December 15, 1955
This Article
Appeared In The Times
But Was Not
Actually Titled Cal’s Column
Transcribed by Janette West Grimes
Some time ago we published an
account of the Rose family in Middle Tennessee and elsewhere. We did not know
at that time whom Pleasant Rose married and requested that this information be
sent to us. We are informed by a granddaughter, who is Mrs. H. E. Harwell, of
1468 Midland Avenue, Bronxville, N. Y., that she was the former Miss Darthula
Pruitt. We wish to thank Mrs. Harwell for the information
___________________________
This Article
Appeared In The Times
But Was Not
Actually Titled Cal’s Column
We confess that we do not
have the information that we really desire on this family. We wish we knew more
than we do at present. We are of the opinion that in the past 40 to 50 years there
has been a change in the spelling of the name, to Claridy or Clariday. Our
search into the old records reveals the original spelling as Clardy and was in
the long ago almost always pronounced with the Italian A sound in the first
syllable instead of the "short A" sound that some are giving the name
in later times.
So far as we have been able
to learn there were only 11 people of the Clardy family in Smith County, Tenn.,
in the year 1820. Ten years later a number of families had come to Smith County.
We are not positive, but feel sure that the family came from Virginia to
Tennessee. We wish we knew the derivation of the name and something of the
early history of the family.
The very first listed in the
census of Smith County, of whom we find any record was Benjamin Clardy. He had
the following: Two males under ten, two from 18 to 26, and one from 45 years
and upward, Benjaminn, we would judge. There were one female under 10, two from
10 to 16 and one from 26 to 45, Mrs. Clardy, we would judge. Benjamin Clardy
was quite well off for that day and time, having five Negro slaves. So far we
have no additional information. We have no idea as to the place of his
residence, nor is any other member of the family named except Benjamin.
In the year 1830 several
families of the name of Clardy are listed. The first was John Clardy, who had
two males under five, one from five to 10, one from 15 to 20, and one from 30
to 40, John, we would judge. There was only one female in the family, Mrs. John
Clardy, we would guess. Their near neighbors were: Solomon DeBow, Ephraim
Presley, Joel Harper, Thomas Marshall, Richard Alexander, Elizabeth Hughes. We
do not know exactly where these families lived in 1830, but believed they lived
in the general vicinity of the present Linville's Shop of Big Goose Creek.
There are some members of the Clardy family still living in that section.
The next head of a family
listed in 1830 was another John Clardy, who had: One male under five, two
between 10 and 15, and one between 40 and 50, John himself, no doubt. Females:
Two under five, two from five to 10, two from 15 to 20, and one from 40 to 50,
presumed to have been Mrs. John Clardy. Near neighbors were: John Turner, John
Dice [Dias?] , Robert Duff, Drury Stewart, a group of ten free negroes; Manning
Campbell and Samuel Evits. We have but little idea as to the location of these
pioneer families.
The next listed was Drury
Clardy. He had: Males, two under five, one from five to 10, and one from 40 to
50, presumed to have been Drury. Females: One from 10 to 15, and one from 30 to
40, presumed to have been Mrs. Drury Clardy. Near neighbors were: Isaiah Gold,
Thomas Culbreath, John Tate, Harris Grisham and Henderson Haley. We have no
idea as to the location of this family of 1830.
William Clardy is next in the
list, although his name is spelled Clerdy. He had in 1830: One male under five,
and two males from 20 to 30, one of whom no doubt, was William. Females were:
Two under five, one from 15 to 20, and one from 30 to 40. William's wife was
older than he or else the 30 to 40 year old woman bore some other relationship
to him. Near neighbors of the family included: Banister Madden, Charles
Satterfield, William McClanahan, Alexander Stubblefield, Jiles Holt and Demos
Donoho. We would judge that this group lived in the vicinity of the present
Linville's Shop on Big Goose Creek, not very far from Mungle's Gap.
Another of William Clardy's
neighbors, in fact his next door neighbor, was Benjamin Clardy, his name being
listed as Benjamin Clardy or Claridy. This is, we feel sure, the same Benjamin
Clardy listed in 1820, with ten years added to his age and to the age of Mrs.
Clardy. In 1830 there were only three in the family, the other having been a
male from 10 to 15 years old and was doubtless one of the males listed in 1820
as being under ten.
In the census of 1840 the
following Clardy information is found: Joseph Clardy, one male under five, two
from 10 to 15, one from 15 to 20, and one from 40 to 50, no doubt, Joseph himself.
Females were: One from five to 10, one from 20 to 30, and one from 40 to 50,
supposedly Mrs. Joseph Clardy. Near neighbors were: Stephen Stone, Prather
Rose, Basil Foley, William Gann and John Gann. We would judge that this group
must have lived on the South side of Cumberland River, but we are not positive.
James Clardy was the only
male in his family in 1840. He had two females, one under five, and one between
20 and 30 supposed to be Mrs. James Clardy. Near neighbors were: Sarah Morris,
George W. Rose, Charles Tate, William Chambers and Abraham Carmichael. We have
no idea as to what section this group occupied.
In the census of 1840, we
find in the index the name of Judy Clardy, but have not found her listed in the
body of the census. Later, we may find the name.
Thomas Claudy or Claridy in
1840 had: One male under five, and one from 40 to 50, Thomas, we would judge.
Females: Three under five, two from five to 10, one from 10 to 15, two from 15
to 20, three from 20 to 30, and one from 50 to 60, supposed to have been Mrs.
Thomas Claridy. Near neighbors were: Richard Irvin, Thomas Dias, Elin A. Irwin,
Margaret Tunsil and Scott Sanders. We have only a faint idea as to what part of
Smith County these families occupied in 1840.
The last Clardy family listed
in Smith County in the 1840 census was that of Benjamin Clardy, presumed to
have been the same listed under this name in 1820 and 1830. He had in this
census: One male from 10 to 15, one from 15 to 20, and one from 60 to 70, Benjamin,
we are sure. He had one female, from 30 to 40, but we have no idea to the
family connection. Near neighbors in 1840 were: William Stalcup, Elizabeth
Blackwell, James Blackwell, William Noles and Adam Stafford. We are sure this
family lived 115 years ago in the same general section that it had lived 10 to
20 years earlier.
Beginning with the census of
1850, the names of all members of the family, their ages and State of their
birth are given. This gives the researcher a lot of additional information of
family history. Yancy Clardy was the head of a young family in the census of
1850. He was born in Tennessee in 1831. He and his wife, Martha E. Clardy, born
in Virginia, in 1833, lived alone. Near neighbors were: Tucker Madden,
Elizabeth Blackwell, James M. Blackwell and Adam Stafford. We would judge that
this family lived not far from the present Linville's Shop on Big Goose Creek.
We may add that the DeBows, Caruthers and Brittains also resided in this
section.
Ann Clardy, 23 years of age,
is the first listed in another Claridy family. In the same family were Mary
Clardy, 29; John W. Clardy, two; Larinia J. Clardy, four; Mary E. Clardy, six;
and Susan A. Clardy, three months old. There was one slave girl 11years of age
names Arvilla. All members of this family were born in Tennessee. Whether Ann
was the mother of all the smaller children in the family we do not know. Near
neighbors were: Thomas Moss, William L. Moss, Charles J. Tunstall and David
Burford. We would judge that this Clardy family lived in the general vicinity
of Linville's Shop, on Big Goose Creek.
John Claraday is the next
listed in 1850. He was born in Virginia in 1820. His wife, Sarah Claraday, was
born in Tennessee in 1829. There were no children in the family in 1850. Their
next-door neighbors were the Thomas Ivey family, in which family is found the
name of Sarah Clardy, born in Tennessee in 1827. The near neighbors of these
members of the Clardy family were: Andrew Harris, Galeb Carman, Henry Hale and
Harriett Summerset. There are some indications that these Clarady people lived
105 years ago, in what is now Trousdale County, on Big Goose Creek. In the
family of Henry Hale above mentioned, there lived Lucinda B. Clardy, born in
Virginia in 1800.
Thomas Claraday was born in
1825; his wife Nancy, born in Tennessee in 1823. Thomas was also born in Tenn.
They had one child, Elizabeth, a year old; and also born in Tenn. Near
neighbors were Milesh Biles, William Grissim, David Morris and Tinsey Suite. We
have no idea where these lived.
Still another member of the
family in 1850 was James Claraday, born in Virginia in 1811. In his family it
seems there is no wife named, unless Susan Claraday was his second wife. She
was only 23 years of age and was born in Tennessee. In the same family were:
Martha Claraday, 11 years of age; William Claraday, eight; Sarah Claraday,
four; and John, two, all born in Tenn. Their near neighbors were: Abraham
Carmichael, Alfred Soary or Loary, Anderson Woods and John S. Rawls. We have no
idea as to what part of Smith County this family occupied.
The next is Juda Claraday,
born in Virginia in 1784. One other, Nancy Claraday, born in Tennessee, is
listed in the family. Near neighbors were David C. Averitt, Edmond James, David
Whitley and M. D. Mason. We do not know positively where these early families
lived in Smith County, but have an idea that they resided in the vicinity of
the present Gordonsville.
John Claraday is the last
listed in the Smith County census for 1850. He and his entire family were born
in Virginia. The head of the family waas born in 1817; his wife, Sarah, in
1815; and their only child, Elizabeth, in 1843. This would indicate that the
family only a short time before come from the Old Dominion. Near neighbors were
Stephen R. Sampson, Lawson Allen, Burton Allen and C. S. Sampson. These
neighbors, part of whom we have already traced, lived in the South side of
Smith County.
We have a letter from a
member of the family that we hope to publish in the near future. In the
meantime any history of this family will be appreciated.