Blount County TNGenWeb

Chapter Three

 

It’s probably not a known fact that Louisville was once an incorporated town, but it’s true. In January 1851, a petition was signed up and sent to the County Court at Maryville, asking the privilege of incorporating the following boundary: commencing at the mouth of the big spring branch just above the Jack Bluff and running with the river at the mouth of Lackey’s Creek up the creek to H. Saffell’s saw mill; thence with the eastern boundary of Gillespie Street in a southerly direction to Hill Street, or the street that runs by the depot, thence in a westerly direction to a point opposite the house of Samuel Saffell; thence north to the spring, thence with the meanderings of the spring branch to the beginning at the river (now the eastern part of the boundary is not at all plain to us), It looks as if nearly all of the eastern part of the town had been left out. But this is not true; for reading further in the record, we see the first Mayor was Hiram Heartsill, and Adam Finger now occupies his home.

 

Also,  M. T. Johnson was one of the first Aldermen, and he lived in the old two-story house in the eastern part of the town that had been vacant for so many years. Also, Joe Hart was the first Town Marshall and Taylor Wilburn now lives in the Joe Hart property. To be officers of the town, these men would have to live within the corporation, so we will have to let it go, as the record had it, as to the lines incorporated because there has been something left out. The signers to the petition were Jas. A. Ferguson, M. L. Jeffries, Geo. Gilbert, Charles Spillman, C.H. Barnhill,  . R. Wilkinson, Horace Foster, R. S. Cummings, Jno. Jenkins, A. L. Heartsill, Thos. Barrett, Owen McDaniel, A. A. Carter, Price Terry, Joe Small, . N.. Price, M., Barnhill, John Ferguson, Joshua A. Hays, Jas. Hill, L. J. Hosten, Jas. K. Finley,  . T. Heartsill, Sam P. Viles,  Will . Cummins,  . H. Saffrell, Jas. B. Cox, John B. Cox, J. M. Rucker,  ra. Steel,  L. Heartsill, T. Johnson, and H. C. Saffell.

The members of the County Court from the tenth District at that time were William Colburn and M. Rankin. The first officers of the town were as follows: Hiriam Heartsill, Mayor; M. L. Teffeteller, H. Foster, R. S. Cummings, A. Heartsill,  . T. Johnson, G. S. Gilbert, Aldermen;  Eagleton, Recorder and Treasurer; Jos. Hart, Town Constable. The Recorder and Treasurer were required to give a two hundred and fifty dollar bond. The Town Constable had to give a two hundred dollar bond. By-Laws and Ordinances were adopted and a tax of 25q on each one hundred dollars worth of real estate or personal property was levied. Committees were appointed to .   have charge of different parts of the town’s business.

 

Also a patrol of five citizens were appointed by the Mayor to help the Town Constable preserve order. It must be remembered that this was in slave days, and there were hundreds of them in the surrounding territory and in the town limits, and some of them were very hard to control and gave their owners much trouble, and were very prone to run away from home, especially at night time. They would come into town and commit depredation and cause trouble with the negroes in town. This patrol was largely for the purpose of looking after runaway negroes, and they were mortally afraid of the patrol because if they were caught in town after nine o’clock at night and couldn’t show a pass from their owners, they were punished by whipping, the Town Constable having that duty to perform.

 

The writer only remembers one of these whippings. A negro boy belonging to Williston Cox, by the name of Frank, ran off and was at large several days, causing trouble in the community. He was at last apprehended and tied to a flag pole that stood on the corner opposite John Harper’s store. Sam Steel, Town Constable, administered 39 st??ipes to him with a leather strap, and when Frank was turned loose it didn’t take him long to cover the distance between the flag pole and the negro quarters on the Cox Farm. The first person ever hung in Blount County was belonging to Jack Cox, Charles by name. Charles’ wife belonged to Mr. Humes, who owned and lived on the farm recently owned by John Lee Griffiths. Mr. Humes built the rock dwelling house that stands  there today. For some cause, Mr. Hume had occasion to correct Charles’ wife. She reported to her husband, Charles borrowed a shot gun from Andy Tedford, who lived in a large two story house opposite the old Love homestead on River Street, loaded it with slugs and shot Mr. Humes through the window; Charles I wife holding the dog at the kitchen until the deed was done. He was arrested, tried, and hung for the awful crime. Miss Mary Boyce Temple, of Knoxville, was a granddaughter of Mr. Humes.

 

Andy Tedford proved himself innocent of being an accessory. Tedford and his wife, Aunt Hannah, were free negroes, and good law-abiding citizens. They have descendants living in Knoxville. The reader can readily see why it was necessary to have a good strong patrol, always ready to look after these turbulent runaway negroes that caused their owners so much trouble and tyrannized and mistreated the good negroes. Before leaving this subject, the writer wished to pause and offer a tribute to some of these good old-time colored people. Notably – Andy and Hannah Tedford, John T. Abe, Sam Henry, Jo Carroll and wife, Susan, Uncle Charles Cox and his wife, Aunt Aggie, Jonas Cox and Aunt Nettie, his wife, Uncle Claiborne Henry, Uncle Ki Cox and wife Aunt Linn, Uncle Jo Cox, the blacksmith and Aunt ; Sophia, his wife, Sam and Dennis Warren and Aunt Milly Henry. The writer was always glad to meet and greet these fine old colored people of by-gone days. They form a link between the far away past and the present. We will not forget Uncle John Bussell, a kind hearted, good old time darkey. We will note here a few of the citizens of the town that served their turns as patrols – Sam Viles, Joshua Hays, B. F. Wilkinson, John Sparger, and George S. Gilbert. B. F. Wilkinson was the father of our fellow townsman, the late Capt. S. H. Wilkinson, George S. Gilbert was an ancestor of the Sherrods who now live here in the old Jo Brown property. We may mention more of the patrols as the work proceeds.

 

A committee on Finance was composed of – H. T. Cox, H. Foster, and W. M. Steel. Committee on Streets – R. S. Cummings, J. O.Rays, W. L. Teffeteller. (Committeeman Cummings must not be confounded with the J. B. Cummins I family. They were of separate families and spelled their names different. T. S. Cummings was known as Smith Cummings). The Street Committee laid off the town in six different sections for repair work. Section 1 was from the east lines of the corporate limits to A. Heartsill’s shop (now Junior

Order hall); sec. 2 was from said shop to the western limits of the corporation, near Samuel Saffell’s residence, all on Main Street; sec. 3 was Gilbert Street from Saffell residence to Gillespie Street back of Horace Foster’s store (said store stood where John Harper now sells goods); sec. 4 from B. F. Owens on River Street to Cox’s store on Main Street (B. F. Owens was the grandfather of Mrs. James A. Cox. He lived at this time in a large two story building that stood on the lot where Jim Smith now lives, in fact he ran it as a hotel to accomodate passengers coming in on the steamboats and for those waiting for the arrival of boats. We are told he did a fine business); sec. 5 was all Main cross streets; sec. 6 was the street running by J. B. Cummins’ house, known as Church Street. The river wharf was separate work, as you will see by consulting the records of the town in the record book. The Board of Mayor and Alderman authorized the expenditure of one hundred and sixty dollars on the river wharf to facilitate the river trade at this place.

 

On the 3rd day of November 1852, H. Heartsill, Mayor, and his board of aldermen held their last meeting as officers of the town. The minutes of this meeting were signed by Jas. A. Douglity, Recorder, It will be remembered that W. W. Eagleton was the Recorder when the years work began. The next meeting of the board was on the 13th day of March 1853. Horace Foster was the mayor and the minutes were signed by T. M. Booker, Recorder; W. M. Steel, Wm. T. Johnson,

1. S. Cummings, A. Heartsill, and M. L. Teffeteller. Aldermen. Hoseph Hurt was again Town Constable. On June 10th, 1853, the board met in regular session and the following committees appointed Finance -J. 0. Hays, A. Heartsill, and M. T. Johnson; Street
2. S. Cummings, W. L. Teffeteller, and W. M. Steel. The Recorder was bonded in the sum of five hundred dollars.

 

The above board had charge of the town’s business until June 1st, 1854, when the following Aldermen were elected -Rob’t S. Cummings, Benj. F. Doughty, Hiram Heartsill, A. L. Gilbert, W. T. Johnson, Abram Heartsill, and B. F. Owens. The board elected Abram Heartsill, Mayor, and Price Terry was elected Town Constable; and Hiram Heartsill, Recorder, and Treasurer. It was agreed that the board meet hereafter at the schoolhouse. The Mayor appointed for the ensuing year the follow ing committees -Finance -B. F. Doughty, W. T. Johnson, and A. L. Gilbert; Street and Street Work -R. S. Cummings, B. F. Owens, and H. Heartsill. The first named of each to be chairman. The follow ing patrol was appointed for the ensuing three months -Price Terry,” Capt. John R. Hays, James W. Rudder, William R. Wilkinson, Joseph Smith, and Green Farr (Jos. Smith was the fatlner of James L. Smith who lived on River Street and John Smith who lived at Miser Station). It was during the administration of Mayor A. Heartsill that we first heard of a lock up or calaboose. At a meeting of the board on the 26th of June 1855, he appointed a committee of three as follows -Bo F. Owens, R. S. Cummings, and Hiriam Heartsill to have charge of erecting a lockup.

 

This lockup was built at a later date on the lot where the Methodist Parsonage now stands. It was a small building but built very strongly of heavy hewn logs and was a very safe jail. The writer remembers it well. An old crazy negro was confined in it for a long time during the war and used to make the nights hideous with his yells. Mayor A. Heartsill’s administration ended on June 8th, 1855, and a new board was elected. ‘On June 22nd, 1855 the new board met. Hiriam Heartsill was Mayor; Horace Foster, M. L. Teffeteller, H. T. Cox, James A. Steel, L. A. Gamble, and A. Heartsill, Aldermen. The Finance Committee was H. T. Cox, H. Foster, and James A. Steel; the Committee on Streets A. Heartsill, M. L. Teffeteller, and L. A. Gamble; Patrol -A. L. Gilbert, James B. Cox, James W. Stone, Wm. N. Price, and Abner L. Heartsill. James B. Cox here referred to was a son of Ambrose Cox, one of the first settlers of this country. (George Warren now owns the Abner Heartsill property). There were four of the Heartsills that figured very prominently in the affairs of the town in olden days. Hiriam, Abner, Abram, and Wm. T. The writer well remembers them all. W. N. Price has a son living in Knoxville and connected with the firm of Daniel Briscoe & Company.

 

On the 24th day of August 1855, on page 46 of the record book we have the last meeting of the Board of Mayor and Alderman. Until 1858 when we see by the certificate of Samuel Steel, Constable, that on the 5th day of June of that year J. M. Parker was elected Mayor and Jos. B. Cummins, Wm. T. Johnson, I. D. Carter, Sam K. Finley, James H. Henry, Aldermen; and J. L. Cox, Recorder, They took the oath of office before James (Buster) Henry, Justice of the Peace for the 10th District, Blount County. The reader will note that there is a period of three years missing from the records, This was evidently caused by the leaves of the record book being torn out and lost. Jas. H. Henry, one of the Aldermen elected for that year was familiarly known as “Little Jim” Henry and was father of Mrs. James A. Cox. The wife of “Little Jim” Henry was Amanda Owens, a daughter of B. F. Owens, who helped build the foundation of Louisville. Jim Henry was a jolly good natured man, liked by everyone who knew him.

 

The L. D. Carter referred to married Bell Saffell, a daughter of Learner B. Saffell, Carter was a doctor. The older people of the town well remember J. L. Cox, known as “Lafe Cox”, the Recorder, and Jos. B. Cummins, one of the Aldermen, sold goods in Louisville many years, Sam Finley was a merchant and sold goods in the old Finley store that stood on River Street and was destroyed by fire several years ago. The board then proceeded to elect one of their own members as Town Constable. Jos. B. Cummins, Sam K. Finley, and J. L. Cox were his bondsmen. Wm. T. Johnson was elected Treasurer. The board promulgated quite a few new ordinances. The Recorder, J. L. Cox, was instructed to make out a list of taxable property within the town limits and it is an interesting document at this date and will be more so as the years go by. We note some of this taxable property.

 

1. T. Cox was assessed for five slaves valued at $5,000.00; Nancy Cox with three slaves valued at $2500.00; Mrs. Lenora P. Smith with one slave valued at $900.00; Miss Tennessee N. Cox with two slaves valued at $1500.00; Dr. G. H. Chaffin with one slave valued at $300.00;

 

300. Foster (a northern man) with one slave valued at $300.00; The reader will note that the last two slaves are valued at a very low rate. Now the reason of this low valuation was because the two slaves referred to “Aunt Liliah”, belonging to Dr. Chaffin and and “Aunt Marlah” belonging to Horace Foster were very old women and were really an expense to their owners. Before leaving this page of taxable property, we would like to speak of some of the names that appear on the tax list that we have not spoken of before. James R. T. Askin lived on the lot just east of where the Presbyterian Church stood. John B. Cox was a son of Ambrose Cox and an uncle of the writer. Daniel Clotfetter lived on River Street, and just south of where J. L. Smith now lives. Wm. Colburn owned and lived on the property where Mrs. Richmond now lives. John C. Gourly was the father of Avery Gourly and Mrs. G. W. McCosh; and grandfather of Mrs. Lloyd Prater. Dr. John Singleton lived in a two-story brick house where Wm. Ballew now lives. Jas. D. Temple lived on the west part of the lot where the Parsonage now stands. Mike Conrad, Dock, and Brown Warren were free negroes and were therefore assessed a poll tax.

 

Thomas Barnett lived on Main Street, in the house now owned by Hubert Love. He was a tobacco farmer and also manufactured it into plug form. His tobacco press was on the lot near where the old schoolhouse stood. Another name appearing on this tax list was J. T. Love, who \<!as a physician, and next to Dr. Madison Cox, the first physician we have a record of practicing in Louisville and its vicinity. Dr. Love came to Louisville from Roane County in the early 40’s. He married Martha Jane Cox, a daughter of Ambrose Cox and their home in Louisville was on River Street. The author of this work is the only living one of this old family. The house where Mrs. Johnson lived was built by Wm. Warren, a brother of Barton L. Warren, and was the first house built on River Street. The street was not complete when this house was built.

 

More will be said of this family as the work proceeds. It was about the year 1855 that Jarad Mead came to Louisville from New York state and with him came two daughters -Rosa and Euphemia and his son -Homer G. Mead. Rosa Mead married J. L. Cox, but only, lived a short while and died leaving no children. Euphemia married Benton Warren and this union has already been referred to in this work. Homer G. Mead married Mary Keller, a daughter of Frank F. Keller, who owned Keller’s Bend, across the river from Louisville.

 

1. G. Mead’s first wife died leaving one child -Rosa Mead. After many years Homer G. Mead married Fannie H. Willinghead of New Jersey and had one child “Helen”, who is the wife of Williston M. Cox, a great grand son of Nathaniel H. Cox, one of the first settlers of the then new town. Before proceeding the writer wished to offer tribute to the memory of his old friend of long ago. Homer G. Mead was kind, true, and with all, a perfect gentleman in every respect; a good businessman and respected by all who knew him. Louisville lost a good friend in the death of Homer Mead. His widow married C. R. Love (Dick) and more will be said of this noble couple in another chapter. Jarad and Homer Mead bought the Samuel Saffell home and lands and lived there till the end. This property is still in the hands of descendants of Jarad and Homer Mead.

Returning to the Board of Mayor and Alderman and their work. We

find that on the 27th day of Augus t 1858 at a regular meeting of the board there were present -J. M. Parker, Mayor; Sam K. Finley, J. M. George, Jas. H. Henry, and J. L. Cox, Alderman.

 

At this meeting J. B. Cummins was put in charge of the street work at a salary of $1.25 per day and was authorized to employ such hands as he required at $1.00 per day; and also to hire such teams as was needed. The work was to begin on Monday the 30th day of August and he was to issue due bills and order against the corpor ation in payment of the work done. The J. M. George referred to previously, was the wagon maker. He was the father of Mrs. R. H. Love, Mrs. Roswell Parson and Mrs. Ephraim Dunlap of our town. The board passes an ordinance taxing all retail dealers in spiritous beverages the sum of $25.00 per year. This order was certified to by J. L. Cox, Recorder. The same board ordered the sale of certain alleys belonging to the corporation and the opening of others that had been closed by private parties.

 

Their terms of office expired in June 1859. Another election was held which resulted as follows -J. M. Parker, W. T. Johnson, L. D. Carter, J. B. Cummins, S. K. Finley, J. M. George, and J. L. Cox were elected Aldermen. The officers holding this election were J. M. Parker, Charles Spillmann, and Dan Clotfetter. The Clerks were T. J. Robinson and L. A. Gamble. But here the corporation seems to have ended as far as the record book is concerned. If any more meetings were held or any more work done we have no information of it. The Charles Spillman here spoken of was the father of Marion Spillman (Bud) a familiar figure on the streets of Louisville for many years. He died in Maryville and is buried in the Presbyterian graveyard here in Louisville. All the older people well remember Bud Spillman.

 

1884. A. Gamble was a dentist and lived where Will Henry now lives. Pasted on a blank leaf of the old record book is an interesting newspaper clipping by H. T. Cox, telling of the wonderful business done in Louisville in olden days. H. T. Cox was one of the old timers and spoke from personal knowledge of past events. The article was written and published in 1884. There is another clipp ing in the book giving an account of the 5th annual Sunday School Convention at Middle settlements. This convention was held in the year 1874. Jarad Mead was president. For the following year R. P. (Pink) Henderson was elected President; G. H. Miser, Vice-President; and C. R. Love, Secretary. The following delegates answered to their names as called -M. E. Church, South, Louisville, Mary Finley,
1885. H. Love, Sophia Goetz, Miss M. E. Goetz, and Emma Love; Union School, Louisville -W. H. Love, Dr. J. C. Gillespie, Robert H. Love, Mettle Goetz and Ellen Johnson.

 

The proceedings of the convention were signed by C. R. Love, Sec’y. The above articles are given because they may be of interest to some people now living in Louisville. The next chapter will commence at the beginning of the Civil War.