USA > Tennessee > Monroe County > Sweetwater > History of Sweetwater Valley > Part 10
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5. Nellie Elizabeth, b. August 12, 1875; m. I. N. Steely, a lawyer of Williamsburg, Ky., on May 21, 1908. Chil- dren, three: (1) Hugh Childress; (2) Joe Francis; (3) Garnett Carter.
6. James Finley (John), b. May 22, 1878; m. Lyda Boykin at Chattanooga, on June 17, 1903. One child, Margaret Evelyn. He is a druggist in Sweetwater.
7. Annie Ellen, youngest child of D. B. and Mary 1 Childress, b. April 2, 1884, m. to Samuel E. Johnson, at Sweetwater on December 27, 1905. Four children: (1) Nellie Elizabeth; (2) Samuel G .; (3) Lynn Cannon and Mary Childress.
JAMES COOPER.
Lived on Mrs. Mira A. Reagan's place, one-half mile south of I. T. Lenoir's residence, for probably as much as twenty years, from about 1840 to some time in the early sixties. My information as to the family is some- what meager. What is given about them merely is as I remember it. James Cooper, I think, was twice mar- ried. Name of first wife unknown to me. The children of the first wife that I remember were: Washington, Patsy, Jane, David and James. He married, second, Miss West. Their children were: Cannon, Wesley. Levi, Nick and Joseph and two daughters, and
Washington joined the Confederate army, I think Rowan's company, and was killed, soon after the commencement of the war, in the Cumberland moun-
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tains. Patsy married Matthew McGuire on December 21, 1858. Levi married Ellen Hayes December 31, 1878. Washington, the oldest child of the first marriage was born about 1838-9. Cannon, the oldest child of the sec- ond marriage was probably born about 1850. Joseph Cooper is a conductor on the street railway at Knoxville.
ABRAM WHITENACK COZART
"Was born near Harrodsburg, Ky., on February 11, 1822, and died at Columbus, Ga., on February 20, 1889. He was buried at Philadelphia, Tenn., with other mem- bers of his family. He was first married to Julia A. Caldwell in Monroe County, Ga., in about 1847. Their children were:
1. Joseph H., b. about 1848 in Macon, Ga. He mar- ried February 13, 1870, Addie, daughter of George Mont- gomery Cuson, near Philadelphia. He died near Wau- komis, Okla., leaving several children, who reside there.
2. Mattie, who married (first) the Rev. Joseph Mc- Ghee. They had one son, Joseph L. McGhee, Ph. D. (Johns Hopkins University), who is now professor of chemistry in the Southwestern University at George- town, Texas. She m. (second) B. E. Tallent.
3. Jacob Abner, m. Belle Snavely of Virginia. They live at Bridgeport, Sask., Canada.
4. David, died near Philadelphia, in early manhood. He was a medical student. The children of A. W. and Julia A. Cozart were, I think, all born in Georgia.
Julie A. Cozart died August 16, 1854, near Philadel- phia, Tenn., to which place A. W. Cozart had moved a short time previous. After her death he married her sister, Martha G. Caldwell, who was born September 28, 1827. She died in Georgia January 2, 1899, and was buried at Philadelphia. Their children, who were born at the old home one mile east of Philadelphia, were:
(1) Samuel, who married Mary Wilson. Died at Col- orado Springs, Col.
(2) Hugh Walker, unmarried and lives at Pocatello, Idaho.
(3) Hattie, m. Joseph Gates, Manatee, Fla.
(4) John, m. Addie Caldwell, of Knoxville. Resides at Knoxville, Tenn.
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(5) Linneaus, died at Atlanta, Ga., in early manhood. Buried in Philadelphia.
(6) Abram Whitenack, b. June 14, 1870; m. Susan, daughter of Judge Brown, of Columbus, Ga. He lives at Columbus, Ga., where he practices law, and has served as judge of one of the courts.
History says there was once a man whose name was Andrew Smith and he took as a wife Miss Ellen Seater. He settled or temporarily resided in Orkney Isles; for there on the Mainland, the largest of the group, a son of his and hers first saw the light of day or possibly more correctly the fogs of the north sea. This son was born on the 20th of May, 1797, at Kirkwall. They searched diligently for a name for him and finally settled on John; not Ian, but just plain John without any frills to it. And why not John? There were John the Baptist, and John Knox, the Presbyterian, John the beloved disciple, and King John of Magna Charta fame and a host of other distinguished Johns. Anyhow if there was any- thing wrong with his being saddled with the name of John Smith and being born in the Orkneys John was not to blame for it; he couldn't help it. He was not obliged to stay there however, and when he grew to man- hood he moved about as far away from there as he could. · The Orkneys are among the bleakest lands in the hab- itable parts of the globe. A frith separates them from the northernmost point of Scotia or the "land's end" or the "ultima thule" of the Romans; not a great ways north of them are the Shetland Isles, and like these islands they raise barley, ponies and rough and hardy breed of cattle. In the Orkneys there are nine months of winter and three months of rather cool weather; though in those three months of so-called summer the sun shines most of the time. The hills and cliffs around Kirkwall are about the same elevation above sea level as the depot at Sweetwater. Hoy, west of Mainland Isle, is a horneblende, Gnessoid islet rising sheer out of the sea to a height of more than 1,500 feet. On this uninhabitable, intractable rock the intense cold pro- duces no impression and the storm king and the mad waves of the north sea beat in vain. In summer from the towering cliffs of these islets the sunsets and the
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starry nights are beyond compare. Formerly before the European war no wealthy Britisher's life was complete without a yatching trip to the north of Scotland.
Are there flowers there? We would think so; because the great Creator in some way has rendered beautiful and attractive the most barren and inaccessible parts of the earth, the coldest and hottest. The edelweis blooms amid Alpine snows; the acacia waves her yellow hair in Arabian sands, the cactus sheds its perfume in the rainless tracts of Arizona; gems sparkle in the fathomless depths of ocean.
This contention with the forces of nature on such shores as the Orkneys has given to the Scotch thus ren- ders life in most climes easy. What chance would an Otaheite islander or a tropically reared man have against a descendant of the MeGregors or a Scottish highlander with equal conditions. For the Scot it would be like taking candy from a baby.
What time John Smith came to Scotland proper we are not informed. He undoubtedly must have received his ministerial education there.
At the age of 29 he was married to Mary Bland, of Dumfries, on April 4, 1826. She was born July, 1808. She was the daughter of Robert Bland and Mary Mc- Gregor. Soon after marriage he was sent as a mis- sionary to China: to what particular part is now not known. From the dates of his childrens' birth and where born he could not possibly have remained very long in China. We give the history as furnished us by Mrs. Bland Clark :
Robert Andrew Tomlinson, born at Malacca January 17, 1827. Helen Margaret, born at Malacca September 22, 1828. Mary Ann Aldersey, born off the coast of the isle of St. Helena, December 10, 1829. James Hen- ry, born at Montreal, Canada, November 30, 1831. Bland Elizabeth (Mrs. Clark) born at Kingston, Canada, Feb- ruary 6, 1834. These were the children of the first wife.
He married (second) Elizabeth Bland, a sister of his first wife (Mary Bland), in Canada on August 9, 1835. She was born at Dumfries, Scotland, October 30, 1800. Her children were:
Wm. Henry. b. at Brockville, Canada, July 9, 1837 ; d. in infancy.
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Jane Isabel, b. at Brockville, on September 30, 1838. Angeline Henrietta, b. at Union Village, N. Y., February 16, 1840. Wm. Henry (2), born at Troy, September 28, 1843. Caroline Emily Hutchinson (afterward Mrs. Buell), b. at Troy, N. Y., September 23, 1845.
There were some peculiar circumstances connected with this Smith family. That having a family he should traverse the oceans to Malacca and then to China, re- turning to Malacca and back again to England or Scot- land and thence to the British dominions in North America soon after. He made the voyage to British Isles from Malacca in 1829, as evidenced by the birth of one of his children off the coast of St. Helena. That also shows that he did not go direct from Asia to Canada, for in that case he would not have gone from the Cape of Good Hope by St. Helena, made historic as the prison of the great Napoleon. This was at a time when the canal on the isthmus of Suez had scarce- ly been conceived. It was some voyage then in a slow sailing vessel especially when buffeted by contrary winds. I assume also that John reared on the brink of a tempestuous ocean did not dread the waves and was never sick at sea or he would not have spent so much of his time on ships. Yet with the best accommodations then obtainable it was hard on the youthful mother of three children, she being twenty-one and a half years old and the eldest child less than three.
He married two daughters of Robert Bland and Mary McGregor. One he married when she was 18 years of age and the other (the second wife) when she was 35 years old. His first wife was also eight years the younger of the two. Each was the mother of five chil- dren. He was born in the land of the diminutive shet- land pony, two of his children in the region of the mighty elephant; one on the high seas, one in Montreal and one in Kingston, Canada. These were the children of the first wife. The five children of the second wife were born as follows: Two were born at Brockville, Canada, one at Union Village, N. Y., and two at Troy, N. Y. To three of the children were given the name of Henry: one James Henry and two William Henry, the first Wil- liam Henry dying in infancy. We infer from this that either John or his wives were very partial to the name
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of Henry but did not care to perpetuate the name of John; he had had enough of it. Mrs. Clark says too that though the grandchildren and great grandchildren are very numerous that not one of them living bears the surname of Smith.
Also when once his children left the place of their nativity, which they usually did early in life, none re- turned to reside, like. Roderick Dhu, on their native heath and very rarely set foot on it. His descendants are dispersed from Canada to Brazil and not a Smith among them to perpetuate the name. There are how- ever a few Smiths left in New York City, so the direc- tory says.
MRS. HELEN MARGARET COOKE.
I take this from the Chattanooga Times of Decem- ber 5, 1915.
"Kirkwall is a little place with about 4,000 inhab- itants in the island county of Orkney. Its location may be fixed in the minds of the reader by the statement of the fact that it is between 20 and 30 miles north of the famous 'John O. Groats', the most northern point of Scotland. Because of its commodious harbor, in which can be held hundreds of vessels, and on account of the fact the harbor space is not occupied, it is used by the British as the most available place for the internment of detained United States ships. This has given it a prom- inence it might not otherwise have obtained."
"It is of interest to note that Kirkwall and its sur- roundings furnish one of the most interesting places in the world for sightseeing. History and tradition com- bine to trace the civilization and architecture back to the times of Scandinavian supremacy. The castle, pal- ace and cathedral are buildings of remarkable interest and the scenery of the surrounding country is described as beautiful."
The springs and creek which supply the waters that flow through our town and by a thousand devious chan- · nels for thousands of miles find their way to the Gulf of Mexico. And are they lost there? By no means. Warmed by the suns of Yucatan they become part of the Gulf Stream, the mightiest water course on our
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globe-mightier even than the Bosphorus that empties from the Black Sea into the Mediterranian and the form- er affording ten times the volume of the Mississippi. This, the Gulf Stream, sweeps northeasterly in its irresistible flow and tempers the climate of many lands. It ren- ders habitable the Orkneys and blesses wherever it goes. Thus one part of the world gets its food, its climate, its civilization and often even its religion from another part. "Am I (not) my brother's Keeper?"
"And east is east and west is west and never the twain shall meet, Till earth and sky stand presently at God's great judgment seat." A very pretty jingle, Mr. Kipling, but is it true? No, though we should endeavor to isolate ourselves on an uncharted isle of the Pacific, soon or late some ship would come our way and insist on knowing what we were there for.
Mr. Smith was educated at Oxford, England; was a teacher and preacher and was possessed of a magnifi- cent library.
Mrs. Cook was born in Malacca and "Little Ellen," as her mother called her, sojourned some months in Singapore, Asia, traversed two oceans, lived in Mon- treal, Kingston, Brockville, and Bath in Canada, Troy and Union Village in New York, Selma, Ala., Athens, Cleveland and Sweetwater, Tenn., and Fort Valley, Ga., and also in Florida. There she spent her last days.
With these advantages of parentage and education and being associated with the best people in many sec- tions and being a bright and attractive woman one can well conceive what her influence in life must have been.
She came south to Selma, Ala., about 1850. She m. there Professor H. G. Cooke, a teacher of music on the violin and piano. They came to Athens, Tenn., probably in 1853. She taught there a private school till the fall of 1856. She taught also at Cleveland, Tenn., in 1857. At Athens Mrs. Julia R. Love, Mrs. D. B. Childress and Mrs. S. J. A. Frazier were among the number of her' pupils.
In 1858 she came to Sweetwater and became the prin- cipal of the girls' school in the Union Institute, now the Baptist Seminary. She taught in this building until the schools were closed on account of the occupation of this section by the Federal troops.
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She was intensely southern in feelings. She always was very partial to the southern people and the climate of the south and the majority of her friends were in this section of the country. During the war she hesitated not to express her opinions and even her husband, a former Massachusetts man, was also a southern sympa- thizer. She entertained General John H. Morgan on one of his raids through this country. For this or more probably because she was under accusation of giving information to the "rebels" through a secret, then termed an "underground mail system," she was sent through the lines, by whose order I am not informed. She finally reached Fort Valley, Ga., where the family of Sterling Neil "refugeed" when the Federal troops occupied this valley. Stella Neil, now Mrs. J. C. Slap- py, had been a pupil of hers at Sweetwater.
Before the Civil War she contracted for lot No. 127, bounded by High, Morris, Church and Walnut streets, adjoining the Union Institute lot 126 and built a resi- dence thereon. The street between the two lots has since been closed by the town authorities.
Some time after the war she returned to her home in Sweetwater. She had a small building erected on her own lot and taught a private school there. These build- ings now have both been removed or torn down.
She also taught a school in the lower floor of the Ma- sonic Hall then occupying the site of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, South.
She moved to Bridgeport, Florida, She died there on May 13, 1896.
Mrs. Cooke in her teaching strenuously insisted on thoroughness, industry and obedience to rules. Being such an indefatigable worker herself she could not tol- erate a lazy pupil. Yet she was patience personified when the scholar was dull but really trying to learn. She was a strict disciplinarian and though firm she was always kind and managed to gain not only the respect but love of her pupils. I have heard many of them, most of whom are now passed away, express a devout thank- fulness that they were taught by Mrs. Cooke.
She turned out many who were afterward teachers, both in the academical and musical departments. Few indeed were there of her pupils who were not well
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grounded in the "three R's" and numerous ones were shining lights in the higher branches. She taught near- ly everything but domestic science; this her girls were expected to learn at home so far as they could.
She was a member of the Presbyterian church and owing to her disposition never neglected church or - Sunday-school duties.
William did you mean it? "Mean what," said the shade of the immortal Shakspear? "what you said about the evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones."
"Get thee to a sanitarium, you mast fed East Ten- nesseean, you, I'm not answering fool question today; but this I will say, a part of it I meant and a part I didn't. Take your choice. Good-bye."
"William, sorry I disturbed you, take a rest and a coca cola for your nerves."
Now there may be those who may have minds scepti- cally inclined. They may refuse to believe that I called his spirit up at all from the-the vastly deep-as the Sweetwater telephone thitherward is not in working or- der-and if I did call, there was no answer or if there was an answer it was not Shakspear but his ste- nographer that answered. Again the language attrib- uted to him is not Shakspearian and he had no knowl- edge that East Tennesseeans fed on acorns like the Druids of old.
But you can have it your own way; take it or leave it; I'm agreeable. I am about to give you the contents of a paper showing that the good Mrs. Cooke did live after her and that her soul is "marching on" but not in the John Brown direction, which is bad for John B.
The paper to which I refer was compiled and written by Miss Miranda E. Yearwood for the H. M. Cooke Memorial Library some time this year (1915). It is very highly interesting and instructive and almost a com- plete history of the library movement in the town of Sweetwater and surrounding country. That the town sorely needed a library goes without saying. Read her article, ye moneyed men and women, and loosen up your purse strings! And do not wait till you are worth a million to do it, but help endow the library so that it
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will not have a hand to mouth existence year after year.
Right here permit me to say, whether pertinent or not, if any one. after reading Miss Yearwood's paper, is bold enough to assert that the women of the first civil district of Monroe County have not sufficient intelli- gence and principle to transact business and cast the ballot, I would like for him to come forth and exhibit himself.
True the ladies usually get what they want as it is, but not always when they want it. I have several times been told by some of them how I must vote or suffer the penalty, and I have no legal boss either.
Some oppose female suffrage because they fear that the ballot will corrupt the women without elevating the franchise. A point not well taken. Is the sunbeam cor- rupted when it shines on a heap of garbage?
The paper of Miss Yearwood follows:
HELEN M. COOKE MEMORIAL LIBRARY.
On February 11, 1905, twenty-three persons from the town and surrounding country met in the Sweetwater Seminary building, then used by the "Tennessee Mil- itary Institute," to discuss plans to establish a public library in the town of Sweetwater.
Mrs. J. Harrison Lowry was chairman of the meeting. She stated the purpose of the meeting and stressed the special need for a library in the town. Miss Bess Love told of the start made, stating that when the Misses Coffin were preparing to leave Sweetwater they had given her mother, Mrs. Julia Reagan Love, thirty-five books. Mrs. Love offered these books with others she would donate toward a public library. Many others offered from three to six books and numerous magazines. For the present Colonel O. C. Hulvey offered a room in the school building, rent free, for a home for the library.
On voting the name was made the "Sweetwater Pub- lic Library Association," books to be obtained from membership fees, gifts, and by money earned by public entertainments, teas, etc.
The membership (fee) was placed at $1.00 per year, thus making a membership within the reach of all. Without charge any one can use the reference books or read in the library when open to the public.
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Colonel O. C. Hulvey was made president, Mrs. J. H. Lowry, vice-president, and Miss Bess Love, secretary- treasurer. A committee was named to draft By-laws and a Constitution, one to solicit memberships, one to se- lect books. The books were to be judiciously propor- tioned as to subjects in history, biography, fiction, na- ture, travel, essays, etc.
The officers of February, 1905, served until Septem- ber, 1907. Then on February 7, 1907, S. T. Jones was elected president, Mrs. J. R. Love, vice-president, Miss Nancy Jones, recording secretary, Mrs. J. R. Bradley, corresponding secretary, and Clarence E. Young, treas- urer.
Early in 1908 the room heretofore donated by Colonel O. C. Hulvey was needed for school purposes and the books and furnishings were removed to a small build- ing in the yard of S. T. Jones, which we used rent free.
On March 21, 1908, Mrs. Bland E. Clark offered as a gift the small building and the ground on which it stood, opposite the Southern Methodist Church, for a home for the library, provided the name be changed from the Sweetwater Library Association," to the "Helen M. Cooke Memorial Library," in memory of Mrs. Clark's sister, Mrs. Helen Margaret Cooke, one of the pioneer educators in this community. Mrs. Ida Clark Hutcheson offered $100.00 to the building fund provided Mrs. Clark's offer was accepted. It was with great pleasure that the association made the change in name by a unanimous vote.
Several parties made an effort to secure a charter but each time failed in some essential. C. E. Young, treas- urer, took the matter in hand and secured a char- ter for the "Helen M. Cooke Memorial Library" in Sep- tember, 1910. It was signed by S. T. Jones, C. M. Young, Mrs. L. E. Heiskell and Misses Bess Love and Miranda E. Yearwood.
A building committee was appointed composed of Mrs. Bland E. Clark, C. E. Young, Mrs. S. T. Jones, and Misses Bess Love, Nancy Jones and Miranda E. Year- wood. The building given by Mrs. Clark was originally a small barn which had been converted into a dwelling. The committee could not dispose of this building to ad- vantage, so concluded to remodel and add to it; which
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was done. When completed it was convenient and com- modious. A circular was issued signed by pupils of Mrs. Cook now residing in this community and mailed to all her former pupils whose addresses we could learn, telling of the proposed memorial to her name and ask- ing for donations toward the building fund. Among the replies received enclosing check, was one from Mr. Will Price (of Chicago), sending $25.00 and promising that when the building was completed he would donate. a piano of his firm (Price and Peeple, Chicago) make. This he did. $200.00 was subscribed by citizens not pu- pils of Mrs. Cooke and the balance to complete the build- ing was made by various entertainments. The building was completed April, 1911, at a cost of $1,036.70 and all paid.
The assembly room is finished in mission style, beamed ceiling, hardwood floor, built-in window seats, stone chimney, tinted walls, green stained woodwork and bookcases; large library table and piano to corre- spond. Electric light fixtures, rugs and window shades also to correspond. Clarence E. Young denated a mis- sion clock and Mrs. Clark a Morris chair for this room.
Adjoining the main room is the kitchen, furnished; sink with water connections, table and dumb waiter to the second floor. In the pantry adjoining the kitchen there are numerous utensils and odd dishes in addition to three dozen small plates, three dozen large plates, three dozen cups and saucers, three dozen sauce dishes with green band and the "Helen M. Cooke Library" in green. These dishes were donated by Mr. and Mrs. Robert N. Penland. Across the end and down back side of the building is a wide porch lighted by electric lights. The stairs (enclosed) ascend from the side porch and enter the main room on the second floor (also hard- wood) and which has built-in seats and shelves. Adjoin- ing this main room is a storeroom and serving room with dumb waiter coming from the kitchen. The main room on the second floor is rented by the United Daugh- ters Confederacy chapter as an assembly room.
The entire building with its contents is rented (when desired) for private or public entertainments at a rea- sonable rate and is an ideal place for holding receptions, etc. There are folding tables and folding chairs. The
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