Perry County, TN Volume 1: History and Families 1820-1995

By Turner Publishing

History and Families 1820-1995 (From the Acknowledgement) “The historical society presents this book to the citizens Perry County of yesterday, today and tomorrow as a symbol of Perry County’s spirit that is repeatedly evidenced in the family histories found on its pages."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
• Release date: Jan 1, 1994
• ISBN: 9781681622101

Book preview

PERRY COUNTY HISTORY

There is very little to be said about the first settlers as authenticated records are scarce. It is to be assumed that they are of the famous Scotch Irish extraction, which is so prevalent in Tennessee, especially in the hill and mountain districts. From the date of the first settling until now the same families have predominated, indicating that there has been little influx of new blood. The settlements were made in the valleys along the water courses. They, for many years, were confined to these localities. There is no account of settlements prior to 1818; but it is evident that a number of individuals settled in the territory of the county before that date.

Perry county’s first courthouse where Perry County was organized on the first Monday of January in 1820.

Perry County’s second courthouse was erected in 1868. It was destroyed by fire on January 1, 1928.

These early settlers must have come into the county via the Tennessee River, as the first known settlements were on Tom’s Creek. Its proximity to a good landing site would have been a decided advantage for this beginning.

Naturally, the county being wild, they would have encountered numerous obstacles and hardships. First, a crude house of logs had to be raised, which was done next to the land that had to be cleared of its canebrakes and underbrush and growth in preparation for crops.

The settlers of southern Hickman and Humphreys County presented a petition to the state government on September 22, 1819 asking for the creation of a new county in that area. The county was to be named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, a naval officer and hero of the War of 1812.

The county of Perry was created by an act of the General Assembly of the State, passed in November 14, 1819. The act provided that a new county be established north of Wayne, west of Hickman, by the name of Perry County, beginning at the southeast comer of Humphreys, and to include all the territory lying between Humphreys, Hardin, Wayne and Hickman Counties. The act also provided that, until otherwise directed, the quarterly sessions and circuit court should be held at the house of James Yates, on Tom’s Creek, or at such other place in said county as the justices thereof might select. The territory originally included in the county embraced, in addition to what it now contains, nearly all of Decatur County.

The first magistrates (justices) of the county were James Dixon, Joseph Brown, William O. Britt, William Holmes, John L. Houston, Oswald Griffin, Enoch Hooper, Mr. Humm, and Green B. Newson. The house of James Dixon, on Lick Creek, was the place selected by the magistrates for holding their first sessions, and there, on the first Monday of January, 1820, they met and organized the county of Perry. Joseph Brown was elected chairman of the court of quarterly sessions (county court), and the first county officers were elected as follows: William Jarmon, Clerk; West Wood, Sheriff; John A. Rains, Register; Aaron Lewis, Trustee; Jacob Harmon, Ranger; Mark Murphy, Coroner; Joseph Dixon and four others were elected constables. In 1821, the year following the organization, the county seat was established at Perryville, on the west bank of the Tennessee River. At this time and in the days following, Perryville was a political and business center of importance. David Crockett, Andrew Jackson, Sam Houston, James K. Polk and other dignitaries are said to have visited there. An act of the General Assembly passed in November of 1845 provided that all the territory of Perry County lying west of the Tennessee River be formed into a new county, to be known as the county of Decatur. Accordingly, in 1846, the county of Perry was divided and the county of Decatur established with the Tennessee River as the boundary line between the two counties. The courts of Perry County were then adjourned to Harrisburg, a point 4 miles south of Linden. Here they were held two years. Meanwhile, the location of the new county seat was the absorbing question of the citizens. Harrisburg and Linden were competing points. An election was held and it was decided in favor of Linden by a majority of six votes and in 1848 the county seat was permanently established in Linden where it still remains. The site of Linden, consisting of forty acres, was donated to the county by David R. Harris. He reserved a few lots and named the place Linden at the suggestion of Major Thomas M. Brashear with reference to the poem Hohenlinden by Thomas Campbell. The town was surveyed into lots including a public square for county buildings. The lots were sold and the proceeds of the sales thereof were appropriated to defray the expense of erecting public buildings. The county was divided into eleven civil districts.

The following is a copy from The Linden Times February 26, 1880:

A correction: In our last issue in a local item we stated that Linden was originally called Harrisburg, after our late citizen David Harris, father of our townsman G. L. Harris, and Mrs. J. M. Dotson, but in this our informant was mistaken.

Harrisburg was at one time the county seat, and the court met there for several terms, but Harrisburg was at what we know as John L. Webb’s farm, four miles south of Linden, and was called such in honor of Dr. Wyatt Harris who lived in this county at the time. James Simmons of Cypress Creek was a member of the jury there in 1846 and from what we learn is the only living citizen of the county who served on the jury at the court of Harrisburg.

Present courthouse which was constructed in 1928-29. Photo taken in 1994.

Linden was first named Milton in honor of Judge Milton Brown who is yet living at Jackson, Tennessee. Judge Brown was then the member of congress from this district and a most popular gentleman with his constituents. The name was selected by commissioners. When the act of legislature came to be enacted Maj. T. M. Brashear gave the name of Linden and established it as a county seat. Mr. David Harris owned the land and gave the county the land for the courthouse, etc. We are informed that the name of the town was not changed from Milton to Linden because of any loss of respect that Maj. Brashear or the people had for Judge Milton Brown, but mainly because there was another place named Milton in the State.

We make this correction and give these facts not because the error of our former statement would injure anyone, but because it is important the present as well as the future generations should not be misinformed as to any historical point of their county, and from the very vague and conflicting ideas already in existence the importance will be seen. There are but few alive now and in a few years there will not be any alive who figured in the early history of our county, so we cannot be too particular in stating any facts relative to our county history, for in future years it will be a matter of no small interest to have full and correct statement of these facts. We are informed by the oldest citizens and the best authority that these facts are correct.

Editor S. L. Neeley

The first courthouse in Perryville was built of logs and the second one of brick. The latter was used until the division of the county in 1846. The first courthouse at Linden was also made of logs. This was replaced in 1849-50 with a frame building. The latter was consumed by fire during the Civil War with all the records therein contained. Some of the public records, however, being in offices outside of the courthouse, were preserved. The next courthouse was a very substantial and quite ornamental brick structure of two stories with the county offices on the first floor and the court rooms on the second. It was erected in 1868 at a cost of $9,500. It was built by a man by the name of A. Gholston of Mt. Pleasant.

The building was destroyed by fire on January 1, 1928. In the years of 1928-29, a modem fire-resistant building was erected and in that time was one of the most attractive courthouses in this section of the state and is presently still in use. (1994)

The topography of this county is beautiful from the regularity and great number of the ridges. Buffalo Ridge, west of Buffalo River, rises to the height of 700 feet above tide water and 300 feet above the adjacent valleys. It traverses the county longitudinally north and south throughout its entire extent, and sends out westward eight subordinate ridges, nearly to the Tennessee River, a distance of nine miles. Between these various ridges streams of pure sparkling water flow in parallel lines and empty into the Tennessee River. On the eastern side of Buffalo River are parallel spurs running down to the banks of Buffalo River. The spurs are seldom over one mile in length and the troughs which they form convey the waters from the eastern slope of the ridge into Buffalo River. The portion of the county east of Buffalo River is also fluted with edges and valleys, similar to the western side and many beautiful streams bordered by fertile lowlands empty into that stream which is the great artery of this county. Beginning at the southern end of the county the tributaries of the Buffalo from the eastern side are: (1) Sinking, (2) Rockhouse, (3) Hurricane, (4) Short Creek, (5) Coon Creek, (6) Brush Creek, (7) Cane Creek, (8) Lagoon, (9) Russell Creek and Lost Creek. Most of these creeks are rapid in their descent and flow alternatively over gravely beds and limestone rock. They have a sufficiency of waterpower to drive mills. The tributaries of the Tennessee beginning at the southern limits of the county are: (1) White Oak, (2) Bee Creek, (3) Cedar Creek, (4) Marsh Creek, (5) Cypress Creek, (6) Spring Creek, (7) Lick Creek, (8)Tom’s Creek, (9) Roan’s Creek, (10) Crooked Creek and (11) Blue Creek. The average length of these creeks is about nine miles and they usually flow through flat wide bottoms, the channels often changing, the water cutting out the banks on one side or the other and throwing up a wide expanse of rounded pebbles and sand on the other.

In the Linden News of December 1924, Mr. B. W. DePriest, a writer of history for the paper states that: White Oak Creek was so called by the vast amount of white oak timber growing there. Marsh Creek was so called because of the wet marshes and slushes near the mouth of the creek. Cedar Creek was so called for the vast amount of cedar timber on that creek. Cypress Creek was so called from the cypress ponds and large trees on that creek. Deer Creek got its name from the large quantity of deer that were there when the county was settled. Roan’s Creek from the fact that during the time surveyors were in the area a roan horse got loose and ran away. Lick Creek got its name from the salt licks found there. Buck Fork on Marsh Creek got its name from two large buck deer, both dead with their horns locked together being found there.

Bridge across Buffalo River going east on Highway 100. It was built in the early 1930s.

The geology of this county, as given by The State Board of Agriculture is as follows: "Blue and gray limestones outcrop in all the valleys excepting a few in the northern part of the county. The limestones belong to the formations known among the geologists as Niagara and Lower Helderberg. Many of the bluffs along the Tennessee River are made up of their strata. There are a number of gladly places in the county formed by the outcrops of the Niagara limestones which have supplied geologists at home and abroad with fine specimens of fossils. Many of the fossils have been taken to Europe. Above the Lower Helderberg limestones, which are generally thin bedded, blue and full of fossils, lay the black shale, a formation which everywhere attracts attention mainly because it is mistaken as an indication of stonecoal. This bed ranges in thickness from a few feet to thirty or more. Above the black shale and constituting the mass of tops of the ridges is the siliceous division of the Lower Carboniferous. The lower strata of this division are often silico-calareous shales, mixed, more or less, with limestones. The upper portion contains more limestone which often shows cherty masses; the latter, being liberated, cover, more or less, the tops of the ridges.

More than one-half of all the land in the county is charged with iron ore. There seems to be an almost inexhaustible supply of the material. It is found, however, in the greatest quantities along Marsh, Cedar and Sinking Creeks. Along the creeks and on the west side of Buffalo Ridge blossoms outcrops in dark, bluish boulders whose great weight shows iron to be the predominant ingredient. The Cedar Creek Iron Furnace was erected on Cedar Creek near its mouth by Wallace Dixon about the year 1834. It was rebuilt about twelve years later by Ewing, McNickle & Co. It was afterward run by different persons and suspended operations in 1862 and has not been run since. It used to make 1,500 tons of pig metal annually.

A rough species of reddish, variegated marble, useful and beautiful for building purposes, is found in great quantities in different parts of the county. There is a mine of wealth in the bowels of the earth, in Perry County remaining undeveloped. The cheap means of transportation for heavy articles, which the Tennessee River furnishes, will undoubtedly lead capital to this mine and cause it to be developed in some future day.

William Patterson, son of Robert Patterson was born on Tom’s Creek in 1818, giving clear indication of permanent settlements at this early date. Rev. Wm. Hodge, Rev. Samuel Atkins, John Stanley, Wm. O. Britt, Enoch Hooper and John Young settled on Tom’s Creek about the year 1818. William Patterson, if not the first, was among the first born in the county. The family of Whitwells, Thomas, John, Samuel and James Lomax, Homer Cude, James Salmon, John Anderson, Rev. Joseph Kelley and Jesse DePriest were among the first settlers on Cane Creek. Jacob Hufstedler, born on board a sailing ship en route from Germany to America in 1775, settled with his family on Cane Creek in 1821. John Homer, Elbert Matthews, Jerry Hooligan and James Wilkins and their families settled on Buffalo River near Beardstown about the year 1824. Joseph Tucker, from North Carolina, settled near Linden in 1818. Isaac W. Stanley settled on Buffalo River and was a surveyor of Perry County for many years. James Dixon (at whose house the county of Perry was organized), James Yates, Wiley Tanner, John and Jesse Newton and others settled on Lick Creek as early at least as 1818. Joseph Brown, William and Nathan Ward and Nat Dabbs were among the first settlers on Marsh Creek. Samuel Denton, John Tracy and Jesse Childress settled on Cedar Creek about 1818. Joshua Briley, Thomas Evans, Nicholas Welch and James Scott were the first settlers on White Oak Creek. Jacob Fraley, George Hollabough and John Webb settled on Sinking Creek about 1818 or 1820 and about the same time David Hogan, Hodge Adams and Nancy Randal settled on Rockhouse Creek. Allen Barber and the Jarmons settled on Hurricane Creek; Thomas Dowdy, Joshua Cates, and Abraham Barber on Coon Creek. Other early settlers of the county were Wm. Holmes, John L. Houston, Oswald Griffin, John Weems, Green B. Newsom, West Wood, John A. Rains, Aaron Lewis, Jacob Harmon, Mark Murphy and Joseph Dixon. The first steamboat that passed up the Tennessee River was the General Green in 1819. Many of the pioneer settlers visited the river to see the great curiosity.

James Dixon built the first horse mill in the county on Lick Creek about the year 1820 and the first water mill in the county was erected on Cedar Creek in 1821 by John Tracy. The first merchant in the county was James Yates who began business about the year 1819 on Tom’s Creek. The first cotton gin was erected on Cedar Creek in 1821 by Samuel Denton. The raising of cotton was not a prominent industry in the county until after the close of the Civil War when the farmers engaged in it extensively for a few years, but, finding it unprofitable, entirely abandoned it.

For some years the leading industry among the farmers was the cultivation of peanuts of which there were from 500,000 to 800,000 bushels produced annually in the county, this being one of the leading counties in the state for that product.

Britt’s Landing became the focal point for the peanut industry. William O. Britt, born January 24, 1819 in Humphreys County (which could have been the same area as Tom’s Creek since that area was Humphreys County in 1819), used his prior business experience as a salesman and merchant to establish Britt’s Landing on the east side of the Tennessee River in 1839. Here he erected warehouses and provided docking space for the landing of barges. Cotton was the most prominent product shipped early in the history of this area but peanuts dominated after the 1860s. The post office was established at Britt’s Landing in 1850. Britt erected a peanut recleaner and warehouse to consolidate the activities of peanut culture and capture most of the commercial aspect of this business. The cleaner operation burned in the early 1890s and the Britt family (Billy, his sons Thomas C. and George) headed up a company incorporated as the Southern Peanut Company. In 1895, a second cleaner was erected. Business boomed and a second warehouse was erected at Denson’s Landing a few miles south of Britt’s. This industry created countless jobs for the citizens of this area. In the cleaning, grading, warehousing, and shipping area, mostly women and blacks were employed but farmers from all across the county were involved in the production of peanuts. One historical account written in 1874 gives the following: "The introduction of the culture of the peanut in the county marked a social revolution. Previous to this time almost all the cloth used in everyday wear was manufactured by the wives and daughters of the farmers. But as the labor required to cultivate the peanut was not so confining, nor so arduous or long continued as the labor of the spinning wheel and loom (the latter were exchanged for the hoe) with which they were able to buy for six months labor in the field what before required twelve to manufacture within doors. It is no uncommon sight to see women of fairest face and comeliest form with hand encased in gloves and their faces screened from the ray of a blazing sun by an old-fashioned sunbonnet, hoeing long rows of peanuts, while the sterner sex drives the plow. And especially when this crop is being harvested are the nimble fingers of the women of peculiar value. It is said that a woman can pick from the vines at least one-third more in a day than a man.

Marking off ground for peanuts.

The Southern Peanut Company went bankrupt in the 1920s and the peanut industry was doomed in Perry County.

The number of bushels of cereals raised in Perry County, 1885, was as follows: Indian corn, 423,461; rye, 565; barley, 125; oats, 23,874; wheat, 16,051. The number of animals reported in the county were: horses and mules, 2,462; cattle, 4,806; sheep, 4,799; hogs, 16,764. The number of dogs is not reported but it is declared on good authority that there were more dogs than sheep in the county. Two or three curs and five or six hounds constituted the ordinary pack of dogs owned by many individuals. Owing to the fact that only a small portion of the land were cleared, thus leaving extensive forest, wild animals, such as deer, wildcats, foxes, coons, etc., and wild turkey abounded in considerable numbers. The people enjoy the sport of hunting hence the great number of dogs. When the county was first settled the above enumerated animals as well as bears, wolves and panthers were numerous. There are none of the latter now remaining.

Perry County was somewhat noted for its tanneries. The first yard established in the county was a place on the Tennessee River known as Rat Tail by Charles Gotthardt, a native of Germany. This yard was started about 1843, receiving its peculiar name from the circumstance of its having been infested with rats disembarked from a St. Louis barge loaded with hides. During the ten years succeeding the foregoing date, ten tanyards were established at different points in the county, and the annual product of all then within the county according to the best estimate that can now be made, was $50,000. The war and its consequences compelled all these tanneries, excepting two, to suspend operations. Robert Houssels and James B. Sutton operated the two until the late 1880s. Mousetail Landing, on the Tennessee River, named in contradistinction of the old landing, Rat Tail, was the principal place of shipment for the tanning products. During the early 1960s through the extensive efforts of Dr. James R. Jordan and James O. Tucker, the T.V.A. and the State of Tennessee began the development of a rustic scenic park on the Mousetail Landing site. At the present time, the park consists of 1,197 acres of hiking trails, campgrounds, boat docks, launching ramps, rustic trail shelters and commons area for family outings.

Perry County has not grown in industry and population as many of the counties around it has. The following is a report by the Bureau of Agriculture for the State of Tennessee, published in 1874:

Though Perry County offers some fine inducements for an industrious population few immigrants came to it. This is doubtless owing to a want of railroad facilities and of school advantages. The want of the latter has caused many good citizens to leave the county and seek other locations where their children can enjoy the privilege of attending good schools. This want is scarcely felt by a large portion of the population. Generally with limited education, they do not recognize what a powerful lever it is in building up the prosperity and greatness of a community, in attracting population, in diversifying pursuits, in awakening dormant energies, in multiplying the effectiveness of labor, in softening manners, in nursing manly sentiment, in mitigating ferocity, in harmonizing the different shades of society, and beautifying, adorning, and enabling private life and manners. Schools, without which in this age, there can be no permanent progress, meet with but little favor. A tax for public works is so obnoxious that to advocate it is to render one extremely unpopular. The convenience of the public is made secondary to the convenience of an individual. Money paid for public improvements, in the opinion of the many, is money abstracted to benefit all others except the taxpayer. It is to be regrettable that a county which has so many of the elements of wealth within its limits should be so indifferent or unmindful of the steps necessary for its development. To work up their vast treasures of iron ore there must be skilled labor. To have skilled labor there must be schools. To have schools there must be a public sentiment created which will view the taxes paid for such a purpose in the light of an investment. Were the twenty furnaces in operation in Perry, or twenty cotton factories, the increased revenues which the farmers would derive by reason of the home markets thus created, would pay the tax demanded for the support of a good school system twenty times. The whole community would benefit and the stagnation that now reigns over the county like an incubus would be replaced by activity, zeal, public spirit and awakened enterprise.

In checking population figures over the last 150 years, it is evident that there has not been much change in activities that cause a dramatic growth in population.

Population figures for the 150 years period:

As stated earlier, the first term of the Circuit Court was held at the home of James Dixon on Lick Creek in the spring of 1820, Judge Humphreys presiding. The early records of this court have been destroyed so that no sketch of its actions can be compiled.

The following is a partial list of some of the elected officials from that time to 1886:

Register - John A. Rains 1820 - 1828; Thomas Lomax 1846 - 1882; R. A. Kimble 1882 - 1886.

Sheriff - West Woods 1820-1828; John Easley 1828-1832; Larkin Baker 1832-1843; Hugh B. Hand 1843-1846; Thomas Simmons 1846-1847; John L. Webb 1847-1848; James Kelley 1848-1852; Moses Bates 1852-1856; James H. Brown 1856-1858; Moses Bates 1858-1862.

During the Civil War, civil law was replaced by martial law and no elected officials served. The first session of the county court and its officials after the war was held in April 1865 when civil law resumed.

Sheriffs serving after 1865 — James M. Dodson, 1866-1868; Henry H. Long 1868-1870; John L. Webb 1870-1874; William J. Flowers 1874-1876; Edward W. Easley 1876-1878; A. D. Craig 1878-1882; J. M. Hunt 1882-1886.

Prior to the formation of the Chancery Court, the Circuit Court had jurisdiction over the chancery practice. The first term of the Chancery Court of Perry County was begun in Linden on the first Thursday after the third Monday of June, 1854, with the Honorable Stephen C. Pavatt, Chancellor, presiding. This court, as well as the other courts, did not convene during the war period. Chancery Court Clerk and Masters were James H. Kinser 1854-1858; I. N. Hulme 1858-1860; R. N. Thomas 1860-.

After the war, T. M. Brashear 1865-1868; H. J. Young 1868-1871; T. W. Edwards 1871-1877; W. A. Edwards 1877 - 1883; W. C. Webb 1883-1886.

Circuit Court Clerks were F. H. Kimble 1846-1850; T. W. Edwards 1850-1858; B. G. Rickman 1858 to war period; J. P. Ledbetter 1865-1870; Lewis C. Waggoner 1870-1882; J. W. Lewis 1882-1886.

The county was represented during this period of time in the legislature by H. M. Brown, Robert Crudup, Charles Graham, Thomas M. Brashear, Hartwell Barham, F. H. Kimble, William S. Maxwell, William N. Taylor, Jesse Taylor, C. B. Dodson, and J. B. Daniel and in the Senate by H. M. Brown, Thomas M. Brashear and Warren Smith.

Linden, the county seat of justice, is located on the west bank of Buffalo River, about three miles southeast of the geographical center of the county and about ten miles east of Perryville, the former county seat. The first dwelling house in the town was erected in 1847 by Jesse Taylor and Miles Prince. John L. Webb kept the first hotel, commencing in 1849, and Dr. Wm. C. Moore opened the first store in 1847. He was the first physician and also the first postmaster. Linden was incorporated in 1848 and the charter repealed in 1883. For some years prior to 1883, Linden was infested with saloons and intemperance prevailed to an alarming extent. To overcome this evil, the better class of citizens petitioned the legislature to abolish the charter. This being done, the saloons had to close up in obedience to the four-mile law, and there is now not a saloon in Perry County where liquors are sold. The town of Linden now consists of the county buildings, two hotels, two school-houses (the Linden High School and the colored-free school), one Union Church, three stores, one restaurant, some mechanics’ shops and about twenty-five dwelling houses and 200 inhabitants, three doctors and four lawyers.

This account of Linden was written in 1886 and since that time it has continued to be the county seat and at present time (1994) it and Lobelville are the only two towns of any size. Both have a population of about one thousand citizens.

The Miles Prince House was the first house built in Linden. It is shown here after it was moved and restored.

HISTORY OF LOBELVILLE

It is not possible to definitely determine when Lobelville became a settlement of white inhabitants, but there is ample physical evidence in the form of artifacts that much of the area around Lobelville was used as Indian settlement for many, many years. It would be safe to assume that settlers moved into this area, especially after treaties with the Chickasaw Nation in 1816 moved the Indian borders to the Alabama line, about the same time other areas of then southern Hickman and Humphreys County were being occupied. Goodspeed’s History of Perry County written in 1880s, says that it was established in 1854 as a Post Village and named after Henry DeLobel, a French immigrant, who remained there seventeen years before returning to France. It is said that he tried to gather French Colonists to return to the area and envisioned a great commercial center based on river traffic on the Buffalo River. It is known that DeLobel did live in the Russell Creek area and his name is carved (in Old English script) in a cave (known as Jaybird Cave) on Russell Creek with the date of 1854. In the same cave, there is an abundance of evidence that the cave was used as a shelter as well as extensive mining of saltpeter. DeLobel later lived in a house overlooking Russell’s Creek on the Blackwell farm now belonging to Peggy Easley. The original house stood in this area until sometime in the 1980s when it was tom down and another house built close by.

Goodspeed’s History of the 1880s states at that date, Lobelville contained three stores and a combined school and church. As years passed there was minimal growth to the town. The majority of the citizens engaged in agricultural and timber occupations. These products were used locally or shipped through the facilities of Britt’s Landing. Some improvements were made over the years in the form of a couple of hotels, churches, a bank and mercantile operations. In the late 1880s, a water mill was built on the Buffalo River by John Leeper that provided a gristmill, sawmill and a limited amount of electrical power. Electricity was furnished by this water mill until sometime between 1932 and 1937. Statements were made by some of the people using electricity from this mill that they could tell every time a log was sawed on the mill because the lights would get dim. It is said that significant improvement was the establishment of an educational center known as The College. It provided relevant educational activities for all grades. It was located on Main Street in the vicinity of The Flower Basket and McDonald Funeral Home. It is unknown what time it ceased to operate.

Some of the earlier settlers of Lobelville were survivors of the War of 1812. After the war, the soldiers received payment for their services by land grants. Others bought some of the land for one half cent per acre. The military line of this war is located around Lobelville and adjoining communities. The creeks and hollows were usually named after the first settlers.

Like many other southern cities and towns after the Civil War and reconstruction, Lobelville had it’s share of desperate and dangerous men, many being survivors of the bloodiest war in history. Some were still holding grudges and there was much bitterness in the aftermath of this war that put friend against friend and in some cases, relative against relative. These were men who were accustomed to handling their own differences, very often violently, especially when the cause was meddling in their personal affairs.

One such incident recounted may times by eyewitnesses happened across the street from the old bank building. This notoriously desperate character rode in to town one day with a double barrel shotgun laying across his lap. When asked by one bystander what he was going to do with that gun, he replied quite simply that he was going to kill the sheriff. Spotting him across the street next to the bank building, he put the gun to his shoulder and pulled the trigger. At this very instant the banker walked out the door of the bank building and was struck by ricocheting pellets. The sheriff began firing back with a pistol, very ineffectively, and decided to cut out. The only unlucky person in this exchange of gunfire was the banker.

Another incident involved an old whiskey maker well known for killing at least two men that had meddled in his business when he rode into town one day. The sheriff approached this old gentleman and informed him that he had a warrant in his pocket for his arrest. The old gentleman looked him straight in the eye and replied, You’d better keep it there. Legend goes that the warrant stayed in the sheriff’s pocket.

Recreational activities of early Perry Countains. Front, l to r: Tom A. Twilla, unidentified, Dock Alexander, Hicks Lancaster, Henry Lancaster and Richard E. Hester.

The bullet holes and lead slugs embedded in the porch of the earlier buildings were grim reminders of the dangerous and reckless conditions that existed in Lobelville up to the early 1900s.

Growing peanuts became a thriving business around Lobelville, replacing cotton, and was considered to be the cash crop of this area. But the peanuts also seemed to be responsible for the influx of blackbirds that followed. Many have witnessed what must have been millions of these birds going south in the morning and moving back north in the evening. The movement of these birds would last for hours, with no break in the flights. The blackbirds played havoc with a lot of the peanut crop since they were stacked out in the open fields. As the peanuts faded out as the cash crop in this area, so did the black birds.

Another form of business in operation around Lobelville was whiskey making. Prior to and during the Civil War, anyone that wanted to could legally make whatever amount of distilled spirits they so desired, whether for personal use or to sell for profit. Almost every mill around had a whiskey still in operation. Some of the farmers found it more profitable to turn their corn crop into whiskey to ship rather than ship the bulkier grain. After the Civil War a tax of $1.10 was collected for each gallon made. Later the area was voted dry but the practice continued illegally on a broad scale until the late 1950s.

At one time there were four grist mills in Lobelville. One was pulled by a Fordson tractor belonging to Roy Reece and located in the vicinity of the Church of Christ building. Another, belonging to Jim Campbell and pulled by a small gasoline engine was located near Heath’s Cee Bee. Bedford Bates operated one in the area of Rudy’s TV Service and Abe Lynch’s was located at the dam on Buffalo River and pulled by water power.

In 1944, probably the most significant event in the development of Lobelville and other small towns across the southern states was the construction of natural gas pipelines through the area. Over the years four lines were constructed through the Lobelville area and a pumping station was built in Lobelville proper. This wave of construction provided well paying jobs of temporary nature and the permanent facility of the pumping station provided long term higher echelon positions. These activities led to other business being established to provided services to the gas company employees. Over the next few years, other commercial and industrial operations were established. Included in these are Bates Fabricating, Reliable Products, Kolpak, Red Kap, Leatherwood Mfg., Lobelville Garment and Watkins Mfg.

In 1949, nearly 500 people gathered to dedicate their new clinic made possible by the hard work and effort of the people and businesses, in an effort to secure a doctor at Lobelville. Doctors L. B. Murphy and O. A. Harmon, both of whom died several years earlier, were the last local physicians. Perry County’s physician at that time was Doctor O. A. Kirk who lived in Linden. The next nearest doctors were thirty to forty miles away at Waverly and Centerville. The efforts were successful and Doctor Carlton was the first doctor to occupy the new clinic at Lobelville. Doctors McPherson, Griffin and Shiefield followed. At this writing, Doctors Earl and Ken Salhany are serving the people in the community.

Other communities that were prominent in prior years were Britt’s Landing as mentioned in connecting with the peanut industry. Farmers Valley, on Buffalo River ten miles south of Linden, at one time had a post office, two stores and a warehouse. Theodore was a posthamlet on Hurricane Creek with a wool carding mill and a sawmill. These are no longer in existence. But Beardstown, established in 1830, and named for George Beard, its first merchant, is located on a high bluff on the west side of Buffalo about eight miles north of Linden, had a post office, stores and elementary schools but at present is only a residential area.

PERRY COUNTY NEWSPAPERS

The early history of Perry County newspapers is rather scarce but from bits and pieces of information gathered here and there, the following is a fairly accurate account of that part of Perry County history.

The first newspaper ever printed in Perry County was the Linden Times, founded and published by S. L. Neeley and James Martin. The paper began on February 5, 1880 (a reprint of an article is found elsewhere) but was taken over in 1882 by C. L. Pearson. James L. Sloan purchased the paper in 1883, changed the name to The Perry County News and printed the news until late 1884 and then suspended operation. About 1896, John Turner and Mollie Goblet Turner began publishing a newspaper called The Linden Mail (a reprint from this paper is found in the education section). It is known that the Mail existed until 1910 (there are copies in existence) but in 1913 there existed a paper by the name of The Linden News with J. Kent Sparks as editor. What transpired between 1910 and 1913 is pure conjecture.

The following is a reprint of an editorial by Mr. Sparks printed in 1913:

OUR TOWN SPRING

While seated on a rock over the town spring Sunday afternoon, the editor of the News listened to a bit of interesting history concerning the spring.

In the antebellum days it was known as the Copeland Spring, near which was located a still where corn juice was freely distributed to the pioneers who frequented the place and many were the days when riotous revelry ran wild.

In these days shooting matches were regularly held nearby and the pioneers with their trusty rifles were on hand from all parts of the county to match their skill with one another, the prize being turkey, beef and John-barley-com, etc.

Co. 1 24 Tenn. UNF CSA.

At the time we speak of, this spring presented a wonderful appearance. Being a large cavern seven feet high and about sixteen feet wide, a man could walk in it a distance of thirty yards without stooping, at which distance the subterranean way became smaller, so much that a man to go through it, had to go on his hands and knees. Crawling through this small space one entered a large cave with several arms extending in different directions, the main branch running under what is now Linden, and going in southwesterly direction, having a small opening about two feet in diameter in the rear of Mr. Sam Anderson’s residence. ‘Tis said that parties, when exploring the cavern, always carried a large ball of twine with them, tying one end to an object near the entrance, and as they proceeded, let the ball unwind, thus they were always able to return in safety.

Since the time we speak of, the appearances of this spring have undergone a great change. During one of the mighty floods, the entrance was filled up with dirt and rocks leaving only an outlet for the water.

This spring, from which Old Hickory drank when on his way to Memphis, furnishes a large percent of the water to our citizens; but what a deplorable condition it is in. What appearance does it present to the stranger passing by? Is it a thing of beauty and joy forever? Nay, it is knee-deep in mud, leaves, sticks, tin cans, etc. Nature has done her part. Let us do ours and clean out and beautify it.

We know that The Linden News was in existence in 1918 (there are copies). Prior to 1924, Mr. A. W. Wiggs was the owner and publisher of The Perry Countian and in July of 1924, Mr. Charles Ary became the editor. The building housing The Perry Countian burned in 1930, destroying all the printing equipment. Mr. Wiggs elected not to continue in the publishing business so Mr. Ary became the publisher of the paper.

During the year 1923, there was a paper published by the name of The Advocate by Brice Thompson. Nothing else is known about this paper.

The first issue of the Buffalo River Review was published on April 15, 1976, by Editor/Publisher and founder Don Dowdle. Volume one, number one was a twelve page, one section tabloid-size newspaper. The paper was produced by Perry County Publishing Company, Inc., with Dowdle as President.

Just over two years later in the September 6, 1978 issue of the Review, Dowdle and Mrs. Charles D. Ary, Sr. announced the purchase of The Perry Countian by Perry County Publishing, Inc., and the ensuing merger of the two newspapers. The Perry Countian had been established in 1924 and Charles D. Ary was publisher until his death in 1971.

In May, 1982, the Buffalo River Review ceased its format of tabloid size and became a full broadsheet-sized publication.

Dowdle remained publisher and editor until August 1982 when Randy Mackin was named managing editor of the newspaper. Dowdle, who still held the position of publisher, moved to Somerville, Tennessee and established the Fayette County Review, which is still published today by Dowdle (1993).

In August, 1983, one year later, the assets of Perry County Publishing Company, Inc., were purchased by Randy Mackin and David Weatherly. Mackin became the majority stockholder and president; Weatherly served as secretary/treasurer.

This ownership continued until 1988 when Randy and Lynda Mackin became publishers of the Buffalo River Review and Weatherly sold his interest to the Mackins. Randy Mackin remains president of the corporation and serves now as editor and publisher of the newspaper which is in its eighteenth year of publication.

PERRY COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR

It was the bloodiest war in American history.

For four long years, 1861 - 1865, this war prevailed, with death and destruction like had never been seen before. The hand to hand combat and sheer courage displayed on the battlefields exemplified both Union and Confederate soldiers above all others. When Tennessee seceded from the Union, Perry County rallied, with the Confederates organizing first, furnishing some 600 men. There was considerable Union sentiment in the county and they tried to be neutral, but were finally forced into organizing, furnishing about 200 men. Various written accounts of the Perry Countians in battle attest to the fact that there were none better. It is highly likely that Perry County, on a per capita comparison, furnished more men in this war than any other county in the state.

The Confederate companies with Perry County men and their respective commanders are as follows:

Company G, 20th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, Captains Robert D. Anderson, James A. Pettigrew, and J. Lewis Shy were called The Perry County Guards.

Company G, formerly 1st Company D, 23rd Tennessee Infantry Regiment, Captains William H. Harder and John W. Harder.

Company G, became 2nd K, 42nd Tennessee Infantry Regiment, Captains Issac N. Hulme and Wiley B. Beard, calling themselves The Perry Blues.

Company F, 53rd Tennessee Infantry Regiment, Captains William N. Baker and John R. Coble.

Company C, 2nd (Biffle’s) Tennessee Cavalry Battalion, became Company I, 6th (Wheeler’s) Regiment, Captains Nicholas N. Cox and James H. Lewis.

The 19th (Biffle’s) Tennessee Cavalry Battalion, Company A, Captain J. J. Biffle, Company H, Captain Thomas S. Beatty, Company I, Captain J. H. Culp, and Company K, R. M. Sharp.

The Methodist Church, built in 1912 in Flatwoods.

A 1986 oil painting by Marie Grimes of the S.T. Sharp General Store and Post Office, 1940

Cox’s Tennessee Cavlary Battalion, Company A, Captain W. H. Bass, Company B, Captain W. H. Lewis, Company C, Captain Elisha S. Stevens, Company D, Captain B. G. Rickman, Company E, Captain J. B. Herron. Consolidated with Napiers Battalion in 1863 to form the 10th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment. Company 1st A, Captain W. H. Bass, Company B, Captain William H. Lewis, Company C, Captain Willis H. Whitwell, Company H, formerly Company D, Captain B. G. Rickman, 1st Company K formerly Company E, Captain S. D. H. Whitfield.

Robert D. Anderson’s Cavalry Company, Wheeler’s Scouts.

The Federal Companies with Perry County men and their respective commanders are as follows:

Company G, 6th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, Captains William Chandler and William C. Webb. Company H, 6th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, Captains Joseph G. Berry and Drisden DeFord.

Company E, 2nd Tennessee Mounted Infantry Regiment, Captains Henry D. Hamm and Robert A Guthrie. Company F, 2nd Tennessee Mounted Infantry Regiment, Captain John W. Taylor.

Colonel Frierson and about 120 Confederate soldiers had possession of and commanded the post of Linden during the Spring of 1863. Early one morning, Colonel Breckenridge of the Sixth Tennessee Federal Cavalry took the place by surprise and captured Colonel Frierson and about 50 of his men and burned the court house in which the Confederates were partially quartered. Only two or three men were killed in this engagement.

Toward the close of the war, a troop of Confederate Cavalry made a raid through Linden, killing and capturing a few Federal soldiers. At this late date in the war, prisoners were generally not taken.

There were isolated skirmishes at Lobelville and Beardstown on September 27, 1864. Local sources seem to think the battle took place somewhere between the Hollis Hinson residence and Buffalo River.

It was clearly a war with brother against brother, cousin against cousin, father against son, and even reached to the highest levels of government. Four of Abraham Lincoln’s brothers-in-law wore Confederate uniforms, and one of them, Lieutenant David P. Todd, was charged with brutality to Union prisoners in Richmond. Mary Lincoln’s brother, Dr. George R. C. Todd, was a volunteer Confederate surgeon.

Stonewall Jackson was the symbol of Southern resistance, but his sister was a Union sympathizer. She once made the remark that she could take care of the wounded Federals as fast as brother Thomas could wound them.

Some Confederate soldiers were portrayed brandishing a large knife named the bowie after James Bowie, the Alamo hero who was supposed to have originated the type. The blades ranged from six to more than 18 inches long and some had a D shaped knuckle guard. Although rarely used in battle as weapons, they were regarded as such by Confederate soldiers. A single chop could sever a man’s arm. Collectors commonly refer to them as Rebel Fighting Knives, and even an old rust eaten specimen will bring $500. An original portrait of a soldier holding one of these knives will command the same price.

The accusations by some in the North that Southerners were not well educated seemed to be pretty well founded toward the close of the war. It seems that even simple words like I give up were not in their vocabulary. Northern General John N. Schofield summarized the situation when he wrote, I doubt if any soldiers in the world ever needed so much cumulative evidence to convince them that they were beaten.

Much bitterness existed even after the war, the Reconstruction Period being one of the saddest in our nation’s history. Perry County records show there were 10 murders, 8 attempted murders, 63 arrests for illegally carrying guns and 40 cases of trespassing during a period of one year after the war.

Few people in history struggle more fiercely for their homeland and their perception of what was right than did the Confederate soldier. Battle losses were staggering. Barefooted, hungry and outnumbered, their spirit remained unbroken as they marched directly into deadly cannon and musket fire, at times being slaughtered, only to fight again another day as though nothing had happened.

Is it any wonder that we cannot hold back our fascination and awe for men like these? Sir Winston Churchill probably summed it up best when he said, ‘It is to the eternal glory of the American nation, that the more hopeless became their cause, the more desperately the Southerner fought."

FLATWOODS COMMUNITY

The scenic community of Flatwoods is believed to have been established around 1844 by several families from Halifax, NC. The earliest name in the area is Whitaker’s Bluff, honoring one of the founding fathers. Later in 1871, the community was renamed Flatwoods.

The old Flatwoods Church of Christ, built in 1902.

The new Flatwoods Church of Christ, built around 1954.

Bromley Hotel, home of Dr. & Mrs. R.C. Bromley, built in 1911.

Grimes Canoe Base for Boy Scouts, built in 1976.

The area became a center of commerce with several stores, a bank, a photography shop and a blacksmith’s shop. There were two churches in the community. The oldest is the Methodist church. The new Methodist church was built in 1912. The Church of Christ was organized and established in Flatwoods around 1900. The new building was finished around 1902. Samuel Boyce donated the land and was one of the most prominent leaders in the Church of Christ. The two story building housed an auditorium for worship on the first floor. The Masonic Lodge held their meeting on the second floor. The whole community helped to build the first building. The current Church of Christ was built around 1954. Glenn Grimes, Nesby Kirk and Fount Armstrong were named the trustees. The first school was an academy. Later, a new school building was built around 1884. Students could finish ten grades until the 1930s, when it became only an eight grade school. Students who completed high school had to drive or board in Linden. Later in 1954, a new school was built, but was discontinued in the 1960s.

The largest store in Flatwoods also housed the post office. The store was owned by S. T. Bud Sharp, who was also postmaster. Marie Boyce Grimes was the first and only woman every appointed postmaster at Flatwoods. She also owned and operated the general store for six years. Later, when Nesby T. Kirk retired as carrier, she applied for a transfer and she was appointed the first and only woman rural mail carrier there. Ottie Lee Ary was the next and last postmaster. The post office was discontinued and closed permanently January 3, 1985.

The store, owned by Ross Hamm, was formerly owned and operated by Mrs. Izora King for about two years in 1911. Mrs. Audrey Hamm owned and operated it after the death of her husband, Ross Hamm. It has been vacant for several years since. The Charles Bromley store has been torn down. The Bank of Flatwoods was located in the building and the bank president was W. C. Corlew. The A. H. Webster shop and garage has been closed for several years.

The old stores are all closed. Mike Ashton runs Buffalo River Canoe Rental and the Rogers brothers run the Flatwoods Canoe Rental during the summer months. The Treadwell brothers use the old Sharp store for a wholesale flower business. It is closed except on weekends. There is one restaurant owned by Felix Skelton. The restaurant is open on weekends and gives local residents a place to exchange the news of the week. Most of the time there are no places of business open in Flatwoods.

Flatwoods old school building, built ca 1890s.

The old Bromley Hotel was built in 1911 and was owned by Dr. R. C. Bromley. His office was located in a small building nearby. His wife, Dilla, operated the hotel until around the 1920s. Fishermen came to enjoy Buffalo River. Jerry and Dexter Webster live there now after they bought the house from the A. H. Webster’s. They plan to open a museum there.

Flatwoods new school building, built in 1949. Left to right: Dr. W.E. Boyce; Jack Stevens, Superintendent; Mrs. Stevens; Claude Dodson; Will Horner; Ethel Kimble: Mrs. A.H. Webster; Dewey Ary, Principal; Glenn Grimes and G. Tillman Stewart. Dedicated June 1949.

Dr. W.E. Boyce home and office, built in 1928.

Mrs. Izora King’s home and boarding house, built in 1891.

The Grimes Canoe Base is a part of the Middle Tennessee Council of the Boy Scouts. The thirty-two acre tract of land was donated by Glenn Dick and Marie Grimes in 1976. Thousands have enjoyed camping and floating the Buffalo River since that time. They come, not only from Tennessee, but several other states, also.

The Dr. W. E. Boyce home, built in the 1920s, had his office in his home, where he saw his patients. He lived in Flatwoods until the 1940s when he opened a clinic and Hospital in Hohenwald. However, he still worked part time at his office in Flatwoods until the late 1950s. His daughter, Marie Grimes, kept his old medical cabinet that holds a display of some of his surgical instruments and other memorabilia. It now stands in the foyer of her home at Flatwoods.

The oldest homes are those of Izora King and Sam Boyce. Mrs. King kept boarders. Her house was built in 1891. The Boyce house was built in 1903. The old way of life at Flatwoods is gone forever. It, too, is Gone With The Wind.

Written and submitted by Marie Boyce Grimes and Glenda James May, 1994, with references from the History of Flatwoods, by Susan M. Carroll, April 1990 and other sources of research.

GRIST MILL ON LOWER CANE CREEK

John Massey built Grist Mill on Cane Creek about 1810 or 1812 a few miles from Beardstown in what was then Humphreys County.

Grist Mill on Lower Cane Creek, circa 1895.

Green D. Leeper apparently bought the mill before 1865. He sold to Harvey Randel in 1865.

Moses Baucom sold land and mills on Cane Creek in 1868 to Josiah Bastian.

In 1879 Josiah Bastian, defendant—J. W. Cooper, claimant. Bought at public auction by Thomas Lomax.

Thomas Lomax, A. O. Barcofcy and wife Mattie Barcofcy sold to W. E. Beard in 1886.

Newton Jasper Hinson bought from W. E. Beard about 1894 or 1895.

Jonathan Harvey Hinson bought the place and mill from his father Newton Jasper Hinson about 1917. Sold to Ab Grinder 1951.

Submitted by Mrs. Fred Duncan.

THE JOLLY DOZEN

The Jolly Dozen Quilting Bee originated in 1957 in a two room house located in the Chestnut Grove Community. It all began when several local ladies discovered their quilt boxes were almost empty. They had grown up piecing quilts and had received quilts as wedding gifts, but during the course of rearing their children and working outside the home, their precious heirlooms were dwindling away.

The art of quilt-making had almost become obsolete, but these ladies believed that quilts like their mothers and grandmothers made were still the most practical and versatile bed covering available. Since quiltmaking is a tediously slow and time consuming process for one person, it was decided to take turns quilting each other a quilt. The ladies began piecing their quilt tops at home. Then on quilting night every one pitched in to help quilt and one lady would carry home the finished product. Within weeks, the quilt boxes began to shape up and more ladies became involved. Soon there was a dozen and since the ladies enjoyed these jolly, weekly get togethers, they named themselves the Jolly Dozen.

The first published photograph taken by Mr. Ary in the mid-fifties for the Perry Countian depicted a baker’s dozen. This photograph consisted of Ethel Tucker, Norma Hildenbrandt, Grace Tucker, Lou Doyle, Sallie Matt Trull, Vera Tucker, Lillie Gladden, Lolamae Averett, Myrtle Gladden, Lorene Wade, Ellen Qualls, Nona Tucker, and Dovie Qualls.

The two room house belonging to Glenn (Sleepy) Tucker was sold after the quilting bee started. It was then that the ladies moved to Averett’s Grocery where for the next 36 years they could be found every Monday applying their trade. It was here that their potluck dinners became almost as popular as their tiny stitches. Judges, doctors, clergymen, truck drivers, farmers, reporters, loggers and hopeful candidates have at one Monday or another found their way to Averett’s to take part in the jolly atmosphere and delicious pot luck dinners. At Averett’s, there was always an extra plate and you were a stranger there only once.

When arts and crafts fairs became annual events at parks and recreational facilities all over the state, invitations poured in for the Jolly Dozen to demonstrate the vanishing art of quilting. This prompted Mrs. Lolamae Averett to put a camper on her pickup, and the ladies, dressed in their long skirts and bonnets, took to the road. Since most of the ladies were over sixty, they recruited a neighborhood boy, Tony Plunkett, to help with the driving, the loading and the unloading.

Soon orders were pouring in from all over the state for a Jolly Dozen quilt. Articles and pictorial displays were published about the