Diogenes & Norman Kittrell- abt 1870
Don Morgan, great nephew of Diogenes and Norman, provided this picture.
Pictured are twin brothers, Diogenes Ballou (Dodger) and Norman Buford Kittrell.
They were born Dec 17, 1860, the first-borns of John Bell (Jack) and Julia Ballou Kittrell.
(Jack and Julia are pictured on this website.)
Dodger was named in honor of his uncle, Diogenes (Ogg or Aug) Ballou, who died as a
young man in the Civil War. Ogg was the son of Lorenzo Dow and Mary Kittrell Ballou.
Dodger married Martha Catherine Smith Dec 22, 1881 and they became the parents of at
least five children. Martha was born Oct 10, 1864, the daughter of Silas and Mary Cornwell
Smith. Mary died soon after Martha was born and she was reared by her grandfather, Barnett
Cornwell. Norman was married to Lucy Toney, daughter of Walter D. Toney, and they
became the parents of at least four children.
In 1900, Dodger and Norman were living near each other on Defeated Creek and were engaged
in the lumber business. Later, they and Ben Organ operated a planing mill in Pleasant Shade.
Their business card is shown below. After the deaths of his parents in 1902, Dodger bought
much of the land (the old Leonard Ballou farm) his parents owned at Pleasant Shade and lived
there until his death Jul 22, 1940. Martha died Sep 2, 1938.
While living on defeated Creek, Norman was also in the flour milling business. He served two
terms on the Smith County Court and two terms as a constable. Later, he moved to Nashville
where he was employed by the Nashville Union Stock Yards.
He died Aug 15, 1935 and is buried in Nashville.
Ben Organ died in 1940 and is buried in the Dixon Springs Cemetery. His gravestone is shown below.
Dixon Springs Cemetery