Interviews with older folks

          Transcribed by MaryCarol
 

*Note: The following was with my great-grandfathers personal papers. I am copying it as it was written. He was 96 yrs old....I have put in (*...) with correct information where he got confused.  MaryCarol

I, James Harve DREWRY, age 96, a member of the Meridian Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and a native of this Shades Bridge community, am a great-grandson of Richard DREWRY, emigrant from North Carolina (*no, Virginia), was a land grantee of this same section, and whose photo and Drewry information may be seen in the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville (*no, Richard left VA in 1799...bought his land in Nashville by 1802, and bought the Weakley land from Adam HUNTSMAN, the peg legged attorney who beat David CROCKETT in political race....and then Davy went to the Alamo) .

I love my home community, and neighbors of the Obion River Valley on both sides of the river, very much and desire to leave for posterity a few of the many interesting historical facts concerning this region of our great State of Tennessee.  With this in mind, I have tape-recorded one hour of oral history for C. Reid DOWLAND of Skullbone, Gibson County, Tennessee, who is collaborating in publishing a history.  Also, I have talked many times with him about oldtime, local history for many decades. He has my full and free permission to use any statements made orally by me or by tape recorder, a few excerpts of which follows:

The original farm of said emigrant Richard DREWRY, where I live, is located in the southwestern portion of what is now Weakley County, near Shade’s Bridge on the South Fork of Obion River, on the Shade's Bridge and Greenfield road, near it’s junction with the Christmasville and Skullbone road, about one mile distant.  In early times this section of what is now Weakley County, was part of the Skullbone district of Gibson County and we and the other citizens in this part of the county paid our taxes in Trenton instead of Dresden.

Back in those days, the river was not the county line and the county was almost square, thus Gibson county and the Skullbone civil district or territory included all of the territory in what is now Weakley County from Mt. Airy School near Christmasville, and west on down the river, including  --?odloh Baptist Church, Flytown, STAFFORD'S Store, GALEY'S Store, PECK'S Store, and went on up north to Prospect Baptist Church.  Other places in the Skullbone district were Holt's School, Shade’s Bridge, Overton Store, Pittman's School and north to the PERRY'S "toward" Meridian Church and on down the river "toward" the 45-E highway bridge over the Obion river between Bradford and Greenfield.  The DREWRYS were prominent in making young Gibson County a better county until Weakley county swapped China Grove territory for Flytown territory, making the river the line.  The old records at Trenton will probably show the activities of the early DREWRYS.  They were in local politics of the day, layed out road, helped build roads, were overseers, etc.

I attended Mulberry Grove School, just across the hollow from where HOLT'S School now stands.  Old man Bill CRAWLEY taught there.  It was an old log house with no ceiling and with a "stick and dirt" chimney, the oldest school in this part of the county. 

I married Nannie G. BELL, of Reynolds County, Missouri, near Iron County line, on Black River.  My father’s name was Richardson Clark DREWRY, known locally as "DICK" DREWRY.  He married Mary Malinda HERRELL (*HARRAL) from the Rinda neighborhood between Greenfield and Pillowville.  My father was the youngest son of twelve children.  My grandfather’s name was also Richardson Clark DREWRY, who was the son of aforesaid emigrant, Richard DREWRY from North Carolina (* no, Virginia).  My grandfather was a school teacher and walked all the way to his school at "Old Hall", near where Greenfield was later built.

I had nine children: three girls, all living; two boys, dead - George and Raymond; Herman, the oldest living son, about 70 years old; first he was in the Insurance business, but he is now in the Real Estate business in the Sterrick Bldg., Memphis; Flag was the second boy, in the Army a Lt. and Captain.............

Great grandfather Richard's original grant for war service, began about one mile, air line, from Shades Bridge.  He was buried there in the old family grave yard.  Meridian Presbyterian Church is the oldest church in this area.  They used to have preaching in the old Pittman School house and Jim STROUD, a good singer, professed religion there.  Old Brother CARLTON was the preacher.

My ancestors were among the charter members of Old Meridian Church congregation back whey they had no meetin' house and preached under that big oak tree under which they sell ice cream and cold drinks nowadays during Church picnics, etc.  For many years they had little log cabins scattered or scattered over the woods to camp in during the revivals.  The would come long distances and stay during the entire revival.  I have never never heard of a log cabin "camp ground" at any other place.  The men would go home and "tend to the things”"during the afternoons and be back in time for services, bringing back re-filled lunch baskets! Oscar ELAM married my niece and he was slightly older than I am and a good friend (*and cousin) of mine.  He also knew about these facts that I am telling you.

At all the older churches in this section of the county, - Meridian, Pilgrim and the rest back in old times during "revival" meetings when I was a boy, they would shout all over the place, both men and women.  When the spirit moved, I’ve seen them get up and almost walk the benches.  In those days they had real revival sermons, not just 30 minute "lectures".  I’ve seen them so full of the spirit that they not only shouted, but swooned and just seemed to "fly away", going unconscious, taking a long time to revive and, in some cases, had to be hauled home in a wagon.  Rev. Cullen CRIBBS organized the old "Camp ground' Church at Holly Leaf, then came over and organized Meridian Church and preached both places a long time, leaving Holly Leaf and "walking"each way every time, about 10 miles each way!  Egbert DREWRY was Church Secretary of Meridian Church in September 1882.

My father was a Mason at 21 years of age.  Flag is a Mason (*Harve's son) Earl DREWRY, my nephew, was in the Railway Postal Service at Nashville.  He had most of the DREWRY documents, genealogy, etc. Earl was a Mason and is buried at Greenfield (*Highland Cem.).  Will Mitchell read off the Masonic rites.  The Jackson and Dresden old road ran through the DREWRY plantation.  Richard saw to that. It intersected the road that goes by they old Peter MOSELY place.  Old Peter MOSELEY and the DREWRYS had control of the roads.

They had boat service on the South Fork of Obion River, and built ferry boats that made calls at Stokes ELAM'S place, that being the highest ground around, and they would keep a ferry boat there and load it with cotton and ship it to New Orleans.  They used a creek there for  "dry docks" to build boats.  That is the reason that the creek is named "Boat Creek" and is still called that today.  It is just a little south of the Stokes ELAM place which adjoins the DREWRY land.  There was boat services both ways and upstream from here.

I’ll tell you a good one on Timothy DOWLAND, of Skullbone Village.  He was a power over there, had lots of land and plenty of negro slaves.  I knew him well.  I can see him now as plain as if yesterday.  He always kept the best and fastest horses in the country and , although wealthy, he nevertheless was still a mighty shrewd business man.  For instance, one night on of Timothy's boys got mighty sick.  He lived only a short distance from Dr. Tom MOORE'S office there in SKULLBONE  Village, so he sent a runner for Dr. MOORE, who pronounced the boy pretty sick.  Timothy told a boy to tie up the Doctor's horse for the night and feed him.  Next morning Timothy asked the doctor how much was the bill.  The Doctor began to scratch his head, but Timothy beat him to the punch, saying: "Oh, well, since I kept and fed your horse, we will strike off even"!

I have been told that Shades Bridge was so named because Timothy DOWLAND'S slaves built the first bridge across the Obion river, under the supervision of the head slave “Uncle Tom” Shade.  It was burned during the Civil War.  I helped re-build it and put some of the "uprights" into the mortices of the old burned bridge. (* he was born in 1863 so they must have waited a good time to rebuild it).  I think the Claiborne gang burned the bridge to avoid defeats by Captain HOLT'S Federal "Company".

Some other early settlers were the CAPPS and COCHRANS.  I went to school with Dr. Cochran at Thomas Chappel, near Pittsman’s (*school).  Dr. Cochran practiced medicine between Holly Leaf and Skullbone.  Old man Bill CAPPS was half  Indian, said so himself and was proud of it.  I have been told that the CAPPS who settled around Flytown married into the Fly Indians and that is the reason they call it Flytown, but I don’t have any direct proof of that, only hearsay.

Old Bob MOSELEY was the one who pulled the canal fiasco near here.  He dug a long water mill canal alongside the Obion River here and a lot of river slaves were killed on this project by work, disease and cold weather, and malaria in summer.  It required a long time to dig the canal and, worse still, they got the grade wrong.  When completed, some one said: "Look, the water is not moving".  and threw in a chip.  It wouldn’t move, and some went so far as to say it drifted upstream at times! Thus the MOSELEY water mill was never built, but the remains of the MOSELEY Canal fiasco could still be seen a few years ago.

There wasn't too much social life in the old days that would be recognized in this modern age of push buttons, gadgets, steering wheels and commercial entertainment.  But the people were happy and neighborly.  There were "prize" log rollings at which the strongest men drew prizes, plus a "dram"of liquor at dinner time - noon.  Then there was pitching horse shoes, and horse racing, but they had no circular tracks. The one who could run down the road to a point and back, in the least time, won.  Church was a social affair as well as religious, because there was not much else to attend or go to.  I have, and many others, walked several miles to Church and not put on our shoes until within sight of the church.  The girls would step over a log, sit down and put on their stockings and shoes.  I have helped my Mother with the spinning wheels, cards, looms, sickles, etc. weaving and making "homespun" clothes.

The nearest water mills to us were WINGO'S Mill on Spring Creek and HART'S Mill on the Obion River.  Emigrant Richard DREWRY and sons had slaves.  I was born at the middle of the Civil War, but the slaves stayed around long enough that I remember that they were the best old niggers in the world.

They have had stores in Gibson County from Shades Bridge to the crossraods. Mr. URSERY on this bank and Mr. MATHIAS on the other bank in modern times, and I have been told that the first store around there was a log store on the first rise out of the bottom, where old man McNIER later lived.

HART'S Mill dam or races used to be a fishing resort.  People would go for miles around and stay all night like they do nowadays to Kentucky Lake.

John Galey near here had a treadmill cotton gin.  Dewey PERRY married youngest daughter Elsie. another daughter that I am living with is May, married Walter SWINDELL. Grace, married Fred ROGERS.  You shoulld visit Old Drewry family cemetery.  You can get a lot of information from the stones. 

Notes added by C. Reid Dowland..."Grace is second daughter" " use to baptize niggers at Shades Bridge"

Signed___with and X (** not sure why, he certainly could read and write, maybe due to age or using the "old ways" of making a man's mark, even if he could write)

Witnesses:

C..Reid Dowland
May Swindell
Walter Swindell