People and Events in the History of Pleasant Grove and Garretts Creek
Communities- Part One
By A.L. Nimmo
Contributed by Freddy
Brown
Retyped for the page by Diane Payne and Danene Vincent
1998
Part One
There are not written records regarding our first settles and where they came from, and so
forth, but from what older people told me, and what I have observed and lived thru, I shall try to
relate some of the facts of their coming and work.
It is of interest to know some of our first families who came to this corner of the 12th
District, especially Pleasant Grove and Garretts Creek communities, from whence they came,
what they brought, how they traveled to these places, their first homes, their work, their first
places of worship schools. Having so little time to prepare this work since the assignment was
given me, I fear very much that I may omit names that should have been mentioned. I suggest
that when anything of interest is shown to be omitted, that the club add amendment to my
story.
Many of our settlers came from Virginia and perhaps some came direct from England,
Ireland, or Scotland. They moved here afoot, horseback and in wagons drawn by horses or oxen
or mules. Some have known to work milk cows. Tom DUFFER says his parents came from
Virginia in a wagon drawn by a mule and a cow. They were attracted by the chance to secure
land cheap from the Government. Many old soldiers were granted large areas because of service
in former wars. No doubt the abundance of wild game was a great attraction. It is said that deer,
wild turkeys, some bear and other smaller birds and animals were abundant. So meat was easily
come by. Little furniture was brought because of the room in the wagons, but clothes, bedding
and tools were brought, among these tools were axes, broad axes, augers, froes, and perhaps
parts for plows. Also, it is said that looms and spinning wheels were made _ well as a few that
were moved. A wheel right made them for his neighbors. Some made furniture as bed steads and
chairs. In my home are two old bedsteads my parents told me were made by one Wash BLACK
He worked near this building.
The first houses were log cabins, the cracks of which were closed with chink and dobbin
(sticks and mud) chimneys were often pens of timber with thick mud coating. I never saw one
such chimney in use. My aunt Sallie MORRIS and Uncle John MORRIS lived in a log house with
such a chimney. My father told me one Carrol COLE lived near here in a cabin the stick and mud
chimney of which had come away and only a foot or two about the fire place was left standing.
Father said he was there one cold day when CARROL drove some hounds from the room. He
said the hounds hoped over the backlog and out the top of the chimney.
All the country was in forests when the settlers came. Fields had to be cleared. Much
valuable timber (if here today) was cut and burned. Log rollings were common when neighbors
would meet and pile the unwanted timber. This custom was in vogue until after I married. I had
a log rolling or two. Also I had two barn raisings in which logs bars were built for curing
tobacco. They assisted with nursing when there was sickness in any home. And they worked
together in burying the dead.
Now if land is to be cleared, a machine called a bulldozer is hired to do the job.
A plow for use in stumpy, rooty land consisted of a strong stock to which a bull tonge or
maybe a wide shovel point was bolted. Thru the beam a cutting colter to run just in front of the
plow point was placed. A strong man and a well trained team could do a pretty good job
preparing the new land for a crop.
Our ancestors here and while on their journey here were not plagued with Indians as much
as the ones in our county on the south of us. Settlements at Castalian Springs, Manskers Creek
on the Davidson County line between Gallatin and Nashville were attacked at different times and
several people slain. Among them being two Bledsoes at Castalian Springs. It is told that one
Robin or Peter TUTTLE was scalped by Indians and left for dead, but he recovered and lived near
by. Also another TUTTLE was captured by Indians and lived with them seven years, marrying
and Indian girl by whom he raised two children. I cannot learn his name. Louis and Lester
TUTTLE related this bit of their family history to me. The settlements about Nashville began
1779 and 1780. Ours began somewhat later.
Among the first families to move into our community were some that received grants. These
grants being pretty large were divided with others.
I have only two families receiving grants. But there must be others. One Dance BROWN
was granted much of the land from Westmoreland to the Kentucky line. He is the fore father of
the BROWNS near us. Also a homesteader named Rice GILLIAM settled the land now owned
by Odo RHODES. He is buried on this farm. He is the fore father of many GILLIAMS that lived
here and elsewhere. Two of his sons were known to me. Uncle Dave GILLIAM, father of
Steven, Bennett, Jesse, Johnnie, and Otis lived near this place. Dink GILLIAM, father of
Elwood, Bennett, and Charlie GILLIAM, was also _ a son of Steven Rice GILLIAM, he was
said to be a large man, weighing 300 lbs. or more. It may interest you to know Dance BROWN
is buried on the farm now owned by Cordell EATON on the west bank of Garretts Creek « mile
above Garretts Creek Church. Other families who came to Garretts Creek and Pleasant Grove
were MORRISES, DORRISSES, CREASYS, KEENS, HAWKINS, CARTERS, CULWELLS,
(now spelled CALDWELL), SIMMONS, DAVIS, RHODES. The NIMMOS came from
Robertson County just before the Civil War and bought part of the Dance BROWN grant. Only
two family names owned this land until I sold it, mostly to Richard SIMMONS, Dance
BROWN'S son Jimmy owned the Weldon DOSS place. He had several sons among whom were
MARTINS, Father of Squire and grandfather Earl BROWN. Also a son J.P. BROWN, father of
Otis, Brodie, Rev. Tom and W.R. BROWN, father of our tax assessor, Jimmy. Other GILLIAMS
beside Steven RICE came. The forefather of W. H.GILLIAM, my father in law. One Johnny
GILLIAM was his father. This Johnny had other children, Alvy, Johnny, and several daughters.
Some of the older SIMMONS were Charles, father of Rev. C. N. SIMMONS, and the
grandfather of Charles SIMMONS, who is now in the first of his 80 years, Great Grand father of
Robert and Cyrus and Richard SIMMONS. Coleman SIMMONS lived on Trammel Creek where
Lee HAYNES now lives. His sons were Charlie and Lee. They are all buried here at Pleasant
Grove. As is Uncle Charles SIMMONS. William CALWELL and his brother, who lost an arm in
battle in the Civil War. He was known as Big Hardy or one armed Big Hardy CALDWELL. This
was to distinguish him from Little Hardy CALDWELL, his nephew and brother to my mother.
This HARDY was father of Joe and Robert, Charlie, and Sydney CALDWEL, GUTHRIES
grandfather. Another branch of the CULWELL family was Ike CALDWELL, who has many
descendants here about. Wes CALDWELL, Jack CALDWELL, Jim CALDWELL, Willie
CULWELL, Jims sons, Andrew, William R. and Edward are the drillers of oil wells near us.
Two branches of the MORRIS family one headed by Sam MORRIS, and another by Jackey
MORRIS who settled just below Garretts Creek Church. Uncle John MORRIS, father of Tom,
Ollie, Mores, Jim and Ed MORRIS was his son. Two of Uncle Jackies daughters married Joe
CREASY and Dave GILLIAM, son of Steven RICE, Uncle Dave GILLIAM, and Aunt Lucy are
buried on his old farm, now owned by Eutaw GREGORY. There are many of our neighbors
descended from these MORRISES and GILLIAMS.
There must have been several immigrant CARTERS. There were Ben CARTER and his
brother Tom. Ben CARTER was the father of Carney CARTER and Gran CARTER. Uncle
Tom CARTER, father of Joe Ky CARTER, grandfather of Dr. T. Y. CARTER and great
grandfather of our young Dr. Thomas F. CARTER, now practicing here. One of his daughters
married Wallace MCDOLE. Uncle Tom and Uncle Ben are buried in the Old Morris and Perry
graveyard near an old abandoned road that once went from Chester LYLES and Charles MAYES
to Noah WILLIAMS place on Big Trammel Valley. This old road was in use when I was
younger. Also buried there is John Henry MORRIS, father of Steve, Did, Booker, and Mrs.
Louis TUTTLE. Miss Ruth CARTER and Mrs. Lillian MORRIS say they have a baby sister
buried there. This old cemetery is grown up in woods now. Also Mark PERRY and others sleep
there. Mark PERRY is a grandfather of Mrs. Hank SHOULDERS. I believe my father said Mark
PERRY'S father was names Harvard PERRY. He also, is buried there. Of the KEEN ancestors
there must be some that I have not learned of. One of the first was Mastin KEEN, grandfather of
Roy KEEN. Mrs. John BEASLEY, Mrs. J. H. WILLIAMS. There father was also Mastin
KEEN. The older Mastin is buried in the old Mandy Keen Cemetery on the farm now owned by
Clarence WILLIAMS. Old Mandy KEEN is also buried there. Some WILLIAMS and
JOHNSONS rest there. Once a road led from near this building west thru to Garretts Creek,
passing near this cemetery. A tornado crossed this old cemetery in 1925 uprooting large cedars
and over turning several tombstones.
Going back to the CARTERS, there must have been several more. One John CARTER
lived just below Garretts Creek Church. I understand Green CARTER, and Andy CARTER were
his sons. More old time CARTERS where Joe CARTER and his brother Jack , who are buried at
Wolf Cemetery on the lower part of Garretts Creek. Old timers of the next generation as
Coleman CARTER, Tommy TUTTLE, Andy TUTTLE and Jim TUTTLE are buried on the farm
of Sambo TUTTLE in a well kept cemetery.
Of the WILLIAMS family, I am told a first among them to come into our corner was one
John WILLIAMS, father of Nute, Tom, and Jim and John Davis WILLIAMS. These men have
many descendants here about. An early resident near us on Trammel Creek was Sampson
DAVIS. Father of Whiten DAVIS and Mrs. Sue GILLIAM. Then there was Frank DAVIS,
brother to the old Doctor DAVIS who lived just on the north side of Ode RHODES on Garretts
Creek. Dr. DAVIS was grandfather of Mrs. Laura GILLIAM, mother of C. A. GILLIAM, the
banker in Scottsville, Kentucky. Mrs. Laura is now 93 years old. Frank DAVIS had sons named,
John, the one that married Annie RHODES, sister to Davy RHODES, Richard DAVIS was a son
of Frank DAVIS. Also one son was named Ellis.
The oldest HAWKINS on my list in this community was Taylor HAWKINS. He was the
father of our Uncle Yancy and Coly HAWKINS. Coly HAWKINS moved away to another
county before my day. He and his sons visited this community occasionally. Most of them are
now dead. Anther old time HAWKINS was Steve HAWKINS who lived a little farther south not
far from Siloam. Rev. Joe Lee HAWKINS and Jim HAWKINS were his sons. One of our late
superintendents of Sumner County schools, Vernie HAWKINS was a son of Ren. Joe LEE.
Of the CREASY family, the oldest I knew were Joe CREASY, who married Emily MORRIS,
daughter of Jackie MORRIS. He was the father of John CREASY, Tom CREASY, Jody
CREASY, and Virgil. They are all now dead and buried here at Pleasant Grove. Their
descendants are Aubrey, Radford, Rev. John L. And other survive. Emouth CREASY was a
brother to Uncle Joe. He had sons named Levi and Joe. Then there was John CREASY, father
of Charlie, Luther, Floyd and others. He lived above Turners Station. He had a brother Phil
CREASY who married a daughter of Dr. DURHAM. Also a brother Tom who lived above
Turners Station. The first DORRISES I knew were Uncle Will DORRIS, father of Tom, Bob,
Wade, Jasper, Coly, and Earn. He married a daughter of Old time Taylor HAWKINS. Many are
his descendants among us. His father was named Davis DORRIS. Davis DORRIS had a brother
named George HILARY. He was a minister of the gospel. I heard him preach back in the 1890's.
Uncle Billie GREGORY lived on Garretts Creek a short way above the church. He was a father
of our Jim Gregory once a leader in the Church work of our neighborhood. He was killed by
lightening about 1928 while cultivating a your peach orchard near Jesse FOSTERS home. Two
of his daughters married DORRISES, on married Paul DAVIS, grandson of Sampson DAVIS.
Then there was Berry GREGORY, father of Arch, Ellis, Floyd, Porter, and Luther GREGORY.
His wife was a daughter of Old Squire WILLIAMS and a sister to John Henry, Lee and Martin
WILLIAMS.
Marion ATKENSON once lived where Odell RHODES now lives. That family of children
moved away after the old folks died. Four members of this family are buried here. Marion
ATKERSON and Cyrus SIMMONS were the first to use commercial fertilizers on this ridge.
ATKERSON and others used to work steers to plows and wagons. I am sure many others used
oxen on the farms. Uncle Billy BURNLEY lived near Garretts Creek Church. He was a minister
of the gospel. His sons, Henry, Jeff, George, and Moss settled here. Jeff married a daughter of
W. G. DOSS, Mose, a daughter of Berry GREGORY, Henry a daughter of Sparel MEADOR.
Sparel MEADOR lived near our road on the north. He raised several children among whom were
Sydney, father of George and Charlie and David, also Tommie, and Carlos now living on the state
line north of us.
Of the RIPPYS, the oldest I knew were Joe, Eli, Will. These have many descendants near
by. Especially there are several near descended from Eli and Will. Among these are the
Woodward boys, Clarence and Lawrence. Ellis grandsons. V. A. Kean mother was a daughter
of Will RIPPY. Eugene KEAN is a great grand son of Will RIPPY. Will had sons names Jack
and Bert.
Also there was on Mat RIPPY, if relative of Joe and Will I can't say. But I understand
Wilson RIPPY is a descendant of Mat RIPPY. This Mat was a shoe maker and made shoes in
this community. My mother told me that her folks used to kill a beef most falls. The hide would
be tanned by one Oscar STALEY who would measure their feet and make shoes for them. This
same Mat RIPPY made hand made shoes in Gallatin when I was a small boy. Tho old families
that you find I have omitted may be told of later in supplements to my story.
Go to Pleasant Grove and Garrett's Creek--Part Two
Go to Pleasant Grove and Garrett's Creek--Part Three
Go to Pleasant Grove and Garrett's Creek--Part Four
Return to Sumner County, TN Communities Page
Return to Sumner County, TN Main Page