USA > Tennessee > Monroe County > Sweetwater > History of Sweetwater Valley > Part 21
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In the presidential election of 1896 he came to Sweet-
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water three and one-half miles to vote. He remarked at the polls that the first ballot he ever cast was for Wil- liam Henry Harrison and that he took great pleasure in casting the last ballot he ever expected to cast for Wm. J. Bryan. He was then more than 86 years of age. I told him I hoped that he would live to cast a ballot for Mr. Bryan again. This he did and when he came to the polls in 1900 I reminded him of what he said four years previous. But he did not live to vote for Bryan the third time.
He was a teetotaller by practice and none of his five sons ever drank at all except one and he very rarely. Yet I do not think I ever heard him discuss the question of prohibition. However he preferred charges against one of the members of his church for being intoxicated. The member was excluded and his quotation of the pas- sage "Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow ye die" did not save him. The church did not interpret the Scripture as the offending brother interpreted it.
The children of E. A. and Elizabeth Taylor were:
One. James Hughes, born March 21, 1831; died in the summer of 1876.
Two. Woodson, born September 22, 1833; died March 1912.
Three. William Henry, born February 4, 1836; died June 26, 1914.
Four. Thomas Daniel, born September 29, 1838; died October 6, 1902.
Five. Martha Louisa, born April 6, 1841.
Six. Mary Elizabeth, born February 4, 1844.
Seven. Zachary born November 14, 1849; died August 9, 1914.
Eight. Eliza, born December 28, 1859.
Two. Woodson Taylor m. Emily Palmer, then of Sweetwater May 8, 1867. Rev. Snead Minister. She was a younger sister of Mrs. W. L. Clark and was born in New York.
Woodson T. was a farmer. He went to Grainger Coun- ty on Holston River soon after marriage. His wife died October, 1915. Their children were:
Mrs. Mary Sheldon (dead), of Kentucky; William
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Elika, Frank Palmer, Geo. Elbert, Elizabeth Cleveland, and Ernest. A daughter, the youngest, died in infancy. Mary married a distant relative, Claude Taylor. The Taylor home is at Jefferson City, where Frank and Eliz- abeth still live.
One. James Hughes Taylor was first married to Sa- rah Warren of Iowa, who died leaving two children, Mrs. Lizzie McAmis, of Ash Grove, Mo., and William H., of Columbus, Miss. His second wife was Mary Minnis, of Madisonville, Tenn. Died at Elika Taylor's home Sep- tember 12, 1915. Left two children: Mrs. Fannie Aren- dall and John Quincy, both of Atlanta, Ga.
William Henry Taylor came to Sweetwater and went into the mercantile business with Joseph Boyd, brother of Mrs. J. C. Vaughn in a part of the old hotel building in 1854 or 1855. He married F Adelia Brad- shaw of Towns County, Ga., on July 5, 1859, A. H. Bark- ley, minister. After the Civil War he did business in Atlanta, Ga., as a commission merchant. He came back to Tennessee. He was a farmer in Grainger County.
He went to Paris, Texas, in the year He died in Paris, Texas, and was interred there. She was a Methodist. She was a sister of Lieutenant Nicholas Bradshaw who married Miss Sallie Brown, daughter of Judge Geo. Brown of Madisonville.
The children of Wm. H. and F. A. Taylor were:
Frank, Charles, Robert, Bettie, Flora, Edward, Pearl, Libby, Hugh, Henry and Lucy. Bettie married John J. Browder, son of J. M. Browder (whom see).
Martha Louisa married Hugh C. McCammon, of Boul- der, Col., on April 21, 1874. He was born in Knox Coun- ty. After moving to Colorado he was a miner and farmer and was a member of the Legislature at one time. He died at Boulder. Their children were:
Blanche, who married Seth M. Thomas, of Boulder, and Anna, who married Horace Griffin of that place. Their son, Hugh, lives at Black Hawk, Col. Their third daughter was named Olive.
Mary Elizabeth was b. February 4, 1844; m. Sam M. Thomas on February 18, 1869. He was the son of of Kentucky, and was a brother of Mrs.
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Sterling Neil. They moved first to Trenton, Tenn., then to Collins County, Texas, finally to San Saba County. Post-office, Brownwood, Texas. There are two children now (1915) living: Welin, post-office, Denver, Col., and Gardner.
Eight. Eliza m. Will Thomas, son of John L. Thomas, December 10, 1890. He (W. T.) was b. in McMinn Coun- ty, March, 1866; d. December 3, 1915. He was a very zealous and efficient member of the First Baptist Church, Sweetwater, and was a noted teacher in the Sunday- school. He and his wife resided during married life at the old E. A. Taylor place. He farmed the land as in- telligently and industriously as his father-in-law. Chil- dren five in number: Harold, b. January 12, 1893; Jen- nie Valeria, b. September 10, 1894, d. September 3, 1897 ; Blanche Elizabeth, b. December 21, 1896; Ruby and Ruth were twins, b. August 3, 1898.
MRS. ELIZA BREWSTER
Was the daughter of James and Jane Howel Mayes, of Grainger County, Tenn. She was born April 8, 1838. She was a sister of Henry Mayes and of Mrs. E. A. Tay- lor. She married John Brewster from her home Octo- ber 15, 1857.
He was b. in Virginia, February 7, 1828. He was a stock trader. He was supposed to have been lost in a steamboat disaster on the Mississippi River. She moved to Sweetwater from Grainger County early in 1867. Their children were:
(1) Ora was born in Grainger County, November 15, 1858. She was a noted piano player and music teacher. She taught at Thomasville and at Shelby, N. C. She had the gift of absolute pitch. She could tell instantly what note was struck on any instrument. On a piano that she was accustomed to and in good tune she could tell by ear and name each note without seeing the piano as many as eight notes struck simultaneously, whether chords or dischords. She was an accomplished sight reader of music and also could reproduce any short piece of music that she heard if allowed to go to the piano at once, but nothing like the lengthy productions Blind Tom could.
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She played for Blind Tom once at a performance. In playing the piece after her probably as much as five minutes long she said that he made a good many changes especially in the cadenzas but that some of them might have been just as good as the author's idea. The tempo of the piece as played by Blind Tom was slightly more rapid than Miss Brewster's. I have heard him I think as many as four times and he was more successful in reproducing Miss Brewster's piece than that of any other.
At Shelby, N. C., while teaching there Miss B. got acquainted with Charles C. Blanton and they were mar- ried in Sweetwater July 15, 1885. She died in Atlanta, January 17, 1890. He is a resident of Shelby, N. C.
(2) Mary Brewster was born in Grainger County, Tenn., May 14, 1861. She died in Sweetwater, February 7, 1873.
(3) Valeria (Vallie) was b. in Grainger County, July 31, 1865. She married A. R. Melendy, D. D. S. of the firm of Cook & Melendy, June 30, 1884. Parents of one son, Melville B. Melendy, who was born in Sweetwater, Au- gust 21, 1886. Dr. and Mrs. Melendy moved to Knox- ville. She died there November 16, 1910.
M. B. Melendy married Miss Eleanor Darcy, of New York City.
Mrs. Brewster resides in Shelby, N. C.
THE MANIS FAMILY.
The information below was gotten from James Har- vey Manis in Sweetwater, in 1912. He had no records with him and the information is from his memory:
Ephraim Manis, father of John, Harvey and George and those given, came from Hawkins County to this sec- tion about 1819. He died at the age of 87 years. His children were:
William, b. 1822. Went to California in 1849. Lives in Oregon.
John, b. 1824. Married Randolph.
Sarah Ann, b. 1826. Married Cooper.
George, b. 1832. Lives at Gudger. Married. Has large family. Served as a soldier in the Confederate army.
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James Harvey, b. January 15, 1836.
Esther, b. 1838. Married John Pryor. Lives in Mc- Minn County, Tenn.
Joseph, b. 1840; d. 1909.
James Harvey Manis married Lucinda Randolph Feb- ruary 15, 1867. He had served through the war in the Confederate army. He was a farmer. Their children were: Isham G. Harris, b. December, 1867. Lives in Oklahoma; Bettie and Callie died young; Dosia mar- ried Alex McAmis, lives in McMinn; Sallie, married Tallent ; Mary, married Duncan, lives in Oklahoma; Mattie, married McCosh, lives in Oklahoma; Joe, lives in the first district of McMinn County ; Annie, dead; Harriette, married Connor and lives in Oklahoma; James Harvey, died in youth.
THE MARTINS.
John Martin was born June 29, 1779; d. November 29, 1841. His son, Hugh E., was born February 25, 1809, and died January 3, 1857. He married Mary Griffitts of Blount County, a sister of Mrs. John Ramsey. Mary Griffitts was born April 17, 1819, and died February 28, 1907. They are both buried at Philadelphia.
Hugh E. Martin owned a large farm about midway be- tween Philadelphia and Sweetwater. Their children were :
1. William Edward, who died at Vicksburg, Miss., in 1863.
2. James G., d. near Chattanooga in 1913. He was a soldier in the Confederate army during the Civil War. He married Mary McPherson of Meigs County. Their children were: Annie, Jennie and Margaret, who died in early life; Hugh, lives at Evansville, Tenn., m. Mc- Pherson. They have nine sons. Joe, Jack and Bertie (Mrs. Johnson) live in Chattanooga; Georgia, lives at Tasso, Tenn., where he is agent for the Southern Rail- way Company., and is a merchant. He married Maude Woods, of Concord, Tenn. They have three children, Elizabeth, George C., Jr., and Catherine.
3. Margaret, daughter of Hugh E .; m. Thomas Har- ris, who was a carpenter and farmer. Their children were: William Ramsey, d; Mary Elizabeth, d; Hugh
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Alexander and Charles M., who live in Chattanooga, Tenn.
4. Elizabeth, b. September 12, 1851; m. Dr. Thomas Arrants, of Decatur, Tenn., on August 29, 1876. Their children were: Artie, b. 1879. W. H., b. November 18, 1881. He took a literary course at the University of Tennessee and a medical course at the University of Nashville. He married Hulah Cowan, of Covington, Tex. He is a practising physician at Sweetwater, Tenn. Sam. H., third child of Elizabeth Arrants, b. October 18, 1884; is a farmer in Meigs County. Lizzie Crate, fourth child of Elizabeth Arrants, b. February 24, 1888.
5. Susan, fifth child of Hugh E. Martin; m. Eli Cleve- land. See Clevelands.
6. Harle, d. about 1908. Unmarried.
7. George, b. December 3, 1853; m. Mary Davis. Ad- dress, 1313 Indiana Avenue, Spokane, Wash.
8. Hugh, died in early manhood.
THOMAS J. MOORE
Was born at Kingston, Tenn., January 9, 1824, the son of John Moore and Susan Moore. (This Susan Moore was the sister of Ann Moore who married Solomon Bo- gart, whom see.) Thomas J. Moore, married (first) Elizabeth Martin Cannon, b. June 11, 1822, daughter of Robert and Ann Galbraith Cannon, of Philadelphia, Tenn., in about 1846. He moved to that place when a young man. After the completion of the East Tennes- see and Georgia Railroad he was agent there for that company for a number of years. After that he worked in the general offices of railroad company at Knoxville almost up to the time of his death. In 1871 he moved to Sweetwater, where he purchased a part of the Chas. Cannon farm, just southwest of the town. He died there on March 2, 1875, and was buried at Philadelphia. The children of T. J. and Elizabeth C. Moore were :
Octavia, b. November 8, 1847 ; d. July 8, 1886, and was buried at Philadelphia.
Ann, b. June 20, 1850.
Robert Cannon, b. November 24, 1853. Unmarried. Lives at Sweetwater, Tenn.
J. Charles, b. May 5, 1856.
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Ann Moore married George Mcknight at Sweetwater on November 16, 1885. He was born June 12, 1844. He was depot agent at Sweetwater for a great number of years for the Southern Railway and its predecessors. He afterwards bought the Biggs farm near there. In May, 1905, he purchased a farm three miles west of Charleston, Tenn., and moved there. He sold this place in August, 1912, and moved to Cleveland, Tenn., where he now lives. Their children were:
George M., b. August 21, 1886; d. January 15, 1915. Robert Cannon, b. August 19, 1888. He is a phar- macist living at Los Angeles, Cal.
J. Charles Moore, married Sarah Bachman, daughter of Nathan and Sarah Cunningham Bachman, on June 15, 1893, the Rev. Nathan Bachman, officiating. Charles Moore is a member of the Presbyterian church. He is a certified public accountant and auditor. The children of Charles and Sarah Moore are :
Charles Bachman, b. April 5, 1894; Nathan Thomas, b. May 31, 1896 ; Laurence, b. August 6, 1902, and Robert Cannon, b. October 25, 1907.
J. Charles Moore lives at Knoxville, Tenn.
Thomas J. Moore, married (second) Rowena Brown, the daughter of the Rev. Thos. Brown, of Philadelphia, Tenn. Thomas Brown, M. G. Their children were:
Susan, b. March 31, 1869, at Philadelphia, Tenn.
Thomas J., b. October 21, 1874, at Sweetwater, Tenn.
Susan Moore was married to J. B. Sizer at Sweet- water March 8, 1888. He was born at Newark, N. J., on April 12, 1861. He is a lawyer and first practised in Sweetwater. In the year of 1890 he moved to Chatta- nooga and became a member of the firm of Pritchard & Sizer. After the death of Mr. Robert Pritchard he be- came a partner of Mr. Chambliss. He has a very lucra- tive practice. The children of J. B. and Susan Sizer are :
Margaret Moore, b. January 8, 1889; Rowena Brown, b. June 1, 1891; Hilda Wade, b. October 13, 1893; Mary Helen, b. October 12, 1896; James Burnett, b. March 9, 1899; Octavia, b. June 26, 1901, and Anthony DeSosieur, b. March 10, 1909.
Margaret Moore Sizer was married to Alexander
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Chambliss, of Chattanooga, on January 5, 1910. He is a lawyer. They reside at Chattanooga.
Thomas J., youngest son of Thomas J. and Rowena Moore, was born October 21, 1874. On July 10, 1912, he married Helen Swalm, of Colorado Springs, Col. She died at Chattanooga January 6, 1915. He is a manu- facturer in Chattanooga.
HON. MATTHEW NELSON.
The following was taken from a sketch of his life in possession of Mr. M. M. Nelson, of Knoxville, Tenn. It was written by his grandmother, the wife of Matthew Nelson. She was, if I mistake not, a sister of Robt. Can- non of Roane County, who lived the latter part of his life near Philadelphia on what is still known as the Can- non place. She was born April 19, 1784, and died April 26, 1862. She and her husband were both buried in the Presbyterian cemetery near Philadelphia. The sketch referred to is so well written that it is copied almost entire.
Matthew Nelson, Sr., was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia, October 17, 1778. His father migrated to (what was afterward) this State whilst it was a territory and was a sharer, first, in the Revo- lutionary War and then in the Indian war. (Note-He was too young to have fought in the Revolution, but remembered it as a spectator.) He was the oldest of a family of eight children and was taught the rudiments of learning by an old maiden aunt, who had become much. attached to him on account of his aptness to learn. Slates being scarce in those hard times, she procured a piece of slate-stone and with a pencil of the same material she set copies for him. She used to say to her sister in her good old Scotch-Irish dialect: "Matthew is a fine boy and shows signs of talents." He never was at school but three months, yet notwithstanding his disadvantages he had so far advanced as to be employed to teach a small school at the age of seventeen years. About the year 1799 or 1800 he went to Kingston, where he worked at his trade (that of carpenter), and resided in Roane County until his marriage (to Miss Martha Cannon) on the 20th of August, 1803. Shortly afterward they settled in Kingston, where, by his honest labors and moral habits, he gained the confi- dence of all who knew him.
In 1813 he was elected representative (to the General Assembly) from Roane County. During the session he was made treasurer of East Tennessee. He then moved to Knoxville. He entered upon the duties of his office January 13, 1814. These duties he discharged with scrupulous care and fidelity for fourteen years. About 1816 he went into partnership in the mercantile line with the late worthy James Campbell, of Knoxville. At the close of the term of partner- ship, he continued the business alone for a number of years. During
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his term of office as treasurer, the public lands in the Hiwassee Dis- trict were subjected to sale, and the treasurer was required to super- intend the sale. For this service the law allowed him two per cent commission on the gross proceeds of the sale, and all the emoluments and perquisites of his office instead of a stated salary. The land sales were large, and in one year his commission amounted to six or seven thousand dollars. He believed that the Legislature contemplated no such large compensation to the treasurer, and acting upon this con- viction he paid over to the treasury all but fifteen hundred dollars, which he reserved to himself as an honest compensation.
Honesty in theory is no rarity among men; but we see here the man that acted it out in practice in its length thereof and in its breadthı thereof.
On the 25th of December, 1828, he left Knoxville with his family and arrived at Philadelphia on the 1st of December, 1829, and settled on his farm to spend the remainder of his days in peace and quiet- ness, but his public course was not finished. He was shortly made justice of the peace, giving satisfaction to all parties in all cases of law. His motto was law and justice. In 1844 he was elected treasurer of the State of Tennessee. He went to Nashville with the deter- mination to know nothing among them but truth and honesty. During his residence in Nashville the Lord wrought a good and gracious work in his soul, and on the 11th of March, 1845, he joined the Second Presbyterian church of that city, which was under the pastoral care of Dr. Lapsley.
On the 5th of November, 1845, he was voted out of office, and gave it up with. as much ease as David laid aside Saul's armor, be- lieving it to be a bar to his spiritual interest.
On April 2, 1846, he left Nashville, and, on the 7th, arrived at his residence in Philadelphia. He was invited by his friends to resume his seat as justice of the peace, which had been vacant for two years. He held this office from that time until his death, which occurred on December 1, 1852.
DOMESTIC HABITS.
He never was an early riser; generally lay until called up by the breakfast bell. Owing, I suppose, to his having both legs broken when young and which remained painful at times all his life. His temper was rather rough of a morning, but a cup of coffee generally brought on a sweet calm. He paid but little attention to what he ate. He seldom could tell an hour after meal what he had eaten. He was rather slovenly in his dress. Candor and punctuality marked his way. His family generally knew where he was and what he was about. He never aspired after a great name, but if honesty and sound piety make a part of great men he had a large share of the best kind of wisdom. The path of the just is as a shining light "that shines more and more until the perfect day." For the last few years of his life his Bible and family altar were to him as the precious dews of heaven. He never neglected these until worn out by age and affliction. His last illness was long and painful, but he bore his suffering with Job-like patience.
His long and useful life closed on the 1st of December, 1852. "Mark the perfect man and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace."
From this sketch, which I believe is truthful, it is evi- dent that the Hon. Matthew Nelson was a very remark-
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able and exceptional man. He was a warm personal and political friend of my father, I. T. Lenoir. They both were whigs. I. T. Lenoir was a member from Roane County in the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth General Assemblies of the state. Mr. Nelson was a representa- tive from the same county in 1813. Mr. Lenoir was an ardent and influential supporter of Mr. Nelson for state treasurer and was among the first to suggest his mak- ing the race. He had a very high opinion of Mr. Nel- son's ability and integrity. He made as good a treasurer as the state ever had. Mrs. Nelson's saying "that he was voted out of office" (treasurer) merely means that the complexion of the Legislature had changed from whig in 1843 to democratic in 1845. Aaron V. Brown, Democrat, had also beaten Foster, whig, for governor. Therefore Nelson failed of re-election as treasurer. He had been as accurate in his accounts às state treasurer as he had been for the sale of lands in East Tennessee, and as well prepared to settle and vacate. In conduct- ing the land sales in East Tennessee he could have made himself immensely wealthy, not only by collecting the fees allowed him, but agreeing with the purchasers to turn over to him the lands so bought for stipulated sums, erecting a man of straw as a go-between, practically thus purchasing the lands he desired from himself at his own price. Our modern financiers of the Guggen- heimer type would not have asked for a better chance. But he came out of it all rather a poor man and bought not as much probably as he would otherwise have done.
It has been related under the caption of General James H. Reagan, that he was one of the first in this section to grant a right of way to the E. T. & G. R. R. Co., when after a description according to grant, he adds: "The land upon which I now reside and on which the town of Philadelphia is located."
Taking his career as an example it may well be doubted whether ideal "honesty is the best policy" to pursue to accumulate wealth or for a successful financial career. Mr. Nelson had almost unlimited opportunities inside the law to become rich but he failed to take advantage of them. No doubt resisting temptation to do what he considered would be wrong gave him greater satisfac-
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tion than to be able to draw a valid check for many thous- ands acquired dishonestly or in ways to which suspicion might attach. His policy of "letting his family know where he was and what he was about" no doubt in his case was a peacemaker and a worry-saver; but adopted by the average husband would be about as likely to cause trouble as to prevent it. Would it not be better some- times to use a little diplomacy in the matter ?
Mrs. Nelson's tribute to the beneficent influence of a cup of coffee upon the feelings and temper of her hus- band would have been quite a blow to the postum busi- ness had there been any such at the time. But how the coffee men would have relished it! And pray why should not the coffee berry boiled in water produce as healthful and palatable a beverage as the rye and wheat berry?
It will be interesting to note that the old house which Mr. Nelson built and resided in till his death is still standing. Its location is across the branch from W. C. Cannon's residence.
The children of Matthew and Martha Nelson were:
1. Lawrence, married Louisa Cannon (see Cannon). He died
2. Caroline, married John O. Cannon. John O. C., Jr., their son, was reared by Matthew Nelson.
3. Sydney C., married Robert Cleveland (see Cleve- lands).
4. Eliza, married Dr. Blackburn, of New Market. One son, David B., who went to Oregon.
5. Matthew, married McGaughey, of Athens, Tenn. He is dead. She is still (1916) living in Knox- ville. One son, Matthew N., merchant and accountant, Knoxville, Tenn.
6. John D. He must have been something of a hu- morist. He obtained a license at Madisonville, Tenn., on the 1st of February, 1839, to marry Polly Maddy. They did not marry and he made the return: "No prop- erty found in my county, J. D. Nelson, sheriff." How- ever, next time he had better luck. On the 20th of Au- gust, 1844, he obtained a license to marry Sarah D. Talia- ferro. They were duly married and moved to Texas.
7. William Cannon, was born at Knoxville, Tenn., Sep- tember 16, 1821. He married Caroline Jones, born May
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26, 1826, daughter of Hardy Jones. He was a farmer and also conducted a tanyard. He lived in or near Phila- delphia most of his life. He died at Greeneville, Tenn. Their children were:
1. Martha, b. November 24, 1843. Married Harris Tipton, of Morganton, Tenn., on September 29, 1867. He was the son of John B. Tipton and Louisiana Tipton. Their children were: Sydney, John B. (dead), Hope, Nelson, Lawrence and Bessie.
2. Sydney Caroline, b. May 29, 1846; d. July 21, 1861.
3. David, b. June 2, 1848. Died in the west about 1912. He married Ida Shrader, of Loudon, Tenn., who died in the west a short time before her husband. David Nel- son was a lawyer and was a member of the Forty-sixth General Assembly, sixth senatorial district. He had an only daughter who is dead.
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