Lawrence County Heritage

 

The Journal of the Lawrence County

(Tennessee) Genealogical Society

 

Vol. 19  No. 3  Spring 2016

Table of Contents

 

Compiled by Lawrence Niedergeses

 

 

From The Editor

 

LCGS membership update. Correction of a photo from the Winter 2015 issue of the Journal.

 

The Wives of Sheriff Thomas J. Matthews by Susan Beeler Anderson

 

Thomas J. Matthews died on July 31, 1846 at the age of 47. He was a Sheriff for a number of years and later represented this Senatorial District in the Legislature. This paper addresses the difficulties in proving the five marriages that researchers claim connect to him. The author welcomes comments, corrections, and additions in an attempt to create a more accurate and complete history for the descendants of Thomas J. Matthews.

 

Minutes to Lawrence County Genealogical Society Board Meeting, Saturday, December 12, 2015 by Doyce Shaddix

 

The meeting was called to order by Lila Gobbell. The minutes were read and accepted. The treasurer’s report was read and accepted. There was no old business. New Business: Discussed the possibility of changing times and dates for future meetings due to the declining attendance for the present times and dates. Motion to adjourn and passed.

 

Minutes to Lawrence County Genealogical Society Meeting, Saturday, December 12, 2016 by Doyce Shaddix

 

The meeting was called to order by President Wallace Palmore. The minutes were read and accepted. The treasurer’s report was read and accepted. Old Business: Wallace stated that discussion is ongoing concerning the changing of the day and time of the meetings. New Business: The deadline for people to submit their pictures for the Pictorial History Book has been extended to February 15, 2016. Motion to adjourn and passed. The meeting concluded with a presentation by Aaron Pope on several lines of his family.

 

My Phillips Family (Information taken from a presentation by Aaron Pope) by Doyce Shaddix

 

Aaron descends from George H. Phillips born 1831 in GA. George and his wife, Susan Elizabeth, had five children. His son, John William, was born August 18, 1855 and married Missouri Ann Mauldin on February 1, 1876, they had fourteen children. John William’s son James Wiley “Jim” was born January 5, 1881 and married Mollie Sue Garrison Price on September 20, 1911. James Wiley and Mollie had seven children. Their daughter Ruth “Clatis” married Herbert Oscar Clark and they had five children. Their daughter Gena Ester (The speaker's mother) married Carroll A. Pope and they had two children: Aaron Neal Pope and Roger Dale Pope.

 

Lawrence County, Tennessee 1890 Tax List, Twelfth Civil District - Part II (Continued from the Winter 2015 issue of the Journal) by Wallace Palmore

 

The names of those taxpayers in the Fifteenth Civil District of Lawrence County, Tennessee are listed with the following additional information: acres, land value, total property value, poll tax, state tax, county tax, school tax, RR tax, and highway tax: Lee, Lein, Lohring, Haskin, Mitchell, Matheny, Meirs, McCormack, Morgan, Mily, Mathews, Morris, Napier Iron Co., Norman, Neaman, Pennington, Poug, Payton, Staggs, Schneider, Stall, Simpson, Steger, Silverman, Stockard, Tilley, Tell, Theising, Vonboken, Williams, Weber, Weistone, Wellenkamp,. (This concludes the 12th Civil District)

 

The Fire Fiend - Part XII (continued from Winter 2015) Researched and compiled by Kathy and Lawrence Niedergeses

 

This is the 12th installment in a series that began in Vol 16 #4, Summer 2013, regarding fires, fire fighting equipment and firemen of Lawrence County. Sources include local newspapers, minutes of the City of Lawrenceburg, various community histories, Our Hometown: Lawrenceburg, TN, etc. and are given with each entry. The author asks the readers to submit any information regarding fires not listed to the Lawrence County Archives. See the article for details on the location, date, etc. of each fire listed. The following locations and surnames are mentioned in the article: Tucker’s Saw Mill, Forsythe Mill, Inman’s Shoe Shop, Moody, Godsey, Watkins, Morris, Styles, Jones, Oliver, Crosthwaite, Hagan, Chambers, Holt, Tidwell, Gaither, Gilbreth, Ellingboe, Coffey, Davidson, Wilcoxson, Tripp, Vaughan, Dugger, Brown, Roberts, Frazier, Crockett School, Hendrix, Hughes, Rigsby, Johnson, Killen, Moore, Fargason, Caperton, Olive, Green, Sills, Bottoms, Rochester, Rogers, Phillips. (To be continued in the Summer 2016 issue of the Journal)

 

Migrations To And From Lawrence County, TN During The 1870s Through Early 1900s - Part XXII (continued from the Winter 2015 issue) Researcher and Compiled by Kathy and Lawrence Niedergeses

 

This information was found in newspapers from the 1880s, 1890s and early 1900s. It includes names mentioned as migrating to or from Lawrence County, visitors, names registered in hotels, former residents subscribing to local newspapers. Copies of the actual newspaper pages are available from microfilm from the Archives. Please contact the Archives if you have migration information about your Lawrence County ancestors: Dunn, Sykes, Moore, Sandusky, Erickson, Bergh, Pease, Hancock, Beckham, Alford, Bentley, Acklin, Parke, Eastman, Simms, Mester, Hay, McKeand, Dustin, Applegate, Feldhaus, Schneider, Andre, Frietch, Simmons, Lanier, Cunningham, Clark, Harwell, Malone, Sneed, Freeman, Bates, Foster, McArtor, Mills, Glassman, Fleeman, Williams, Hudson, Stribling, Thomas, Parkes, Patterson, McLean, Jones, Parker, Wilks, Faris, Guthrie, Rucker, Meredith, Meadows, Clayton, Scheller, Rodgers, Spence, Strficklin, Ashford, Gilmore, Kennedy, Cantrell, Hrwell, Alley, Koplinger, Sandall, Foster, Daniel, Caruthers, Easterhazy. (To be continued in the Summer 2016 issue of the Journal)

 

Mill On Idaho Branch by Wallace Palmore

 

The mill site is situated on Idaho Branch of Sugar Creek about a half mile west of where Idaho Church and School used to stand. The mill was owned by several people: Charlie Copeland, Nathan P. Harlan, William P. Comer, Thomas F. Williams, Earnest C. and Everett O. Coffman, Charles H. Kelton, William S. Huskey, and William T. Byrd who sold the mill to David Crockett Park in 1958 or 1959.

 

Charlie Dutch, A True Story (By Mary Ann Matthews) Submitted by Lila Gobbell

 

Joseph and Sarah Perry lived on a farm in rural TN. On day their son Lee went hunting an found an old man in a one room cabin in the woods. Lee and Joseph took the old man to their home and nursed him back to health. The only name the man would give them was Charlie and that he was from Germany. Before he died he wrote a letter for them to read after he died. The letter said his name was Charlie Waterstrad and he left names and addresses of family back in Germany.

 

Mystery Families and Photographs

Two pictures are from the Poag collection: 1) A family group on the front porch, 2) A picture of a young lady. 3) A picture of four young children from the Dye collection. 4) Also a family portrait from the Beckham collection.

 

Walter Claude Thomas - Country Preacher By James F. Thomas

 

Walter was born January 26, 1883 in Giles County. He was the only child of Columbus Lafayette Thomas and Dovey Moriah Ioway White. On his twenty first birthday Claude married sixteen year old Mazie Auora Appleton. Claude's stepfather had been a gospel preacher and an elder in the Ethridge Church of Christ, where Claude became active as a Bible teacher. Claude's wife Mazie died on March 20, 1920. On March 6, 1921 Claude married Ella Mae Clifton and they had six children.

 

Old McDonald Had a Farm - Part I By Kathy Niedergeses

 

Over the years, while going through newspapers, I ran across some unusual and interesting items concerning animals in Lawrence County. She tell some of the unusual stories that was found in the newspapers.