Those Places Thursday: Vaughn's Gap, Davidson County, Tennessee

Vaughn's Gap is located in southwestern Davidson County, Tennessee, near the Williamson County border. Edwin Warner Park is located in this area.

Excerpt from Foster, Wilbur F. Map of Davidson County Tennessee, from actual surveys made by order of the county court of Davidson County, 1871. New York : G.W. & C.B. Colton & Col., 1871. Available from Library of Congress.

James Sawyer (or Sawyers), who I believe to be my 4th-great-grandfather, purchased land at Vaughn's Gap on 9 November 1871.

Nashville Union and American, 10 November 1871, page 4

My 2nd-great-grandfather James William Tarkington lived with James Sawyer and his wife Louisa (McDowell) Sawyer. After James William Tarkington married my 2nd-great-grandmother Anna Malvina Binkley, the couple lived with the Sawyers in Vaughn's Gap in the 14th District of Davidson County. They later lived in Vaughn's Gap the 11th District of Davidson County with their children, including my great-grandmother Anna Gertrude Tarkington. Anna Malvina Binkley's brother James Rutherford Binkley and his wife Clementine Virginia "Jennie" (Leech) Binkley, and their children also lived in Vaughn's Gap. James and Jennie both served as postmasters. Jennie was also the ticket agent for the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway. The Binkley residence was in the same building as the post office and ticket office.

Members of my family are buried in the J. R. Binkley Cemetery, Vaughn's Gap.

I am working on a one-place study of Vaughn's Gap. It is a sub-project of the Davidson County, Tennessee One-Place-Study.

Sunday's Obituary: Alice P. (Taylor) Sawyer

Nashville Tennessean, 29 October 1923, page 10

SAWYER––Saturday evening, Oct. 27, 1923, at 8'30 o-clock, at the family residence, four miles from Franklin, on the Nashville pike, Mrs. Alice P., wife of John H. Sawyer, age 62 years. She is survived by her husband and the following children: Daughters, Misses Janie, Etta and Alice Sawyer; sons, Leslie, John Jr., and James H. Sawyer; two brothers, W. D. and A. D. Taylor; two sisters, Mrs. H. C. Whitehurst and Miss Mary Taylor. Funeral from the residence this (Monday) afternoon at one o'clock, services conducted by Rev. W. S. Marshall. The following friends will serve as pallbearers: J. D. Cook, R. P. Cook, W. B. Taylor, Jr., Ben Taylor, W. H. Murrey and D. L. Hawkins. Interment at Mt Hope cemetery, Franklin, Tenn. Crafton-Sweeney Co., funeral directors, 211 Eighth avenue, north.

Alice P. Taylor was born on 29 July 1861 or 1862 in Tennessee. She was the daughter of William Taylor and Sarah J. Little. She married my second cousin four times removed John Harvey Sawyer on 6 March 1889. Their children were William Leslie Sawyer, John Allen Sawyer, Jane Sawyer, James Henry Sawyer, Etta Sawyer, and Alice Sawyer.

Treasure Chest Thursday: My Father's Baby Book

My grandmother Helen Martha Marie (Anderson) Gatlin recorded information about the first seven years of my father's life in a baby book. The book is full of treasures. I learned who attended my father's birthday parties and what gifts he received. My grandmother recorded my father's first reaction to his new baby sister. She wrote that at age 18 months, my father could carry the tune of a Swedish hymn, Tryggare kan ingen vara. She wrote about the trips that he took.

The baby book also includes a family tree. There are some mistakes, but the family tree provided an important clue about the identity of my 3rd-great-grandmother's father. Her name was Amanda Russell, but she was listed as Amanda Sawyer. This record helps me to make the case that James Sawyer was her father.

Tombstone Tuesday: John Harvey Sawyer

Photo by Linda Moore Mora - Find A Grave Contributor

John Harvey Sawyer was born on 10 January 1866 in Williamson County, Tennessee. He was the son of Lemuel Sawyer and Charlotte Carrington. He married Alice Taylor on 6 March 1889. They had six children: William Leslie Sawyer (born 14 February 1890), John Allen Sawyer (born 20 January 1892), Jane Sawyer (born March 1894), James Henry Sawyer (born 15 February 1896), Etta Sawyer (born about 1904), and Alice Sawyer (born about 1908).

John worked as a farmer. He was the sheriff of Williamson County in 1920, and possibly longer (either before or after 1920).

John's wife Alice died on 27 October 1923. On 1 June 1942, John married Emma Beech. John died on 6 July 1943 in Franklin, Williamson County, Tennessee. He was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Franklin.

John was my second cousin 4 times removed. Charlotte Carrington's mother was Malvira Russell, the sister of my 4th-great-grandmother Sobrina Russell. Charlotte's sister Sophronia Carrington married Lemuel Sawyer's brother William D. Sawyer on 1 January 1852. Lemuel and Charlotte married on 26 December 1854. Malvira (Russell) Carrington, the widow of William or Wiley Carrington, married Lemuel and William D.'s father, William Sawyer, on 30 November 1859. I suspect that William was the brother of James Sawyer, who I believe was the father of my 3rd-great-grandmother Amanda Russell. So John may be my double second cousin 4 times removed.

Thriller Thursday: Edward Scruggs Shoots William Tillett

Republican Banner, 12 October 1869, page 3

The Tennessee Agricultural and Mechanical Association held a fair in Nashville on 18-23 October 1869. On the last day, there was a shooting in the amphitheater.

Republican Banner, 24 October 1869, page 1

Although the Republican Banner reported that Tillett shot Scruggs, Edward Scruggs actually shot William Tillett. The wound was apparently serious enough to get Scruggs charged with attempted murder. Scruggs' trial began on 3 December 1869.

Nashville Union and American, 4 December 1869, page 1

My 3rd-great-grandfather Joseph Tarkington testified at the trial. He was listed in the newspaper as Joseph Sarkinton, but I cannot find any other evidence of the existence of a Joseph Sarkinton. William Tillett knew Joseph Tarkington for almost his entire life, and I think they were related (William Tillett was the great-grandson of William Tarkington). Even if Joseph Tarkington's testimony was similar to that of William Tillett and Sawyers (presumably Willis), I still wish more details about it had been published in the newspaper.

Edward Scruggs was convicted and sentenced to three years in the penitentiary, but a motion to continue was made.

Republican Banner, 20 February 1870, page 4

On 30 March 1870, the motion for a new trial was argued.

 Nashville Union and American, 30 March 1870, page 4

On 6 May 1870, as Edward Scruggs was riding home, someone shot at him. Although he was wounded near his knee, it was just a flesh wound.

Republican Banner, 8 May 1870, page 4

I wonder if this shooting was related to William Tillett's shooting. Perhaps someone wanted revenge.

In September 1870, the prosecutor dismissed the charges against Edward Scruggs.

Republican Banner, 8 September 1870, page 4

52 Ancestors: Week 51 "Nice": James William Tarkington

My 2nd-great-grandfather James William Tarkington was born on 28 May 1850 in Tennessee, probably in Davidson County. He was the son of  Joseph Tarkington and Amanda Russell.
 

From family group sheet compiled by P. C. Lampley, 12 December 1983.

Joseph, Amanda and James Tarkington lived in Davidson County, Tennessee in 1850, near Amanda's family.

1850 United States census, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, roll M432_875, page 279B, image 564. Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

By 1860, the Tarkington family was living in Williamson County, Tennessee. They probably moved there in 1858 after Amanda's uncle James Russell purchased land in Williamson County as trustee for her mother Sobrina Russell.

1860 United States census, District 1, Williamson County, Tennessee, population schedule, page 98. Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

By 1870, James was no longer living in his parents' household. He had moved in with James and Louisa Sawyer, who were living in Davidson County, Tennessee.

1870 United States census, District 11, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, page 21. Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

In 1877, James and his brother George worked as guards at the penitentiary.

Directory of Nashville, Edgefield, and Adjacent Towns in Tennessee, for 1877. Compiled by T. M. Haddock. Nashville: Tavel, Eastman & Howell. Page 348. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

In 1880, James was still living with James and Louisa Sawyer, but this census revealed something new: his relationship to the head of the household was "Gr. son." Since James and Louisa had married in 1845, James Tarkington could not be the son of a child that they had together. When I first came across this record, my first thought was of the family tree in my father's baby book, which stated that James William Tarkington's mother was Amanda Sawyer. Although Louisa (McDowell) Sawyer's previous husband was Asbury Tarkington, they married in 1832, and Joseph Tarkington was born in 1830. Since Joseph Tarkington married Amanda Russell in 1849, I think that the birth year of 1830 is likely to be correct. For further analysis, see my posts on Amanda Russell and Joseph Tarkington.

1880 United States census, Fourteenth District, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, page 5. Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.

James married Anna Malvina Binkley (listed as Louvina D. Binkley on their marriage license; I have found so many variant forms of her name!) on 30 November 1880. They were married by Samuel W. Bransford, Minister of the Gospel.

Davidson County, Tennessee marriage license, James W. Tarkington and Louvina D. Binkley. 30 November 1880. Nashville, Tennessee: Metropolitan Government Archives.

Davidson County, Tennessee marriage license, James W. Tarkington and Louvina D. Binkley. 30 November 1880. Nashville, Tennessee: Metropolitan Government Archives.

James and Anna had five children: Laura Belle Tarkington (born 27 August 1881), Mary Magdalene or Margaret Tarkington (born 15 February 1884), Viola Maydell Tarkington (born 15 September 1886), my great-grandmother Anna Gertrude Tarkington (born 16 April 1889), and Robert Vaughn Tarkington (born 15 December 1892).

In 1885, Louisa Sawyer wrote her will. She left her estate to her husband James Sawyer, and specified that after his death, it was to go to her grandson James W. Tarkington. None of Joseph and Amanda Tarkington's other children were mentioned in the will. If James W. Tarkington was her biological grandchild, his siblings would be too. It seems far more likely that she would leave her property to a step-grandson that had lived with her for at least ten years and who she probably had come to think of as a grandson, than that she would disinherit her son and all but one of her grandchildren.

Will of Louisa Sawyer, 28 January 1885.

James William Tarkington died at his parents' home in Nashville on 12 June 1894. The cause of death was emphysema. He was buried at the J. R. Binkley Cemetery in Vaughn's Gap.

Davidson County, Tennessee death registers, June 1894. No. 653, James Tarkington. (Side 1). Ancestry.com. Tennessee, City Death Records, 1872-1923 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.Original data: Tennessee City Death Records, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Memphis, 1848-1907. Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Davidson County, Tennessee death registers, June 1894. No. 653, James Tarkington. (side 2). Ancestry.com. Tennessee, City Death Records, 1872-1923 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.Original data: Tennessee City Death Records, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Memphis, 1848-1907. Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee State Library and Archives. 

Daily American, 13 June 1894, page 5

Nashville Banner, 13 June 1894

It was nice of James William Tarkington to live with his grandparents (biological and step) for so many years. He was probably very helpful to them. His step-grandmother seems to have loved him as her own grandson. And the documentary evidence of this living arrangement provided me with important clues that helped me to identify his mother's father. That was very nice too!

52 Ancestors: Week 8 "Good Deeds": Sobrina Russell

In more ways than one, "good deeds" enabled me to find my 4th-great-grandmother Sobrina Russell. Two deeds (one from 1858 and one from 1888) led to her identification. And I have those deeds because Sarah Peery Armistead, one of the authors (along with her sisters Ova Lee Peery Sawyer and Lorraine Peery Russell) of the book Tarkingtons of Tennessee: Genealogy of John G. Tarkington, sent them to me.

On 23 May 1888, my 3rd-great-grandparents Joseph and Amanda (Russell) Tarkington sold land in Williamson County, Tennessee. to Wilks P. Hayes. Amanda had inherited the land as the only child of Sobrina Russell. On 26 January 1858, James Russell, as trustee for his sister Sobrina Russell, purchased this land from Thomas M. Clardy.

Through these deeds, I learned the name of Amanda's mother, and I learned that her mother's maiden name was also Russell. Since then, I have learned more about her mother's life and her ancestry.

Sobrina Russell was born about 1810 in Kentucky, probably in Somerset, Pulaski County (her family resided there in 1810). She was the daughter of Andrew Russell and Hannah Hardgrave. By 1820, Sobrina's mother Hannah was head of household, and the family was living in Davidson County, Tennessee. On 20 February 1830, Sobrina gave birth to her only child, her daughter Amanda. Since Amanda had her father's surname, she was probably illegitimate. I believe that Amanda's father was a man named James Sawyer. Amanda was listed as Amanda Sawyer in the family tree in my father's baby book. Amanda's oldest son James William Tarkington (my 2nd-great-grandfather) was listed as a grandson in the household of James and Louisa Sawyer in 1880. (For more in-depth analysis, see my posts on Amanda Russell and Joseph Tarkington.)

In 1840, based on the composition of Hannah Russell's household, I believe that Sobrina and Amanda were living with Hannah, and that Sobrina's widowed sister Malvira (Russell) Carrington and her children were living with her as well. In 1850, Sobrina lived with her mother Hannah. Her recently married daughter Amanda lived nearby with her husband and baby son. Her sister Malvira (listed as Elvira) and her children lived nearby as well, and so did her brother James and his wife and children.

Sobrina's mother Hannah died about 1853. Sobrina purchased the following items from her mother's estate: an oven, two skillets, a bed and furniture, a wooden bowl, three table cloths, a counterpaine, and a quilt.

In 1860, Sobrina lived in Williamson County, Tennessee, on the land that her brother James had purchased for her. Amanda and Joseph Tarkington and their children lived with her. In the 1870 United States, the households appear to have been misnumbered on page 9 of the 7th Civil District, Williamson County, Tennessee. Sobrina is listed in the household next to Amanda and Joseph and their children, but I believe they were actually in the same household. Looking at the entire census page, all the households appear to be off by one line. I could not find Sobrina in the 1880 United States Census. She probably died between 1870 and 1880.

The "good deeds"

Williamson County, Tennessee Deeds,  roll 147, page 124. Thomas M. Clardy to James Russell as trustee for Sobrina Russell, 26 January 1858.

Williamson County, Tennessee Deeds,  roll 147, page 125. Thomas M. Clardy to James Russell as trustee for Sobrina Russell, 26 January 1858.

Williamson County, Tennessee Deeds, vol. 13, roll 157, page 109. Joseph and Amanda Tarkington to Wilks P. Hayes, 23 May 1888.

Williamson County, Tennessee Deeds, vol. 13, roll 157, page 110. Joseph and Amanda Tarkington to Wilks P. Hayes, 23 May 1888.

52 Ancestors: #15 Amanda Russell

My 3rd-great-grandmother Amanda Russell was born in Davidson County, Tennessee on 20 February 1830. She was the daughter of Sobrina Russell. She married Joseph Tarkington on 12 June 1849, at her family's home. The first of the couple's twelve children, my great-great-grandfather James William Tarkington, was born on 28 May 1850. At first they lived in Davidson County near Amanda's family, but then moved to Williamson County, probably after her mother's brother James Russell purchased land as trustee for his sister (and Amanda's mother) Sobrina Russell on 26 January 1858. Amanda inherited this land, and she and her husband Joseph sold the land on 23 May 1888. By this time, they had moved to Nashville. Joseph died in 1903, and on 18 September 1908, Amanda filed for a Confederate widow's pension. She was living with her youngest child, her daughter Louise Amanda (Tarkington) Whitman. Her claim was approved. She died on 27 January 1912 in Nashville, Tennessee and was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville, in Sec. 13 Lot 75. Her grave is unmarked.

Amanda's death certificate states that her parents were James Russell and Bryny Hargrave. However, that is not correct. When Joseph and Amanda sold their land in 1888, the deed stated that Amanda had inherited the land as the only child of Sobrina Russell. When that same land was purchased in 1858, James Russell purchased it as trustee for his sister Sobrina Russell. This James Russell was born about 1817, so he was too young to have been Amanda's father. I have never found a marriage record for Sobrina. Amanda, James, Sobrina, and Hannah (Hardgrave) Russell (the mother of James and Sobrina) lived near each other in 1850, and probably in 1840 as well. "Bryny" sounds like a nickname for Sobrina, and the surname given for her on Amanda's death certificate was a variant spelling of Sobrina's mother's maiden name. These sources suggest that Amanda was the illegitimate daughter of Sobrina Russell. But who was Amanda's father?

I believe that an examination of other sources reveals the identity of Amanda's father. Amanda's oldest son, my great-great-grandfather James William Tarkington, lived with James and Louisa Sawyer in 1870 and 1880. In 1880, he was listed as a grandson of the head of household. James and Louisa married on 14 December 1845, so James Tarkington could not have been the son of a child they had together. It has been suggested that Louisa (McDowell) and her first husband Asbury Tarkington were Joseph Tarkington's parents and that that is how James Tarkington was their grandson. However, Asbury and Louisa married on 5 January 1832. Since Joseph and Amanda married in 1849, I think Joseph's birth year of 1830 is correct. When Louisa Sawyer wrote her will on 28 January 1885, she left her entire estate to her husband James Sawyer, and stated that after his death, her real and personal estate would go to her grandson James W. Tarkington and his heirs. At first glance the will makes it seem as if James W. Tarkington were her biological grandson, but after a closer examination, I think the document actually suggests otherwise. James W. Tarkington was not to inherit anything until James Sawyer died. James W. Tarkington's father Joseph was still alive (James W. actually predeceased Joseph), and so were the majority of Joseph's other children. If Louisa was Joseph Tarkington's mother, she was disinheriting her son and most of her grandchildren, and only leaving an inheritance to one grandson, and even then only after the death of her husband. I think it is more likely that James W. was Louisa's step-grandson. Since James W. lived with the Sawyers for a long time (probably at least 10 years), Louisa probably came to think of him as a grandson, not a step-grandson. If she had no living descendants of her own, it is logical that she would want him to inherit her estate after her husband died. And if Amanda were James Sawyer's illegitimate child, she would not automatically be entitled to inherit from her father.

Another piece of evidence appears in the family tree in my father's baby book. Not everything is correct, but mistakes (such as one great-great-grandmother being listed with her stepfather's surname) can be clues and may have happened for a reason. Every other record of Amanda gives her surname before her marriage as Russell, but my father's baby book says that she was Amanda Sawyer. James William Tarkington died in 1894, and his widow probably passed down information about his family. She would only have known her mother-in-law Amanda by her married surname, Tarkington. She would have known the Sawyers (she and James married in 1880, and James was living with the Sawyers that year; the couple may even have lived with the Sawyers for a while after their marriage). It would make sense for her to assume that Amanda's maiden name was Sawyer.

I believe that Amanda Russell was the daughter of James Sawyer and Sobrina Russell.

Nashville Banner, 29 January 1912

From my father's baby book. Some information is incorrect, including the first name of Amanda's husband (he was Joseph, not James). Although Amanda's maiden name was actually Russell, I believe that Sawyer was the surname of her father.

A portion of the 23 May 1888 deed. Williamson County, Tennessee Deeds, vol. 13, roll 157, page 110.

Questions for applicant, Amanda Tarkington, widow of Joseph Tarkington. Tennessee Confederate pension application 2079, Widow's Indigent Pension. Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee State Library and Archives.