Scott County, Tennessee
FNB Chronicles

This page was created 06 Sep 2008

(Page 4)

Scott County
Post Offices and Postmasters
1850 - 1984

INTRODUCTION

The listing of Scott County post offices and postmasters published here is taken from a book compiled by D.R. Frazier in 1984 entitled Tennessee Postoffices And Postmaster Appointments, 1789-1984.

The book is a mammoth 834-page volume which is divided into two distinct parts. The first part of the book is an alphabetical listing of more than 6400 post office place names in Tennessee, along with the date the offices were established, the date they were discontinued, and a “remarks” section, which reveals the date the office was moved to another post office or was continued from another post office. Part II of the book is a county-by-county listing of postmaster appointments in chronological order.

Scott County’s list of post offices (which are preceded by an 1887 Post Route Map of the county), cover four and a half pages of Frazier’s book and are listed alphabetically (from Alderville to Zena). From its establishment in 1850 until the time this book was published (1984), Scott County was served by 58 post offices under different names (including such changes as Hellenwood becoming Helenwood in 1883).

From Frazier’s research, it appears that the first post office in Scott County was established in the county seat of Huntsville in 1851 and that Calvin Looper was the first postmaster, having been appointed on February 1 0~ 1851 . Other early established post offices here include Clarsbord, (established 1852 and discontinued two years later); Pouch Creek (established 1854 and discontinued in 1866); Horseshoe Bend (established 1856 and discontinued in 1881); Winfield (established 1857 and still in operation); Fort Brandon (established 1857 and discontinued in 1860); Good Water (established 1859 and discontinued the following year); and the Welch settlement of Brynffynon (established 1865 and discontinued five years later).

The post offices still in operation in Scott County include Huntsville (established 1851), Winfield (established 1857); Helenwood (established 1880); Robbins (established in that name in 1880, but originally established as Bianco in 1879); and Elgin (established in 1891). It should be pointed out that a section of Scott County is currently served by the Campbell County post office of Pioneer, which was established in 1889.

And while there is a lot of interesting history to be gleaned from Frazier’s book insofar as when and where post offices were established in Scott County over a 134-year period, of much more interest is the people who received appointments as postmasters at these places — Scott Countians who are pinpointed at a particular place at a particular time in our county’s history. It’s a great source book for family history enthusiasts for that reason and also because it reveals name changes in communities (such as Skullbone being changed to Norma and Norma to Norcross and back to Norma again). If you’re simply reading letters from the past which originate at all these different place names, you would naturally assume that your ancestors moved around a lot. Not necessarily so. And, also, a careful study of the evolution of these post office name changes could well reveal other socioeconomic trends in the county through the years, including the rise and fall of coal mining towns, the coming of the railroad, and even, perhaps, changing community standards, as when Hellenwood became Helenwood and Skullbone became Norma.

Also, the dates which the offices were established and discontinued are important to local historians, as they tend to point toward such factors as shifts in population, centers of new industry or commerce, communities springing up or vanishing as the result of depletion of such natural resources as coal or lumber, and the list goes on and on.

Who was appointed postmaster (and when) in a given locale may be linked to political changes at different junctures in our county’s history. But its safe to assume that whoever was appointed to such a position was both literate and capable of performing the job. As you read through the list of postmasters, it is interesting to note how often the position became a family affair, with wife following husband, or visa-versa, as well as father-son transitions and the like. In fact, many men who would rise to prominence in other fields (particularly local politics) got their start as a postmaster, while others had long careers in the appointed positions.

In conclusion, this excerpt of post offices and postmasters from Frazier’s book is much more than just a list of names, places and dates - it’s a storehouse of information for local historians and family genealogists, providing facts which can corroborate (or disprove) stories handed down from one generation to another, as well as add a little more color to our colorful past.

FOOTNOTE — Abbreviations and symbols used in the following list include: OIC for Officer In charge; Dis. for Discontinued; M for Moved; NC for Not Commissioned; and * denotes a post office still in existence.

Post Office	Postmaster	Effective Date	Notes
Alderville	Andrew Davis	31 Aug 1901	Discontinued 31 Aug 1914, moved to Winfield
Almy	Adrian A. Almy (Page 5) George R. Wright James M. Carson James R. Sparks William E. Billings Milford E. Thompson Alvis Jeffers James D. Roberts	5 Sep 1890 1 Oct 1892 30 Dec 1898 2 Mar 1903 19 May 1904 23 Oct 1905 8 Feb 1906 10 Jun 1907	Discontinued 14 Aug 1909, moved to Oneida
Bianco	Andrew J. C. Robbins	18 Aug 1879	Name changed from Ernie Name changed to Robbins 19 Jan 1880
Black Wolf	Newell H. Goff James C. Hamby	8 Sep 1875 14 Feb 1877	Discontinued 16 Jun 1880
Botts	Jessie L. Byrd Viola Byrd	6 Mar 1891 1 May 1897	Discontinued 24 Aug 1898, move to Jeffers
Bowl	John Fetterman Francis M. Chambers Jacob M. Chambers William R. Posey (nc)	27 Jun 1891 20 Jul 1894 1 Aug 1899 18 Oct 1905	Discontinued 15 Jan 1907, moved to Oneida
Brynffynon	Richard Roberts	17 Mar 1865	Discontinued 2 Jun 1870
Byrd	Oliver P. Byrd	30 Mar 1899	Discontinued 29 Feb 1904, moved to Pioneer
Capuchin	Hiram Trammell Susan Trammell Ulysses S. Trammell	30 Oct 1882 11 Apr 1890 14 May 1900	Discontinued 31 May 1914, move to Newcomb
Chambers	J. C. Parker Francis M. Chambers	16 Feb 1885 25 Feb 1885	Discontinued 11 Nov 1886
Clarsboro	Joshua Cummings	27 Feb 1852	Discontinued 26 May 1854
Cordell	James M. Newport Marion Jeffers Marion D. Newport John L. Lawson Nevada Robbins Rebecca Brown	27 Mar 1895 29 Apr 1902 6 Feb 1906 16 Mar 1915 16 Aug 1918 29 Mar 1924	Discontinued 29 Feb 1916, moved to Winona Discontinued 31 Oct 1919, moved to Winona Discontinue 30 Jan 1937, moved to Hunstville
Cortland	Eldridge Shannon Belle Sexton Ida Robbins Cassie Griffith	6 Dec 1892 18 Mar 1914 16 Apr 1921 12 Jul 1936	Discontinued 31 Dec 1936, moved to Robbins
Dean	George E. Wright Elmer L. Byrd Lowell Ancil Byrd Bonnie Daugherty Maggalene Hatfield Gussie G. Hatfield Ralph W. Lowe	12 Oct 1931 5 Aug 1939 1 Jul 1943 24 Feb 1948 2 Jun 1948 16 Mar 1949 1 Mar 1951	Discontinued 31Aug 1955, moved to Norma
Doctors	John M. Wilhite Samuel L. Babb	30 Apr 1891 29 Sep 1896	Discontinued 14 Oct 1897, moved to Bowl
Elgin*	J. Thomas Guthrie Rebecca A. Guthrie William A. Miller Craven Duncan Isaac M. Shoemaker Samuel J. Norris Andrew J. Love Louise M. Smith Kathryn Cunningham Alice E. Davis Elsie M. Phillips Zelma Smith June B. Jeffers Thelma A. Galloway (OIC) Dorthy C. Mathis Lawrence Hill (OIC) Christine M. Vespie	14 Jun 1891 25 Jun 1893 21 Aug 1897 26 Dec 1903 13 Dec 1907 22 Dec 1908 16 Apr 1914 14 Feb 1922 31 Jan 1934 21 Jan 1935 31 Aug 1952 31 Oct 1953 30 Jun 1973 30 May 1979 22 Sep 1979 9 Dec 1982 19 Mar 1983
Elva	Lewis Burke R. C. Norris Lewis Burke John Miller Calvin H. Smith Isaac M. King	2 Sep 1904 8 Feb 1905 2 Sep 1904 16 May 1907 18 Feb 1915 23 May 1919	Appointment rescinded 26 Dec 1905 Discontinued 31 Jul 1935, moved to Oneida
Ernie	Andrew J. C. Robbins	8 Jul 1879	Name changed to Bianco 18 Aug 1879
Fogal	Alvin C. Terry Calvin C. Terry William Stanley (declined)	7 Mar 1905 6 Oct 1906 Jul 1908	Discontinued 15 Dec 1908
Fort Brandon	William H. Blevins William W. Owens	21 Jul 1892 3 Jul 1895	Discontinued 22 Oct 1860 [1896?]
Frona	William H. Blevins William W. Owens	21 Jul 1892 3 Jul 1895	Discontinued 20 Sep 1895, moved to Oneida
Gennett	Andrew Gennett Fred Hughett Emmett C. Hughett Reeda L. Hughett Mae Sexton Harness	21 Nov 1927 9 Jun 1931 25 Jan 1938 25 Jan 1938 9 Feb 1944	From Campbell County Discontinued 31 Dec 1945, moved to Huntsville
Glenmary	Owen E. Waters Layton S. Young Archie McDonald Andrew L. Puckett William H. Lee Elda H. McKeethan George W. Todd William R. Bow Grover C. Kittrell George R. Watts Ida B. Mathews Grover C. Kittrell Charles E. Sumner Bobby Lee Burton	6 May 1880 8 Jul 1884 8 Sep 1886 25 Sep 1893 20 Sep 1897 3 Sep 1902 28 Mar 1904 17 Apr 1914 21 Jan 1922 13 Sep 1922 24 Aug 1935 9 Sep 1935 10 Jan 1937 25 Nov 1960	Name changed from Redmond Discontinued 4 Feb 1972, moved to Robbins
Goodwater	William Hatfield	11 Jan 1859	Discontinued 8 Nov 1859
Griffith	John N. Chambers	6 Aug 1904	Name changed to Winona 25 Jun 1909
Gumfork	George W. King William Trammell	27 Mar 1884 2 Jun 1888	Discontinued 16 Sep 1893, moved to Isham
Helenwood*	Mrs. China Cordell Milton L. Byrd James Frye John Cordell James C. Parker William H. Carson Leander Carson James C. Parker Jefferson C. Newman Bailey P. Smith Patrick Foster Henry Lee Marcum Maggie Foster Lawrence E. Ryan Kathleen W. Keeton Lowell D. Webb (OIC) Alvin Krahn	27 Jul 1883 7 Apr 1886 18 Sep 1886 13 Feb 1889 9 Sep 1889 16 Oct 1893 27 Feb 1896 10 Sep 1897 19 Feb 1901 11 Jan 1905 19 Dec 1908 30 Apr 1914 25 Jul 1918 28 Aug 1943 15 Apr 1955 25 Jan 1980 9 Aug 1980	Name changed from Hellenwood
Hellenwood	Alvin Parker James H. Newport Mrs. C. Cordell	12 Mar 1880 17 Aug 1881 13 Mar 1882	Name changed to Helenwood 27 Jul 1883
Higgins	George King	7 Jun 1892	Discontinued 20 Sep 1893, moved to Oneida
Horse Shoe Bend	John B. Sandusky Isaac Riseden	19 Jun 1856 26 Oct 1866	Discontinued 6 Oct 1857 Discontinued 14 Jul 1881
Hughett	Jasper Hughett M. J. Robbins Daniel Walker P. M. Good Charles Walker James Chambers May Chambers	17 Jan 1887 1 May 1897 5 Feb 1902 12 Dec 1902 5 Jan 1903 8 Jun 1910 14 Jan 1914	Discontinued 14 Sep 1935, moved to Cortland
Huntsville (courthouse)*	Calvin Looper Phillip Williams Hugh M. Montgomery Calvin Looper John L. Smith William Baker William H. Redman Bartholomew W. Smith John W. Smith Evan B. Jones Gilbert M. D. L. Sprowl James C. Parker Martin B. Strunk George W. Strunk Thomas J. Lloyd Mary E. Parker James Lay James M. Keen Olive Hurtt Matilda Porter H. Clay James Leonard Jeffers Melvan McDonald Elias G. Foster Jerome T. Bashears D. Garfield Chambers George W. Chambers Mrs. John Hamblen Mary H. Williams Othelia J. Lawson Rosco Byrd William E. York	10 Feb 1851 7 May 1852 16 Mar 1853 18 Feb 1854 11 Jan 1855 4 Jan 1856 15 May 1857 23 Aug 1859 1 Mar 1860 17 Mar 1865 16 Apr 1866 6 Sep 1867 22 Mar 1872 17 Jun 1875 9 Sep 1878 6 Sep 1867 [?] 11 May 1881 4 Jun 1883 1 Apr 1889 18 May 1893 27 Mar 1895 4 Jan 1898 7 Jan 1904 30 Jan 1909 19 May 1915 29 Aug 1922 7 Oct 1931 16 Feb 1934 1 Apr 1937 31 Mar 1952 31 Dec 1954 31 Oct 1967
Isham	George W. Strunk James H. Newport Marion Murphy George W. Strunk Francis M. Chitwood Andew J. Chitwood Richard Chitwood James L. Foster Charles L. Spencer Marion Murphy Louie B. Davis Edmund King Haywood Meadors Hubert Trammell	19 Dec 1882 15 Nov 1886 30 Apr 1888 9 Jan 1889 27 Aug 1895 27 Feb 1886 3 Dec 1896 11 May 1897 18 Dec 1908 24 Sep 1909 26 Nov 1921 31 Mar 1922 9 May 1924 29 Jul 1924	Discontinued 30 Sep 1926, moved to Winfield
(Page 8) Jeffers	John B. Jeffers William R. Boyd Isaac Bashears	8 Jan 1883 12 Nov 1887 12 Sep 1890	Discontinued 23 Jul 1907, moved to Pioneeer
Laxton	Samuel D. McMurray Andrew J. Phillips	20 Jan 1908 30 Jun 1911	Discontinued 30 June 1914, moved to Oneida
Newland	Sylvester B. Leeper Van D. Sparks Ivan F. Jennings Carl H. Sparks	18 Sep 1908 26 Mar 1913 3 Nov 1920 11 Apr 1922
New River	James Buttram John Buttram Archie McDonald Esau Thompson Moses F. Hurtt Philip M. Smith John S. Duncan James M. Keen Baty Cecil Harrison Reed Thomas Begley James Keathley Albert Keathley Clyde Reed	6 Oct 1871 1 Mar 1880 29 June 1882 13 Nov 1882 26 Feb 1883 26 Feb 1886 10 Apr 1889 5 Jul 1893 18 Jun 1897 19 Aug 1902 10 Oct 1904 13 Jan 1909 31 Dec 1930 30 Apr 1955	Discontinued 15 Feb 1974, moved to Helenwood
Norma	Joseph F. Hatfield Nettie Hamon Rosa Hamon Franklin V. Hamon William R. Shannon William M. Ingels William R. Shannon William J. Hamon John L. Marcum Luther Pennington	17 Mar 1887 5 Apr 1887 27 Feb 1894 7 Jul 1908 16 Oct 1909 1 May 1914 21 Jun 1919 1 Jan 1922 8 Jul 1924 1 Jun 1932	Name changed from Skullbone Name changed to Norcross 17 Dec 1915 Discontinued 31 Jul 1964, moved to Huntsville
Oneida*	Pleasant C. Blivins George W. Jones Jacob W. Puckett George W. Chandler John A. Bales Allen Reed John W. Rosser James S. Owens John Carson, Jr. John M. Terry Alvin C. Terry William C. Smith Walter W. Price Oscar Thomas William S. Stanley William H. Marcum Moda M. Marcum Walter F. Dyer (OIC) Thomas E. Breeden Larry Creekmore McArthur Slavin	12 Mar 1880 13 Dec 1880 20 Jun 1883 5 Feb 1887 20 Mar 1889 3 Oct 1890 5 Mar 1891 25 Nov 1891 25 Jul 1895 7 Apr 1897 21 Oct 1912 16 Apr 1914 1 Dec 1919 23 May 1921 4 Oct 1921 31 Dec 1933 7 Jun 1935 8 Oct 1976 26 Aug 1978 31 Jul 1981 7 Aug 1982
Parch Corn	Calvin C. Terry Philip Davis Mayor T. B. Blevins Martin Terry Calvin C. Terry A. C. Slavin William R. Hatfield Lorenzo D. Margum	4 Mar 1877 28 Apr 1881 8 Jun 1881 8 Mar 1882 2 May 1883 17 Jul 1884 1 Mar 1886 13 Mar 1890	Discontinued 9 Jan 1892, moved to Helenwood
Redmond	James R. T. Redman	5 Jun 1878	Name changed to Glenmary 6 May 1880
Roach Creek	Frank J. Tighe	9 Sep 1924	Discontinued 15 Nov 1929, moved to Norma
Robbins*	Andrew J. C. Robbins John Haworth Annie McNamara Andrew J. C. Robbins Martin F. McNamara Jasper Hughett Lucien Minor Granville R. Todd John W. West Berbin Ellis Letha D. Ellis Horace M. Hughett Lena M. Shepard (OIC) Bobby L. Burton	19 Jan 1880 18 Feb 1884 11 Oct 1886 2 Dec 1890 7 Sep 1893 20 Dec 1897 12 May 1914 2 Feb 1918 2 May 1921 1 Apr 1927 30 Nov 1960 12 Jan 1961 11 Jun 1971 25 Jun 1971	Name changed from Bianco
Roberta	James B. Craig Mattie H. Keen Louis E. Bryant	28 Oct 1909 12 Jun 1913 13 Apr 1918	Discontinued 31 Oct 1931, moved to Winfield
Sedgemoor	Walter S. Allen Craven Duncan	25 Oct 1880 21 Jun 1881	Discontinued 5 Dec 1881
Skullbone	Joseph F. Hatfield Rose Harmon Joseph F. Hatfield	17 Dec 1878 10 Aug 1880 16 Feb 1883	Name changed to Norma 17 Mar 1887
Smokey	John C. Courtney Rose Harmon Joseph F. Hatfield	22 Jan 1898 10 Aug 1880 16 Feb 1883	[There appears to be a transcription error because the last two names and dates are identical to Skullbone above] Discontinured 20 Apr 1927, moved to Straight Fork
Smoky	Lacy Adkins W. A. Cross	12 Mar 1880 15 Jul 1880	Discontinued 22 Jul 1881
Smoky Junction	Nancy Low Willard F. Jeffers Jerry J. Chambers John Massengale Lassa Anderson Bracher Adkins Carrier Newport Julia O. Adkins Marie O. Hallmon Egbert Hembree William F. Hembree (OIC)	20 May 1907 12 Mar 1909 3 Jul 1909 9 Sep 1912 26 Dec 1916 12 Oct 1928 12 May 1932 28 May 1935 1 May 1942 20 Apr 1949 5 Nov 1971	Discontinued 15 Mar 1916, moved to Nicks Creek Discontinued 31 Mar 1920, moved to Straight Fork Discontinued 20 Mar 1973, moved to Huntsville
Straight Fork	Benjamin F. Atkins John Chandler James T. Shea Jacob M. Chambers Birchfield McGhee Ova Low	13 Apr 1871 1 Oct 1909 3 Jun 1911 26 Mar 1913 21 Apr 1915 19 Apr 1924	Discontinued 14 Sep 1874 Discontinued 28 Feb 1935, moved to Smokey Junction
Verdun	Calvin K. Lewallen Calvin K. Lewallen	21 Aug 1923 19 Nov 1928	Discontinued 30 Apr 1924, moved to Oneida Discontinued 20 Mar 1935, moved to Oneida
Walnut Springs	Abraham H. Cross James M. Crop A. H. Crop	30 Oct 1866 27 Aug 1867 14 Feb 1868	Discontinued 12 Jun 1868
Winfield*	William Putteet Archibald Murphy Isaac K. Craig Elisha Murphy David Say William J. Cordell Luther M. Breeden Harrison Reed James L. Sharp Nelson A. Ross William J. Cordell Maria C. Montgomery Robinson C. Cecil Coffie M. Chitwood James L. Foster Walker A. Adkins Irene D. Adkins Clifford Byrd Marvin Hicks Chandler P. Strunk	15 Aug 1857 15 Apr 1858 27 Jul 1859 30 Oct 1866 2 Mar 1868 16 Mar 1870 9 Nov 1886 20 Apr 1888 1 May 1888 30 Mar 1889 4 Dec 1889 12 Dec 1893 30 Sep 1897 20 Jan 1902 23 Dec 1924 16 Mar 1935 1 Jun 1947 15 Jun 1949 25 Aug 1967 1 Nov 1968	Discontinued 22 Sep 1866
Winona	John Hamblen Egbert McDonald Stella Crowley Martha B. Hicks Carl Phillips Dorothy Phillips Hazel Dockrey Carl W. Phillips Onva A. Hamblin Minnie Lou Jeffers Florrie H. Hamblin	25 Jun 1909 2 Oct 1912 21 Sep 1922 30 Jan 1924 15 Jul 1931 15 Oct 1937 16 Nov 1940 21 Nov 1946 20 Apr 1956 15 Nov 1956 22 Jan 1960	Name changed from Griffith Service suspended 31 Oct 1983 (hold)
Wolf Creek	Joel M. Hainby	20 Sep 1869	Discontinued 29 Apr 1875
Zena	Lewis Burk, Jr.	5 Nov 1897	Discontinued 13 Jan 1898

FNB Chronicle, Vol. 10, No. 4 – Summer 1999
First National Bank
P.O. Box 4699
Oneida, TN 37841
(Pages 4, 5, and 8)

Scott County, Tennessee FNB Chronicles

This page was created 06 Sep 2008

Scott County, Tennessee
FNB Chronicles