STATE OF ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES ANO HISTORY Founded by Thomas M. Owen, LL.D.. 1901 MONTGOMERY 1iarch 2, 1928. A912 IN REPLY REFER T O FILE NO, Lamar My dear .ur. King:- We have been trying to get Dr. G.R. Lamar, 426 Finley Ave., this ~ity, over the phone in order to get the information that you are in need of. Dr. Lamar has spent a number of years in compiling his Lamar ancestry. A letter addressed to him at his residence I think will get an early reply. Sincerely yours, Director. Per LI.LI. Mr . F.R. King, Tuscumbia, Ala. ,,....c~ ---- I l l tn ·\ Nat e ~r ce r:r . vh ir'!un-L ught rs of the liCl r1c1n ~ovolution , u'ldioe ontl on. ·It h a bool'.i · in,...,. tl.ou t to 0 !or tllo d'lyo to t1 1.ruc tb ould h vo the pr il d i'1 th yo 2 t ' y . ::i al oat ti r o sooro nd t n- to orrow io ,,J irtbd ftor t hqt r 11 1 ot pl .l tollinr; y ore. · I t nt t Le t 11 l 1 t:h yo to y . ... 1o 10 Jn p..ittic-tn fir t 1 vit t ion L over an fe "ing th t I oaild not\ it oo 1 d e t c"" pt i t t t 0 tho old tr ils- orao th t pao od t r vOlbort Con ty , Al b1 i r thro th t oro 1 tll t e rly uy of tho t ort::i ea. Th y c to notic u fol~o ,s- ~ho t c Cu ~racc ---- - ------17 ~ ino • Trnco------ ----------1801 J ck o o • ilit r y Ro d-----1 l - 16 a fr o tho to :m bolicv d , riea; nd r.iftcr r ll.i d tho ri in"' tho riv r ore a t u re a nu: ro o p 0 lo mcl OCCUJ io fro G t ' Z to th irl eh. .. ey ro wor ip no eettlod the ln poet t Of r - er unlo rt.., • to t.:otto 0 0 r1 r t otto 1 c Trsce leaving Colberts ' Ferry was for quite a dist ~nce one and the same rosd. Prior to 1800 there vere no roads except Indian trails leading to that part of Mississippi territory. uur early ro 1ds followed these trails .is d id many of the early railro3ds. From Nashville , Tennessee to Natchez , M:s~issippi a distance of 550 mjles there was not a sinqle white settlement qnd only occasional lndiun 0 villages. At this time it vas not so much used by travelers going to that cou.ntry but was much ...tsed by the traders o:f Kentucky , •.rennessee and Alabama w1J.O had carried their boat 101ds of cotton and other products fro~ the upper Tenneosee v.aters over the rapids of Muscle Sho~ls down the Tennessee into the uhio river and fin1lly to r~ew Orleans; ~ho returned to their homes by Hat~hez over the Trace 'hich was only a bridal path t:.rough the c ne and woodv . ~11"" :L-omotcn-oss :fro"'l civiliz ~ tion R ~ the density of both cane and woods made the tr il an id "ll. l ace to rob and kill the ret .. rnlng bo!ltmen; who \,ere al 'lys supposed to have large a'!loun ta of mor ey fro tho s1le of their p.oods . This trail was msde ~amo1s for uch deeds by a man na~ed Tom son who lived near Croso Plains in Roberson county , Tenn. tto went from there to Natchez whore he or ~ani zed his band , \'Jh ich consistJd of himself lnd his t\'lO sons and eight other bad men. '!'her terrorized tho nom.:: coming travelers for years until the outrages got to be so frequent that Gov . Cl~yborne of Mississippi territory offered a large reward for his capture , dead or alive. So strong and defiant this band bee me that they would sometimes capture offic~rs wuo were after them. Finally tho ~ were so closely hunted that they moved West. This trail vns infested w.ith another band of robbors headed by two brothers fro Kentucky by the nnme of Harp . They were kuow as Big and Litile Harp~ one being a large and the other a S!Illll man. After murdering and robbing tr ~velars they v·o ld repair to "Nick-a-Jack cave" whore they would remain in hiding until they felt safe to come out and co;irnit other orlmes. Nick- a-Jack cave is that point \•hich determines the north east corner of the State of Alab~m~, an Indian site of great antiquity. The Indians tiere ahrude t raders and is aisposing of thoir lands in the e rl days they alw:'lys reserved the FERRIES. So .. e of th m yielded great fortunes to their ovners. It h~s been said that Colberts ' Forry on the Natchez Trace was vorth *20. 000 anually. John A. Murrell who ~as born in Williamson county, Tennessee about 1810 and h"ls h3d the \"Orse reputation for murdering and robbing of any m~n that ever operated on the Trace. I have gone to the tro;.zble of \,ri ting miny letters to that part of the stqte of 2ennessee in thich he lived at different times and my inveatig~tion of him has made me ch~n~e my mind as to his guilt of many charges that have been laid at his door. All admit tbat he stole orses and negro slaves and id an extenajve business. He was arrested many times charged with murder but the Co1rts always acq1ltted him upon this char~e . Mr. Park Marshall of Fran·lin, Tenn. an eminant la\'1Yur, writes me th~t Murrell belonged to a good fa-n ily of people ·:md h .s m'.lny rel'ltivoo where he was born and that thoy ~re univ.silt respectable people and that he had msde extenoive invostigutions regarding him(Murrell) and that he ' s convinced that mo t of the charges ware grossly exaggerated. He wrote the story of his life, a little paraphlct consistin.:.a o ai:>.. ty pages ,.; hich had a consi er lle circulation in both Alabarn nd Uiss., but aro now very r re. I no~ of but one copy ind it is in the hands of a second hand de l r nd the price is 10 .oo just 16-2/3 centc· a pnp:e . Thomas H. henton , born 1r N. ~ in 1782 tan oarly day aottled in ~ennessee , on J 1c~ :i~er at Gorden~ Ferry nd the Secret ry of C pt. John Gorden., the ke per of ttie Ferry. He re resented Tennessee in the lei 11tu.re and aerv upon Jacksons' sta·f. On th ad iasion of iseo ri s a ot t h a cbo it d ut L s Son tor in 1820, and erv for thirty years. His othor O\med a vory 1 rge plant tion on the natchez trace at or ne r Gordons ' Forry. He wrote mgny books, all rol~tjve to the orki gs of our Govern ent. lleri eth r Lo is, an Americ n soldier, and explorer born in Vir iniq in 1774 was sent dth Lr. Cl rk to m ke di coverio in the north ~eotern p rt of this coJ.lltry lso to discovor tho ource of th l.liaaouri riv r. Hi r ports r ult d in the purch se fro~ Fr nee the v t territory then cqlled Louieia • The ne~m co~ing by ship to Nuw York and c rried fro~ there to llr. Jefferoon in Philadolphia by a carri r pi on . the q ickost tr sport tion i that day. So ple a d ~1th th manner jn ict llr. Le is d !Ar . Cl rk perfor ad t is t k thgt • Jefferso re srded tho both. Le .la with the Governo ship of Louisiana lnd Cl rk s agont to th u. s. for Indi n affairo. ur. Lens died on h·s vre.y to\ asl ingt n troroling the N tchoz Trece in 1809. It is a deb toable question to this d y ~ether he ~ s vitim of robbor d am.rdor d or took io otm 11 e. Ee never married and 11 o love thrilling otory should re d tho otory of .Mr . ori etl... er Lolf is and his swcet1"eart , iss Thoodocia , the d htor of A ron burr . ~enn. n d the territor ore he di d for 1 , Len.is co ty nd er ct d subst ti 1 onu nt to hia memory by the tr ce ne r the spot. hero be diod . Loranza Do~ and Peg y , is ifo ere frequent tr velers of the Tr o. Since tho d ys of Goor o 'lhitfiold it has not f llen the lot of nother minister of the ospel to enjoy the r t celebrity e th t of the late Loranz Do • He and his 1 e er both e'ce din ly hand o~e 3I1Cl 1 t s told by rlr • .lJow th~t his co irtohip 1tL hor con la­ t don but one ord. \hat v.o~ld ~e oder men h ve iven fjfty yo rs go to x ow th~t ma~ic ordi It s t Col • s' Ferry th t .ur .