They Promote Planting To Prosper, 1938

We recently attended the estate of Lillian Ezzell Dobson Dunavant in Memphis.  Lillian is a great-grandchild of John Williamson Moran making her and Kent 2nd cousins. We purchased several items related to the shared family history including two boxes of newspaper clippings, letters and other ephemera.

The first packet of clippings just happened to include articles that mention Uncle Brud, aka Charles H. Moran.  I thought that was a great place to begin scanning and sharing the information from the Dunavant estate.

"Plans for bigger and better participation in the 1938 Plant To Prosper contest by Weakley County farmers were outlined at Dresden, Tenn., this week by the county committee; Members are (left to right) Charles H. Moran, banker; Claude H. Hilliard and Reuben E. Ellis, county agent."

W.L. Ayers, Dry Goods Merchant

We have a few pictures from the Ayres/Chambers families.  At this time the only connection I know of is that William L. Ayres, the owner of the above float, moved to Gardner Tennessee and went into business with F.M. Gardner.  The Gardner's are cousins of the Morans.   The picture was taken in Gatesville Texas post-1882 which is when Ayres and Gardner, like so many others, made their way to the Lone Star State.  If you look at the top of the building behind the float you'll see that it says "Gardner & Ayres" even though the float shouts "W.L. Ayres & Co."

William L. Ayres was a son of Matthias Leake Ayres and Martha Rebecca Hanes of Virginia.  He was born in 1851.  I would speculate that his middle name was Leake since that was his fathers and his sons middle name as well.  He moved to Gardner, Tennessee in 1867 and went into partnership with F.M. Gardner.  Ayres married Martha Holman Chambers (daughter of John W. and Mariah Chambers of VA) on Sept 26 1872 in Obion County Tennessee.

They are living at Gardner Store, TN in the 1880 Census.  William is listed as a dry good merchant, age 29.  His wife Mattie C. is keeping house.  They had three children: Matthias Leake age 7, Corona/Corinne W age 5 and John C age 3.

William L. Ayres died in 1910.  His wife Martha passed on in 1917.   Their son Mathias was a banker, sounds familiar, and married Myrtie/Myrtis/Myrtle Buckley in 1896.  Mathias died in 1949 and was interred at Gatesville City Cemetery. Corinne Ayres married Howard S. Compton.  She died in 1945. Their son John Chambers Ayres was a physician. He married a woman named Renna and they had a son, John C Ayres Jr.  John and his family lived in Memphis.  He died in 1952 and was interred at Memorial Park in Memphis.

As to the burial of William and his wife Martha....there seems to be some confusion about the Masonic Cemetery and the Gatesville City Cemetery which has resulted in two memorials for them on Findagrave.  Each memorial has the exact same picture taken by different photographers.
Mattie C. Ayres Gatesville City Cemetery
Mattie Ayres Masonic Cemetery
William L. Ayres Gatesville City Cemetery
William L. Ayres Masonic Cemetery

Like her parents, Corinne Ayres Compton has two memorials:
Corinne Ayres Compton Gatesville City Cemetery
Corinne Ayers Compton Masonic Cemetery.

Rome Martin and His Family

The year before his father died, Kent put his life and studies at UT Martin on hold to spend as much time as possible with his dad. Definitely time well spent! They would shoot the breeze and talk about whatever took their fancy and they probably drank a beer, or two.  But one of the things they did together was  go through some of the photographs and identify the people in them.  

Center: Rome Martin
Taken in front of Moran Place ca 1920

Which brings me to this photo of three boys. Bub Moran identified the center boy as Rome Martin.  We think the other two boys might be Bub and his older brother Jimmy but we aren't positive.  Based on research Rome was born about 1904.  If the picture includes Bub Moran, the young one on the left, then it would have to be taken in 1920 or a year or so later which would put Rome at age 16 here.  I guess that's possible but he looks more like 12 or 13 to me.  So for now the only thing we can say for sure is that the photo was clearly taken in front of Moran Place and includes Rome Martin.

Who was Rome?  He first appears in the 1910 Census for Weakley County with his family.

Father: Dan Martin, age 56, married for 25 years. He was born in Tennessee and his parents place of birth are both listed as Tennessee.  He was a laborer who did odd jobs and had been unemployed for 4 weeks during 1910. He couldn't read or write.

Mother: Joanna, age 40, number of births 13 number of living children 10.  She and her parents all listed as born in Tennessee. Joanna was a cook and had not been unemployed at all during 1910.  She couldn't read or write. 

Daughter: Etta, age 17, single.  She was a washerwoman and had been unemployed 8 weeks during 1910. She could read and write.

Son: Vester, age 14, single.  Like his dad Vester was a laborer who worked odd jobs.  He was unemployed 12 weeks during 1910.  He could read and write.

Son: Alec, age 12, single, attended school, could read and write.

Daughter: Kittie, age 9, single, attended school, could read and write.

Son: Rome, age 6, single, attended school, could read and write.

Marriage Document for
Dan Martin and Josie Cook
1887

Rome's parents, Daniel Martin and Josie/Joanna Cook were married in Weakley County on August 29 1887.  His wife's name would appear in various forms: Jo, Joe, Josie, Joanna.

In the 1920 Census Joanna is listed as a widow.  I found a death certificate for Daniel Martin who died May 19 1918 in Dresden Tennessee.  His estimated birth year was 1856, born in Martin TN, and his age "about 62."  He was married and his occupation was coal mining.  His father was "Dinnes Martin", Virginia, mother was Harriet Martin of Virginia.  The informant was D.E. Martin.  He died of Sarcoma of Inferior Maxillary bone.   He was interred at Ralston Cemetery.  It's possible that this is Rome's father.  

In 1920 Joanna is at home with her children Etta, Alec (Alexander), Jimmie, Kittie and Rome.  Joanna's occupation is "cook, private family"  Etta's occupation was "none".  Alec was a laborer at a saw mill.  Jimmie was a "house boy, private home."  Kittie and Rome were listed as "none."  I'm wondering if Joanna and Jimmie were employed by the Moran family?  

Joanna Cook Martin disappears after the 1920 Census.  

On March 30 1926 Rome's brother Vester died in Memphis at the Veteran's Hospital.  Information from the death certificate says he was born October 18, 1895 in Tennessee.  He was married and worked in a tobacco factory.  His parents were Dan Martin and Joe Cook.  He died of tuberculosis, pulmonary, chronic, far advanced, active.  The certificate indicated it was possible he contracted the disease during his time in the military.  His body was returned to Dresden for burial.   I found Vester's WWI Registration.  The only thing I noticed was the different birth date, January 15 1896.  His wife remains a mystery.

In 1930 Rome is out on his own, age 25 and married.  His wife is Vivian, maiden name unknown.  Vivian's age at the time of the 1930 Census was 16.  They had a daughter named Shirley M. Martin, one year old. This is the last reference I find regarding Rome and his family.

Kittie has also left home and has her own household in 1930.  She was 28 years old, and married.  She was

Kittie/Kitty Martin with
Dottie and Jimmie Moran
Family Reunion 1945

19 at the time of her marriage, per Census Data.  She had a daughter named Joanna, age 7, and a son named James W., age 4.  Like her mother, Kittie was a cook in a private family home.  My thought is that her mother Joanna was the cook at Moran Place and after her death Kittie became the cook.  I was not able to locate marriage information for Kittie and she didn't show up in any searches for the 1940 Census.  But I know she was still in Dresden because she was still employed by the Moran's and appears in pictures from the family reunion of 1945.

Rome's sister Etta died February 7, 1939, Dresden TN.  The death certificate revealed that she was divorced from Sam Fuller. Her birth date was October 26 1890 and the informant was Jimmie Martin, maybe her brother? Bowlin and Riggs were the undertakers and burial was at "Hill Cemetery." I confirmed with Bowlin Funeral Home in Dresden TN that Sunrise Cemetery has been known as various names in the past including variations of Hill and Hill Top Cemetery. Using the information from the death certificate I was able to locate Etta and Sam Fuller in the 1930 Census in Henry County TN.  Sam was 29 years old, born in Georgia.  They had been married about a year.  He was a loader working on the highway.  Etta was 30 years old and no occupation was listed.  I don't know if they had any children.

I found a Jimmie Martin that I believe is Rome's brother. He appears in the 1930 Census for Dresden, age 32 and married.  He was a laborer at a filling station.  His wife was Cozette Gleason, age 27.  She was a laundress and worked out of the home.  Their daughter was Ruby M, age 8.  Jimmie was living just one house from Rome in 1930. According to the Tennessee State Marriage database Jimmie and Cozette were married on March 10, 1923.

Jimmie appears again in the 1940 Census for Dresden.  This time he's listed as James Martin, age 38.  He's an attendant at the O.K. Chevrolet Company.  Cozette is 35 and a cook in a private home.  Daughter Ruby is 18 and is also a cook for a family.  In addition, Ruby is now married to Richard Edmondson.  Richard is 18 and a farmer.  Cozette's mother is also in the household.  Lizzie Gleason, age 42, widow. She has a position as cook in a private home as well.  Other data for Cozette and her her family is listed later.

Because I research as I write I often come across information I didn't see before.  That's the case here.  I was trying to locate Alexander Martin and came across the 1900 Census for the family.  I'm now able to include the following children of Daniel and Joanna Martin:  "Hue" (sic), age 14, born Feb 1886. Hugh was a porter at a hotel.  The next child is Charly, a daughter, age 7 born Nov. 1892.  In addition to the children Joanna's father is living with them.  His name is Lewis Cook, born march 1824, age 76. He was born in Kentucky.

I have not been able to locate anything past the 1920 Census regarding Alex.  His name appears in various forms: Alec, Alex, Elick,  Elic, and Alexander.

Additional information:

Data for Joanna Cook's family

Joanna Cook was the daughter of Lewis/Louis Cook and his wife Caroline.

From the 1870 Census Weakley County:

Cook, Louis, age 42, Farmer, value of real estate $400, value of personal estate $200, born in Kentucky

-----Caroline, age 37, keeping house, born in TN

-----Elzira, age 17, at home, born in TN (Married Napoleon Gardner Weakley County July 18, 1885)

-----Rachel, age 14, at home, born in TN (Married Mike Eskridge Weakley county Jan 8 1874)

-----John W., age 12, at home, born in TN

-----Joannah, age 8, at home, born in TN

-----Louis A., age 6, at home, born in TN

-----Mary M. M. C., age 4, at home, born in TN

-----Mary C, age 2, at home, born in TN

1880 Census Weakley County

Cook, Louis, age 53, Farmer

-----Caroline, age 46, keeping house

-----Clementine, age 14, daughter 

-----Mager M., age 6, son

Data for Cozett Alliev Gleason's family:

Information from her delayed Certificate of Birth, State of Tennessee.

Name: Cozett Alliev Gleason

Date of Birth: Apr 23, 1901

Birthplace: Dresden, Weakley Co. Tenn

Father: Wiley Gleason, Tenn

Mother: Lizzie Sylvertooth, Tenn

Signed by Cozett Martin and dated Feb 19, 1960

Abstract of supporting evidence:  Census Records, April 15, 1910

Photostatic copy of Social Sec app.

Affidavit of relative

Affidavit of non-relative

1910 Census for Dresden

Gleason, Wiley, age 40, born in Tennessee.  House Carpenter, can read and write

-----Pearl, daughter, age 16, single.  No occupation listed.  Could read and write.

-----Charley, son, age 14, single..  House boy, private home.  Could read and write.

-----Sara, daughter, age 16, single. Could read and write

-----Cozette, daughter, age 9. Could read and write.

-----Maggie Lee, daughter, age 6

-----Harvy, son, age 4

1920 Census for Dresden

Gleason, Wilie, 

-----Lizzie, wife, age 38

-----Pearl, daughter age 26, cook in hotel

-----Charlie, son, age 24, taxi driver

-----Sarah, daughter, age 21, no occupation.  Married Cephas Thompson Aug 26 1922, Weakley County. Died Nov. 24 1941 in Nashville.  Buried at Hill Top Cemetery (now known as Sunrise) Dresden TN

-----Maggie Lee, daughter, age 18, cook for private family

-----Harvey, son, age 16, shoe shiner, barber shop

Wade, Ama/Ema, sister-in-law, age 34 single, cook for private family

-----Sidney, brother-in-law, age 30 widow

Information from the death certificate of Wiley J. Gleason

Married

Date of Birth: March 15 1872

Occupation Day Laborer

Birthplace: Weakley County TN

Father: Billy Gleason, Weakley Co. Tennessee

Mother: Ann Gleason, Weakley co. Tenn.

Informant and wife: Lizzie Gleason

Cause of Death: Dropsy of ? accompanied with dropping blood pressure

Burial: Dresden Cemetery (Sunrise Cem?)

Undertaker: Winstead and Bowlin Bros.  

From Murder in the Second Degree to Innocent...John Sidney Irvine, 1885

This entry into the genealogy blog started off completely different from where it ended up.  I scanned the images of John Sidney "Sid" Irvine and his wife, Blanche Boulware.   Sid was born in Dresden, TN August 1862. His parents were Benjamin Dabney Irvine and Agnes Moran.  He was the third born in a group of nine children.  Census records show him living in Dresden TN till 1880.  He moved to Bowie Texas soon after 1880.  I haven't been able to find out who Blanche's parents are but then I've only been searching for about 9 hours!  She was born in Texas about 1870.  By the 1900 census she and Sid have two sons, Sidney (b. 1891) and Harry Clinton Irvine (b. 1897). Blanche and Sid married sometime between 1880 and 1890.   

Blanche Boulware Irvine
b. abt 1870 - d. Dec 13 1939

That was basically going to be the blog entry today but I thought no, let me do a bit of searching to see if I can come up with something else.  And I did. 

It seems that Sid and his brother Thomas "Tom" E. Irvine ran into a bit of trouble while living in Bowie Texas.  Tom, one of Sid's older brothers, owned a Furniture business and Sid was working with him in the business.  It appears there was an incident between the Irvine brothers and a local attorney named J.W. Kerr.  According to Tom, Mr. Kerr was trying to collect money on debts before they were due and that he, Tom, would not pay them until they were due.

Tom confronted Mr. Kerr on July 1, 1885.  His brother Sid was not there at the confrontation.  On July 2, about 5 or 6pm Tom and Kerr were arguing again.  This time Sid was there but according to witnesses he did not have a gun.  Tom and Kerr had the guns and they started shooting.  At some point in the fracas Sid hit Kerr with a board and held him.  Tom approached and shot Kerr.  Kerr lingered through the evening and died of his wounds around 10pm that night.  In addition C.W. Easley was injured during the shooting when a bullet went through his right hand which may have required the amputation of his thumb according to newspaper sources.

Tom fled immediately and avoided arrest.  I have not located if Tom was ever brought to justice in Texas.  I do know he went back to Tennessee.  In 1894 he married Mettie May Gardner and had a daughter, Annie A. Irvine.  He remained in Weakley County until his death October 20, 1918. His occupation, according to the death certificate, was "decorator."  He died from stab wounds that became infected and his death was ruled a homicide.  I'm sure there must be an interesting story there!  He's interred at Sunset Cemetery in Dresden.

Sid was arrested immediately.  Over the next four years he went through four trials.  The first trial found him guilty of second degree murder and he was sentenced to five years in the penitentiary.  He appealed.  The second trial found him guilty of manslaughter and he was sentenced to two years in the penitentiary.  He appealed.  The third trial ended in a hung jury.  The fourth trial the jury found him not guilty.  Sid remained in Bowie till his death in 1927.

If you are interested in more about the case of Sid and Tom Irvine be sure and read Irvine vs the State of Texas.

John Sidney "Sid" Irvine
b. Aug. 1862 - d. 1927

Cecile V. Scott and Sallie Farrar Scott, 1885 Dresden TN

We have quite a few pictures of people.  Some will never be identified, some have names and still are a mystery to us.  That was the case for the picture labeled Cecile and Farrar Scott.  We know the Scott family is related and have talked about it many times in this blog but we had no idea how Cecile and Farrar fit into the genealogy pool.  Till today.

Cecile, the older sister, is standing behind her younger sister Farrar.

Cecile and Farrar Scott were the daughters of Stephen P. Scott and Catherine (Kitty) Ruth Taylor. Cecile was born in August 2, 1871 in Weakley County Tennessee.  She was the oldest of three children.  Cecile married Robert D. Hart in 1888, Dresden TN.  They had a daughter, Cecile Scott Hart born abt 1889. Cecile V. Scott Hart died July 11, 1931 in Waverly TN.  She and her husband are buried Sunset Cemetery.

Farrar Scott was the middle child, born February 18, 1873.  She married Robert G. Stanley in Dresden on December 6, 1894.  They had two children, Carey Stanley and Granville David Stanley. At the time of the 1900 census they were living in Nashville.  The 1910 census has them living in Memphis.  Robert Stanley died sometime between the 1910 and 1920 census because Farrar is listed in the 1920 census as a widow. She died October 6, 1969.  She and her son Granville are buried at Sunset Cemetery in Dresden, TN.

Cecile and Farrar had a younger brother named Stephen P. Scott.  He was born in 1876.  He married a woman named Grace and together they had two sons, William and Jack Scott.  Stephen died in Galveston TX in 1934.

Cecile and Farrar's father, Stephen P. Scott, was the half-brother of Rufus Franklin Scott.  Rufus married Mary Helen Scott Moran and that is the connection between us and this branch of the Scott family.

George Washington Carver and the Sweet Potato

Cover of the Sweet Potato Festival Program, 1937

Search for George Washington Carver at Amazon!

In 1937 the first ever Sweet Potato Festival was held in Dresden, Tennessee and Charles H. Moran was the Chairman of the Festival.  

Charles Harrell Moran, Chairman
1937 Sweet Potato Festival

C. H. Moran had always been interested in agricultural experimentation and was very familiar with the work of George Washington Carver.  In his capacity as Chairman, he wrote to Carver to solicit his input into the Festival.  Better known for his work with the peanut and his How to Grow the Peanut and 105 Ways of Preparing it for Human Consumption Carver also experimented with sweet potatoes and published How the Farmer Can Save His Sweet Potatoes and Ways of Preparing them for the Table.   However by 1937 Mr. Carver had left the sweet potato behind and was devoting his time to the rehabilitation of infantile paralysis victims per his return letter to C. H. Moran.

Letter from George Washington Carver.

George Washington Carver

Weakley County Courthouse Burns, CA 1948

Four Units Unable to Save Courthouse--Fire fighters of Dresden, Martin, Greenfield and Gleason, Tenn., battled all Thursday morning without avail, as the Weakley County Courthouse burned. The fire started in or near the cupola atop the roof, burned downward.  Most of the county records were saved.  Photo by Nick Givens, Greenfield

Flames Devour Nine Decades as Weakley Courthouse Burns by Paul flowers, Staff Correspondent

DRESDEN, Tenn., Feb. 19--Fire of undetermined origin early Thursday destroyed the 90 year old courthouse here.

Breaking out soon after dawn, the flames raced downward from cupola to ground floor of the West Tennessee landmark leaving only four crumbling walls on the square where Weakley County official business has been transacted since 1858.

Most of the records were saved, County Judge Cayce Pentecost said.  Some were stored in fireproof vaults and others were carried out by volunteer residents.

By a twist of irony, electric wires leading to the town's fire siren, perched in the cupola atop the neo-classic structure, were believed to have been responsible for the fire, but there was nothing certain Thursday night as the last smoldering embers, having resisted streams of water all day, finally yielded to the misty rain which began falling in late afternoon.

Ancient Hall of History

This was the ancient hall of justice and place of records where Caruthers Ewing,
West Tennessean who achieved international renown as a lawyer, first started practice.  The building which went up in flames Thursday housed the court in 1891 in which Mr. Ewing, then 19, brought his first action in court, a suit against his own father.

Likewise, this was the courthouse about which the legend of the Yankee cavalryman came into being...how, in the late months of the Civil War, a Northern soldier rode his horse into the courthouse, up several flights of stairs to the cupola, and perched there as high as he could go, to sound taunts and defiance against Dresden and Weakley county and the whole Confederacy.

That was the story as passed on by L. P. Moore, former county trustee, as he stood with fellow townsmen in the shadow of the Confederate monument at one corner of the square.  On the stone steps, hewn from stone brought by yoked oxen from quarries along the Tennessee River almost a century ago, still were marks left by the horse's shoes, Mr. Moore said.  

In the second floor courtroom, Caruthers Ewing launched his campaign for attorney general, the time he was defeated by Bill Lewis of Paris.

Martin Man Built It

The Weakley County Courthouse had its beginning in 1858, although the county, first settled by white men in 1819, was organized in 1825.  A contractor from Martin, named Cowardin, erected the central section.  In 1919 the wings were added by L.E. Wingo.

Fire companies from Greenfield, Gleason and Martin were called in, but the fire had gone  beyond control before they could get into action, and the best they could do was prevent its spread.  Flying embers did ignite the roof of the negro Methodist Church, a block away, but damage was only slight there.

County Judge Pentecost said the building loss was partically (sic) covered by insurance, amounting to about $75,000.  Thanks to fireproof vaults, installed in 1913, most of the land records were saved, but at noon county officials were still thumbing through boxes of charred papers on the high sidewalks.

Emergency offices will be set up in buildings around the square as soon as possible.  C.P. Taylor, tax collector, said he would be ready to do business again by Monday morning.

Landmark--This is how the Weakley County Courthouse appeared since 1919, when the two wings were added.  the center section has stood since 1858.  Photo by R.L. Ervin, Dresden, Tenn.