Journeys Through Jackson 2012 Vol.22 No.03

Journeys Through Jackson is the official journal of the Jackson County Genealogical Society, Inc. The journal began as a monthly publication in July 1991, was published bimonthly from 1994 to 2003, and continues today as a quarterly publication. The journal issues in this digital collection are presented as annual compilations.y y J o u r n e y s T h r o u g h J a c k s o n as i@7J w T h e Official J o u r n a l of t h e J a c k s o n C o u n t y G e n e a l o g i c a l Society, Inc. C V o l . X X I I , No. S u m m e r 2 0 12 JACKSON COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, INC ^j 2012 Officers President Kenneth E. Nicholson Vice Presidents B.B. Cantrell, William L. Crawford Secretary Karen C Nicholson Treasurer E. Lawrence Morton Librarian Dorris D. Beck Office Manager Ruth C. Shuler WebMaster. Deanne G. Roles Computer Technician Jason N. Gregory Chair, Publications (Editor) Robert L. Crawford Journeys Through Jackson is the official publication of the Jackson County Genealogical Society. Members and non-members arc invited to submit genealogical materials for publication, with the understanding that the editor reserves the right to edit these materials for genealogical content, clarity, or taste. The Society assumes no responsibility for errors of fact that may be contained in submissions, and except where noted, the opinions expressed are not those of the editor or of the Jackson County Genealogical Society. The Society accepts no advertising for this publication except for notices from other non-profit groups. From the Editor Rosalind Rowlson Behrc.Sue Clement Bolick...Edith Jamison Cabe...Joy Cagle...Don Casada.. .Joyce Cooper.. .Shirley Denton Ensley.. .Sandra Fergus.. .Brad Gimmestad.. .Vicki Greene.. .Karen Grooman...Eucella P. Hamilton...Judy Harbour...Fern Parris Hensley...Tommy Jenkins...R.A. & JoAnn Luker.. .William A. McEntire Jr.. ..Michael J. McLain.. .Celia Hooper Miles.. .Frances Fisher Moore.. .Leslie A. Morgan...Kristi Nicholson...Charlie Norris...Donald Reece...Betty Raby Rowland...Lee & Tracy Terry...Tracy J. Whitaker...Shirley Ann Wilkey...Jim & Faye Wood...Leeunah Vance Woods. Why are these names so important? We know that each individual above is important to his or her family and friends; we also realize the intrinsic worth (thus importance) of every human being. Above and beyond all that, these persons listed above either chose to become members of this fine organization, or their membership was a result of extraordinary generosity which they shared with JCGS. The names above are FBRST-TIME MEMBERS. We acknowledge them proudly. Find a big old glass of iced tea so sweet that it's probably sinful, and sit down with the efforts of your fellow JCGS members. Enjoy the pictures submitted by Frankie Jean Shelton Stewart, Annette Moore Shelton, Nelma Jean Bryson, Jean Hooper Scott, and Billie Monteith Bryson. Our lead article by Don Casada and Wendy Meyers is extraordinary; Sanji Talley Watson's interview with Mrs. Chastain just gets better and better; peruse the maps shared by Jason Gregory and Richard Hotaling; Deanne Gibson Roles shares a Civil War document written by a man who coinciden tally shows up in Jean Scott's submission of her Grandmother Rachel's memoirs; Frances Fisher Moore shared wonderful materials on a Fisher family whom we have never spotlighted before; see the next installment of Betty Queen Monteith's work, which caused Bill Crawford to remark, "These people are kin to everybody in the world!"...and of course the usual official records, along with Dorris Dills Beck's faithful submission of our library acquisitions. Happy reading and happy hunting. J •Journeys Through Jackson Summer 2012 L , T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s Announcements a n d Expressions of Sympathy 97 JCGS Photo Album 98-102 Bumgarner Home Place Visit, P a r t 1 103 - 1 0 8 Interview With Mrs. J a n e Chastain, P a r t 2 109 - 1 1 2 Jason Gregory a n d R i c h a r d Hotaling Share Old Maps 113 - 1 1 6 1925 J a c k s o n County Death Certificates 117 - 1 1 9 A Civil W a r Reminiscence 120 Thomas G. F i s h e r Family 121 - 1 2 6 The Story of My Life...Rachel Mazelle Green Hensley 127 - 1 3 0 Descendants of Thomas F r a n k l i n 131 - 1 3 4 1880 Jackson County Census 135 - 1 3 8 One T h i n g a n d Another 139 - 1 4 1 JCGS L i b r a r y Acquisitions 142 Index 143-144 I n M e m o r y T. W a l t e r M i d d l e t on We dedicate this issue to the memory of JCGS member Walter Middleton. Walter hardly needed any more words said about him, because when one is a bona fide war hero and a published author many times over, the- accolades have always been present. What some persons might have forgotten was that Walter was also a minister. One day we were talking with him about the future, and he remarked, "I took care of that a long time ago." That one simple statement speaks volumes about this man, who was minister, historian, and friend. Our lives were better because of him. Interesting note from JCGS member Thomas Gross in Maryland. He says that our picture at the bottom of Page 52 in the Spring issue is a familiar sight to him because he grew up in southern California. It was taken on Catalina Island, a place he had visited many times. Next question for those who like music trivia: Who sang "26 Miles" and when? We say The Four Preps in 1956. The connection should be obvious to those who remember popular music before its metamorphosis in 1963. Although we were able to do so personally, we again offer our sympathy to JCGS member Betty Cope Andrews in the recent loss of her mother. 97 Journeys Through Jackson Summer 2012 J C G S P h o t o A l b u m U We might as well start off our Photo Album section this time with a classic. Above, the Cullowhee Normal and Industrial School Class of 1912. Some of the persons in the picture are Burder Long, Commodore Tilley, and Robert Shelton. Picture submitted cooperatively by JCGS members Annette Moore Shelton and Frankie Jean Shelton Stewart. Below, in the same collection, a World War I picture of Felix Shelton, one of the sons of William M. Shelton and his wife Belle Rogers. He served in the 30th Division. yj yj 98 Journeys Through Jackson Summer 2012 J C G S P h o t o A l b u m L , Also submitted by Annette and F r a n k i e Jean, t h e photograph above shows S.P.C. Shelton a n d his second wife R u a h Wike. We consulted Monte W i k e ' s massive book about the Wikes to learn that this couple m a r r i e d in 1868 (Shelton lost his first wife 7 J u n 1868), had six children, and moved to Brown County, Texas. S.P.C. (Samuel Pierson Carson) Shelton (13 Apr 1833 - 1917) m. (2) R u a h Wike (15 Nov 1837 - 1906), daughter of Andrew Wike and M a r i a h Fullbright. Both are buried in Zephyr Cemetery, Brown County Texas. The couple above h a d six children: Robert Nixon Shelton (20 J u l 1869 J a c k s o n Co. - 1 1 Sep 1946 Brown Co. TX) F r a n k Andrew Shelton (16 J a n 1871 J a c k s o n Co. d. prob. TX) Wolford R. "Wood" Shelton (7 F e b 1872 Jackson Co. - 22 Oct 1949 Brown Co. TX) H a t t i e Shelton (16 J a n 1874 Jackson Co. - Feb 1974 Brown Co. TX) Minnie Shelton (4 M a r 1876 Jackson Co. - 1 5 Dec 1886 Brown Co. TX) Miranda Shelton (Jul 1880 Jackson Co.) We can deduce from the above dates of t h e children t h a t t h e family moved to Texas in t h e 1880's. Source: Wike, Monte and Noma, The Wike Family, Descendants of Jacob M. Weik of North Carolina', Lubbock, TX, 2002: pp. 242 - 244. y 99 Journeys Through Jackson Summer 2012 J C G S P h o t o A l b u m yj Above are three siblings in the Battle family from the Qualla - Shoal Creek area. These are Dave Battle, Sallie Battle Raby, and James Battle. From the JCGS book Cemeteries of Jackson County, David K. Battle (2 May 1874 - 20 Jan 1952), Sarah J . Raby (1879 - 1965), and James E. Battle (3 Oct 1876 - 21 Apr 1967); all are buried at Thomas Memorial Cemetery. Picture submitted by JCGS member Nelma Bryson. Below, George Hensley and Edward Hensley, sons of Robert and Edith Gunter Hensley. Picture submitted by Jean Hooper Scott, with identifications by F r a n k Brooks. Jean's mother Gypsy Hensley Hooper was a first cousin of these men, both of whom we believe are still living. v_> y y 100 Journeys Through Jackson Summer 2012 J C G S P h o t o A l b u m i y ^ Above, another example of the negatives donated to us and centering around the Wood family of Canada's Grays Ridge community. This dude could be a Wood, or an acquaintance of a Wood, or maybe there is another explanation. Some of us believe that this picture is staged! We know next to nothing about the American West. What is evident is that this picture was not taken in Jackson County. Colorado? Utah? Bill Crawford says that the man has been leading the black horse and that the black horse was not exactly willing to be led. 101 Journeys Through Jackson Summer 2012 J C G S P h o t o A l b u m y j §BP:*A"B- • ^>> The pictures above are shared with us by JCGS member Billie Monteith Bryson. At the top left, Candas Mariah Stillwell, wife of David Reed Ashe, shown on the right. They are buried at Davis Cemetery at Almond. They are Billie's grandparents. In the bottom photograph, Amos and Nancy Stiles Ashe, parents of David Reed Ashe. V_> 102 Journeys Through Jackson Summer 2012 y< A V i s i t t o t h e F o r m e r H o m e p l a c e of E p h r a i m a n d N a n c y B l a n t o n B u m g a r n e r , P a r t 1 Don Casada and Wendy Meyers [Ed. We requested this article from JCGS member Don Canada because we believe that this'is vitally important We will use Don's and Wendy's own words in this first of two articles.] An Overview of Our Project Anyone venturing out for a stroll on many of the trails of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park knowingly or unknowingly ventures through areas in which people lived, loved, raised families, and buried their dead. As two avid hikers who are also great lovers of antiquity, we have engaged in an exhaustive project to preserve the rapidly fading history of the individuals and families that populated many of the sections of Swain County which now lie inside the boundaries of the national park. To create as complete and well-rounded a portrait of life in this time as possible, we rely on a number of sources such as topographic and land acquisition maps, deeds, census and vital records, school records, old newspapers, photographs and written and oral -histories. However, the most objective method we employ is to hike to and document these settlers' home sites. We observe and make note of all evidence of the human presence such as chimneys, foundation remains, detritus, non-native vegetation, excavations and anything else notable about .the site. Coupled with what we are able to locate in other sources, we are often able to-"paint a picture," no matter how small, of the family unit and their home environment. We have written this article to share an example of this fascinating work, especially as it relates to an extended family long in evidence in Jackson County: the Bumgarners. In this article, Don Casada provides the "feet on the 'ground" narrative from the home site search, and Wendy Meyers provides the historical background and biographical sketches. Background for the Day's Hike One of the small feeder streams to Deep Creek, located approximately 2.5 miles from the present gate near the Deep Creek campground, is named Bumgarner Branch. It is so named in honor of the first known white family to settle on the branch, Ephraim and Nancy Bumgarner. Ephraim was born ca. 1817 in what was then Haywood County, a member of a large family of Bumgarners living in the area.1'3 He married Nancy Blanton 2 Mar 1850, and they went on to have five children; brief biographical sketches are included at the end of this article.4 Sometime after 1860, Ephraim and Nancy moved their family to this branch, faraway from their extended families, and established a new life for themselves.2 On March 6, 2012,1 (Don) set out on a beautiful late winter morning'With the intent of making my way to their home place, with a secondary goal'of locating and following, as best I could, the old Pullback trail which went from Bumgarner Branch over the ridge and down to the famous Bryson place, then to return by the Deep Creek trail. One might conclude, from an examination of a 1931 topographic map5, that reaching the old home place of Ephraim and Nancy Bumgarner would be a relatively easy trek of around three and a half miles; that assumption is actually far from correct. Come walk (and crawl) along with me to see the beautiful territory and broad range of society that existed on pre-1930 Deep Creek. •The Deep Creek Trail - from Junevwhank parking area to Hammer Branch For reference purposes, a section of the Ref. 1 map is shown as Figure 1. Our starting point is the parking area at the mouth of Juneywhank Branch. Distances listed in parentheses in Figure 1 and noted below are referenced to that beginning. 103 Journeys Through Jackson Summer 2012 When I was a boy, a man with Bryson family roots in Jackson County, Ranger Bill Rolen and his family (wife Lola, sons Ron and Billy) lived in the former Morris home located at the mouth of \J Juneywhank Branch (Fig. 2). The place where Bill stands in the photo is now the paved parking area from which the day began. At just over one- quarter mile, one of the most easily accessible but also loveliest waterfalls in the Park (Fig. 3), adorns the opposite side of the creek, with water cascading down Toms Branch in a graceful stair step fashion. One-half mile from the start, the first of three bridges on Deep Creek spans the stream just below a popular pair of swimming holes. Beyond the bridge, a mild ascent begins. Another tenth of a mile further along, shortly after completing the climb out, an attentive eye may note an old wagon road above the trail on the right. The wagon road led around the side of the hill to Indian Creek. In the same area, a dam owned by the town of Bryson City once pooled the waters of Deep Creek and used the accumulated hydraulic energy to power a turbine-generator which provided power for the town. The waters impounded by the dam backed up to a short ways above the mouth of Indian Creek, which the Deep Creek Trail crosses at 0.8 miles. Indian Creek was significantly more populated than was Deep Creek above their junction, in spite of the fact that its drainage area is but one-fourth that of upper Deep Creek. Families with the surnames Blanton, Cathey, Harrzog, Kitchens, Laney, Queen, Randall, Read, Shuler, Stiles and Wiggins lived on Indian Creek. Joining them were Bumgarner descendants of Nancy and Ephraim, some of whom lived one-quarter mile up Georges Branch, a feeder that runs into Indian Creek about three miles from the confluence with Deep Creek.2*6-' Just around the bend, a second bridge over Deep Creek is crossed at 0.9 miles. Hammer Branch, which joins Deep Creek just below the bridge, was once home to the Moses Wiggins family (which lived about three-fourths of a mile up the branch).10 The area also provided a retreat location for a i J northern couple of considerable wealth and prestige, Marion and Ethelberta Pyne Russell Eppley. Mrs. Eppley was descended from a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a general who served under George Washington. Marion Eppley was a PhD chemist (Princeton, 1919) who had a stellar military and business career, and left private foundations and charitable organizations that continue to provide support for scientific research today2. Their 1930 home at Beacon Rock in Newport, Rhode Island, included four live-in servants3. Both are buried in Arlington National Cemetery.11 The Eppleys formed what must have been an exceptionally intriguing relationship with a mountain character named Sam Hunnicutt, whose family, by oral tradition, lived at the mouth of Hammer Branch. Census records confirm that the family lived in this area in 1910 and 1920, but we have not established their exact residence.7'8 Hunnicutt wrote the book Twenty Years Hunting and Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains, a series of tales about individual hunting and fishing outings. It was initially released in 1926 and republished in 1951, but had been out of print and in short supply for decades until his granddaughter, Virginia Hunnicutt Zakroski, released an edited version in 2011. The style may be a bit rough around the edges, but it affords an excellent sense of the times, people, and the wealth of knowledge and ability required to get around in these mountains. Continuing on the Deep Creek Trail - Hammer Branch to Bumgarner Branch Turning to the north and leaving the mouth of Hammer Branch, the trail takes a northeasterly course, paralleling that of the stream. In the next half mile, there were two homes above the road to the west, on property owned by Edd Cline and Will Jenkins.10'12 At about 13 miles, one reaches the lower end of an area that has long been known as "The Jenkins Fields." This was once a half-mile long stretch of bottomland fields, owned and cultivated by the Jenkins family. Today, the fields where tall stalks of corn and the vines of watermelons and pumpkins once held sway have been replaced by a recovering forest. "" 104 Journeys Through Jackson Summer 2012 Vui«-i4.i *.'•• Pulfeaclc^ i l ' ' /^ Trail' Ephrsum, Martcy •. fiumgarrtB'r place- TofhsBranch'- * • Falls' (o:i3) . ; . ^ Figure 1. Topographic map section and a few points of interest The numbers in parentheses are distances from the trailhead at the Deep Creek parking area. 105 Journeys Through Jackson Summer 2012 Figure 2. Bill Rolen standing in what is now the parking area at the mouth of Juneywhank Branch. The ranger home in which he, bis wife Lola Caldwell Rolen, and sons Ron and Bill, Jr. lived was owned by the Morris family before being taken by the Park. Photo courtesy of William T. Rolen, Jr. \ J ~* T"i I "•""TiTK <V3l • ^ V Figure 3. Toms Branch Falls. Toms Branch is reportedly named for Thomas Wiggins, who once ran a mill along Deep Creek a short ways below tbe falls. y y 106 Journeys Through Jackson Summer 2012 At 1.8 miles, the final bridge over Deep Creek is reached. On the left, just before crossing the bridge, a path leads steeply up the ridge to a cemetery with a handful of graves marked by simple field stones without names inscribed. The orientation is northeast to southwest, which is consistent with the long-held understanding that this was an Indian cemetery. Although there was a bridge at the time the land was taken for the Park, there is visual evidence suggesting that the area just below the bridge had been used as a ford in earlier days. Across the bridge and just beyond the Deep Creek Loop Trail connector sat the Jenkins home (Figs. 4,5). Park Service photographs ascribe the home to Will Jenkins, although the land the upon which the home sat belonged to his father, George Washington Jenkins, whose property spanned both sides of Deep Creek from the lower end of Jenkins Fields to above the bridge. Will owned property immediately down the creek from his father, and this property also spanned both sides of Deep Creek.10'12 The modern day trail/road continues on the east bank of Deep Creek, first wandering from the creek before swinging back to its banks. An older road climbed the side of the ridge behind the Jenkins place, leaving the more level ground north of the home available for cultivation. Throughout the Smokies, evidence of older roads that hewed more to the hills than the flat sections give evidence of settlers intent on making the best use of available ground. At 2.2 miles into our walk, we reach a place known as the Turnaround (Fig. 6). It is aptly named, being a wide circular loop that if followed, turns one around and routes him back down the creek. At the upper end of the Turnaround, the wide road diminishes to a backcountry trail - albeit one that was used for wagon travel in days past - and begins an ascent as it continues on upstream. Shortly above the Turnaround, the old wagon road that went behind the Jenkins place reconnects. After a short climb, the trail levels and in wintertime, offers fleeting glimpses of Beaugard Ridge and Coburn Knob. After traveling a short distance further, we reach Bumgarner Branch at 2.6 miles. Nearby below the trail is the Bumgarner Branch campsite, by far the most easily reached backcountry campsite in the Deep Creek area. Figure 4. Jenkins home, viewed from the northwest (from approximately the current-day Deep Creek Trail, perhaps fifty yards past the bridge). Photo 10331, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Sugarla'nds archives. C 107 Journeys Through Jackson Summer 2012 yj Figure 5. Jenkins home, viewed from the east (from approximately the current-day Deep Creek Loop Trail). Note that the chimney on this end of the house has been partially dismantled. A stove pipe penetrates the wall. It is likely that the kitchen was on this end of the house. Photo 10332, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Sugarlands archives. yJ Figure 6. Deep Creek Turnaround in 1936. Photo 11819, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Sugarlands archives. V_> 108 Journeys Through Jackson Summer 2012 L - C I n t e r v i e w w i t h M r s . J a n e C h a s t a i n . . . P a r t 2 [Ed. We continue in this issue with the work of JCGS member Sanji Talley Watson.] We lived with Don's father, James Robert Chastain in the house Don's mother Sarah, was one of Absalom's daughters. She had died by the time I moved in. He (Absalom Woodring) had built the house out of hemlock logs, the bottom where there is fields now was full of big hemlocks. He built this house after an earthquake came and tore up his first house, it tore the chimney down. He was gone about a month looking for a sawmill, and he came back with one. He made th