May 10, 1956
Transcribed by Janette
West Grimes
* CAL’S
COLUMN *
119 Garderglen, St.,
West Covina, Calif.,
Elder Calvin Gregory,
Macon County Times,
Lafayette, Tenn.
Dear Mr. Gregory:
I have
received your paper for about three weeks now, and want to thank you for
sending it to me. I enjoy reading it very much. I'm a little puzzled as to how
you happened to get my name, though. I note from your paper that you are
interested in family history, so I suppose that you either got my name from a
genealogical publication or else from a recent letter I wrote to the Rutherford
Courier. At any rate, thanks a lot. Your columns on the Smith and Donoho
families were very good. I wish that one of the Tennessee papers would run a
regular genealogy column something like that in the Virginia Gazette,
Williamsburg, Va. As far as I can find out, no paper in Tennessee has a column
of this type. The Light, San Antonio, Texas, also runs a column like this. Both
of these papers print queries from readers.
I started
tracing the family tree about four years ago as a hobby. My family on both
sides were early settlers of Middle Tenn., mostly Rutherford, Warren and Cannon
Counties, but I suppose that branches could have gone into any of the
surrounding counties. I was born in Murfreesboro, and lived there until after I
graduated from High School. My family lines include Cooper, Parker, English,
Skelton, Sisson, Kellar, St. John, Espy, Wood, Leigh, Byford, Phillips and, of
course, these married into many other families. Woodbury, Tenn., was first
called Woodville after my great-great-grandfather, John Wood, who moved there
about 1808 and was first postmaster.
I let a lady
out here read your column on the Smith family as she has a Smith line from that
vicinity and hasn't had much luck finding data on them.
I notice
that you are also a Baptist minister. That is my faith, too. I enjoy the Sunday
School lessons from your paper.
I am
enclosing some notes that I found in "Tennessee Cousins" that may be
of interest to you if you don't already have the data.
Thank you very much,
Sincerly,
Mrs. R. V. Pennington
by Worth Ray
page 664
Daniel
Smith's wife and children and some connections.
Daniel
Smith's wife was Sarah Searcy from N. C.
At least two of her brothers, and possibly three, settled in the Mero
District and were neighbors of the Smiths. These were probably Barlett, Reuben
and Robert Searcy.
Daniel
Smith's sons were grown men when the family was living in Washington District
in East Tenn.
I have not
found an authentic list of Daniel Smith's children. I am very sure he had:
1. Searcy
Smith, who owned and occupied "Rock Castle" after the death of his
father in 1818.
2. Col. George Smith [ b. 1776, d. 1846 ]
who married Tabitha Donelson.
3. Daniel
Smith, Jr., about whom I know practically nothing.
4. Mary
Smith, who married Samuel Donelson, son of Col. John Donelson and Rachel
Stockley.
Then later
on in column:
Henry Smith,
who was one of the "Long Hunters" who came down out of Va. in 1789,
and explored the Cumberland Country, one of his companions on the trip being
Isaac Bledsoe, who was a brother of Daniel.
Note: There
is quite a lot more on this Smith family, and if you believe this might be your
line, I'll copy it for you. I wondered if your Allen Smith could be the son of
Daniel, Jr., No. 3 above. - These Smiths were from Sumner County.
DONOHO
page 555 -- Trousdale County
"Among
the original settlers and families of the Trousdale section who once lived in
Sumner perhaps was the Donoho family.
Albert
Gallatin Donoho is said to have been the first white child born in what is now
Trousdale County. As he was born in 1798, he probably was actually born in
Sumner County the year before Smith Co. was erected from that county."
page 624 -- Rutherford County
Listed here
are the children of Charles Ready and Mary Palmer [the town of Readyville was
named after him]:
Child No. 8
-- Jane Ready - married [1] Dr. Donoho, [2] Peter Talley. Nothing further is
given on this Donoho.
page 650 -- Smith County
This is
listing the Rev. War soldiers who settled there.
Charles
Donoho. Buried on Goose Creek. Family still owns land.
page 676 -- Davidson County
This is
listing early land grants.
John Donoho,
640 acres on Cumberland River, below the mouth of Sinking Creek which right
Donoho had from Ebenezer Mann, by assignment Feb. 28, 1785. Name sometimes
spelled Dunahoe.
Note:
Charles Ready and my great-great-grandfather, John Wood, seemed to have
migrated together from Maryland to N. C. and finally to Middle Tenn. There is
reason to believe they were related to England.
I wonder if
this is the Sinking Creek in Wautauga Settlement. The oldest Baptist church in
Tennessee is there.
____________________
This
Article Appeared In The Times
But
Was Not Actually Titled Cal’s Column
We have
received the following letter from C. C. Slate, of 1020 Trinity Lane,
Nashville, Tenn. :
Dear Elder Calvin Gregory:
I think I
can help you out a little on the Donoho family. Champ Donoho was a nephew of my
grandmother, Nancy Ann Donoho Slate. Champ sold goods in Red Boiling Springs,
for a number of years. He and his wife were the parents of two daughters; Cora,
who married Billy West; and Virgie Donoho, who married Lon West, a brother of
Billy West. After the death of Billy West, his widow married Dr. Jess Smith.
Champ Donoho
was a cousin to Anthony Donoho, who married Nellie Borden. They were the
parents of ten children. Rose Ann, the oldest daughter, married Frank Reeves;
Martha, married a Crawford; Mary, married Fletcher Whitley; Sarah Donoho,
married Andy Ferguson; John Donoho, married a Crabtree; Squire Donoho, married
Maggie Whitley; Rod Donoho, married Mary Holliman; Amos Donoho, married Sarah
Baker; and Howard and Stanton Donoho, who were unmarried when they left
Tennessee about 40 years ago.
My
grandmother was born June 28, 1818. The Slate family came from North Carolina
about the year 1825, but I do not know when the Donoho family came. My
grandfather, John Slate, and Nancy Ann Donoho were married April 25, 1841. They
were the parents of nine children. William Laton Slate was my father and was
born May 24, 1842. He married Sarah Ann Young. Mary William Slate was born
March 13, 1844, and was never married. Sophie Lee Slate was born July 19, 1845,
and married John Rice. Elizabeth Ann Slate was born April 6, 1847, and married
J. C. [ Uncle Guy ] Whitley. Judy Slate, born Sept. 24, 1848, married Wiley
Jones. Louvena Mildred Slate, born Nov. 26, 1850, married Billy Cook. Amanda
Catherine Slate, born Nov. 25, 1853, married James Haywood Whitley. Haley
Peyton Slate, born Nov. 25, 1856, married Maggie Young; and Prudilla Addeville
Slate, born April 19, 1859, married Torn Owens.
I make such
a "poor out" trying to write that I will not take any more of your
time. Both of my great-grandfathers lived to be over 100 years old. Sammie
Slate was 104 years old at his death, and Billy Donoho was 106.
Sincerly yours,
Charley C. Slate
[ Editor's
note. We are glad to have this
informative letter from our friend of many years. We hope he will write again
soon].
_______________________
This
Article Appeared In The Times
But
Was Not Actually Titled Cal’s Column
__________
Bakerton, Tenn.
April 28, 1956
Dear Mr. Gregory:
I enjoyed
reading your letter in last week's Times on the history of the Donoho family of
Middle Tenn. I was acquainted with the families of the late Anthony, Jack,
Harve and Wade Donoho. I also knew the late Champ Donoho and his family.
I got acquainted
with Anthony Donoho and his family in 1879, when I was six years old. In 1880,
I attended school with his oldest children at North Springs, Jackson County, on
Jennings' Creek for four months. This was my first "free school." The
late Gilbert Crabtree, elder of the Church of Christ, was my teacher.
Anthony
married Nellie Borden about 100 years ago. The following are the names of their
children beginning with the oldest: Rose Ann, John, Squire, Martha, Mary,
Sarah, Rod, Amos, Howard and Stanton.
John married Reathie Crabtree, of Jennings'
Creek, Jackson County, in September, 1880, on a rainy Sunday.
I remember
they passed by home riding horseback and each carrying an umbrella.
John taught
school in Jackson County a number of years, beginning in 1882. He was the
father of several children. Most of the older ones attended my first school. I
taught at North Springs in 1894.
Rose Ann
married Franklin Reeves, of Hermitage Springs, Clay County, Tenn., in the fall
of 1885. To this union five children were born, three boys and two girls.
Squire
married a Miss Whitley, of Red Boiling Springs, in 1887. To this union several
children were born. Squire died in 1908.
Martha
married William [Billie] Crawford, son of the late Andy Crawford, sometime in
the year 1880. They moved to Illinois soon after their marriage. She has been
dead for several years. William [Billie] has been dead about three years.
Mary married
Fletcher Whitley, of Red Boiling Springs, about 65 years ago. Mr. Whitley died
about 55 years ago. She later moved to Oklahoma and I understand that she is
still living; as are Amos, Howard and Stanton.
Sarah
married Andy Ferguson in 1888. He and his wife have been dead for about 30
years.
Amos married
the daughter of the late Carroll Baker, of Hermitage Springs, Tenn., about 50
years ago. Soon after his marriage he moved to New Mexico, and has become a
sucessful farmer.
I do not
know whom Howard and Stanton married. They moved to Illinois several years ago.
I haven't seen either of them in over 30 years.
I will give
the history of Jack Donoho and his family later.
Yours truly,
Jacob S. Jenkins