John George Bayer (Johann Georg Baier, Johann                 Georg Beyer) and Sarah Elizabeth Baier Bayer 

    Dawn broke slowly over the valley that morning with a stillness typical of a July day in the forested Rhon of Germany.  Pockets of fog hovered over the narrow valley like giant birds of prey poised in flight over unsuspecting quarry. The small brook that had created the valley in some distant epoch tumbled and twisted through the old town that lay directly in its path and finally disappeared into the mix of forest and small-grain covered slopes that stretched as far as the eye could see.

   On this summer day in 1991, three travelers from the U.S. had spent the previous night in this remote valley at Gersfeld, a small town located in the Rhon.  The Rhon is an upland region of very distinctive scenery that forms the ancient boundary between Hesse and Franconia.  The region is characterized by long ridges, populated along their crests with coniferous forests that reached their highest point in the Kreuzberg.  Numerous health and holiday resorts in the area along with winter sports attract large numbers of modern-day vacationers.  A tiny, annexed village lies directly to the west of Gersfeld and on Route 279.  This village, Altenfeld, is little more than a small huddle of red-roofed private dwellings.

   One winter night around 1840 a young man, very much dissatisfied with life in Germany, quietly stole away on foot from the home of his parents, Johann Georg and Barbara Neumann Baier in Altenfeld. This unhappy youth, John George Baier (Bayer), eventually reached the shores of America and never returned to his homeland or saw his parents again. 
Almost all German emigrants came from the Rhine Valley and its tributaries in southwestern Germany and northern Switzerland (Alan Taylor, 2001, American Colonies- The Settling of North America, Penguin Group, Inc., 375 Hudson St., New York, New York 10014). Flowing north and east, the navigable Rhine channeled emigrants downstream to the Dutch port of Rotterdam, their gateway across the Atlantic.  About three-quarters of the Germans landed in Philadelphia, the great magnet for migration. Seeking farms, most emigrants filtered into rural Pennsylvania and from there some families headed south.

   John George Bayer, the patriarch of our family, came to New York in 1847 for reasons that were never fully documented. However, a look at the history of Germany during his lifetime may possibly provide some insight into his decision to leave his homeland.

   Germany was not a nation when John George was born in 1822. The German Confederation, formed in 1815, created a loose union of independent states, and reduced more than 300 separate states to 39 states.  During the early 1800's, these states were less advanced than the other countries of Western Europe.  Commerce and manufacturing were limited; most people made their living by farming.  Most of these peasant farmers were not freed from serfdom until around 1806.  The cities were small, and each state was ruled by a king or prince under his own laws.  The people had little voice in the government, and after 1830, there was increasing dissatisfaction.  Revolts broke out in 1844.  Not until 1848 was a constitution prepared for a united Germany.
    
   Even though the state was powerful, the family was more important than the state or the school.  Will Durant in his 

Story of Civilization gave an insight into family life.  The German home centered on moral discipline and economic activity.  The children learned to obey a stern father, came to a loving mother for refuge and care, and shared in the work of the home.  The wife had charge of the family, especially training the children, and she also had her household duties, such as weaving.  She was subject to her husband.  In social life outside the home, men excluded women, so their conversations tended to be dull or profane.

    Perhaps one could question if John George Bayer was influenced by the unsettled government or perhaps financial problems in Germany and decided to try for a better life in America.  Several people, relatives and neighbors, related facts and anecdotes they knew about John George Bayer.  The following information is taken from their contributions. 
Through these stories, the reader can grasp a better understanding of this man and in particular his values, personality, and motivation.

The following published article briefly documents John G. Bayer’s life:
     Arlington, Cumberland City, Erin, Tennessee and the Well Creek Valley, vol. l, 1989.
    Bayer, John G., cabinet, furniture, coffin maker and dealer of old Cumberland City, born 29 April, 1822 in Altenfeld, Bavaria, Germany, he immigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania (Rochester, Beaver County, Penn) where he first married in 1848 Margartha Gutermuth (b. Mar. 6, 1823; d. Oct. 29, 1857) from Germany, she and his first five children died of diphtheria.  On 28 Feb. 1858, he married his second wife Sarah Elizabeth Baier a native of Niederauerbach (later renamed Zweibrucken) in Palatinate near the Rhine, to this union was born ten children: John, Jr.; Jacob K.; Sarah; Joseph; Adam William; Mary; Julius H.; Anna Sophia; Rebecca; and David.  In the spring of 1869, they came by river routes and by way of Cumberland City to what is now Houston, County, in time they would find and purchase a suitable farm and move from Wells Creek to Moccasin Creek near Cumberland City, this farm was a portion of what had been the old Kelly Plantation when this area was still a part of North Carolina.  The Bayers were Northern Methodists, there was no church of this faith in the area, so John built Bayer’s Chapel on a hill just north of his home, John Bayer also built the first Southern Methodist Church for the Cumberland City community,.  He built the furnishings too and the original bishop’s bench made by John Bayer is in the present Cumberland City Methodist Church. John’s German and English bibles plus one or two other books are currently (year 2011) in the possession of Audrey Vaughn Baggett (Wilhelm Bayer line). Her address is: 141 A.W. Schmidt Rd., Cumberland City, TN 37050; telephone: 931-827-2630)

    John Bayer lost his wife Elizabeth to typhoid fever 12 Sept. 1892, he died 7 Oct. 1905 and they are buried in the Kelly-Bayer (Vaughn-Bayer Cemetery on Moccasin Creek) Cemetery.  Forty year old Edmond Kelly was buried here in 1837, as previously mentioned this was a part of the old Kelly Plantation. 
Notes: One account (The Academian, Sept. 1905) gives John Bayer’s place of birth as Bremen, German. This account is believed but not confirmed to have been written by his son, Julius.

Wyatt J. Bayer, Sr., a grandson of John George Bayer, wrote this account on December 1, 1961:  
    To the best of my knowledge and memory, I remember him        as a man about five feet and seven inches in height and       about 165 pounds in weight.  He had light brown hair and      was slightly bald, medium dark complexion, gray eyes,         and spoke with a broken accent.  He had a byword which        was, "Oh my."  He was a Protestant, strong in his belief       and opinion, honest, and truthful.  He was inclined to        be somewhat determined and stubborn in his undertakings.      
Religious training was stressed in the home. He sometimes punished the boys by putting each in a different outbuilding to get them to study their catechism.  As he gave thanks at the table, he looked all around to see that each child had his/her head bowed in reverence.

   In Germany he worked four years as an apprentice          learning the cabinet trade.  At that time the government      was making all men serve in the army after they reached       a certain age if they were physically able.  John said        that before each examination he would drink vinegar to        make him shake so that he would not pass the physical.        After that, he was offered an opportunity to work for a       paint company if he would sign a contract for a life          time and take an oath never to reveal how the paint was       made.  The government required a man to "stick" to a          contract.  He accepted the job and worked for some time       without receiving any pay.   Then he began to wonder why      and took his contract to a lawyer to see what was wrong.      The lawyer told him the contract was all right except         that the company did not indicate when they would pay         him.  He studied the situation over and decided to slip       away and come to America, the United States.  He left at      night by foot for the sea shore which was several miles       through the snow.  On his way he spent a night in a log       cabin.  The people living there asked him the way he          came.  They told him that he traveled the most dangerous          route, and that the snow was three hundred feet deep          between some of the hills along some of the way.  The         snow was frozen and hard enough to support him.  He made      it to the seashore after two or three days of traveling.      There he boarded a cattle boat that was bound for the         United States.  He helped feed and tend the cattle for        his transportation to New York.

        After his arrival in the United States, he married        H. Margartha Guthermuth, also from Germany, on October        3,1848. They had five children, all born in                 Pennsylvania.  His wife and all children contracted           diphtheria and died.

   Several years after Margartha’s death John married Elizabeth Baier who was also a German. After a time, John and Elizabeth became so discouraged and disillusioned with the cramped conditions of the German community where they lived at Walnut Grove, Pennsylvania, that John began a search for a more rural setting where they hoped they would find a more suitable atmosphere for raising a family. This search included a lengthy tour of several eastern states. Finally, he and Elizabeth concluded that Tennessee offered more nearly what they were looking for.  One important deciding factor was said to have been the similarity of the rolling, wooded hills of Tennessee to the countryside John left behind in Germany. 

   During the spring of l869 the family, consisting of the parents and six children, packed their possessions for the long boat journey down the Ohio River and up the Cumberland River to Stewart County.  Later in life, a son, Jake, occasionally mentioned the excitement of the passage and recalled that his mother  carefully packed their food for the trip, which included pork sausage stuffed in large stone jars and sealed from spoilage by a layer of lard.  In addition, they brought along sauerkraut tamped in similar jars.  A few years after their arrival in Tennessee, the Bayer’s bought a farm in Stewart County. This land was originally a portion of the Kelley Plantation in North Carolina and later became a part of Tennessee.

   There were two lasting springs on this farm.  Near one spring he built a quaint German type house back in a hillside.  The house had two stories plus a basement.  He also built a workshop where he made furniture, coffins, groundhog thrashing machines and several other things, all of which he sold.  He purchased his paint ingredients from the drug store and mixed them at home.  His sons sometimes asked him how he made the paint, but he would never tell them as he still felt bound by the promise he had made to the German paint company.  The boys helped him in the shop by performing such tasks as turning the lathe. They also did most of the farming and gardening under the supervision of their parents.

   John built a small church in the community near one       of the lasting springs.  The Mrs. Parchment that they         bought their land from, donated the land on which the         church was built with the stipulation that it be              returned to her estate if it ceased to be used for that       purpose.  The church was called Bayer's Chapel.  Joseph       Bayer, a son, was the superintendent of the Sunday            School for many years.  A number of different                 denominations were represented in services there.  Some       ministers held what they called protracted meetings, and      there were several Children's Day dinners on the ground.      The church was used for services until about 1912.  None      of the original buildings constructed by John Bayer is        still standing.

   John expected their children to help with the endless chores around the farm.  The jobs included plowing and hoeing in the garden and fields, clearing land of trees and brush, cutting and hauling hay, feeding livestock, carrying water from the spring, sawing firewood, and helping in the woodshop.  Of all chores, cranking the wood lathe while their father made furniture legs, etc. was considered to be the most monotonous, and they resorted to all sorts of schemes to escape that service. The room where wooden coffins were assembled and stored for the bereaved customer to inspect and purchase was a favorite place for them to hide out.  An empty casket with its soft interior and lid that could be closed was an ideal location for catching a brief nap away from the stern eyes of their father who firmly believed that boys should be kept occupied with hard work if they were to amount to anything later in life.  The difficulty and frustration of keeping six boys working efficiently, sometimes at diverse jobs on different parts of the farm, must have at times overwhelmed John.  He earned the reputation of being excessively harsh with them and was reported to have rounded up the entire bunch every Saturday for a whipping because he was certain that each had done something bad during the week.  While John may have used, in an occasional act of frustration, poor judgment in disciplining his children, he was normally a man capable of sound judgment.

However, there were likely numerous occasions when John’s sons used poor judgment in the course of performing tasks around the farm.  Jake recalled such an occasion that almost ended in tragedy one summer day. That story is retold here by Tom Weaks, a grandson of Jake’s.

    On that particular day, John had directed the boys to chop out some of the ten acres or so of corn that he had growing over in the creek bottom.  While the middles were worked by either double-shovel or gee-whiz plow, usually three times during the growing season, the weeds between the stalks in the rows had to be chopped out by hand.  Without delay the farmer had to get in the field with his hoe before the corn tasseled and “silked” or only a poor crop of nubbin ears could be expected. 

    The Bayer brothers labored at hoeing out corn in the stifling heat starting at sun rise on that particular July day.  When at last the sun could be seen to be sinking low in the sky, each boy faithfully finished his row of corn, picked up his water jug and with hoe over shoulder, joined the others as they filed down the path that led through the woods to the house.  Limbs of hardwood trees--hickories, oaks, beech, maples, plus understory dogwoods, paw paw, and sassafras—drooped on either side of the route, casting a pleasant shade on the weary crew of sweaty field hands. Suddenly, a low pitched droning hum was clearly heard above the competing birds and other usual forest sounds.  All eyes and ears of the weary boys turned upward to the canopy in search of the source of the familiar sound.  It didn’t take long for them to trace the hum to a site in a small tree not far from the trail.  There swinging from a branch was the paper nest of a large colony of white-faced hornets.  The nest was about the size of a half bushel basket and hung approximately eight feet from the ground.  While most of the adult hornets appeared to be flying randomly up in the canopy of the forest upper story, an occasional flash could be seen as a member entered or  exited the “house” through the only door, a small round hole on the under side of the nest.  The Bayer boys were fully aware of the consequences of molesting hornets.  It was common knowledge that these were the most vicious of all wasps.  In defense of their nest, white-faced hornets would chase a man through thick brush and if they caught him, a sting of such proportions would be delivered that might knock him from his feet. 

    Hundreds of adults might be present in a single colony, making it difficult for a person to get near the nest without being sighted by the sharp eyes of the "guards" that continuously flew about looking for intruders.  Observing that the colony entrance was slightly smaller than a hoe handle, one of the brothers (probably John) dared Jake to  walk up to the nest and push the end of his hoe handle into the hole, thereby blocking exit by the occupants.  He promised that Jake would be immediately relieved from his precarious post once he had successfully carried out his mission.

    Jake was understandably nervous as he crept with hoe in hand toward the unsuspecting colony.  But he felt comforted by the presence of his brother who followed closely on his heels.  With a deft thrust upward, Jake neatly centered the entrance with the end of his hoe handle, effectively blocking either entrance or exit by the residents.  Almost immediately, a roar issued forth from the nest as the mad occupants, realizing their entrapment, searched eagerly for an opening through which their tormenter could be assailed.  With his assignment now completed, Jake, with hoe extended over his head, anxiously turned to the brother who had promised relief.  But no one was behind him.  Out of the corner of his eye, Jake saw the last of his brothers fleeing through the woods in the direction of the house leaving him to contain the enraged foe.  Jake hastily surveyed his situation and discovered to his horror the presence of nearby guard hornets that had flown in from the tree canopy to aid their entrapped kin.  Knowing that he would surely be pounced upon and dealt with accordingly, he quickly withdrew his hoe and fled with every ounce of energy he could muster to the safety and security of home. He never fully understood how he managed to escape a severe mauling at the "hands" of these maddened wasps.  Maybe he was just lucky.  But regardless of why both hornets and brothers responded as they did, Jake was probably a little more wary, thereafter, in believing promises made by his brothers as well as molesting white-faced hornets.  

Another interesting sketch was written by Alma Bayer Rossmann, a granddaughter, on December 29, 1961.  Her account was as follows:

   John was born in a German province in the year of         1822.   As a young man in Germany he worked with a paint      company.  The secret formula for mixing paint was given       to him under oath, which he never divulged, even to one      of his sons.  But like so many young fellows, he had an       urge to ramble.  Also, to avoid compulsory military           training, he left his job and embarked on a vessel            sailing for the U.S.A.  He soon located in Pennsylvania       where he learned the cabinet trade, making furniture,         caskets, etc.

   He became engaged to a young lady whose parents were devout Lutherans.  However, they would not give their         consent for marriage unless he joined their church,          which he did.  She died in a few years leaving five           small children.

   A short time later, John was married to Elizabeth        Baier, who was also from Germany.  During the first year      of their marriage, the five children by his first wife        were stricken with diphtheria during an epidemic, and         all of them died.  For a number of years, they lived in       a section occupied by German immigrants near Pittsburgh,      Pennsylvania, and then they came south to a farm near         Cumberland City, Tennessee. Several German families        came at the same time.  They made the trip by boat,           requiring about ten days to two weeks to travel from          Pittsburgh to Stewart County.  The families bought farms      in adjoining counties.  The community accepted the Bayer      family graciously.

   Seven children had been born to John and Elizabeth        at this time.  Sarah, a few years old, died before they       left Pittsburgh.  Their names in the order of their           births were: John, Jacob, Sarah, Joseph, Willie, Mary,        Julius, Sophia, Rebecca, and David.  Elizabeth Bayer          lived until all of her children except Sarah were grown.          John and Elizabeth were members of the Northern           Methodist Church.  In fact, John built a small church of      that faith near their home.  It was called Bayer's            Chapel.  There was no other Northern Methodist Church in      that section of the country.  While the church was well       attended by those who lived nearby, there were only six       members of this church: John and Elizabeth Bayer, their       son Joseph and Joseph's wife, and a Mr. and Mrs. Ellis.       Religious training was stressed in the Bayer home.  John      sometimes punished the boys by putting each one in a          different out-building to get them to study their             catechism. After John's death, the church became a           mission for several years.  The building has since been       torn away.  

   John and Elizabeth's home was of a quaint German          style.  As the family grew, most of the children married      neighborhood young ladies and young men, and reared          their families nearby.  

   John made an effort to teach the children to speak        and write the German language, but they were not              interested.  His English was so broken by the German          accent that it was very difficult to understand him.  A       few of the German rhymes and songs are remembered by          some of the families.  The following song is an example:
    
                          Augustine
    Ache du lieber Augustine, Augustine, Augustine,
    Ach du lieber Augustine, alles ist hin'
    Geld is weg, Mehl is weg,
    Alles weg, alles weg,
    Ach du lieber Augustine, alles ist hin'

    (I do not guarantee a single word of this "German" to        be correct.)

   My father, Jacob, used a German rhyme when riding         his children and grandchildren on his feet "horse."  One      of his stories handed down from the "old country" has         been written and illustrated by Esphyr Slohodkina, "Caps      for Sale" (A tale of a Peddler, some Monkeys and their        Monkey Business.)
  
   After their mother's death, Sophia and Rebecca kept       house for their father.  However, Sophia was stricken         with typhoid fever and died in 1893 at the age of             twenty-three. Shortly thereafter, Rebecca decided that        she wanted to go off to school, so John broke up house-       keeping and went to live with his son Joseph.
  
   Rebecca remained single and is still living (1961),       at ninety years of age, as an invalid in a nursing home       at Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  Two other children of John       and Elizabeth lived to be more than ninety-two years of      age while the others were eighty or more when they died.      John George still kept his shop after he moved and made       things occasionally. He made a chest which was given to       a grandson after John's death.  Several years later, the      grandson was examining the chest and found a secret           drawer with some money in it. John George Bayer died at       the age of eighty-three in Stewart County.

A third person, Miss Effie Schuff, was questioned about John George Bayer.  A close neighbor of the Bayer’s, Miss Effie, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Schuff, was interviewed at her home in June 1991, when she was 104 years of age.  Miss Effie remembered John George Bayer as a "small-like man, not big, with a beard on his face and a cap on his head all the time."

   According to Miss Effie they were "fixing to have war in Germany and John George didn't want to fight, so he drank vinegar to lose weight.  So he lost weight and could overhear his mama and daddy talking about it, so he finally got passage on a boat.  He slipped on a boat until they got way out, and they found out about it.  That's how come he was on this side, and when he got on this side, he finally wrote his parents and told them where he was at.  He never did go back."

    John George, after living first in Pennsylvania, came to Tennessee.  He built a house, and "had a shop at the foot of the hill."

   The shop contained tools of the trade of a cabinetmaker.  John George constructed furniture, caskets, and buildings.  Miss Effie recalled, "Mr. Bayer built Bayer's Chapel Church.  He made the pulpit, table, benches, everything in it, and built it on the side of the hill and painted it all."

   Not only was John George noted for building churches, but he also had to supply the surrounding area with caskets to bury the dead.  Miss Effie commented that John George put together a casket for himself, but Miss Sophia, a daughter, "passed away," so she was laid to rest in that casket.  Sometime after constructing another casket, Mrs. Bayer (Elizabeth) "passed away" and she was buried in that casket.  John George made for himself a third casket, using black walnut wood and gold handles.  The wood was "varnished up."  "His request was when he died, Mr. Joe and Jake Bayer was to line his casket.  They said it was the hardest job there ever was they had done in their life."

   Several incidents that Miss Effie recalled gave more insight into John George's personality.  Mr. Bayer made elderberry and poke berry wine, from berries he picked in front of the house across the bottom on the line between the Bayer farm and Schuff farm.  Mr. Bayer came over to Mr. Schuff and told him he was going to use the berries.  Mr. Schuff said, "Berries, no, I think they're poisonous," but Mr. Bayer said, "No, they're not poisonous."  Mr. Schuff did not want them, and Mr. Bayer gathered them and made wine and brought Mr. Schuff a quart of wine to see how it tasted.  Mrs. Bayer would make jelly out of the elderberries.  They would keep the wine for drinking or use it for the sacrament at the church. 

   A sense of humor was revealed in the next incident.  Miss Effie recalled the following: "Mr. Bayer planted Irish potatoes right along from Dad's, and Dad said, "Ain't you planting your potatoes in the wrong sign?"  Mr. Bayer replied, "Oh, no, Mr. Schuff, I plant my potatoes in the ground, not in the moon."

   The Bayer family was blessed with many children.  Miss Effie said she never heard of any being mistreated, but it seemed that the boys were typical, aggravating each other and picking brotherly fights.

     Miss Effie told that John George eventually gave Willie Bayer the home place in return for caring for him after the death of his wife and the departure of the children.  Mr. Bayer and Miss Kate (Willie's wife) did not get along, so he lived with Mr. Joe until his death.

Jake Bayer, a son of John's, and an avid storyteller frequently told his grandchildren about an incident that occurred one day when a traveling peddler unexpectedly visited the Bayer home on Moccasin Creek.  This story is retold here as remembered by Tom Weaks, a grandson of Jake’s.
   The peddler was a man who specialized in selling          reading glasses.  He was no ophthalmologist or optician       but a back peddler who carried an assortment of glasses       from farm to farm and sold those mostly to older folks who had vision problems.  He didn't attempt to diagnose an        eye condition but merely let the person try on glasses        until a pair was found that seemed to fill his or her needs. 

   On that particular day, the peddler came down the narrow path through the waist high weeds and bushes that grew in rank abundance along the creek near the Bayer home.             Without warning, one of the family’s cur dogs darted out of the weeds and, before the unsuspecting man had a chance to       defend himself, the animal grabbed him by the ankle and       tore into the flesh.  After a brief tussle with        the animal, the peddler managed to kick the dog off and hurried to the house.  The frightened victim trembled and shook as he told John about the attack and showed him his bleeding leg.  John attempted to explain that the dog just didn't allow strangers to come      near his house, but this was totally unacceptable to the      peddler.  He demanded that the dog be killed and argued       that even though the dog might not be mad at that time,       if it should develop rabies at a later date, even five        or ten years from then, no matter where he happened to        be, he would also begin foaming at the mouth with the         disease.  John discounted that idea as pure nonsense but      was unsuccessful in convincing the by then furious and        seemingly uncompromising man that he wouldn't eventually      die of hydrophobia.  John expressed his regret for the incident but was emotionally attached to his dog and didn't want to destroy him if an acceptable alternative could be found. As a way to end the impasse, he suggested that the            peddler solicit a signed statement from the doctor in         Cumberland City stating that the man's notion about the       probability of acquiring rabies in this manner was           valid.  John agreed to terminate the dog if such a signed note could be produced.  The peddler, reluctantly decided to accept the proposal, picked up his wares and left, promising a prompt return from Cumberland City.  John breathed a sign of relief when he peddler disappeared from sight down the path along which he had come because he knew that the doctor would never accept such a ridiculous idea.

   However, much to John's surprise, the peddler             reappeared at the gate in an hour or so with a signed         statement from the doctor confirming that rabies could        develop in the manner the peddler had earlier described.      Jake recalled that his father gave him and his brothers       the job of destroying the dog.  The animal was taken          into the woods and first prepared for execution by            placing an elm bark noose tightly around its neck.  A         sturdy hickory sapling was next bent down to the ground       by one brother and held there while another tied the          free end of the bark rope to the top of the sapling.          After they had made a quick check of all knots, the           sapling was released and sprang up jerking the dog off        the ground by its neck and choking it until dead.  Being      hardened to the sights and sounds of suffering farm           animals, the brothers probably were no more than              slightly disturbed by the spectacle of the morbid event.      This was probably just another unpleasant task which at       times seemed to be common place on the farm.

Jake recalled another incident when their dogs made a worthwhile contribution to the families' welfare: 

   On that particular day John and the boys were busy        at work in the vicinity of the house when they heard the      dogs giving chase to a wild animal in the woods.  The         chase eventually led to Moccasin Creek.  From the             excited barking of the dogs, they knew the animal had         been brought to bay. Several of the boys ran down to the      creek to see what the dogs had treed.   What must have        been one of the few remaining deer in the area had taken      refuge in a deep pool of water. The Bayer family had          some tasty venison to eat for several days.

Martin Henry Bayer, a grandson of John George Bayer, revealed at his home on August 4, 1991, several anecdotes of interest:  

   When John George Bayer reached Pittsburgh, he could       not speak English.  In order to learn the new language,       he purchased an English version of the Bible.  Since he       had brought his own German Bible on the boat, he would        read a verse in the German version and then read the          same verse in the English Bible.  In this way he taught       himself English.  John not only educated himself, but he      also began a business.

   In Pittsburgh, John George had his own cabinet shop       where he made furniture and coffins.  Martin Henry Bayer      showed a large, interesting secretary-type desk that          John George built from shipping crates.  That certainly       showed ingenuity and frugality.  Also John George made        many of his own tools he used.  These tools were at one       point in the possession of Plummer Powers.

   Another incident occurred that showed John George         had not lost his German practices.  In his old age, he        lived in a small outbuilding near the home of his son Joe.  Food was taken to his place quite often, and he was served         biscuits for breakfast one morning.  Someone took the         biscuits to him, and John George told this person to set      the biscuits in the window.  He said he did not want to       eat hot bread so let the biscuits get cold.  Germans          even now seem to prefer cold bread and rolls.

   Mary Lucy Bayer Weaks, granddaughter of John George Bayer, contributed the following in a question and answer session in 1961. Mary described John George as about five feet, seven inches tall and 165 pounds in weight.  His eyes were gray and his hair light brown.  Mary felt his health for the major part of his life was excellent, but arthritis and throat problems were two chronic illnesses of later life.

   Mary also stated that John George was a very industrious person.  From a list of suggestions, Mary decided he was fair in his personal appearance, his speech was average, not poor or refined, but he did have an accent.  His temperament was rated as high tempered, but his personality ranged between outgoing and reserved.  John George, she felt, was extremely religious, and he was a member of the Northern Methodist Church.

   John George's feelings about war are reflected in the following anecdotes.  Mary remembered hearing about the way John George escaped from Germany and the military draft.  Before each physical examination, he drank vinegar which made him appear to be in ill health.  His brother, who evidentially didn't try this same tactic, planned on coming to the states with him but was inducted into the service.  It is believed that John came to the United States between 1840 and 1844.  

   After living in Pittsburgh for around twenty years, John was called by the draft board to serve in the Union army during the Civil War.  John George paid a man $300 to take his place.  He had not been in this country long enough to have feelings of allegiance for either side in the conflict.  

The following information cannot be easily credited to any one individual, but was contributed by Alma Bayer Rossmann, Wyatt Bayer, and Mary Bayer Weaks: 
John George Bayer bought two parcels of land from Elizabeth Easly Majors.  The first tract that was bought was located on Moccasin Creek and is believed to have adjoined, on the southern boundary, property that he already owned.   The second part, on the west side of Guice's Creek, was bought around 1882.  John George gave this second part to his son Joseph under the condition that he would live on it and farm the land.  Willie was to be given the home place with the understanding that John George would live on there in his old age with Willie and family.  All of the other children were given dust caps (a cap that kept dust out of a person's hair) as their part of the inheritance. 
  
   John George was a carpenter by trade and made furniture, coffins (including his own), and ground hog wheat thrashers that were horse-powered.  He made most of his own tools.  He had a forge, wood lathe, and a great number of other tools.  The wood lathe was powered from a cider mill that was equipped with a large fly wheel.  The sons took turns cranking the wheel which they found boring and laborious.  Some of the furniture from the household of John George Bayer was in the possession of Lillian and Annie Ruth Bayer until their deaths. Three other pieces of furniture made and sold by John George Bayer found their way to John Bayer’s descendants via the W. T. Thomas estate.  These are a walnut drop-leaf table (Elnor Weaks McMahan), a bed (Helen Weaks Reed), and a cherry dresser (Tom Weaks). John George’s homemade hand tools are currently (year 2011) in the possession of Vivian Nolen daughter of Plummer Powers who resides at 322 Plummer Powers Rd., Cumberland City, TN 37050 (telephone- 931-827-705).

   Two unusual facts were mentioned about John.  First, one of his mottos was "eat what you can't sell."  For example, the cured hams were sold while the family ate the less desirable cuts of the hog.  Secondly, several of John's grandchildren found it amusing that he found hog eyes and unhatched chicks to be delicacies.

   From the memories of several people who knew him, John George Bayer's biography was written in part for members of the family with an interest in genealogy. It is hoped that this profile will be carefully examined and expanded upon.  Periods of John George Bayer's life that need further investigation include his childhood days in Germany as well as the more than twenty-five years of the family's residence near Pittsburgh. Based upon information provided by the sources cited in this profile, strong evidence has been presented that during his adult life the subject was ambitious, honest, and respectable and forcefully sought to instill these attributes in his children. These qualities were not limited to the personality of John George but were also expressed in his and Elizabeth Bayer's children.

   The children of John and Elizabeth Bayer chose diverse directions for their careers.  And they were by-and-large successful in what they did, leading lives that future generations of the Bayer family can be proud of and try to emulate.  John George and Elizabeth Bayer should be revered for their inner strength and unfaltering convictions which have undoubtedly been a major influence in shaping the lives of several generations of their descendents.

A Search for the Birthplace of Johann Georg Baier

   Elizabeth, Mary, and Tom Weaks spent two days during July of l99l searching for Altenfeld, the town where Johann Georg Baier was born.  Their travels led them through what was formerly East and West Germany. With only a minimal knowledge of the German language, they communicated mostly with people who knew even less English.
 
   The account of their travels in Germany is given with two purposes in mind.  First, it is hoped that base-line information is provided here that may be of value to individuals conducting future research on the families from which Johann Georg and Elizabeth Bayer came.  Secondly, detailed information is included to provide the reader with a feel for the present generation of people, the towns, and the countryside where these two ancestors of ours lived as children.  Admittedly, Germany has undergone profound changes since their time, but many of the more basic factors that affect peoples' lives will undoubtedly always remain the same.  No attempt was made to identify the changes or to evaluate the degree to which they have occurred. This was beyond the scope of this limited search for information so has been left to the imagination and discretion of the reader who reviews this report.

        Altenfeld in Former East Germany

    Altenfeld in East Germany is located approximately 50 km west of Plauen.  Altenfeld is in the Thuringian Forest of the Central Highlands.  Marina Reuter, a young woman of Russian descent, assisted in locating the pastor of the Protestant church of the town.  Of the several people communicated with there, she was the only one who spoke English.  She, like the others met in Altenfeld, was very willing to help these three people who had come so far to search for information about an ancestor. The demonstration of hospitality by the towns-people led one to believe that few outsiders had previously ventured into their town to seek out genealogical information. 

    Driving ahead in her car, Marina led the way to Neustadt Rennsteg, a small town several kilometers from Altenfeld, where the church pastor lived.  The pastor lived at the edge of the town in a large and very old house of Central German architecture.  Even though the house showed signs of long-term neglect, it still held a touch of elegance.  The pastor, who appeared to be in his early thirties, responded promptly to the knock at his front door.  After Marina briefly explained the business of the visitors, he led the small group up a heavily-worn stairway to the family dining room.  There the visitors were seated around the dining table.  The pastor brought in several ancient books of church records and carefully laid them out on the table.  A thorough search of the baptismal records revealed no record of Johann Georg Baier.  At that point, Marina mentioned that there were two other Altenfelds in Germany.  

   One of these other Altenfelds is now incorporated into the town of Gersfeld/Rhon while the other is a part of Stadt Winterberg in Sauerland.  Gersfeld is located approximately 90 kilometers north-east of Frankfurt. A decision was made to visit the Altenfeld near Gersfeld as it was only about l00 kilometers south-west of Altenfeld in East Germany and seemed to be the more logical place where Johann Georg Baier was born. 
                       
                 Gersfeld/ Rhon

   The night of July 23, l99l, was spent in the Botel Krone Dorf in Gersfeld.  This lodge was one of several in town that catered primarily to winter sports enthusiasts.  The facility was attractively furnished with emphasis on local style.  The walls inside the restaurant of the hotel were almost hidden by numerous wild animal trophies of several sorts; mounted boar and stag heads along with fox skins and boar tusk arrangements.  The walls of the halls and floors also sported stretched pelts of boars and bears.

   The two adjoining rooms that the three travelers occupied on the third floor of the hotel overlooked the back yards of private homes.  The bath, off one side of the smaller room, was somewhat reduced in size but was adequate.   The smaller room was furnished with a single ornately painted (like Pennsylvania Dutch Tole painting) and stenciled single bed.  A small square table stood before the single window that opened to the inside of the room.  A double bed, armoire, and bedside table composed the furnishings of the larger room. The beds were very low and firm.  A comforter inserted in a pillow sheet was appropriately positioned on the bed for each sleeper.  A part of this was slept on while the balance was folded over the top to serve as a cover. The comforter occupied the lower two thirds of the bed while the upper portion was covered by a giant pillow.

   That evening groups of mostly young adults sat at tables of street-side cafes where they ate ice cream or drank beer.  From the hotel, the group could be heard talking and laughing long into the night. They were not abusive or boisterous but were simply having a good time.

   The next morning (Wednesday) the visitors awoke to the sounds of the cooing of birds.  What kind of bird they were was never determined but their cries were reminiscent of a hybrid of the dove and the barred owl.  As seven o'clock approached, the bell of the Lutheran Church began tolling to remind people of their Christian duties in the new day that had been given them.  The clock was heard to strike, but most of the sound was just tolling of the large bell that continued for a period of approximately 20 minutes.

   Before breakfast the three travelers walked to the village cemetery that was located on the hill above the church.  The cemetery covered an area of several acres that was terraced to provide flattened plots suitable for burial.  Several people were already at work at various jobs.  One man was busy digging a grave with pick and shovel.  When a rock was struck, a jack hammer was brought into use to break through to the next layer of soil.  A stout, middle-aged woman diligently worked a miniature flower garden that completely covered the grave of her loved one.  As she scurried back and forth with a water can, one got the impression that while tending the grave was an important responsibility, she also had a full day of other work ahead.

   The cemetery was a horticultural masterpiece.  Each grave appeared to be cared for by individual families rather than by a cemetery employee.  No artificial flowers or wreaths could be seen.  Each grave apparently expressed the artistic flavor of the individual designer who assumed the responsibility of caring for the deceased.   Very few old graves were present among the multitude of more recent burials.  Most of the dead had been placed there after l900.  A personal communication with a man who worked for a time in a German cemetery was invaluable in understanding the dearth of old graves in Germany.  According to this source, grave sites are rented in Germany.  After a number of years have passed, most families lose interest and discontinue paying the rent. The remains are then exhumed and the plot is re-used for another burial.  What happens to the disentombed remains is apparently left to the discretion of the cemetery administrator and the family of the deceased. 

   The few old tomb-stones present were eroded so severely that deciphering inscriptions on them was impossible.  Even tombstones from the l940's and l950's were badly eroded, presumably from acid rain-fall which is a problem in much of Europe. One tombstone that was especially interesting was that of a Johann Georg Baier who died in the l940's.  Whether or not this individual was related to our Johann Georg Baier who came to America was never determined.
 
   Later in the morning we talked with a lady who worked in the Lutheran Church.  She stated that residents of Altenfeld would have attended church at Hettenhousen, a small town about 5 km from Gerfeld.

                   Hettenhousen/ Rhon

   Hettenhousen is located approximately 3 km west of Altenfeld on Route 279.  St. Georgskirche (Evang. Luth. Kirchengemeinde) sits above the small cluster of red-roofed houses of the village.  The first stop we made was at the church office building on July 24.  A middle-aged lady served as the secretary and record keeper of the church.  After struggling to communicate for a few minutes, she finally invited the three travelers into the building.
  
   The secretary led the way into an office where the church records were maintained.  After a somewhat lengthy search through very old ledgers written in an equally archaic hand-style, a record of Johann Georg Baier was found.  He was the 24th baby to be baptized in August l822.   His parents were Johann Georg Baier and Barbara Neumann. It is interesting to note that while living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the younger Johann Georg named his first born daughter Barbara.

   According to the record keeper at St. Georgskirche, the old way of spelling the family name throughout Germany was Baier while the newer is Beyer. She commented that Beyers are as numerous in Germany as Smiths are in the United States. However, a check of the telephone directory revealed that very few people with the name Beyer were living in the area.  Beyer and Baier were also uncommon names in the cemeteries visited in the area.

   When Johann Georg changed the spelling of his name from Baier to Beyer is not known. He may have made the decision to modernize the family name or it could have been done by his parents. At any rate, when his son, Jacob, was baptized in Walnut Ridge, Pennsylvania, in 1861 the surname was given as Beyer.  The decision to change his name from Johann Georg Beyer to John George Bayer must have been made at about the time the family moved to Tennessee. 

   After we left the lady in the business office, we visited St. Georgskirche.  This church was located several hundred yards directly up the hill from the business office.  From the vantage point of the church above the town it was apparent that all of the houses were of the Central German architecture.  All of these private homes were neatly decorated with window flower boxes and surrounded by miniature, well maintained yards.  The visitors must have blended in well with the town folks because a middle-aged house frau leaned from an open window of an upstairs bedroom to shake her bedding in the open air.  Across the street a flock of pigeons could be seen trying to escape from their coup near a small gable window in the attic of the house.  It was speculated that the owner either had an interest in passenger pigeons or planned to convert the squabs into table fare.  

   The entrance to the church opened at approximately 10 a.m.  The three visitors entered through the heavy iron gates and walked toward the church that set back about 50 meters from the entrance behind four very large horse chestnut trees. While there was some difficulty making out the outline of the church through the dense foliage of these trees, the structure was clearly visible from the rear. The doors of the church were open for visitation so the three quietly entered.  The structure was maintained in such excellent condition that no one would have likely guessed that it was constructed in 1535 and used on a continuous basis by congregations since that time.  A large, terraced cemetery was located at the rear of the church. Burials there were mostly during the twentieth century. This cemetery, like the one at Gersfeld, was very well cared for by individual families. 
  
                 Altenfeld/ Rhon

   Altenfeld, where Johann Georg Baier was born and grew up, was in 1991 little more than a tiny village located about half way between Hettenhausen and the main part of Gersfeld.  Route 279, a two-lane paved road, runs uninterrupted through the village.  There did not appear to be a traffic light anywhere in the village.  The two or three business establishments present were beer taverns or hotels that were located along the highway.  The twenty or so red-topped houses, mostly on the up-hill side, lined the several streets that extended perpendicular to adjoin the highway.  All of the houses appeared to be well kept, making it difficult to judge ages of the structures.  The only people seen walking about the village were an old man and a young couple.  The young man spoke very good English but said he had lived there for only eleven years and didn't know much about the place.  Through him we learned from the old man that there had never been a church in the village.

   If Johann Georg Bayer worked for a paint company or wood shop in Altenfeld, it must have had a larger business district at that time than in l99l. Most of the country side around Altenfeld could be classed as agricultural land.  No manufacturing was observed anywhere in the area.  Farm livestock was restricted almost entirely to hogs.  However, we saw an occasional small flock of sheep. 
 
   Principal plant crops were bearded summer wheat, oats, and an occasional field of sugar beets.  Most of the higher elevations (ranging to approximately 2,200 ft) and steep slopes were covered with dense and very dark spruce forests.  Dominant trees at lower elevations were spruce, Douglas fir, maple, elm, and oak. Elderberry bushes grew scattered along the roadways.

   It seems likely that population shifts have occurred since Johann Georg Baier's time, taking people from small places like Altenfeld and giving rise to large farms.  There was evidence east of Gersfeld that, in the not too distant past, private ownership of land in the region consisted in part of mini farms of tillable land.  These short narrow plots (approximately 50 meters wide) that looked like stripes on a flag could still be easily located by the rows of pioneer trees and shrubs that sprang up along their boundaries and were slowly spreading outward to fill the gaps.  If Johann and Barbara Baier depended on one of these small farms for a major part of their livelihood, it is no surprise that their son Johann made the decision to come to America where land was more plentiful.  
    
   If any member of the family should have a desire to visit Altenfeld in the future, the following are suggested:

l. Learn to read and speak German before the trip is taken. 
2. Using a telephone director, get the names of Baier and        Beyer families in the area.  Visit and talk with some of      the older members of these families about their               ancestors.
3.  Take a more in-depth look at the church records at            Hettenhousen and gather the names of other children of        Johann and Barbara Baier.
4.  While there was no death record at Hettenhousen of            either Johann or Barbara Baier, no attempt was made to        locate their marriage record.  The church probably has        this record and it should list each of their parents.
5.  Look up property deeds of Johann and Barbara Baier and 
determine the location of their home in Altenfeld.  It        is believed that these records are on file in Gersfeld.
6.  Inquire about the location of a paint factory in the          Altenfeld area. If it is an old company, check to see
if Johann Georg Baier (Beyer) worked there around 1840.
You may be able to collect the pay due him.     

An attempt was also made to visit Niederauerbach where Elizabeth Baier was born.  Unfortunately, time and distance did not permit travel to this place that is located approximately 80 miles north-west of Stuttgart and about 10 miles from France. Niederauerbach is located approximately 20 miles west of the Rhine River, in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz, and the urban district of Zweibrucken.  Niederauerbach was incorporated into Zweibrucken in 1938. In the year 1994, Zweibrucken had a population of 35,704. 

    Zweibrucken was already an important town in the 13th century, but it did not receive city rights until 1352.  In 1385 the counts of Zweibrucken, a younger line of the counts of Saarbrucken sold the city and surrounding area to the Wittelsbach family, but the arms did not change. The present arms were officially granted on May 6, 1846.  The arms of the counts of Zweibrucken also forms part of the arms of the county Homburg.  
                                   
Elizabeth Baier Bayer

"O mercy, I can close my eyes and then I can see him and his wife, and Miss Sophie and all of them, just as plain.  I'll never forget'em,"Effie Schuff told us.  Even at 104 years, Effie remembered even the smallest of details.  She was born in Schuff Hollow and grew up there, right next door to the house that Elizabeth and John Bayer built for their family when they came to Stewart County, Tennessee.  All of the children in the community, including Effie, called them "Mr. and Ms. Bars," and Effie had continued to do so to that day in 1991.

   "Ms. Bars, she wasn't no big woman.  She was just an average size person.  She had dark hair and all and black eyes.  And Miss Sophie was pretty much like her mother.  She was dark skinned and had dark hair and all.  And Miss Rebecca.  But I can remember Ms. Bars when I was little and went to Bars Chapel Church, the church Mr. Bars built.

   "She wore gray all the time.  I never remember seeing her without anything on in gray.  It would be solid gray or gray with little flower or something in it.  And she wore big white aprons.  They'd go down nearly to the bottom of her dress, with big bows on the back.  And she had a big white bonnet that she wore.  They called them split bonnets.  They'd run seams through 'em and then splits through that all and then the other part would come way down here and have the big bow back here.

   "And every morning when she'd come to church she had that little basket on her arm.  And after Sunday School, why she'd give us all a ginger snap or a cookie or something or whatever she had.  And then she'd have enough for the next class.  And at Christmastime she'd make different kinds of candy: fudge and stuff.  She'd fill up little sacks and she'd give them to us for Christmas.  I can see her today just as plain nearly as anything.  And Mr. Bars too.

   "She did a lot of baking in the basement, right at the foot of the hill.  Mr. Bars had a shop there and you could go in and then you went up some steps and then on up to the porch, and if that basement door was open, you could smell the light bread and all the good stuff, the best ever there was!  Out on the back porch she had a big hop vat.  She always used that in baking her bread and stuff like that."

   Elizabeth Bayer also made traditional German dishes such as sauerkrauts, sausages, and noodles.  Surely her influence was what interested her granddaughter, Mary Bayer Weaks, in experimenting with krauts and making sausages, dishes that were typical of Elizabeth's Tennessee home and of her German heritage.  One of Elizabeth's recipes still survives:

                   Great-Grandmother Bayer's
                      Good Friday Noodles
     Roll over like jelly roll.  Put flour in between to keep from sticking.  Cut in strips the night before and lay out to dry.  Make stock of 1/2 gal. sweet milk, 2 T. butter.
    Let come to boil and drop in a few at a time.  As they are done take out and replace with more.

   Effie also told us what many of us had already heard:  "When anybody got sick in the community or Ms. Bars heard of somebody getting sick, why she had a bay horse she rode.  You'd see her get on that, with her little basket on her arm, going to visit the sick.  They's awful good people.

   "And the church they built on the side of the hill.  They had some awful good Sunday school there.  They'd have children's day every second Sunday in June.  One children's day I remember well, that always stood out with me.  They had a play; they called it 'Night and Day.'  They had twelve girls and they's dressed in different colors: two in pink and two in green and two in red and all.  And Ruby's mother (Alma Bayer Rossmann) was the one who led the parade when we'd come in.  And she'd gave her part:  It's kind of like a question.  And then what ever month that we were, why then we'd answer her.  We'd give her the answer to whatever she wants.  That's always stood out in my mind more than any that we've had there, and we've had some awful good ones there.

   "They used to have revivals down there, two weeks at the time.  Mr. Bob Potter, he come down and teach a singing school twice at Bars Chapel.  And it was given up in the whole community that Bars Chapel had the best singing class in the whole country.  Mr. Joe Bayer's daughter, Lizzie, she was the organist."

   Not surprisingly then, Alma Rossmann had once mentioned in a memoir of her father that she always remembered him singing a religious song-- in German--, a religious song he had learned from his own mother, Elizabeth, when he was a child.  Elizabeth and John Bayer also gave all of their children names from the Bible.

   We asked Effie if Elizabeth had been a good housekeeper:  "Oh yes, she was a tidy woman.  Oh yes sir-ee.  Everything.  They had a big spring, Bars Spring.  They had a house built out there and it was out of big poplar logs about that wide.  They kept their milk and butter out there, and in front of that spring is just like concrete.  And whenever they'd take butter and milk out there, they had a broom they'd sweep all around the front.  They had a little shelf and a cup out there they'd keep for people in passing to drink water.  She was a tidy housekeeper.

   "And when they'd go there, anybody with children, why before they left, she'd get a big ball of bread and then she'd put butter all over it and she'd have these children to eat before they left."

Elizabeth and John Bayer both lived most of their adult lives in the Cumberland City community, but neither had been born there.  Elizabeth was John George's second wife.  They met in Pittsburgh and were married on February 28, 1858, soon after the death of his first wife.  Elizabeth was born in Niederauerbach, a small town in the Palatinate of Germany, on January 17, 1833.  When Elizabeth met John Bayer, she was in the United States working as a maid for an English family who had been traveling in Europe.  The story of their courtship and a future marital disagreement is one that has been recounted by many members of the family, but Alma Rossmann told the story this way: 

"She also had an English beau at the time John Bayer was courting her.  She had quite a decision to make up her mind.  After they had been married a number of years, he was on a pouting spell which he seemed to be subject to.  She made a remark that maybe she should have married the Englishman after all.  Having overheard her, he then really went on a pouting spree."

   Elizabeth and John Bayer's migration to Tennessee reads like many stories of the move westward from Pennsylvania made by German immigrants of the time period, and Wyatt Bayer's retelling of their story adds a flavor typical of those told by descendents of the new immigrants:  "Just after their fifth child, Mary, was born they moved to a small community called Walnut Ridge near Pittsburgh.  They decided to go south in search for a farm as they wanted to rear the children to know how to work and earn a living.  They packed their belongings in a wagon and with a team of horses, drove to a river boat that was going to Tennessee.  The boat landed at Cumberland City, Tennessee, in the spring of 1869. 

   "Not knowing anyone and being in a strange place, they drove the wagon toward Erin, Tennessee, stopping along inquiring where a Mr. Wrasher lived.  Mr. Wrasher was from Germany also so they became acquainted very quickly.  Mr. Wrasher told him to make his home there with them until they got located.  After living at the Washer’s for a short time, they bought 120 acres from a Mrs. Parchment.

   "Near one spring he built a German-type house back in a hill side.  The house had two stories plus a basement... They both spoke the German language in the home but could also speak English, which they did to their children."

   Elizabeth worked hard on their farm, helping John with the harvest of the wheat and raising her own turkeys.  Her descendents tell of her following behind John Bayer to rack up stalks of wheat to form into bundles and tie into sheathes as he moved through the field swinging his wheat cradle.  She was probably also involved in separating the grain from the chaff and the straw, using the thrashing machines that John built.  When it came time for dinner (lunch), Elizabeth and John would leave the field and go to the house where Elizabeth prepared the meal while John rested.  After they ate, she would clean up while John rested again.  Then they would return to the field together to finish their work.  Elizabeth also raised turkeys to sell at market, but she frequently had difficulties getting John to let her have corn to feed them."  The solution to this problem, she found, was to pilfer corn whenever there was an opportunity..

    Elizabeth and John both lived on the Bayer farm for the rest of their lives.  Elizabeth died from typhoid on September 13, 1892, at the age of 59, and was buried in the Bayer Cemetery on the home place near Cumberland City.

                                Written by
                                Mary Louise Weaks
                                (Great Great Granddaughter)

Details of Bayer Family; JOHN GEORGE BAYER AND DESCENDANTS (Contributed by Joe Tom Bayer, 1210 Cedar Lane, Nashville, TN)

   Children of John George Bayer and H. Margartha Gutermuth (All five of these children were born in Pennsylvania)
John C. Bayer          b. July 18, 1849; d. June 1, 1851
A. Barbara Bayer       b. Nov. 24, 1850; d. Apr. 23, 1861
William Leo Bayer      b. Oct. 28, 1852; d. May 7,   1861
Johann Henry Bayer     b. Sept 13, 1854; d. Nov. 17, 1857
Nicholas S. Bayer      Sept. 7, 1856;    d. May 3, 1861

Children of John George Bayer and Elizabeth Baier 

I.	Sarah
 
     Sarah was born in Pennsylvania on November 30, 1858    and died on June 21, 1867.  No additional information on this child is available.
 
II.	John 

John was born in Pennsylvania on January 19, 1860, and died on April 18, 1952, in North Carolina. He was married three times.  His first marriage was to Myra Elviar Vaughn, on Sept. 28, 1892.  She died on July 4, 1895.  His second marriage was to Fannie Neal on Dec. 30, 1896. She died on August 25, 1901.  His third marriage was to Sarah Elizabeth Fagg on October 25, 1902.  She was born on April 16, 1869, and died on September 8, 1960. 

   John was approximately six feet in height, of average body build, and had dark hair and brown eyes. His normal body weight was around 180 pounds. He left home at an early age and bought farmland near Greensboro, North Carolina  He was a farmer.

III.	Jacob

Jacob (Jake) was born in Pennsylvania on February 7,1861, and died on June 29, 1953.  He married Sallie Jeannette Harris on May 29, 1884.  Sallie was born on June 21, 1860, and died on April 4, 1943. Both Jake and Sallie were buried in the Bayer-Harris Cemetery located on Moccasin Creek, Stewart County, Tennessee.
   
       Jake and Sallie had eight children—Ruby Alma, John William, Walter Henry, Etha Elizabeth, Julia Jeanette, Wyatt Jacob, Mary Rebecca, and Major George. Jake was approximately 5”10” in height, of average body build, had dark hair, and brown eyes.
   Jake and Sallie were members and faithful supporters of the Methodist Church.  In addition, they were active in the limited social functions of the community.  Jake was a member of the Eastern Star and Masonic Lodge.
   Jake was a highly motivated farmer and part-time carpenter. Primary farm products that he grew and sold were corn, tobacco, hogs, and cattle. Sallie inherited land from her father, William Weldon Harris that adjoined the farm of Jake’s parents.  Jake and Sallie built their home on this property.  In addition, they purchased an adjoining tract that extended over to Guices Creek. This latter tract included approximately fifteen acres of bottomland that was used primarily for corn production. 

   Descendants of Jake and Sallie Bayer:

1.Ruby Alma Bayer- b. Dec. 6, 1885; d. July 8, 1977
m. George H. Rossmann on Aug. 10, 1909;
   b. July 22, 1889; d. Apr. 5, 1965
2. Ruby Alma Rossmann- b. Nov. 12, 1910;
   d. July 10, 2001
   1. John William- b. Aug. 2, 1887, d. Oct. 1891
   1.Walter Henry Bayer- b. Aug. 1, 1890; d. Nov. 25, 1941
      m.Bessie Brazil on Apr. 20, 1920
   1.Etha Elizabeth Bayer- b. Nov. 19, 1916; d. Aug. 31,           
     1947
     m. Clyde Kenneth Lisenby on Nov. 19, 1916;
     b. Apr. 21, 1885; d. Mar. 16, 1947
      2.Sally Mary Lisenby- b. May 5, 1919; d.
m. James H. Hilton- Nov. 9, 1914; d.
 3. Marjorie Gale Hilton- Apr. 26, 1943; d.
 m.
 3. Robert James Hilton-
 m.
 3. Roy Scott Hilton-
 m.

     2. Elizabeth (Betty) Lisenby -d. Jan. 18, 2013
        m. Charles Isiah Brown- b. June 17, 1922
           d. Mar. 28, 2006  
       3. Barbara Jean Brown 
        m. Joel Thomas Morrison
        4. John Edward Morrison
        4. Susan Alice Morrison
            m. Virgil Denton Whorley on July 30, 2005
       3. Nancy Ann Brown 
        m. Bradford Paul Wolle
        4.Seth Robert Wolle
        4.Kim Wolle
           m. ---- Collier
   1.Julia Jeanette Bayer- b. Aug. 6, 1893; d. July 3, 1989
      m. James Dallas Shannon on Apr. 12, 1925;
     b. Nov. 13, 1900; d. Dec. 16, 1988
      
   1. Wyatt Jacob Bayer Sr.-b. Mar. 2,1896; d.Dec. 8, 1986
      m. Zadie Ethel Patterson on Aug. 27, 1923; d. July 6,      
         1954
      m. Ada Mattie Amanda Patterson on July 28, 1955- 
          d. 
       2. Waydine Jeanette Bayer-  
          m. Irwin John Hartung on Oct. 28, 1950- b. July
           20, 1922; d.Oct. 8, 2004
       2. Wyatt Jacob Bayer, Jr.- 
          m. Eleanor Faye Armstrong on Oct. 5, 1950
          3. Kenneth Wyatt Bayer
             m. Joko T.--
          3. Curtis Dean Bayer
             m. Lucinda Parker 
             4. Parker Dean Bayer
             4. Rachel Katlyn Bayer
          3. Eric Noel Bayer
             m. Wendy Wade on Sept. 19, 2001
             4. Gracen O’Brien Bayer
             4. Ella Catherine Bayer
     1. Mary Rebecca Bayer- b. Aug. 14, 1898; d. July 19,
        1973
        m. Thomas Elton Weaks, Sr. on Feb. 14, 1930, 
           b. Oct. 5, 1885; d. Nov. 30, 1983
        2. Mary Emily Weaks- b. Dec. 9, 1930; d. Oct. 17, 
           2001
           m. Jobe Stuart Green- b. Apr. 23, 1923
           d. Jan. 24, 2003    
        2. Elnor Pearl Weaks-
           m. Whitnell Oscar McMahan on June 1, 1957
              b. Oct. 22, 1922; d. July 21, 1985
           m. James X. Corgan June 2004
           3. Whitnell Weaks McMahan 
           m. Stacy Wallace on October 27, 2007
           3. John Thornton McMahan
           m. Jennifer Lynn West in 1993
              4. Catherine Amelia McMahan
              4. Melorah Grace McMahan
         2. Thomas Elton Weaks, Jr.
           m. Elizabeth Wright on Dec. 21, 1959
              3. Mary Louise Weaks
                 m. Brent Allen Baxter on Dec. 21,1996
                 4. Andrew Bae Baxter
              3. Rebecca Ann Weaks
                 m. Neal Charles Brandvik on Apr. 10, 1999
         2. Helen Virginia Weaks
            m. Horace Beecher Reed, Jr. in 1964
     1. Major George Bayer,Sr.-b.Nov.8,1900; d. May 16, 1979
        m. Alberta Mary McCauley on Sept. 30, 1923 and 
        divorced on Nov. 6, 1952
           b. Jan. 1, 1905; d.
           2. Major George Bayer, Jr.- b. Sept. 23, 1925;
              d. June 13, 1970
              m. Jeanette Fuston on Oct. 4, 1947
              3.Deborah Kay Bayer-
              m.Jonathan Paul Tyman on Aug. 10, 1985
              3.Pamela Sue Bayer
              m.Wesley Gordon Grant on May 26, 1979
                4. Kevin James Grant
                   m. Lena Usama Elbakshish- Aug. 29, 2013
                   5. Julian Mazan Grant
                                           
                4. Brian Keith Grant
                   m. Melanie Janelle Haynes- Aug.24,2007
                   5. Keller Andrew Grant
                   6. Emmett Ryan Grant          
                4. Julia Michelle Grant
                   m.Joshan William Rohani- July 1,2006
                   5. Kylan James Rohani
                4. Sarah Jean Grant
              3.George Edward Bayer
              m. Gretchen Jeannine Bradley on May 9, 1992
       2nd wife of M.J. Bayer, Sr.- Susie Ruth Shelton Sykes      on Mar. 14, 1956  b. Apr. 15, 1906; d.
         2. William Jacob Bayer
            m. Dora Elaine Jones on June 28, 1954 
              3. Beverly Kay Bayer
                 m. Kevin Lee Pilkington on May 18, 1982
                 4. Robert Bryson Pilkington
                    m.Ashley Michelle Barnes-July 30,2006
                    5. Ansley Grace Pilkington                                                             
                    6. Bryson Lee Pilkington
                    7. Braden Eric Pilkington
                 4. Sally Jeanette Pilkington
                    m. John Dennis Zidek on May 26, 2012
                    5. Jace Dennis Zidek
                    6. Joseph Robert Zidek
                    7. John James Zidek
              3. Suellen Bayer
                 m. Garth A. Tobler on June 18, 1988
                 4. Austin Jacob Tobler
              3. Janet Lynn Bayer
                 m. Bruce Johnson
                 m. 2nd husband- Keith Douglas Hance

IV.Joseph

   (Joe) was born on October 19, 1862, in Pennsylvania and died on May 6, 1949.  He married Sarah Arrevia Bedwell on September 21, 1884.  She was born on August 12, 1865, and died on November 3, 1935. Joseph and Sarah had nine children—Lillian, Anne Ruth, Elizabeth, Martin Henry, Clarence, Mary Clay (died as a teenager of T.B.), Maggie (died the day of birth), Joseph Tom, and Spencer Droke.
   Joseph was approximately six feet in height, of stocky body build, and had brown eyes and black hair.  His health was excellent during most of his life.  But later in life he had chronic problems with arthritis that severely limited his ability to get around. He was a Methodist, had a deep religious faith, and took a leadership role in his church.
   Joseph was considered to be an outstanding farmer in his community. He owned two tracts (approximately forty acres) of very fertile bottom land on Guices Creek in Stewart County, Tennessee. This land was used almost entirely for the production of corn. He also owned hill land on the west side of Guices Creek that was used primarily for pasturing beef cattle.  He had a high interest in horticulture and planted grapes, peaches, apples and other fruit crops.  These were marketed in the community and were also used for home consumption.  In addition, he slaughtered cattle that he had raised and sold the meat from door-to-door in Cumberland City.
   
   Descendants of Joe and Sarah Bedwell Bayer

1.	Lillian- b. Aug. 2, 1901, d. June 1, 1976

1. Anne Ruth- b. July 19, 1898, d. Apr. 26, 1983

1.	Elizabeth- b. Jan. 1, 1890, d. July 17, 1982

m. Don Fuller- b. Apr. 13, 1890, d. Jan. l, 1972
2. Sara Talula Fuller
   m. ? Davis
   3. Sammuel
2. Ollie Josephine Fuller
   m. Robert Noyes Davis in 1943; b. May 22, 1916
      d. Oct. 5, 2002
   3. Robert Fuller Davis  m. Gail Thompson
   3. Scott Davis m. Sharon Colvin
      4. Shaun Davis
      4. Catherine Davis
      4. Kathryn Elizabeth (Betsy) Davis
      m. Pat Sullivan
        5. Caitlyn Sullivan
        5. expecting another July 2006

   2.Anne Beth Fuller
m.	-- Davis
3. James Davis

1.	Martin Henry 
m. Sarah Brooks
   
1.	Clarence
m. Fannie

1.	Mary Clay – b. May 14, 1895, d. Oct. 29, 1913-died of tuberculosis

1.	Maggie Olive- died day of birth (1903)

1.	Joseph Tom
m. Lucille
2. Joseph
2. Virginia

1.	Spencer Droke Bayer
m. Jeanie Huldah Gould
2. Sarah Arrevia Bayer- b. May 20, 1923, 
   d. Mar. 30, 2001
m. Dexter Martin Potter on May 11, 1945
  3. Christopher Dexter Potter
  3. Andrew Nelson Potter m. Libby --
  3. Elizabeth Arrevia Potter 
     m. Robert Andrew Graham
   4. Chelsea Jean Graham
   4. Ethan Andrew Potter Graham
  3. Stephen Martin Potter
  3. Jean Spencer Potter
2. Jeanie Huldah Bayer
    m. Carl Lewis Potter
  3. Spencer Bayer Potter, Sr.
  3. Louise Mair Potter
  3. Jeanie Bayer Potter
2. Mary Elizabeth Bayer
   m. Richard Crofton Sloan, Sr.
  3. Crofton Sloan
  3. Rebecca Sloan, m. ---Saunders
  3. Bishop John McKee Sloan
  3. Frances Sloan m. Lloyd McRae

V.Wilhelm W

Wilhelm (Willie) was born on September 19, 1864, in Pennsylvania and died on January 13, 1953.  He married Kate Cooksey in September 1893.  She was born on July 16, 1871 and died on September 22, 1940. They had two children, Cooksey and Andrew Fay. 
   Willie was approximately 5’10” in height, of stocky body build, and had brown eyes and dark hair.  His health was fair during most of his life. Later in life he developed diabetes which eventually caused his death. He was a member of the Methodist Church, Masonic Lodge, and Eastern Star. Willie was a farmer. He purchased his parent’s place on Moccasin Creek in Stewart County, Tennessee.
Descendants of Wilhelm and Kate Bayer

   1. Andrew Fay Bayer- b. 1894, d. 1968
      m. Cora Belle – on May 27, 1922- b. 1902, d. 1996
      2. Andrew W. Bayer- b. July 25, 1935, d. Sept. 14,    
         1978
         m. Jean – b. Dec. 4, 1941, d. Feb. 26, 2001
   1. Cooksey Bayer- b. 1900, d. 1969
      m. Margaret on Nov. 10, 1922- b. 1906, d. 1995
      2. Colleen Bayer
         m. T. Enloe Vaughn- b. 1917, d. 1991
         3. Gary Vaughn
            m. Martha Jo Allen
            4. Hart Vaughn
               m. Emily
         3. Dwight Vaughn
            4. Jessica Vaughn
         3. Audrey Vaughn
            m. Terry Baggett

VI. Mary
   
   Note: The following family information was contributed by Maryjo McCracken Beasley.

   Mary was born on January 15, 1866, in Pennsylvania and died on November 27, 1951.  She married Jesse Milton Parchment on September 2, 1883.  Milton was born April 23, 1843, and died on January 5, 1938. Mary and Milton had four children—Jessie, John Milton, Rebecca, and Sally.
   Mary was approximately 5’5” in height, of average body build, and had brown eyes and dark hair.  Her health was excellent during the major part of her life.  
   Mary and Milton owned a farm on Guices Creek that adjoined that of her brother, Joe. Milton was a Methodist minister and a school teacher.  Mary was one of his students.
   Descendants of Mary and Jesse Parchment

   1. Jessie Elizabeth Parchment- b. Feb. 21, 1887, d. Mar. 
      31, 1976
      m. Orman Hensley Atkins in 1906- b. Dec. 22, 1884,
         d. Jan. 28, 1960
      2. Mary- b. 1908, d. 1996
         m. Joseph Edward McCracken in 1929
         3. James Atkins McCracken- b. 1934, d. 1998
            m. Gwen Carpenter
            4. Sofia Marie McCracken
               m.  ?
               5. Katrina
            4. Susan McCracken
               m. Rick Skinner
               5. Jeremiah Skinner
            4. James McCracken
         3. Mary Jo McCracken
            m. Glenn W. Beasley in 1950- b. 1930, d. 1996
            4. Glenn Wilson Beasley
               m. Monica Denham in 1975
            4. Glenda Jo Beasley
      2. Annie Louise Atkins- b. Feb. 23, 1910, d. Mar. 3,          
         1989
         m. Earl Edward Sexton on Sept 28, 1930- b. Nov. 18,
            1906, d. Nov. 30, 1999
         3. Margaret Louise Sexton
            m. Beale McKenzie Sumner on Feb. 2, 1969
            4. Margaret Kathleen (Feltner) Graham
            4. Donna Louise Feltner
               m. David Thompson  on Jan. 2, 1987
               5. Charlsie Lee Wallace
                  m. Mark Gourley on Oct. 29, 2005
            4. Patricia Ann Feltner
               m. Uncus Lamar Bourne
            4. Robert Earl Feltner
               m. Joyce Marie Mason
            4. Sandra Gail Feltner
               m. Jamie Luis Bonano on Oct. 23, 1982 
         3. Lila Ruth Sexton
            m. George Kenneth Seirp on Jan. 28, 1961-
               b. Nov. 9, 1921, d. Aug. 22, 2001
            4. Mark Anthony Houldsworth
               m. Virginia Gephard, June 8, 1996
            4. Andrew Earl Seirp
               m. Jennifer Bement, May 11, 1996
         3. Earl Edward Sexton, Jr.
            m. Frances Avis Bibb on Dec. 26, 1962
            4. Chad Forrest Sexton
               m. Victoria Lee Jennings on Dec. 22, 1990
               5. Eve Louise Sexton
               5. Owen Reid Sexton
            4. Cody Brent Sexton
       3. James Orman Sexton
            b. 1937 or 1938
            Died in infancy

       2. Elizabeth Atkins
          m. Billy Adams
          3. Bill, Jr.
          3. Sara
       2. Frances- b. 1914
          m. Yancey Caldwell
          m. Wistar Caldwell
          3. Joe Caldwell
   1. Sally Parchment
      m. Ernest Christenson
      2. Marion
      2. Sarah
      2. Harris
   1. Rebecca Parchment
      m. Lyman Averitte
      2. Alice
   1. John Milton Parchment- b. Feb. 27, 1901, Apr. 21, 1974
      m. Olean Wickham- b. Dec. 26, 1902, d. Aug. 7, 1993
      2. Lucille Parchment
         m. George Hudgens (deceased)
         3. Neil Hudgens
         3. John Hudgens
            4. m. Myra
              5. one child
         3. Vicki Hudgens (divorced)
            two children
         3. Rita Hudgens
         m. Donald Derr
            Two children
      2. John Gerald Parchment (deceased)
         m. Elaine Stepp (deceased)
         3. Ralph Parchment
            m. Stephanie
               four children
         3. Steven Parchment
            m. Angie
            one or two children
      2. Sadie Jeanette Parchment
         m. Alton Sykes (deceased)
         3. Wayne Sykes
         3. Diane Sykes
            m. Butch Pierce
            4. Leann Pierce
               m.
            4. Tesa Pierce
               m.
            4. Jessica Pierce
               m.
      2. Roy Parchment (deceased)
         m. Lawanda Sheets
         3. Mark Parchment
            m. Velna
               one child
         3. Judy Parchment
            m. Victor Ramsey
             three children
      2. Ray Milton Parchment
         m. Mary
          no children
      2. Jesse Samuel Parchment b. July 26, 1938
         m. R. Evelyn Rye, d. Apr. 10, 2010
             
         3. Karen Parchment
            m. John Williams
            4. Josh Williams
            4. Erin Williams
            4. Crystal Williams
         3. Sandra Parchment
            m. Mark Nissen
            4. Brett Nissen
            4. Brooke Nissen
            4. Jason Nissen
         3. Kimberly Parchment- b. Apr. 16, 1972, d. Dec. 1, 1994        
 
Descendants of Mary Elizabeth Bayer(Contributed by Karen Williams daughter of Jesse Samuel Parchment and Evelyn Rye)
Generation No. 1
1. MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER (JOHN GEORGE2, JOHANN GEORG1 BAIER) was born 15 Jan 1866 in Pennsylvania,
and died 27 Nov 1951 in Stewart County, TN. She married JESSE MILTON PARCHMENT1,2 02 Sep 1883 in
Stewart County, TN, son of JESSE PARCHMENT and ARCADA SMITH. He was born 23 Apr 1843 in Stewart
County, TN, and died 05 Jan 1938 in Stewart County, TN.
Notes for MARY ELIZABETH BAYER:
[Parchment 20040805.FTW]
Her rocking chair was in the pink bedroom at Gerald Parchment's house in Murfreesboro, TN. She ordered it
from Sears for her wedding. This was given to Ralph and Stephanie Parchment.
The fold-down table at Gerald's room at Adams Place was hers that she had acquired from her brother who had
received it from relatives.
More About MARY ELIZABETH BAYER:
Burial: Cumberland City Cemetery, Stewart County, TN
Medical Information: Average body build, brown eyes and dark hair. Excellent health during most of life.
Notes for JESSE MILTON PARCHMENT:
[Parchment 20040805.FTW]
His dresser and bed were in the pink bedroom at Gerald Parchment's house in Murfreesboro, Tenn. and were given
to Ralph and Stephanie Parchment. He had these from his prior marriage when he married
Mary Elizabeth Bayer.
He fought in the Civil War. Once settling down on Guices Creek, he was a Methodist preacher, sold cookware,
ran a grist mill on the creek, and farmed.
[Bayer family history]
Mary and Milton owned a farm on Guices Creek that adjoined that of her brother, Joe. Milton was a Methodist
minister and a school teacher. Mary was one of his students.
More About JESSE MILTON PARCHMENT:
Burial: Cumberland City Cemetery, Stewart County, TN
Occupation: School Teacher
Religion: Methodist
Marriage Notes for MARY BAYER and JESSE PARCHMENT:
[Parchment 20040805.FTW]
Their pendulum clock with the flying woodwork on the sides given to John Gerald Parchment for his home in
Murfreesboro and is in his room at Adams Place.
Children of MARY BAYER and JESSE PARCHMENT are:
2. i. JOHN MILTON4 PARCHMENT, b. 27 Feb 1901, Stewart County, TN; d. 21 Apr 1974, Stewart County, TN.
3. ii. JESSIE ELIZABETH PARCHMENT, b. 21 Feb 1887, Stewart Co, TN; d. 31 Mar 1976.
4. iii. REBECCA IDA PARCHMENT, b. Stewart Co, TN; d. Unknown.
5. iv. SALLIE ALICE PARCHMENT, b. Stewart Co, TN; d. Unknown.
Generation No. 2
2
2. JOHN MILTON4 PARCHMENT (MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN GEORGE2, JOHANN GEORG1 BAIER)2 was born 27
Feb 1901 in Stewart County, TN3, and died 21 Apr 1974 in Stewart County, TN3,4. He married OLEAN
WICKHAM5 Aug 1921 in Palmyra Methodist Church, Palmyra, Tenn5, daughter of ROBERT WICKHAM and MARY
RICHARDSON. She was born 26 Dec 1902 in Stewart County, TN6, and died 07 Aug 1993 in Rutherford County,
TN6.
Notes for JOHN MILTON PARCHMENT:
[Parchment 20040805.FTW]
Grew up near Cumberland City, Tennessee. Attended with other relatives Huntingdon Industrial School when his
uncle J.H. Bayer, Sr, went there to be headmaster. He played football there also.
More About JOHN MILTON PARCHMENT:
Burial: Cumberland City Cemetery, Stewart County, TN7
Notes for OLEAN WICKHAM:
[Parchment 20040805.FTW]
George Powers was her first cousin and a dentist
More About OLEAN WICKHAM:
Burial: Cumberland City Cemetery, Stewart County, TN7
Marriage Notes for JOHN PARCHMENT and OLEAN WICKHAM:
[Parchment 20040805.FTW]
Story has it that John Milton had to ride on a horse into Cumberland City to court Olean and the city boys were
jealous. After dark, they would throw things at him as he rode home along the road. His father told him to
borrow a pistol from his brother in law, and one night, as the boys were throwing, he fired several shots into the
air and one into a tree. He was never bothered again.
Story has it that Olean's father, Robert Edward Wickham, wanted his daughters (Olean, Mary Bettie, Evelyn,
Vida, and Thelma) to live with him, remain single, and teach music (piano). He even offered to buy them all
diamond rings if that would satisfy them to be single. John Milton and Olean met after church one Sunday and
went to Palmyra to a pre-arranged meeting with a preacher and were married there. RE Wickham realized they
had eloped and pursued in his car. John Milton had arranged for a fellow named Mr. Stinson to be positioned at
the bottom of the hill in Cumberland City to misdirect Mr. Wickham. Mr. Stinson told Mr. Wickham he should
give up, that they were already throwing rice by now. Mr. Wickham was mad and wouldn't give up and continued
asking where they had gone. Mr. Stinson said he wasn't sure but thought they had gone toward Erin. In fact, he
knew they had gone the opposite way to Palmyra. He was a key accomplice in the wedding. They returned to
Cumberland City and lived with Jesse Milton's family on Guice's Creek for about a year until they moved into the
house on the hill belonging to RE Wickham, which had been built originally to sell. John Milton then rented Mr.
Wickham's surrounding farm for a percentage of the cash crops.
Local newspaper clipping is listed below (note Parchment is misspelled):
CUMBERLAND CITY
(Special Correspondence)
The marriage of Miss Olean Wickham and John Milton Parchman, which occurred at the Methodist parsonage in
Palmyra Sunday at noon came as a great surprise to the friends of the couple. It was generally known that there
was an attachment between the young people. However, their families or most intimate friends had no thought of
an early marriage on account of the extreme youth of both. Sunday morning the happy couple met at the
Methodist Sunday school, as was their custom, but instead of returning home they had arranged for an automobile
to take them to Palmyra, where previous arrangements had been made with the pastor of the Methodist church, for
the ceremony. The bride, who is a charming young girl, is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Wickham and the
groom is the only son of Rev. and Mrs. J. M. Parchman.
3
Children of JOHN PARCHMENT and OLEAN WICKHAM are:
6. i. MARY LUCILLE5 PARCHMENT, b. Private.
7. ii. DR. JOHN GERALD PARCHMENT, b. 13 Aug 1923, Stewart County, TN; d. 02 Aug 2001, Murfreesboro, TN.
8. iii. SADIE JEANETTE PARCHMENT, b. Private.
iv. RAY MILTON PARCHMENT, b. Private; m. MARY CAROLINE JACKSON, Private; b. Private.
9. v. ROY EDWARD PARCHMENT, b. 07 Aug 1927, Stewart County, TN; d. 27 Sep 1993, Stewart County, TN.
10. vi. JESSE SAMUEL PARCHMENT, b. 26 Jul 1938, Stewart County, TN; d. 10 Apr 2010, Stewart County, TN.
3. JESSIE ELIZABETH4 PARCHMENT (MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN GEORGE2, JOHANN GEORG1 BAIER)8 was born
21 Feb 1887 in Stewart Co, TN, and died 31 Mar 1976. She married ORMAN HENSLEY ATKINS 1906. He was
born 22 Dec 1884, and died 28 Jan 1960.
Notes for JESSIE ELIZABETH PARCHMENT:
[Parchment 20040805.FTW]
Lived in Erin. Married to O.H. Atkins, the infamous "Dr. Atkins" who delivered the Parchment babies at
Cumberland City. He was a heavy drinker but reportedly a good and dedicated doctor. He was motivated to
become a doctor who would always be available because his mother died one night when the doctor in Erin
refused to come because of the bad weather.
Children of JESSIE PARCHMENT and ORMAN ATKINS are:
11. i. ELIZABETH5 ATKINS, b. Private.
12. ii. FRANCES ATKINS, b. Private.
13. iii. ANNIE LOUISE ATKINS, b. 23 Feb 1910; d. 03 Mar 1989.
iv. BOY ATKINS, d. Unknown. Dies as a toddler. It was claimed that he ate too many green plums.
14. v. MARY ATKINS, b. 1908; d. 1996.
4. REBECCA IDA4 PARCHMENT (MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN GEORGE2, JOHANN GEORG1 BAIER)8 was born in
Stewart Co, TN, and died Unknown. She married LYMAN AVERITTE. He died Unknown.
Notes for REBECCA IDA PARCHMENT:
[Parchment 20040805.FTW]
Married to Lyman Averitte and lived in Detroit.
Her daughter named Joyce married Max Whitton in Detroit.
Child of REBECCA PARCHMENT and LYMAN AVERITTE is:
i. ALICE5 AVERITTE, b. Private.
5. SALLIE ALICE4 PARCHMENT (MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN GEORGE2, JOHANN GEORG1 BAIER)8 was born in
Stewart Co, TN, and died Unknown. She married ERNEST CHRISTENSEN. He died Unknown.
Notes for SALLIE ALICE PARCHMENT:
[Parchment 20040805.FTW]
Married to Earnest Christesen.
[Bayer Family History]
Name is spelled Sally
Children of SALLIE PARCHMENT and ERNEST CHRISTENSEN are:
i. MARION5 CHRISTENSEN, b. Private.
ii. SARAH CHRISTENSEN, b. Private.
iii. HARRIS CHRISTENSEN, b. Private.
4
Generation No. 3
6. MARY LUCILLE5 PARCHMENT (JOHN MILTON4, MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN GEORGE2, JOHANN GEORG1
BAIER) was born Private. She married GEORGE HUDGENS Private, son of SAM HUDGENS and MATTIE MILLER.
He was born 23 Dec 1920 in De Rossett, TN (Cumberland Mountain), and died 01 Mar 1991 in Madison Co., Tn.
Children of MARY PARCHMENT and GEORGE HUDGENS are:
i. JAMES MILLER6 HUDGENS, b. Private.
ii. THOMAS NEIL HUDGENS, b. Private.
15. iii. VICKIE IRENE HUDGENS, b. Private.
16. iv. JOHN MILTON HUDGENS, b. Private.
17. v. RITA FAYE HUDGENS, b. Private.
7. DR. JOHN GERALD5 PARCHMENT (JOHN MILTON4, MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN GEORGE2, JOHANN GEORG1
BAIER)8 was born 13 Aug 1923 in Stewart County, TN, and died 02 Aug 2001 in Murfreesboro, TN. He met
HILDRETH ELAINE STEPP8 25 Aug 1957 in First United Methodist Church, Murfreesboro, Tennessee8, daughter of
EWIN STEPP and ETHEL BAILEY. She was born 11 Nov 1923 in Noah, Tennessee 8, and died 15 Feb 1987 in
Murfreesboro, Tennessee 8.
Notes for DR. JOHN GERALD PARCHMENT:
[Parchment 20040805.FTW]
Gerald was very interested in genealogy and compiled much of the information in this report. His photos,
furniture and information were passed to his son, Ralph after his death.
More About DR. JOHN GERALD PARCHMENT:
Award: 1986, Distinguished Alumni Award from MTSU8
Burial: 06 Aug 2001, Evergreen Cemetery, Murfreesboro, TN8
Fact 1: 1941, Graduated from WT Thomas HS in Cumberland City 8
Fact 2: 1944, B.S. from Middle Tenn. State College, Murfreesboro, TN8, MS from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University
Fact 3: 1947, Started as a professor at MTSU8
Residence: 05 Jul 1997, Moved into Adams Place Health Center, Murfreesboro, TN8
Retirement: May 1989, Middle Tennessee State University, Department of Biology 8
More About HILDRETH ELAINE STEPP:
Burial: Unknown, Evergreen Cemetery, Murfreesboro, TN8
Marriage Notes for JOHN PARCHMENT and HILDRETH STEPP:
[Parchment 20040805.FTW]
Purchased the wood nightstand with the marble top together as a genuine antique. This was given to Ralph and
Stpehanie Parchment.
Children of JOHN PARCHMENT and HILDRETH STEPP are:
18. i. DR. RALPH EWIN6 PARCHMENT, b. Private.
ii. STEVEN GERALD PARCHMENT, b. Private.
8. SADIE JEANETTE5 PARCHMENT (JOHN MILTON4, MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN GEORGE2, JOHANN GEORG1
BAIER) was born Private. She married ALTON B. SYKES, JR. Private, son of ALTON SYKES and ROBBIE SIMPSON.
He was born Feb in Stewart Co, TN, and died 08 Jan in Davidson Co., TN.
Children of SADIE PARCHMENT and ALTON SYKES are:
i. LEWIS WAYNE6 SYKES, b. Private.
19. ii. RUTH DIANE SYKES, b. Private.
iii. BARBARA ANN SYKES, b. Private.
9. ROY EDWARD5 PARCHMENT (JOHN MILTON4, MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN GEORGE2, JOHANN GEORG1
5
BAIER)8 was born 07 Aug 1927 in Stewart County, TN, and died 27 Sep 1993 in Stewart County, TN. He married
VITA LAWANDA SHEEKS Private. She was born Private.
Notes for ROY EDWARD PARCHMENT:
Source: "The Stewart-Houston Times" Newspaper, a bi-county newspaper for both Stewart County and Houston
County in Tennessee.
Date of Newspaper: Tuesday, October 5, 1993 Page: A-3
Name: Roy Edward Parchment
Age: 66
Born: August 7, 1927 in Cumberland City, Stewart County, Tennessee
Died: Tuesday, September 27, 1993
Funeral: Friday, October 1, 1993
Burial: Rowan Memorial Park Cemetery in Salisbury, Rowan County, North Carolina
Parents: John Milton Parchment and Olean (Wickham) Parchment
Surviving Spouse: Lawanda (Sheeks) Parchment
Surviving Children: Mark E. Parchment, Judy P. Ramsey
Surviving Siblings: Gerald Parchment, Samuel Parchment, Ray Parchment, Lucille Hudgens, Jeanette Sykes
More About ROY EDWARD PARCHMENT:
Burial: Unknown, Rowan Memorial Park Cemetery, Rowan County, NC
Occupation: Railroad Worker
Children of ROY PARCHMENT and VITA SHEEKS are:
20. i. MARK EDWARD6 PARCHMENT, b. Private.
21. ii. JUDY SHARON PARCHMENT, b. Private.
10. JESSE SAMUEL5 PARCHMENT (JOHN MILTON4, MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN GEORGE2, JOHANN GEORG1
BAIER)8 was born 26 Jul 1938 in Stewart County, TN, and died 10 Apr 2010 in Stewart County, TN. He married
RUBY EVELYN RYE Private, daughter of SELMON RYE and ADDIE ALSOBROOKS. She was born Private.
Notes for JESSE SAMUEL PARCHMENT:
Sam Parchment, 71, Cumberland City, TN, died Saturday, April 10, 201 0, at Patients Choice Medical Center.
The funeral will be held at 3 pm Thursday at Cumberland City First Baptist Church with Bro. Randy Jackson
officiating. Burial will be in Cumberland City Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5 pm until 8 pm Wednesday at
the funeral home and from 1 pm until service time Thursday at the church. Nave Funeral Home is in charge of
arrangements.
He was born July 26, 1938 in Cumberland City, TN, son of the late John Milton Parchment and Olean Wickham
Parchment. He was preceded in death by his daughter Kimberly Dawn Parchment. He was a member and deacon
of Cumberland City First Baptist Church. Survivors include his wife Evelyn Rye Parchment, two daughters
Karen Williams, Sandra Nissen all of Cumberland City, TN, one brother Ray Milton Parchment of Granite City,
IL, two sisters Lucille Hudgens of Savannah , TN, Jeanette Sykes of Madison, TN, and six grandchildren.
Pallbearers will be David Mitchell, Jonathan Mitchell, Keith Rye, Paul Rye, Neil Hudgens, Mark Parchment,
Ralph Parchment and Steven Parchment.
More About JESSE SAMUEL PARCHMENT:
Burial: 15 Apr 2010, Cumberland City Cemetery, Stewart County, TN
Children of JESSE PARCHMENT and RUBY RYE are:
22. i. EVA KAREN6 PARCHMENT, b. Private.
23. ii. SANDRA LYNN PARCHMENT, b. Private.
iii. KIMBERLY DAWN PARCHMENT, b. 16 Apr 1972, Stewart County, TN; d. 01 Dec 1994, Stewart County,
TN9.
11. ELIZABETH5 ATKINS (JESSIE ELIZABETH4 PARCHMENT, MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN GEORGE2, JOHANN
GEORG1 BAIER) was born Private. She married BILLY ADAMS Private. He was born Private.
Children of ELIZABETH ATKINS and BILLY ADAMS are:
i. BILL6 ADAMS, JR., b. Private.
6
ii. SARA ADAMS, b. Private.
12. FRANCES5 ATKINS (JESSIE ELIZABETH4 PARCHMENT, MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN GEORGE2, JOHANN
GEORG1 BAIER) was born Private. She married (1) YANCEY CALDWELL Private. He was born Private. She
married (2) WISTAR CALDWELL Private. He was born Private.
Child of FRANCES ATKINS and YANCEY CALDWELL is:
i. JOE6 CALDWELL, b. Private.
13. ANNIE LOUISE5 ATKINS (JESSIE ELIZABETH4 PARCHMENT, MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN GEORGE2, JOHANN
GEORG1 BAIER) was born 23 Feb 1910, and died 03 Mar 1989. She married EARL EDWARD SEXTON 28 Sep
1930. He was born 18 Nov 1906, and died 30 Nov 1999.
Children of ANNIE ATKINS and EARL SEXTON are:
i.	MARGARET LOUISE6 SEXTON, b. Private; m. – Feltner; m. BEALE MCKENZIE SUMNER, Private; b. Private.
ii.	Children of Margaret Louise Sexton and – Feltner are:
i. Margaret Kathleen (Feltner) Graham
ii. Donna Louise Feltner m. David Thompson  on Jan. 2, 1987
    Daughter-Charlsie Lee Wallacem. Mark Gourley on Oct. 29, 2005
iii. Patricia Ann Feltner m. Uncus Lamar Bourne
iv. Robert Earl Feltner m. Joyce Marie Mason
v.Sandra Gail Feltner m. Jamie Luis Bonano on Oct. 23, 1982 

24. ii. LILA RUTH SEXTON, b. Private.
25. iii. EARL EDWARD SEXTON, JR., b. Private.

14. MARY5 ATKINS (JESSIE ELIZABETH4 PARCHMENT, MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN GEORGE2, JOHANN GEORG1
BAIER) was born 1908, and died 1996. She married JOSEPH EDWARD MCCRACKEN 1929. He died Unknown.
Children of MARY ATKINS and JOSEPH MCCRACKEN are:
26. i. JAMES ATKINS6 MCCRACKEN, b. 1934; d. 1998.
27. ii. MARY JO MCCRACKEN, b. Private.
Generation No. 4
15. VICKIE IRENE6 HUDGENS (MARY LUCILLE5 PARCHMENT, JOHN MILTON4, MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN
GEORGE2, JOHANN GEORG1 BAIER) was born Private. She married GREG MCLEMORE Private. He was born
Private.
Children of VICKIE HUDGENS and GREG MCLEMORE are:
i. KEVIN LYNN7 MCLEMORE, b. Private; m. TERRA HOSEA, Private; b. Private.
ii. MISTY DAWN MCLEMORE, b. Private; m. ERIC SPARKS, Private; b. Private.
16. JOHN MILTON6 HUDGENS (MARY LUCILLE5 PARCHMENT, JOHN MILTON4, MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN
GEORGE2, JOHANN GEORG1 BAIER) was born Private. He married MYRA MILLIGAN Private. She was born
Private.
Children of JOHN HUDGENS and MYRA MILLIGAN are:
i. JARROD GRANT7 HUDGENS, b. Private.
ii. ROSE KATHERINE HUDGENS, b. Private; m. CHANCE GEARHEART, Private; b. Private.
17. RITA FAYE6 HUDGENS (MARY LUCILLE5 PARCHMENT, JOHN MILTON4, MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN
GEORGE2, JOHANN GEORG1 BAIER) was born Private. She married DONALD DEAN DERR Private. He was born
Private.
Children of RITA HUDGENS and DONALD DERR are:
i. MATTHEW DEAN7 DERR, b. Private; m. BRIANNE FRAZIER, Private; b. Private.
ii. JORDAN MILLER DERR, b. Private.
18. DR. RALPH EWIN6 PARCHMENT (JOHN GERALD5, JOHN MILTON4, MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN GEORGE2,
JOHANN GEORG1 BAIER) was born Private. He married STEPHANIE SUE NEY Private, daughter of JAMES NEY and
PAULINE MUEHL. She was born Private.
7
Children of RALPH PARCHMENT and STEPHANIE NEY are:
i. LUKE ANTHONY7 PARCHMENT, b. Private; m. SHERI FLOHR, Private; b. Private.
ii. MARK ANDREW PARCHMENT, b. Private.
iii. BETH ANNE PARCHMENT, b. Private.
iv. NATHANIEL JAMES PARCHMENT, b. Private.
19. RUTH DIANE6 SYKES (SADIE JEANETTE5 PARCHMENT, JOHN MILTON4, MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN
GEORGE2, JOHANN GEORG1 BAIER) was born Private. She married RANDY (BUTCH) PIERCE Private. He was born
Private.
Children of RUTH SYKES and RANDY PIERCE are:
i. LEANN7 PIERCE, b. Private; m. SHANE HOLLIS, Private; b. Private.
ii. TESA PIERCE, b. Private; m. LESLIE STUBBLEFIELD, Private; b. Private.
iii. JESSICA PIERCE, b. Private; m. JOSH ENOCH, Private; b. Private.
20. MARK EDWARD6 PARCHMENT (ROY EDWARD5, JOHN MILTON4, MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN GEORGE2,
JOHANN GEORG1 BAIER) was born Private. He married VELNA ELIZABETH MCDANIEL Private. She was born
Private.
Child of MARK PARCHMENT and VELNA MCDANIEL is:
i. JAMES MATTHEW7 PARCHMENT, b. Private; m. WHITNEY GOBBLE, Private; b. Private.
21. JUDY SHARON6 PARCHMENT (ROY EDWARD5, JOHN MILTON4, MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN GEORGE2,
JOHANN GEORG1 BAIER) was born Private. She married ROBERT VICTOR RAMSEY Private. He was born Private.
Children of JUDY PARCHMENT and ROBERT RAMSEY are:
i. ROBERT STEPHEN7 RAMSEY, b. Private; m. ELIZABETH (BET) LAWRENCE, Private; b. Private.
ii. MARTIN VICTOR RAMSEY, b. Private.
iii. ELIZABETH (BETH) SHARON RAMSEY, b. Private; m. JACK SINGLEY, Private; b. Private.
22. EVA KAREN6 PARCHMENT (JESSE SAMUEL5, JOHN MILTON4, MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN GEORGE2,
JOHANN GEORG1 BAIER) was born Private. She married JOHN ALLEN WILLIAMS Private, son of WALTER
WILLIAMS and DOVIE BRANDON. He was born Private.
Children of EVA PARCHMENT and JOHN WILLIAMS are:
i. JOSHUA ALLEN7 WILLIAMS, b. Private.
ii. ERIN ELIZABETH WILLIAMS, b. Private.
23. SANDRA LYNN6 PARCHMENT (JESSE SAMUEL5, JOHN MILTON4, MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHN GEORGE2,
JOHANN GEORG1 BAIER) was born Private. She married (1) EDWARD MORALES Private. He was born Private.
She married (2) MARK BRENDON NISSEN Private. He was born Private.
Children of SANDRA PARCHMENT and EDWARD MORALES are:
i. BRETT EDWARD7 MORALES, b. Private.
ii. BROOKE LYNN MORALES, b. Private.
Child of SANDRA PARCHMENT and MARK NISSEN is:
iii. JASON BRENDON7 NISSEN, b. Private.
24. LILA RUTH6 SEXTON (ANNIE LOUISE5 ATKINS, JESSIE ELIZABETH4 PARCHMENT, MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER,
JOHN GEORGE2, JOHANN GEORG1 BAIER) was born Private. She married GEORGE KENNETH SEIRP Private. He
was born 09 Nov 1921, and died 21 Aug 2001.
Child of LILA SEXTON and GEORGE SEIRP is:
i.	ANDREW EARL7 SEIRP, b. Private; m. JENNIFER BEMENT, Private; b. Private.
25. EARL EDWARD6 SEXTON, JR. (ANNIE LOUISE5 ATKINS, JESSIE ELIZABETH4 PARCHMENT, MARY ELIZABETH3
BAYER, JOHN GEORGE2, JOHANN GEORG1 BAIER) was born Private. He married FRANCES AVIS BIBB Private. She
was born Private.
Children of EARL SEXTON and FRANCES BIBB are:
i. CHAD FORREST7 SEXTON, b. Private; m. VICTORIA LEE JENNINGS, Private; b. Private.
ii. CODY BRENT SEXTON, b. Private.
26. JAMES ATKINS6 MCCRACKEN (MARY5 ATKINS, JESSIE ELIZABETH4 PARCHMENT, MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER,
JOHN GEORGE2, JOHANN GEORG1 BAIER) was born 1934, and died 1998. He married GWEN CARPENTER Private.
She was born Private.
Children of JAMES MCCRACKEN and GWEN CARPENTER are:
i. SOFIA MARIE7 MCCRACKEN, b. Private; m. Private.
ii. SUSAN MCCRACKEN, b. Private; m. RICK SKINNER, Private; b. Private.
iii. JAMES MCCRACKEN, b. Private.
27. MARY JO6 MCCRACKEN (MARY5 ATKINS, JESSIE ELIZABETH4 PARCHMENT, MARY ELIZABETH3 BAYER, JOHNGEORGE2, JOHANN GEORG1 BAIER) was born Private. She married GLENN W. BEASLEY Private. He was born
1930, and died 1996.
Children of MARY MCCRACKEN and GLENN BEASLEY are:
i. GLENN WILSON7 BEASLEY, b. Private; m. MONICA DENHAM, Private; b. Private.
ii. GLENDA JO BEASLEY, b. Private.
                  
VII.JULIUS

   Julius was born in Pennsylvania on September 12, 1867, and died on April 23, 1955. He married Ophelia Major Mitchell on August 7, 1895.  Ophelia was born on January 11, 1872, and died on May 28, 1914. Julius and Ophelia had five children—Robbie, Ophelia, Julius Henry, Thomas Stele, and Eloise. Following the death of Ophelia, Julius married Carrie Jenkins. She died in 1949. 

   Julius was approximately 5”7” in height, of rugged body build, and had brown eyes and dark hair. His health was excellent during the major part of his life and he had no chronic illnesses.  He had a very outgoing personality and was highly motivated.
. 
   Julius attended school in Stewart County during the fall months and worked on the farm during the remainder of the year (The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro, Tennessee—April 22, 1955)  Following his adolescent years, he studied at McLemoresville Collegiate Institute in Carrol County, Tennessee, and at Edgewood Normal (predecessor of Ruskin College). In addition, he completed a licensed instructor’s degree at the University of Tennessee. 
   
   Julius began his teaching career at Dunbar, Tennessee, in a log schoolhouse in the late 1800’s.  The schoolhouse had only two windows and was heated by a fireplace. His salary was $35 per month.  In 1893, he bought a one-third interest in the Cumberland City Academy, a private institution located at Cumberland City, Tennessee.  He served as principal there for 14 years and when he left its annual enrollment had grown to more than 200 students. 

   In the year 1917, he moved to Nashville at the call of Gov. Tom C. Rye to manage Tennessee Industrial School.  He worked there for a year and a half and was credited with many improvements. Afterwards, he served as principal at Grove High School in Paris, Tennessee and then headed to Dickson, Tennessee schools for three terms.  Several years later, he left Dickson to join the Middle Tennessee State College staff.  

       In 1927, Julius , whose title had been Superintendent of Farm and Purchasing Agent, assumed new duties as Purchasing Agent and Custodian of Property (1939 Middle Tennessee State College Catalog).  From 1931 until 1935, as Custodian of Property, Julius was credited with the development of Jones Field (“The First Fifty Years”-A History of Middle Tennessee State College by Homer Pittard and published in 1961 by Middle Tennessee State College).  Much of the later campus landscaping within the original Heffer plan and Peterson implementation was a result of his energetic labors.  After 1935, Julius returned to the position of farm manager and remained in this capacity until his retirement in 1945.

       In late September of 1930, Julius visited George Washington’s Mount Vernon (The Midstater Magazine, Fall 1979; published by Middle Tennessee State University).  While there he filled a paper sac with walnuts which were just then falling from trees that had once shaded and fed the first president.  On returning to Murfreesboro, he planted these walnuts in the open field behind Murfree Library. Today between Peck Hall and Cope Administration Building this magnificent grove of walnut trees still stands, the offspring of those in Mount Vernon.

       Julius was a Sunday school superintendent at First Methodist Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, for 20 years.  He also was a lay minister and often preached in rural churches. He was a member of the Murfreesboro Garden Club, the Men’s Horticultural Club, the Methodist Laymen’s Club, the Grange, and was a steward in the Methodist Church.  He was a Knight Templar and past patron of the Order of the Eastern Star.  For many years he was secretary of the Kiwanis Club.   

   After retirement, Julius bought a ten acre tract in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and lived on this land the remainder of his life.  
Descendants of Julius and Ophelia Bayer

1.	Robbie Bayer
1.	Julius Henry Bayer
1.	Ophelia Bayer- b. 1901; d. 1995
m. Cecil Scott
2. Ophelia Scott
2. Margaret Scott
2. Bill Scott
   1. Thomas Steele Bayer d. 17 Nov 1972 
      m. Frances Hazel Reid- b. 18 May 1910, d. 19 Jun 2006
      2. Thomas Steele Bayer, Jr. (tsbayer@comcast.net)
         m. Patience Elizabeth (Bets) Sadler on 15 Jul 1972
       3. James Michael (Mikey)Bayer 
          m. Mary T. Williford on 29 Mar 1998
       3. Jeffrey Thomas Bayer
          m. Christina Leal
      2. Julia Ellen Bayer
         m. Dean King
   1. Eloise Bayer- b. 1910; d. 1997
      m. John Walter Hawkins on 24 Dec. 1937 (b. 16 Aug
         1909)                           
      2. John Walter Hawkins, Jr.- d. 1995
         m. Lady Katherine Bickley on 29 Aug 1964

VIII. Sophia

   Sophia was born on August 16, 1869, in Pennsylvania and died on August 13, 1893.  She lived at home with her parents and was never married. She died from typhoid fever.

IX. Rebecca

   Rebecca was born on November 5, 1871, in Houston County, Tennessee and died on March 30, 1962.  She was never married. Rebecca was approximately 5”4” in height, of slender body build, with brown eyes and black hair.  Her health was excellent during most of her life and she had no chronic illnesses. 
   
       Rebecca was said to be a very industrious person and an outstanding teacher.  She taught in the public schools of Middle Tennessee for 50 years and retired in 1946. Her teaching career began in a one room, log school near Cumberland City, Tennessee. In the 1900-1901 Cumberland City Academy bulletin she was listed under the faculty as the sole member of the primary department. McLemoresville Collegiate Institute was indicated as her institution of preparation.  She later taught at Lee School, Paris, Tennessee and Porter’s School, Huntingdon, Tennessee. 

      Following her retirement, she came to Murfreesboro to make her home with her brother, Julius. While there she was a member of First Methodist Church. She outlived all of her brothers and sisters and died in at Dillon Nursing Home.

   X. David   

      David Martin Bayer was born on December 1, 1875, in Houston County, Tennessee and died on January 4, 1954.  He married Lillian Scott on June 6, 1905.  She was born on January 13, 1881, and died on October 2, 1962.  They had three children—Elizabeth, Scott, and Bruce. Scott attended medical school and established a medical practice in Nashville.  Bruce held a faculty position in the Department of Engineering at Vanderbilt University.

     David was approximately 5’10” in height, of slender body build, with brown eyes and dark hair.  His health was good the major part of his life. His death was caused by heart disease.
     David acquired his education in the schools of Cumberland City, Tennessee, and afterward attended a business college at Indianapolis, Indiana.  Returning to Cumberland City, he assumed charge of the business department of the Cumberland City Academy. He later served as treasurer of the Cheek-Neal Coffee Company, which controlled one of the leading commercial enterprises in Nashville.  In the year 1923, this company operated five plants and had become one of the largest coffee manufacturing industries of the world. David’s connection with the firm covered a period of more than twenty years (Tennessee, the Volunteer State, 1769- 1920. Chicago, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, c1923. pp. 903-4
     Lillian Scott Bayer and her brother Herman were the only children of Dr. W.B. Scott and Amanda Elizabeth Wilson who reached adulthood.  They inherited the 700- 800 acre Scott farm and antebellum house near Cumberland City, Tennessee.

   NEWSPAPER ACCOUNT OF THE WEDDING OF DAVID AND LILLIAN BAYER

     An ideally beautiful June wedding was that of Miss Lillian Scott and Mr. David Bayer, celebrated June 6th at the Methodist Church of Cumberland City in the presence of a large audience of friends and relatives.  Rev. H.B. Blue, of Nashville, performed the ceremony. The bride was given away by her father, Dr.W.B. Scott, and was preceded to the alter by the ushers, Masssers Nixon Pickard and William Latham who entered by opposite aisles, followed by D. D.L. King and the maid of honor, Miss Martha Lassing. Prof. H.H. Bayer, the best man, entered with the groom from a side door and met the bride and her father at the alter.
     The bride was becomingly attired in a traveling dress of brown silk and wore a picture hat of white and carried and arm full of white roses.
   The wedding music, which was one of the pleasantest features of the wedding, was furnished by Mr. J.H. Bayer, sister-in-law of the groom.
     The decorations while very simple, were artistic. It might almost be called a sweet pea wedding, such numbers of the fragrant blossoms being used in adorning the alter. Numerous lovely pot plants were also used.
   Immediately after the ceremony, the couple left on the 6:58 p.m. train for a two week trip to northern cities.

Descendants of David and Lillian Bayer

1.	Helen Elizabeth Bayer- b. April 1906; d. 1967
First husband of Helen Elizabeth Bayer- John Orr- b. 1903; d. 1940
2nd husband of Helen Elizabeth Bayer- W.E. Jones- b. 1905; d. 2000
  2. Betty Elizabeth Jones- b. 1948; d. 1966
     m. Donnie Odum
   2nd husband of Elizabeth Jones- Jimmy Bunner b. 1944

1.	David Scott Bayer- b September 22, 1910; d. 2004
m. Berdella Murdock- b. 1910; d. 1965
  2. Berdella Elizabeth Bayer- b. Nov. 18, 1939,
   d.Dec. 19, 2002
   m.William G. Hoffman
   3. Susan Bayer Hoffman
    m. Bryan Thomas Gallier
      4. William Thomas Gallier
      4. Ronald Wilson Gallier
      4. Elizabeth Hoffman Gallier
      4. Joseph Gallier
   3. Blair Elizabeth Hoffman
   3. Scott Manning Hoffman
    m. Katherine
   3. William George Hoffman
     m. Katherine Cooper
      4. Calvin Manning Hoffman
      4. Evelyn Bayer Hoffman
  2. David Martin Bayer II
     m. Topsie Wallace
     m. Joan Myers (2nd wife of David Martin Bayer II)
  2. Susan Scott
   m. Hill Ferguson III
     4. Elizabeth Scott Ferguson
       m. John Spalding Lenihan
        5. Lillian Spalding Lenihan
        5. Adelaide Rose Lenihan
        5. Ellie Ferguson Lenihan
     4. Hill Ferguson IV
       m. Genevieve Mitchell Frazer
        5. William Hill Ferguson II
        5. James Bransford Ferguson
m. Frances Tisdale Crutchfield- (second wife of David Scott Bayer)- b. 1925; d. 1997
m. Betsy Craft- b. 1918 (3rd wife of David Scott Bayer)
  
1. Bruce Martin Bayer- b, October 22, 1912; d. 2002
   m. Nancy Pope Tucker- b. 1916; d. 1992
   2. Carolyn Elizabeth Bayer
   m. Franklin Wray Shadwell II
      3. Susan Elizabeth Shadwell
      m. Robert Wayne Tidwell
         4. Samantha Sayward Tidwell
         4. Amelia Elizabeth Tidwell
      3. Kathryn Jean Shadwell
      m. Jonathan Aragon
         4. Rebecca Kathryn Aragon
         4. Michael Wray Aragon
      3. Philip Wray Shadwell
      m. Kathrine Nora Allen
         4. Justen Wray Shadwell
         4. Garrett Wayne Shadwell
         4. Elizabeth Marie Shadwell
   2. William Tucker Bayer
      m. Diana Clark
      3.David Roland Bayer
        m. Denyse Michelle Hammen
      3. Rachel E. Bayer
         m. Gerardo Morla
         4. Gabriel Morla
         2nd husband of Rachel E. Bayer- Robert         Allensworth
         4. William Sebastian Allensworth 
      2nd wife of William Tucker Bayer- Carol Lloyd

Contacts for Bayer history:

Karen Williams
(Mary Bayer Parchment line)
115 Vaughn Ln.
Cumberland City, TN 37050
E-mail- will4him@bellsouth.net
Telephone- 931-827-4010

Tom Weaks
(Jacob Bayer line)
P.O. Box 141
Cumberland City, TN 37050
E-mail- weakste@hughes.net
Telephone- (931) 827-2127