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

Job Lucas

Job Lucas was born 259 years ago today, on 2 November 1757 in Virginia. He was the son of my 7th-great-grandparents Edward Lucas and Elizabeth Corn.

From May 1776 to October 1777, he served as a private in the 8th Virginia Regiment. He was a waggoner.

Compiled Service Records of Soldiers who Served in the American Army during the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783. NARA microfilm publication M881, roll 1047. Virginia, Eighth Regiment. The National Archives at Washington, D.C. Available from Fold3.

In 1778, he served as a private in the 4th Virginia Regiment. He died at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania on 15 May 1778.

Compiled Service Records of Soldiers who Served in the American Army during the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783. NARA microfilm publication M881, roll 975. Virginia, Fourth Regiment. The National Archives at Washington, D.C. Available from Fold3.

According to family Bible records, the cause of death was smallpox.

Tuesday's Tip: Swedish-American Newspapers

The Minnesota Historical Society provides access to 28 Swedish-American newspapers published between 1859 and 2007. These newspapers were published for the Swedish immigrant communities. More than 300,000 digitized pages are available for searching and browsing. There is a text correction tool that you can use to correct mistakes. There is also a user annotation tool, which can be used to add comments and tags.

I found some interesting things in this collection. My ancestors attended the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Chicago, and news from the church was published. My great-grandfather Edward Theodore Anderson and his brother-in-law Carl Dahlquist were elected to serve as deacons. My 2nd-great-grandfather C. J. Dahlquist (Carl's father) was in the Anti-Saloon League (something that I was previously unaware of).

Svenska Amerikanaren, 18 January 1917, page 15

I found a death notice for C. J. Dahlquist's son Martin L. Dahlquist.

Svenska Tribunen-Nyheter, 6 August 1919, page 12

C. J. Dahlquist's brother Frank A. Shirlander and his wife were attacked by a former employee in 1905. The incident was reported in two Swedish-American newspapers.

Svenska Amerikanaren, 30 May 1905, page 11

Svenska Tribunen, 31 May 1905, page 11

If you have Swedish ancestors who immigrated to the United States, this collection is worth a look. The collection can be accessed at http://www.mnhs.org/newspapers/swedishamerican.

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.

Superstorm Sandy

Four years ago today, Superstorm Sandy slammed into the United States. The storm made landfall near Brigantine, New Jersey on 29 October 2012, as a post-tropical cyclone. The storm's winds reached 90 mph near Staten Island, New York. It was the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of 2012, and the second most costly hurricane in United States history.

More than two million households in New Jersey lost power. 37 people were killed, and 346,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. The Jersey Shore suffered the most damage. Much of the state experienced flooding.

Before the storm hit, I was very worried about flooding, because much of the town I live in is in a flood zone. Although I did not live in the flood zone, I would still be affected by flooding, because the roads that I would need to take to get to the highways would be closed, and it would be difficult for me to get to work.

My power went out on the night of 29 October 2012. The next day, I was amazed to find out that there was no flooding in my town, but there were many downed trees. Because the whole area had no power, the college where I worked was closed. I had no heat. Thankfully, I at least had hot water. I slept on the couch because I thought it would help to conserve heat if I huddled in a smaller space. My cats Jewel and Harmony stayed close to me. The town community center had a generator, and I went there during the day to keep warm and to charge my cell phone.

I was without power or heat for nearly eleven days. Some areas had their power restored earlier. I went shopping and bought wool socks and long underwear. After the college library where I worked reopened, I stayed at work late, until closing time. I went to the back room after my work day was over, and I used the computer and heated up canned food in the microwave. On my last night without power, there were snow flurries. When I got home from work the next day, I found that my power had finally been restored.

References
Blake, Eric S; Kimberlain, Todd B; Berg, Robert J; Cangialosi, John P; and Beven, John L. Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Sandy (AL 182012) 22-29 October 2 012. National Hurricane Center.
Effects of Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey 
Hurricane Sandy

Gateway Arch, St. Louis, Missouri

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri is the world's tallest arch and the tallest man-made monument in the Western hemisphere. It is 630 feet tall. Its facade is made of stainless steel. From the top of the arch, it is possible to see up to thirty miles in each direction.

In 1933, civic leader Luther Ely Smith came up with the idea to build a memorial on the Mississippi River riverfront in St. Louis. As a result, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association was created. In 1945, a design competition for the memorial was announced. The contest opened on 30 May 1947, and the winning design, by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen, was chosen on 18 February 1948.

The monument's construction began on 12 February 1963. It was completed on 28 October 1965.

References
About the Gateway Arch
Gateway Arch 
History of the Gateway Arch

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.