The Posterity Project

Civil War 150 and Exploring Tennessee Frontiers...

2013-05-14T17:00:00.000-05:00

Today, I am pleased to share information about two important speaking events on our calendar...

First, my wife, Traci Nichols-Belt, and I are honored to be a part of the Nashville Public Library's Green Hills Branch Civil War 150, a national traveling exhibition on display from May 20th to June 10th. The Green Hills Branch Library will host numerous accompanying programs during this time, including our lecture on Tuesday, May 21st at 6:00 pm. Copies of our book, Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War, will be for sale and a signing will follow the program. We hope you'll make plans to join us.

Last but certainly not least, I am excited to be a part of the Tennessee State Museum's annual Summer Workshop Series for Teachers. On Friday, June 28th, I will deliver the keynote presentation in a session entitled, "From Territory to Early Statehood: Exploring Tennessee Frontiers." Highlights of this session include:

Geting to know our early leaders including John Sevier, William Blount, and James Robertson.
Learning engaging techniques to teach this fascinating period in history.
Understanding the complex interplay between cultural powers including French, Spanish, English, and Native Americans.
Exploring the material culture of the frontier period at the Tennessee State Museum.

I'm looking forward to sharing what I have learned while researching John Sevier's life and times for my forthcoming book, John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero. This workshop will also give me an opportunity to gain valuable feedback from teachers who are on the front lines in the battle to educate our children about the importance of history in the classroom. It's an honor for me to be a part of this event, and I'm looking forward to the conversation.

Teachers, to learn more about this workshop series, I would encourage you to visit the Tennessee State Museum's website where you will find a full itinerary and registration information.

The tall tale of the King's Mountain Messenger

2013-05-06T13:00:00.000-05:00

In my forthcoming book, John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero, I plan to share several stories and anecdotes which helped to build John Sevier's legend in the Volunteer State. One such story can be found in what I like to call the "tall" tale of Joseph Greer.

"King's Mountain Messenger" historical marker.
Image credit: King's Mountain Chapter
Daughters of the American Revolution.

Joseph Greer was most famously known as the Revolutionary War soldier dispatched by John Sevier to carry the message of victory over British loyalists at the Battle of King's Mountain to Philadelphia, where the Continental Congress gathered to govern our new nation. Historians, genealogists, and descendants of Joseph Greer have all noted that he was a towering man, standing at least 6-feet 7-inches tall, and was said to have had great skill in dealing with the Native American population. According to various accounts of his journey, Indians shot Greer's horse out from underneath him and on one occasion he hid inside a hollow log while the Indians sat on it. Greer made his treacherous 600-mile journey through hostile territory with only a compass to guide him, and a blinding determination to spread the news of this great victory, earning him the nickname of the "Kings Mountain Messenger."

The Continental Congress received Greer's message on November 7, 1780, one month following the victory at King's Mountain. No one within the halls of government had known about the battle until Greer's arrival, but news of this victory over the British loyalists quickly spread throughout the former colonies, reviving hope that the United States of America would emerge from this brutal war as a victorious nation. Thus, the Battle of King's Mountain is largely remembered as the turning point of the American Revolution in the South due in no small measure to the message that Joseph Greer carried along his incredible journey. That message also helped to establish John Sevier as a Revolutionary War hero, placing him on a path to future greatness.

However, one curious fact cited in this story continues to vex me. How tall was Joseph Greer? At 6-feet 7-inches tall, he would have certainly stood out among his fellow frontiersmen. The average height of a man of the 18th century was about 5-feet 7 1/2-inches, according to evidence from excavations of graves dating to the American colonial period.

In reading various accounts of Joseph Greer's "King's Mountain Messenger" story, one finds that the man's stature was of paramount importance to the telling of this tale. Take for instance the following biographical sketch found within the Joseph Greer Family Papers, 1782-1868 held at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Amidst the coon skin caps and references to Tennesseans when Tennessee had yet to become a state stands a giant of a man whose legend became larger than life, simply by delivering a message of victory and liberty.

Written in July of 1929, the following sketch not only gives us a window into what Joseph Greer's trek was like immediately following the Battle of King's Mountain, but more importantly, it also gives readers a glimpse into the thinking of those who endeavored to chronicle Greer's journey many years later. One oddity that stands out, however, is how much Greer's physical stature had grown over time. Note how Greer's height had increased by five full inches in this version of the "King's Mountain Messenger" story...

A Tennessee Hero

The Kings Mountain Messenger

Joseph Greer

The First battle which broke the opposition of the British in the war for American Independence was fought at Kings Mountain, South Carolina -- on October 7th 1780, under the command of John Sevier, Tennessee's first Governor, aided by Virginians, Kentuckians, Carolinians, and Tennesseans.

These hardy liberty loving Americans drove Ferguson and his red coats to defeat, and from that event British aggression begun to crumble and American Independence was assured. The very beginning of the birth of this Nation.

Among the volunteers who came from Watauga, was a physical giant, seven feet tall; in the making of this man nature exhausted her ability; only twenty-six years old, full of vigor and inheriting through his Irish Ancestry, and indomitable will, for some good reason, not shown in history, presumably a knowledge of his fearlessness, determination, or perhaps some outstanding feat of bravery in battle, this young giant was selected by those in command to advise President George Washington and the Congress then in session at Philadelphia, that the heroic frontiersmen in coon skin caps and with flint lock guns had reaped the first American Victory in the Revolutionary War, by defeating the British at Kings Mountain.

A signal honor -- an outstanding incident in this Nation's history -- A Tennessean selected to bear the good news to the Nation.

Alone Joseph Greer, begun his long trip walking over the mountains and valleys, guided by his compass from Watauga to Philadelphia, slung across his shoulder his musket and food. His experience as a surveyor, his knowledge of Indians, enabled him to safely reach Philadelphia; on arrival, he inquired the way to American headquarters; brushing past the doorkeeper without a word, strode into the midst of the assembled Congress and delivered the message, which fanned the flame of patriotism into an all consuming soul fire, from which resulted the American Victory, the origin of the United States of America.

The great size, the physical bearing of this twenty-six year old American, bedecked with a coon skin cap and his long overcoat, his trusty musket and brass compass as a pilot, amazed the people of Philadelphia.

"Speeding the News to the Continental Congress."
Image credit: Tennessee State Library and Archives
Tennessee National Guard poster
Mf.212 "Prominent Tennesseans Photographs"

Now, fast-forward to 1968, where in "One Heroic Hour At King's Mountain," published in The Overmountain Men, Pat Alderman takes even greater creative license with Greer's height and age...

"Young Greer, twenty years old and over seven feet tall, was armed with a musket and compass for the long dangerous trip...

...On Greer's arrival in Philadelphia he made his way to Congressional Headquarters. The door keeper tried to bar his entrance. The giant Messenger pushed him aside, stalked down the aisle, and delivered his message to a surprised body of men. It is said that General Washington commented: 'With soldiers like him, no wonder the frontiersmen won.'"

Was Greer twenty years of age or twenty-six? Did he stand at 6-feet 7-inches or over seven feet tall? And by the way, George Washington's comment is enclosed in quotation marks, yet you'll never find a footnote citing the source of this quote. That, of course, was Alderman's style. He wasn't interested in documenting his sources. He was only concerned with making history "interesting."

Finally let's examine James Ewing's account of this story, published in A Treasury of Tennessee Tales. In his chapter entitled, "King's Mountain Messenger," Ewing writes:

"For sheer drama, few happenings of early times can match the sight of seven-foot, two-inch Joseph Greer, a Tennessee backwoodsman, walking boldly into the chambers of the Continental Congress and informing the startled members that the battle of King's Mountain had been won."

In history, facts are often embellished, and over time these embellished stories become legends, indistinguishable from the truth. These stories eventually become part of our historical memory, which has an importance all its own. Fact, fiction, or a little bit of both, this is a story worth telling and remembering, even if it is a "tall" tale.

Thomas Greer photographed in clothing reminiscent of that his father, Joseph, wore when he announced the American victory in the 1780 Battle of King’s Mountain to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Joseph Greer was chosen to make the difficult journey to Philadelphia due to his skills in dealing with Native Americans, whose lands he had to cross.
Caption and image credit: Tennessee State Library and Archives online exhibit, "The Volunteer State Goes to War: A Salute to Tennessee Veterans."

Mark your calendars for STA2013...

2013-04-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

As many long-time readers of The Posterity Project know, I have taken an active role in supporting the Society of Tennessee Archivists. I believe strongly in this organization's mission and want to do what I can to help spread the word about its activities and efforts to promote archives throughout the state of Tennessee. With that in mind, I want to let readers know about the upcoming STA annual meeting this fall in Clarksville, Tennessee.

A 1941 view of the Public Square in historic downtown Clarksville, Tennessee.
Image courtesy of the Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Sessions for this year's meeting will center around the themes of oral history and folklife, and planning is well underway. Current STA Vice-President David Sowell has put together a wonderful program of speakers and activities for our annual gathering. This year, we're meeting on October 16-18, 2013 at the Riverview Inn right in the Historic Downtown Public Square of Clarksville, Tennessee. A more complete itinerary is in the works, but here's a brief rundown of sessions already confirmed for STA2013...

Dr. Christopher (Cal) Lee, UNC-Chapel Hill, will conduct a Friday, October 18th workshop on "born digital records." The workshop will be held from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the Riverview Inn. Dr. Lee is a noted expert in the subject of digital records, digital curation and understanding information technology for managing digital collections.

Bobby Fulcher is the Park Manager of the Cumberland Trail State Park. He will discuss Tennessee Folklore and Folklife Collections. Fulcher has worked as a park naturalist and ranger for more than 25 years. He has recorded and presented musicians from the Cumberland Mountains for the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, the Tennessee State Library and Archives, the Tennessee Arts Commission, the Tennessee Bureau of State Parks, and for County Records, the Tennessee Folklore Society label, and several other small labels.

Author and folklorist, Pat Fitzhugh, will discuss the legend of the "Bell Witch." Fitzhugh is an authority on the "Bell Witch," and has written extensively on this subject. Fitzhugh’s extensive research culminated in “The Bell Witch: The Full Account,” a 406-page literary work that revealed many previously unpublished facts surrounding the case. More information about the "Bell Witch" can be found on the Tennessee State Library and Archives online exhibit, "Tennessee Myths and Legends."

Lori Lockhart will present a session on "Quilts: What They Can Tell Us about Our Ancestors." Lockhart is a fourth generation Tennessee quilter and an archivist at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. The Quilts of Tennessee Collection at TSLA contains photographs and images of quilts made in Tennessee from the 1820s through the 1970s as well as information -- sometimes spanning several generations -- about quilt makers.

A reception will be held on Wednesday, October 16th at the Montgomery County Archives following a tour of Fort Defiance and its Interpretive Center.

On the afternoon of Thursday, October 17th a tour of Trinity Episcopal Church in Clarksville will also be offered.

If you are not already a member of the Society of Tennessee Archivists, I hope you'll take this opportunity to join our ranks. You do not have to be an archivist or even a Tennessean to join the STA. Just a $20 annual membership fee, and an interest in the archival profession and Tennessee history is all you need to be a part of this active group of professionals. The Clarksville gathering is the perfect opportunity to meet folks in the archival community, and to learn more about the archives profession and about Tennessee history.

This is shaping up to be a great conference with even more sessions in the works beyond what is highlighted here. So, mark your calendars for STA2013 on October 16-18, 2013. I'm really looking forward to this year's meeting in Clarksville, and I hope to see you there.

UPDATE 5/9/2013: The Society of Tennessee Archivists has published more information about the upcoming meeting in Clarksville as well as many more articles of interest in their latest Spring 2013 newsletter. Click here to read the Tennessee Archivist for details.

Meet us in Bowling Green for Southern Kentucky Book Fest!

2013-04-09T17:00:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, April 20th, Traci and I are excited to be a part of the 15th annual Southern Kentucky Book Fest in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

The Southern Kentucky Book Fest is one of Kentucky's largest literary events and is a fundraiser for the promotion of literacy in the community. Held annually during the third weekend in April, the Book Fest draws thousands of readers of all ages who welcome the occasion to meet their favorite authors and purchase signed copies of their books.

At 10:00 am on April 20th, Traci and I will be on a panel to discuss our book, Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War. With us on the panel will be Aaron Astor, Associate Professor of History at Maryville College, and author of the book, Rebels on the Border: Civil War, Emancipation and the Reconstruction of Kentucky and Missouri. We share the distinction of having authored articles for The New York Times Civil War blog, "Disunion," and are excited to meet Dr. Astor in person, having read many of his works on "Disunion."

If you happen to find yourself in Bowling Green, Kentucky on this date, please stop by and say, "hello." We will be at SOKY2013 throughout the day to sign books and to meet with interested readers of Onward Southern Soldiers. It should be a great day, and we're looking forward to being a part of the festivities. Visit www.sokybookfest.org for details about this event. We hope to see you there!

Another case of "research rapture"

2013-04-02T05:00:00.000-05:00

As a researcher of early Tennessee history, I find it hard not to have empathy for Lyman Draper.

Lyman Copeland Draper from a daguerreotype
portrait made about 1855.
Image credit: Wisconsin Historical Society.

Lyman Copeland Draper (1815-1891) was the secretary of the Wisconsin Historical Society, and the man most responsible for preserving the memory of the early settlers of the Trans-Appalachian West.

A librarian and historian, Lyman Draper corresponded with the early settlers of the region and their descendants in an effort to "rescue from oblivion the memory of its early pioneers and to obtain and preserve narratives of their exploits."‎

He spent many long hours writing letters to the aging pioneers seeking their reminiscences and made many research trips to the South to chronicle these stories. Immediately following the Civil War, Draper's proclivity to collect manuscripts and notes saved many of these legendary tales from certain destruction, as Union forces burned courthouses and destroyed documents and artifacts held in southern repositories.

Lyman Draper had high ambitions to become a popular writer and to publish the biographies of these heroes of the Western border lands. Although Lyman Draper published ten volumes of historical notes for the Wisconsin Historical Society as well as a volume about the Battle of King's Mountain, which featured many of the people who were also early settlers, he never finished his biographies. Draper biographer William Hesseltine noted that "All his life Draper was planning to write books, but some psychological quirk made it impossible for him ever to realize his dreams."

What was this "psychological quirk" that prevented Lyman Draper from fulfilling his ambitions? After reading David Ferriero's blog, AOTUS: Collector in Chief, I think I may have stumbled upon a possible reason for Draper's lack of published material. I believe that Lyman Draper suffered from a condition called "research rapture."

In a recent blog post, the National Archives chief shared a link to an op-ed piece by Sean Pidgeon in which he defines "research rapture" as...

"A state of enthusiasm or exaltation arising from the exhaustive study of a topic or period of history; the delightful but dangerous condition of becoming repeatedly sidetracked in following intriguing threads of information, or constantly searching for one more elusive fact."

It can surely be said that Lyman Draper succumbed to "research rapture" many times in his effort to chronicle the lives of the early settlers of the Southwest Territory. This feeling of empathy for Lyman Draper's condition came over me time and again as I studied the Lyman Copeland Draper Papers on microfilm at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. It's easy to see how Lyman Draper could find himself within the throes of "research rapture," captivated by the amazing frontier tales found in this collection.

Anyone who has taken on the task of writing history invariably reaches a point in the search for information when the amount of material is so overwhelming it becomes mesmerizing. In my own research of John Sevier, I have compiled an immense bibliography of primary and secondary sources and have read many accounts of John Sevier's life. I know exactly how Lyman Draper must have felt while corresponding with John Sevier's contemporaries as he was trying to gather every scrap of information that he could in order to preserve the memory of this important time and place in our nation's history.

I know through first-hand experience how easily distracted one can get when you begin researching a subject where one source leads to another, and yet another. Sometimes you can lose sight of the fact that the intended purpose of your research is to ultimately write a work of scholarship. Thankfully, my publishing contract with The History Press puts me on a specific time table for the completion of my book, John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero, so I don't plan to fully give in to "research rapture" anytime soon. But my empathy for Lyman Draper will remain.

Selected Sources:

William B. Hesseltine. Pioneer's Mission: The Story of Lyman Copeland Draper. Madison: The State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1954.
William B. Hessletine, "Lyman Draper and the South." The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 19, No. 1, Feb. 1953.
Mf. 29 -- Lyman Copeland Draper (Collector) Papers, 1542-1916. Wisconsin Historical Society. 133 reels. 35 mm. Microfilm Collection at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.
Prof. Rasmus B. Anderson. Biographical Sketch of Lyman C. Draper, LL.D. Secretary of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Cincinnati: Peter G. Thomson, Printer, 1881.
Reuben Gold Thwaites. Lyman Copeland Draper: A Memoir. Madison: Wisconsin Historical Society, 1892.
"Lyman Draper at the Wisconsin Historical Society"

Our next book - John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero

2013-03-26T20:00:00.000-05:00

Today, I am thrilled to announce that The History Press has accepted a book proposal which I recently submitted. The tentative title is John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero. The book is scheduled to be released in March 2014.

The History Press

My wife Traci and I had a wonderful experience working with The History Press on our first book, Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War and we're honored to be associated with one of the fastest growing independent book publishers in the nation. We are looking forward to working with The History Press again on this latest title.

Traci was the author of Onward Southern Soldiers, while I served as co-researcher, editor, caption writer, and indexer. In John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero, those roles will be reversed, and Traci will serve as my editor, providing me with valuable assistance throughout the research and writing process. I can't begin to express how grateful I am for having a supportive spouse and partner in my life and my work.

In my book, I want to answer critical questions about how this pioneer, soldier, and statesman became “Tennessee’s First Hero.” This moniker was bestowed upon John Sevier over eighty years ago by Dr. Carl S. Driver, whose book, John Sevier: Pioneer of the Old Southwest, remains the last book-length, scholarly attempt to examine John Sevier’s life in full detail. The title of my book is a tribute to Dr. Driver's work, and an apt description of the story that I plan to tell.

John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero will touch on themes expressed on this blog, exploring John Sevier's life through the lens of history and memory -- separating fact from myth by examining the efforts of early Tennessee historians, antiquarians, novelists, genealogists, and amateur writers to chronicle John Sevier’s life and exploits.

During the next several months, blog posts on The Posterity Project will chronicle my progress on the book. Throughout the writing process, I plan to share anecdotes and information discovered during my research on this topic in a build-up to the release of the book. I hope you'll continue to follow me along this journey, and I look forward to sharing more news about this project in future posts.

Some spring cleaning...

2013-03-15T11:00:00.000-05:00

Do you use Google Reader to subscribe to The Posterity Project? If so, you'll want to make note of this important announcement from the folks over at Google...

"We launched Google Reader in 2005 in an effort to make it easy for people to discover and keep tabs on their favorite websites. While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined. So, on July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader. Users and developers interested in RSS alternatives can export their data, including their subscriptions, with Google Takeout over the course of the next four months."

I first started using Bloglines to keep up with writings on the blogosphere, and in 2010, when that service announced it was shutting down, I started using Google Reader. I have been among the "loyal following" ever since.

Google Reader's demise has the potential to create a major disruption in the way in which I consume information -- I currently subscribe to well over 200 RSS feeds -- but after some hand wringing and consternation, I have discovered that there are some wonderful alternatives to Google Reader.

If you subscribe to The Posterity Project through Google Reader and are looking for an alternative, here are a few to consider [and even more here] so that you will continue to receive my updates. Right now, I'm giving Feedly a try, and so far I really like it. It is user-friendly and syncs up nicely with my existing Google Reader feeds, making the transition very easy.

Of course, if you prefer to receive updates through social media, you can subscribe to The Posterity Project on Google+, Facebook, or Twitter. You can also receive updates by email by typing in your email address in the "Subscribe By Email" box located on the sidebar of this blog.

Thank you for your readership and support of The Posterity Project. I'm looking forward to sharing more "reflections on archives, public history, and memory from my home state of Tennessee" with you in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

Sarah Hawkins Sevier: Tennessee's "forgotten heroine"

2013-03-04T17:00:00.000-06:00

For Women's History Month, I thought it would be an appropriate time in this series to focus on a "forgotten heroine" of Tennessee's history, Sarah Hawkins Sevier.

Born in 1746 in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Sarah Hawkins was John Sevier's first wife and "the first love of his youth." It has been said of Sarah Hawkins that she had a "great strength of character," and was a "wise, capable, understanding wife and mother who commanded her husband's post in his absences."

She married John Sevier at the age of fifteen, and in 1773 she joined her husband on the arduous journey from the Shenandoah Valley of her birth, to the wilderness of the Southwest Territory, in the region known today as East Tennessee. During John and Sarah's life together, she was the mother of ten children, which in and of itself is a feat of strength, particularly given the challenges of living in the eighteenth century American frontier.

"Daily Life on the Tennessee Frontier." Image credit: Tennessee State Museum.

According to one family biographer, Sarah Hawkins "was for the nineteen creative, formative years of his [John Sevier's] life the greatest single factor in his spectacular early rise to fame and fortune," yet memory of Sarah Hawkins has faded over time. Her lasting imprint on John Sevier's life has been largely overshadowed by the woman who would ultimately become his most famous spouse following Sarah Hawkins' untimely death during an Indian uprising in 1780.

Sarah Hawkins' grave has never been found, and over time historians have neglected her presence in John Sevier's life. Perhaps she died too soon for history to record the important contributions that she made to her famous spouse? John Sevier's stature within the region was only beginning to take shape when Sarah Hawkins died in 1780. When he remarried, Catherine "Bonny Kate" Sherrill became John Sevier's "First Lady" in the minds of many. "Bonny Kate" was also present in John Sevier's life at a time when his notoriety was at its peak -- as governor of the State of Franklin and the state of Tennessee. History would eventually record their lives together in vivid detail -- a story that was sometimes embellished around the margins -- yet Sarah Hawkins' story somehow got lost in the narrative of John Sevier's life.

Historians had failed to adequately chronicle Sarah Hawkins' life, so the mission of remembrance fell to her descendants, and most notably to the Daughters of the American Revolution. In a brief biographical sketch entitled, Sarah Hawkins: The Forgotten Heroine, written in June 1934 by Jennie Prather Hyde, Rec. Secty. Old Glory Chapter D.A.R., Franklin, Tennessee, Sarah Hawkins is described as "a tender, delicate young lady, and her delicacy and pure modesty constituted the youth's ideal." Mrs. Hyde added, "Time has wrought many changes as we look at the type of young womanhood of today."

In her biography of Sarah Hawkins, Mrs. Hyde emphasized the hardships of life on the frontier, and Sarah's steadfast loyalty to her husband. She asks:

"It has always been a subject of speculation as to why Sevier removed to these extreme frontier settlements. In all this restlessness of his life are we losing sight of the dangers and sufferings of Sarah and her little family? A heroine indeed was she and we honor and respect her for her courage during those frontier times, for men and women had to have physical courage, facing the many dangers and hardships. Disasters which break down the spirit of a man, seem to call forth all the energies of the softer sex and give to them courage and fortitude; this can be truly said of Sarah Hawkins."

This fascinating account not only details the efforts to memorialize a "forgotten heroine," but it also speaks to how society, and more specifically how the DAR, viewed women's roles during the early to mid-twentieth century. It was during this time that resurrecting Sarah Hawkins from the forgotten realm of history became a civic duty and source of feminist pride to the ladies of the DAR.

In 1945, near the end of World War II, Sarah Hawkins' descendants began an effort to memorialize her as a tribute not only to her, but also by extension to women throughout our nation's history. Another Daughter of the American Revolution, Mary Hoss Headman, led one such effort. On January 1, 1945, Knoxville News-Sentinel reported:

"Mrs. Mary Hoss Headman, great-great-granddaughter of Tennessee's historic John Sevier, came prepared to request the court's permission to erect a new monument on the Court House lawn.

'The monument would be in honor of Sarah Hawkins Sevier,' Mrs. Headman told a reporter. 'She was John Sevier's first wife and mother of his 10 children, three of whom were born in Tennessee.'

'Sarah Hawkins Sevier inspired Sevier, helped him to become great and stood by him against Indian attack in East Tennessee. His first wife, who is not remembered by Tennesseans, is the one whose money, influence and loyalty carried John Sevier to fame.'"

Mrs. Headman saw it as her duty to correct this historical oversight and the perceived slight of her ancestor. She took special note to emphasize that the famous rescue of "Bonny Kate" occurred before Sarah Hawkins died in 1780, and that John Sevier's first wife actually deserved more credit for helping to establish her husband as a pivotal figure in Tennessee history. She further added:

"Sevier married Bonny Kate later, and he already was established in state affairs at that time. Five of Sarah Hawkins Sevier's children by Sevier fought in the Revolution. So I say again it was Sarah Hawkins Sevier who did the most for Tennessee's early history."

Mrs. Headman said she would ask the Knox County Court for permission to erect a monument to Sarah Hawkins Sevier. Such a marker would be on the same grounds as the monuments to Sevier himself and his second wife, Bonny Kate Sevier, on the courthouse lawn in Knoxville, Tennessee.

"We hope to raise the money from the state, but if we don't then the Daughters of the American Revolution will subscribe the amount. Perhaps the county will want to help." Mrs. Headman said, adding, "We will raise the money in 1945 and will dedicate the monument in 1946, the 200th anniversary of Sarah Sevier's birth."

A little more than two weeks later, the Knox County Commission approved Mrs. Headman's plan. According to the January 17, 1945 edition of the Johnson City Chronicle:

"The Knox County Commission today approved erection of a memorial to Sarah Hawkins Sevier, first wife of Tennessee's first governor, John Sevier, on the courthouse lawn here.

Backing the movement has been Mrs. Mary Hoss Headman, great-great-granddaughter of the first Mrs. Sevier.

The East Tennessee Historical Society also has approved the plan, which calls for erection of a monument alongside those now honoring Sevier and his second wife, Catherine Sherrill (Bonny Kate).

Erection ceremonies probably will be sometime next year, sesquicentennial of Tennessee's admission to the Union."

By the summer of that same year, the goal of dedicating a monument to the memory of Sarah Hawkins became a reality. On June 3, 1946, on Tennessee's sesquicentennial anniversary, the city of Knoxville observed "Sarah Hawkins Sevier Memorial Day." Newspaper accounts of the dedication ceremony stated that Mrs. Mary Hoss Headman had the high honor of unveiling the monument in her great-great-grandmother's honor. Other DAR officials were also on hand for the dedication, including the state DAR chaplain, and the national vice-president of the DAR, who had a speaking role at the ceremony. Several other dignitaries were on hand as well, including Tennessee Governor Jim McCord, and State Senator E. E. Patton, who spoke these memorable words on this occasion:

"A philosopher has said that 'back of the success of every man lies the heart of a woman.' It may be a sainted mother; it may have been a sister who sacrificed that she might send her brother to college; it may have been a wife who would brave the dangers of a living in hell in order to contribute to her husband's success and happiness.

Such a woman I regard Sarah Hawkins Sevier to have been, and in order that you may have a full picture and realization of what a companion to Sevier she proved herself to be, I now quote from the inscription on the monument which we have come to unveil and dedicate today:

'The love of his youth, the inspiration of his manhood, a gallant, courageous Colonial and Revolutionary patriot. Her descendants number many notable leaders of men; Tennessee's first five-star mother.'"

A monument dedicated to the memory of Sarah Hawkins, first wife of Gov. John Sevier, located on the lawn of the Knox County Courthouse in Knoxville, Tennessee (Author photo).

For the DAR, Sarah Hawkins' personal story embodied femininity on the frontier -- a strong, courageous woman who was loyal to her husband, and devoted to her family. During World War II, these were qualities to which the ladies of the DAR also aspired. The DAR's influence on creating a lasting memorial and memory of Sarah Hawkins Sevier -- and a vision of womanhood in the mid-twentieth century -- cannot be overstated. They were largely responsible for resurrecting Sarah Hawkins' reputation from the grave of memory, and without the DAR's efforts, John Sevier's first wife may have truly been a "forgotten heroine."

The reverse side of the Sarah Hawkins monument, erected by the Sarah Hawkins Chapter D.A.R., Tennessee Historical Commission, and Sevier Descendants (Author photo).

Selected Sources:

Jennie Prather Hyde. Sarah Hawkins: The Forgotten Heroine. Old Glory Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, Franklin, Tenn. June 1934.

"Sarah Hawkins Sevier Memorial Day," Tennessee Historical Quarterly. Nashville: Tennessee Historical Society, Vol. 5 No. 4 (1946).

Newspaper Sources (Courtesy of the Tennessee State Library and Archives):

Johnson City Chronicle
Kingsport Times
Knoxville News Sentinel

Emancipation and Discovering the Civil War...

2013-02-15T05:00:00.000-06:00

On Tuesday I had an opportunity to visit the National Archives' traveling exhibit, Discovering the Civil War, at the Tennessee State Museum. This is an event that I have eagerly anticipated since December. The featured items on display during my visit were the original Emancipation Proclamation and Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Words and pictures cannot adequately describe the impressive nature of this exhibit, but here's a taste of what you will see on display posted on my Flickr site...

Click the image above to view the Flickr slide show of my visit to the "Discovering the Civil War" exhibit.

The Tennessee State Museum will be the only stop in the Southeast of this unprecedented tour and display of the Emancipation Proclamation. If you are in the Nashville area I would highly encourage you to visit this extraordinary exhibit.

While the Emancipation Proclamation will be on public display for a limited time only, the rest of the Discovering the Civil War exhibit will be available for viewing through September 1, 2013. There was so much to take in during my first visit, so I am definitely making plans to make a return trip to see more.

John Sevier and slavery on the frontier...

2013-02-11T04:00:00.000-06:00

The institution of slavery was once something that scholars only acknowledged along the margins of history, but never fully examined as a pervasive fact of life in early America. Only within recent years have historians opened the wound of slavery for all to see -- a wound that needed to bleed for us to have a more complete picture of our nation's history.

Scholars have provided a rich written history about the slave system that existed on the vast plantations of the antebellum South, yet relatively little has been written about slavery on the frontier. A number of factors contributed to this lack of scholarship. The total slave population on the Tennessee frontier during the late-18th century was small, and slaveholders did not constitute more than ten percent of the population. In East Tennessee, the soil and terrain could not sustain a significant supply of cotton, tobacco, or other cash crops to justify the expense of owning slaves to tend the fields. Most overmountain men of the region did not have the financial means to own slaves. While a few small farmers on the frontier gradually acquired slaves as their economic conditions improved, most did not have any need for slaves to maintain their subsistence-level crops. They merely needed enough labor to survive.

John Sevier's Marble Springs Plantation Home as it exists today, near Knoxville, Tennessee. Author photo.

Among the few wealthy landowners who did own slaves on the Tennessee frontier was John Sevier. On his Marble Springs plantation home, located just outside the city of Knoxville, Tennessee, house servants kept the Sevier family living quarters clean, and provided most of the cooking for family and guests. John Sevier's second wife, "Bonny Kate" directed the house servants on their plantation while other slaves tended the fields and livestock, including Governor Sevier's prized stable of horses.

Slaves were barely present in the narrative of John Sevier's extraordinary life story. Those few mentions of slaves by antiquarians and biographers of the 19th century cast them in the background in ways that reflected the inferior social position they were assigned at the time. However, if you take the time to dig deeper into the past, by examining the original letters written in Sevier's own hand, you'll discover that John Sevier was quite concerned about slaves on the frontier.

In John Sevier's lifetime, slaves were considered property and were valued as a commodity rather than as human beings. You see this view of slavery quite clearly in John Sevier's governor's papers where you can find letters recording instances when slaves escaped their masters and fled into Indian territory.

The Fugitive Slave Clause of the U.S. Constitution (superseded by the Thirteenth Amendment) guaranteed the right of a slaveholder to recover an escaped slave. The Fugitive Slave Act, first passed by Congress and signed into law by President George Washington in 1793, created the legal mechanism by which that could be accomplished. The Fugitive Slave Act was explicit in its instruction that escaped slaves could be seized in any state, brought before a magistrate, and returned to their masters. Governor Sevier had a legal mandate from the federal government to aid in the return of any slave who escaped their master in search for freedom. In every recorded instance, Governor Sevier followed the letter of the law, regarded slaves as property, and demanded their return to servitude.

In one letter, Governor Sevier writes to Benjamin Hawkins, a lawyer and Superintendent of Indian Affairs, requesting action concerning the theft of two slaves and some horses...

Knoxville 17th February 1797

Sir,

Sometime past two negro fellows belonging to Capt. James Richardson of this County ran away and went into the Cherokee Nation, from thence to the Creeks, where they were taken by a half-breed by some called Fise and by others Sastly. He pretends to hold them until he is made whole for some horses stolen from him by the Cherokees.

I beg of you to exert your influence to keep the Indians within bounds, and have both the negroes and horses returned as soon as possible, otherwise we need not expect to support peace and tranquility much longer. The negroes belong to a person in moderate circumstances, and the loss is very sensibly felt by him and his family.

I hope for the pleasure of seeing you in the spring at this place, in the meantime request that you will communicate with me everything that may be interesting to our frontiers or the state.

I have the honor to be, etc.,

(signed) John Sevier

Benjamin Hawkins, Esq.,
Superintendent of Indian Affairs

John Sevier's letter to Benjamin Hawkins, dated 17 February 1797, requesting action concerning the theft of two slaves and some horses. The John Sevier Governor's Papers. GP-2 Box 1 Folder 3. Tennessee State Library and Archives (Scan from Microfilm).

Slaves were also stolen in raids by Cherokees and other Native American tribes of the region. In a letter dated October 22, 1796, Governor Sevier writes to the Cherokee Nation to warn them that stolen property would be recovered, and that he expected the Cherokee Nation's aid in locating slaves that were seized in a raid on Zeigler's Station...

Knoxville 22nd October 1796.

Brothers and Warriors of the Cherokee Nation:

Mr. Henry Morris is going into your nation in search of a negro woman named Mary and two of her children. She was taken from Zeigler's Station at Cumberland. I shall expect you to assist him to get the negroes, that they may be brought back to their own people, and in so doing you will oblige your friend and brother,

(signed) John Sevier

John Sevier's letter to the Cherokee Nation, 22 October 1796. The John Sevier Governor's Papers. GP-2 Box 1 Folder 2. Tennessee State Library & Archives (Scan from Microfilm)

In yet another letter dated August 25, 1796, Governor Sevier writes to the Cherokee Chief, Little Turkey, in an effort to convince him to release slaves stolen from the Chickasaw Nation. In this letter, Sevier made a statement that today would certainly be considered despicable, but in Sevier's time was all to common a comparison [Emphasis mine]:

Knoxville 25th August 1796.

Brother:

The Chickasaw people have complained to me that there is a negro man , a negro woman and child, belonging to George Colbert in your nation. They say that they were to have been sent to this place some time ago, but as they have not yet come, I am requested to write you about them, and have sent Joseph Sevier on purpose to get the negroes and bring them to this place, and desire that you will deliver them up to him. If the Chickasaws owes your people anything, they say they will pay you. You know it is wrong to stop people for horses, for negroes is not horses though they are black. I shall expect and hope you will send the negroes accordingly. I wish you and the Chickasaws to live as brothers and good neighbors, but you can't expect this to be the case, if you keep their people from them.

Your friend and brother,

(signed) John Sevier.

The Little Turkey.

John Sevier's letter to Cherokee Chief Little Turkey, dated 25 August 1796. The John Sevier Governor's Papers. GP-2 Box 1 Folder 2. Tennessee State Library and Archives (Scan from Microfilm).

In stark contrast to the John Sevier that is remembered by many as a key figure in the Revolutionary War -- a war fought for freedom and liberty -- it is largely forgotten that John Sevier, like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and many of his contemporaries, considered slaves as property with as little right to freedom and liberty as the horses on his Marble Springs plantation.

While it is important to remember the heroic triumphs of our shared history, we also have a duty to acknowledge the abhorrent realities of the past in order to have a more complete understanding of the world in which our ancestors lived, "warts and all."

Selected Sources:

Governor John Sevier Papers, 1796-1801 (GP 2), Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Edward Michael McCormack. Slavery on the Tennessee Frontier. Nashville: Tennessee American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, 1977.

"History made interesting."

2013-01-28T12:30:00.000-06:00

In a comment posted to The Posterity Project earlier this month, Michael Lynch reminded me of a book that I have had on my reading list for quite a while, but until now I have not had the chance to read it.

Originally published in 1970 and later reissued by The Overmountain Press in 1986, The Overmountain Men by Pat Alderman is a compilation of a series of booklets written by the author to cover succeeding periods of early Tennessee history. Only the first two sections were published separately (The Overmountain Men in 1958 and One Heroic Hour at King's Mountain in 1968). The remaining chapters in this book (The Cumberland Decade, The State of Franklin, and Southwest Territory) complete Alderman's single-volume compilation.

The Overmountain Men cuts a wide path through the Tennessee frontier. In his comment on this blog back in January, Michael Lynch wrote of the book:

"Alderman's work on the Tennessee frontier is very unusual. He loaded his books with illustrations of all kinds--photos of historic sites and artifacts, maps, paintings, drawings--so reading them is almost like taking a mental field trip to the places he's talking about and back in time. But the writing itself is sort of similar to the work of earlier chroniclers like Draper; very focused on prominent figures and dramatic episodes, and heavily reliant on tradition. I love flipping through The Overmountain Men because it evokes places and time periods that are special to me, but I get frustrated when Alderman mentions something I can't find elsewhere and have no hope of finding without a reference."

Such is the dilemma for many researchers of early Tennessee history. So much of what we know about that important time period has been chronicled through the oral histories and traditions handed down through generations, and later chronicled by historians of the mid to late 19th century who viewed the early American period through the lens of "Manifest Destiny" thinking.

For his part, Pat Alderman liked to describe his brand of storytelling as "history made interesting." While this approach to writing history makes for quite the page turner, it certainly would not pass the scrutiny of peer review by today's standards. As a public historian, I found several flaws with The Overmountain Men. There are no footnotes to check statements of fact (though, thankfully, there is a brief bibliography). Much of what Alderman wrote was clearly gleaned from the works of the early Tennessee writers and historians who preceded him, and there is very little, if any, original scholarship. Alderman himself acknowledges this weakness, writing that "This brief pictorial sketch of early Tennessee History is not intended as a source of research, but rather as a medium of calling attention to some of the highlights of that period."

The Overmountain Men is illustrated hagiography, and the whole book struck me as the work of a chronicler, not a historian, and yet I found myself strangely drawn to its pages. Despite its flaws as a work of "history," there is something that public historians can learn from The Overmountain Men if we first try to understand the man who wrote it.*

John B. "Pat" Alderman grew up as an entertainer, always looking to please the crowd. He was born in Dunn, North Carolina on October 31, 1901. As a youngster, he developed a love and appreciation for music. In fact, Alderman's whole family was involved in music, either by playing an instrument or singing. Religious music was the Alderman family's calling, and at age 14, Pat Alderman toured eastern North Carolina with his family performing evangelistic music.

Throughout high school and college, Alderman immersed himself into the music ministry. After two years at Wake Forest College (now Wake Forest University), Alderman left for New Orleans to further his music education at the Baptist Bible Institute. From there, he moved to Troy, Alabama, where he became the director of a local church. After a short stay in Troy, he moved to Birmingham, Alabama to attend Howard College and to direct the college glee clubs. From 1927 to 1930 Alderman attended the Chicago Conservatory of Music where he earned a master's degree in music.

By the time he earned his master's degree, the Great Depression began to take a toll on all phases of the economy, and especially music education, forcing Alderman back home to Dunn, North Carolina. Despite the bleak outlook for music educators, he managed to organize a number of community sings, and eventually landed a job as a music teacher at a Baptist orphanage in nearby Kinston, North Carolina. But just as he was getting back on his feet financially, the United States' entry into World War II brought more change to Pat Alderman's life. In 1943, he began working for the shipyards at Wilmington, North Carolina where he remained until the war's end in 1945, when he returned to Dunn for a year.

Following the war, Alderman and his wife Verna moved to the mountains of East Tennessee, where he found work as a music director at a church near Johnson City, and later took up permanent residence in Erwin, Tennessee, where he became the director of the choral music department at Unicoi County High School. This is the place where Pat Alderman's love for East Tennessee history took root.

Beginning in the 1950s Alderman developed a keen interest in Appalachian, especially East Tennessee, history and culture. It was during this time that he wrote and directed historical plays and pageants, and authored books on Appalachian history, including the works that make up The Overmountain Men compilation.

In 1952, Alderman put his skills in music and the arts to work for the local community by producing an outdoor drama, also named The Overmountain Men, which was cast almost entirely by citizens of Erwin, Tennessee. The Erwin Record newspaper published front page accounts of plans for a "Big Historical Pageant" which would "encompass one of the most rugged and dramatic epics in the birth of this -- the United States of America."

Replete with "horses, Indian fights, and celebrations in the rugged outdoor setting in the locality where this dramatic period was lived," The Overmountain Men drama was a full-scale production. Set in a 2,000-seat football stadium, with sixteen episodes in three distinct acts, and a 300-person cast including fifteen major leads, The Erwin Record noted that "the pioneer pageant of bronze and white will have a most definite thread of personal human interest that treats with the individual as well as the spread of an empire." Manifest Destiny had arrived in Unicoi County.

This image depicts a scene from Pat Alderman's historic drama, "The Overmountain Men," produced in Erwin, Tennessee in 1952. The entire cast in this production were natives of Erwin.
Image credit: The Overmountain Men by Pat Alderman.

Pat Alderman's personal journey to the mountains of East Tennessee reminds us that history should be more than a rote recitation of names, places and dates. Good history requires good storytelling. Although The Overmountain Men fails to adequately cite sources, exhibits an over-reliance on secondary literature, and treats its subject with an unusual reverence, there are moments of great storytelling within its pages. As Michael Lynch accurately points out, the book is "not the sort of thing one can rely on for research," but for what it's worth, The Overmountain Men is the kind of book that inspires further inquiry, and reminds us all that history is indeed interesting.

Gordon Belt is the Director of Public Services for the Tennessee State Library & Archives, and past president of the Society of Tennessee Archivists. On The Posterity Project, Gordon blogs about archives, local history, genealogy, and social media advocacy for archives and cultural heritage organizations. His ongoing research project, John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero, examines the life of Tennessee's first governor, John Sevier, through the lens of history and memory.

*EDITOR'S NOTE: I want to extend a special acknowledgment to the Archives of Appalachia, which houses the John Biggs "Pat" Alderman Papers at East Tennessee State University. A biographical sketch published on the Archives' website provided me with a great deal of information concerning Pat Alderman's life and his early influences.

"For the first time, social media platforms are looking back."

2013-01-20T05:00:00.000-06:00

While browsing Twitter one evening recently, I ran across an interesting article published on the Fast Company website that echoed some recurring themes written about here on The Posterity Project.

In the article, Sarah Kessler wrote about the entrepreneurial potential of the past, focusing on how social media has shifted from a recent communications technology phenomenon to an ubiquitous and ever-present chronicle of our lives. She writes...

“What are you doing right now?” Facebook asked its users in 2007.

The social network, and its peers, have since become less dedicated to the present moment. Facebook has created Timeline, a historic presentation of daily posts. Foursquare has turned its vault of real-time check-ins into a valuable recommendation engine. And Twitter recently launched a feature that allows users to download their tweet archives. For the first time, social media platforms are looking back.

By facilitating constant, real-time conversation, these platforms inevitably created a detailed log of the past. As a habit of sharing and an emerging quantified-self movement merge, the potential to recycle our real-time content grows.

The next big thing, some entrepreneurs believe, will leverage not “right now,” but “then.”

Believe it or not, social media sites like Facebook, Twitter,
and even Foursquare are old enough to have a history.

On several occasions, I have blogged about how companies have used nostalgia to market new and existing products to consumers, and about how archivists can leverage social media for community outreach. There is a clear demand for information about the past, and I believe that the people best positioned to deliver that information to customers are those of us who work in the fields of library and information sciences and in public history.

Combining our knowledge and skills in these areas with a healthy curiosity about the tools and techniques used in the 21st century marketplace will position information professionals to best serve the public.

What are you doing to leverage the past? Please feel free to comment on this trend. I'd love to hear your stories.

TSLA opens the door to social media...

2013-01-13T18:00:00.000-06:00

Following up on a promise I made to readers back in July of last year, today I am pleased to share news about a project that has been in the works for some time. Working at the direction of the Tennessee Secretary of State's office, and collaborating with some very talented colleagues at the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA), we have just launched the TSLA's new blog and Facebook page, and a Flickr site is in the works, all in an effort to share more of our collections and services with the public through social media. The first blog post is a "formal" introduction, complete with a calling card! Expect to see blog posts twice a month, and Facebook updates more frequently as time permits. Also, be sure to keep an eye out for the debut of TSLA's Flickr site where you'll find more treasures from TSLA's collections in the very near future.

I'm very excited to be a part of this social media effort, and hope you'll subscribe to updates from the TSLA blog and other social media outlets for more updates.

"Thus ended the war of 1782."

2013-01-02T05:00:00.000-06:00

Looking again at how writers have viewed John Sevier through the lens of history and memory, I examine the work of anthropologist E. Raymond Evans who in 1980 wrote a detailed and scholarly account of the historical evidence, or lack thereof, surrounding the so-called "Last Battle of the American Revolution." In his article, first published in the Journal of Cherokee Studies and later reprinted in the Chattanooga Regional History Journal and The Chattanooga Times Free Press, Evans argued that the engagement, fought on September 20, 1782 on the slopes of Lookout Mountain nearly one year after Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown, was a product of legend. Described by writers and historians of the 19th century as an armed confrontation between Cherokee Indians loyal to the British and John Sevier's "Nolichucky Riflemen," the "Last Battle of the American Revolution" remains shrouded in myth and mystery.

The caption in the lower left corner of this image reads as follows: "The last battle of the American Revolution, an indecisive skirmish on the slopes of Lookout Mountain involving Chickamaugas and frontiersmen, took place in September 1782. Courtesy of the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau. Illustration by George Little."
Image credit: James W. Livingood, Chattanooga: An Illustrated History (1980).

Evans described the build-up to the alleged confrontation by stating, "on July 23, 1782 North Carolina Governor Alexander Martin ordered Charles McDowell, a North Carolina militia general, to raise five hundred men for a campaign against the Chickamauga Cherokees... Following the mission, McDowell was to act in conjunction with John Sevier, commander of the east Tennessee militia, to arrange a treaty with the Cherokees that would include substantial land cessions."

In his article, Evans presented documented evidence which revealed that John Sevier's 1782 campaign was not a battle, but rather a systematic effort to burn and vandalize homes and crops "belonging to Cherokee refugees who had no connection with the pro-British Chickamauga Cherokees." The actual campaign was an abject failure. According to Evans, letters from key participants in the campaign revealed that John Sevier's guide, a man by the name of John Watts, was loyal to the British cause as early as 1776, and led Sevier's men away from hostility. Even Governor Martin, declared:

"The expedition against the Chickamaugas hath not answered our expectations. The Indians fled on the approach of our Militia and were not to be found. Their huts were destroyed and some trifling plunder taken."

Evans argued that the early Tennessee historians John Haywood and J.G.M. Ramsey, who were among the first to record the "Last Battle of the American Revolution," relied too heavily on stories told to them by elderly veterans of the expedition, and the only contemporary account of the battle, found in the North Carolina State Papers, was largely ignored. A few years later, Evans noted, the writer James Gilmore took the accounts written by Haywood and Ramsey and embellished them further. In his book, The Rear Guard of the Revolution, Gilmore made the bold assertion that Sevier's campaign took place "on the identical spot where, eighty years later, Hooker fought his famous 'battle above the clouds.'" While this claim could never be substantiated by primary sources, the story continued to build to mythic proportions. Evans believed that there was a more sinister motive behind the effort to connect Lookout Mountain with both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.

In the mid-1880s, Evans argued, Civil War Veterans conventions held significant influence over local economies, and there was keen competition among southern cities to host these veterans reunions. In the "Last Battle of the American Revolution," real estate speculators in Chattanooga saw an opportunity. If it could be documented that Chattanooga was the site of significant battles during both the American Revolution and the Civil War, it would give the city a competitive advantage over other cities in the South desiring to host conventions.

According to Evans, amateur local historians began to embrace this particular narrative, repeating what had been written before. Years later, during America's bicentennial celebration, the myth of Sevier's battle on Lookout Mountain was repeated in an effort to stake a claim to the founding of our nation. In his article, Evans noted:

"Attention was directed to this previously obscure event by the bicentennial celebrations. All during the year of 1975, a local TV station punctuated each station break with the phrase 'patriots fought the last battle of the American Revolution on the slopes of Lookout Mountain.' George Little, a prominent local artist, executed a vivid painting of the battle. The National Park Service erected a suitable marker on the site of the battle. 'Confederama,' a local tourist attraction featuring models of the Civil War battles of Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain, added a small section devoted to the 'last battle of the Revolution.' Another popular tourist spot, Reflection Riding, introduced a dramatic live re-enactment of the battle that has grown to an annual event."

Evans beleived that this "proliferation of dubious historical attractions" threatened to "smother and erase the credibility of legitimate local history." He further stated that efforts to connect the region to a national bicentennial celebration had ultimately obscured what really happened atop Lookout Mountain. Evans wrote:

"The myth of the battle on Lookout Mountain was created by a real estate dealer and a popular writer, enlarged by amateur historians and given general acclaim by a professional historian's concession to local civic groups seeking a focus for the regional bicentennial celebration."

American Revolutionary War Battle Marker atop Lookout Mountain
Image credit: The Historical Marker Database

E. Raymond Evans was not the only writer to question the claim that Lookout Mountain was the site of the "Last Battle of the American Revolution." In his 1889 book, The Winning of the West, Theodore Roosevelt called James Gilmore's account of the battle, "pure invention," yet the legend continued to build. Although well-documented evidence suggests that John Sevier's men were never involved in any real engagement with the Cherokee atop Lookout Mountain, the mere fact that Sevier's 1782 campaign was sanctioned by the Governor of North Carolina gave many steadfast believers in John Sevier's legend cause to embrace the ongoing narrative. As recently as 2007, the John Sevier Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution erected a historical marker which declared:

"On September 20, 1782, after several minor encounters, Sevier and his men engaged the Chickamaugas in a battle high in the palisades at the north end of Lookout Mountain. The Frontiersmen's accurate rifle fire soon overcame their foes. This was an official Revolutionary War engagement and is considered by many to be the LAST 'OVERMOUNTAIN' BATTLE OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION."

In contrast to this description of the battle, the only documented account of the campaign was provided by James Sevier, the son of John Sevier, who served as a militia captain under his father. In a letter dated August 19, 1839 James Sevier recalled:

"We set out for the Indian country in the month of September, 1782. On the Highwassee river and Chiccamauga creek we destroyed all their towns, stock, corn & everything they had to support on. We then crossed a small range of mountains to the Coosa river, where we found and destroyed several towns, with all their stock, corn & provisions of every kind. The Indians eluded our march and kept out of our way in the general, although a few men, women and children were surprised and taken. We left the Coosa river for home about the last of October... Thus ended the war of 1782. We all set out for our homes without the loss of a single man."

Selected Sources:

E. Raymond Evans. "Was the Last Battle of the American Revolution Fought on Lookout Mountain?" Journal of Cherokee Studies. Volume V, Number 1 (Spring 1980), pp. 30-40.
John Haywood. Civil and Political History of Tennessee (1891). pp. 119-120.
James W. Livingood. "Cherokee Warrior Fights Whites to Standstill." The Chattanooga Times, July 4, 1976.
J.G.M. Ramsey. The Annals of Tennessee to the End of the Eighteenth Century (1853). pp. 272-273.

"The idol of the frontier people."

2012-12-17T17:00:00.000-06:00

In the previous installment in this series, I examined the fictional accounts of John Sevier's life, written by novelists and childrens' book authors who sought to capture through words the adventurous exploits of the first white settlers on the frontier. In this installment, I focus on another fiction writer who endeavored to cross over into the world of non-fiction to explore the extraordinary life of John Sevier. His name was James Roberts Gilmore.

John Sevier as a Commonwealth-Builder

Born in Boston, Massachusetts on September 10, 1823, James Roberts Gilmore's early career began as a businessman. By the age of twenty-five, he had worked his way up the corporate ladder to become the head of a cotton and shipping firm in New York City. His frequent business trips to the South provided Gilmore with the inspiration to become a writer, and by the time the Civil War broke out in 1861, Gilmore retired from his shipping business to focus his attention on becoming an author.

In the early years of the Civil War, Gilmore's writings gained widespread attention for their realistic portrayals of southern life and graphic accounts of slavery. Writing under the pen name Edmund Kirke, Gilmore's novels, Among the Pines (1862), My Southern Friends (1862), Down in Tennessee (1863), Among the Guerillas (1863), Adrift in Dixie (1863), On the Border (1864), and Patriot Boys (1864), resonnated with his audience, and inspired many in the North to take up the Union cause of emancipation.

In 1862, Gilmore founded the "Continental Monthly" magazine to advocate for emancipation as a political necessity. By July 1864, Gilmore was so well-regarded that President Abraham Lincoln entrusted him to conduct an unofficial mission to Richmond to arrange for a peaceful settlement to the Civil War. Gilmore's efforts, however, failed. Confederate President Jefferson Davis would not agree to any peace proposal that did not include a declaration of independence for the Confederate States. By the end of the Civil War, the Union had won, but Gilmore lost the fortune he had built up as a businessman prior to the conflict. He decided to enter into business again in 1873, but the desire to write never left him. By 1883, he retired again and applied himself anew to the pursuit of literature.

In 1880, he wrote a book entitled, The Gospel History, which was a re-telling of "The Life of Jesus, according to His Original Biographers." In the same year, Gilmore wrote The Life of James A. Garfield, which during the presidential campaign and immediately afterward sold 80,000 copies.

The Rear Guard of the Revolution by James R. Gilmore

Gilmore began to build a reputation as a writer of history, and soon embarked on a quest to chronicle the life of John Sevier. In 1886 he published The Rear Guard of the Revolution, an account of the early settlement of Tennessee, and later published two companion volumes entitled, John Sevier as a Commonwealth-Builder (1887), and The Advance-Guard of Western Civilization (1888).

In The Advance-Guard of Western Civilization, Gilmore described his goal for writing this three-volume history of the early American frontier:

"The three volumes cover a neglected period of American history, and they disclose facts well worthy the attention of historians -- namely, that these Western men turned the tide of the American Revolution, and subsequently saved the newly-formed Union from disruption, and thereby made possible our present great republic. This should be enough to secure for their story an attentive hearing, had it not the added charm of presenting to view three characters -- John Sevier, James Robertson, and Isaac Shelby -- who are as worthy of the imitation of our American youth as any in their country's history...

...In this and my two preceding volumes I have endeavored to rescue from oblivion her earliest and greatest heroes; and, if I have done my work as faithfully as I ought, historians will no longer ignore their existence, but be swift to assign to them the exalted places to which they are entitled in American History."

James Gilmore singled out Sevier, Robertson and Shelby as men of "boundless courage, a constant fortitude, a self-devoted patriotism, worthy of the most heroic ages." However, by Gilmore's estimation, history had ignored these men. Of John Sevier, Gilmore lamented, "No other man of equal talents and equal achievements has been so little noticed in American history."

Dr. J.G.M. Ramsey

In an effort to rescue John Sevier from oblivion, Gilmore constructed his narrative on the foundation of others. Gilmore relied heavily on the work of Dr. James Gettys McGready Ramsey for historical background. Ramsey's The Annals of Tennessee (1853) was "used somewhat in the manner of a textbook" to provide historical background. Gilmore also claimed that Dr. Ramsey was "on terms of the closest intimacy" with John Sevier, "from early childhood till he was of the age of eighteen, when Sevier died." According to Gilmore:

"Dr. Ramsey informed me that Sevier was very fond of young people, and that it was his custom in his old age to gather them about him and tell to them the story of his campaigns by the hour together. It was thus that Ramsey imbibed that fondness for pioneer history which bore fruit in his 'Annals of Tennessee.'"

Gilmore also relied upon "traditions" gathered from nearly fifty descendants whom he met sometime between 1880 and 1884. Gilmore claimed that these direct descendants "had personally known John Sevier and many of his compatriots" and furnished him with letters from John Sevier himself, all of which, according to Gilmore, "helped to make the present volume more full and accurate."

For those who might question Gilmore's research methods, he stated, "Among many there is a prejudice against tradition as a foundation for historical writing; but it should be borne in mind that most history is, and was, originally tradition." It was Gilmore's sincere conviction that he had compiled an "authentic history" of John Sevier's life, based on the stories and anecdotes told to him by his aged contemporaries.

In James Gilmore's eyes, John Sevier could do no wrong. He was a galiant hero, "a providential man," and a predestined leader of men. According to Gilmore, "I have conversed with a number of aged men who knew Sevier well in their boyhood, and they all agree in describing him as possessed of a personal magnetism that was nothing less than wonderful."

John Sevier's portrait by Charles Willson Peale

In describing John Sevier, Gilmore took great pains to express how important it was to come from what he perceived as a proper bloodline. In Gilmore's Commonwealth-Builder, North Carolinians were cast as "wretched sand-hillers... with not one competent leader," and runaway Englishmen "who could trace their lineage no further than the prisons and slums of London." Sevier, however, "was not of the ordinary type of backwoodsman." Gilmore wrote:

"He was a gentleman born and bred; and in his veins flowed some of the best blood of the French and English nations. He had the force and fire of the Navarre Huguenots combined with the solid Anglo-Saxon elements which have had here, perhaps, their highest expression in our venerated Washington. This peculiar blending of qualities was seen even in his face, which, while in contour and lineament strikingly like that of Washington, had the mobility of feature and delicacy of expression which belong to the French physiognomy."

It seemed that John Sevier's greatness was only limited by what little was written about him, and Gilmore believed it was his mission to deliver John Sevier to his rightful place along side the heroes of our republic.

As an Indian fighter, John Sevier's reputation was amplified by Gilmore's narrative. In The Advance-Guard of Western Civilization, Gilmore wrote that Sevier "was carrying fire and sword to the Cherokee towns among the Smoky Mountains," and that the Native American population regarded Sevier "as well-nigh invincible." Gilmore claimed that the Cherokee had a "superstitious dred... for the 'Great Eagle of the pale-faces.'" "For John Sevier was at the head of the border militia," Gilmore wrote, "and his name was a terror to the Cherokees."

The white settlers of the region regarded Sevier as their unquestioned leader. Gilmore wrote, "The district had been largely settled by Revolutionary soldiers, and at this time, and for years afterward, they formed the bulk of its population. They retained their Revolutionary traditions, and still looked to their old officers as their natural leaders." Gilmore further wrote, "there was something in the very name of Sevier to stir the pulses of the border." He was "the beloved of all the people."

James Gilmore's admiration for John Sevier was only matched by his disdain for Sevier's enemies. He described Joseph Martin as a "treacherous friend and a self-seeking demagogue." His opinion about John Tipton was no less kind. Gilmore called Tipton "profane, foul-mouthed, turbulent, and of an irascible, domineering temper." Gilmore further wrote of John Tipton:

"He lacked every quality of a gentleman except personal courage, and that nameless something which comes down in a man's veins from an honorable ancestry. He had the ambition but not the ability to lead, and he could not understand why men should give to Sevier such unquestioning allegiance. He did not know that there is a 'divine right' in commanding talents, exercised unselfishly in a people's service. He was greedy for office, and a born demagogue, and he had the natural jealousy of Sevier that men of low and yet ambitious minds feel for their moral and intelllectual superiors."

In James Gilmore's world, John Sevier not only triumphed over his enemies and conquered his adversaries, he also had the support of the frontier people. Gilmore wrote:

"Sevier was the idol of the frontier people. His captivating manners, generous public spirit, great personal bravery, and high soldierly qualities, had won him the admiration and love of every man, woman, and child in the Territory. For years, without pay or reward, he had stood sentinel over their homes, had guided them through terrible dangers, and led them to wonderful victories; and now, when a hand that should have been friendly was lifted against his life, every man felt it as a blow aimed at his own person, an outrage that could be wiped out only in blood."

Following his death in 1815, memories of John Sevier's historical significance to the region faded. He was overshadowed by the larger-than-life exploits of his bitter rival, Andrew Jackson. Years later, as the Civil War raged, thoughts of John Sevier's importance to the state of Tennessee were buried beneath an avalanche of death and destruction. Following the end of the war and Reconstruction, at a time when the nation sought healing, John Sevier's rediscovered notoriety as a key participant in the Revolutionary War and as a leader in his efforts to create a representative form of government west of the Appalachian mountains, gave writers like James Gilmore the ammunition they needed to not only resurrect John Sevier's reputation as a regional hero, but also put him on the national stage. Suddenly, John Sevier's name was mentioned in the same breath as our nation's Founding Fathers, thereby reuniting North and South through a common bond of liberty. Through James Roberts Gilmore's efforts, John Sevier became a "Commonwealth-Builder" once again, in life, in death, and in memory, for all of posterity.

Gordon Belt is the Director of Public Services for the Tennessee State Library & Archives, and past president of the Society of Tennessee Archivists. On The Posterity Project, Gordon blogs about archives, local history, genealogy, and social media advocacy for archives and cultural heritage organizations. His ongoing research project, John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero, examines the life of Tennessee's first governor, John Sevier, through the lens of history and memory.

Tennessee's founding documents on display...

2012-11-28T06:00:00.000-06:00

Here's a historic event that you will not want to miss...

Tennessee Constitution, 1834.
Image credit: TeVA
Tennessee State Library & Archives

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the building that houses the Tennessee Supreme Court, original handwritten versions of the three state constitutions will be on display for the public for the first time.

The display is part of a week-long celebration of the building and includes the opening of the Tennessee Judiciary Museum in a portion of the courthouse’s library at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 5th. Also, as part of the celebration, there will be a Judicial Family Reunion of all employees who’ve worked in the building that afternoon. The museum will be open to the public with the original constitutions on display December 6 - 8th and Monday, December 10th.

The Tennessee Judiciary Museum is a project of the Tennessee Supreme Court Historical Society in cooperation with the Tennessee State Library and Archives and the Tennessee State Museum.

Several other important documents that help tell the history of the State of Tennessee will also be on display. Click here to read the entire press release from the Tennessee Supreme Court website for more information about this new exhibit.

For a comprehensive history of the Tennessee Supreme Court building, visit the Tennessee Bar Association website for an article by Judge Andy Bennett that is also worth a read.

UPDATE 12/3/2012: Fox 17 News in Nashville filed this report on the new exhibit, and TN Report featured a story on its website along with the following video report:

UPDATE 12/4/2012: WPLN Nashville Public Radio and NewsChannel5 also covered preparations being made for the display. NewsChannel5 filed the following video report:

NewsChannel5.com | Nashville News, Weather

UPDATE 12/6/2012: The Tennessean also covered the exhibit, and the transport of the Tennessee Constitutions to the Tennessee Judiciary Museum at the Tennessee Supreme Court building...

Family History Saturday at TSLA...

2012-11-19T17:00:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving is traditionally a time when families gather, feast, and give thanks for one another. Thanksgiving also gives families a wonderful opportunity to reconnect, and share stories about their past. In addition to the turkey dinner, and Black Friday shopping that takes place at this time every year, I hope you'll consider adding another tradition to your family's Thanksgiving agenda -- a visit to the Tennessee State Library and Archives for "Family History Saturday." Here's how you can take part of this new annual tradition...

Basics of Beginning Family History Research

Presented by Chuck Sherrill

TSLA Auditorium

Saturday, November 24, 2012

9:30am to 11:00am

On Saturday, November 24th, the Tennessee State Library and Archives, located at 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville, is hosting “Family History Saturday,” a free event that is open to the public.

The staff at the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) is encouraging families who have gathered for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend to stop by for "Family History Saturday," a time when they can research their roots together. The library will be open during its regular hours - 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. - on Saturday.

From 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., noted Tennessee genealogist Chuck Sherrill will present a workshop on the basics of beginning family research using available family records, oral history, courthouse records, library sources, and web sites. Mr. Sherrill will review helpful forms, ways to organize data, and demonstrate the most useful free web sites for genealogical research.

Attendees should bring any notes and information they have already collected about their families. Attendance is limited and reservations for the workshop are required. Seating can be reserved by contacting the Tennessee State Library and Archives by calling 615-741-2764, or by email at workshop.tsla@tn.gov

Chuck Sherrill is a librarian, archivist, and genealogist with 30 years of experience and more than 20 published books to his credit. His specialties are court records, prison records, and Tennessee research. He was appointed Tennessee’s State Librarian and Archivist in 2010.

Click here for the official press release from the Tennessee Secretary of State website for further information.

War Memorial Auditorium rocks a new documentary...

2012-11-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

The War Memorial Auditorium building in Nashville has a rich history and music tradition, which was recently captured in this five-minute documentary on the WMArocks website. The documentary features still images captured from the Tennessee State Library and Archives, and other cultural heritage organizations.

I actually received a credit at the end of the film, but the credit should really go to the entire staff at TSLA who helped WMA officials in their background research on this great documentary project...

War Memorial Auditorium documentary from War Memorial Auditorium on Vimeo.

Two new wartime exhibits open at local archives...

2012-11-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

The Tennessee State Library and Archives and the Metropolitan Archives of Nashville and Davidson County are opening two exciting new exhibits that you'll want to visit.

On Friday, TSLA opens Forgotten War, Unforgettable Memories: The Korean War Experience of David Brock and Counting the Days and Getting Short: The Vietnam War Experience of Christopher Ammons. An opening reception for these two exhibits honoring veterans of the Korean War and the Vietnam War will take place at TSLA's Memorial Hall on Friday, November 9th at 11:00 a.m. I hope you'll make plans to attend:

Tennessee Remembers: Korean War and Vietnam War Veterans

The Tennessee State Library and Archives presents two new exhibits honoring veterans of both the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The exhibits open in the TSLA lobby on November 9th, 2012 and run through March 1st, 2013.

In conjunction with our ongoing veterans' survey project, Tennessee Remembers, TSLA has prepared these exhibits featuring materials from David Brock, a Tennessean who served in the Korean War, and Christopher Ammons, a Tennessean who served in the Vietnam War.

The exhibits track the wartime experiences of these two men through their own photographs, correspondence, documents, and artifacts. They provide unique and personal perspectives on the Korean War and Vietnam War, as seen through the eyes of two Tennesseans who served.

Recently, Christopher Ammons donated his personal papers to TSLA, including photographs, letters and memorabilia. An online exhibit featuring the Ammons collection is now available for viewing. Visit TSLA's web site for more information involving these exhibits and TSLA's ongoing oral history projects involving Korean War and Vietnam War veterans. The exhibits will be displayed through March 1, 2013, and will include wartime photographs, correspondence, documents and artifacts provided by Brock and Ammons.

At the Metro Archives, you'll also want to make plans to visit the newest exhibit featuring items from Nashville's Cold War past.

On October 26th, the Metro Archives opened a new exhibit entitled, "Target Nashville: Cold War In The Mid-South," featuring items relating to nuclear war and Nashville in the Cold War era 1958-1990, including this ominous map of Nashville...

The world was on the brink of war, and Nashville wanted to be prepared. This map of evacuation routes appeared as early as 1960 in the Nashville-Davidson County survival plan. Note the damage and percent of deaths by radius from the blast zone in the bottom right-hand corner.

Visit the Metro Nashville Archives Facebook page for further information and updates about this new exhibit.

A busy month, a visit to Knoxville, and some autumn inspiration...

2012-10-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

Despite the lack of blog posts here on The Posterity Project, I have had a very busy month. Following a talk that I gave at the Lebanon Rotary Club in early October, my wife, Traci, delivered a presentation at the Southern Festival of Books, where we had a great turnout for our joint session with Dr. Brian McKnight, discussing the topic of "Rebel Soldiers and Citizens: Examining the Personal Motives of Confederates," and promoting our book, Onward Southern Soldiers. We are genuinely appreciative of this opportunity to share our story, and are grateful for the warm reception from our audience. It was also an honor for us to meet Dr. McKnight, whose own book, Confederate Outlaw: Champ Ferguson and the Civil War in Appalachia, is a must-read.

My wife, Traci, at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville.

Immediately following the festival, I traveled to Knoxville for the Society of Tennessee Archivists annual meeting where I attended a very interesting and informative series of sessions focusing on the theme, "Red, White, Blue, and Recorded! Collecting and Preserving Politics in Tennessee." I also had the high honor of presenting the Society's "John H. Thweatt Award" to two very good friends and colleagues, J. Mark Lowe and Ken Fieth, both of whom have given so much to Tennessee's archival community through their advocacy and support. It was a moment that I will always treasure.

Proud to present the John H. Thweatt Award to two very deserving men, Ken Fieth and J. Mark Lowe.

Following the Society's conference, I attended a very productive business meeting, culminating in a strong statement of support for Georgia's Archives, fully endorsed and approved by a vote of our membership. Breaking news on this front since our vote may have changed the landscape of the issue, nonetheless, I am proud of our society for taking a stand on this important matter.

The meeting also marked my transition to the role of Past President of the Society of Tennessee Archivists. I have had the distinct honor of serving my profession through active participation in STA for many years, and I am grateful to our members for entrusting me to the position of Vice-President and President during the last two years. I am very pleased to hand over the reins of STA to our new President, Eric Head, and look forward to another great annual meeting in 2013, organized by our new Vice-President/President-Elect, Ralph Sowell. Congratulations and Godspeed, gentlemen!

Fortunately, amidst all this activity I found a short window of opportunity to explore a few historic sites of note, including John Sevier's grave and his home at Marble Springs, just to name a few. I also participated in a Civil War walking tour of Knoxville during my stay. Knoxville has a rich history that can be easily explored within walking distance or a short drive from many downtown hotels. The East Tennessee History Center is also a must-see for anyone with an interest in Knoxville's historic past. October is such a great time of year to visit East Tennessee with the autumn colors on full display. If you have not been to Knoxville in the fall, I would highly recommend a visit.

My visit to Gov. John Sevier's grave at the Old Knox County Courthouse in Knoxville, Tennessee

This trip really gave me some much-needed inspiration to pursue a goal that I have had in mind for some time. I plan to begin writing a manuscript based on the subject of John Sevier and Historical Memory, and I will spend more time writing on this subject in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, I hope you'll take some time to re-visit my series on John Sevier and Historical Memory. For a regional historical figure largely obscured by time and the long shadow cast by the memory of Andrew Jackson, it is refreshing to know that this series is one of my most popular and widely viewed series of blog posts. Enjoy!

"He is little known little is said about him yet..." A series of blog posts about John Sevier and Historical Memory

Traci and I visited John Sevier's home at Marble Springs near Knoxville, Tennessee.

Southern Festival of Books...

2012-10-04T21:00:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, the 24th annual Southern Festival of Books is right around the corner, scheduled for October 12-14, 2012 at Legislative Plaza in Downtown Nashville. The Festival is a free event with no registration or tickets required.

On Saturday, October 13th at 9:00 a.m., my wife, Traci, and I have the honor of appearing on a panel with historian Brian McKnight entitled, "Rebel Soldiers and Citizens: Examining the Personal Motives of Confederates." Following the panel, we will be on hand to sign copies of our book, Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War.

In addition to our panel there are over 200 authors scheduled to attend. Here's a full schedule of events, courtesy of Humanities Tennessee. I hope you'll make plans to see us there.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

ONWARD SOUTHERN SOLDIERS: RELIGION AND THE ARMY OF TENNESSEE IN THE CIVIL WAR (The History Press, August 2011 - 128 pp. Over 45 images. $19.99 plus $5.00 shipping/handling)

The Civil War was trying, bloody and hard-fought combat for both sides. What was it, then, that sustained soldiers low on supplies and morale? For the Army of Tennessee, it was religion. Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War explores the significant impact of religion on every rank, from generals to chaplains to common soldiers. It took faith to endure overwhelming adversity. Religion unified troops, informing both why and how they fought and providing the rationale for enduring great hardship for the Confederate cause. Using primary source material such as diaries, letters, journals and sermons of the Army of Tennessee, Traci Nichols-Belt, along with Gordon T. Belt, presents the history of the vital role of the army’s religious practices.

Occupational Records and Family History: The Ferrymen of Rankin's Cove

2012-10-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

When I decided to take on the task of researching my paternal ancestors' work history, I knew that the further I climbed the branches of my family tree, the more difficult my task would become. With little to go on other than a name, a few dates, and some anecdotes from living relatives who recalled stories of long ago, I wondered what, if anything, I might discover traveling back in time to visit my great-great grandfather, William Volney Goins and his work as a ferryman on the Tennessee River. Fortunately, the archival records left behind by my ancestors revealed some clues about how William Goins lived and supported his family four generations ago.

As I recalled briefly in part two of this series, William Goins' son -- my great-grandfather -- William Paul Goins listed his occupation as "Public Ferryman" on his World War I draft card, and his brother -- my great-granduncle -- Arthur Charles Goins, also worked on the river as a "Ferryman," both working for their father on the Tennessee River. Arthur listed his employer as "Goins & Lay." This was obviously some sort of business partnership, but the document left me wondering who was this man named "Lay," and what sort of records might exist that would give me more information about the ferry business?

First, I decided to learn more about ferry operations along the Tennessee River, to give me a sense of what life was like for these men who found their livelihood on the water's currents. According to the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture...

"Prior to the later nineteenth century, state and local governments implemented few road-building efforts. During the frontier era, settlers used old animal and Indian trails, fording most streams or building crude rafts to cross larger rivers. As more settlers arrived in the late 1770s and early 1800s, however, the need for more reliable ways to cross rivers became evident. Ferry boats, operated by individuals or corporations, soon appeared at major river crossings. Operators typically used the current to propel the vessel. Passengers paid a fee variously based on the number of persons crossing, the number of livestock, or the number of wheels on vehicles. Some seven hundred to one thousand ferries operated in Tennessee in the nineteenth century."

Rankin's Ferry in Marion County.
Image credit: Tennessee State Library and Archives

Before the construction of dams and bridges, most traffic across the river depended on ferries. The right to operate a ferry was granted to men with land on both sides of the river that was accessible to nearby roads. In the community of Rankin's Cove in Marion County, my great-great grandfather saw an opportunity to help his neighbors cross the river and to make a living as a ferryman. A deed found on microfilm at the Tennessee State Library and Archives revealed to me a purchase of land by William Goins from Dan Hale and his wife, Hannah. My great-great grandfather purchased 100 acres of land from Mr. Hale along the Tennessee River at Rankin's Cove on December 26, 1910. The deed also revealed a business arrangement between Dan Hale and William Goins...

"We convey him [William Goins] the Ferry landing on the north bank of the river, and we own the same on the south side. Said Goins is not to sell his Ferry land without consent of Hale, and Hale not to sell his on the south bank without Goins consent."

Hale and Goins thus became business partners in a ferry operation along the Tennessee River. Another interesting item revealed in this deed is the name of a neighbor who would also play a prominent role in my great-great grandfather's ferry business. In describing the land for sale in the deed, Hale notes that his property line begins on "John Lay's corner; thence westward with Lay's line to public road..." This information raised more questions: Could this be the same "Goins & Lay" found on my great-granduncle's World War I draft card? Did my great-great grandfather enter into another business arrangement with John Lay to operate a ferry at Rankin's Cove, as he did with John Hale?

I wanted to learn more, so I followed up on a lead revealed in another deed, dated May 24, 1920. In that document, my great-great grandfather sold a portion of his land to a man named G.B. Alder. The deed further reveals that William Goins also sold his ferry landing to the Marion County Tennessee River Transportation Company...

"...being the same land described as first tract in deed from Dan Hale and wife to Wm. Goins (except small tract comprising ferry landing sold off to Marion County Tennessee River Tr. Co.) which deed is dated Dec. 26, 1920, and recorded in the Register's Office at Jasper, Tenn..."

But what became of John Lay's land? In the 1920 deed, the land previously described in the first deed as owned by John Lay was now in the possession of the Marion County Tennessee River Transportation Company. Digging deeper within the Tennessee State Library and Archives revealed another treasure of information. A Charter of Incorporation dated February 7, 1918 filed with the State of Tennessee stated...

"Be it known that John D. Lay, John T. Raulston, L.R. Darr, George Lay, and Dr. J.L. Raulston, are hereby constituted a body politic and corporate by the name and style of

MARION COUNTY TENNESSEE RIVER TRANSPORTATION CO.

for the purpose of operating a ferry across the Tennessee River in Marion County, Tennessee, at a point near what is known as 'Rankin's Ferry' across said River..."

John D. Lay and William Goins were not only business partners, they were neighbors. This image from the 1910 United States Census of Marion County, Tennessee lists both men and their families living so close to one another that they appear on the same page of the Census. Image credit: Ancestry.com

Within ten years, William Goins was out of the ferry business. By this time, however, he was an older man, nearly 70 years of age, and had decided to leave the life of a ferryman to his son, my great-granduncle Arthur, who continued in the family business, presumably working for the Marion County Tennessee River Transportation Company as a ferryman well into his old age.

William Volney Goins

Eventually, there was a public outcry for a better way to cross the many rivers of Tennessee. Ferry travel, at its best, was slow, hazardous, and sometimes undependable depending on the pace of the river's current. The Good Roads Movement of the early twentieth century strongly promoted the construction of bridges and the elimination of ferries. It was not long before a bridge was built across the Tennessee River near Rankin's Cove, and the ferry business once owned by my great-great grandfather became a distant memory.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this series as much as I have enjoyed researching the work of my ancestors. Though I never followed my ancestors' footsteps into the occupations of a ferryman, a stoker fireman, or an auto mechanic, my own occupation as an archivist has provided me with an opportunity to cross paths with my ancestors. The archival records left behind by their business transactions and their daily living have revealed to me their personal struggles, their triumphs, and a strong work ethic. I like to believe that their stories are a reflection of my own career path -- a reflection found on the waters of the Tennessee River.

Gordon Belt is the Director of Public Services for the Tennessee State Library & Archives, and is the current president of the Society of Tennessee Archivists. On The Posterity Project, Gordon blogs about archives, local history, social media advocacy for archives and cultural heritage organizations, and occasionally writes about the convergence of history and memory.

Occupational Records and Family History: Fishing for memories at Hale's Bar

2012-09-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

A Labor Day weekend visit back home to Chattanooga gave me an opportunity to follow up on some genealogy research that I have been working on for my paternal line, and to explore a little bit of employment history in my own family.

In part one of this series on Occupational Records and Family History, I explored my paternal grandfather's work as an auto mechanic, and how archival records revealed his path from a poor farm boy in Easley, South Carolina, to a well-respected mechanic and independent businessman in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

In this second installment in the series, I will explore the work of my great-grandfather, William Paul Goins. I have written before about the Goins branch of my family tree, and I have spent quite a bit of time getting to know my great-grandfather -- a man that died years before I was born -- through family stories and archival documents.

What brought me to this place in my genealogical journey was a childhood trek to the old Hales Bar Lock and Dam, which now serves as a marina, and was once the place where my dad took me and my brother fishing for the very first time. I can remember baiting my first hook and catching my first fish on the shores of that marina. It was a thrill that brings back fond memories of the times that I had bonding with my dad and younger brother. As a child, I had no idea that this place also held such a strong family connection for my father.

World War I draft cards for William and his brother, Arthur, reveal that as a young man, William Paul Goins and his brother worked as ferrymen for their father's ferry business, "Goins & Lay," which operated on the Tennessee River.

William Paul Goins and his brother, Arthur Goins registered for the draft during World War I. On the left, my great-grandfather's draft registration card says that his occupation was a "Public Ferryman" on the Tennessee River. On the right, my great-grand uncle, Arthur, lists his occupation as "Ferryman" and his employer as "Goins & Lay."

Following the war, Arthur returned to the ferry business, but William found work with the Tennessee Valley Authority at the Hales Bar Lock and Dam. Constructed in 1905 and completed in 1913, Hales Bar Dam has the distinction of being the first main-river, multipurpose dam built on the Tennessee River, and was the largest development of its kind in the region. The dam itself measured almost one-half miles across and sixty-three feet high. The project employed over five thousand men, requiring the construction of a small village to feed and house the workers. My grandfather and his family were among those who called that small village of Guild, Tennessee home.

My great-grandfather, William Paul Goins (standing in the back row, fourth from the left), was among the employees of TVA's Hale's Bar Dam. Image from Webb's Hales Bar Lock & Dam History located in the South Reading Room of the Tennessee State Library & Archives.

According to Nonie Hlobel Webb's book, Hales Bar Lock & Dam History: Its Past, Its People and Its Events, the town of Guild was named for Jo Conn Guild, the man who originally conceived of the idea of building the plant, and who later became one of the staunchest and most outspoken opponents of FDR's "New Deal" and the newly formed Tennessee Valley Authority. Guild's Hales Bar Dam brought with it a town complete with its own Post Office, telephone service, sewer and electric system, express and telegraph offices, stores, moving picture shows, a boxing ampitheater, baseball park, athletic clubhouse, police station, steamboat wharves, and railroad station.

Hales Bar Dam as it exists today, a shell of its former self, and surrounded by a recreational marina. Author photo.

When I spoke to my father about his memories of his grandfather, he said “Daddy Goins” would return home from work every evening covered in coal ash from head to toe from working in the steam plant of the Hales Bar Dam. A page from the 1930 United States Census also confirmed the stories handed down through the generations, revealing my great-grandfather's occupation as "Stoker Fireman, Electric Plant."

My father also vaugely remembers attending the third grade at the Hales Bar School, which was established for the convenience of the employees of Hales Bar and their children. Another book entitled, Hales Bar School: 1920s to 1941, gave me further insights into what life was like for my father's ancestors at the time. Work was tough, but the family lived in a close-knit community, and built a work ethic that still resonnates within my own genes to this day, albeit in the less physically strenous confines of the archival profession.

My great-grandparents, Grace and William Paul Goins

When William Paul Goins died on May 14, 1958, his death certificate revealed that he was retired from the TVA at the time of his death. It also revealed that my great-grandfather called Guild, Tennessee his home for 40 years. I never knew my great-grandfather, but I do have fond memories of my great-grandmother, "Mama Goins," and the holiday visits with her and my cousins, aunts, uncles, and other relatives on Mother's Day, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. As a young boy, I never thought to ask Mama Goins about our family history, his work on the Hales Bar Dam, or what life was like in Guild, Tennessee. I never knew of the hard work and sacrifice that was part of William Paul Goins' life. Today, I have a greater appreciation for that hard work and determination, and fortunately, I still have connections to relatives, and the documents left behind at the Tennessee State Library and Archives and other archival repositories which will help me retrace the steps of his chosen profession. My great-grandfather's occupation helped to provide for his family, and also helped to build a lasting legacy for his future generations, including me.

In the final installment in this series, I plan to go further back in time to learn more about the ferry business of my great-great-grandfather, William Goins. I hope you'll join me as I continue this personal journey to "document the links to my past."

Gordon Belt is the Director of Public Services for the Tennessee State Library & Archives, and is the current president of the Society of Tennessee Archivists. On The Posterity Project, Gordon blogs about archives, local history, social media advocacy for archives and cultural heritage organizations, and occasionally writes about the convergence of history and memory.

Occupational Records and Family History: Belt's Garage

2012-09-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Over the Labor Day weekend, I visited my family in Chattanooga, and also had the opportunity to climb a few more branches of my family tree. Lately, I've been interested in the work and careers of my ancestors, and Labor Day gave me the perfect excuse to delve deeper into my family's work history. This blog post begins a three-part series on the subject of occupations and genealogy, focusing on my own family's past, beginning with my paternal grandfather, Henry Belt.

My grandfather was an auto mechanic -- it was his professional identity -- and he had a reputation as one of the best mechanics in the city. I have many fond childhood memories of hanging out in his garage, watching him repair cars, and tinkering on new tools he had invented for specific tasks. He was a natural at working with his hands, and enjoyed working on cars immensely.

"Paw Paw" forged his skills as a mechanic while on duty in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). He grew up poor in South Carolina during the Great Depression, and as one of eleven children, the devastating economy hit young Henry's family especially hard. As a means to support his family, my grandfather enlisted in the CCC. He was transported from his home in Easley, South Carolina to Company 420 near Chattanooga, Tennessee. While there he worked on the trucks and transport vehicles in the camp, making sure they were in good working order for the steep and treacherous roads of Lookout Mountain. The memories shared by my family, together with the archival records found at the National Archives and the Tennessee State Library and Archives helped me to stitch together this thread of my family history.

By 1937, my grandfather had left the CCC after finding work as an auto mechanic. Researching the Chattanooga City Directories held at the Tennessee State Library and Archives, I discovered that his first job as a mechanic was at the B. L. Talley Co., Inc., in Guild, Tennessee. Guild was the same town where my grandmother lived. It was there that they met, and started their lives together.

By 1940, my grandfather began work as a mechanic and later as a superintendent at the Central Garage in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He would later team up with his friend and business partner, Clyde McDaniel, to establish the B & M Garage in 1946 at 59 East Main Street in Chattanooga. Four years later, in 1950, he set out on his own, establishing Belt's Garage at that same location, and later relocated his garage to East 39th Street. The business card seen here is from my family's collection of papers, and is a treasured reminder of the work that my grandfather accomplished during his lifetime.

Throughout the remainder of his life, Henry Belt remained a mechanic. It was his professional calling and passion. I believe no one knew as much about the internal combustion engine as my grandfather. I might be biased in saying this, but as a young man who admired his grandfather, I have a profound sense of pride in his work, and I am grateful for the memories that I have, and for the documentary evidence of his life's work found in the archives and my own personal papers.

Column 28 of the 1940 Census also lists my grandfather's occupation as "Auto Mechanic"

Source: 1940 Census on Ancestry.com

In the next installment of this series, I plan to delve into my great-grandfather's work as an employee of TVA's Hale's Bar Lock and Dam, near Guild, Tennessee, and will later explore my great-great-grandfather's ferry business on the Tennessee River. I hope you'll stay tuned for the rest of this story, and I hope that it inspires you to consider your own family's work as a source for information in your own journey to "document the links to our past."

That little fellow standing front and center in the striped shirt and brown shorts is me, hanging out with my cousins at my grandfather's garage. In the mind of this young boy, there was not a cooler job in the world.

On our way to Ridgetop...

2012-09-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, September 16th at 2:00 pm, Traci and I are visiting Ridgetop, Tennessee to speak to the Ridgetop Historical Society about our book, Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War.

The Ridgetop Historical Society meets at the historic Wilson House, built in 1895 and purchased by the City of Ridgetop in 2006 for use as a park and historic site. The Wilson House is located inside Ridgetop Station Park on 24 acres of beautiful rolling hills and scenic landscapes at 1954 Woodruff Avenue, Ridgetop, TN 37073. We're looking forward to spending our Sunday afternoon in Ridgetop, and we hope you'll join us there!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

ONWARD SOUTHERN SOLDIERS: RELIGION AND THE ARMY OF TENNESSEE IN THE CIVIL WAR (The History Press, August 2011 - 128 pp. Over 45 images. $19.99 plus $5.00 shipping/handling)