Those Places Thursday: Gower Road, Nashville, Tennessee

Gower Road is located in Nashville, Tennessee, between River Road and Old Charlotte Pike.

My 5th-great-grandfather William Gower's property was on this road. He was a Methodist preacher, and his church, Gower's Chapel, was across from his home. In 1885, a new church, Centenary United Methodist Church, was constructed on the property.

Centenary United Methodist Church

Gower Cemetery is located on the hillside below the church. William and other members of his family are buried there. Unfortunately, the cemetery is very overgrown.

Gower Cemetery area

Sunday's Obituary: John G. Gatlin

Nashville American, 1 September 1897, page 3

John J. Gatlin, a well-known brickmason, died last night at the residence of his sister, Mrs. N. L. Page, 95 Wharf avenue. He was 56 years old and had lived the greater part of his life in this city. He leaves a wife.

John G. Gatlin was born on 15 August 1841 in Tennessee. He was the son of my 4th-great-grandparents John McNairy Gatlin and Margaret "Peggy" Gower. He served in the Confedederate Army as a private in the 10th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry, Company D, and was held at Rock Island Barracks as a prisoner of war. He married Martha Ann Gower on 20 December 1865 in Davidson County, Tennessee. In 1874, John and Martha adopted a two-year-old girl, Minnie (formerly Tennessee Reed). John died on 31 August 1897 in Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee and was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Nashville.

Those Places Thursday: Clover Bottom

Clover Bottom consists of 309 1/4 acres of land in Davidson County, Tennessee, including three acres on the north side of Stone's River.

Nashville Whig, 31 August 1813, page 3

Stone's River

The area was named "Clover Bottom" because of the amount of growth of white clover in the area. John Donelson was one of the settlers who came to the area in 1780.

"Col. John Donelson Was Leader Among Men." Nashville Tennesseean and Nashville American, 15 July 1917, page 25.

James Robertson and my Gower and Lucas ancestors were among the other settlers in the area. My 7th-great-grandfather Abel Gower, Sr., my 6th-great-grandfather Abel Gower, Jr., and James Robertson's brother John Robertson were killed at Clover Bottom in 1780, after they were attacked by Chickamaugas.

Haywood, John. The Civil and Political History of the State of Tennessee from its Earliest Settlement up to the Year 1796, Including the Boundaries of the State. Nashville,TN: Publishing House of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1891. Originally published in 1823 by W. H. Haywood. Page 128. Available from Internet Archive.

In 1858, Dr. James Hoggatt built a mansion at Clover Bottom. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

My Uncle and Cousin Whose Trains Collided

At 7:48 AM on 15 September 1909, Passenger Train No. 4 and Freight Train No. 51 collided about one mile west of Pegram's Station, Cheatham County, Tennessee. My 2nd-great-grandfather's brother Jesse Tarkington was the engineer on Freight Train No. 51.  Joseph Greener Gower, my second cousin 4 times removed, was the engineer on Passenger Train No. 4. They were both killed in the accident. Although I am related to both men, as far as I know they are not related to each other.

 Nashville American, 16 September 1909, page 7

Nashville American, 16 September 1909, page 5

I found an article about the accident which includes photos of both men. (N. C. & St. L. Trains Together Head-On. Nashville American, 16 Sep 1909, pp. 5, 7, 15.) I am glad that I am now able to put faces with the names.

150 Years Ago Today: Obedience Lucas

My 5th-great-grandmother Obedience Lucas died 150 years ago today.

Obedience was born on 16 December 1787 in Davidson County, Tennessee. She was the daughter of Andrew Lucas and Nancy Gower.

Obedience married Nathan Gatlin on 16 February 1803 in Davidson County, Tennessee.

Davidson County, Tennessee. Marriage Record, 1803-1804, p. 71, Nathan Gatlin and Obedience Lucas. Ancestry.com. Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008

Obedience and Nathan's first child, my 4th-great-grandfather John McNairy Gatlin, was born ten months later. The family lived in Davidson County, Tennessee. By 1830, they had moved to Giles County, Tennessee. By 1850, Obedience, Nathan, and some of their children were living in Tippah County, Mississippi. Obedience was blind.

1850 United States census, 3rd Division, Tippah County, Mississippi, population schedule, p. 517B, family 370. Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

Nathan died on 8 March 1855. By 1860, Obedience had moved in with her daughter Nancy and son-in-law Lorenzo Dow Gower. They lived in Davidson County, Tennessee.

1860 United States census, 12th District, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, p. 38, family 248. Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

Obedience died on 18 June 1866. She was buried in Gower Cemetery.

Thriller Thursday: Martha (Gower) Gatlin Struck By Electric Streetcar

Just before 3:00 PM on 28 May 1905, Martha Ann (Gower) Gatlin, the wife of my 3rd-great-grandfather's brother John G. Gatlin as well as my third cousin five times removed, decided to visit Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee after having dinner at the home of her nephew, Robert Page. She probably had dinner with his widow, children, and mother; Robert, the son of her husband John's sister Nancy, died in 1898. As she moved closer to the Fairfield line's track at the intersection of University and Washington Streets, a streetcar approached. Members of Richland Lodge, Junior Order United American Workmen were on board. As Martha crossed the track, the motorman rang his gong, but she did not appear to hear it. She was struck by the streetcar and thrown to the side of the street. She had been knocked unconscious, and was taken to her nephew's home. She died there at 5:27 PM.

Nashville American, 29 May 1905, page 8

Although the article in the Nashville American stated that she left no children, she had adopted a daughter, Minnie Gatlin (born Tennessee Reed), in 1874.

Martha was buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, by her husband John.

Nashville American, 30 May 1905, page 9

Nashville American, 30 May 1905, page 9

Sunday's Obituary: Margaret "Peggy" (Gower) Gatlin

Daily American, 4 September 1886, page 4

DIED.

 GATLIN  – At her residence, nine miles from the city on the Charlotte pike, on yesterday morning at 6 o'clock, Mrs. MARGARET (PEGGY) GATLIN, aged 82 years.
   The funeral will take place at her late residence this morning at 10 o'clock. Services by Rev. R. Warren.

My 4th-great-grandmother Margaret "Peggy" Gower was the daughter of William Gower and Charlotte Garland. She was born on 14 April 1805 in Davidson County, Tennessee. She was named after Peggy (Holcomb) Dow, the wife of preacher Lorenzo Dow.

Peggy married John McNairy Gatlin on 22 February 1826. They had five children: my 3rd-great-grandfather William Dow Gatlin, Nancy L. Gatlin, Mark Alexander Gatlin, John G. Gatlin, and James Gatlin. Peggy died on 3 September 1886 at her home near Nashville, Tennessee. She was buried at Gower Cemetery.

Friend of Friends Friday: Slaves of William Gower, Deceased

In his will, written on 1 March 1849 and recorded in the Davidson County, Tennessee Probate Court books on 23 April 1852, my 5th-great-grandfather William Gower left his slaves Isaac, Rachael, and Harriet to his wife Charlotte (Garland) Gower. Charlotte died on 16 April 1860. Several weeks later, the following notice appeared in the Nashville Union and American.

Nashville Union and American, 8 May 1860, page 1

                                Sale of Negroes.
In pursuance of a decree of the County County of Davidson County, rendered in the case of the heirs and distributees of William Gower, deceased, exparte, at the April term 1860, I will offer for sale at the Court House in Nashville, on Saturday, the 2d day of June next, the following negroes, to-wit-
        Rachel, about fifty seven years of age;
        Isaac,      "   forty                "  "   "
        Harriet,    "   twenty seven   "  "   "  and her two children,
        Laura,      "   five                 "  "   "
        Charles,   "  three                "  "   "
Terms--$100 in cash will be required, and for the balance notes endorsed, payable in bank, at twelve months.
                                                                   F. R. CHEATHAM,
may1-dtds                                                          Clerk and Master.

Looking at the list of William Gower's slaves recorded in the 1850 United States Census slave schedule, it appears that Rachel was the 47 year old black female listed on line 12, Isaac was the 30 year old black male listed on line 14, and Harriet was the 17 year old black female listed on line 16.

1850 United States census, Davidson County, Tennessee, slave schedule. Available from Ancestry.com. 1850 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

Mappy Monday: Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway

Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway. Poor's Manual of the Railroads of the United States, 1903. Public domain. Available from Wikimedia Commons.

Patricia Walls Stamm's lecture "Railroads and Their Records"at NGS 2015 inspired me to look for railroad maps. Many members of the Tarkington family worked for the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway. I found the Pegram station on this map. My great-great-grandfather's brother Jesse Tarkington was the engineer on a freight train which collided with a passenger train (on which my second cousin 4 times removed Joseph Greener Gower was the engineer) on 15 September 1909, one mile west of the Pegram station. Both of my relatives were killed in the accident.

Friend of Friends Friday: Will of William Gower

My 5th-great-grandfather William Gower wrote his will on 1 March 1849. He died on 11 October 1851, and his will was recorded in the Davidson County, Tennessee Probate Court books on 23 April 1852.

William Gower will, recorded 23 April 1852. Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927. Davidson County. Wills, 1851-1853, Vol. 15. Image 197. Available from FamilySearch.

William Gower will, recorded 23 April 1852. Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927. Davidson County. Wills, 1851-1853, Vol. 15. Image 198. Available from FamilySearch.

William Gower will, recorded 23 April 1852. Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927. Davidson County. Wills, 1851-1853, Vol. 15. Image 198. Available from FamilySearch.

I have transcribed the portions of the will which mention William Gower's slaves, as well as the list of his children near the end of the will.

[To his wife Charlotte Gower] Also for life the following Slaves. viz. Isaac a negro man and Rachael and Harriet negro Women.

Item 5 it is my  will and desire that at my death the residue of my perishable property be sold on a Credit of Twelve months and with any debts due me applied to the payment of debts and funeral expenses and the balance thereof together with the residue of my slaves not heretofore bequeathed be eaqually [sic] divided among all my Children and the children of Abel Gower deceased they representing their deceased Father and respect being had to the deductions heretofore directed to be made.

And it is intended that all my children viz. Lorenzo D. Gower, Peggy Gatlin, Mark B. Gower, Abel B. Gower's children, Wm T Gower, Charlotte T Russell, Sally Newsom, Lucy Shuster, James Gower, John H. Gower, Leonidas F. Gower, and Nancy C. Gower shall share eaqually [sic] in my estate including the advancement or deductions above mentioned.

Below are the slaves held by William Gower and his son Lorenzo Gower that were recorded in the 1850 United States Census slave schedule.

1850 United States census, Davidson County, Tennessee, slave schedule. Available from Ancestry.com. 1850 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

52 Ancestors: #51 Andrew Lucas

My 6th-great-grandfather Andrew Lucas was born on 5 October 1752 in Shepherdstown, Frederick County, Virginia (now Shepherdstown, Jefferson County, West Virginia). He was the son of Edward Lucas and Elizabeth Corn.

In 1780, he arrived in what is now Nashville, Tennessee on the Donelson flotilla. Nancy Gower was also on the Donelson flotilla; she became Andrew's wife.

Andrew was one of the signers of the Cumberland Compact, which established a constitutional government for the settlement. It was signed in May 1780.

Andrew was shot by Indians while hunting at Drake's Creek. Although he had been shot through the neck and mouth and was bleeding, he managed to crawl into some shrubbery.

On 30 July 1784, the Trustees of the Town of Nashville granted Lot 34 in the Town of Nashville to Andrew Lucas.

Andrew died in 1830. His will was recorded on 4 March 1830 in Davidson County, Tennessee. He left money to his daughters Lavina, Polly, Susan, and Sina. He left his wife Nancy the household and kitchen furniture, stock cattle, hogs, horses, and all the money that was due to him. After her death, anything remaining was to be sold, and they money was to be divided equally among his children. One of the witnesses to the will was his grandson Andrew Gatlin, the son of my 5th-great-grandparents Nathan Gatlin and Obedience Lucas.

The estate inventory of Andrew's son Andrew Lucas Jr. was recorded one day later.

Cumberland Compact, original signers, page 1. Available from http://www.cumberlandpioneers.com/cc1.html. Andrew Lucas' signature is the sixth one in the third column. One of the other signers was his half-brother Robert Lucas.

Haywood, John. The Civil and Political History of the State of Tennessee from its Earliest Settlement up to the Year 1796, Including the Boundaries of the State. Nashville, TN: Publishing House of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1891. Page 223. Reprint of 1823 edition published by W. H. Haywood. Available from Internet Archive.

Andrew Lucas will, recorded 4 March 1830. Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927. Davidson County. Wills, 1826-1832, Vol. 09. Image 211. Available from FamilySearch.

52 Ancestors: #47 Jesse Tarkington

Jesse Tarkington, the younger brother of my great-great-grandfather James William Tarkington, was born in Williamson County, Tennessee on 14 July 1862. He was the son of Joseph Tarkington and Amanda Russell.

In 1880, Jesse worked as a farm laborer in Williamson County, Tennessee, where he lived with his parents and many of his siblings. By 1885, he had moved to Nashville, and he worked as a blacksmith for the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. In 1886, he worked as a guard at the penitentiary. He then worked for the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway; he was a boilermaker in 1888, and by 1890 he was a fireman. By 1900, he had become an engineer.

Jesse married Pauline "Lena" Hitner on 12 July 1891. They had six children: Thomas Burrell (born 2 August 1892), Jessie Pauline (born 27 March 1895), Elmer (born 3 March 1898), George Washington (born 22 February 1900), John Frederick (born 10 December 1904), and Jesse Edwin (born 17 October 1909).

On 15 September 1909, Jesse was killed in a railroad accident. On the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway, No. 4 passenger train, west bound, and No. 31 fast freight, east bound, collided one mile west of Pegram Station. Jesse was the engineer on the freight train. The engineer on the passenger train, who was also killed in the accident, was Joseph Greener Gower, my second cousin 4 times removed (through one of my other family lines).

Jesse was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery on 20 September 1909, in the Tarkington family plot, Sec. 13 Lot 75. On 16 December 1914, his body was moved to Sec. 13 Lot 275.

Jesse's youngest son, Jesse Edwin, was born a month after Jesse's death. Sadly, Jesse Edwin died on 27 October 1914 at age 5.

Nashville Directory, 1885. Nashville, TN: Marshall and Bruce. Available from Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

 Nashville City Directory, 1886. Nashville, TN: Marshall and Bruce. Available from Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Nashville City Directory, 1898. Nashville, TN: Marshall and Bruce. Available from Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Directory of Nashville and Rural Routes of Davidson County, 1903. Nashville, TN: Marshall & Bruce. Available from Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Marion Star, 15 September 1909

 Morning Oregonian, 16 September 1909

Jesse Tarkington death record. Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville, Tennessee; Tennessee Death Records, 1908-1959; Roll #: 5. Available from Ancestry.com. Tennessee, Death Records, 1908-1958 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Mt. Olivet Cemetery Lot Owner Card File, 1851-1995. Nashville, Tennessee: Metropolitan Government Archives.

Photo by CB - Find a Grave contributor

National Adoption Day

The Saturday before Thanksgiving is National Adoption Day. The day is intended to raise awareness of the large number of children in foster care waiting for adoption, and to celebrate adoptive families.

My great-great-grandmother's sister Clara Matilda Borg and her husband Nils A. Samuelson never had biological children, but they raised a girl, Etta Maria Carter, and a boy, Leroy G. "Roy" Johnson.

1910 United States Census, Westchester Township, Porter, Indiana, population schedule, enumeration district 152, page 9A. Available from  Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

1920 United States Census, Westchester Township, Porter, Indiana, population schedule, enumeration district 157, page 4A. Available from Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.

The Vidette-Messenger, 20 March 1934, page 2. (The name of the daughter is listed incorrectly.)

My 3rd-great-grandfather's brother John G. Gatlin and his wife Martha Ann Gower legally adopted a little girl, Tennessee Reed (Minnie Gatlin after the adoption), in 1874.

Miller, Alan N. Nineteenth Century Tennessee Adoptions, Legitimations, and Name Changes. Baltimore, MD: Clearfield, 2009. Page 51.

The girl's biological parents reconciled after the adoption had approved, and wanted her back. The Davidson County, Tennessee Circuit Court ruled that it was in the best interests of the child for her to remain with her adoptive parents. The below excerpt from an article in the Nashville Union and American, 3 December 1874, shows that the adoptive mother and daughter had formed a close bond.

Nashville Union and American, 3 December 1874. Available from Chronicling America.

My great-grandmother Kathleen (Graham) Mapplebeck Boe was the biological daughter of James Graham, but when her mother Catherine Elizabeth Winters married James Mapplebeck, she took his name and he became her father. The adoption may have been informal rather than legal, but Kathleen's application for a Social Security account shows that James Mapplebeck was the man that she considered to be her father.

Kathleen Graham Mapplebeck Boe, SS no. 494-07-1459, 11 December 1936, Application for Account Number (Form SS-5), Social Security Administration, Baltimore, Maryland.

Those Places Thursday: Fort Nashborough

In 1780, James Robertson, John Donelson, and their party of settlers (including my ancestors Abel Gower Sr., Obedience Blakely Gower, Abel Gower Jr., Nancy Gower, and Andrew Lucas) built a settlement at the French Lick along the Cumberland River. They named it Fort Nashborough after General Francis Nash. It was the first settlement in what became Nashville, Tennessee.

Fort Nashborough was reconstructed in 1930 and rebuilt in 1962.The reconstruction was funded by the local Daughters of the American Revolution. In July 2011, the fort was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Fort Nashborough is currently closed for renovations. It is scheduled to reopen in 2015, and will be an open plaza rather than an enclosed structure.

I visited Fort Nashborough in 2007. The photos were taken on that trip.

 

References
Fort Nashborough
Fort Nashborough
Fort Nashborough History
Revamped Fort Nashborough set to open in 2015