Whitfield, Hervey  (1847 - 1935)

HOUSE, 56th General Assembly, 1909-11; representing Montgomery and Houston Counties; SENATE, 63rd and 64th General Assemblies, 1923-27; representing Montgomery and Robertson Counties; Democrat. Born in Montgomery County Jul 3, 1847; son of Needham Bryan and Hannah (Wilcox) Whitfield. Attended “common schools”; studied dentistry two years but discontinued because of poor health. Married first, in Oct 1875, to Ella Trigg, daughter of Thomas S. and Elizabeth Trigg; she died Aug 21, 1901; children - Arthur, Roy and Thomas B.; second marriage to Mrs. Jennie (Vaughan) Price, daughter of William and Sarah Vaughan; no children by this marriage indicated. Farmed in Montgomery County greater part of life, moved to Arkansas in 1882, but returned after four years to resume farming; in 1900 or 1901 moved to Clarksville, Montgomery County, to edit the Tennessee Odd Fellow, 1903-08; worked next with Clarksville Times Journal; went with Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle in 1905; president TN Press Assn, 1912; secretary Middle Tennessee Editors League one year and vice president, 1917; private secretary to Gov. Tom C. Rye, 1918. In Confederate Army; enlisted in Aug 1864 “with recruiting officers of Forrest’s command”; assigned to Co. A, 2nd KY Cavalry. Member Baptist Church; clerk of Cumberland Baptist Assn for twenty years and for a time served as moderator of that body; member Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Knights of Pythias; Mechanics Workman’s Assn; Grand Templar. Died in Davidson County, Oct 27, 1935; buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Clarksville.

Sources: Confederate Questionnaires, TN Archives; TN Vital Statistics, Death Certificate No. 21,800; Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle, Aug 22, 1901; Whitfield, Whitfield, Bryan, Smith, and Related Families, 126, 187, 249; Lewis, Genealogy of the Lewis Family, 244; Goodspeed, History of Montgomery County, 1116; Clarksville City Directory, 1917, p 224.

Biographies submitted by Jill Hastings-Johnson, Montgomery County Archivist