History of Tennessee Collections

Goodspeed’s History of Tennessee

Goodspeed Publishing Company wrote a series of volumes on the history and people of Tennessee that were published in 1887. The following data and histories have been extracted from those volumes and comprise this collection on Tennessee. This collection contains 165 biographical sketches along with some Civil War rosters. Civil War Rosters Company A, Forty-first Tennessee Confederate Infantry Company C, Fourth Confederate Infantry Company D, First Tennessee, Confederate States Army Company E, of the First Tennessee Confederate Infantry Company G, Forty-first Tennessee Confederate Infantry Company H, Eighth Tennessee Confederate States Army Forrest’s Escort Biographies from Goodspeed’s History of Tennessee Biographical Sketch … Read more

Forrest’s Escort

Killed in the service F. G. Motley, S. J. Green and W. T. K. Green Wounded W. F. Taylor, received seven wounds Served to the end of the war without being wounded Lieutenant John Eaton Privates J. N. Taylor, T. J. Eaton, D. R. Bedford, D. H. Call, E. Clark, T. M. Dance, M. A. L. Enochs, C. W. Lucas, and Orderly Sergeant M. L. Parks This command served under General Forrest during the war, and surrendered May 10, 1865, at Gainesville, Alabama.

Company H, Eighth Tennessee Confederate States Army

The following named persons enlisted from what is now Moore County: Killed in the service Benjamin Morgan Frank Johnson Lieut. J. G. Call W. L. Davidson W. H. Martin Joseph Stacy P. Y. Mitchell Alexander Brady John Reese Wounded L. A. Farrer W. J. Taylor Nat. S. Forrester Lieutenant John Sullivan Berry Leftwich Brittain Carragan P. A. Raby Lieutenant John D. Tolley H. L. W. Boon Alex. Crane Stephen Johnson M. M. Dean Wilson Call John Raby Died in the service James Morehead Rufus Morehead Served to the close of the war Albert H. Boon Joseph Broughton Wiley H. Carrigan … Read more

Company G, Forty-first Tennessee Confederate Infantry

Sergeant J. M. Waggoner has kindly furnished us the following roll of officers and men: Captain, W. E. Murrel Lieutenants W. N. Taylor G. S. Tipps (killed) H. H. Johnson Sergeants J. J. Matlock A. Smith G. Hall J. M. Waggoner Corporals G. W. Davis R. C. Hinds J. Hill W. H. Noah G. W. Reneger Privates Conner Awalt E. M. Bean J. W. Bowling J. B. Benson Wm. Brazzelton Abe Brazzelton Nick Copeland Fletch Church James Cooper H. Church Jesse Ethridge James Ethridge W. C. Grant T. H. Hall Zib Frily Rich Groves Richard Hill Jack Hall J. F. … Read more

Company E, of the First Tennessee Confederate Infantry

Officers Dr. E. Y. Salmon, captain T. H. Mann, first lieutenant C. W. Lucas, second lieutenant W. F. Taylor, third lieutenant W. P. Tolley, first sergeant J. P. Edde, second sergeants T. H. Parks, third sergeant J. N. Taylor, fourth sergeant M. C. Parks, first corporal J. H. Silvertooth, second corporal A. W. Womack, third corporal F. W. Motlow, fourth corporal W. B. Taylor, ensign Killed Lieutenant T. H. Mann Sergeant J. P. Edde Corp. J. H. Silvertooth Privates William T. K. Green B. W. Shaw B. R. Bobo T. E. Brown J. J. Lucas J. W. Stockstill John McCulley … Read more

Company D, First Tennessee, Confederate States Army

Captain, N. L. Simpson, died during the war, and John Bevel then became captain. Killed in the service First lieutenant ____ Awalt lieutenants William Davis Thomas Baggett Nat Norvell Tuck Hill Thomas Davis Allen Pogue Jacob Mitchell Ben George Henry Driver Giles Powers Thomas Taylor Wounded Captain John Bevel Lieut. H. J. Byrom Alex Reedy John Clark J. W. Byrom lost left hand R. H. Anthony, lost a leg William Lewis, lost a leg Isaac Mitchell, lost a leg Died in the Service Thomas Reedy John Clark, wounded ____ Tribble, Olla Overby Ezekiel Shasteen Served to the close of the … Read more

Company C, Fourth Confederate Infantry

Killed in the service James Osborn James Cobble Henry Farrar James Jackson John Graves John Steagall T. W. Steagall George Shasteen Alfred Travis Joseph Rose Thomas Pearson T. Roberson M. J. Brown Robert Brown Tom Shasteen Wounded Marion Bedford M. A. Couser W. B. Couser S. Dillingham John Eaton Robert Farmer James Gore H. Gore John Byrom George Damron H. Nelson Samuel Rolan Thomas Raney H. Rosenberger J. F. Mitchell J. Hammontree Polk Nix Died in the service William Brannon J. A. Cobb Enoch Garner Davis Marshall Javan Nelson John Buchanan P. Osborn William Runnells Allen Revis A. Shasteen Ed. … Read more

Company A, Forty-first Tennessee Confederate Infantry

Lieutenant H. B. Morgan, who lost his left arm at the battle of Franklin H. H. Neece lost right arm at Atlanta Lieutenant L. Leftwich Henry Davidson J. C. Davidson killed at Franklin Mart Collier J. R. Rees T. M. Rees Robert Rees J. B. Rainey M. A. Prosser Wash Cox Joseph Brock Nat Rees M. B. Rees Thos. Albright

Biograpy Sketch of James H. Kitching

James H. Kitching, a prosperous farmer and stock dealer of Alexandria, was born May 28, 1840, in Smith County. He is the fourth of fourteen children of Thomas and Mary (Davis) Kitching. The father was born in Smith County in 1809, a son of James Kitchen who was a native of North Carolina. He immigrated to Tennessee at an early date stopping first at the top of Bledsoe’s Lick, Sumner County, afterward located in Smith County, near the head of Kitching Creek, which was named for him. He was one of the first settlers in that section where his life … Read more

Biography of William T. Hale

William T. Hale. This gentleman is a merchant, Lawyer and literature of Liberty; was born in 1857 at Liberty, Dekalb Co., Tenn., and is one of three boys of C. W. L. and Malissa (Overall) Hale. He received his education at the Masonic Academy, at Liberty, and has been a close student at home. At the age of seventeen he began business life as a partner with his father in the mercantile firm of Hale & son, and has continued in the same business, in connection with his profession, which he entered in 1884, having at the same time found … Read more

Biography of W.W. Wade

W. W. Wade, Judge of the Fifth Chancery Division of Tennessee, is a native of Dekalb County, born in Smithville in 1848, a son of Wm. M. and Caroline (Eastham) Wade. The Father was of Scotch-Irish descent, born in Virginia in 1826. His Father (grandfather of our subject), Wm. H., also a native of Virginia. He was a hatter by trade. After residing in Wilson County for a few years he located, in 1840, in Smithville, Dekalb County, where he passed the remainder of his days. Wm. M. studied law when a young man with Judge M. M. Brien, who … Read more

Biography of W.W. Patterson

W. W. Patterson, one of the leading business men of Alexandria, was born in Smith County in 1843, the second of eight children of Samuel F. and Catherine (Smith) Patterson. The father was of Scotch-Irish descent, born in Wilson County in 1801, and the son of Samuel Patterson, a native of Ireland who immigrated to America at about the age of sixteen. He settled in Wilson County, where he married and spent the remainder of his life as a tiller of the soil. Samuel F. was first married to Miss Lucy Waters, by whom he had two children, one living. … Read more

Biography of W.R. Smith

Smith, W.R, of the firm Smith Bros., the well-known proprietors of a general store of Smithville, established their house in the fall of 1877. He is the sons of William S. and Catherine J. (Tippitt) Smith. The father was of English-Irish descent, born in Wilson County, Tenn., in 1823. His father, John Y. Smith, was a native of Virginia, and located in Wilson County when a small boy. He died in 1865. William S. married in 1842, and settled in the Eleventh District, where he became the possessor of 175 acres of land. He was a farmer and stock raiser. … Read more

Biography of W.G. Bratten

W. G. Bratten, Farmer, was born in 1823, in Smith County (now Dekalb), the oldest of two sons of Henry and Nancy (Givan) Bratton, The former of Irish origin, born in Maryland about 1798, and the latter of Scotch origin, born in the same State about the same year. The mother’s parents came when she was a year old to Nashville by boat after reaching the Ohio River, and where three weeks in cutting a road to Liberty, which was named by her father in honor of their old home in Maryland, as he was something of a leader in … Read more

Biography of W. P. Hickerson, Jr.

W. P. Hickerson, Jr., was born in Manchester, October 20, 1850, the son of Judge William P. and Mary S. (Martin) Hickerson, both of Scotch-Irish descent. The father, born in North Carolina, November 26, 1816, went when a child to Tennessee, and began life as a dry goods clerk at Manchester, and afterward read law under Colonel Charles L. Ready of Murfreesboro, and for a number of years was the leading lawyer of that section. For sixteen years he was judge of the Fifth District, and was appointed by Governor Marks as a judge of the State Arbitration Court. As … Read more

Biography of Timothy S. Givan

Timothy S. Givan, editor and proprietor of the Tullahoma Messenger, one of the prominent weekly papers of Middle Tennessee, was born in Hardin County, October 8, 1845. He is the son of James M. and Mellona (Needham) Givan, both of whom were born in Kentucky, the former November 4, 1811, and the latter September 19, 1819. The parents, married October 9, 1834, had ten children born to them, six of whom were boys, and of these our subject is the youngest. The mother died April 4, 1854, and in 1856 the father married Rachael Clark. He died October 5, 1859. … Read more

Biography of T.W. Fitts

T. W. Fitts, a farmer and stock dealer of the Tenth District, was born March 4, 1832, in Smith County. He is the youngest of six children of Wootson and Tabitha (Winfrey) Fitts. The father was born in 1787, near Halifax, Virginia. He was lieutenant of a company in the war of 1812, was under command of Gen. Jackson at New Orleans; he came to Tennessee about 1822, and died near Eddyville, Ky., about 1850. The mother was born about 1787 near Petersburg, Va., and came to Tennessee after her marriage. Our subject had but limited educational advantages, but is … Read more

Biography of Simeon Ashley

Simeon Ashley, clerk of Coffee county Circuit court, and a prominent citizen of Manchester, was born March 8, 1830, near Beech Grove, Tennessee. He is the son of William and Mary (Weaver) Ashley, of English and Scotch descent respectively – the former born in South Carolina, Lawrence District, February 14, 1789, and the latter, in North Carolina in 1790. Their parents came to Tennessee in early days, and the maternal father was a companion of James K. Polk’s father in the then far west. After the marriage of the elder Ashley, in about 1812, they made Beech Grove their permanent … Read more

Biography of Samuel Walker

Samuel Walker, a prominent physician of the Tenth District, was born February 8, 1848, in Dekalb County. He is the fourth of seven children of Hampton and Mary (Hicks) Walker, both of whom were also natives of Dekalb County. The father was born in 1811. He served two years in the late war, at the expiration of which time he was discharged on account of disabilities. His death occurred in November 1886. The mother was born in 1813. Our subject received his literary education in the common schools of Missouri, attending later two terms at the Kirksville branch of the … Read more

Biography of S.B. Prichard

S. B. Prichard, a respected agriculturist of the Nineteenth District, was born in Wilson County in 1820. He is the third of eight children of Benjamin and Mary A. (Campbell) Prichard. The father was born April 16, 1792, in Virginia and came to the portion of Tennessee now known as Dekalb County in 1808. He was in Col. James Tubb’s regiment, under command of Gen. Jackson, at New Orleans. His death was caused by rheumatism, which he contracted during the war. The exposure was very great. He made his way home from New Orleans on foot, his only provisions until … Read more