Williamson Countg Historical Societg
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Williamson Countg Historical Societg r Publication number 23 Spring 1992 Pyblished by Uliiliemson County Historical Society Franklin, Tennessee 1992 Williamson Countg Historical Societg Publication number 23 Spring 1992 Published by Ulilliomson County Historicol Society Franklin, Tennessee 1992 Wi l l iamson County Historical Society Publ ication Number 23 Spring 1992 Edi tor Richard Warwick Of f i cers Presi dent M i chae1 Bal l i et First Vice President Rebekah Clark Second Vice President Gerth Uthman Secretary Marjorie Hales Treasurer Herman Major / INTRODUCTION BY EDITOR Wil liamson County has grown in population and changed greatly since 1944. Fortunately, much of its rich history has been preserved by a few biblical "Ebenezers" of our past. Miss Susie Gentry heads the list as Franklin's premier historian and patriot. Through her efforts historical sites were preserved and markers placed to honor our past. So it is that the 1991-92 JOURNAL is dedicated to honor Miss Susie Gentry's good works. The articles presented in this issue had been kept for forty-seven years as Miss Susie left them in two cardboard boxes. After Miss Susie's death in 1944, Mr. Luther McCall , her friend and administrator, gave the material to Dr. Rosalie Carter for safekeeping. Dr. Carter, real izing the importance■of Miss Gentry's writings and the twilight of her own stewardship, offered them to me for publ ication in the Wil l iamson County Historical Society's JOURNAL. ^ I gladly accepted the two boxes and immediately commenced reading and selecting the articles appropriate for our publication. The articles are presented as written by Miss Susie. Please keep in mind that they were written more as speeches than as formal essays. I hope you enjoy her Nineteenth \ Century style and romanticism. May we al l be thankful for -V; \ those before us, who, l ike Miss Gentry, used their talents and energy to preserve the past and make us more mindful of the importance of history. Richard Warwick il' I f-. liiiiil 8* 0^ ■ % m iiiiisailte ■ . mm lii iiiiiiMiiiii mmm mm III M li '■■ K \ ■ SUSIE GENTRY 1860-1944 SiW ill m ill II ill 1 mm i*» 4 "^aw ■ mf MAPLEHURST WEST MAIN & ELEVEN AVE 11 i■( mm If '■ Dr. Rosalie Carter 1901-1991 The passing of Dr. Rosalie Carter last Christmas proved a sad day for all who knew her. She remained a loyal , supporting member of the Wi l liamson County Historical Society until the end. Without Dr. Carter''s safekeeping of the writings and papers of Miss Susie Gentry, this journal would not have been possible. Dr. Carter followed her mentor. Miss Gentry, in promoting patriotic causes and preserving history for the next generation. Williamson County has been enriched by her writings and poetry. Dr. Carter was survived by a sister, Corinne Carter Ward, and a host of friends. The many organizations to which she belonged will miss her enthusiasm and encouragement. i i i TABLE of CONTENTS 1. Whc's Who - In Wi l l iamson - Mrs. Jane Owen 1 2. Miss Susie Gentry's Obituary - Review Appeal 4 3. Wi l l of Miss Susie Gentry is Pub 1 ished-Review Appeal 5 4. Death Notice of Dr. Waston Meredith Gentry 7 5. Programme For The Benefit of The New Presbyterian Church 8 6. Stocketts 9 7. Wil l iamson County - Her Origin and Fame 13 8. Some Ancient and Interesting Papers 17 9. Venerable Men Living in Frankl in and Vicinity 19 10. The South - Before 'The War' 21 11. Watauga - Cumberland Association 28 12. Tennessee's Part in Making History 32 13. Founders of Tennessee and Traditions of Tenn. 47 14. Tennessee's Part in the Mexican War 53 15. Report of Susie Gentry, to Colonial Dames 59 16. History of The Presbyterian Aid Society, As I Recal l It 62 17. Old Newspapers - Their Historic Value 66 18. Report of The Committee of Historical Research of the Colonial Dames - May 1918 71 19. The Florence Crittenton Auxiliary of Franklin, TN 78 20. To The People of The City of Elmira, New York 81 21. Relating to Our Flag, and The History of "Flag Day" 83 22. Flag Day 1898 87 23. Flag Day 90 24. The Teacher in The Law Enforcement Campaign 91 25. Plans for Infusing a Knowledge of our State's History and a Feel ing of Patriotism in Grammar Grades 94 26. Mr. Summer A. Cummuningham As A Monument Bui lder 100 27. Mary Maury, Confederate Girl - A Short Story 101 28. Meredith P. Gentry 104 29. Index 115 Who's Who In Wil l iamson By Mrs. Jane Owen Review - Appeal March 7, 1940 Living out near the end of West Main Street in a two-story frame house whose front -is covered with a wisteria vine is one of Franklin's Widely known and best beloved citizens, Miss Susie Gentry, a very smal l person, and one the song writer must have had in mind when he composed "Little Old Lady." One day recently she sat in her cozy l iving room where the sun came in the south-east window and fel l across her shoulders as she rocked in her easy chair paring an apple as she talked, tel ling of the days passed and gone, of Frankl in's former citizens, industries and pleasures. She is noted for her easy flow of speech and power of description. As she talked the years seemed to rol l from her shoulders and she relived the days and incidences of which she told. "I was born in Shelbyvi l le, the county seat of Bedford, where our present governor. Prentice Cooper, was also born. Now, mind you, it was nowhere near the same year. I came here with my parents as a rosy cheeked girl of 9 years and my education was in the Tennessee Female Col lege under Dr. Hargrove and Mr. Vaughn and attended Peabody College; later I taught domestic science and art in the old Buford Col lege, Nashvil le, for a while. "My father. Dr. W. M. Gentry, was a nephew of Col. Meredith Poindexter Gentry, a distinguished Wi11iamson Countian who for 14 years was a United States congressman and during the short-lived Confederate Congress was a representative at its capital city, Montgomery, Ala. My father was division surgeon under Bragg, in the Civil War, and for the last eighteen months of the confl ict was chief surgeon of the nine hospitals in Montgomery. After the war he was practicing physician and ski l led surgeon in this county. He died in 1919 here at the only home we ever had in Frankl in at the age of 88. While he retired from general practice several years before his death due to ill health yet a great number of his former patients would come to him for medicine and treatment, refusing to take 'no' for an answer. He ushered into the world more than a thousands souls and saw many times that number pass to the Great Beyond. "He was as a young man an honor student in Bel levue Hospital , New York City, and went abroad to study tropical diseases in Edinburgh, London and Paris. He went over on the ship that fol lowed the one laying the first cable. "On many occasions father would remove ah arm or leg unaided by nurse or doctor in the patienfs home using the dining room table for the operation. "When we came here in January 1870 we bought this place from the late Hoi 1 is Horton. It was built by a man named Hobbs, grandfather of our late circuit judge, J. C. Hobbs. I have lived here so long that every crook and cranny seems a part of me and one of the pleasures of my l ife is to celebrate George Washington's birthday by flying the United States flag from my front porch. "I inherited my patirotic spirit from both parents. In 1897 I organized Old Glory Chapter, Daughters American Revolution, with fifteen charter members and I was its first regent. I also helped organize United Daughters of Confederacy and served as its first secretary. I am a member of the Thomas Hart Benton Chapter, Daughters of 1812. One of my trophies of which I am most proud is a gold medal I received at the World's Fair in 1904 held in St. Louis, Mo., on my gourd collection, the only one in the world. I also exhibited them at the Tennessee Exposition in 1897, held at Nashvil le. The collection consists of many species and odd shapes." Among Miss Susie's many accompl ishments was her abil ity to draw and paint from life. In many homes in Franklin are specimens of her handiwork, some she has kept and others she has given away. Being liberal hearted she has also parted with much of her antique furniture. In her room is a lovely bed, however, in which she has slept since childhood and it is enough to create in any heart the pangs of envy. On her mantel is a clock that ticks off the hours correctly and is a beautiful piece of handcarving. She has another one much larger and handsomer but too tal l for the l ittle lady to wi nd. When asked as to the changes she has noted in Franklin in her day she replied, "The people are about the same, some hustled, others loafed. Agriculture was the principal means of livelihood. Among the large landowners were the McGavock, Glass, and Ewing fami l ies.