Early days in DeKalb
County, TN, are recalled in this spiral bound booklet compiled
from excerpts from the 1887 book: History of Tennessee, originally
published by Goodspeed Publishing Co., and other sources. The 51-page
booklet is printed one-sided on 60# paper with the print enlarged
for easier reading. A vinyl sheet has been added to protect the
front cover.
The first 10 pages
of the booklet are devoted to the history of the county. Included
are a physical description of the county, early settlers, early
merchants and mills, creation of the county, justices, lawyers,
county officials, Schools and churches, Divided Civil War sentiment,
with the county sending "a number of companies to both the
Northern and Southern Armies." Smithville is the county seat,
but Alexandria is the largest town. Liberty and Dowelltown are other
communities within the county.
Besides
the names mentioned in the first part of the booklet, there are
biographies of many county residents of yesteryear. Most are fairly
lengthy, and often include ancestors, previous residences, children,
in-laws, affiliations, war records, and business activities. In
the course of this they often shed light on the early businesses,
professions and institutions in the county. The biographies include:
James M.
Allen, Alvin Avant, J.M. Baker, Col. J.H. Blackburn, Prof. J.L.
Boon, J.W. Botts, W.G. Bratten, N.M. Brown, J.L. Colvert, J.R. Corley,
Maj. W.G. Crowley, Dr. Thomas P. Davis, D.W. Dinges, James A. Donnell,
E.J. Evans, Capt. J.T. Exum, T.W. Fitts, J.J. Ford, H.D. Foust,
John A. Fuson, Pat Geraty, Prof. H.L.W. Gross, William T. Hale,
D.T. Harrison, Isaac Hayes, R.F. Jones, Prof. T.B. Kelly, Rev. Ira
W. King, James H. Kitching, John M. Mason, R.C. Nesmith, W.W. Patterson,
S.B. Prichard, James T. Quarels, John B. Robinson, J.E. Robinson,
Louis E. Simpson, J.J. Smith, W.R. Smith, A.P. Smith, Gen. William
B. Stokes, Dr. J.G. Squires, Will A. Vick, W.W. Wade, Samuel Walker,
and Bethel Magness Webb.
Brief excerpts from
Counties of Tennessee by Austin P. Foster, and Tennessee,
a Guide to the State, compiled and written by the Federal Writer's
Project of the WPA in 1939, are included.
There are a few illustrations, but the quality of these is only fair.
Wouldn't this make a unique gift? |
