollment of one hundred and forty-four white and one hun- dred 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.

DISTRICT NUMBER NINE.

District Number Nine was slightly changed from its original bounds by the redistricting of 1859. The line then established began at the crossing of the Nolensville turn- pike over Lee Shute's spring-branch, and ran up the branch to the old mill; thence westward with the old line running between the dwellings of John Overton and John Cunning- ham to the Franklin turnpike ; thence northward along that road to the corporation-line of Nashville; thence followed around with the corporation-line to the Murfreesboro' turn- pike; thence with the Murfreesboro' turnpike southeast to Mill Creek ; thence up Mill Creek to the mouth of West Fork at Thompson's saw-mill; thence up said West Fork to the Nolensville turnpike; and thence along that turn- pike northwest to the beginning. Flat Rock school-house was selected as the voting precinct.

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 set- tlers. Both were early justices of the peace, and highly respected. Juel Rice was another early settler, and can be traced back to. 1790 in this district. He has numerous de- scendants 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 1878-79, 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 school-houses. James T. Patter- son, L. D. Gower, Jr., and A. H. Johnson were school di- rectors for 1880.

DISTRICT NUMBER TEN.

District Number Ten was slightly diminished in size in 1859, and a part was annexed to Nashville. The bound- ary-line begins at the crossing of Cedar Street with the west boundary of the corporation of Nashville, and runs westward with Cedar Street and the Charlotte turnpike-road to Rich- land Creek ; thence up Richland Creek with the old district- line to the old line of District Number Eleven, near Frank McGavock's; thence eastward with the old line to the Franklin turnpike-road between Joseph Vaulx and John Thompson ; thence with the Franklin turnpike northward with the corporation of Nashville ; and thence around with the several meanders of the corporation-line to the place of beginning. Dana's grocery was made the voting precinct. " Old Church" is in the south part, south of the Ten- Dessee fair-ground.

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. Curry, 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 con- tinued 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 four- teen hundred and twenty-seven. The district then con- tained seven school-houses. 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.

DISTRICT NUMBER ELEVEN.

District Number Eleven is an original district. Its boundaries were fixed in 1859 by a line which begins where

Digitized by Google

Photo. by Armstrong, Nashville.

Burner Williams

TURNER WILLIAMS, son of Nimrod Williams, was born near Nashville, Sept. 25, 1796.

His grandfather, Daniel Williams, and his five sons, Nimrod, Daniel, Sampson, Oliver, and Wright, and one daughter, Eunice, came from South Caro- lina and settled in or near Nashville in 1786.

Daniel Williams, Sr., was well advanced in years when he came to Davidson County. He continued to reside here until his death. Nimrod, the father of the subject of this sketch, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. He had also two brothers in that war, who were killed. Nimrod died in Febru- ary, 1820, and his wife died in November, 1811.

Turner Williams has always been a farmer, except five years spent in the manufacture of material for cotton-sacks. He was only six months of age when his parents settled on the farm where he now resides.

On the 22d of May, 1817, he married Anna, daughter of John Currin. She was born Aug. 27, 1797. To them were born thirteen children, of whom twelve grew to manhood and womanhood, but the greater number of them, with their mother, have passed to the other side.

Mr. and Mrs. Williams have ever been worthy members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He has been class-leader, steward, and superintendent of the Sunday-school for more than twenty-seven years. He has always been liberal to the poor, and a true friend of good society. His wife died March 3, 1847, and he married for his second wife Samantha Hopkins, a native of Cortland Co., N. Y., Sept. 21, 1852. She settled in Davidson County in 1850. She is also a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Davidson County, Tennessee, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 97

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