USA > Tennessee > Fentress County > History of Fentress County, Tennessee > Part 9
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He was married in 1893 to Alice Mace, a daughter of A. J. Mace, q. v. He is a Mason and an Odd Fellow, and has filled practically every position in both these lodges.
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JOSHUA F. WRIGHT, SR.
Joshua Wright came with his family from Virginia and set- tled at Clarkrange, in the southern part of the county. He was probably the first settler in that region. He blazed out a way for the road from two miles south of Jamestown to the Bledsoe stand. He was a farmer and stockraiser.
He entered several large tracts of land in Overton and in Fentress counties. He is said to have controlled at one time over one hundred thousand acres of land.
He had two sons-Mich and Wilson L. Wright. The Wrights in Fentress County are generally the descendants of Wilson L. Wright, Mitcell's descendants having left the county.
WILSON L. WRIGHT.
Wilson L. Wright, son of J. F. Wright, was a native of Fen- tress County, and served as Sheriff, Trustee, Justice of the Peace and as County Judge. He was County Judge just after the war, when the second courthouse was built. His grandson, E. J. Wright, was County Judge at the time the third court- house was erected.
Wilson L. was an office-holder in the county for forty-two years in succession. He rode to Jamestown on a side saddle to attend the sessions of the county court of which he was a member, when old and feeble and unable to ride otherwise.
He was the father of Maj. John C. Wright, q. v., J. Foster Wright, Jr., and Boswell F. Wright; and Jane Wright, who married Wash. Peavyhouse, and became the mother of Abe Peavyhouse, eight years Register of Fentress County, and John, Sam and Virgil Peavyhouse; Elizabeth Wright, who married John Conatser, their children were Pierce and Mar- gret, who married Russ Choate. John Conatser died, and Eliz- abeth then married Thannie Mullinix. Their children were Vina, who is postmaster at Wilder; Marion, who lives in Wash- ington, and Abagail, who married Hiram Pogue. Victoria Wright married Erasmus Pile, a merchant at Pall Mall, now deceased. Permelia married Benjamin Brannon, who was Sheriff of the county in reconstruction days.
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Foster Wright died in 1900. He was the father of E. J. Wright, John Wright and Mack Wright.
Mack Wright taught school, served as Deputy County Court Clerk, and as Deputy Sheriff. He died in 1899.
JOHN C. WRIGHT.
Eldest son of Wilson L. Wright; was born in 1825. Became a major in the Ninth Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry, U. S. A., and served throughout the war.
Was a merchant at Jamestown for many years, and later engaged in farming on Wolf River and became one of the largest taxpayers in the county. He served the county as County Trustee. He married Mary Williams, and was the father of several children, all of whom became well-to-do- citizens.
ELLEN WRIGHT.
She was a daughter of J. C. Wright, and was well educated. She taught school for several years. Was elected County Super- intendent of Schools in 1895. She died before her term of office had expired, and her sister-Minnie Wright-was elected by the court to fill the unexpired term. They have the honor of being the only women who have held public office in Fentress County.
WM. L. WRIGHT. 1879.
Son of John C. Wright; was born at Pall Mall, 1879; was educated at American Temperance University and at Mary- ville College. He has taught school, acted as railroad agent, dealer in live stock, and is now president of the Bank of James- town. Is a large land owner-owns the famous Rock Castle region near Jamestown.
He was elected County Trustee in 1900 at the age of twenty- one, and was the youngest county officer ever elected in the county. He served six years. Before the close of his term of service, county claims were worth dollar for dollar for the first time since the war.
He is a Mason and an Odd Fellow. He is a prominent repub- lican and has attended every republican state convention since he was twenty-one.
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C. O. WRIGHT.
A son of J. C. Wright. Lives on the old Wright farm on Wolf River and is a prosperous farmer. He has served for several years as a member of the County High School Board.
WEBSTER WRIGHT.
Another son of J. C. Wright; was a teacher in Fentress County for several years. He now resides in Bellingham, Washington.
NOBLE WRIGHT.
Noble is the youngest son of J. C. Wright. He recently graduated in the Lebanon Law School and passed the State examination and received license to practice law.
JOHN SEYMOUR BOWDEN. 1870.
Attorney-at-law and stenographer. Born near Glenoby in 1870. Son of Joshua and Polly Ann Bowden, q. v. Educated at Hiawassee College. Has taught school, served as Deputy County Court Clerk, Deputy Clerk and Master, stenographer for Conatser & Case for a number of years, stenographer in the city government at St. Petersburg, Fla., one year (1913) while in Florida for the benefit of his wife's health. Is now assistant cashier of the Bank of Jamestown.
EUGENE M. SHELLEY. 1875.
Was born in Albany, Kentucky, in 1875; is the son of W. M. and Martha (Amy) Shelley. His father was a farmer.
E. M. Shelley has taught school, clerked in a store, clerked in a bank, cashier in Burnside Bank from 1900 to 1906; then organized the Weiser, Idaho, National Bank, and was cashier of this bank until 1909, when he resigned and came to James- town and bought an interest in the Bank of Jamestown, and has been cashier of this bank since that time.
Married Dora D. Harrison, a sister of Edgar Harrison, q. v., 1901. Is a member of Christian Church and an active Sunday School worker. Member of Knights of Pythias.
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He was a captain in Company I, Fourth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, in Spanish-American War.
B. DEAN BEATY. 1891.
A brother of D. O. Beaty, postmaster, Jamestown, q. v., was born in the Poplar Cove, where he now resides. Was educated at Pleasant Hill and at county high school. He has taught for six years. At present he is selling insurance for the Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company.
He is an Odd Fellow and belongs to the Methodist Church. Is a democrat.
MISS ELLA ANN YOUNG. 1890.
Parents : Alvin and Loretta (Pierce) Young.
Grandparents: W. D. and Nancy (Beaty) Young; Samuel B. and Mary Ann (Tompkins) Pierce, q. v.
Great-grandparents: John and Lovicie (Buck) Young, and William and - (Morley) Tompkins.
Her great-great-grandfather Morley came from Ireland, and her great-great-grandmother from Holland to America.
Youngs came from Virginia in the time of the Revolutionary War and settled in East Tennessee.
W. D. Young came here when he was a year old with his parents. He was of German descent.
Her great-grandfather Beaty was a soldier in War of 1812. He was a relative of Andrew Jackson.
Miss Young was educated at Pleasant Hill and at the county high school, and has been teaching since 1910. Her sister, Nancy Young, is also a teacher.
She lives with her parents near Roslin. She is a member of F. E. C. U. 1536.
SAMUEL B. PIERCE.
S. B. Pierce, who resided, until his death a few years ago, in the east end of the county, near Armathwaite, was a soldier in Company D, Twelfth Kentucky Infantry, U. S. A., and took part in the battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga, and others.
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He was a Justice of the Peace for many years from the tenth district. He corresponded for many years for the county news- paper, and his letters were widely read and much enjoyed.
He was a Mason and a member of the Baptist Church. It is a part of the family history that he was a relative of Presi- dent Franklin Pierce.
LEVI CALVIN HULL. 1849.
Is a son of Allen B. and Syrena (Mainord) Hull, and is a brother of William Hull, and an uncle of Congressman Cordell Hull. Is a prosperous farmer near Armathwaite.
He was married to Rebecca Ann Jones, daughter of Sam and Martha Jones, in 1874.
He is a democrat and a member of I. O. O. F. and a member of the United Baptist Church.
JOHN GENTRY. 1840.
Is a son of William and Sallie Gentry. His grandfather's name was also William Gentry, great-grandfather was David Gentry. The Gentrys came from South Carolina and settled on Wolf River in 1835, where John was born five years later.
He now lives a few miles southeast of Jamestown on Cum- berland Mountain. He is a farmer. Was licensed to practice law in 1895. He taught school for many years in the county.
His great-grandfather, David Gentry, was an American soldier in the Revolution. His grandfather, William Gentry, was a soldier in the War of 1812.
FRED SMITH. 1890.
Was born near Clarkrange in 1890, where he now resides. Educated at Clarkrange and the county high school. Began teaching in 1910. He is a son of Alex Smith. His mother's maiden name was Lowe.
One of his maternal ancestors came across the ocean from Germany at the age of twelve and resided in New York when it was known as New Amsterdam and controlled by the Dutch.
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Fred's great-grandfather, Micael Lowe, a tanner, was one of the first settlers of Knoxville, Tennessee, and was a renowned bear hunter.
P. E. JOHNSON.
Presley E. Johnson was born in 1843. He is of Scotch-Irish- German descent, but is a native born American.
John Sevier was a great-uncle of his grandmother on his mother's side.
He was educated at New Prospect Academy, Bradley County, Tennessee. Attended Medical College at Nashville in 1871. Came to Fentress County and began the practice of medicine in 1876. Moved to Rockwood, Tennessee, and retired from practice in 1906. Now lives at Rockwood.
He served three years in the Federal Army and now receives an age and service pension. He joined the Methodist Church in 1867, was licensed to preach in 1868, and ordained an elder at Cleveland, Tennessee, in 1872.
He married Nancy Poindexter in Bradley County in 1864 and has eight living children : O. W., Charles, Wayne J., Joseph N., Wheeler W., John L., Florence and Nancy.
All of his boys have served in the army except O. W., who is a teacher. Wheeler and John are now in the Philippines, where they have been since the time of the Spanish-American War.
Wayne J. Johnson is a merchant at Oakdale, Tennessee. Joe N. is County Superintendent of Schools in Morgan County. O. W. is principal of schools in Tyty, Georgia. These were all Fentress County boys and moved away from here about twenty years ago.
JOSEPH N. JOHNSON.
Joseph N. Johnson, a son of P. E. Johnson, was born in Fentress County, Tennessee, and lived near Boatland until about 1890 when he moved to Overton County. Has followed farming, teaching and is now County Superintendent of Schools in Morgan County. Was a soldier in the Spanish- American war and did service in Cuba and the Philippines. He was educated at the A. B. Wright Institute and at Athens University.
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He married Orlena Frances Powell, a daughter of a promi- nent farmer in Morgan County in 1901. He is a member of the F. & A. M., Lodge No. 516, Sunbright, Tennessee, and lives near Oakdale, Tennessee.
GEORGE S. KINGTON.
George Strother Kington was born in Virginia in 1803 and came to Fentress County in 1840, and after four years went to Illinois. Returned to Fentress County about 1845. He was a soldier in the Florida War from 1835 to 1837. His father came to Tennessee from Virginia. They were of Irish descent.
He was elected Register of Fentress County in 1854 and held the office until his death in 1888, with the exception of four years when he was defeated by David Conatser, a brother of Hickory Conatser. He preserved the records of the differ- ent offices of the county during the war.
He lived on a farm which he opened up about a mile east of Jamestown, which is now grown up.
He married Harriet Bennett in East Tennessee about 1840. She was the daughter of John Haywood Bennett, a Presby- terian minister. In politics he was a democrat.
A. A. WILSON.
A. A. Wilson was born in Fentress County in 1881. His great-great-grandfather came from England. He received his education in the common schools, and by home study. He is a son of Eli G. Wilson and Sarah (Norris) Wilson. Grand- parents : George Wilson and Sarah Pedew; James Norris and Mary A. Flowers.
He began teaching at the age of nineteen. Has taught at Dry Creek, Big Sandy, Poplar Cove, Upper Crab, Old Greer, East Fork, Little Crab, Campbell, Upper Indian Creek, Sharp Place in Fentress, and at Lower Harrison in Pickett County.
He is a republican and a member of the Baptist Church.
C. CLYDE MITCHELL.
Prof. Mitchell is a native Tennessean and was educated at Franklin County high school, 1906-1910; Winchester Normal
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College, 1910-11; University of the South, 1912-13, and at- tended the Middle Tennessee Normal at Murfreesboro, Tenn., the summer of 1912 and spring and summer of 1913. Taught in the high school at Huntland, 1909-11, and at Cowan 1911-13. Member of the W. P. W. 303. Baptist. Democrat.
Married Miss Alberta Stafford, Decherd, Tenn., 1911. He was principal of the Fentress County high school, 1913-14.
JOHN R. HOGUE.
John R. Hogue was born 1862. He is a son of Vard Hogue and Catherine (Storie) Hogue.
Grandparents: Milburn Hogue and Rachel Hogue.
Great-great-grandparents: Anderson and Elizabeth Hogue.
He was born in Clinton County, Ky., and is of Scotch-Irish and German descent. He received a common school education ; has taught school; has followed farming, logging, merchandis- ing, and the practice of law. Is now County Judge of Overton County. Elected in 1910. Was elected to the House of Repre- sentatives, Fifty-fourth General Assembly, in 1904.
His father moved to Fentress County when he was a small boy and lived on a farm on the East Fork until 1905, when he died. John R. went to Overton County about 1881 and mar- ried Martha Sidwell, and has since resided in Overton County, and now lives near Livingston. He is an Odd Fellow. Has served as school director and as postmaster at Allons, Tenn.
Some time after his resignation as postmaster a draft in his favor of one cent was sent him, as a balance due in his postal account, by the United States.
ROSIER C. PILE.
Rosier C. Pile was born in 1877. He is a son of S. H. and Ermine (Miller) Pile.
Grandparents: Wm. Pile and Polly (Williams) Pile, and Wm. Miller and
He is a native of Fentress County. Was educated at Uni- versity of Harriman and at Maryville College. He is a farmer and general merchant at Pall Mall. Was Tax Assessor of the second district two years, and has been a Justice of the Peace
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eight years. Married Lucy Williams in 1903. She was a daughter of E. J. Williams and granddaughter of F. B. Wil- liams, one of the oldest settlers of the county. R. C. belongs to the I. O. O. F., Lodge No. 283.
WADE HAMPTON ERWIN.
Wade H. Erwin was born January 9, 1819, on the Clinch River in Roane County, Tenn.
When a boy, in the bottoms along Clinch River, he was bitten by a copperhead snake, and when he was a young man blood poison set up from the bite and he had to have his leg ampu- tated. He was so low at the time the doctors were afraid to put him to sleep, and men held him while Dr. Getts and two other doctors took off his leg.
It is not known where he acquired his education, but he must have had some, as he taught school. He came to Jamestown when a young man and began clerking in a store for Crosier. Later he became a partner of Crosier. Later bought out Crosier. At that time they dealt principally in pine tar, tur- pentine and venison. (See other sketch for further informa- tion.)
SOLOMON WYATT WINNINGHAM.
S. W. Winningham was born in 1859. He is a son of Henry Anderson Winningham and Martha (York) Winningham.
Grandparents: Solomon Winningham and Win- ningham, and Jesse York and (Young) York, a daughter of Billie Young of Scott County.
Great-grandparents : Billie Young and Richard Winning- ham.
S. W. was born in Overton County in 1859 and was raised in Jamestown. His father was a Union soldier in the Second Tennessee and died a prisoner on Bells Island.
The Winninghams were among the early settlers in the southeastern part of the county. Richard Winningham owned considerable land.
S. W. was Justice of the Peace six years, Town Marshal of Jamestown one year, in the days of saloons; Deputy Register
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some years under Pleas Phillips, Deputy Sheriff under W. S. Smith four years, Sheriff two years.
Married twice. First: Elvira Stepp, 1871; second: Mary Hix, 1891. He is a farmer and stock raiser and is now in the merchandise business at Shirley, Tenn.
JOHN BENTON BEATY.
John Benton Beaty was born in 1865. He has eight brothers as follows: Lewis, Prime, George W., James, Andrew, Wil- liam, Green, Tom. Andrew is dead. He was Tax Assessor of the thirteenth district. Tom died when small. They are sons of John Beaty and Mahala Allred, daughter of Theophelus All- red. John Beaty was born about 1800 and died about 1868 or 1869.
They are grandsons of Col. Tom Beaty and Jane (Mullinix) Beaty, who was a daughter of Than Mullinix and an aunt of John Mullinix and Theophelus Allred Elizabeth Allred.
Tom Beaty settled where his son, Hiram Beaty, now lives, and was a pioneer in the south end of the county. He owned a large tract of land. Andy Beaty, a brother of Tom Beaty, settled on an adjoining farm, where Abe Beaty lived until his death. Abe was Justice of the Peace for many years and died in 1911. These Beatys settled here about 1800, more than 100 years ago.
Tom Beaty was Sheriff of Fentress County before the war. Two children are still living-Tilda Stephens, widow of Samp- son Stephens, a soldier in the Union army, and Hiram C. Beaty, ex-Sheriff and Justice of the Peace from the thirteenth district.
Prime Beaty lives near Little Crab and was constable for several years and a leading democrat of his district, and has attended many conventions, etc.
John Benton was Justice of the Peace for one term.
Prime, Lewis, George and John B. are Masons, and John Benton is also an Odd Fellow. Has been N. G. of Little Crab Lodge, I. O. O. F. Has held nearly all positions in Masonry.
All the boys are members of the M. E. Church and all democrats.
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Theophelus Allred was a pioneer settler on head of West Fork in Overton County, and was the father of Anthony Center Looper Allred, a well known Baptist preacher, who lives on the East Fork in Fentress County.
WYLIE P. RAINS.
Wylie P. Rains is a son of William L. Rains and Elizabeth Clark.
Grandparents: Uriah Rains and Elizabeth Wells.
Great-grandparents : Levi Clark and Virginia Clark.
Grandparents came to Fentress County from North Carolina about 1836. Henderson Clark came from Ireland to North Carolina and then to Fentress County and settled on Wolf River in 1836.
It is a part of the family history that Henderson Clark and Capt. William Clark, of Virginia, who was later sent by Jeffer- son to explore the Louisiana Purchase, came from Ireland to America together and were of the same ancestry.
Wylie P. Rains was educated in the common schools and began teaching in 1892, and has taught in almost every district in the county. He served as Justice of the Peace from 1906 to 1912. Was one of the organizers of the Fentress County high school. Married -, member of the Church. Was elected Circuit Court Clerk of Fentress County in 1914 as the republican nominee.
JONATHAN SWAN WELCH.
Jonathan Swan Welch was born in 1847 near what is now Armathwaite. Helped to build Fellowship Church there. He now resides in Bevier, Mo.
His parents, Elijah and Catherine (Swan) Welch, came from North Carolina and settled at Armathwaite about 1830 on what is now Bud Hull farm. They were buried at Armath- waite.
J. S. Welch married Rebecca Voils, a sister of Daniel F. Voils, in 1871. Followed farming, mining and lumbering.
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SHERWOOD DELK.
Sherwood Delk was born in 1824 in Scott County, Tennes- see, and came to this county about seventy years ago with his mother and brothers who were: David, John, Henry and James, and settled on the middle fork of Wolf River. His parents were John Delk and Nina (Adkins) Delk. They came from Virginia to Scott County, where John Delk died.
His sister, Neva, married Hiram Crabtree, Sr., and was the mother of James Crabtree. Shookie married Rodney Pile, a grandson of Coonrod Pile. Edna married Hiram Crabtree, Jr.
Sherwood Delk married Malissa Helm about sixty-five years ago. She died about 1884.
MRS. HATTIE L. CASE.
Mrs. Case is a native of Ohio, and was educated at the Ham- mersville, Ohio, high school. Taught in the public schools of Ohio two years; eight years at Rugby, Tenn .; two years at New River, Tenn .; six years at Jacksboro, Tenn., one at Monterey, Tenn., three years at Oneida, Tenn., and four years in the Fen- tress County high school at Jamestown, Tenn., 1909-10-11-12 and 13, and is now teaching at Oneida, where she lives.
She was married to Prof. D. R. Case many years ago and has been associated with him in school work practically ever since, and is now teaching with him at Oneida.
ANDREW JACKSON STORIE.
Andrew J. Storie is a son of Wm. and Annie Storie. His grandparents were Joshua and Elizabeth (Reagan) Storie, Nathaniel and Betsy Mullinix. He received a common school education and taught school at Boatland in the old Chapel in 1879.
He went to Nevada in 1880 and to Washington, and returned to Tennessee in 1888 and engaged in farming. Married Martha N. Greer in 1889. He is a member of Lodge No. 614, F. and A. M., and belongs to M. E. Church.
His father, William Storie, was a second lieutenant in Elev- enth Tennessee Cavalry, Union Army. Was wounded in East
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Tennessee campaign; was captured and carried a prisoner to Annapolis, Maryland, and died there.
J. BATES CRAVENS.
J. B. Cravens was born in 1888. He is a son of W. J. and Belle (Green) Cravens, who was said to be related to Gen. Green. English and Irish descent.
J. B. received his education principally at the Fentress County high school. Began teaching in 1910; has taught at Fairview and Back Creek, and two years at Banner Springs, and is now teaching at Wilder, Tenn (1913).
Member Lodge No. 281, F. and A. M.
FREDERICK O. SANDERS.
F. O. Sanders was born in 1880, in Knox County, Tennessee. His father, James C., and his grandfather, William Sanders, were natives of Claiborne County, Tenn. His great-grand- father, Isaac Sanders, was born in North Carolina and was of Scotch-Irish descent. His grandmother belonged to the noted Evans family of Claiborne County. His maternal grand- mother belonged to the well known Oliver family of Anderson County, and Oliver Springs was named for a great uncle. His mother was related to Henry Clay.
F. O. Sanders was raised on a farm; was educated at Carson and Newman College, S. N. University, Tennessee Normal Col- lege and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He re- ceived B. S. degree at Tennessee Normal College in 1903. In the same year he was ordained a minister in the Baptist Church. He has been preaching and teaching continuously since. For several years he has been principal of the Stockton Valley Baptist Institute at Helena, Tenn.
STOCKTON VALLEY BAPTIST INSTITUTE.
This school was founded in 1909 by C. C. Choate and Rev. Wm. Louis Reagan, Andrew J. Smith being the first principal. For two years the school received some aid from the public school fund. In 1911 the Baptist Church took direct control of the school and it is now owned by them, and is operated
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THE OLD HOME OF MARK TWAIN'S ANCESTORS.
under the supervision of the Home Mission Board of the South- ern Baptist Convention, according to the plans, efforts and expectations of its founders.
At present (1914) it has one large school building completed, and also a dormitory of over twenty rooms. This school is located at Helena in Poplar Cove, not far from the site of the once noted Mount Cumberland Academy. The school bids fair to become a leading institution of learning in Fentress County, located as it is in a moral, well-to-do country neighborhood, where board and other expenses can always be had at reason- able rates.
CORDELL HULL.
Cordell Hull was born in 1871. He is the son of Wm. and Elizabeth (Riley) Hull. Both parents are from well-to-do families. His grandparents were Arthur B. Hull and Sirena (Mainord) Hull, who are the ancestors of the Hulls in Fentress County. He is at present Congressman from this, the Fourth Congressional District.
He was educated at Southern University at Bowling Green, Ky., and National Normal at Lebanon, Ohio, and graduated in law at Cumberland University at Lebanon, Tenn. He has fol- lowed farming, and has been very successful in the practice of law. He was a member of the lower house of the Tennessee Legislature for two years. Was Circuit Judge of the Fifth Judicial District for several years.
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